I was very happy with my experience at Carmel. The food quality is truly inspiring and worth a return visit. The staff are personable, warm, and helpful with selecting the right beverages and dishes. The locals are all very lucky to have such a wonderful establishment on Melrose. read more

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I've tried a few European takes on Levantine food and unfortunately they miss the mark. The flavors are watered down, the spices muted, and the heart of Middle Eastern cooking, freshness and balance, gets lost. Dishes end up tasting more like generic Mediterranean fusion than true Arab cuisine. It feels like a disservice to the rich culinary tradition they are trying to emulate. If you want authentic Levant food it is best to seek out places run by those who know it best. read more

Great food. Perfect date spot. Great atmosphere. Kind employees. A must try when you're in LA

Judith was absolutely fabulous! Came here before a Neil Young concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Great vintage shop near by and the food was awesome! Check this place out. read more

Judith the bartender kicks ass. The manager was nice too. Ribeye was perfect thank you guys.

I would eat like this every day if I could. From the first bite of that amazing bread we were hooked. The feta on the spicy plate was so creamy and all the sauces and accompaniments so full of flavor. You may want to order extra bread so you can clean your plate with it. I loved the smoky grilled eggplant with chickpeas. We stuck mostly to the starters/shareables and ordered the grilled octopus main to split and then shared dessert so we could get a little taste of lots of things. It's delicious without being heavy. And sitting at the counter is the best seat in the house--the crew back there were fun and friendly. Can't wait to come back! read more

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I'll start by saying the food is amazing ! I'm not easily impressed by Mediterranean food because I'm coming from the region and that's the taste I grow up on and cooking myself... but ... I was amazed how the food tastes like. The combination of tastes and texture are truly unique. The service was great too. Only thing I will mention for your consideration is the price. Some items are overpriced. Sweet potato with some sour cream on the side that was delicious but the portion you get and the price you pay is not proportional. Fish schnitzel which is just a fry fish overpriced. I wish the management will try to consider to lower the prices because now it's a new restaurant hype but for the long run people will might stop coming ... So check the menu before you order and yelp photos and you can save some bucks. Other than that very recommended!!!!! read more

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The best new restaurant in the city. On Melrose the space is open and vibrant and lively atmosphere, good food, and bumping music that makes you feel like you're escaping LA. Tables are great but the action is at the bar facing the kitchen. The chefs bar. The food is EXCELLENT and one of the most exciting restaurants I've been to in the last few years. I enjoyed every dish that I had. The thick pita style bread with dips was a must. The "spicy plate" was nice to have one the table, and could be mixed with the rest of the dishes as well. I really liked the beets as well. The duck gnocchi was my favorite dish on the table. The duck and the gnocchi were a perfect complement. The branzino was also excellent. Most restaurants these days are a bit hit and miss on their dishes and it takes a few tries to find what you like, I honestly loved every dish that I had. Even just their simple arugula-tomato-cucumber salad was so fresh and vibrant it was perfect. I can't wait to try every dish on the menu Legit 5 stars. Really. read more

WOW! This place is just out of this world!! Came with my best friend to cheer her up after some saddened news she had and not only were the hosts so kind, the bartender was great, he gave us delicious drinks while we're waiting for our table, then our waitress Cameron was just the BEST. Greeted us warmly, recommended great dishes & gave us some apertif shots that were the perfect touch to start our meal, and overall did such an amazing job. Food was crazyyy goodAmbiance was also such an inviting and cool atmosphere. Couldn't recommend any more!! read more

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Hummus ($19) served with no bread ($15) is an insult to every Israeli and middle easterner on earth. They play unnecessarily loud music to cover up the complete lack of vibe. Super average but all hype. Hard pass, find any simple Mediterranean spot for a real vibe. read more

we wow wow wow we absolutely loved everything. the ambience, the service, the food. our server bookie gave us recommendations that were on point. our meal was so good. we had the bread, my grandmas mushroom cigar, heirloom beets salad, taboon roasted sprouting cauliflower, jerusalem artichoke tortellini, hanger steak kebab, biscuit cake 2.0 & knafeh you can't go wrong with any of these but the jerusalem artichoke tortellini has to be our #1 absolutely recommend perfect experience read more

Great food, great service, great ambience! We came for brunch and got the Jerusalem bagel, mushroom cigar, whipped feta, Israeli salad , borekas, knafeh. Everything is so fresh, so flavorful! Every bite is textured, and every plate mixed together. Can't wait to come back to try dinner! read more

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Best food in town ! Amazing hospitality. the entire team is super kind and welcoming Vibe is great. read more

Ambiance is great. Food is not good faux Mediterranean. Give me my money back now. Really not good read more

This spot was a pleasant surprise. I love the ambience. It's close seating but not overwhelming. We had a great server, Mya, gave me amazing recommendations since I wasn't familiar with the food selections. Ordered the duck and lamb. The drinks were good. They have a nice wine selection and contains. The espresso martini was excellent. read more

Amazing Melrose "very trendy" new restaurant with "dine-at" chef counter, booth seating any many tables, vibrant bar, additionally, to set the mood right, from the start is complementary welcome shots, They have a large brick fire oven where fresh baked bread is made every few minutes. The grilled Branzino was moist and boneless done to perfection. We went back 4 times in the first 10 days the were open. read more

I would highly discourage having a private event at this restaurant. Although we paid the per person rate, they charged us for additional items. In addition to the 20% gratuity, they charge a 5% admin fee on everything, food and drinks. I will say their food is very delicious but because of our negative experience, I would discourage anyone from holding a private event there. I can see that dining there as a small party could be very nice. read more

Was waiting for years to have a good Mediterranean in the city and Carmel answered all my wishes! Food is amazing from the bread to tye small bites the ceviche and tartar to the gnocchi pasta and tortellini to the entrees like the grouper shawarma the hangar steak and the brenzino. My family loved it and the ambiance is great! read more

10/10 food. ambiance. service. Bookie was our waitress and she was amazing!! I will definitely be going back

Food was so special and delicious, everything we ordered was amazing! Sebastian the waiter was so nice and professional, he knew how to match the perfect dishes for every guest. His recommendations made our dinner just perfect!!! Thank you read more

I was in the area looking for a place to eat when I stumbled into Carmel. This place is now on the top of my list for LA restaurants. The ambiance and service is top notch. Our server was super helpful in helping us choose dishes as it was my first time. We started with the "cigar" appetizer which was this deliciously season beef wrapped up as a crispy cigar with the most complimenting dip on the side. We also ordered the hamachi crudo which came in a coconut broth I believe. A standout dish. I wanted to order it 3 more times and lick the bowl to be honest. We also had an order of the scallops which were prepared perfectly. Such a well balanced dish. The lamb came accompanied with the most fluffy mashed potatoes that I dipped in the sauce from the lamb as a gravy. Couldn't get enough of it. I will definitely be back here asap. Highly recommend. read more

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Great good great vibe! Our waiter Quinn was awesome and gave us great recommendations !! Get the chocolate mousse for dessert it's perfect

fantastic spot. food is great and very creative. Amazing service, our waiter Sebastian was the man. Will come back again for sure

Beautiful inviting interior setting. I tried the Turkish village cocktail and the octopus shawarma dish. The octopus is cooked to perfection and stunning in presentation. I sat at the bar and was greeted by Amary and Rhiannon. Manuel was also super knowledgeable about the dishes as made great recommendations. Overall great experience. Definitely coming back. read more

Carmel - Octopus shawarma - Mediterranean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Everything was amazing! The Jerusalem Bagel is to die for, as well as the Israeli salad. True Israeli staples! Quinn was great and gave us a great experience! For sure going to be back soon. read more

I had a truly lovely experience dining for lunch. Quinn was so kind and hospitable. I solo-dined and had the most relaxing experience. Everyone was incredibly attentive. Food and cocktails were delicious. Thanks again for the wonderful experience, Quinn and Carmel team! read more

I am so happy to find a spot where the amazing menu matches ambiance! We really tried to order as many things on the menu as we could fit on the table, but there just wasn't enough room.... but every single dish was better than the last! WOW! Our waiter turned out to be someone who we wanted to invite to sit at dinner with us, the music was vibey, and ambiance was fun, and it really felt like we escaped LA for a few hours. They lived up to their hype, and I hope it lasts. We really needed a GEM like this in LA!!! read more

Gave this place a try and honestly it was a huge letdown. The service was slow and not attentive at all. The food tasted bland and overpriced for what it was. The atmosphere was trying too hard to be trendy but just felt off and uncomfortable. Nothing about the experience made me want to come back. Definitely not worth the hype. read more

5 star on all levels. My husband took me shopping at Crossroads next door and surprised me with this sexy resturant for dinner. I love the vibe and the food was outstanding. We had the mushroom cigar, smoked eggplant, snapper and biscuit cake. We had great drinks too. The service was excellent. The valet was super! We sat at the bar top and watched the chef! Thank you for a great date night. read more

The team at Carmel is absolutely incredible and so so lovely. We had an absolutely delicious dinner and the staff is so attentive. Truly one of our new favorite restaurants in LA, will absolutely be back. The vibe is also so incredible, not super dark or super loud but very beautifully done. Every single drink is so creative and delicious, and the red snapper schnitzel was one of my top favorite things I've ever eaten. The best !!! Come here!! read more

The best restaurant in town. Excellent service and sommelier. Beautiful presentation and truly delicious. A superlative treat of Middle Eastern (Israeli) nouvelle cuisine. Wonderful atmosphere. A special treat! Now our favorite special place. Noga & Murray read more

I love this spot. The shakshuka hits every time! Great drinks too. Salad is also phenomenal. But pricey though! read more

Carmel - Love the breakfast, shakshuka hits every time! Great drinks and the salad is next level!! But pricey though!! - Mediterranean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I've been to Carmel twice - once for dinner, and a second time for brunch with out of town guests, and both were fantastic! I am Israeli and so many of their flavors just brought me back home in such a beautiful way. For dinner we had the bread plate, cigar, hamachi, taboon roasted cauliflower, Jerusalem artichoke tortellini and hangar steak kebab, all of which were absolutely delicious and tasted very authentic to the Israeli cousin. I found the portions to be great, so much so that we weren't able to finish our chocolate tahini tart - we were just too full! For brunch we were a crew of 8, and everyone enjoyed it thoroughly. The Jerusalem Bagel might as well have been baked in the bakery I grew up down the street from near the old city in Jerusalem. The Shakshuka, Port Bites, Feta, Jachnun and masabacha were all fantastic. and the Babka was probably the best I've ever had. The place was busy but not too loud and service was great. Liron working the front of house was a gracious host and came to check on our table before we left. Can't wait to go back! read more

This place wants to be Saffy's so bad...but it's not even close. Food was pretty average, and every dish we ate came with the SAME hummus base, no creativity. Very hyped, instagram trendy spot catering to a specific clientele...better off getting Tel Aviv Grill to go :) read more

The food top The service top The ambiance is top Keep the good work ! From the futur neighbor ! read more

What can I say. I really really wanted to like this place. So much so that I didn't leave a review after my first visit. I waited to give them a 2nd visit to leave a review just to be fair. At this point this place is what this place is. The food has no flavor whatsoever. I tried so many dishes. The Hanger steak kebab came out cold both times I ordered it. The grilled octopus skewer taste like bacon. The wild arugula salad has a dressing that's store bought and bland. I did enjoy the spicy plate and bread and thus they earned 1 star from me. The rock shrimp was so mushy. Now to the Ambiance... it's pretty but it's not comfortable. The decor is nice but cheaply put together. Lastly and most disappointing was the service. They are super rushed and rude. Both times they seemed bothered by a simple question. read more

This was one of the best meals I've had in my life. we landed there by mistake, we were looking for Persian food and Google sent us there. It wasn't Persian, but it was phenomenal. The eggplant burle was to die for. The fish in grapes and almonds would haunt me for years to come. wow!!! read more

What an Amazing place! I am so happy they opened in our neighborhood, the food was great the ambiance is amazing. Everything is so good, Definitely need to eat the mushroom cigar and the marocan frena bread the crudo and the grouper shawarma was the best mean I had in my life! The ambiance was so cozy and the place is gorgeous. This will be my number one restaurant to go out too. Prices are very reasonable and we end up spending approx $100 a person include few drinks and glass of wines. Will definitely come back. read more

Cody is the best waiter of all time!! He made our night even more amazing (which is hard because the food is TO DIE FOR) Carmel is the restaurant I didn't know I needed and I'm vegetarian! Every dish is delightful! Cody was our waiter and he was so kind and generous and have great attitude! definitely coming back read more

Carmel - Cody is the best waiter of all time!! And the food is TO DIE FOR - Mediterranean Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Food was great - the spicy platter and bread were delicious, the shrimp were interesting and good - garbanzo beans were a part of the dish and it was a delicious combo. For the main, the tagliatelle was fantastic and unique with the sweet bread. Service was fantastic - our server was great! Suggestions were well made. Will come again! read more

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