I absolutely loved my experience here. The wine selection is on point. The service was fantastic. The food was delicious. Even though the menu prices were scary to look at, I walked away feeling like I got a really good deal with the amount of food and wine poured. I will sure surely surely be back. read more

This is one of my favorite go-to places. It's sunny valley location and beautifully decorated outdoor space is exactly the escape I need from the dreary coastal fog.....I can always count on good service, good food and great wine. I highly reccommend this special little spot to anyone. read more

Outwardly charming wine bar/cafe ... Mushroom pizza with truffle oil, Silvestri Lavender Valley Chardonnay, Stella's served with cheese tidbits. Wooden tables, terra cotta tile floors, warm ambiance....should've been a lovely time. We tried to overlook the disinterested server but it became impossible when she charged us $ 48 for a glass of wine....the full bottle price. When pointed out, she glibly replied, "my bad" , and took the bill back to the register. Since the total was surprisingly exactly the same, we asked for the manager and explained the error and lack of correction. Most places would not only be profusely apologetic but offer to comp the doubly overcharged glass....nope, you may be lucky to get a feeble apology at Corkscrew..but, beware it may be too way too expensive to uncork their bottles! read more

Had a wonderful lunch on a rainy day this week. The pear salad was exceptional, unlike any I've ever had. Included a half of a pear roasted with gorgonzola cheese and drizzled with honey and some of the most fresh petite lettuces ever. Give it a try! Also appreciated the Georis wines we tasted and the wonderful outdoor patio--even in the rain! read more

My husband and took our 4 month old son here after a restaurant recommendation in Carmel Valley fell through. I asked to be seated somewhere out of the way in case the baby fussed and they willingly obliged and sat us in this rustic yet fun room. While it was great to have a whole room to ourselves, the wait staff inadvertently forgot about us. Twenty minutes later the head waiter, Christian, more than made up for it with some items "on the house." We were just about to walk out the door but he made us feel at home. The food was good! Nothing fantastic but the service was amazing. We will be back...if Christian is working. ;) read more

My wife and I had dinner here at the Corkscrew Cafe and it was fantastic. Everything was good. Pizza, coconut creme pie, coffee and excellent service. I would highly recommend this place. read more

Corkscrew Cafe - Awesome pizza and service. - American Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

We had a fabulous lunch at Corkscrew. Our server, Sarda, was very knowledgeable and helpful- guiding us to a great bottle of local wine- and the pizza was delicious. Restaurant very attractive and all together a great experience. read more

I've gone here three times, each time different foods ordered, and for different reasons. First time drove past it wine tasting, so tell two ladies a few wineries in that there's a 2-for-1 pizza offer for happy hour, yes please! That day service was ridiculously slow, never got our wine ( that might've been a good thing ), and the wait staff kept hanging out at a table of friends. The good side was when the food came it was tasty! And it was memorable because two tables down there was a senior dog with bad flatulance so my friend thought my expressions were hilarious whenever I was downwind. Next time I brought my Mom and pushed her to order the lemon prosciutto pizza since my friend had loved hers so- a bit hit! I had a wonderful vegan soup, it changes seasonally and definitely one to go back for! The last time the star were the fried onions, it's a mountain of post wine joy. The street the driveway is on is also home to three wineries by the same family. Cowgirl winery is good for hanging out and feeding chickens, but Georis is where you go for good reds. ( psst, across the street are fresh beignets) read more

Amazing food. The pizzas are the things to get. Personally I would get mussels to start, as the sauce is amazing. Then I would get a pizza to share with another person. Only downside is the slow service, other wise... 5 stars read more

Good food. A little pricey but good. There are pizza specials for 1/2 price from 5pm to 6pm that makes it totally worth it. Their gourmet wood fired pizzas are the best!! read more

LOVE LOVE LOVE THE FOOD!!!!! thats all I can say because everything I have ever had there has been amazing! My boyfriend used to be a dishwasher there and when he brought food home I literally waited like a puppy for him to come back so I could munch on the best rustic american food! and....please, if you haven't brought this dessert back please do so quicky: APRICOT CREME BRULE. read more

The pastrami sandwich was amazing with a juicy fried egg on top. But the service was absolutely the best from Sarda. She is funny, attentive and really knew what we wanted. I highly recommend the Corkscrew. read more

Love this place!! We've been stopping in for lunch or dinner for a few years now. Decided to try it for a special party with people from ATL & SoCal all traveling for a great time. We secured a reservation with Christen and she truly accommodated our party and many needs!! We were really surprised and impressed with our environment and ambiance. It was perfect!! The menu Christen put together for us was terrific and everything tasted fresh and delicious!! The servers were on point and very professional & attentive to our needs!! Hands down a huge success for all involved!! Will keep coming back!! Thanks Christen & Crew!! read more

I don't know which was more awful.... The food or the service! The guacamole came out with what seemed more like pita chips then tortilla chips. I was ok with that since I was really looking forward to the hanger steak. After about 30 minutes it finally came out. I noticed the butter wasn't melting on the steak and sure enough it was COLD! The potatoes were very hot though! Well I stopped a server(ours was NEVER around) and he asked if they could make me another. Well I didn't have another 30 minutes to wait for food so I said no I will just eat a couple of the potatoes. He ended up taking the entire plate and was gone for another five minutes. When it came back the steak was still to cold to melt the butter and now so were the potatoes. To top it off our server never once even apologized! She just avoided us at all cost. We won't go back nor will we be adding it to our list of places to go for friends that come out either. read more

We have been to this place numerous times, mostly because the back patio is very comfortable for our dog. However, the food and service are very uneven. The pizzas are good, as are the lunch entrees. The dinner entrees and desserts are just ok. We got cappuccino that was really weird, and cold. We asked the server to turn the heat lamp on, and it never came on. Since there are a number of other good dog friendly restaurants in town, we likely will not return. read more

As an escape from the cloud cover on the coast, 4 of us headed into carmel valley for a sun filled lunch. We chose to eat on the patio which had the perfect amount of shade ( provided by both umbrella/tarps and grapvines) and sun. Waitstaff was friendly and quickly brought us some toasted bread and hummus. All 4 of us thoroughly enjoyed the lunch, 3 chose sandwiches ( pork, club, turkey) but one chose an omellete. Choice of salad or fried with sandwiches, couldnt do wrong with either ( we tried both) but most of favored the fresh salad. The one item that seemd 'off' were the fries served with the omelette; while it appeared they tried to season the potatoes, they were completely bland. The patio is somewhat shared with a neigboring tasting room for a particular vineyard. I forget the name of it ( we didnt drink there, but were terribly tempted given the beatiful day and positive experience at corkscrew), and unsure whether its owned by same party with restaurant. So, while Ive been to some of the neighboring restaurants such as Rustica( which i also enjoyed), i dont hti read more

We found this restaurant on a list of pet-friendly restaurants in the Carmel area and decided to try it. We sat outside in the garden with our puppy underneath a number of grapevines. Unfortunately grapes are poisonous for dogs and our puppy kept eating those scattered on the ground amongst the gravel. We had to put her in the car. Meanwhile it was great service with a smile but the food was disappointing. I had the grilled salmon filet with a coconut risotto that looked like oatmeal and was disgusting. Might return to try a pizza at lunchtime without the dog. read more

Took them 2 hours to bring us food which was burnt and forgot to of our dishes. Bad service

Went here for lunch today and it was fabulous. Hubby had the hot pastrami sandwich and he loved it. It was huge, but I looked away for a second -- probably because I was so engaged in my own meal -- and suddenly his sandwich was gone and he was happy. I had the butternut squash soup and a side salad. Both were simple, but really flavorful, fresh and delicious. I'd have the exact same lunch tomorrow if we were going back tomorrow. Thanks for a wonderful lunch! read more

Our lunch at Corkscrew Cafe was the first time my sisters and I had been there and what a lovely surprise! This is a charming restaurant with colorful decor and delicious, beautifully plated food. Our server, Sarda, could not have been more welcoming. We look forward to returning and enjoying the lovely garden, or on a cooler day, the warm and inviting dining room. read more

Used to frequent this place when we lived in the valley, it was one of our favorites. I give it 2 stars not for the food but for feeling ripped off. They charged us for water we thought was complimentary. They used to give you complimentary hummus & toast, not any more, you have to pay $4 just for some bread. The portions were a little small & the $7 for sweet potato fries was outrageous. I guess your paying for ambiance & the privilege of being served by young hipsters. The least they could do is throw you some of that artisan bread to take the sting out of your bill! read more

If you can ignore the awful service, the food here is pretty good. We sat at our table for half an hour before anyone came to greet us. Then we waited for another 20 minutes to get our water. The food was all delicious. Wouldn't go back because of the terrible service. read more

This place has really good food and amazing service. A little pricey for me, but a nice treat every once in awhile. I'll be back.

Excellent lunch spot, with great service, interesting dishes, and good local wines. Mussels were awesome, pear salad outstanding, and lots local wines. read more

Laid back and earthy feeling to this cafe. I've been here a couple times. On my first visit, I had their salad with roasted chicken and apples. The ingredients were really fresh but the accompanying dressing lacked flavor and needed an acid or spices. The followup visit I had the ceviche tostadas at the recommendation of the waiter. They were awesome! The generous helping of cubed halibut cooked in lime juice with fresh slaw sat atop crisp tostada shells. I had four of them for less than $12. Their creme brulee with fresh fruit is also a winner. read more

Excellent. A true culinary gem. We have dined at the Corkscrew Cafe on many occasions and the food and service have always exceeded our expectations. We have also introduced several friends to the restaurant and they have always raved about the menu, food, and service. Everything we have ordered has been excellent, whether it is the hamburger, pizza, charcuterie and cheese plates, and other luncheon fare. We are grateful for the Corkscrew Cafe's commitment to high quality farm fresh ingredients and their ability to craft superb dishes using them. A great find and a must dine choice in the area. read more

My wife and I decided to try the Corkscrew yesterday after the owner at Holly Farms recommended it as a must place to eat while we in the area for our daughters wedding. Upon arriving at the Corkscrew we got seated right away in the very nice and charming outdoor patio and were given menus to look over. Twenty minutes later we still hadn't had anybody even acknowledge we were there. I mean no water, no drink order, no nothing! The hostess seemed be overwhelmed and the wait staff unaware. We just got up and left after 25 minutes. We were very disappointed! read more

Despite food poisoning from the mussels and a spitefully over-cooked burger, I will still give it two stars for the other wonderfully tasting food and (mostly) friendly service. First let me mention that I'm a former waiter at a first-class restaurant, and I also definitely know the difference between rare, medium rare, medium, etc. I also want to mention that the host was very nice when seating our party of 5, and that our primary server (short haired female -- sorry I forget her name) was also very nice & friendly. Now the bad: I'm 99.9% certain that our one case food poisoning came from the mussels, although there's no way to tell for sure. I also know that things can happen in the kitchen and standard practices can be overlooked. (For example: Were some of the mussels open before going into the pot, indicating they were already dead and should be tossed?? You can tap them to see if they close, but in a fast-paced kitchen, sometimes things are overlooked and you figure anything 'bad' will be killed during cooking. Generally, that's true, but you can end up with over-cooked mussels.) But I digress... I can chalk-up bad shellfish to fate, and I wouldn't have bothered writing this review if it wasn't for the crap below. Now the worse: A burger was ordered "medium" for my 20-month and 6-year old. It came out between rare and medium rare (but closer to rare). If it were for me, I could have eaten it, but since I'm feeding a 20-month old, I asked the runner (not our server), "Could you please cook this burger some more? I had asked for medium." She curtly said, "Oh, you want it more than medium?" (Implying the bloody mess in front of was medium [bloody is a dramatic exaggeration; everything else is factual.]) I snarkily responded, "If that's medium, then I would like it medium-well to well." My mistake for being a bit snarky, but I was off-put by her suggestion that the 95% red interior was "medium". (For the record, the runner had long dark hair.) In hindsight, I'm not surprised that the second burger I received was literally burnt to a crisp. I had to trim off the black bottom to get edible portions to my kids. Since I was a former waiter, I knew that was no way I was going to send the burger back a second time -- lest I wanted something worse than a burnt burger. I may still go back, since the other four dishes we ordered were great. But, I would leave the kids at home and stay away from the mussels. read more

Hated it.... Seems like it all comes from a can. Service was good, but the food was mediocre at best. The wine was very expensive and and not worth the value unless you go to the very top end which costs almost $70! Overated in my opinion. read more

Have been coming here for years. The bottom line? We are local retirees living on a limited income. We have so loved coming for the half price pizza between 5-6 PM. Now that offer has been discontinued. So, last week at Corkscrew, two drinks (a wine and a lemonade), two rather skimpy beet/apple salads and one shared Ricotta pizza for the two of us came to $62. This week we went to Cafe Rustica around the corner. We enjoyed nearly the same meal: two drinks (a wine and a lemonade), two huge butter lettuce salads and one shared Dynamite pizza. Guess what? It came to $45. Love both places, but why pay $17 more at Corkscrew for basically the same meal that we had at Cafe Rustica? Please, folks at Corkscrew, we love you but you are making a mistake for us locals and retirees. Go back to the half price pizzas from 5-6 PM. The place is normally quiet then anyway, so you should be glad of the patronage. We will come back if you do! read more

Came over to this place after visiting the cute wine tasting place across the street. Restaurant was about 1/4th full with tons of in and outside seating available. It was 5:45pm. They told us if we didn't have a reservation we could not be seated until 7:45pm. Pretty silly way to run a business. read more

Went to this place on a recommendation from a client of mine who happens to work there. I often visit my clients businesses as a courtesy and appreciation for them using my services. This was not only a pleasure to visit and return the business services, but a truly enjoyable dining experience as well. The service was absolutely superb, from start to finish (by the way ask for Edgar if you go in, he is the most pleasant and accommodating server). It is a small, quaint place in an easy to find location and is quite cozy for a quiet dinner. My wife and I were made to feel right at home and seated immediately. We started with the cheese plate, which was absolutely divine! Different cheeses such as blue cheese, goat cheese, cheddar, and others along with caramelized walnuts and apples were delicious. The bread was also excellent as they made it fresh right there in the restaurant and the smell of the warm bread made my mouth water! My wife then ordered the trout and I ordered a new chicken dish. Both entrees were a delight, and although I was enjoying my chicken I had to try the trout so we swapped plates. The sauce accompanying the trout was a tantalizing addition that brought out the natural flavor and was simply amazing. We ended with a slice of strawberry pie and some coffee which was perfect. We were unable to try the home made wood fired pizzas, which are their specialty, but will definitely return to sample one or two of their selections. This is definite keeper and I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who enjoys fine dining and wonderful service. You will not come away dissatisfied! read more

I'm back....After my previous review I was obviously not happy with the Corkscrew, however, I do have so say that I was impressed that after the review I did receive an email from their manager. In it, she apoligized and requested that we return. My husband and I returned on December 26th. I do have to say it was much, much better. They did not have the fresh fish...but who am I to complain - it was the day after Christmas after all. I had the pork which was very good and my husband had the burger. I have no complaints and am happy that the manager reached out to us.....we will be back! read more

My husband and I visited for dinner. The restaurant had a good ambience. Our waitress was amazing - best service we have received in a long time. She was friendly and gave great recommendations. We started with the peppers for our appetizer - they were phenomenal. I ordered the salmon which was thicker than what I'm used to which came with delicious vegetables. My husband ordered the halibut which he enjoyed with his glass of malbec wine. For dessert, we had the flourless chocolate cake with a scoop of ice cream--was delicious. We would definitely recommend this place. read more

Terrible service. Food was luke warm. Was completely neglected and had to get up numerous times to ask where our drinks/aps/food was. Won't be coming back here. Save your money and time. read more

Had a delicious lunch with a friend today. The garden area is beautiful and the food was great!

What a happy, chance encounter. I took a backroads route from Highway 101 to CA-1 and the California coast; a longer detour than I expected but as I drove from Greenfield (Monterey Valley) to Carmel I took in the beauty on both sides of Monterey county "discovering" Carmel Valley along the way. I took a chance on a restaurant that looked appealing: Corkscrew Cafe. What a great find. Indoors and out, the seating is comfortable and the atmosphere perfect. From the friendly welcome at reception to paying the bill this restaurant hit on all cylinders. I tried the Arugula Salad: a simple masterpiece. And then the Mussels, prepared with Green Garlic, Belgian Ale, Coriander, and Citrus, were cooked perfectly. My tastebuds would have preferred a little more citrus, but nevertheless when Sarda, my server, asked me if I needed a straw to finish the broth, I actually gave it some thought. A glass of Cowgirl Chardonnay complimented the dishes very nicely. Although a 15+/- mile drive from the coast, if you're traveling up or down Highway One, take a break and drive to Carmel Valley. The beauty is out of this world. And so is Corkscrew Cafe. read more

Cute place in Carmel Valley. Small and supposedly the sister restaurant to Casanova. Very good waitress, attentive and well informed. Had a wonderful meal--I had a Lamb Shank that was cooked just right and very generous as a portion over a bed of polenta. Delicious meal. My wife had Paella and loved it. Again very generous portion--half of it came home with us, and delicious. It proved to be a very good find. read more

Go for lunch. They have a beautiful outside seating area. You'll feel like you're in France. Try the pizza with Meyer lemon on it - it's delicious. The lamb gyro is really a leg of lamb sandwich (not pressed gyro meat) ands its awesome. Fresh baked breads also for sale - some of the best in the valley. read more

Was worried about all the good yelp reviews. We were pleasantly surprised. We had a lite dinner with the kids. Had the butternut squash soap good but better at cafe rustica. Arugula salad good. Hamburger very good just what the doctor ordered. We ate at vineyard bistro for lunch and had the seafood linguine. The hamburger was very good. Had a bottle of wine cab franc ok read more