Johnny Costa’s Ristorante

Went last night for the first time and brought two newcomers who are considering moving to Palm Springs. While I requested and got a booth, there was something about the configuration that made 3 out of the 4 of us uncomfortable for the entire stay. Next, while many in the area have commented positively about Johnny Costa’s my companion and I were not impressed with the menu choices.
We were seated promptly, offered drinks and bread and our orders were taken rather quickly but it was close to an hour before we were served and only upon asking about the status of our dinners.
We were offered more bread, but what was delivered was the «poor cousin» version. The original basket had both a special bread and a sliced baguette. The latter is what was replenished.
There are many Italian restaurants in Palm Springs; we weren’t impressed. Next time we’ll try another.

So busy here, it is good… recommend it. Make a reservation and enjoy!

Waited 40 minutes for reservation. Asked for comp of drinks which was approved but not honored. Called
Police when we refused on pay bill. Both owners present but refused to compromise. Paid bill rather than be handcuffed. Avoid the dissapointing food and service.

I’ve had two very nice visits to JC’s.
Good service, excellent food, priced right.
Make a reservation in season…

The food is spectacular. We dined here on Tuesday & it was semi busy. They seemed short staffed. I had to ask the manager & the bus boy for drink refills. I would return @ maybe a later time. We dined @ 8:00. The food seemed like it took forever to arrive.

I LOVE this place. My wife and I are from Chicago that has some of the best Italian restaurants in the country. We also travel to NY city and love the Italian there. Johnny’s stands right up there with the best those two cities can offer.
The veal here is wonderful. Any of the veal dishes are recommended by the crowd we bring here. The red sauce is right on. The mussels are perfect. I have never had anything here that has not received a omg response from my taste buds. I never thought I would be writing such a great review of Italian in the desert.
The only problem with this place is the décor. It reminds me of a Perkins with darker lighting. The patio needs some attention to detail. If you are going for atmosphere this is not the place. The old saying «You can’t eat atmosphere» applies here. If you want great food, come on in.

There’s a reason this year marks their 40^th year in business. Attracted by the «twilight» (early bird) deal we ended up ordering off the impressive regular menu. Told the waiter I was craving a putanesca (not on the menu) and they made me the best one I ever had. Housemade pasta, many wines by the glass, and decal cappuccino to end the meal. Great service made it all event better.

Our family had a wonderful meal here! Good and service was great. We will return.

This place is great. How good is the food? We drive all the way from Phoenix just to get the world’s best Steak Sinatra or some of Johnny’s homemade meatballs. There is not a bad entrée on the menu. And some of their regular specials such as Chilean Bass is as good as it gets.
Throw in some generous pour house table wine and some yummy deserts and you end up with a terrific dining expererience. Time to pack the car. Writing this review has made me hungry.

Date of visit: 16^th January 2016
Having made a reservation, it was most disappointing to be left waiting for 25 minutes at the entrance. Two tables were eventually cobbled together for our party of six, that were misaligned. No apology or explanation made for delay.
Service was certainly lacking. No synchrony with dishes. Waiter wished to remove the appetiser plate, whilst still eating.
Presented with an array of particularly unimaginative food and beverage offerings. Paired with the lacklustre service, this leaves for a disappointing evening for all.
Evidently there is a leadership issue.

Was in Palm Springs during the film festival and most restaurants were booked, but we were able to get a table here for an early dinner on a Saturday night. The service was very good, food was tasty — traditional Italian fare. They have a gluten free pizza crust and gluten free penne. Not sure why they don’t list the gluten free items on the menu though, glad I asked.

A friend recommended this restaurant to us when we were in PS for our honeymoon 10 years ago. Since then we have taken and recommended this great Italian restaurant to friends and family visiting PS. Every time the service is amazing, the food is to die for and the atmosphere is old school.
We had the caprese salad to start, penne with vodka sauce, cioppino, and the lobster ravioli with tiramisu and New York cheesecake for dessert. My seafood was perfectly cooked, my sister’s vodka sauce was delicious and the lobster ravioli won my mom over to liking cream sauces.
I would go there again for the atmosphere alone. You feel like some old movie star is going to show up at any time and sit in the round green leather booth next to you.
By the way, our waiter Wes was highly knowledgable and gave us good tips on the menu items.
Love!

Johnny Costa’s Ristorante pretty much saved our first night in Palm Springs. After dealing with a less-​than-​ideal check-​in to our rental house (see review for Acme), we were all a bit rattled and my mom especially needed to unwind and enjoy some fantastic food and drinks. Johnny Costa’s was the perfect temporary getaway from our winter getaway. We were able to make a same-​day reservation and score a nice indoor table in the front of the restaurant. My mom loved her Steak Sinatra and I have never tasted anything quite as succulent as the Veal Mushroom: it was SPECTACULAR and a «5» all the way! If eating out in Palm Springs wasn’t so stinkin’ expensive, I’d have returned and ordered the Veal Mushroom again. I was literally scraping the plate to eat all the sauce. Our waiter was super-​friendly and everyone was served in a non-​rushed but efficient manner. Parking is plentiful on the street. VERY highly recommended – I will return as soon as I get an opportunity to enjoy Palm Springs again!

Wow…
Okay, look I’m the kind of person that is VERY easily impressed. With food, with movies etc…
When I see effort being put into something and it yields a relatively good product, I rate it 4 or 5 stars.
Now this restaurant, I read the Unilocal reviews and I thought I was gonna be mind blown by my experience (especially since this guy was Frank Sinatra’s chef).
We got there, the very friendly host showed us to our seat. She was great! :) … The waiter was alright. Not excellent. but he wasn’t rude or anything sooo C+, I guess.
Now, the food… Oh God. the food.
We started off with their MEDIOCRE calamari. Then since I was starving, and it was an Italian restaurant, I went straight to the pasta section. They had such a limited number of pastas. Ugh. Anyways, I ordered the linguini shrimp something and my gf ordered the gnocchi. Dude, this ish was soooo mediocre. And to add salt to injury, their pastas are about $ 30 and go up to $ 42. I would understand if it was good but dude, u are you charging that much for mediocrity… Psssh!
We live and learn. #NeverAgain. But on the bright side, my gf looked amazing that night! :)

Came here on a Saturday night and it was pretty busy. This seems to be a place where mostly older folk come to eat. Service was ok, but personally we didn’t care for our waiter too much, he did nothing wrong, but just wasn’t friendly and personable. The rest of the staff was nice. The bread they brought out when we sat down was delicious with oil and vinegar, which was brought upon our request. The calamari was not fried properly and was not visually appealing. The minestrone soup that came with the lasagna was hearty and tasted good after adding some salt and pepper. The lasagna was overall good. The meat in the lasagna was nicely seasoned. We ordered the Cesar salad and added onions and olives, then some oil and vinegar when it was brought to us. It was delicious. Overall everything was good.

Authentic style Italian food. Service was outstanding! This is my favorite Italian restaurant in the Coachella Valley! My fiancé ordered the veal saltimbocca, it was the best veal dish he’s ever had! It melted in his mouth! I ordered the lasagna, it was delicious! If you want good Italian, visit this place!

Yes! Great time with great friends! Just make sure you have plenty of time before the party begins!

Really great place, I’m actually glad my first pick for dinner didn’t work out.
Our server was Wes was a consummate professional. The bussers were also on top of everything and the food was delicious.
Ambiance is a bit of an old school vibe and they have something for everybody on the menu.
I had the Angel Hair Shrimp Pomodori
Try the outside patio during the warmer nights, it’s very relaxing and great for people-​watching.

It’s actually open! came here with reservations for a party of about 8. We were seated immediately, but service was a little slow. The dishes here are all individually made to order, so even the lasagna isn’t made on a huge tray. Wait was pretty long for the food, but that’s what their bread is for! The toaster focaccia bread was delish. My lasagna finally came and it was deelicious! I understood why it took so long, so I guesss it was worth the wait. Great place for good authentic Italian food, but not if you have a place to be after like we did.

Nach fast zwei Wochen Burger und Fries hatten wir das dringende Bedürfnis nach gutem italienischen Essen. Johnny Costa war da ein richtiger Glückstreffer. Aufmerksame Bedienung, gute Weinkarte mit vielen italienischen Weinen, eine richtige Minestrone, die Pasta perfekt al-​dente — ein richtig gelungener Abend, den wir mit einem guten Espresso mit Grappa ausklingen liessen.
Kann man kompromisslos weiterempfehlen.

You have probably read my previous Italian restaurant reviews and laughed, cried or diagnosed me as a pasta addict.
My name is ANGELO and I am a pasta addict.
my mainline fix at any pasta restaurant is linguine and clams. For a second I found the best at nicolinos in cat city, but they lacked one thing and I have to udate my reviews, but they are not consistant. Meaning their dishes sometimes come super great super fresh and sometimes not so much but still edible.
here’s where my life changing addiction started all over again:
I came to Johnny Costa’s Ristorante AND the clincher is this: just so happen to find a Unilocal review. I lived on and off in palm springs since 07 and never heard or was recommended this place??? what???
I WAS BLOWN AWAY.
THIS IS THE BEST ITALIAN RISTORANTE IN COACHELLA VALLEY.
I have been here at least 6 times since and have not been let down once., Which means bonus points because consistency is extremely important with restaurant dining.
We all go to our favorite restaurant to order the same things right?
YOU CAN DO THAT HERE. EVERY TIME, and they will deliver it to your table tasting just as great as it was the first time.
SO, linguine and white clam sauce has found me and my taste-​buds back in NY at the best.
THE OTHER DISHES WERE GREAT TOO!
THE BREAD IS FRESH
AND NOW YOU KNOW WHY THIS GUYS FATHER WAS SINATRA’S PRIVATE CHEF!