Palm Springs, CA

If you haven’t visited Maleza, the upscale Baja-inspired restaurant at the new Drift Hotel off Indian Canyon in Downtown Palm Springs, you are in for a pleasant surprise. The rustic Mexican eatery serves up unique family style dishes paired with elevated cocktails and mocktails, (I had a tasty non alcoholic Pink Margarita pictured below.) The beautiful design is infused with Spanish Colonial and Moorish Desert architecture mixed with organic interior accents and Mexican artisanal décor.

Pink Margarita Mocktail

The restaurant features a sleek wrap around bar and floor-to-ceiling garage doors leading to a relaxed outdoor lounge featuring fire pits and views of a resort-style pool.

Maleza Outdoor Lounge

Maleza offers friendly service, and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with happy hour times. I’d be remiss not to mention the dessert options. We tried their delicious Churros with Cajeta envinada, Oaxacan chocolate, and cinnamon ice cream and wow. Soft and warm, with flavors bursting through the palate.

Maleza Dessert Churros

For an appetizer, the squash tostadas consisted of honeynut squash, zucchini, salsa macha, queso fresco, and mixed seed which were light and excellent.

Winter Squash Tostadas

For the main dinner course on the menu, we had a culinary combination of a few dishes. First was the Sweet Potato, consisting of Adobo shrimp, mushroom, miso butter, poblano crema, and cilantro, the Wagyu Hanger Steak which includes salsa negra, braised cranberry beans, beef fat, vinaigrette, & charred green onion, and the the Iberico Presa Steak which is a delicate and flavorful cut of a pork that includes swiss chard, poblano chimichurri, garlic chips at Maleza. This item was one to get. It was my favorite dish of the evening and not pictured because it was so delicious, we scarfed it down without even realizing it.

Sweet Potato

Wagyu Hanger Steak

Those looking for more affordable options to try on the menu ought to checkout Maleza’s Happy Hour Menu which occurs Monday and Thursday 3pm – Close and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday: 3pm – 6pm.

The food was so unique, that I decided to pick the brain of James Baugh, Director of Food and Beverage at Maleza in order to get a better idea of the thought process behind the restaurant and the flavorful dishes it serves.

Here is our dialogue:

Maleza Palm Springs boasts a unique blend of flavors and culinary experiences. Could you share some insights into how you curate the menu to reflect the local culture and what sets Maleza apart from other dining establishments in the area?
At Maleza, our goal is to shed light on the roots of Baja Mexican cuisine in an atmosphere that embraces the Palm Springs ease. We don’t want to present it as too formal, that being said, we want to deliver the most high quality ingredients in a way that goes beyond the traditional Mexican food more commonly found like tacos, enchiladas, etc. Myself, our CEO  Phil Bates and our executive Chef Ysaac Ramirez spent a lot of time visiting Baja examining the food culture, and drew inspiration from the artistic and rustic approach Baja has mastered so well. We try to tie this into locally sourced ingredients in the Coachella valley and taking advantage of the fresh produce available by introducing seasonal menus to keep things new and exciting. 

What do you want locals and visitors to know about why they should visit Maleza?
I’d love our visitors to know that we have a little bit of everything for everyone at Maleza. We truly love to introduce this incredible style of cuisine to those who have never experienced it. We take pride in the style of hospitality that welcomes everyone, and want everyone to feel as if they were walking into our home. 

James Baugh, Director of Food and Beverage at Maleza

Maleza is located at the Drift Hotel at 284 S Indian Canyon Dr. Palm Springs, CA 92262 and can be found online here. Their phone number is (760) 549-9528.