SOTToVOCE CAFE

Espresso first, in the Italian order

The counter runs on Italian coffee service: espresso and cappuccino by day, then wine and spirits as the afternoon turns, which is the rhythm the name suggests. Sottovoce means under the voice, or softly, and the shop puts a taste of Milan on El Paseo rather than a full Italian restaurant. It sits in The Gardens on El Paseo in Palm Desert, the original Coachella Valley address, with a second Sottovoce having opened in Palm Springs in February 2025. The food follows the format: paninis, bruschetta, pastries and small bites, made to sit beside a cup or a glass rather than to fill a table.

A café-bar in The Gardens

The room works in two registers. Early on it is a coffee bar, quick and Italian in its habits, where an espresso is drunk close to the counter rather than nursed for an afternoon. Later the wine and spirits list takes over and the same space becomes somewhere to sit with a glass while El Paseo does its shopping outside. That dual identity is what defines a visit: it never becomes a large restaurant, and it never quite settles into being only a café. Residents, visitors and shoppers use it for different reasons, which keeps the room busy without making it formal.

Order the espresso, then decide how long you are staying

For a short stop, order the coffee. Espresso or cappuccino shows the place at its clearest, and it is what the room is built around. If the visit turns into something longer, a panini is the most substantial thing on the board, while bruschetta and small bites are lighter and easier to share. Later, a glass of wine changes the register without changing the room, and the same small bites carry over. The useful expectation is a concise Milan-minded café-bar: Italian coffee, a short savoury list, and a drinks side that lets one stop stretch into the evening.