Best Bar That Looks Like an Airplane

PS Air Bar in Palm Springs.
PHOTOGRAPH BY GEORGE DUCHANNES

After a tough takeoff at the start of the pandemic, the aviation-themed PS Air landed a reputation as the Coachella Valley’s most talked about bar over the past year. That might have something to do with the fact that it’s not exactly easy to find. (Hint: To board PS Air, go to Bouschet, the beloved wine shop owned and operated by Tom Beatty and Dennis Costa, and find the bar entrance behind the counter. No TSA screening required.) The secrecy is part of the allure — as is the high-flying attention to detail: authentic 737 seats, floor lighting, riveted tables, and a vintage bar cart from which jetsetters are served cocktails such as the Black Box and Mile High. For in-flight entertainment, book one of the dining experiences like the Sunday Disco Boozy Brunch starring drag queens dressed as — you guessed it — flight attendants.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY HOTEL ZOSO
The Lounge at Hotel Zoso in Palm Springs.

BEST HAPPY HOUR

Hotel Zoso, the pyramid-shaped downtown Palm Springs hotel built in 1984 that had a brief existence as a Hard Rock property, received a much-need glow-up this year, adding a weekly pool party, a nightclub, and an overhauled restaurant. The most delicious — and generous — update is the daily happy hour in The Lounge, a sunken venue in the lobby offering a well-priced array of beer, wine, craft cocktails, and bites like churros, bison wings, and flatbread topped with smoked pork butt and prickly pear sauce.

Curiously, the happy hour menu also includes a chicken hominy soup that’s totally delicious. Soup for happy hour? Only in Palm Springs.

• READ NEXT: Looking for More Best of the Best for 2022? Check Our Directory.