Palm Springs' hottest bar is in the most unexpected of places

Kristin Scharkey | Palm Springs Desert Sun

Show Caption Hide Caption Paul Bar owner explains concept in Palm Springs Paul O'Halloran, owner of Paul Bar, explains the concept of his bar and restaurant in a strip mall in Palm Springs.

If you've driven down Gene Autry Trail toward Interstate 10, you've probably passed by Sossa's Plaza without a second glance. The grungy strip mall on East Vista Chino in Palm Springs isn't exactly ... attractive.

But a sign went up earlier this year between the smoke shop and a cannabis dispensary. It reads "Bar/Food," and has locals descending in droves. Literally, on any given night, it's difficult to find a seat at Palm Springs' hottest new watering hole. Happy hour? You might be waiting in a line outside.

"I knew it was going to be a hit," says owner Paul O'Halloran. "I didn't know it was going to be 'Hamilton.' "

Give your eyes time to adjust once you duck into the door. O'Halloran wanted to have a sort of "Wizard of Oz" effect, when Dorothy walks out of her house and "suddenly it's color." Bedecked in heavy curtains that block out the bright desert sun, the dimly lit lounge – called Paul Bar – is a capsule where it's easy to lose track of time.

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It's partly the East Coast ambiance: plush beige bar stools, Asian artwork, walls painted in Manhattan blue, and an ornate mahogany bar with mirrored back. Plus, the "Dog Hall," featuring black-framed photos of patrons' pooches, on the way to the bathroom modeled after those in New York City subway stations. But it's more so the classic cocktails made with precision by O'Halloran – and the bowtie-wearing owner himself.

"I'm not a really fussy mixologist, I'm a bartender," says O'Halloran, who is as old-school as they come, and previously worked behind the bar at Mr. Lyons Steakhouse. "Adding more ingredients does not make a drink better. ... I want drinks that people drink."

At his cocktail lounge, there are no bells and whistles – just straight-forward Manhattans, Negronis, and vodka or gin martinis made right. Margaritas are so creamy and frothy you might think he added egg white. But no, it's just fresh lime juice, agave nectar and Sauza tequila. Then O'Halloran shakes the hell out of it.

Born in Ireland and raised in the Bronx, the Palm Springs resident has been bartending for over 30 years. His resume includes Bobby Flay's shuttered Mesa Grill and acclaimed restaurateur Joe Allen's Bar Centrale, a hidden gem in New York City's theater district. (O'Halloran says Allen is "like a father" to him and "a mentor of the highest level.")

He's incorporating everything he's learned into this space – think USB ports at your stool so he doesn't have to charge your phone behind the bar. (Which, it should be noted, he resurfaced after falling in love at first sight. "I could see exactly what this room should look like," he recalls, "and how – this is hard for me to say – the bar would be the star and not me for the first time.")

He didn't even have a grand opening when he unlocked the doors in mid-April, having seen so many Palm Springs restaurants struggle after "600 people show up between 7 and 7:05 and then they can't get a cocktail in the next 18 minutes, and then they bad mouth the place for weeks," he explains. "You have to let a place get its legs."

So, he and his husband, Universal Pictures costumer Paul Kakuschky, opened quietly. They only told a few friends, but word spread quickly in today's age of social media. "The more you confuse people and create a mystique about a place, the more people are desperate to be in there," O'Halloran says. The pair hosted an official ribbon-cutting on June 14.

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Patrons are flocking for the boozy, frozen Sidecars, churned out by a margarita machine that O'Halloran knew he wanted long before opening. Made with brandy, Cointreau, fresh lemon juice and agave, the 1930s-era cocktails are served with sugar rims to offset their tartness. (The purchase caused much debate in his home, O'Halloran says, but the argument has been settled now that the $4,000 machine has already paid for itself.)

Others are stopping in for the CosmoPaul, O'Halloran's specialty. He uses five-times-distilled Irish Boru vodka (not citrus-based, like many choose to incorporate) then adds triple sec, fresh lime juice instead of lemon, a hint of agave and "a whisper" of cranberry juice to create a non-sweet, dusty rose masterpiece served with a lemon twist. "If it's red it's wrong," he insists.

The good news is you probably won't go broke at this new hot spot. Happy hour prices include $6 well drinks, $8 specialties and that $7 frozen Sidecar. (There's also wine and draft beer.)

"I've been doing this a long time," O'Halloran says. "We all know how much booze costs. There's no reason to have $22 martinis. Sure, if you're paying for the view. Well, guess what? Boats aren't going by here."

Plus, the food's affordable. There are big plates like a $14 burger with garlic bacon aioli as well as sides like $12 Jersey-style calamari, $6 French fries and an $9 grilled cheese made with bacon and Fontina cheese on sourdough.

Try the $12 pulled pork sandwich – it's juicy in all the right places. The $14 chicken schnitzel, with fresh-roasted corn hash and a hint of cream cheese, is also a big hit; the recipe is from Kakuschky's mother.

A word of advice? Get off your phone when you pull up a seat. At least long enough to have a conversation with O'Halloran. He says he'll never have a TV in the bar, previously a sports pub called Palm Springs Tavern, because he wants patrons to talk to each other – and to him.

"We’re all staring at our screens all the time," he explains. "You don’t want to talk to me? Hey, it’s your loss. I can tell you a great story. Pick one. A sad one, funny one, whatever you want, I’ll tell ya."

Ask him about the one-bedroom apartment in the Bronx that his family moved into from Ireland – or the Irish setter they added to the clan after they arrived. See if he'll tell you about his first visit to California in 2014, and how Kakuschky called him two days before to ask if he wanted to get married – and he said yes.

Inside Paul Bar, his "homage to New York," O'Halloran wants to create a neighborhood vibe. If you can find a seat (it's worth the wait), that's exactly what you get.

"We're living in a time that's just, who knows what tomorrow's like?" O'Halloran says. "So, why not enjoy yourself tonight? Live it up a bit."

The Details

3700 E. Vista Chino, Palm Springs

760-656-4082 | paulbarps.com

Open daily from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m.; happy hour from 4-7:15 p.m.

Kristin Scharkey is the editor of DESERT magazine and community content editor at The Desert Sun. Reach her at kristin.scharkey@desertsun.com or on Twitter @kscharkey.