Johnny Costa's Ristorante

Food was incredibly disappointing. All three people in our party thought it was the worst Italian food we’d had, even compared to low cost options. At $30+ per entree, there are fantastic options available in other restaurants. Service and ambiance was fine, but this evening became a new benchmark for overpriced disappointment in our friend group.

Excellent Italian food and excellent several

Absolutely delicious. Very nice server & beautiful restaurant. Go! Enjoy! Make reservations...

Johnny, let’s talk. I really hate to leave a negative review (I essentially never do), but I was definitely disappointed by what I experienced when I dined here recently. After reading so many good reviews, we came by to try a new Italian restaurant in Palm Springs. What we found was that, for the price, the food was not to the caliber we expected: at $42 for the veal, for instance, the meat was below par with odd tasting and spicing. Normally, this would be nowhere near enough to call for a bad review (maybe one dish was off, we can always send it back, no problem), but our full group found the experience was shared across all dishes. If the same meal was half the price, it would be understandable even if not ideal, but it didn’t land for any of us. That said, the staff was kind, and others at near tables seemed to be enjoying themselves. Maybe it was just an off night, but our table walked away disappointed.

This is the Best Italian restaurant in Palm Springs. Their food is delicious and just like I remember NY Italian food. The smell of the restaurant alone transports you back to Sunday sauce on the stove at grandma’s

Everything was good: food, service, and atmosphere. We usually go to Sammy G's but this place was good too. I got the Penne Vodka Rose and a Dean Martini.

Our first experience and we will be back again and again. From the minute you walk in the door you are warmly welcomed by the hostess, our waiter Nick was super. The staff is incredible and all smiling which says a lot about the culture there. The food was excellent. We went to some nice restaurants in PS but everyone charged $10 for bread and separate salad. Here delicious break and salad (or soup) came with our entree. One of us had the veal parmigiana and the other eggplant parmigiana- both were delicious.

We have been long time customers and just love dining here. The dishes are solid performers. Staff is wonderful.

Fare was excellent. Service was poor.

I came in this past weekend after hearing great things about this place, and unfortunately the experience didn’t match the reputation. When I arrived right around opening, I asked for a table in the dining room. Since I was dining alone, the host initially tried to seat me in the bar area at a high-top. I politely explained that I preferred a regular table in the dining room, but there was noticeable resistance. I was then offered a spot near the entrance that felt more like a waiting area than an actual dining table, which was disappointing. Eventually, I was offered a booth—but only with the condition that I had one hour to dine. As a single guest, that felt unnecessary, and I expressed that to the manager. To her credit, she adjusted and allowed me to sit without the time pressure. What made this more frustrating is that the booth in front of me remained empty the entire time I was there, so it didn’t seem like space or reservations were actually an issue. To be fair, the food was very good. I had the steak, pasta, soup, and dessert, and everything was well-prepared and enjoyable. The Manhattan cocktail was excellent—honestly one of the best I’ve had. That said, there were still some service issues. The beer I was served had about two inches of foam, which shouldn’t happen. I’m not a bartender, but that’s a basic standard. I also ordered additional bread and had to ask twice, waiting about 15 minutes before it finally arrived. Overall, while the food lives up to the “upscale Italian” label (and pricing), the service did not. As someone dining alone, I felt like more of an inconvenience than a valued guest, which is disappointing for a restaurant of this caliber.

This place is THE best.

Cool experience.