Just enjoyed a beautiful brunch out on their lovely patio. The service was top notch in spite of how incredibly busy they were this morning. The staff were pleasant, helpful and very polite. I'm sure they all need a long nap after all the customers they served so graciously. Highly recommend the food, service and hospitality! read more

Thai tea would get a Canchola's 6th star because of how delicious and for how amazing the service was. By far one of the best breakfasts I've had. They have indoor and outdoor seating , we got their early so the seats were a little wet but Rita wiped down the seats and provided us with blanket covers so the seats were not cold and we had some warmth. She was beyond kind and it was very much appreciated. Also there are only a few parking in front so you may have to park a street or two over. Servicewas just outstanding... Rita checked on us often, brought out treats and water for our dogs and was just amazing. Food: The braised corn beef hash: was absolute perfection... I love corn beef hash and this take with the braised corned beef just spoils you with deliciousness. The poached egg was perfect, I have never braised corned beef but I'm going to learn to try and make a dish like this. My wife got the chicken and waffles, and she gave me some and it was perfect, the one thing that hit the most was the breading on the chicken was so delicious , they made sure the flavor complemented the sweetness of the waffle and syrup, the chicken was tender and with the waffle it was just something else. I also tried their biscuit and gravy and it was so good. The sausage in the gravy and the flavor was so delicious. Overall you can't for wrong here... the complement to the chef and the Rita... you truly have a hidden Gem that we are glad we found. read more

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When we chose this restaurant, we should've sorted by most recent. Sadly, we had the exact same experience as it turns out others have had. When we arrived, restaurant was half full. We were patient, as there was only one person working. Over the next 1/2hr, at least four tables were seated, ordered and received food. We sat there... two black men and myself obviously being treated different. Even the dog, yes the dog at the table next to us was served his bowl of water before us. I had not been back to Carmel for 30 years since I moved out of state. What a nauseating experience, as I was sharing some childhood memories with my son, and my husband. Turns out our complaint to our server was pointless, as she tried to lie her way out of it "we lost your order in the kitchen." Then another gentleman appeared, turns out that this server was the owner. Filled w excuses and honestly, just because he was an immigrant doesn't mean he was a "brown"minority. This place is small and intimate, and they let us sit there, staring, looking, wondering why we are being treated different. No one said a peep until 45 minutes in. I started inquiring where our food was. I would've warned the handful of minorities that had arrived and we're waiting to be seated, but my husband asked me not to, as he said it's pointless and it looks like times haven't changed., especially in Carmel Not that it matters, but the lobster Benedict was mediocre at best, just enough lobster that it wasn't a lie I guess read more

Food is Tasty! Service not so great. While we were seated quickly (given menus, water and coffee quickly), the rest of our experience was one of waiting and trying to find someone to help us with either more coffee or water or status on our food. I think they are short staffed? It took about 20 minutes to provide our order... and then another 45 minutes before we received our order. And then we were not going to wait another whatever for our check so when we were done, we walked into the restaurant and found someone to pay which took a few minutes at that. The patio is nice if the day is nice because it is not shaded. The inside seems a little stuffy. read more

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Husband and I passed by and stopped in for breakfast at 9am. We were seated quickly, drinks came, no coffee because espresso machine was broken :( Husband ordered the lobster eggs benedict, they were DELICIOUS!! Sauce was out of this world. I don't remember what I ordered but it was beans, salsa, eggs and avocado. It was lacking flavor. Add a little more salt or a grilled jalapeno to the side of this dish. Cute and clean. Decent place. Pretty pricey. read more

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Went around 11:30, left at 1PM. Only one host/waiter but he forgot to give us menus, we waited ten minutes for water, 20 minutes after we arrived our orders were taken. Ended up waiting 40 more minutes for the food. Prices on the website and on the physical menus were wrong. The "light plate" smoked salmon toast was $5 more than advertised. Service was absolutely horrible. Multiple parties that came after us received faster service. Facilities weren't the cleanest either, there was no toilet paper and the walk to was through a sketchy alleyway. The food was a 3/10 at best. Portion sizes were either too big or too small, and all the bread-like items were dry and dense. Would never go again. Complete waste of money and time. Music and ambience was okay though. read more

Carmel’s Hidden Gem - Receipt - New American Near Me - Carmel by the Sea, California

Oof... I hate to say it, but we had quite a poor experience here. I was with a group of four this past weekend for a Sunday brunch, hoping for a nice bite before we traveled back home from our Carmel weekend. We found Hidden Gem through Yelp, and arrived as a walk-in. While we would have loved to sit outside in the warm weather, the patio was full and we were seated inside the restaurant. For all the cute restaurants you can find in Carmel, Hidden Gem is... not one of them. It felt oddly stripped down and incomplete inside - almost like they were redoing the interior and hadn't finished the job yet (perhaps they are?). While the restaurant was relatively full, I wouldn't describe it as packed. But from the time we ordered our food to the time the last of us received our food, it was a full, legitimate, 1.5 HOURS (I timed it). During this time, not once did anyone from the staff ever come up to us to address the excruciating wait, apologize for the delay, or even provide any sort of update. We were left waiting with no clue what was happening. Even getting a refill on our water or coffee proved difficult - it was hard tracking anyone down, and it usually took at least two follow-ups for it to actually happen. And when we did finally receive our food, it was incredibly underwhelming. We ordered an eggs benedict, two breakfast sandwiches, french toast, and the skillet. Virtually all the meat - most notably the sausage and the bacon - was burnt, with a charred taste masking any potential for flavor. The potatoes were wet and undercooked. The french toast was soggy and flavorless. Sadly, the best part of our entire meal was the bread on the sandwich and the side of toast that came with the skillet. I'd also be remiss not to mention that every single one of us felt nauseous or unsettled, and some of us borderline sick, after the meal. Given how many positive reviews I see of this place, I'm thinking we must have come on a really, really bad day. This gives me hope that our brunch was simply a one-off and that it's not usually like this. But everything, from the ambiance, to the service, to the food, was incredibly disappointing. read more

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First time being in Carmel with the wife and we stopped by this place for brunch. Cool spot for food and good service. Right within the small area and perfect for eating outside with the dog. Definitely stop by if you want some good brunch! read more

Carmel’s Hidden Gem - New American Near Me - Carmel by the Sea, California

We arrived in Carmel on a Monday, which meant we had to wait two days to try this place, since they are closed on Monday and Tuesday. The name is not kidding: you need to look hard to find the restaurant. We did, and were amply rewarded for our search! It's a tiny, one room place tucked into a courtyard. It is immaculately clean, and run by a gent who also runs the Yafa Restaurant (also well worth finding!). We arrived for breakfast, and ordered te breakfast sandwich and the Swedish Pancakes. We'd recommend going in hungry, because the portions are huge! And absolutely delicious. Fresh, well prepared food and lots of it! The sandwich was huge with an entire egg breakfast in the bun. The pancakes filled a large plate with lingonberry compote and maple syrup. The service was very fast, and very friendly. We highly recommend you join the hunt. It's worth finding. read more

Super friendly staff and great food. Came during Memorial Day weekend so they were super packed and food took a while to come out but not their fault. Food and service made up for it. Definitely will be back but not during a holiday weekend haha. Also big plus is they are really dog friendly read more

Carmel’s Hidden Gem - Lemon ricotta pancakes, chicken friend steak and side of scrambled eggs - New American Near Me - Carmel by the Sea, California

We came pretty early in the morning on a saturday and the wait was craaaaaazy ( T - T) the servers did their best to look after us, and for a small restaurant absolutely slammed - it makes sense. The prices are steep!! but everything is made with a delicate attention. the lobster toast was a special and was absolutely delish with a healthy portion of the snappy guy. the flavour was bright!! and the bread was a perfect texture. the crab egg benny was probs the best benny i've had and i have had many in my day (ō_ō) Outdoor seating was luckily available. There is a bathroom in the back alley. overall a nice experience read more

Carmel’s Hidden Gem - Crab Benedict - New American Near Me - Carmel by the Sea, California

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Very disappointing experience. We waited over 1.5 hours and never received our food, while other customers who arrived after us were served (white couple who ordered seconds before us received their food in 30 min if not less). The staff was rude, and we felt completely overlooked. We ended up leaving without eating after driving 2.5 hours to try this place. Based on our experience, I wouldn't recommend--especially for people of color. We ended up going to Subway instead. read more

Carmel’s Hidden Gem - New American Near Me - Carmel by the Sea, California

And a hidden gem this is!!! The food is WOW!!! Everything here is homemade, even the bread! A bunch of us had the most memorable breakfast we've had in a long time! The passionfruit mimosa was something amazing and unique! The service is Beautiful and the ambiance is very very cute! I wish I had this place closer to home read more

Delicious food, good service and nice and small restaurant. Try it yourself and you'll like it. read more

Carmel’s Hidden Gem - New American Near Me - Carmel by the Sea, California

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We stopped by this place for a sunday brunch after seeing their menu. We were seated inside but the wait staff kindly moved us outside as a table became available in their beautiful garden setting. We got 4 items: their special seafood omelette, frittata, lemon ricotta pancakes, and a side of bacon. All the food was good and filling and everyone was happy with their meal. Overall we enjoyed this visit but this place seemed short-staffed, service was slow, and the waiters were definitely stressed. I hope the manager will increase staffing moving forward as that could definitely improve this location significantly. The staff were doing the best they could with the limited resources. read more

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Came here for breakfast and it was delicious. We were the only customers so we got lots of special attention. The owner Dia was very accommodating with our special food issues. read more

Carmel’s Hidden Gem - New American Near Me - Carmel by the Sea, California

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The food was so delicious! It's definitely a little hidden, but we found it. I got the breakfast sandwich and the garlic aioli elevated the entire dish. My husband got the savory skillet and it was perfect. Potatoes were perfectly cooked and seasoned. Would most definitely recommend!! Staff were very friendly and attentive. read more

Carmel’s Hidden Gem - Savory skillet, breakfast sandwich - New American Near Me - Carmel by the Sea, California

This is a small but mighty breakfast restaurant that did not disappoint! True to its name, it was difficult to fine, but also true to its name, this place is a gem. There are probably eight tables inside of the restaurant, and it appeared that there was only one waiter working. Fear not, the service was excellent and prompt. We were a party of three, and I tried everyone's food. Each dish was outstanding! We had country fried steak, eggs Benedict, and huevos rancheros, and all three were spectacular. If I had to pick, I'd say the huevos rancheros was the best of the three. Great food, great coffee, all in a little charming restaurant that feels like home. read more

Carmel’s Hidden Gem - Benedict. Outstanding hollandaise. - New American Near Me - Carmel by the Sea, California

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I ordered the special lobster eggs benedict & it was absolutely phenomenal. Our service was great, waiter was very friendly. Totally worth it... if you can handle the long wait. Almost an hour long wait but I'd wait that long again for a meal like that. read more

Place was packed. But we didn't have to wait because there was a table for two available. All their food looked good. I had one of the Benedict's. It was delicious. Great service. read more

This place is truly a hidden gem. I had the best crab benedict on the planet. My wife was very happy with her breakfast as well. Quiet little outside eating area with a few tables inside. Highly recommend. read more

My husband & I had an amazing breakfast at the Hidden Gem in February. (Took me a while to sit down to write a review!) Even though we come to Carmel quite frequently it was our first time at the restaurant & we had a hard time finding the place. A quick call & a very nice gentlemen on the phone helped us find the place. We are early risers so we were the only ones there the entire time & had the place to ourselves. A very nice lady, who I believe is the owner, welcomed us in & took our order. We really enjoyed our conversation with her throughout our breakfast. She has been a resident of Carmel for many years & since we have been long time visitors we had a lot of common topics to cover. The food was delicious. I had Swedish Pancakes & my husband ordered Biscuits and Gravy. He also ordered a side of House-Made toast & butter. Coffee was strong & atmosphere cozy. We can't wait to go back. read more

Carmel’s Hidden Gem - New American Near Me - Carmel by the Sea, California

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Great food, friendly staff! Family-oriented atmosphere Will surely come again! Thank you! read more

Carmel’s Hidden Gem - New American Near Me - Carmel by the Sea, California

We came right after a long morning at the beach and were extremely hungry! We came across this beautiful little spot with plenty of seating. It must have been a slower time for them because there were only a couple customers in. The gentleman that helped us was very kind and informative about the menu. We ordered chicken sandwich, French toast, the meatballs a shrimp soup. Although the chicken and soup lacked salt all the right seasonings were there. The batter for the chicken was the best I've ever had, perfectly crispy and light. It also had this amazing sauce with it! Everything else was also very good, the only down part was how long it took which the con of having made to order food. Lastly the price was on the higher end but when looking at quality and the location it makes sense. Worth a try! read more

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We stopped here on a Friday morning it wasn't very busy at all. The food came quickly and it was delicious. Everything tasted fresh and we were checked on multiple times. I would definitely come back. read more

I ate breakfast at one of the few places that was open at 8am in the area. The place is small but simple looking. There were also some tables outside. I think that if they are one of the few restaurants that were open early on a weekend, maybe they should have had two servers after 9am. It got a bit busy and there were a few people that left because nobody was there to seat them because the waitress was in the back in the kitchen. I got the breakfast sandwich with my choice of sausage and potatoes. It really was delicious! The bread was soft and tasty too! If you ever go here... getting to the bathroom is a bit confusing. Another lady and I were both trying to find it. It's not around the corner. it's on the side of the building past the kitchen window. The door is small and the path to the bathroom is a bit narrow. read more

Carmel’s Hidden Gem - Breakfast sandwich with potatoes - New American Near Me - Carmel by the Sea, California

We visited this restaurant recently and unfortunately had a disappointing experience. We arrived before another group, but they were attended to and helped first while we were left waiting. It was racism. We're not sure what caused this, but it felt unfair and uncomfortable, DISCRIMINATED especially since there was no explanation or acknowledgment from the staff. Good customer service includes being attentive and treating guests equally, and this experience did not reflect that. I hope the management takes this feedback seriously and works on improving how guests are welcomed and served in the future. read more

My family and I found this place on yelp while looking for a good breakfast spot. It's very hidden and very small. But wow the food was amazing! We had the steak and eggs breakfast burrito ( literally filled with steak and has so much flavor), and my kids ate the French toast (also super fresh tasting and not overly sweet). The server was by himself and still managed to provide good service! Will be back read more

10/10!! Outdoor seating area was very cute and shaded. There was only 1 server when we went for brunch on a Friday and he did an amazing job. He was super friendly and professional all while running all around and attending to all the other customers. The wait was a bit long for the food to come, but it was well worth it!! The food was surprisingly exceptional and was not lacking in flavor. Pleasantly surprised with the experience here and definitely recommend! *TIP: bathroom is located around the corner, key is hung in front of the door **TIP: pet-friendly obviously, bring the pup! Half of the outdoor tables has pups :) read more

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You will suffer at the beginning. Wait time is insane and service is not the best. However, after you've waited for what seems like an hr, you will receive some of your drinks and then after you have finished your drinks, the food will finally arrive. The food will compensate for the torture you endured. Delicious breakfast burritos! The pancakes are a magical touch and the huevos rancheros tie it all back together. The journey was worth the wait but be aware it might take some time. Be patient. I wish you well. read more

Carmel’s Hidden Gem - New American Near Me - Carmel by the Sea, California

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Great food great ambience very cozy place . I highly recommend. I tried avocado toast. It was very tasty.

I always do enjoy the naming process of these places. Like, hey!, the freaking secret is out. Nice job. I'll tell you right now: this place is not so hidden. Like, you can see it right off the road, man! And trust, I suck at looking for things. Just ask my mom. So yeah, it was pretty good. Chicken and waffles with lavender butter. Um, yeah hell yeah! I like how they use big giant plates and put only a little bit of food on it, giving the appearance that you're only getting a small amount of delicious food. Well yeah, ya kinda are. Anyway, waitress was lit. Make sure you check in to get that Free High Five, baby. we sat outside. cold. brr. read more

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We came for brunch around 11. It's nice that they have a breakfast menu but at 11 they also bring out the brunch menu. There is some overlap. The service was a bit on the hovering side. They weren't super busy when we were there but they were ready to fill our coffee and water pretty much after every few sips. I don't know if it would have been different if there were more people there. I really enjoyed my avocado toast with eggs - it was presented beautifully and everything on the plate was good. I enjoyed the grilled artichoke as well. The sauce with it was supposed to have black garlic but didn't really taste that garlicky but was fine. My friends also ordered the pancakes and really enjoyed them. I think that we didn't find out they only accepted cash or venmo until after we ordered was a bit of an issue. I don't know if that was a temporary problem. The restaurant is small inside but decorated in a cute way. The outside tables looked nice. read more

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We had a reservation, but arrived early. We were waiting for the rest of our party, but we were asked to have a seat at the table while we waited. Even though we had a reservation, we really didn't need one, since the restaurant was quieter than we were expecting. The bathroom is in a weird place and was most definitely not ADA compliant. We had coffee while we waited and our party trickled in and we eventually all had drinks. I felt like we were rushed to order, even though we were waiting until eleven so that we could order off the brunch, rather than breakfast menu. We were not told until after we had our coffee that they were not accepting credit cards, only venmo and cash. I got the chicken and waffles. I didn't feel like the chicken had much flavor and the butter was supposed to be lavender butter, but had zero lavender flavor. The soap in the bathroom had lavender, though. I didn't taste that, though. read more

Carmel’s Hidden Gem - Chicken and waffle - New American Near Me - Carmel by the Sea, California

The food was good. The service was horrible. We they took more than 1 hour for the food to be ready. The server was rude. While people came before my family and I and got their food first. read more

Came here for Mother's Day breakfast after seeing the solid 4.2-star rating and was hoping to be wowed, but overall, it was just... okay. I ordered the huevos rancheros, which is a pretty basic dish, and while it was fine, it didn't really stand out in any way. The flavors were mild and nothing really popped. The ambience inside also left a bit to be desired. It felt kind of cold and lifeless--not much energy or warmth to the space, which made the experience feel a little flat. Service was friendly and efficient, and the place was clean, so that's a plus. That said, the menu does have a few other items that caught my eye, so I wouldn't rule out giving it another shot. But would I go out of my way to come back? Probably not. read more

Called for a reservation, 6 plus 2 dogs. They said they could save us a table and to be on time. We arrived at 11:52 and had to wait 30 mins to be seated. They were busy when we got there -- so wasn't a problem! They then came over and explained that they couldn't start cooking for the next 20 mins, my family and I were okay with it and decided to wait. Once we were seated, the water was served promptly. Unfortunately, my family and I ended up waiting about an hour until we were able to order and took about another 30-45 mins until we got our food. The owners seemed nice but thanked us for patience, but it seemed like the bare minimum with how long we waited. We got there at 11:52 and left at 1:55. It was a long experience. The food itself wasn't bad though which is why I'm giving 2 stars. The only complaint I'd give is that the eggs on the Benedict's were not runny at all. The restaurant was cute! Cool set up inside and out. Has a ton of potential, but unfortunately the service and wait really ruined the experience at this place. We ended up needing to pay at 20% service fee as well that was included I'm assuming for having 6 plus people, I probably wouldn't have given more than 10%. read more

Delicious breakfast! Very nice people. Beautiful outdoor seating. Highly recommend. read more

Carmel’s Hidden Gem - Eggs Benedict + Lemon Ricotta pancakes + side of 4 eggs and toast - New American Near Me - Carmel by the Sea, California

Came here as a second option, once we walked in we were able to chose our own seat. The waitor came out and took our orders quick. I got the smoked salmon omelette and the today's special crab + shrimp omelette. Both were delicious. I liked the smoked salmon with the arugula. Both came with a side of tiny watermelon. The only downside we noticed was an additional charge for credit card which we werent informed there would be. read more

Carmel’s Hidden Gem - Smoked Salmon omelette and today's special crab shrimp omelette - New American Near Me - Carmel by the Sea, California

Sat outside with our doggo on a beautiful Wednesday morning. Excellent jazz music playing. Greeted and served by whom I assume to be the owner. So pleasant and friendly. I had the cinnamon walnut pancakes and a side of extra crispy bacon. The bacon was cooked perfectly. That would've sealed five stars alone. The pancakes were fluffy and had excellent flavor with cinnamon in every bite. My wife had the Swedish pancakes with the lingonberry compote. With every single bite she said "omg these are amazing." Every. Single. Bite. The coffee was strong and fresh and continuously filled. I'm just sorry we waited so many days to come here. Please, you must come here at least once. read more

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