Wonderful grill spot in the heart of downtown Carmel by the Sea. The staff was attentive, the…read moreprices aren't cheap but you get what you pay for. I had a nice steak, my wife had the curry, and we were both delighted. Very filling portions and unique flavors. Highly recommended.

Restaurants in tourist areas often get inflated reviews. People are on vacation, in a good mood,…read moreand not always judging the food very critically. Carmel-by-the-Sea has plenty of highly rated restaurants with fairly average food, and Pangea on Ocean Ave felt like one of them. The kimchi dumpling soup, artichoke chicken, and stuffed mushrooms were all fine, but nothing special. The service was good, the staff were attentive, and the ambiance was pleasant. What really bothered me was that every glass of water came with a plastic straw, even though we did not ask for one. In 2026, most restaurants use paper straws or provide straws only by request. Plastic is forever, breaks down into microplastics, and contributes to pollution in our water and environment. Plastic debris also harms marine life, including sea turtles. If Pangea serves even 100 customers a day, that could mean around 36,500 unnecessary plastic straws a year. Pangea on Ocean Ave should switch to paper straws and provide them only when customers ask. Average food I can forgive. Needless plastic waste is harder to overlook

WHAT CAN I SAY…read more This meal was PHENOMENAL (*'o'*) I never had Chapulines before but the texture was unlike anything i could've imagined. the flavour was mind-blowing too. It was fun to snack on them and eat them with the CHIP and dip. The Habañero carrot sauce was far superior to all the salsa. HIGHLY recommend it to accompany ur dinner. The Mole was so rich, and chicken so tender and juicy. The interior is quite cozy! Defo like here, but parking took over an hour so just beware what time u go and when

Cultura was such a vibe! We chose to sit outside by the fireplace, and the ambiance alone made the…read moreexperience feel special. Quick service still happens outside when your af Carmel by the Sea! The drink drinks were flowing and I was going! Every drink was so adorable. It made me want to try all of them. I love it when effort is put into making my drink. The chips and salsa are always a must! Fresh and Flavorful. While I didn't love the specific entrée I chose, everything around it really stood out. The potatoes and asparagus were absolutely Devine. Everyone else at the table genuinely enjoyed their meals, which says a lot about the consistency of the kitchen. Must stop by for outdoor fireplace setting.

We were in the area to check out the aquarium and had a craving for fish tacos…read more We parked a block or two away. Staff was very friendly, we sat in the window and I had the al pastor taco and fish taco. Soooo good, I need to come back. Salsas were tasty too.

Traveling and saw this spot as a recommended Mexican food location. We ordered chips and guac,…read moreenchiladas, and a burrito. For drinks, we ordered the strawberry lemonade and pineapple. Chips and guac were good but tiny portion for what you pay. The enchiladas and burrito were way too salty. And a Mexican place that only does one type of aguas frescas per day? And no horchata? That was a bit disappointing. The pineapple drink tasted like canned pineapple juice. The strawberry lemonade was decent. All in all, would be a good spot with some minor improvements.

I noticed this place the other day so we made reservations for last night…read more It's tucked away on a side street as you enter a residential area. The parking was a bit challenging even though they have a parking lot for customers but we found a space. It was obvious that it's a locals spot and the place was full. There's a full bar as you walk in, fun decor pleasant ambiance. It's on the small side but there's a covered patio outside for overflow/outdoor dining. "Ben" was our server. He was so attentive and friendly! We ordered a tequila flight, very nice!, shrimp fajitas that came with black beans and rice, taco and enchilada plate and a glass of Cabernet. Everything was delicious and I can't wait to go back because I really want to try the Mexican chocolate cake! Also, the location is so close to the hotel we stayed at in Lover's Point. We coulda shoulda walked!

Had to audit my own bill because the math didn't add up. The waiter tried to justify it with a 3%…read morecard surcharge and blamed "the computer," only to eventually realize I was being charged for a dish I never ordered. Corrected, yes - but not before a lot of unnecessary attitude. Food was mediocre, salsa we ordered never arrived. Advice: check your bill carefully if you eat here.

Our server was great and the food was delicious! This place is super quirky and fun, with old…read morefashioned gas station decor everywhere, a cute patio with a fireplace where they do love music on the weekends, and a darker cozy atmosphere with cloth napkins. We stopped by for dinner after a book signing in Carmel Valley Village, and service was quick and attentive. We ordered two types of enchiladas, one with green sauce and chicken, the other with red and pork. The red sauce was just barely spiced, Smokey, and slightly sweet. The pork was perfectly cooked and fall apart delicious. My friend loved her chicken enchiladas with mushrooms. Each plate came with beans and rice as well. Mexican hot chocolate was tasty as was an Arnold Palmer. I will definitely be back!

There was 4 of us for a birthday lunch. Between COLD fajitas,COLD burger/onion rings(which were…read moreover cooked burned flavor cold with greasy taste) room temp green salad which had a heavy fish flavor(she hates fish) almost refrigerated temp on rice and beans. Server asked me if it was, ok to microwave to reheat when I brought it to her attention. We had asked for more chips and salsa(only good thing) she brought only salsa. Again when brought to her attention you could see/hear the HUGE SIGH as she walked away, 10 minutes later we grabbed the attention of her coworker to finally get our chips. I've been in food/bev for 30 years so this is absolutely unacceptable. This is the 2nd time we've been this disappointed in 3mths, after coming here for 20 years. Sorry won't be a 3rd.. I understand a bad day but this was to much..A great server would outshine the bad food and vise versa, both was to much..

Michael's is a Pacific Grove staple. It's got that "California casual" vibe with a weird but…read moreperfect mix of Mexican, Texan, and even some Cajun influences. You can tell it's been a local favorite for decades--the hand-scrawled signs and slogans everywhere give it so much character. They've been around for 40 years! The Blackened Chicken sandwich is what they're famous for, and it lives up to the hype as I've been ordering it since middle school. It's got a solid kick, and that buttermilk garlic dressing they use is addictive. If you're leaning more toward the taqueria side, the Blackened Shrimp Tacos and the Steak Fajitas are the move. I also get the House Burrito a lot as it's one of their famous specialties. Everything feels fresh and grilled, not greasy, which is a nice change of pace. The service is fast and friendly and the portions are huge for the price. It's a small, no-frills spot inside, but they have plenty of seating and a steady stream of locals picking up takeout which is always a good sign. Every meal comes with chips and salsa! Pro tip: They're closed on Sundays, so make sure you get your fix during the week. Definitely the best spot in PG for a quick, high-quality lunch that won't break the bank.

My wife and I came in to Michael's Grill one evening to satisfy our craving for Mexican Food but…read moreunfortunately left unsatisfied :( I understand this restaurant is here to satisfy and appease its community of Pacific Grove but to be honest as a Mexican/American myself.. this is not authentic Mexican food sorry and I'm not even mad at the restaurant for what it serves. I'm just letting those know who are planning to visit and planning on eating Authentic Mexican food this is not it. Service is fabulous and ambiance is very nice but food wise it's personally not for me. Canned sauce uncut chicken strips, ground beef and no real authentic flavoring is not authentic in my opinion I'm just giving my honest raw review but overall the employees seem happy customers are happy and this place good share of people eating in and picking up and I couldn't be more happy for the owners to have this working out because the restaurant business can be a brutal business and I give props to anyone starting one up let alone keeping one going for many years.

Family run restaurant that always delivers delicious vegan food. I can't say enough good things…read moreabout how well they treat their customers. I constantly recommend this place to people that are not just vegetarian. Probably eat here once a week

This is an amazing Vegan restaurant. I was in the area for the day and found this place. I haven't…read morebeen to many Mexican restaurants with any vegan options let alone a full Vegan menus. It took our party (8 people) a while to decide as we were spoiled with choices. But we had time as it was pretty busy for a Friday around 1. I ended up getting the carne asada nachos and the aqua Fresca that they had that day (mango and watermelon I think). Both were absolutely spectacular. The picture included might not show the best scale but I had 2 others helping me to eat this plate and otherwise I would not have been able to finish it (even as a larger man). The crunchy jalapeños with the chips, beans and guacamole were the perfect balance. As a meat eater, the texture of the faux meat was a touch odd, but the flavor more than made up for it. The staff was helpful and attentive even as they were balancing supporting customers, answer phone orders, and taking regular orders. My wife and will definitely be stopping by here more often!!

we had dinner last week Saturday with our group, and it was fantastic service and the food was…read morevery, very good. It has become now our favorite Mexican restaurant.

Since Cut the Crab shut down and got replaced El Rodeo we've been wanting to try it out. We were…read moresurprised that the layout stayed the same. We showed up right before the lunch rush and got seated pretty promptly. We were offered drinks and our food orders were taken pretty promptly which was great. The service was incredible and it was a full team effort as we had several different people helping us out. The food was delicious. The cowboy chicken was grilled perfectly and my wife's burrito was very filling. We're sad it took us this long to experience El Rodeo but we definitely plan to be back as their menu looked incredible.

Best chilequilet ever Even in downtown Salulita MX it comes…read moreno better ! GREAT HORCHATA AS WELL!

I should have read my previous review before dining there last night. I made two mistakes: ordering…read morethe chile relleno burrito, and ordering a glass of lambrusco wine. The burrito was 80 percent rice, with a few bites of chile and virtually none of the advertised Jack cheese, avocado, "special sauce..." Served lukewarm. Definitely not worth $12.99. The wine, while a good pour, was sickly sweet. That said, their service is good, their salsa is excellent, and I've enjoyed previous meals there (including huevos rancheros). Note--next time, order breakfast for dinner or a combo plate. AVOID THE BURRITOS!

Omg have we had great food here!!!…read more Starting with fried calamari or a delicious roasted artichoke! Outstanding service & our waiter helped us with selections. Beautiful restaurant Tried the Stuffed Poblano Pepper! Omg can't wait to go back & try again. -Branzino was delicious! -Seafood Pasta great! -shrimp, pea, creole cream sauce Fresh, hot, must try

Why? Why did I come to Rio Grill again? The staff smells like fabric softener, the service is…read moredreadfully slow, the food is average and over priced, they have zero concept of time, they don't value the customers. Rio Grill is a joke. They have an entire out door section they don't use because they can't be bothered to set it up. The front host station can NOT ring you up if you just never get your check, neither can the bar tender so don't even think of asking. Nope! Only your server has that key. It's as if there's some sterilization of job duties and EVERYONE must stay in their own lane and they are not allowed to help eachother. I watched the bar tender stand at the end of the bar staring off into space because he had zero customers at the bar, must have done all his side work and he was literally parked in standby for any orders the servers might be able to type in. Meanwhile simple refills absolutely must be done by the servers in another room while the bar tender in standby mode is locked into his bar and seems like he can't leave, or use the bar gun to do refills or even interact with customers. It seems the problem is with management keeping the staff on some type of lock down because if you go to Starbucks near by their staff is having fun and they feel human. If you go to Shearwater Tavern the staff feels like a team, even the Bar-B-Q place around the corner seems more friendly and the staff all want to help the customers. AVOID THIS PLACE if you want a better quality of life.