4 days ago
A ‘White Lotus'-Inspired Coastal Italian Stunner Opens Inside the Thompson Palm Springs
Celebrity-drawing restaurateurs Marissa and Matt Hermer open their next restaurant, Bar Issi on June 6 inside the Thompson Hotel in Palm Springs, their first expansion outside of Los Angeles. With a similar color palette of Italian reds, blues, greens, and earth tones, Bar Issi's maximalist style, courtesy of Tom Parker of Fettle Design, is poised to become a beloved part of Palm Springs' dining scene. According to Marissa Hermer, the look and feel were inspired by the wildly popular Season 2 of HBO's the White Lotus , which took place on a luxe Sicilian resort, as well as San Luis Obispo's iconic overdesigned Madonna Inn with its floor-to-ceiling patterns and textures.
Bar Issi's original inspiration comes from the short-lived Issima that opened as an indoor-outdoor ground-floor restaurant inside the West Hollywood La Peer hotel, serving chic pastas, pizza, and wood-fired seasonal produce. In October 2024, the Hermers also opened French Mediterranean restaurant Chez Mia in the old Ago space on Melrose, cementing their status in West Hollywood (Olivetta is undergoing renovations, while their first restaurant, the Draycott, closed at the end of 2024). Issima eventually morphed into Charbel Hayek's Ladyhawk, and the Hermers brought the Issima concept over to the desert, where it somehow feels more lived in. The 180-seat space joins the eastern Mediterranean-inflected Lola Rose Grand Mezze and Hall Napa Valley Tasting Room on the Thompson property.
Marissa says she always prefers to serve the 'kind of food I like to eat,' with old money coastal Italian fare intersected with Californian sensibility. Everything is shareable, unfussy, and tasty — never too challenging but also a few steps beyond the basic. Hamachi carpaccio comes with truffle, yuzu, and ponzu, while a Sun Gold tomato gazpacho arrives just in time for Palm Springs' sweltering months. Squash blossoms filled with feta cheese and ricotta provide a warm appetizer while shrimp linguini with Calabrian chile gets a bright spritz of lemon. Wood-fired pizza ranges classic pepperoni with 24-month Parmesan and roasted mushrooms with fontina, taleggio, and thyme. Easy mains include lamb chops, roasted salmon with peas and yogurt, or citrus-marinated skirt steak.
Given it's the second time the Hermers have occupied a hotel space, Bar Issi's versatile menu and fun-first approach should play well with its key location in Downtown Palm Springs, which already boasts a vibrant nightlife scene. Though located nowhere near an actual coastline, Bar Issi's escapist ambience and party-like atmosphere fit the bill for the Thompson Hotel.
Bar Issi is open 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sunday 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. for dinner. Friday to Sunday, it'll serve brunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. with bar happy hour in between brunch and dinner. It'll be located inside the Thompson Hotel Palm Springs at 410 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA, 92262. Reservations are available on Resy .
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