Thank you yelpers. On a trip to Carmel I wanted to try some place new. Yelp helped me find this place. Small, sorta hard to find gem. The interior was surfaced in wood paneling, very cool. It was a bit warm in there though. We had the calamari which was perfectly crispy and fresh. I had the almond sea bass minus the mashed potatoes. Good, not fantastic. I recommend it for setting, service, and fresh seafood. Need to try other entrees. read more

So good. Husband ordered the AhiTuna Pepper Seared, which honestly was average... He wouldn't order it again. I ordered the almond crusted sea bass which was so amazing and the broth it was served with was yummy! I ate every bite. Fish was cooked perfectly. Service was awesome. We didn't have reservations but the owner had us wait to see if someone didn't show up for there time, and sure enough they didn't show up so we were seated (Next time make reservations!) Would eat here again while in Carmel. read more

One of my favorite restaurants at the west coast, definitely the best one in Carmel. Delicious food, great atmosphere, very nice servers and owners. read more

A unique setting coupled with a very good menu make this a must see in Carmel. The service was outstanding. Tuna Tartare was a fantastic appetizer. The Yin Yin Salmon was outstanding - paiied with a very nice Argentinian white wine - Zolo Kenny is the owner and he has done a fabulous job. You need reservations read more

One of the best dinners I had in my life! Strongly recommend the Sea Bass, Black Cod and the Seafood Pasta. Absolutely divine. Looking forward to come back. Great service as well. read more

It was our first time eating here, The food was excellent especially their Seabass. My family and I enjoyed eating there and plan to make a second visit read more

Flying Fish Grill - Best Seabass - Japanese Near Me - Carmel, California

The Seabass was truly amazing. Also had the halibut which was very good as well. The service at this restaurant is excellent (especially the maître d' who kept checking on us as well as all the customers all evening). read more

Big fans of this place! We make a point of coming here every time we are in town. Nice little tables outside if you aren't comfortable heading in. Service is always friendly. Food is delicious! read more

The food here is out of this world!!! They do an amazing job in fusion foods. I'd stop by here every single time I'm in town. Order the appetizers! Definitely try the black bean halibut! read more

The high price is not match it's flavor! food are already cold when its serving,NEVER come back again!

Literally a quaint hole in the wall, located below street level in a dark small space that holds no more the 45 people We had a 6:30pm reservation but weren't seated until 7:00pm without one word from the Maitre D about how late they were in seating us. Several folks walked in after us, gave him a hug and walked right in. Perhaps they had an earlier reservation than us but we were certainly top of the list from what I could see. A simple "I'm sorry for the delay" would have gone a long way but we evidently didn't rank in his book. We started with the tuna sashimi which was fabulous. Tender, flavorful and no hint of stringyness that can so often ruin tuna sashimi. My wife and I both had the King salmon, she had the grilled salmon and I had the Yin Yan salmon. My wife's was woefully over cooked and covered in a heavy sweet sauce that completely covered the King salmon's delicate flavor. The Yin Yan is baked and they didn't over cook it nearly as much as the grilled version but could have come out of the oven a few minutes earlier. This dish was covered in bread crumbs and partially in Black sesame seeds. There was a lime soy sauce that had very little flavor and had the consistency close to water. The breading was all one could taste as once again they covered up the flavor of the beautiful king salmon. We decided to skip the dessert and move on. Too many good restaurants in Carmel to give this one a second chance. read more

This was one of the most terrible dining experiences of my families life! The waitress was so terribly unfriendly. She was burnt out and cold. Our food came in away that was not explained on the menu. The almond sea bass came as a mushy soup. The veggie clay pot was okay but when they took the cover off the stove at our table it was laden with old crusty remnants of food. Very unhygienic. Just a weird experience. Too bad because the manager was so nice. All of the other restaurants we ate at in Carmel were terrific! read more

First of all, the food here is top shelf! But the food comes second to the beyond incredible service. The moment I told Rich (the manager I believe) that I had food allergies (tree nuts), was diabetic, and picky to boot, he helped me sort everything out. I had a lobster tail that was HUGE and delicious. My husband had the seafood pasta. But the very best thing we ate there wasn't on the menu! It was the fried wonton rectangles with ginger salsa the server brought to the table while we waited for our food. I'm officially obsessed! Our server was Manuel. He was warm, but highly professional, efficient and polished. If you want to go, you must make reservations. It's a super popular place! read more

I took my parents there. Actually, it's cozy but my parents think it's a bit noisy. And the meal is ok. It's a seafood place not for Japanese food. Seafood pasta is just ok. Halibut is ok. But i do recommend the almond sea bass. read more

I waited way to long to write this review. Back in August a couple of old friends were in town and were looking for a great place for Seafood, so I went to yours Truly, "Yelp.com" and looked up "Seafood In Carmel" and up popped the "Flying Fish"! I took the advice of several people and had the crusted Halibut and was not disappointed. I was loving every bite and thank all those yelpers for such great compliments on this dish! I would recommend it to anyone, but beware of the $$$. read more

The courses were visually appealing and had lots of aromas. Each dish was creatively and uniquely plated. I am a fan of this exquisite restaurant since it has Seafood, steak, and clay pot dishes all in one stop. I am glad I came here for my anniversary dinner! Food were awesome and staff was superb! read more

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My very favorite restaurant! We go for every special occasion. Amazing food, wonderful atmosphere, friendly, knowledgable staff. Yosenabe (fish clay pot) is my favorite, seafood pasta and almond encrusted sea bass are to die for too! Don't leave without trying the warm banana caramel sundae, you'll be in heaven! read more

Servers excellent, very knowledgable--Gabriela was great! Basement setting quiet and romantic.Best seafood I've had. Ahi excellent, crab appetizer savory, sea bass delicious. We will definitely dine here again read more

Flying Fish Grill - Best seafood, pacific rim delicacies , - Japanese Near Me - Carmel, California

Spent one night in Carmel on a Cali road trip. Wanted seafood so decided to try this place. So glad we did. The four of us had an excellent dinner. We shared the California tower and tuna sashimi for appetizers. Black cod and the Yin Salmon were both excellent entrees. The other two of us shared the seafood Yosenabe. The food is cooked at your table in a clay pot full of yummy broth. It was delicious. A hearty meal of shrimp, mussels, clams, tofu, calamari, octopus, salmon, scallops, halibut, rice noodles, carrots, bok choy and mushrooms. Excellent service with friendly, knowledgable wait staff. Great wine list. Cozy wood booths were comfortable and the place had a lively, fun atmosphere without feeling too noisy. When we come back to Carmel we will definitely eat there again. read more

Came back again after first visit this place is amazing food and staff. So attentive and pleasant. Will continue to come back

Disappointing. I do not understand why it was difficult to get a table or why the Yelp ratings were as high as they were. Our experience started out entering into the interestingly funky setting in a basement type location . All good. Unfortunately it went downhill from there. We were served some won ton chips and some "salsa" that was an unsatisfactory combination of a sweet and savory tomato based sauce. Our chilled white wine was just so so Our entree of Ying Yang Salmon was below par and our appetizer of a crab tower was okay but nothing to go back there for. read more

At $$$ I was expecting more than great food. I was disappointed. My prawns were overcooked & chewy and the tiny portion of rice and crab was $17. (Not sure where the crab was). I dont have a problem spending $$$$$ on great food. This felt like a case of Carmel pricing for average dining. There are many other restaurants serving wonderful food at a similar or lower price point and nicer ambiance - even on Ocean ave. The bathrooms could also be updated and cleaner. read more

went with two brothers in law for our dads 80th everyone was happy. a little tight seating but no problem. great food recommendation by the server! would go back with my wife read more

The service at Flying Fish Grill was spectacular! And the food was amazing -- we had the California stack and ahi tuna for dinner. We enjoyed the ginger salsa as an appetizer and green tea ice cream for dessert. Truly a memorable experience! read more

This was by far the best meal we had in Carmel by the Sea The waiters were friendly and professional . We had salmon and cod for main entrees and they were spectacular. We were treated to an after dinner drink by the host to celebrate our Anniversary . This is truly a Neighborhood Gem. read more

Amazing!!! Been to Carmel twice in last three years and both times I dined here! Food is so flavorful and service is wonderful! Must haves include the California tower (a deconstructed CA roll), the calamari, the spicy tuna, the black bean halibut and the almond crusted sea bass! For dessert we tried both sundaes. Everything was delicious!!. Make reservations to be safe. You won't be disappointed!! read more

I have spent the past two years living on the Monterey Peninsula. Flying Fish is hands down my favorite place on the Peninsula to eat. All of the food is delicious, the staff are nice, the decor is pleasant/noninvasive, and the restaurant is owned and operated by a friendly local couple who are there pretty much every night. I love the Nikumaki appetizer as well as what is one of the major highlights in my book - the complimentary fried won-tons with dipping sauce. So good. Seriously. I feel like I should be writing a separate review for those. I always get a seafood entree so I can't speak on the others but everything in my experience has always been top notch. The Rare Peppered Ahi and Tempura Prawns in particular are my favorite. Also, don't sleep on the desserts! I have a mean sweet-tooth and the Sundaes and Sorbets are fantastic. read more

My husband made reservations for this lovely restaurant a month in advance for my birthday weekend getaway. Flying Fish Grill did not disappoint! Delightfully greeted by the "new" owner, he took over for the previous owner of 40some years. He was charming and sat us within 2 minutes of our arrival, to which he profusely apologized for the wait. Rich was our waiter and we found him to be extremely friendly and knowledgeable about their menu and sake selection. He checked in with us just enough to be accommodating without being overbearing. Perfect. We ordered the tempura appetizer which was battered to perfection. Lightly battered and seasoned well. Not that thick goopy mess that you find with some Japanese restaurants. But the show stopper was our Seafood Clay Pot (yosenabe)! Perfect amount for 2 people (however in hindsight we agreed we could have done without the appetizer). The broth was amazing and the vegetables and seafood were all incredibly fresh and flavorful! And so much fun to cook at your table. We ended with the green tea sundae which was equally as delicious as the rest of our meal. The in-house made chocolate fudge was really good. We'll definitely be back to this gem and have already recommended it to several friends! read more

Flying Fish Grill - Seafood Clay Pot (Yosenabe) - Japanese Near Me - Carmel, California

This is my favorite restaurant in Carmel (of those I've visited so far). The service was exceptional -- particularly when the owner came around playing his ukulele at the end of the night. That was an exciting and unexpected surprise. We had the chicken spring rolls and the halibut wrapped in parchment with fermented black bean sauce. The quality of the fish was amazing, and it was a really delicious dish. Next time, I will try the California tower appetizer too -- we saw it go by and it looked amazing. We finished the meal with chocolate decadence and a side of ice cream. They serve Marianne's ice cream (from Santa Cruz) and have a variety of ice cream sundaes available that also looked amazing. I will definitely be back on my next visit to Carmel! read more

Great restaurant with wonderful food. We had the seafood pasta. The menu is great. My wife had the crusted salmon. The place was packed with customers and I would highly recommend reserving a table. read more

5 stars for the invention of the japanified salsa. Go try for yourself.

Think I might have found my favorite spot in Carmel. The food, specifically the steak roll appetizer and the Chilean Sea bass were over the top. Staff was very friendly and accommodating. See you in October. read more

lots of recs for this place. as far as carmel goes, usually its crappy tourist food at high prices or high end places, with not much in between. luckily, flying fish is a great compromise - good food at reasonable prices. had the artichoke appy, sea bass and scallop/shrimp curry? pasta. the almond crust is not all that, but overall the sea bass was tasty. read more

Fantastic meal. The food was so good, I later sopped my anus with bread.

On a whim, BF and I decided to come here for dinner on a Saturday night with no reservations. We arrived around 8pm and were told there would be a 30-45 min wait. No problem. We went to grab a drink and some oysters for an appetizer. They were nice enough to call us when our table was ready. We were seated in a nice corner booth and were offered some fried wontons for a snack. They were so light and crispy. A great snack that won't fill you up. We ordered some wine (nice pours) and the following: tuna sashimi appetizer, crispy spring rolls, shared the lobster special and tempura banana sundae for dessert. Everything was amazing. One of the best seafood meals I have in a long time. The sashimi was fresh and thick. The broiled lobster was amazing. They were kind enough to split it for us and each portion was plenty. From start to finish I was impressed by this restaurant. The waitstaff is accommodating and friendly. The food is delicious. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Flying Fish Grill - Japanese Near Me - Carmel, California

My daughter made reservations and treated me :) to Flying Fish Grill on a recent Friday night! Although I've walked by this location at Carmel Plaza countless times, I hadn't dined here since it was Shabu Shabu, some 30-something (!) years ago. The owners/hosts were welcoming and friendly; the atmosphere- cozy and comfortable little private rustic booths; the fish entrees we ordered (grilled salmon and steamed halibut)- excellent; the fried wonton/dipping sauce appetizers- an irresistable prelude to dinner. Will be adding Flying Fish Grill to the dining out rotation for sure. read more

Carmel is one of our favorite places. And when we have an opportunity to go, we are sure to have dinner at the flying Fish Grill. The food is amazing. Every single time.We have been visiting this restaurant often on for the past 13 years. The quality of food & service never changes. Always A++. read more

Incredible food, cozy ambiance, and wonderful service! One of my favorites on the Peninsula!!

Had an absolutely wonderful time here. Driving down the coast after getting married in San Fran. Stopped here for the clay pots. Everything was delicious. (The ginger salsa is killer.) The staff could not be nicer, the server was amazing, the chefs, the support staff was so sweet. The owner even serenaded us with my favorite song at the end of the night. Such a great experience. read more

I would give it more stars if I could. We had the best abalone and almond crusted sea bass in the entire world. Sooooo good!!!