Copley's opened in December 2004 at 621 North Palm Canyon Drive, in a 1940s guesthouse that once belonged to Cary Grant. Andrew Manion Copley cooks; his wife Juliana runs the floor. He was born in Yorkshire, trained in classical French at Westminster Kingsway, and put in two decades at the Savoy, the Park Lane and other five-star kitchens before landing in the desert. Twenty years on, this is the rare Palm Springs room where the food is the reason to go, not the patio — though the patio, walled and lit, with the San Jacinto mountains behind it, is the best in town.
The Kitchen
The cooking is New American with a long reach — French technique, a streak of Asian seasoning, California produce. The Asian-spiced barramundi and the charred Berkshire pork chop are the signatures, the dishes to order if you want to know what Copley can do. The ahi tacos arrive in a crisp sesame-miso shell. The nightly specials are where the kitchen takes its risks, and the basil ice cream is the kind of small oddity that turns out to work. The menu moves with the season, so the supporting plates rotate even when the headliners stay.
It is fairly priced for the standard. Mains sit in the thirties and forties, and a three-course menu of the most-ordered dishes runs about $59 a head before wine. Most of the list stays under $120 a bottle, with a handful of statement wines above. A full dinner with a bottle for two lands near $200.
Practical Info
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The Room
The old guesthouse keeps its 1940s bones: low ceilings indoors, a fireplace, and a walled garden patio strung with light where most diners want to sit. Tables are well spaced, the noise is conversational rather than loud, and on a cool desert evening the patio with the mountains behind it is the whole pitch. Booths suit couples; the bar takes solo diners who want the kitchen in view. It seats a party of eight without swallowing the room.
Best for an Anniversary
Book the patio for an anniversary or a milestone dinner. The walled garden does the romance without anyone having to try, the kitchen handles a long, unhurried evening, and the bill leaves room for the good bottle. Tell Juliana's floor team at booking that you are marking something and they will seat you well and time the night gently. It also works as a considered first date or a quiet proposal.
Not for a fast, casual bite or a big rowdy group — this is a sit-down dinner room in a small historic house, and the patio books out in season. Skip it in high summer if you can't take desert heat; the indoor room is fine but the garden is the point.
Frequently Asked
Is Copley's worth it? Yes, for the setting and the cooking together. Andrew Manion Copley has run the kitchen in Cary Grant's former guesthouse since 2004, and the food holds its own against the patio. The Asian-spiced barramundi and the charred Berkshire pork chop are the dishes to judge it on.
How much does it cost? Mains land in the thirties and forties, and a three-course menu of Copley's most-ordered dishes runs about $59 a head before wine. Most of the wine list sits under $120. A dinner with a bottle for two comes to roughly $200.
What should I order? Start with the ahi tacos in the sesame-miso shell, then the Asian-spiced barramundi or the charred Berkshire pork chop. Ask about the nightly specials, and save room for the basil ice cream.
Do you need to book? Yes for the patio on a weekend. Two to four weeks ahead for Friday and Saturday, three to seven days midweek. Note any occasion at booking. Reserve through the Copley's website or OpenTable.