This hopping Italian joint situated in the heart of downtown captures the vibe and ambiance of Carmel. Pizza- Went with special that night of mushroom spicy vodka sauce pizza which was cooked to perfection as the charred crust and succulent mushrooms was a great pairing with the spicy marinara. Sweet, heat and crunch was all present in one bite! Prawns- Nicely grilled plump pieces of local prawns sitting a top of fava beans and salsa made every bite a flavor bomb Brussels Sprouts- if you love Brussels, this generous portion of perfectly roasted large sprouts were more than enough to share for 2. Good service from the staff, not super engaging but orders were quick and efficient. read more

Cantinetta Luca - Spicy Vodka mushroom pizza - Italian Near Me - Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

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We came across this place on a "late night" walk. Places close super early around there so we ended up at Cantinetta Luca. Definitely not our usual spots specially with two little ones but we wanted to give it a shot. The restaurant was very loud but truly bc of the amount of people that were there. We were sat right away and only waited 5-10 mins to place our order. Not really a kids menu available but they were able to make a half pepperoni half cheese. I ordered the Spaghetti Alla Carbonara it was not bad but just too salty for me. I've tried this at multiple Italian Restaurants and maybe it's just me, I don't like the saltiness. My husband ordered the Margherita Pizza add sausage. The flavor was definitely there but the pizza was soggy. Not the bread but the ingredients just fell off really weird. Same for the kids cheese pep pizza. My MIL loved her plate, she ordered the Alaskan Halibut. She rarely orders fish bc usually it doesn't come out the way she likes it but she figured a place by the sea should know what they're doing and they did not disappoint. I had a bite of it and it was DELICIOUS. The 3 star rating is because the only really good thing was the Halibut. Everything else was average and it was hard to have a conversation. The servers didn't amaze us or disappoint it was just good. read more

Cantinetta Luca - Spaghetti Alla Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

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Another good meal. Enjoyed the pasta, it was creamy and flavorful. Pizza was also very tasty work good crust. read more

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**vegetarian review** This place isn't the most vegetarian friendly. I got the focaccia, eggplant and margarita pizza to share with friends and the tricolour salad for myself. The focaccia was nothing special. On its own it didn't have much flavour. I wish it had more salt or some herbs. The eggplant dish was really good. Perfectly baked and lots of sauce. The margarita pizza was pretty basic. The salad was kinda meh as well. The dressing was very simple and not worth the price at all. Over all an expensive place that I don't really recommend. read more

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Be warned, if you order takeout from this restaurant, they will not give you any silverware. You spend $80 for food, a pizza, a spaghetti, carbonara, and a Caesar salad and I guess they expect you to eat with your hands. The hostess looked at me with this look of stupefaction on her face and said we don't do that here. I said "what, you don't offer silverware?" She then suggested going next-door to an unaffiliated restaurant and asking them if they had silverware. I just walked out of there because I wasn't ready to start screaming but I think it's pretty sad when a restaurant can't offer you silverware or napkins or plates. Not coming back. read more

Cantinetta Luca - Inside of lousy restaurant - Italian Near Me - Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

Quaint place in Carmel. Helpful staff. Good vegetarian options. Fungi pizza was great. The pesto pasta dish was so simple yet delicious. Vegetables were perfectly cooked. Margarita pizza was so good that my daughter finished the whole thing. Soft as a cloud focaccia bread. Would definitely recommend this place if you are around Carmel. read more

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When we asked ChatGPT for the best tiramisu in Carmel, Cantinetta Luca topped the list. Since we were nearby, we gave it a shot. The tiramisu, served in a cup, was too thick sweet for our taste. Rustic version of the famous dessert. However, the coffee and cocktails were ok. read more

Cantinetta Luca - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

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Really love this place. The vibe is great, food is awesome and Melissa the bartender is great! Very hospitable and kind and very efficient at the bar. We loved it so much we canceled our other reservations and went back Luca instead. read more

The sizing of the plates was kind of confusing as some plates were way so big and some plates were so small for the price. The comforting food included a delicious minestrone soup. The shared appetizer featured must-try grilled shrimp and broccolini, but the eggplant parm was disappointing. The main courses we ordered were braised lamb, and carbonara pasta which we thoroughly enjoyed. Despite the disappointment with the eggplant parm, the overall dining experience was very good, earning it a four-star rating from us. read more

Cantinetta Luca - Grilled shrimp and broccolini - Italian Near Me - Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

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Great Italian food in Carmel! Started with the Focaccia and Warm Olives. These were a nice complement to each other. I wish the bread had some olive oil and balsamic on the side because it was just a little bland, but it was delicious once we dipped in some oil that we asked for. My mom got the Baked Eggplant for her main and it was small but really good. I split the Tagliatelle Bolognese and Pumpkin Tortelli with my dad. Both of these were so good - wow. I recommend sharing these because the pumpkin tortelli was very rich, delicious but it would have been a little too rich for me by myself. Definitely will be coming back when I'm in the area read more

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I am actually quite surprised that the reviews as a whole are below four stars on Yelp. Cantinetta Luca is located right in the heart of downtown, close to most of the tasting rooms and some of the hotels and shops. We didn't make reservations for this night, so we wandered for a bit and stumbled across this place. There was no wait so we opted to try it out. Their outdoor seating is very nice, but they only had availability inside. The indoor decor is on the fancy side, but even though we were not dressed nicely, we didn't feel uncomfortable. Service was decent. Our server was nice, but obviously seemed busy so not super attentive. It seemed that many of the servers had sections that were bigger than they could handle. They did have other people coming around filling water, which helped. Food-- everything was great, although the prices were high for what is served. The carrot side was a whopping $16 which seemed absurd, both before and after them arriving to the table. They were good, but didn't have any recognizable flavor other than... carrots. The eggplant parm was our favorite thing, but sadly there is no option to get it with a side of pasta to make it a meal. If I was able to do so, I would definitely be back to order that. The pumpkin raviolis were good, but very sweet forward. No savory relief. Lastly, we got their fennnel sausage pizza which was really delicious! read more

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First off, I try to avoid at all costs leaving a negative review. However, our experience last night has not been sitting well with me, and I felt I had to share my thoughts. Unfortunately, after reading many other reviews, they are all quite similar... We've been to this restaurant several times and have enjoyed ourselves (it may have been the company more than anything), so we had an idea as to what we could expect. We were so wrong... My husband and I are VERY patient people and having worked in hospitality, we understand how challenging it can be when you're busy. However, that should never be imposed on the customer. So, our experience... 1. We wanted to enjoy ourselves but were basically told by the waiter we needed to order everything at once (we weren't ready but had already been waiting awhile). I ordered the GF pasta, one of the reasons we went, and I was told they did not have it that night. I could truly only eat one more item - the chicken... I ended up ordering that and a starter salad and felt so rushed/pressured from our waiter to wrap up my order, I wanted to order a side or ask if the chicken came with anything else, I never felt comfortable enough to. A waiter should never make a guest feel uncomfortable to order something... 2. My salad came, and it was the wrong salad. Keep in mind, I believe they have only 2 salads... Once the right one came, I wanted to ask for some pepper to top it off, but again, felt uncomfortable, as if I was putting our waiter out. Again, a customer should NEVER feel that way... 3. Thank God we ordered 2 starters because it took about 1.5 hours for our entrees to come. We were shocked... 4. The table next to us complained quite loudly about their experience to the waiter, and once he left, I actually tried to tell the customers it's not normally like this, it's a wonderful place... The fact that I was defending this restaurant when we in return experienced the same frustrations... I understand being busy or perhaps short-staffed, but the customers don't know what's going on behind the scenes. We're left wondering why things were taking far too long... A simple acknowledgement would've gone so far, but instead, we left disappointed and are not comfortable recommending this restaurant moving forward. Oh, and the chicken? Definitely should've ordered a side - it literally came with a handful of arugula... read more

It was a beautiful restaurant, perfect for our girls weekend. The staff was very attentive and the tiramisu was delicious read more

Cantinetta Luca - Carbonara and pizza - Italian Near Me - Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

Jason is a sensational chef Best steak in Carmel The bartender She is amazing!!! My favorite place in Carmel read more

Ismael really made us feel at home and the service was phenomenal. We were a bit nervous given some of the prior reviews but we had an amazing night! For drinks we ordered the cherry smash and the embarcadero. Very strong but good flavor! To start we had the olives and the burrata salad - both very good. Main dishes were the truffle special and rigatoni with vodka sauce. Loved the rigatoni! We were too full for dessert but had a great dinner :) Highly recommend! read more

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Absolutely spectacular food. Dined with an Italian restauranteur friend and we were blown away! We ordered a bunch or small dishes and shared. The prawns were outstanding and came atop a mix of white beans and tomatoes that tasted sublime. My friend doesn't like spinach, but the spinach side changed his opinion. It was wonderful. The margarita pizza was proper and one of the best in CA. Melazani was delicious and unique. Service was perfect - attentive, yet seemingly invisible. It's 5 hours from my home and I can't wait to go back. It's worth the trip to Carmel just to eat here. It is world class! read more

Everything about this place is wonderful. We are locals and love coming here and sitting at the pizza bar. Their cocktails are wonderful. Service great. Pizza is the best on the peninsula. Tricolor salad is my favorite salad anywhere. Sit in the window, at the chefs table or at the pizza bar. read more

My girlfriend got sick from the clams in the Trenette pasta dish. Throwing up once we were back home. Not a memorable experience to say the least To top that off, the food took an hour to get to our table. When we asked about the delay it came within 30 seconds. Was it sitting and then heated up in a microwave? Who knows. Very off putting. Very awkward experience having to look for where our food is for an hour. read more

Get the GOOD mushroom pizza. Don't get the 4 cheese ravioli. Excellent service! Classy cozy ambiance.

Came here for dinner and was really blown away by the quality of food! Ambiance: 5 For outdoor dining, they actually have a covered patio that blocks the wind and kept the warmer actually warm! Service: 5 Our server was really helpful in picking out what we wanted to eat. He gave great advice on letting us know that a pasta/pizza combo would be pretty heavy and lots of carbs. Not intrusive at all and the bus boys also came by often to pick up our dishes Food: 5 We got the prawns (off-menu, presumably seasonal item) for appetizers - great choice and absolutely delicious! Also got the Dungeness Crab pasta which was really heavy and generous amount of crab - pasta was really good quality but maybe a bit too al dente The pizza with prosciutto and the burrata was delicious! There was cheese inside the crust as well as on the top/side. It was almost too much cheese but overall still great! Both main dishes were pretty heavy though Tiramisu: amazing!! So spongey and moist. I'm picky about my tiramisu but this place didn't disappoint. Overall lovely visit and hope to be back sometime to try the carbonara read more

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The restaurant held promise-the hostess was warm and seated us ahead of our reservation, but it went downhill from there. We were in the restaurant for 3 hours to celebrate a friend's birthday, and two of us didn't even get a main course meal that we could eat. The server, Alex, ruined our night. Here's the blow-by-blow: -The featured hibiscus cocktail (a Flirtini),tasted like cough syrup, so we sent it back. We were charged anyway (though this was eventually removed). -We waited 75 minutes for our appetizers, and the server forgot to order one appetizer. It arrived 20 minutes later, after everyone had finished their dishes. It took more than 2 hours to receive our main dishes. -When ordering, the server was informed that one of our guests couldn't eat dairy, and he assured us that the pasta was a marinara. It was cream-based, so he couldn't eat it, and sent it back. -The server placed the wrong order for another friend, and then insisted that she had ordered it. He was gaslighting her. She had to get pretty feisty with him because in fact the server got the order wrong. She sent back the dish. -Because everything took so long, we didn't reorder, and two of our friends went without their main meal. -The server kept forcing small plates on us so that we could "share" the rest of the main dishes, but we said, "No thank you", "No thank you," "Like seriously...no thank you!" Also, the restaurant has two single-person bathrooms. Good thing we had plenty of time to wait in line. On the upside, several of the dishes were good, but it wasn't worth the terribly incompetent service. An apology would have gone a long way, but trying to convince customers that they ordered a meal that they didn't order (and never would have ordered) is just plain bullying. read more

We had a fabulous meal at Cantinetta Luca. The food was excellent and our waiter was attentive without being overly involved. Thank you! However, I was incredibly disappointed when the bill arrived and I saw that we were being charged an additional 7 percent on top of the menu prices for: * 4 % Back of House (BOH) fee which is ostensibly to increase the wages of the kitchen staff who do not earn tips, and * 3% for using a credit card or debit card. I find it a deceptive and insulting practice. I would prefer a restaurant raise their menu prices rather than tacking on additional fees for their clientele to pay when they receive the bill. In addition, my bill suggested that I tip the waiter an amount that includes the menu prices + Back of House fee + sales taxes + credit card fee, in other words, 20% in addition to these fees. Enough! Basta cosi! Although I loved the food, I will no longer patronize this restaurant. read more

My wife and I have dined here on a few occasions, and I was surprised to see some bad reviews recently. Our dinner tonight was amazing and the service was also amazing. We had the steak Florentine and a small side of pasta which our server accommodated. In restaurants every so often you have a bad few nights, but it's good to know that this place is as we remember. This is a fantastic restaurant definitely deserves more than it's rating currently. read more

Overpriced, average food and service. Plus, they add an undisclosed 4% fee, supposedly for the "back of the house." How about paying your staff adequate wages instead? They depend on tourists. You won't find many locals here because there are far better options: Vesuvio, Napoli and others. read more

We stopped by Cantinetta Luca while visiting Carmel over the weekend. The place is really nice, good for dates. I went all-in and got a Barolo red wine bottle and the Fiorentina steak. Let me tell you I am italian (I mean actually grew up in Italy) and this was one of the best Fiorentina steak I have ever eaten. It literally melted in my mouth. Dessert was delicious too. 1 star off though cuz just the steak came at a little over $100 so the bill was a bit high read more

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I'm not sure what quality Cantinetta Luca had in the past, but on the night we visited it felt more like an Olive Garden than a mid-range, high quality, Italian restaurant. The service was mediocre. Hastily mentioned specials. Cocktails were pushed on us. Check-ins were random. The drinks were watered down (in large glasses that accentuated it). I would never order a drink from this restaurant after the Negroni my wife received. The food was prepared poorly. I had the Tagliatelle Bolognese. When it was served it looked as though it had been hastily dropped onto the plate, with a splash of sauce to the side of the dish. The pasta strained the definition of 'al dente'. My wife had the Spaghetti Alla Carbonara. This pasta was also hard and the dish lacked flavor. The bacon was undercooked and the carbonara sauce had the signature quality of amateur carbonara sauce: it was more like freckles of egg than a creamy sauce. As my wife described, it tasted like, "Dirty pasta water." The one positive of the evening was the manager comping the Spaghetti Alla Carbonara. She seemed to understand how off their game they were. It's a struggle to operate any business and a greater struggle to run a successful restaurant. I do not like writing reviews like this one, but I've written it in the hope Cantinetta Luca sees they have problems. Most of them are in the kitchen. If they looked at their processes and did a revamp it would change their situation completely. read more

Always a lovely place to dine. David is the consummate host. Bistec Florentine might just be the best steak in Carmel. Upscale ambience, fabulous food, and excellent service. We'll curated wine list to boot! A date night favorite and an ideal spot to bring a group. Always filled with both locals and savvy visitors alike. A+++++. PS be sure to try the 'Fink Family Wines' on the list. Pinot Noir from the best sources (Santa Barbara and Carmel Valley AVA's) they are worth a peek for sure! read more

First off, they required a credit card to make the reservation in case of cancellation ($25 per guest) which I would have been better off instead of spending more than double for terrible flavorless food, extremely small portions, a $10 charge for some bread. They also added a BOH (back of house charge) of 4% which I was told was on the bottom of the menu (we didn't see and they should have let us know beforehand) which they said was optional but on the bill (bad on me for not checking it until I got home. Server was good and friendly but that was the only good thing about the restaurant. read more

Was craving some pasta and decided to check out Luca after sometime hearing about all the positive things about the place and have to say I was not let down. Sat at the bar with melissa and have to say she was great had a really good personality definitely give the service 5 stars. read more

Food was delicious. The porterhouse was absolutely spectacular, superior beef and cooked to perfection. Enjoyed the atmosphere as well and all servers were wonderful. Only issue was we had a pasta dish that was quite late to the table and probably only delivered because we reminded them. Having said that it was quite busy as it was a holiday weekend and the porterhouse was big enough that it tied the person over until the pasta arrived. We will absolutely go back. read more

Cantinetta Luca - Apps - Italian Near Me - Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

Over the years I've been to Carmel dozens of times. I've found my "go to" spots and stuck with them. Tonight however I decided to try something new and Cantinetta Luca was an absolute home run. From the beginning, talk to Rose, who made me feel comfortable not knowing what to expect. Her suggestion to sit at the pizza bar was the best choice! Watching they symphony of the kitchen while chatting with some of the guys making it all happen made the experience that much better. My server Mario was phenomenal. Make great suggestions, very informative and guiding my evening along. The food was nothing short of incredible. Every single item from the salad, to house made meats, house made bread and more. I don't say it lightly when I say make sure you come here, expect a great time, say hello to Rose and ask for Mario. I'll be back, and tomorrow won't be soon enough! read more

Cantinetta Luca - Italian Near Me - Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

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Service was fast and our waiter was attentive. Our appetizers were good. Drinks were on the strong side. Entrees we're not good. I got a seafood dish which tasted extremely fishy and not good. There were 6 of us & none of us liked our entrees. read more

Cantinetta Luca - Focaccia bread, mixed olives, burrata with bread - Italian Near Me - Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

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Overall enjoyed our dinner @ Cantinetta Luca. But, it was pricey. We were able to eat outside. Started with the Tuscan Stone Fruit Panzanella Salad. We were pleasantly surprised how delicious it tasted. We expected soggy croutons. Ordered a bottle of wine. My husband had Tagliatelle Bolognese. The sauce was a bit disappointing since we wanted a thicker sauce. The pepperoni pizza was a bit greasy. But we brought home leftovers. Only took time to take photos of our dessert. The service was good & we didn't feel rushed. read more

Cantinetta Luca - Cannolis - Italian Near Me - Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

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Luca became a new go to spot for girls' trips and date nights with my guy over the last decade or so. Our last two visits were just not so great. Essentially- our Christmas Eve dinner was absolutely ruined and disappointing because of a disgruntled employee. (And gross hair in our pasta). It was our first holiday away from family and we carefully chose Luca to celebrate our special holiday dinner. Before coming to Yelp, I spoke to the manager and wrote an email to explain the many unfortunate events of the night. I expected them to correct it, compensate our meal and offer something for our next visit. None of that happened. All we received was an apology and a promise for a free dessert "next time". I've worked in hospitality for decades- this is appalling. There will be no "next time" for us or any of our friends, family, or business associates. Good bye Luca. I hope you can learn from your customer complaints... and to the family next to us who got up and left before ordering drinks- we wish we were as insightful as you into what the night would end up like. You saved yourselves. read more

Very cool place. Yummy food and our server was awesome. She was a multi-tasked. I love the drinks and the tomahawk pork chop was so good. Cooked to perfection. read more

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On Sunday my boyfriend surprised me with a reservation at Luca's for our anniversary. Right off the bat the hostess wished us a happy anniversary & brought us to a large clean table with a lit candle. We started with the ciabatta with burrata & tapenade. So delicious. Then I had the margherita pizza & my boyfriend had one of the pasta dishes. Both tasted great. Although, my favorite item from the night was definitely the nutella hazelnut cake. Very rich and tasty. I'm excited to come back in the future and try something new. read more

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It's a fine dining place, on the expensive side. 2 pizzas, one appetizer and one drink costed $100. What we ordered was one pepperoni pizza, one mushroom onion pizza, a side of Brussels sprouts and a beer. The pizzas were nothing extra ordinary to me... Brussels sprouts were nicely done... crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with some salt and cheese sprinkled on top. The staff is really nice though, specially the receptionist girl ( forgot her name)... they make you feel comfortable and welcomed. read more

We decided to stop here for lunch after enjoying a pleasant walk around the Carmel shops area. The staff was all very courteous and welcoming and we really enjoyed our lunch. It's our dishes we're cooked perfectly in the wood fired oven. The sea salt, olive oil, and basil all blended nicely for an exceptional experience. My 4'11 wife, who never finishes a meal, ate her entire pizza, it was that good. My only knock would be the kids pizza that was brought out for my 3 year old. We appreciated the offer of a kids pizza but didn't expect it to be as large as a normal pizza and cost the same. All-in-all a great lunch and we'll definitely recommend Cantinetta Luca to friends. read more

Cantinetta Luca - Meatball sub - Italian Near Me - Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

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We REALLY enjoyed our meal here. We had eaten here years ago, but with being new to the Monterey/Carmel scene, we wanted to try everything before making reviews. Got the following: Eggplant parmigiana app: 4 stars, great flavor, great hearty app to split for two. Exactly as promised and enjoyable Shrimp with beans and mint: 3 stars, everything about the accoutrements to the shrimp were delicious, but the shrimp was over cooked. I would love this dish if the shrimp wasn't so dry and over cooked Tagliatelle bolognese: 5 stars. Perfectly cooked pasta, and we were close to licking the plate with the sauce. So good Roasted cauliflower: 5 stars, again, plate licking good. I think I counted all 4 different kinds of roasted cauliflower (white, golden, green, and purple). Will get this again and again Kumquat panna cotta: divided here. The panna cotta was superb, but I thought the kumquat was too tart for my taste. I would have LOVED the panna cotta with berries. But that is just a personal thought here. If the panna cotta was by itself it would have been very enjoyable. Drinks? Manhattan's were on point. 5 stars Very wonderful overall experience. We will be back!! read more

Food was great! Service was outstanding! Loved Melissa the bartender and the special attention she paid my kids- including glitter sprite. Really enjoyed the ambiance and food :) added prosciutto to the margarita pizza. Was nice that for Italian they had gluten free and dairy free option. read more