I'm from Southern California and already planning my next trip to Carmel. I visited in November 2025, and this spot is at the top of my list to return to. The ambiance was exactly what you hope for--quiet, warm, and inviting--and the staff couldn't have been more friendly. But the real standout? The food. Absolutely over-the-top delicious and deeply satisfying. My husband and I shared the homemade tomato bisque with quiche, a tuna mixed greens salad, and clam chowder. I'm still thinking about that soup and salad--my mouth is watering just writing this. Please keep this place thriving--I want it waiting for us on our next visit! read more

Unfortunately average at best. Food was alright but prices were steep considering the portions. We ordered paninis and the potstickers which were around $20 for each with ok portion sizes. The real issue was the service, we found that the staff was simply not very attentive. When we first sat down we were only given one menu and had to wait before we asked for three more. The first half of our meals came out significantly before the other half which left our food getting cold. During the middle of our meal we ordered another beer which did not come until we had all finished our meals. Our plates were never cleared and our waters were never refilled despite it being relatively calm. Overall we found this place to be significantly overpriced and poor in service, unfortunately wouldn't recommend. read more

The good: Hand made potstickers... yummy. We got a plate with 11 dumplings, with a nice vinegar based dipping sauce, and a spicy doing sauce. Great flavor. The bad: Nearly $20 Panini with no sides. The pastrami panini tasted fine, bread was nicely roasted. Had some romaine and sliced tomato in there too. I think the panini could have done without the lettuce and tomato inside the panini, and instead should have come with a small side salad or chips. For $50 for lunch with no drinks, I still left feeling a bit hungry. So many other options for more hearty food eats at this mall. Next time, we might just stop in for an afternoon snack of the potstickers. read more

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The owners are passionate about this place, which I enjoy seeing. There's long lines during peak hours like breakfast and lunch, but the line goes fast. If you're ordering FOOD food, the wait can be long, but it's worth it. If it's sunny, sit outside!! The Madeline was delicious the first day I visited. The Pesto Chicken was amazing the second day. I didn't picture it here, but their Mocha Frap was tasty and light with the sweetness. If you're used to a mocha Frappuccino from Starbucks, it's not going to taste like that - it will taste better and balanced. Definitely hit up this spot! read more

Cafe Luna - Chicken Pesto - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carmel-By-The-Sea, California

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What a cute place for breakfast. The restaurant is dog friendly. It is located in one of the touristy plazas of Carmel, which is surrounded by a lot of other restaurants and shopping. We arrived early just a little bit past 9. This place was one of the few places that open early. I love that they have both traditional and non-traditional offerings for breakfast such as the breakfast sushi rolls and homemade dumplings. Needless to say, I ordered the breakfast sushi rolls and my husband ordered a quiche and coffee. The breakfast sushi rolls look very much like korean gimbap. It comes with ham/bacon, scrambled eggs, and avocado. Very delicious and creative way to have breakfast. I'd order this again. read more

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Service was so friendly and welcoming. Indoor seating offers nice ambience and pet-friendly outdoor seating. The main star is the food! Freshest ingredients, perfectly seasoned dishes, "homemade" vibes. We enjoyed salads, sandwiches, pasta dishes, and pineapple frozen dessert. Also, warming Illy coffee is served.The menu has just the right amount of variety. Highly recommend. We will be eating here again! read more

We stopped for a late lunch yesterday. We wanted a little soup. The clam chowder was very good and the sourdough bread bowl was a big plus for me! Love the chunks of potato and the little morsels of clams. My friend loved the Tomato Basil soup. She said it was so fresh and delicious. Not acidic at all. The staff is super friendly and I loved eating outside on a beautiful afternoon! Just what we all wanted! read more

Cafe Luna - Clam chowder in a bread bowl - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carmel-By-The-Sea, California

I love the location, downstairs in the mall. Both inside and outdoor seating. Easy to get to, right near the main strip. Order at the counter, get a budget and wait for tire food to come out. And wait. And wait. Took quite a long time for the food to arrive and it didn't seem like it was busy. Some dishes were pretty good, like the ramen. I didn't expect that. Others were so so, like the breakfast sandwich which came out cold. I'd it work would be much better if it was warmer. I will give them credit for having a huge, wide variety menu. Standard breakfast dishes, plus Asian dishes (ramen, rice plate, potstickers), plus Italian paninis, plus sandwiches (Philly cheesesteak, grilled cheese chicken), Mac n cheese, and Greek salads. read more

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I ate here with my mom and sister and we loved Cafe Luna. The Fried calamari and the aioli was very delicious. Best aioli I've had. Will definitely come here again! Also, shoutout to Michael, great service!! read more

I highly recommend the ribeye sandwich. The bread was fresh, and the pickles and sumac gave it a unique, delicious flavor. I'll definitely order it again read more

Even on the sunniest Carmel days, sometimes you just need a little tropical escape Dole Whip at Cafe Luna -- creamy, pineapple perfection that's anything but dull. Swirled high, ridiculously refreshing, and served right here in the heart of Carmel Plaza. Grab one, claim a spot on our sunny patio, watch the world stroll by on Ocean Ave, and pretend you're on a mini-vacation (because in Carmel, every day kinda feels like one anyway). Who's joining me for a swirl? #CafeLunaCarmel #DoleWhip #CarmelByTheSea #CarmelPlaza #PineappleTreats #MontereyBayEats read more

Cafe Luna - Dole Whip at Cafe Luna -- creamy, pineapple perfection #CafeLunaCarmel #DoleWhip #CarmelByTheSea #CarmelPlaza - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carmel-By-The-Sea, California

Been coming here for many years. Food is good, but these owners, who are relatively new, are very aloof if not actually rude. Service is poor read more

Came in and got salads. I got a chicken ceaser salad and my friend got a Greek salad. My salad was simple and the lettuce was fresh. There was not enough dressing which sucked. And then they placed hot chicken on top of good green which made them wilt. The Greek salad had boiled eggs that had unpleasant green/grey ring around the yolk. Food came out fast but I would of preferred Panera over this place. read more

Cafe Luna - Chicken Caesar Salad - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carmel-By-The-Sea, California

Cafe Luna is a Carmel favorite! They have such a variety on the menu, and everything is Delicious! The owners are wonderful people and the atmosphere is great, cozy indoors or sit in sun or by fireplace. Dogs welcome. read more

We had the breakfast sushi and it was incredible. It tasted like a bite of fried rice in every piece. Would highly recommend. The service was great- my dog pooped and I needed hand sanitizer and they gave it to me even though it looked to be for the staff only. read more

Cafe Luna - Breakfast Sushi - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carmel-By-The-Sea, California

Tucked into a corner of Carmel Plaza is Cafe Luna, a cafe that serves an eclectic menu paired with traditional coffee offerings. Since this is in downtown Carmel, parking is a difficult thing to come by so be prepared to lap a few times before you can find something that sticks. When you arrive at Cafe Luna you're greeted by its many outdoor seats and large menu sign. From ramen to sandwiches and pastries, this place has a very diverse menu, for better or for worse. We arrived with a large party and the ability to find open seating for a group that size was a large plus. However, ordering took a very long time. We understand that we were a large party but even by those standards the process of doing so felt clunky and not efficient. We ordered the grilled chicken sandwich special they were offering, the pastrami panini, a hot chocolate, and a regular latte. Before we touch on the food itself, we have to note that the prices on things here are, quite frankly, ridiculous. Obviously this is Carmel so things are going to be more expensive but for the quality of food that you receive, and also on the principal of the food you're paying for, around $20 for a panini is criminal. Getting our food also took a while. Admittedly, we were part of a large party so it probably wasn't easy getting all that food out but just out of transparency, we did wait quite a bit. Forgetting the price and wait and moving onto the food, it was very uninspiring and bland. The grilled chicken was marinated, which was interesting because when I asked if it had anything done to it they said it was seasoned but this was far closer to chipotle chicken than any grilled chicken sandwich I've ever seen. It was also supposed to come with cheese and while it technically did, the amount they put on it was skeptical. Normally an average sandwich is okay, but at these prices it's a major letdown. As for the pastrami panini, more of the same. The quality of the pastrami was okay and the sandwich didn't taste all that special. The bread was bland and light which didn't add any quality to the sandwich. We turned to the drinks to hopefully add some balance to things, which it luckily did. The latte was decent, the foam and espresso being good enough. The hot chocolate was good, not amazing, but good enough where we didn't feel like it took away from things. Ultimately, this was a very big letdown of a meal. We can tell this place tries and that's better than a lot of other places but the food was just not up to par for what you're shelling out for it. read more

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Great place to swing by and grab a coffee. Ordering was quick and easy. There was a bit of noise due to a table of 10 but it added to the characters of the place. read more

Cafe Luna - Interior seating - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carmel-By-The-Sea, California

Excellent Strawberry smoothies and stacked smoked salmon bagel. I would recommend it despite the grumpy owner.

This is the best restaurant I've been to so far in Carmel by the Sea. The food is very flavorful and made fresh. I tried the beef and kimchi pot stickers, chicken wrap and chicken pesto pasta. The pot stickers are made from scratch. Be prepared for a bit of a wait to get your food. I didn't mind at all. My only issue was with the pasta. The sauce was delish but the noodles were way over cooked. I Will definitely be back to try other dishes. read more

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This cafe was so good! We got the tuna salad, quiche, an eclair and a raspberry cheesecake. The service was quick and very friendly. My dog and 11-month old baby were with us as well. My dog jumped up and ate part of my tuna salad and the waitress very kindly offered to get us more. We said that was okay and thank you, but 5 minutes later she walked out with an extra bowl of tuna salad. The dessert were also very good, my husband just about went in an ordered a second slice of cheesecake. :) read more

Cafe Luna - Eclair and raspberry cheesecake - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carmel-By-The-Sea, California

We found this place through a TikTok video for when we visited Carmel. We ordered a mocha, white mocha, and two breakfast burritos. My sister ordered almond croissant and the breakfast sandwich. The almond croissant was the stand out but everything was delicious. Their giant chocolate cookies are super soft and sweet, but their drinks are just right and not too sweet. The atmosphere is very clean and unique from the lighting to the chairs and tables. The service was super friendly and accommodating, we will return. read more

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Those beef potstickers were hella good. I could've eaten another plate by myself. Also, the chicken pesto panini was substantial and hearty. The chicken on the chicken salads was very well seasoned. And thank you for not overcooking the chicken breast. But back to those potstickers. Meaty. Smoky. Tender and juicy. Seriously, they're the shiz. read more

My boyfriend (who has a seafood allergy) and I came to Cafe Luna for lunch. We ordered two ramen bowls and their homemade potstickers. When our ramen arrived, we noticed there was fish cake in it. We hadn't mentioned the allergy when ordering, so we understand that part was on us. We let one of the staff members know and politely asked if it could be remade without the fish cake. She took the bowl back to the kitchen, and we assumed it would be corrected. However, when the ramen came back out, it still had fish cake in it. We calmly let another staff member know that we had requested it without fish cake. Shortly after, an older gentleman (who we assume may have been the owner) came to our table to make sure the order was correct. The bowl was returned very quickly, which made us assume the fish cake had simply been removed rather than the ramen being fully remade. Later, when our potstickers arrived, I asked about the ingredients in the house sauce due to a peanut allergy concern. During these interactions, we felt uncomfortable and judged for simply trying to make sure our food was safe to eat. Food allergies are not preferences, they're serious health concerns. The lack of attention and the way the situation was handled made the experience frustrating and disappointing. We left feeling more stressed than cared for, which shouldn't happen when it comes to something as important as food safety. read more

Cafe Luna - Menu - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carmel-By-The-Sea, California

I love this place and it's still good but changed ownership and it's not the same. The wait times for food were over half an hour and others got theirs before us. After asking the owner said it was the "rush" but there was maybe three people behind us. At the same time we saw two to go containers that sat on the counter forever and my thought is they packaged it to go and forgot we were there. Mistakes happen but it's something small every time. I wish I still wanted to go here but not anymore. I miss the way it used it be. read more

Friendly service and delicious food. Came here twice on our trip and they have the best eggs Benedict I've eaten. Sauce was creamy with a zang. Wonderful gentlemen treated us twice to their new pineapple dole whip and that was tasty too. We sat outside in the mall courtyard and had a very pleasant time. Will definitely be back! read more

Cafe Luna - Eggs Benedict - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carmel-By-The-Sea, California

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Great place to grab a bite in Carmel. I liked how they had a combination where you could get half a panini or quiche and a salad. I ordered the vegetarian panini and it was really delicious. I like how it came with both a green salad and a fruit salad. My companion ordered the vegetarian ramen and he really liked it (though I think it had a beef broth so you might want to check if you are concerned, not sure if there is a vegan option). The staff was very friendly and I like how they bring the food out to you when you are seated outside. There was plenty of seating and lots of opportunities for watching people walk by with dogs. The breakfasts looked good as well. read more

Cafe Luna - Ramen - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carmel-By-The-Sea, California

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Spent the day in Carmel and decided to stop by this place for something quick while we waited for our dinner reservation. I got their strawberry smoothie which came out to about $12. The smoothie was good, but nothing special. However, service was quick and the inside of the cafe is pretty nice. It is also located in a very nice spot where you're near other restaurants, bars, and get some shopping done! Would love to try some of their other options! read more

Cafe Luna - Strawberry smoothie - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carmel-By-The-Sea, California

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We ordered two sandwiches. Restaurant was clean and the staff were friendly. A nice little place to stop by.

Excellent food and excellent customer service 10/10. This was the best breakfast burrito I've had! All of the ingredients were so fresh, and the white chocolate mocha was spot on. I'll definitely be back. read more

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Fantastic! We stopped in for an afternoon drink and quick bite, the staff was kind and recommended a few of their favorites from the menu. There is ample seating inside and there's plenty of outdoor seating in the courtyard as well. The ramen came out quickly and was delicious! Creamy broth and nice variety of toppings. The quiche was phenomenal. it was creamy and filling, a nice sized slice. The boba tea was on the sweeter side and the tapioca pearls themselves were a bit chewier than i would have hoped. I think i'd opt for a latte next time! read more

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They had a sign outside for a strawberry pineapple dole whip and it is life changing! I'm still thinking about. read more

Cafe Luna - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carmel-By-The-Sea, California

Very quaint shop with very delicious looking pastries, would have loved to try several!!! Ordered a ham and cheese croissant and a specialty brew hot coffee, both were amazing!! Was able to sit outside and take in the very charming surroundings after a walk on the beach. 10 out of 10 recommend read more

I came here for the breakfast sushi and was not disappointed! We also got a breakfast sandwich and that was also good. Truth, if anything stop here for the sushi it was something new and delicious! read more

Cafe Luna - Swapped bread out for croissant - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carmel-By-The-Sea, California

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Depends on the hour during weekend customers traffic, the iced beverage could take 25-30 mins because its a mom and pop cafe. Oatmeal cookie was beyond heaven, delicioso. read more

Cafe Luna - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carmel-By-The-Sea, California

So yummy. Everything is made from scratch. I come for the delicious vegan potstickers but have had the chicken as well. They make them to order worth a little wait. The truffle Mac and cheese is so cozy and their chai latte is the best I've ever had. Go support this great little spot. read more

Cafe Luna - Vegan potstickers - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carmel-By-The-Sea, California

Unfortunate angry owners did not allow us to sit at their table since some of our party had a juice from next-door, even though we had ordered and had a buzzer from Café Luna and there were other open tables and no wait. It doesn't matter how good the food is - - you can't outrun that kind of absurdity. And they said it was an insurance problem?! We do not recommend. 0/10 read more

Casual lil coffee shop but services surprisingly cool Asian food! Good: - Nice and tucked into an alleyway so there were less tourists here - Kimchi ramen was AMAZING! So tasty and good soup Bad: - Not fancy, very casual and you have to get utensils and all that yourself pretty much Overall a really cool hidden gem! read more

Cafe Luna - Kimchi ramen - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carmel-By-The-Sea, California

Excellent service with a smile! The girl at the front was quick either our deliciously strong coffee drinks. read more

Cafe Luna - Front of cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carmel-By-The-Sea, California

Just had their breakfast... so quick, plenty of outdoor/indoor seating, friendly staff, and of course---DELICIOUS! We had the eggs Benedict, it had smoked/cooked salmon which is usually not the case for a Benedict, but it was actually so flavorful! read more

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I came to this aesthetically pleasing cafe with my friends Monday morning and was warmly greeted by Mike. I ordered an iced matcha and small cheesecake topped with the freshest blueberries. My friends ordered a danish and the chicken pesto panini. All of our food and desserts were delicious and filling. The matcha wasn't the best but I think Mike's friendly service, the food, and the pretty area makes up for it! read more

Cafe Luna - Cheesecake topped with blueberries - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Carmel-By-The-Sea, California