5 /5 Natalie Caldwell: Located in the Parker Palm Springs hotel, Norma’s is a Palm Springs establishment everyone should visit. If the weather permits, definitely sit outside in their colorful, covered patio. The staff are attentive, friendly, and welcoming who can help decipher the menu. I say decipher in the best way possible because Normas menu is one of the BEST menus I’ve ever seen. The names are clever, the preparations thoughtful, and the presentation’s exceptional. They start you off with the smoothie “shot” of the day, which was strawberry banana and orange juice. We then ordered the fried chicken sandwich and the crab cake “pancakes”. The sandwich was large and the fries FANTASTIC (super crispy yet meaty). The two crab cakes were flattened but large and delicious. They come with an aggressively dressed mixed green salad with white balsamic and a single beer battered onion ring that is filled with a dill tartar sauce/aioli. Highly recommend eating the onion ring first otherwise it gets soggy and if you’re not a heavy-dressed salad person, then ask for lighter dressing or on the side. Otherwise, fantastic and flavorful dish. Order a glass of their rosé and you’ll have it poured out of a double magnum bottle. Or a Diet Coke and you’ll have a personal carafe on the side. Awesome spot. Bring a group so you can try a bunch of different awesome dishes and just have a good time. Can’t wait to come back.
