Beaton’s at Bar Cecil review: A maximalist take on French snacking

beatons at bar cecil palm springs review — (Image credit: Photo by MKimberling)

It seems like half of Los Angeles migrates to Palm Springs, California this time of year, between events like Modernism Week, the Palm Springs International Film Festival, world-famous tennis matches and music festivals. Now they have another excuse: Beaton's. Located behind its sister eatery, the ever-buzzing Bar Cecil, Beaton's helps to further transform this once-sleepy stretch of town into the place to be.

Wallpaper* dines at Beaton’s at Bar Cecil, Palm Springs

The mood: Chic Parisian salon

Lead partner John Janulis – also the creator of Bar Cecil (with fellow partners Richard Crisman, Jeff Brock and Phillip Conner) and the art-filled Villa Royale hotel – brings a craftsman’s hand to the space. A carpenter by trade, he is responsible for the rich mahogany panelling throughout.

The cascading, tufted red velvet ceiling draws on travels to The Ritz in Paris – delightfully over-the-top – complemented by leopard-print carpet and treescape wallpaper. Vintage Venetian-inspired chandeliers cast a warm glow over a striking black-and-white photograph of Andy Warhol, Edie Sedgwick and Truman Capote. Nearby, an image of Kate Moss standing on a table in Paris – a favourite of Janulis – mirrors the room’s energy. ‘We actually had Linda Evangelista sitting at that table, right underneath that image, last week,’ he adds.

On any given night, hotelier Jeff Klein (of Sunset Tower and San Vicente Bungalows in West Hollywood), alongside the likes of Kelly Ripa or James Marsden, might drift in past the front patio – now one of the most requested seating areas. The team has expanded the terrace, wrapping it around the building in a gesture inspired by Los Angeles’ Chateau Marmont.

The food: Bar classics or a full steak affair

Like the interiors, the cocktails carry a sense of occasion. The house Singapore Sling is made with director Paul Feig’s Artingstall’s London Dry Gin, while lead bartender Nick Turner – clad in a pink dinner jacket – treats mixology with near-scientific precision. Ice is imported from Japan in elongated spheres for highballs such as The Portrait in Pink, a clarified strawberry cocktail that takes eight hours to prepare with a dedicated ‘bar scientist’. A Spinzall centrifuge clarifies the liquid – in this case vodka – before kaffir lime leaves are infused using a nitro charger.

A selection of Bar Cecil signatures remains – from deviled eggs to caviar service – but Beaton’s asserts its own identity. Standouts include pigs in blankets filled with Wagyu cocktail franks, spicy duck bao buns and a classic spaghetti Bolognese. After 9 pm, the menu shifts towards late-night indulgence: a prime beef burger with Gruyère and onion demi-glace on brioche, or steak au poivre with shoestring fries, followed by a decadent chocolate mousse with crunchy Valrhona pearls.

As the evening deepens, so too does the soundtrack – moving from alternative '80s and English new wave into hip-hop classics. Many Bar Cecil regulars – from Scarlett Johansson to Jon Hamm – continue the night at Beaton’s, ordering steak tartare, onion tart and another round of elaborate drinks as the atmosphere tips into something more electric.

Beaton’s at Bar Cecil is located at Plaza Del Sol Shopping Center, 1555 S Palm Canyon Dr UNIT F, Palm Springs, CA 92264, United States

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Carole Dixon is a prolific lifestyle writer-editor currently based in Los Angeles. As a Wallpaper* contributor since 2004, she covers travel, architecture, art, fashion, food, design, beauty, and culture for the magazine and online, and was formerly the LA City editor for the Wallpaper* City Guides to Los Angeles.