I visited Cultura with my greyhound, so we sat outside in the courtyard near the firepit tables…read moreshared with Vin, next door. It was a cool, breezy night, typical when the summer marine layer moves in over Carmel, but the propane heaters kept us toasty. If you prefer dining indoors, the interior bar and dining spaces had an intimate, funky, but very cool vibe. The host and servers were all extremely friendly and helpful. Despite being outside in the courtyard, they were also incredibly attentive, checking frequently to see if we needed anything. Their recommendations were spot on, too. I was wowed by the cocktail menu. I'll have to return to try more of their bar offerings. This trip, I took advantage of Happy Hour to order the blood orange margarita, and I was not disappointed. I ordered the ceviche appetizer. My greyhound thought it smelled as wonderful as I did. He rested his head between my feet in hopes of catching any ceviche dropping from my hands. This was so tasty, he was out of luck on the table droppings. I also had the chicken enchiladas for my entree. It was one of the best enchiladas I've had in a couple of years. My server, Mario, brought me out a small cup of their take on Mexican hot chocolate, made with oat milk, as an aperitif. It was so delicious, I almost wished I'd ordered a full cup as dessert.

Stopped by Cultura for a light dinner takeout order after over overindulging in seafood during the…read moreday. Everything I ordered --Lime/hibiscus agua fresca, guacamole, house made tortilla chips, salsa and smoked mushroom taco, was on point and I enjoyed chatting with Gladys and Mario. Definitely plan to enjoy a full meal here the next time I'm in town.

Spent the weekend in Carmel and had to try El Bistro. One of the best brunch places I've had in a…read morewhile, the wait was about 45min on a busy Memorial Day weekend, we went on Saturday and it was well worth the wait. Our waitress was so attentive, sweet, and funny! The mazapán French toast was the perfect amount of fluff and sweetness. The habanero chilaquiles were actually spicy, and the tortillas were the perfect amount of crispy. Both our lattes were incredible, they were able to add cold foam on ours per request. The energy was lively and the outside patio area was absolutely gorgeous.

I visited El Bistro on a Wednesday for brunch and was surprised by how busy it was! When we checked…read morein, the hostess let us know it would be about a 30 minute wait for our party of two. I highly recommend checking in on Yelp beforehand to see if there's a waitlist. You can add your name before arriving and save yourself some time. We ended up waiting about 40 minutes before being seated. At first, we were seated near the entrance, and it was pretty chilly because of the wind coming in through the front door. We asked if we could move, and the staff had no problem accommodating us. They quickly found us a much more comfortable table. The service throughout our meal was excellent. Our servers were attentive, and it was clear that everyone worked together as a team. Our drinks were always refilled, and someone was constantly checking in to see if we needed anything. Our waitress was especially kind and made us feel very welcome. We ordered iced coffees to drink, and they were really good! Looking around, I noticed they have several other specialty beverages on the menu that looked delicious, so I'll definitely be trying one of those on my next visit. Now for the food... wow! We ordered the Carnitas California Burrito, and it was hands down the best breakfast burrito I've ever had. 12/10! It was packed with flavor, and the salsa served on the side was the perfect complement. We also ordered the Cinnamon French Toast, and it was absolutely incredible. It wasn't overly sweet, and the whipped cream and fresh fruit were the perfect finishing touch. I would definitely order this again. Lastly, we tried the Habanero Chilaquiles with chicken, and they were just as amazing. Every dish we ordered exceeded our expectations. Overall, I was incredibly impressed with El Bistro. From the friendly, accommodating staff and clean restaurant to the outstanding food, everything made for such a wonderful brunch experience. The wait was absolutely worth it, and this has easily become one of my favorite brunch spots. I can't wait to come back!

My friend and I had an amazing first experience at this place. Our bartender and server Darnell was…read moreamazing and very attentive, we also met the owner Dudly who was very welcoming! They also brought a dessert on the house for my birthday!

Loved our meal and time here , no reservation and it was 8:15pm so we took the offered spot at the…read morebar which worked out just fine Darnell was our barman and also the man who made the food appear, very professional courteous well organised and a more entertaining guy we couldn't have asked for He recommended a number of dishes and drinks to help navigate us through the menu We went with starter of tuna poke which was fresh and delicious and then backed that up with mains of the spicy pork , super tender and tasty just not that spicy, and the Galbi also perfectly cooked tender and delicious Dessert was crème brûlée and espresso coffee which was the perfect finish to a thoroughly enjoyable meal The vibe is busy, packed but fun , lots of laughter and people obviously enjoying themselves and like us a weekend away in this little slice of paradise by the sea Can recommend and will be back

Stopped in on a whim while passing through Carmel and so glad we did. The ambience is fantastic,…read moredimly lit with great music and TVs everywhere, the kind of place I'd love to come back to and watch a game. Service was excellent. Our waitress Rachel was great and took good care of us. We ordered the French dip (added Swiss, onions, and mushrooms) solid sandwich, though it could've used a touch more salt. The real star though, was the fish and chips. Genuinely some of the best I've ever had. Lightly battered, flaky, perfectly cooked. The vibe lands in that sweet spot of upscale casual without crossing into fine dining, comfortable but elevated. Highly recommend if you're passing through Carmel. We'll definitely be back.

Lunch after a beach walk was just what we were looking for. Walk in and find a seat. Music and…read moreambiance brought a nice vibe the whole time we were here. Food is tops. The fish and chips is the ultimate meal. The burger was savory, soft and creamy just he right amount. It perfectly paired with the Talbott pinot noir they recommended. The only comment is make is the amount of French fries that were served with the burger. The plate was a lot larger looking because a sparse amount of fries was served alongside. Maybe add a little more next time just to balance it off. The servers/bartenders knew their stuff. They provided what they could in terms of what was popular and well liked. They said both items we ordered were the most popular. The fish and chips have won best fish and chips 3 years in a row. I would agree with this since I usually am not wowed with this dish. I couldn't resist ordering a dessert. The applied tart with vanilla ice cream was so satisfying. Overall service, food quality and experience was very good. If return over and over again for this same food and experience. If I could give 10 stars I would. Carmel and Brody's is a new destination.

I almost didn't make it to my 7:30 reservation. Another frou-frou establishment with lackluster…read moreexecution and catchy titles like "locally sourced", blah blah blah. Send me home hungry and bill me $$$ for 2, at least i get to stay in my PJs. I'm glad I stuck through with the original plan and was blown away by the endless mindfuck of plates that permanently altered my brain chemistry. In all seriousness, the menu itself doesnt seem too special: crabcakes, ceasar salad, creme brulee. Very unassuming and no real twists to it. BUT -- everything was executed to PER-FECT-SHUN and I found myself just shy of licking every. frikkin'. plate clean. No stone left unturned - in this case, not a single kernel of corn or garnish was left uneaten. I'll jump right to the food: - Half dozen raw oysters: honestly might be the more underwhelming dish of the meal only because the oysters didn't have much flavor. No brine. No sweet. The mignonette was so great though! it gave the oysters what it needed. Add a flake of salt and we're cookin'. - Caesar salad: Good all around. The assembly is what made it so over-the-top. The classic caesar but with ribbons of parm, light and fresh anchovies, whole thinly sliced loaf of crouton that held that salad up like a house of cards but crumbles to touch. I was picking up every crumb that tumbled off to the table and was audibly slurping the ribbons of parmesan. - Crabcakes: Not just another crabcake. The batter was crunchy but didn't make the dish heavy. a cooling and smooth avo creme. but OH MY GOD the grilled corn on the plate really made the dish shine! It added a nice sweet pop and smokiness that made the dish more complex. Not even assembled in a cute pile, just scattered little kernels on a plate got me out here picking them up one-by-one like a mere peasant dusting the sidewalk for nickels. yes, humble me chef. I had to apologize to the waitress who cleared my plate for how embarrassingly clean my plate was. - Thai mussels: A cliche of a mussel dish on every modern menu. I've had a lot of versions of this dish and this plate wowed me in that the mussels were simply cooked perfectly. the sauce was not thin, not too pulpy nor salty. The sauce actually penetrated the mussels. The mussels were fresh, and no empty shells, which is a low bar but so common to see these days. There might even be a couple straggling that i was able to fish from the bottom. Just a clean dish overall. The fries were the perfect accompaniment. The walls of the extra starchy and crispy fries grabbed alot of the sauce for dipping. So smart. - Beef cheeks: Perfect textures all around. It feels wrong to complain at this point but I wanted more unctuousness from the protein. The beef was actually a backdrop to the polenta and mushrooms. i wanted more fat, more melty gelatinous tendon bites. what it produced though was a perfect fancy gravy for the polenta - so creamy and perfectly seasoned. A leafy green here and there. The maitaki mushrooms were cooked perfectly, not greasy. I was really just scraping the plate for the polenta and grabbing a bite of beef cheeks as sauce. Not a bad way to live by any means. - Acai sorbet: I almost never order dessert at a restaurant. It tends to disspoint and overpriced but i have never trusted a chef so much with a full meal so of course i got TWO desserts. The acai was accompanied with raspberries and granola. Super fresh and light. The acai broke apart upon touch, didnt slide around eventhough it's on a plate, but the plate choice was nicely textured to grip the icy sorbet (WHY AM I THINKING ABOUT THEIR PLATE CHOICE??) Gronola was not clunky and added a (rice) crispiness rarely found in granola. Such great care and attention to detail. - Orange and Tarragon Creme Brulee: I looked at the creme brulee with distain. Why did we order a 2nd dessert when the acai sorbet was already perfect. Orange and tarragon sounds like they're trying to sound "complex" but rarely delivers on balance and impact. I cracked the torched sugar top and gave it a chance, knowing that i havent been dissapointed tonight yet... and CUE the hallelujah angels choirs. I looked my partner in the eye and audibly said "YUMMMM... TRY. THIS. NAOOO.". We switched from the acai to the creme brulee and never stopped until the sides were hallowed out and every crystal of torched sugar was scraped off the walls. The torched sugar top cracked with ease and stayed CRISPYYYY the whole time. The custard was smooth, thick but light, and packed with orange flavor that was fiercely tempered by the herbaceous tarragon. The one sliver of orange peel candy was not supposed to wow me with it's texture and left me wondering how they managed to get the cracker-like crackle without too much sugar and not leave it leathery?? What a way to end a meal. On my way home, I got a twinge of the orange peel left in my teeth and it instantly brought me back to the magic that was the Mission Bistro. and it was HOT.

Cute quaint dinner spot in Carmel. I'd give it between a 3.5 - 4 stars, depending on what you…read moreorder. Food: charcuterie board (jalapeño pepper jam was the best I've ever had), burrata appetizer & beet salad were excellent. Mussels were amazingly good. The steak frites & uni pasta were mediocre. Felt like it was missing something. Service: waitress was a little odd and unpleasant. She questioned some things we ordered and seemed judge mental. I would come back for the mussels! Everything else was good but for the price, could be better.

Where do I even start...back in 2022 started my love adventure with Dametra and have gone back…read moreevery summer. The people, atmosphere, music, food and wine selection are AMAZING. The quality of the chicken, hummus, pita bread and vegetables have been outstanding and consistent! LOVE LOVE this place. I love it so much I crave it when I'm back home! You won't regret having dinner at Dametra!

The food was delicious! I had the dolma and the lobster ravioli!…read more The ambiance is warm and friendly. The owner came out and played a guitar medley which was nice.

We were so happy to find this cosy bar in downtown Carmel, great service, amazing drinks and a…read morecosy, comfortable vibe. Next time we are in Carmel, we will stop by again.

Only bar open late in Carmel where the younger generation hangs out…read more Highlights: - Open spot for a drink past 10pm - Fun music Midlights: - Just bullet ginger $18 Lowlights - Have $25 cover and a rope for a line like it's a Vegas club - Packed later at night

Great...but I love this restaurant: the food is spectacular;…read morethe service is great; the ambiences is very nice...but 1. It comes at a price. High, not terrible but for many a little high 2. No Sugar free drink alternatives other than water. No Diet Coke just full sugar coke

I came here expecting a very nice time, but things quickly took a turn after we received our…read morelattes. We had a simple order, breakfast sandwich for my husband and chilequiles for myself. I also added a side of bacon and a biscuit with jam. When our food arrived I immediately asked them for butter for my biscuit which then never arrived. At some point my husband got up to ask for butter, while he was gone the server came back and asked how our food was, to which I responded can I please have some butter. She then proceeded to ask me the most ridiculous question of "oh did they not bring you any butter?" To which I responded by presenting her with my butter free table. Oh my husband returned. He told me that apparently they charged $1.50 for butter. When the butter finally arrived more than like 10 or 15 minutes later from the original time that I asked for it, my biscuit was inevitably of course cold. So then when the server did finally come with the butter, I actually told her I was like you know what my biscuit is now cold and I don't have any need for the butter so I just want to send both back. To which she offered to heat up the biscuit... I told her that that wasn't necessary that I just wanted to send it back. When our bill came, they charged us both for the biscuit and for the butter. When my husband let the server know she made a mistake and she forgot to remove the biscuit and butter her she then told him that she had to go talk to her manager. At this point, I already thought it was a little bit weird that she had to have a conversation with her manager about something that she need to remove from the bill, but whatever I didn't really think much of it. A couple minutes later, the manager arrives and asks us if we had any issues with the bill. I let her know that they didn't remove the butter or the biscuit after we sent it back. To which she then now had a new argument for me saying that we had been told on the menu that they charge $1.50 for butter... That wasn't the dispute the dispute was that we sent everything back untouched. So why would we be charged for it? She then proceeded to argue with me telling me that I was very rude. And then she rolled her eyes and only spoke to my husband from that point on. Of course, they ended up removing the butter and the biscuit which by the way came out to a total of $7.50 when she returned, she told me to never come back to the restaurant again. I have never in my life been told any such thing. But, worry not this unnecessarily pretentious group of stationaery employees... I shall never return to this establishment again you couldn't pay me to come back and re-experience this extremely underwhelming throw away of a service ever again.