The food is very good but the service was awful. I'm all for leisurely dining, but we didn't get our entrees until 2-1/4 hours after we arrived (on schedule!) This is the second time this has happened so there won't be a third time. I might go there for lunch because it is a lovely place and the food really is good. They have a great wine list and the patio is charming. Just don't go on a weekend night. read more

Well second time to Corkscrew, first time I ordered a med. burger and it cam rare. But the second visit was on a Thursday, they had little business. We were sat, my wife and I, quickly, menus presented and we ordered an appetizer and our meals,waiting, waiting, waiting and finally the host brought our appetizer. This whole meal, we saw or waiter when he took our orders, when he brought them after "a long wait " (he didn't know whose was whose) and when he brought our bill he was short and gone! , the host was the most attentive. All in all the meal.... was not a good experience. We live in the valley and often go out, not here ever again! read more

We have always loved dining at the Corkscrew, but it had been a while and we thought we would try it out again. We arrived on the early side (5 pm) but were pretty disappointed in the menu. They now only offer about 4-5 items (basically pizza , pasta and burgers) and the homemade bread is gone (they told us they had bread from the Lafayette bakery, which is good, but they didn't actually have any). They did have mussels, that we ordered but they were tough and the homemade pies we used to love were replaced by a freezer-type pie that had just been warmed up. The server was nice, and the wine selection was good, but we won't be going back. read more

An excellent value considering the delicious food, the indoor and outdoor patio setting and the price. This is a great spot for a casual un-hurried or un-harried meal. The ambience and interior and patio design enhances the experience. The outdoor tables are nicely spaced and include heat lamps for colder days. It is a sit down restaurant, for those with time to enjoy a meal, not for those looking for a quick bite or a sandwich. If you find yourself in Carmel Valley, about 12 miles from the Carmel / Rte 1 junction, this is worth a try. They have a wood-fired pizza oven and bake their own breads. It is located in the Carmel Valley village, which has several winery tasting locations. Most, but not all, of the wineries located in Carmel Valley village are the retail outlets for grape growing and production operations that are located elsewhere. That said, this is an excellent location to sample Monterey County wines, much of the grapes of which are grown along the Route 101 corridor south of Salinas, CA. In addition if you are out this way and are desperate for a hike, try the Garland Ranch Regional Park. The Carmel River runs along one side of the park and you can get some descent elevation on the south side hills. read more

We were disappointed with our experience here. This was another restaurant reviewed in Sunset, so we figured it was a pretty safe bet. Our hostess/server wasn't quite rude, but wasn't very nice either. The menu looked good and we were excited to order. We decided to start with a cheese plate. My boyfriend is allergic to walnuts, so we asked that the candied walnuts be replaced with something else at the chef's discretion. The plate was disappointing. Maybe I've been especially lucky with the cheese plates I've had at other restaurants, but this one did not impress. There were a few slices of poached pear (tasty), a small ramekin of honeycomb (ok), and some halved grapes (the walnut sub). The cheeses were a basic goat cheese, a brie, a cheddar, and a bleu. Nothing interesting that I don't have in my fridge on a daily basis. The kicker was that this restaurant has earned rave reviews for their bread and the bread served with the plate was not appropriate. They served 3 small slices of crusty, European break which was great. They also served a couple slices of brioche. Great for french toast, not so much for a cheese plate. I caught a servers attention and asked that they bring some more of the french bread. After quite a long time she brought a few slices of brown sandwich bread. That might be okay for a sandwich, but not for a cheese plate. They were out of the bottle of wine we wanted, so we decided to sample a couple of wines by the glass. The cab was good as well as the pinot. When the pinot was brought out, the wine glass had something crusted to the inside of it and was obviously dirty. We had to wait quite awhile for the server to come around again. When she did she apologized and brought out a fresh glass with an extra pour. Also, when I opened my roll up, my knife and fork also had something crusted onto them. Food that got hardened in the dishwasher or something. We also ordered the meyer lemon pizza which was fine. The meyer lemon slices were fairly thick and the pizza would have been better if they were shaved thin. Getting a big chunk of sour lemon (with seeds) isn't altogether pleasant. We were planning on staying for dessert, but after the slow, uppity service and the so-so food, we decided to head back to our hotel. read more

Had Mother's Day dinner and it was wonderful. The bread is to die for! We love the ambiance and the menu. One of our favorite spots.

Wood fired pizza grill! Large wine list... not much under $35 per bottle. Excellent food and very kid friendly.

Food was good. Service was horrendous. Possibly short staffed or just a not so good waiter. Really was a mess

We returned to Carmel after a one year visit to the east coast. On our first night back we went to Corkscrew Cafe, a long time favorite of ours. The food was good as always but we were struck by the extremely small portions. My wife had the Grilled Asparagus salad that was listed as a salad but was so small that it was only a taste. We also ordered the roasted garlic with toasted brick oven bread, a favorite from way back. Again, very good but there was not enough toasted bread to eat all of the garlic and goat cheese that came with the dish. We were surprised by the apparent change so we asked our server if the ownership had changed. He said no but in response to our feedback he said that he had received this input recently and didn't disagree. The Asparagus Salad was frankly embarrassing. I am torn about this review because the food is still very good. I just hate to see this change in portion size affect their overall rating. Unfortunately, until I hear otherwise I now have to say good food but don't go there if you are hungry. Hoping to see a change soon! read more

I am clueless what all the hoopla is about this place. To condense my thoughts, the offerings are vastly overpriced, taste is so-so and service dismally slow. The atmosphere is very nice and rustic, if you like looking at displays of rusty corkscrews. The help is very friendly but it took over 45 minutes for our party of 8 to be served, even though we were there on a weekday night and there was only one other table occupied. The lemon pizza and sausage pizza were tasty but nothing to die for at $ 15, for what is about an 8" pizza. The main entrees start at $ 24 and go up from there, and there are so few of them that it was hard to find anything interesting among them. The appetizers and salads seemed overpriced to me and apparently the chef is very proud of them although I am not sure who else would be. Soft drinks are served in small bottles, the last time I saw such things was in Germany, where they were priced similarly. If you were thinking of trying this restaurant, better hurry as I can't see it being around for much longer. read more

I am a local and I frequent many of the restaurants in this area all year long. The service at this restaurant was inexperienced. She forgot about our salad so it came with our main course, everything jumbled together. When we asked for bread, she said we had to order it as an appetizer, really, geeezz. A little tip for this restaurant, you never serve fish without bread! It helps you scoop up the fish and politely look for bones just in case. If you ever did have a bone you use the bread to help you move it down your throat. Too bad, the food was good but not worth all that. If someone is going to drop a hundo in your place, you are a cheap not to give a little bread. Last on my list. read more

This is not a cafe it is an excellent restaurant serving well crafted and beautifully executed food, ate there lunch and dinner as it was so good, highly recommended. read more

I've been to Corkscrew Cafe twice now while wine tasting in Carmel Valley. The food was stellar both times, but the service was worst I've experienced in the county. My first time to the cafe I came with my fiance. We ordered chips and salsa to start. We waited close to a half an hour, and had to go up and ask what the hold up was. When we were finally served the dish, we got guacamole and no salsa (my fiance does not like guac, which was why we ordered salsa to begin with). Within 30 seconds of our starter coming out, our entrees arrived, which defeated the purpose of ordering a starter. We pretty much only got our server's attention if we flagged him down or went to the front to grab someone. I've been back once since then, as a friend wanted to go. We had a different server, same story. They either need to hire more staff or train their existing staff better. read more

The bread used to be baked onsite now they have it delivered, it was bulky and tasteless. The mushroom pizza wad soggy. This used to be my favorite Carmel stop it is now off the list. read more

I have been working with Christen for the past year on my son's rehearsal dinner which was last Friday in the very lovely wine tasting room garden. First of all.... I cannot say ENOUGH good things about Christen! So helpful, positive and patient ~ some hand holding for a 1st time MoG! I had some specific requests which she said she could not promise, but she would try to make them happen. (Smart answer!) EVERYTHING I asked for she made happen!! Always gracious and attentive, lovely! The location was, to use a cliche, magical!! So beautiful, wish I could post a photo!! OK!! Service & food.... DeeeeVine! Four waiters were so attentive without that annoying "hovering" gene. Christen was there the entire evening overseeing the beautifully choreographed event. As we sipped wine and visited, the staff passed piping hot, delicious pizza. It just kept coming and was devoured. The meal was extraordinary! The combination of foods, flavors and seasoning was delectable! After we finished with the main course Christen brought the chef, Anna, out so we could thank her in person! The service was impeccable! Yes, it was a bit pricie, but in this case we GOT what we paid for + more! Well worth the level of hospitality provided. After all the planning, meeting and work the evening surpassed my wildest expectation! read more

Just ordered a BLT, which was good--had nice thick bacon and avocado, a plus!-- and came w/ an attractive side salad featuring baby greens, beets, some other crunchies. The back patio is very pleasant--I'd be happy to give it another try and order something more revealing of the kitchen's talents. read more

Wonderful quaint place. Outdoor and indoor sitting. My daughter and I had the veggie and pepperoni pizzas. Wifey had the pear and chicken salad with her own twist. Food was tasty with good portions. We had the flight of red wines which were very good. Nice and smooth, not high on tannins. Sevice was great, friendly staff. Bonus was the tasting room and garden in back. Good family place. read more

Delicious and healthy food and beautiful serene setting. The ideal place to sit and chill with wonderful food and friends or loved ones. I really like the outdoors with dappled light filtering through onto the rustic pebbly patio. Sooo relaxing. It is expensive but worth it once in awhile. And well behaved dogs are welcome! We hike and then chill. read more

a lovely setting for a late lunch with the pups after a jaunt at Garland Ranch. The patio was darling, and thoof food tasty- although seemingly a bit overpriced for a small blt and salad- but then I remind myself that it is Carmel. read more

Ate here yesterday with a girlfriend and had an excellent lunch. I love the atmosphere of this place, both indoors and out (we sat out on a perfect sunny summer day). Oh, and we got excellent service from our waiter Alan, but all of the staff are friendly here. read more

Delicious! I had the salmon nicoise salad and the chilled wine flight from Georis winery. Fabulous! For dessert we tried the Meyer lemon goat cheesecake, a new item the kaffir lime and lemongrass panna cotta and the "Taming of the Shrew" chocolate tart. Pastry chef Meredith Marin kicks butt! You could skip lunch and just do dessert. Beautiful setting and gorgeous weather. I will go back. read more

Corkscrew is a good place, not my absolute fav in the valley since they changed their pizza menu, and stopped doing 1/2 price take out pizza from 5-6. That was sad, we picked up pizza every week when they had that deal. Still a very good place to go out to eat. read more

Tourist magnet. Everything is way overpriced, but that is expected and I am not complaining about the prices. The food is so-so. The gyro was decent. The scallops dish was bad - tasted like they just dumped a cup of sugar on it and called it a day. Waitress was nice, but inexperienced. The bill was $55.40. I thought I would give them a 2% break and use money instead of credit cards. I left four $20 bills. Five minutes later, I had to go to the cashier about the bill and the waitress came back with a twenty and change. Hmmm..... should I leave the twenty or the 4 ones? Normally, I would leave $11 tip,but I didn't have the change. What do you think? Are all waiters/waitresses taught on Day 1 to ignore basic change so that customers will leave them big tips? That seldom happens, and you are just slowing down or pissing off clients. Or are some really too thick to figure out basic arithmetic? Oh well, it is not as bad as a few years ago in another locale, where I presented a $100 bill for a $22 meal. Waiter: " Do you need change?" read more

I have lived on the Monterey Peninsula for 18 years and found that many of the nice restaurants in this area are overrated, overpriced, and underwhelming. This is not one of those places. I was recently shown this jewel of Carmel Valley by my dad, and it has become one of my new favorite places. The three times that I've come here, the service has been impeccable, friendly, and very attentive, and everything I've tried on the menu is absolutely delicious- pizzas (the sausage and mushroom pizzas are wonderful), soups, and the heirloom tomato salad. If you're a mussels person, their mussels are prepared really, really well too. And don't even get me started on desserts. On top of all of this, the ambiance is so nice, and they have wonderful outdoor seating! read more

Tonight was the first time I've had dinner here before. I've been here for lunch on many occasions. The food was amazing, fresh, delicious as always....the only MAJOR negative was the service. Our waitress forgot our one of the three dishes we ordered, forgot to bring the extra plates she promised, forgot to take our dessert order (we had to order from the bus boy). We basically felt ignored. To pour salt in the wounds, was I walked out past the maitre'd, no one even raised a head to say "thank you for coming" or "good night". I felt such mixed emotions after this experience since the food was wonderful, but "one star" service. read more

Very good food, very slow service / severely understaffed (on a 4th of July weekend). Small portions - order several courses.

I was super excited to finally go to the corkscrew. It is a beautiful little place, nice and relaxing. My server was really nice and outgoing which I really liked. I order an appetizer and it was good. But when my entrée came out I was highly disappointed. I ordered the steak frites for $36, I received a perhaps 5-8 oz steak on a huge mound of fries. It made me feel like I payed 30 bucks for just fries. Most likely will not go again. I think it's time the chefs and mangers revamp their menu. read more

This is a bit off the beaten path if you're just driving through, but well worth the extra few miles. It's an absolutely adorable cafe that offers a beautiful setting, excellent food, and even better service. read more

I had started coming back after being disappointed by the quality of pizzas. I ordered a "to-go" pizza between 5&6 only to find out at purchase, that they no longer offered half price pizzas during take out. Sorry. The service is so bad, I have no desire to come in to eat. At least offer $10 pizzas to go. $17 for a flat bread pizza is ridiculous. read more

What a wonderful little place! We were trying to find a dog friendly patio and were happy to stumble upon this nestled sanctuary of fresh food and great service. The patio was lovely and comfortable and the food interesting and delicious! read more

Food and atmosphere lovely as usual but they played cheesy Pandora (bad 70's eagles....need I say more)? with ADS!! C'mon. Corkscrew is normally a class act with unusual music that lends to the atmosphere!! And yes, I'm local. read more

Actually the name is Corkscrew Bistro.. you MUST stop here for lunch. This place is fabulous! I almost didn't want to post because I'm afraid it'll get too crowded the next time I'm there. Try the Halibut Tostada, Chicken Ceasar, Pulled Pork on Chibatta and the Goat cheese & tomato Omeltte. Don't miss the Black & White Brownie or the Creme Brulee'. Lovely outdoor dining patio. It's right next door to Talbott's tasting room...don't miss this place either! read more

When I think of Monterey, Carmel and Carmel Valley - I think of Corkscrew Cafe. The food is always seasonal, fresh and mouth watering good. The service is always sophisticated in a fine dining sort of way, but not in anyway pretentious or over the top. Also, it is clear that the owners put a lot of love and thought into Corkscrew, because everything from the curtains to the wine selection just screams mom and pop rustic style gone right. If you ever have the privilege to visit this beautiful, unique area - definitely stop by. Try one of everything on the menu - especially their pizzas, desserts (PIE), and any fine wine from the Georis winery. read more

By far one of my favorite places to eat now. I've been coming here for about a year now. We usually fill up on appetizers and salad and skip an entree or split an entree. All times except once, the service has been wonderful. One time it was just so so. The food has never let us down. Our favorite appetizers are the roasted garlic, cheese tray, the meat tray and I love the pear salad above all! The first time I ate here, we ate inside, which was nice, but since then we always take a table outside in the garden and it's very nice - love the atmosphere. On our last visit, we were very happy with our friendly server and she got us going quickly when we mentioned we were starting to run late for a movie (we lost track of time enjoying our wine and food!) If it were closer I would come here more often, but it's worth the drive when we have the time. I will be back and I would recommend friends to this place. read more

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Corkscrew Cafe is our favorite lunch destination in Carmel Valley. Everything on the lunch menu is awesome. Their salads are unbelievably flavorful - the artisan bread and salad make for the perfect sized lunch. The pizzas, which are cooked in a proper wood fired pizza oven, literally inspired us to buy our own pizza oven. The courtyard has a great ambiance. But as a dog owner who has bringing our dogs to Corkscrew for years, we are still not happy that Corkscrew segregated the dog friendly dining area (which lacks the ambiance of the main courtyard). read more

Wonderful! Freshest, tastiest salads ever! Also had a terrific BLT with avocado. Highly recommend for lunch. Loved the back yard feeling too. Would definitely go again! read more

After being snobbishly turned away from Cafe Rustica because we did not have a reservation (on a Wednesday night and most tables were empty... excuse me?? Was it just because we walked in with 4 kids??), we decided to try Corkscrew Cafe. They kindly welcomed us in (despite our 4 kids) and seated us in the beautiful, peaceful patio out back. We dined under a veranda with grapevines and hanging lights. The kids were VERY happy with their fire roasted pizzas, chicken strips and Parmesan pasta, hubby chowed down on every last bit of his pizza, despite still being full from a late lunch, and my salmon salad was refreshing and delicious. (The peach cobbler with lavender ice cream for dessert was also very good.) Our waitress was sweet, helpful, attentive, and wonderful. Who needs the snobs at Cafe Rustica? This place won us over in every way. read more

AWESOME!!! Sausage/pesto Pizza & Pear salad, was to die for. Best after dinner coffee I have had in years and this was just their regular coffee...i Love the out of this world food with the low key outside dining atmosphere.. read more

The mushroom pizza and lemonade were very good. The service was just ok. The person who waited on us did not go out of her way to make recommendations or answer questions. Not a friendly atmosphere. read more

Great food, wonderful wine and happy people working there. The chef is very creative with their menu and it changes on a regular basis. Oh and the coconut cream pie is to die for! read more