Delicias Desert Hot Springs Review: Fresh Mexican Cuisine

Since opening in 2019, Delicias Mexican Cuisine has helped modernize the Desert Hot Springs food scene. It’s brought a different style to a city that already has plenty of Mexican restaurants. Rather than heavy cheeses and sauces, Delicias takes its cue from Mexico City, focusing on fresh produce and colorful presentation, delivering dishes that are unique and uplifting. It’s an approach that would hold its own in Palm Springs and across the Coachella Valley too.

A Return to Desert Hot Springs and Delicias

I was returning to Delicias for the first time since 2023. Having spent 13 years living in Desert Hot Springs, I had eagerly witnessed Delicias open and dined there several times. But I hadn’t been back since moving to Palm Springs three years ago.

Interior of Bar inside Delicias showing staff behind counter — Customers enjoy lunch inside the bar area of the dining room

I had also seen the ongoing artistic transformation of Pierson Boulevard as it started to take on its identity as a more accessible center of downtown DHS. And Delicias is a colorful example of the new Pierson look. It’s pink. It’s green. It’s fresh looking, and a clear preview of what the menu wants to communicate. Inside there’s more of the same: lots of pink, one wall with full faux green foliage, another fully decorated with a street art mural. It’s eye-catching and colorful, and fairly bold in places. But a room only gets you in the door.

A Unique Menu Thoughtfully Sourced

While there are a few standout Mexican restaurants in the Coachella Valley, the majority lean into the same comfort themes. As a restaurateur once told me, “Here we talk about farm to table. In Mexico the farm is often right next to the table.” So I’m always impressed when I find a restaurant that’s digging into the true value of native Mexican cuisine: bright, farm-fresh ingredients.

Delicias takes its inspiration from Mexico City. The cooking there isn’t tied to one region: it draws on dishes from all over Mexico and is elevated in style and presentation to welcome visitors of every taste.

The Delicias Guacamole with pepitas, mango, and cilantro, with chips and salsa — Delicias Guacamole is fresh, chunky and accented with mango, feta, and pepitas

And that’s central to the focus at Delicias. In a 2023 interview, the owners said that they would drive to Colton several times a week to buy fresh produce and use everything within two days. It’s that level of commitment that instantly sets Delicias apart. They also make everything from scratch: the sauce, the chips and tortillas, and even the bread.

It’s a menu that reads with uniqueness too. There are many dishes that you don’t typically see: Tlacoyos, Pambazos, and Huarache Azteca were just some of the dishes that had me toggling Google for answers.

The Octopus Pulpo Taco is one of the standout menu items at Delicias — The Taco de Pulpo combines chunks of grilled octopus with fresh toppings and salsa

Dishes That Stand Out

In the past I’d always been attracted by their craft beer program. But since I quit drinking I opted for a signature Jamaica Agua Fresca instead. It arrived impressively in a large mason jar, a strikingly dark ruby red. It was slightly thick and sweet but also floral, with the hibiscus giving it a cranberry-like tartness that made it satisfying. I’ll admit that I enjoyed it more as the ice melted and diluted the drink, but that’s just my own taste.

Next came the Delicias Guacamole and Chips. There is a Naked Guacamole option. But the Delicias Guac adds mango, feta cheese, pepitas, and cilantro. The avocado is perfectly bright and chunky, and I could have enjoyed that version alone. But the mango, feta, and pepitas just take it to another level. It appears to be made fresh to order and justifies the $15 price tag. To say that the chips and guac are worth returning for might sound like a weak endorsement. But it’s true. And honestly that was just the start.

The Jamaica Hibiscus Agua Fresca with the Delicias restaurant in the background — The Jamaica Agua Fresca is tart and refreshing

I’ve enjoyed several Delicias dishes in the past and have largely opted for the more familiar. I could give glowing recommendations to the Quesa Birria, the Aguachiles, or the Mole Enchiladas. The first time I tried the Torta Cubana was one of those revelation moments. It’s a sandwich on their homemade bread that contains breaded steak, ham, salchicha, and fried egg, garnished with lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, and cheese. By 2023 it had become a bit of a regular fix, especially accompanied with the draft IPAs I enjoyed back then.

Since I was writing with a review in mind I was going to have to break this visit into smaller dishes. So I opted for a couple of new ones: the Taco de Pulpo and the Vulcan Seafood Tostada.

The Pulpo (octopus) comes lying flat on two soft corn tortillas. It’s visually vibrant as chunky pieces of grilled octopus are topped with a bright foliage of tomato, cabbage, chipotle aioli and avocado salsa, as well as a garnish of microgreens and microcilantro. It’s a complexity of spice, zesty and herbal notes alongside the fresh vegetables. The octopus lying underneath is chunky and plentiful too.

The Vulcan Seafood Toastada with fresh vegetables and mangoes is one of the standout menu items at Delicias — The Vulcan Seafood Tostada with fresh vegetables and chopped mango

The Vulcan Seafood Tostada was another new surprise. As promised, the cheese sits on top of the crunchy tortilla base, but with more of a runny creaminess than I’d expected. Shrimp and marlin provide the protein while there’s more of the avocado sauce and chipotle aioli and more fresh crunchy vegetables: red cabbage, sliced red onions, microgreens and bright chunks of mango. It’s another dish that pushes the combination of flavors to the limit.

Among the Best Mexican Restaurants in the Coachella Valley

Across both these dishes, and the guacamole, the elements of flavor were multiple and complex. But the standout was really the quality of the vegetables: the freshness, the crispness and the flavor. It’s exactly there that Delicias shines.

I was incredibly impressed with Delicias Mexican Cuisine on this last visit. It exceeded my memory, either wrongly or rightly. Memory is a funny thing. What excelled more than anything was the freshness, and the presentation seemed more on point and detailed than I recalled from the past. It probably had something to do with what I ordered too. There’s a little more finesse to tacos and tostadas than the three-meat-and-egg sandwich I mentioned. The latter leaned more into comfort and heartiness whereas on this visit I opted for dishes more attuned to brightness.

Delicias certainly fills a void in Desert Hot Springs. There are a few premier dining spots but it’s not a city bouncing with elevated food concepts. Not only does Delicias raise the bar for Mexican food in Desert Hot Springs, it sits alongside the best of Palm Springs. If you’re nearby, it’s a first-stop recommendation, but I’d also encourage anyone from down valley to make the drive and check it out.