“Wilma was a down-home Southern cook, while Frieda was more of an Ozzie-and-Harriet dinner-party type,” says Kelly McFall of her two grandmothers, whose names are immortalized in the restaurant chain she owns with her brother, Kreg Alexander. The two culinary approaches blend deliciously at Wilma & Frieda, which boasts two locations in the Coachella Valley: the original in Palm Desert, serving breakfast daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and a larger space in Palm Springs, which also offers dinner on weekends. These always-bustling eateries serve elevated comfort food created by McFall and her team. Together, they enjoy taking dinner-friendly meals and making them even more approachable for breakfast.
Though much of the menu consists of modernized takes on meals she enjoyed growing up, McFall isn’t afraid to deviate from a family recipe to take it to new heights. While perfecting Grandma Wilma’s meatloaf, she experimented with 19 variations before picking a menu-worthy winner. The result is a popular seller, served three ways — with eggs, on a sandwich with a side of tots, or for dinner with a cheddar Mornay sauce. Other breakfast favorites are the Blackberry Custard French Toast, Churro Waffle, and Mark’s Short-Rib Eggs Benedict, while unique dinners include shrimp and grits with Spanish chorizo, short-rib ravioli, and Frieda’s Down Home Chicken & Waffles.
Wilma & Frieda also offers classic cocktails, delectable desserts, live jazz on Thursday nights, and housemade baked classics — but with the volume turned up! Think Pop-Tarts with homemade pastry and fruit filling. (For extra decadence, order one as a breakfast appetizer.)