By Crystal Harrell
With two great locations, Maracas Cantina serves delicious and unique Mexican cuisine with an emphasis on fresh ingredients and great flavor. Located in Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage, Maracas is the perfect place to relax with the family or to enjoy the company of friends. The restaurants feature arguably one of the best patio settings in the valley with courteous staff always available to answer any questions about the menu offerings as well as ensure a pleasant dining experience. Visitors can try one of the many fantastic dishes, homemade desserts or perfect margaritas. The Maracas locations also feature over 100 different Tequila selections and a terrific Happy Hour.
The Maracas Palm Springs location was established on December 5th of 2005, and was instantly a success. Owner Todd Flood started his career journey 45 years ago in San Clemente at an Italian restaurant called Andreino’s.
“I actually got the itch from my grandfather who owned a landmark restaurant called The Lantern in Tucson Arizona for half a century. I remember following my grandfather around as he greeted and seated guests. Little did I know I would someday follow in those footsteps. Along the way I have opened multiple restaurants. I have worked in just about every position from dishwasher to GM and everything in between. I have run multi-unit restaurants and franchises,” shared Flood.
Flood partnered with his first restaurant in 1992 called Bella Pasta. It sold a few years later and he moved to Pasadena. In Los Angeles he had the good fortune to work with the multi-concept organizations Smith Bros. and Jeff Williams.
“I have learned from the best in the business, including the recently departed Michael Castelli (Owner of Castelli’s Restaurant Palm Desert) who I worked for and with for nearly a decade, he was a good friend and mentor. Jack Srebnik, a good friend and business partner for the past 18 Years. And of course the best partner I ever had, my wife Flora, a restaurant maestra. Together my wife, son and I currently own and operate Maracas Palm springs and JT’s Diner Palm Desert,” said Todd.
One feature unique to the Palm Springs Maracas location is a most incredible patio—perfect for people watching or just relaxing. The patio has misting for the warmer days and bountiful space heaters for the cooler days and nights. Palm Springs location also has multiple big screen TVs that run a variety of sports programs. The restaurant is nestled in the dead center of the downtown district among other restaurants and shopping great for strolling. Thursdays are when Village Fest in Palm Springs takes place, and the restaurant is situated directly in the middle of all the festivities.
The Maracas in Palm Springs is running Brunch Specials that are very traditional but featuring the restaurant’s own unique touch. A few of the items only available on the brunch menu are served 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.—including Chilaquiles, huevos Rancheros, Blue Corn Sopes and Tortas. All specials are served with a beverage and average 14 dollars. There is a happy hour that starts at 3 p.m. and runs to 5 p.m.—featuring drink specials, beer and wine specials and 20 percent off all appetizers. There will be a Late Night Happy Hour starting sometime in the near future.
Todd’s favorite dishes include the Chicken Caliente (grilled chicken breast on top of a bed of steamed white rice, topped with a spicy cream sauce with red and green bell peppers.) This dish is served with sautéed vegetables. His latest favorite are the Ribeye steak tacos, served on yellow corn tortillas, topped off with micro-greens and pickled red onions. They are also served with sautéed vegetables and a side of black beans with the traditional offerings and seafood.
Todd has served on the board for Big Brother Big Sisters of The Desert, as he continues to try and provide as much support for as many of the charities as possible. He also encourages his employees to get involved by volunteering and to find that cause they feel connected to.
“The restaurant is a family-owned operation. My hope for the future rests with my youngest son, Brandon. Recently graduated from The University of Arizona, he will bring youth and a vision designed towards the dining experience that his generation seems to crave. I also hope that he has as much success as I have had as he starts his journey with his new family. Our goal is to always serve food made with quality ingredients in a warm and friendly environment. It is always our goal to get the customer to say ‘I’ll be back’. Long term is to always promote fresh creative ideas and to be a leader in our cuisine. After all, our tagline is ‘A Unique Taste of Mexico,’” shared Flood.
Maracas Catina’s younger little sister location in Rancho Mirage was established on October 9th, 2009. It is a local favorite and owner Jack Srebnik had a vision of making this restaurant community conscious.
“We opened the Rancho Mirage location 15 years ago after our successful Palm Springs location. I had opened The Slice the year before and we created the look and feel of Maracas Rancho Mirage to be somewhat like the show Cheers, where everyone knows your name. We created the bar to look and feel like the Cheers bar,” stated Srebnik.
The Maracas Rancho Mirage location features weekly lunch specials Monday through Friday. The restaurant also has Margarita Mondays, Taco Tuesdays, Wine Down Wednesdays, Tequila Thursdays, All day Happy Hour Fridays, Cervesa Saturdays and Half off appetizers Sundays. Happy Hour is every day from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Srebnik’s favorite dish is the Camarones Ala Diablo, although he also enjoys the fajitas and quesadillas.
“A long-term goal that I set up a couple of years ago was to sell the restaurant to our beloved Manager for the last 12 years, Bladimer. We are working on it to happen early 2025. Some of the staff and customers that I have told about this are so excited because he is such a fantastic human being. He deserves the American Dream of owning his own business. 35 years ago, someone helped me to get my first restaurant and I have continued to ‘Pay it Forward’ ever since by selling some of my other restaurants to employees. Without my employees’ hard work and dedication, I would not have the life that I have now. All of my employees over the last 35 years and 22 restaurants, I consider my family. I’m proud to say that I am ‘Papa Jack’ to many of their kids,” revealed Srebnik.
Srebnik helped get the Rancho Mirage Maracas involved with the Great Plates program that delivered meals all over Rancho Mirage during the pandemic. In addition, for 13 months during the pandemic, the restaurant delivered tacos every Thursday to the COVID nurses and the ER staff at Eisenhower Hospital. He reamins very involved in the community, and his family as wellhis son, as his son Sam Srebnik owns Dickey’s Barbecue in Rancho Mirage.
Srebnik remains active with many local charities. A few that are very close to his heart are Ronald MacDonald House, which housed his children when his grandson was born two months early and had to stay at the Loma Linda Hospital. Srebnik has also been involved with the Bianca Rae Foundation, which emphasizes helping those without a voice–children and pets–by putting on a yearly retreat for middle school children helping them deal with bullying, self-respect, staying cyber safe and giving them tools to make good decisions. The restaurant also holds some ‘adopt a pet’ days and has done many local charity and school fundraisers.
“I have been blessed with many great employees and customers that make me one of the luckiest people in the world. I want to continue to give our patrons great food, great drinks, and great service in a very fun and festive environment,” said Srebnik.
The Palm Springs Maracas is located at 155 S Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs CA 92262. The phone number for Palm Springs is 760 322-9654. The Rancho Mirage location is at 72-775 Dinah Shore drive, Rancho Mirage CA 92270. The phone number for Rancho Mirage is 760 321-1001.
