For two weeks every March, Indian Wells turns into one of the densest dining rooms in the country. The 2026 BNP Paribas Open brought more than 40 food and beverage vendors onto the grounds of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, including a newly rebuilt, two-story Circle of Palms built around Veroni's charcuterie and champagne service, plus full sit-down rooms for Nobu, Ristorante Mamma Gina, Molé Ingenious Mexican Kitchen, and Porta Via. Nobu's presence there is its own small history lesson. It started as a pop-up during the 2014 tournament, and only became a permanent Stadium 2 restaurant in 2023, nine years after first showing up for two weeks a year.
Then the tournament ends, the pop-ups pack up, and the town goes back to being a place where roughly 11 restaurants carry the entire calendar. That number comes from OpenTable's own Indian Wells listing, current as of June 23, 2026. Eleven restaurants for a city of this size and reputation is not a lot, and right now, in the second week of August, that small everyday scene is sorting itself into two very different groups: restaurants that stay open through the summer, and restaurants that close for the summer.
The Marquee Room That's Been Dark Since June
Kestrel, A Richard Blais Kitchen + Lounge at Indian Wells Golf Resort, has been closed since June 14 and will not reopen until September 3, according to its own OpenTable listing. That is close to three months dark for arguably the most recognizable chef name on Highway 111. Blais, known for his Top Chef pedigree, opened Kestrel in 2024 above the resort's entryway stairs, in what the restaurant describes as an "airy, earth-toned dining room" with views of the fairways and mountains. Golf traffic in Indian Wells thins out fast once daytime highs climb into the 100s.
This isn't a surprise to anyone who has spent a full year here. Desert hospitality has a seasonal rhythm, with some dining rooms going quiet from roughly June through Labor Day. Kestrel is closed this summer.
Restaurants Open Through the Summer
What's actually interesting is who isn't following that pattern this year.
Tía Carmen and Carmocha, the two restaurants chef Angelo Sosa opened at the newly reimagined Grand Hyatt Indian Wells Resort & Villas, are both currently running full schedules. Tía Carmen, described on the city of Indian Wells' own restaurant page as a tribute to "the beauty of the Southwest's stories, land and farmers," is open for breakfast and dinner. Carmocha, Sosa's homage to his aunt's love of food and travel, serves international tapas and craft cocktails in the same building. Sosa built his name partly through Bravo's Top Chef before opening the original Tía Carmen.
The Blushing Peony Wine Bar & Cafe tells a similar story from a different direction. Chef Katherine Gonzalez opened her first Coachella Valley restaurant, Chúla Artisan Eatery, in La Quinta, then chose Indian Wells for a second, smaller concept built around scratch-made small plates: balsamic peach and tomato crostini, truffle deviled eggs, a grilled peach burrata salad, a farmers market breakfast bowl. The Blushing Peony runs on daily breakfast and lunch traffic.
Longstanding Indian Wells Restaurants
Among the restaurants that stay open through the summer are longtime local spots.
The Nest has been an Indian Wells landmark since 1966, and it has always operated as equal parts restaurant, piano bar, and dance floor rather than a resort dining room. Vicky's of Santa Fe, open since 1989, runs a live music program by desert musician John Stanley King, eight sets across six nights every week. Owner Marc Laliberte's description of the place offers his perspective:
"It's not just the place. It is the people. Our guests become friends and family."
Don Diego's has served Mexican food since 1981 and still runs a seasonal "fiesta hour," with discounted tacos, wings, and margaritas.
Sorted, As of This Week
If you're trying to figure out where to actually go this month, the pattern breaks down cleanly:
- Dark until fall: Kestrel, A Richard Blais Kitchen + Lounge, reopening September 3.
- Open through the summer: Tía Carmen, Carmocha, The Blushing Peony Wine Bar & Cafe.
- Longstanding Indian Wells restaurants: The Nest, Vicky's of Santa Fe, Don Diego's.
The restaurants in the second and third groups are open in August, while the Tennis Garden's food vendors are part of the roughly two-week tournament scene.
What This Actually Says About the Neighborhood
The easy assumption about a resort town in the Coachella Valley is that everything slows down together every summer, the way a beach town closes its boardwalk after Labor Day. Indian Wells doesn't work that way. In this snapshot, Kestrel is closed for the summer, while the newer restaurants and longtime local spots described above are operating on their stated schedules.
By the time the BNP Paribas Open returns to the Tennis Garden next March, and Sweetfin, Beecher's Handmade Cheese, and Pacha Mamas are back rounding out that vendor lineup, Kestrel will already have reopened, and the whole town will briefly look the way visitors assume it looks year-round. For now, Indian Wells has a smaller, quieter restaurant scene, and it's worth knowing which restaurants are open in August.
Kimberly Oleson lives and works in this desert year-round, which means she knows which restaurants are dark before a client ever asks. If Indian Wells or a nearby Coachella Valley community is on your radar, work with Kimberly for a guide who already knows the neighborhood past the listing sheet.
