Heirloom Craft Kitchen: Pioneering Indio’s Daytime Dining Scene

Since opening in Indio in January 2018, Heirloom Craft Kitchen has set the benchmark for creative, scratch, thoughtful food on the east side of the Coachella Valley. Specializing in breakfast, lunch, and brunch, it’s been regularly awarded. With a menu that suits all diets, it’s been specifically recognized for its farm-to-table and vegan options. Heirloom was part of an intentional mindset that brought fresh perspective to an area that was primed for a culinary update in the 2010s. Indio today looks very different from Indio then, and places like Heirloom are a big part of that.

A Chef Inspiring the Local Community

I first met Heirloom owner Andie Hubka back in 2019 and she enthused about how Palm Springs had grown as a culinary destination. But she also mentioned that the east side of the valley still needed more interesting restaurants. Hubka’s influence in the local food community goes back to the early 2000s, volunteering at La Quinta High School, FIND Food Bank and as a spokesperson and chef for the California Date Commission. She’s also published a few cooking books. What has always stood out about Hubka is her commitment to the local community and her efforts to elevate the local food scene.

Hubka’s passion led her to start Cooking With Class in La Quinta in 2008 (a social experience that was curtailed by the pandemic), and Cork & Fork in 2013, which is still an Indio highlight today. While Cork & Fork fit the evening experience of wine and boundary-pushing flavors, Heirloom became its more comfort-driven, daytime partner.

Heirloom Setting the Pace

To say that Heirloom Craft Kitchen laid the ground for other contemporary food concepts to arrive is no exaggeration. It’s an observation that’s quite literal and immediately visible. Heirloom sits in Citrus Plaza, once a small shopping center on the corner of 50th and Jefferson. Since then the plaza has been redeveloped and expanded into a restaurant hub. It now houses Cork & Fork (having relocated from La Quinta), Babe’s Smokehouse & Tavern (relocated from Rancho Mirage), Coral Sushi & Sake, Luna’s Pizza Bar & Grill, Keedy’s (a modernized reimagining of the original Palm Desert spot) and Sumo Dog, among others. It’s all part of an evolution of the local food scene, one where Heirloom was at the forefront.

Entering Heirloom you get very much that modern American diner vibe. It’s an open kitchen with counter service, and a design that’s semi-industrial with a wooden floor, wooden tables, brickwork back wall, metal chairs and booths, as well as plenty of bright greenery notes. Immediately you’ll see a modern computerized display board of menu offerings as well as easily accessible paper menus before you reach the counter, grab a number, and wait for it to be delivered. It’s hands-on and personable as staff deliver the food and promptly attend to tables as necessary. You’ll invariably find Chef Hubka there too, working the counter and offering a helping hand wherever necessary.

A Name That Sets The Standard

The back wall offers something of a mission statement, both practical and menu ethos:

“Heirloom / noun

• An object of value or sentiment that has belonged to a family for several generations.
• A variety of plant or vegetable that has survived for several generations untouched by modern science, in its natural state.”

The food mentality is reinforced elsewhere. A server’s shirt whimsically reads “Lettuce Turnip The Beet,” as alternative music plays in the background, and the wifi password reads “realgoodfood.” As your eyes wander you’ll also notice locally sourced Joshua Tree Coffee and Outlaw Craft Sodas (recognized for cane sugar as opposed to high fructose corn syrup).

Breakfast, Lunch and Real Food

The menu reflects that mission statement posted on the wall, with dishes thoughtfully composed and a wide variety of diet and health conscious options available, alongside more hearty fare. As the website states, “We go above and beyond for our meat loving, plant based diet and gluten free guests because we truly care about feeding your bodies real, good food. Everything we make is made from scratch using the highest quality ingredients – using local and organic wherever possible.”

It’s an all day menu that runs from breakfast dishes like an Egg White Scramble (mushrooms, spinach, pico de gallo, avocado, and micro cilantro) and Chicken & Waffles (topped with roasted red peppers and rosemary/truffle infused maple syrup) all the way through to heartier entrees like Shrimp & Grits and a Chili Verde Burrito. In between you’ll find a wide variety of small plates, craft salads, sandwiches and burgers. While many dishes run vegan with vegan adjustment options (like vegan bread), there’s also a dedicated vegan section and an Impossible section.

Having dined at Heirloom a few times over the years I’ve enjoyed several of their dishes, though some come and go. Favorites like the La Quinta Cheesesteak are still there, creatively enhanced with tri-tip, queso blanco, shishito peppers, onions and mushrooms. The Heirloom Burger is great too with house pickles, cabernet onions, secret sauce, and aged cheddar. Other noteworthy mentions go to the Coachella Cobb Salad, Heirloom Bruschetta, Grown Up Grilled Cheese, and The Lobster Roll.

My most recent visit was a Saturday morning stop in for breakfast. I was seeking out an old favorite in the Short Rib Benedict, which was no longer listed. I opted for the Midnight Sandwich instead: applewood bacon, fried egg, spinach, cheddar and garlic herb aioli served between two slices of grilled sourdough. Every part of it was really well composed: the bread, the thick bacon, the aioli, the fresh spinach. And I do love that they do tater tots as their breakfast side. I could have had them as truffle tots but opted for the simpler version. Washed down with local JT coffee, it was all a perfect combo.

A Modern Vibe Finding Its Place

The vibe was busy but relaxed. On the day I was there, there was a music festival nearby so the crowd leaned somewhat younger. I would say it’s more a young person’s vibe and ideal for contemporary tastes and out of towners. I do know that they’re well supported by the local residential community. With its long banquette and spacious patio it makes a great place for communal gatherings. But it’s also well staged for lone diners like myself who wanted to get a little work done.

I only visit Indio sporadically and as such each visit to Heirloom is something of a snapshot. It’s evolved steadily over its past eight years with minor menu transitions and expansions of its layout. But it’s continued to strengthen its roots within the local community and draw in visitors from afar. Meanwhile it has stayed true to its heirloom, real food ethos. As such Heirloom Craft Kitchen has continued to pilot the local craft food scene in the eastern valley. New concepts continue to broaden the area and the food map stretches out further. And Heirloom Craft Kitchen still sits at the center of it all.