Love this place. Niner and Giant friendly. Our excellent server Sharon treated us like locals, from nearby Monterey. Sat outside inn the beautiful patio area very laid back. My wife had a great local bee, Big Sur Ale, recommended by Sharon, I had the Bloody Mary. Both were great, We shared the appetizer fish and chips, which was ample. The fish was crisp and fried nicely,, fries were good, prices reasonable for Carmel Valley. read more

We came here for breakfast expecting the typical "okay" breakfast, but this little restaurant delivered quality of food comparable to Monterey ' s fancy hotel restaurants at half the price. I ordered a veggie omelet that was super delicious, light and fluffy eggs and not greasy. My friends ordered the eggs Benedict (one veggie and the other not veggie). When they ordered the eggs Benedict, I thought to myself "no way would I order an eggs Benedict outside of a fancy restaurant" (tried that in the past and was sorry that I did). When they got their breakfast, I was so jealous of how delicious their eggs Benedict looked and judging by the looks on their smiling faces, it was scrumptious as well. Customer service was excellent as the gentleman at the bar was both personable and professional. We will certainly be returning and I will have my Eggs Benedict and Kahlua coffee. :-) read more

The running iron clearly hasn't heard of seasoning once in their lifetimes. The food is sloppy and the waitresses are stuck up. The steaks are horrible and the food there is overpriced. Looking at that prices I thought I was going to get a gourmet meal but instead I got a steak that was over cooked and dry. Me and my family had an unpleasant time at the running iron and I don't plan on going again. read more

Service excellent. Best huevos rancheros I've had in my life. I had the vegetarian version of them. One of my friend had the 'green' version of it with meat and loved it to. I believe that these are only served on weekends but you can't quote me on that. It is worth the lovely drive down Carmel Valley Road to eat there! Hey while you are in the area check out the lovely art gallery in the same complex! ( should be reviewed soon) read more

Running Iron - Delicious! - Bars Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

Not good experience. Disorganized service. The kids meal arrived twenty minutes before our meal. Our house salads promised before the main course arrived late and one at a time. We had to ask for the bread that arrived at the end of our meal. Vegan Pasta ordered with tomato sauce came with meat balls. Over cooked pasta. Fish was over cooked too. Had to go to counter to get bill and we waited to pay. I definitely do not recommend this place. read more

This is my new favorite bar. My husband and I just bought a house in Carmel Valley and moved out here in August. The Running Iron is always full of locals having a good time. There is an old time good feeling to this place, definitely country! The waitresses and bartenders are friendly, the food is down-home delicious (especially their burgers!) and, best of all, they have karaoke on tuesday nights!!! I LOVE this bar! read more

Local favorite and hangout for the biker club and cowboy crowd. Great extensive menu and down home ranch atmosphere with cowboy memorabilia and old tack hanging from ceiling. Good service. The food suffices, but thats not the reason to go. Like stepping in back in time it seems every time I go I run into my neighbors and people that I know. Chili Relleno very good on the starter menu. My lunch partner had a French dip which was very good as well. read more

The four of us stopped by the Running Iron yesterday afternoon after a nice hike at Garzas Canyon. We had our three tired, well-behaved dogs with us. Despite the cute decor and the passable food, we were disappointed with lack-luster service. The waitress refused our request for water for our dogs, and directed us to the container of very dirty water at the entrance. We will not be back! read more

Our first visit was great and the second even better. This is a great place mostly off the tourist track in the Carmel Valley that mostly caters to the locals -- be they sheetrock hangers or multi-millionaires. Here's what we really like about the place: - the service is fantastic no matter who you are - The food (especially the buffalo skewers) is always worth the drive up the valley to get - The drinks are significant - The kids think the calamari is some of the best around (bite sized squares of squid tubes, with flavorful breading cooked crispy) - Killer burgers - Really reasonable prices read more

It eats an extra star for being in Carmel Valley, food was uneventful. Service was friendly.

We didn't order any food so can't review on that. The drinks were average. A quirky bar for quirky people. The owner or manager was welcoming and friendly. I'd like to go back and try out the food. read more

Unlike most people, the way I review is I like to use my judgement and expect what to be expected. Come on people ! This is Carmel Valley and this is a cow boy bar. This is a place for people to completely chill and help yourself to do whatever you want. Do you expect someone to grab a menu , holds it on their chests and walked you in calling you Sir and Madam? However, I do have to say we actually got great service (unlike some other reviewers' comment with the no eye contact) and the environment is very warm especially with the 49ers kicking butt on TV. Anyways, great food always expected at these type of joints. The BEST beef sandwich in Barbeque Sauce ever while the fish and chips might be a little to over cooked and over breaded. read more

Talk about atmosphere. Wow this place has it all. Great little bar and restaurant with huge portions. I had the snapper and I swear it was at least 10 oz. and the best part? Cowboys all over the walls and boots all over the ceiling. read more

Love this place! If you're out in this area looking for something to do after 9pm... this is the spot! we were staying at the Blue Sky while attending a wedding at some ranch nearby. Ended up walking into here on friday ... closed it down... and then had to came back Saturday after the wedding to close it down again. No better place in all of Carmel Valley for sure. Made the trip enjoyable. Awesome decor, good vibes, met cool locals... definitely the SPOT for anything after 9pm in this area. Brent at the bar... very good man! When you get up to SF... please come through Butter or BuzzWorks! read more

Classic local dive. Chill, country ambiance. Never tried food here, but as I recall the drinks are a bit pricey and waits can get long on busy nights. Outdoor seating is nice. Make friends with a local for better service. read more

It seems every time I attempt to try this place out, it is closed or empty. It's not appealing to walk into a musty, greasy spoon restaurant on a bright Sunday morning. There are too many other great places around. read more

I am a local. Used to be a fun place very CV with decent food and a very local vibe. Went there this week. It has really gone down the tubes!!! Food was horrid. I didn't eat it all. The beer I ordered was not what I ordered. The tacos were inedible. The place is filthy. Graffiti covered urine smelling restroom. It seriously needs a shutdown, pressure wash, redecorating and new chef. So sorry to say. I do believe in supporting locals but they are letting this formerly fun spot go down the drain read more

Great service and the food is delicious. Comfortable patio with inviting ambiance. Love the decor and music as well!

Down home destination to relax in the sunshine and get a bite to eat. Easy menu, good service, pets allowed on the patio. Cool atmosphere. Wear your western or english riding gear. read more

We are locals and went there expecting decent food. The beef BBQ sandwich was ok, but they didn't put it on Whole Wheat toast as requested. Instead it came on its usual whitebun. The medium rare burger arrived well done. And the special Pear Pecan salad was on tasteless, white lettuce, with under ripe pears, few pecans and little blue cheese. When we sent the salad back, the manager refused to take it off the bill. That's a guaranteed way to not have return customers. read more

Great Burgers. Originally tried to go the pizza place next door but it was closed. Would definitely go back.

Went for breakfast Sunday morning and it was great!!! We've been going there for several years and always have a good time.

Healthy jagre bombs. E2 is nice and cold! Everytime I'm in Carmel, the Running Iron is a must. The Carmel Valley locals get crazy.

We were in town for a wedding and Jill and all the gals made us feel at home. Awesome vibe. If in town, swing by the Iron!!! (I forgot to post this from back in October 2012) read more

Our dogs favorite restaurant! He will cry about a mile before we get there! The patio is very dog friendly.

For some reason this dirty little dive bar/hole in the wall has the best damn chicken quesadilla in the area.

if youre ready to feel like the world ended, and you have made it to the "cool table" come to the running iron!! Now that the original owners are back, and Danny Locklar (a chef that has been cooking in Monterey peninsulas favorite local hot spots since the 70s) has joined forces, this place could be better than the best. The vibe here, now open since the 60s, is filled with an ambiance of love. Its definitely a dive find,. The food now is of top quality, like most of the stuffy over priced places in monterey, but feels like home and is affordable. Ive eaten several of the burgers, but particularly pick from the specials these days, since Danny always has the freshest fish (usually from monterey) and/or the best home cooking in california- such as their liver and onions or beef strogonaff.. Now that the food is way above par, lets talk about the service. You are greeted with a beautiful face these days, rather than some crack head pissed off that you interrupted their texting. Amandalee is outrageous, and genuinely the kindest person on this planet. Ask for her!! She will cater to all your needs, even the silliest like how much ice you like in your tea. She always knows the hip things going on, and since her dad is the chef, shell let you know what the best thing each night to eat. She somehow dazzles you into almost wanting her to sit down and eat with you. If the bartender is steve, know youll have a great night after dinner... he can entertain even the lowest of low lifes... he just has an aura about him, ready to make you have a great time. The food is great, the staff is pretty good, especially if you go on a night when Amandalee is working, and overall it truly is the best place to eat in the peninsula... quite a drive from monterey, but worth the while... beautiful scenery, wonderful locals, and overally a fantastic time!! read more

I have never eaten worse food. I ordered huevos rancheros and it was inedible. The wait staff was ridiculous the price was outrageous. When the check arrived I was over charged $4. They charged me $15 for a plate of stale food with two eggs on top that were not even cooked as I asked. And the filth. OMG the place was as filthy as I have ever seen. I AM NOT ever going back to that place. They need to close. read more

This place is cool, staff is super friendly and the food is really good! Not to mention the drive there is a fun little road trip.

The iron rocks! Food is consistently cheap and good. Anyone who has a problem with the service needs to take a deep breath and relax. Order the fried egg sandwich or a burger and you won't be disappointed! read more

Look, you get what you pay for. The food is mediocre. The restaurant is dusty and filthy. You can smell the urinals all throughout the place. To give you an idea of the mentality of the management, between patrons, the tables are sprayed and wiped with cider vinegar in some bizarre effort at being "green" or un-hygienic, I am not sure. Anyways, it smells really bad. The cigarette area is basically in the front door, so you get to smell that, too. The bar hasn't been cleaned or dis-infected in a decade and so, you smell that, too. The waitresses are all very nice and I love that they occasionally have live music. Make no mistake, this is a bar for drunks and bar flies. The "cute kitsch" stuff that hangs from the ceiling is all caked with years of dust and filth. Sorry, I can't do it. read more

Our third trip to Carmel Valley and always our favorite place. Real people, fun atmosphere and good food.

Had the French Dip. Meat was old. No horseradish sauce on sandwich. Au jus ok. Water tastes moldy. Overall a no go. With so many good places to eat in CV and Carmel why waste your time and money read more

Food was sub par at best. We had Kraft Mac-n-cheese, and fish tacos that were $16...that....were not worth $16. The service was slow and also unfriendly. If you're taking a large group, be warned checks aren't split. I'd walk to monterey before going here again. read more

Lets start by saying DON'T COME HERE!!! SAVE YOURSELF!!! WORST PLACE EVER!!! A friend and I walked in just to have a beer and it took us over 20 min to be recognized! Atmosphere was COLD and VERY UNFRIENDLY. It took another 15 min to get the beer by this time I'm feeling disgusted from the bad service and god awful smell of urine. By the time we received our beers and drank them I was MORE than ready to leave I had enough of this place! Paid for the 2 beers plus a tip and went on my way. Got home and realized I was charged $36.00 for 2 BEERS! I called and spoke to the waitress/bartender I informed her that I was just there and only had 2 beers but was charged incorrectly I told her that I had been charged $36.00 instead of having or attempting to have some good customer service and apologizing for THEIR MISTAKE she was rude not professional nor helpful all she said was how do I know this really happened and how do I know you're not lying. I ask to speak to a manager who is apparently the cook too who was JUST AS RUDE not helpful he also accused me of lying and said he'd have to look in his camera to see if what I was saying is true. I asked to speak to the owner who SURPRISE was not available...went back the next day to let the owner no what AWFUL service his/her employees have but turns out this person does not exist! I still have not received a call or my $24.00 that I'm owed I ... But this is not about the money it's about the HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE I HOPE NO ONE ELSE HAS TO EXPERIENCE. NEVER EVER COMING BACK!!! read more

After a long day of driving along the coast, this place hit the spot. We got potato skins, a BLT, a wedge salad and a cup of butternut squash soup. Everything was delicious. We loved our server and the vibe of the place was casual and friendly. read more

How do you f**k up a baked potato??? Seriously! Inedible.... It was a to-go order with salads...you can tell the salads were fresh (hence the 1 star), but we couldn't even CUT through the skin of the potatoes. Stop using a microwave ??? read more

Service was great with a party of six. We all split orders of fried chicken and the service was spot on! Hot fried chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy ( is anything better?). Can't wait to go back! read more

Good food but service is bad. Waitress had bad attitude and not attentive. Not recommend for Minorities. Racial discrimination observed.

I was in the running iron last week. They have a new bartender named Steve. I think he only works on Tuesday and Wednesday night. What a jerk. He gets in your face and attempts to embarrass you about your age- says you're older than you are. He wanted to fight me outside, ran out after me, then crawled sheepishly back in after he whimped out. I really used to love this place but the old owners took the place back from their daughter and now there's no happy hour, the prices have jumped significantly and they hired this bum. I now frequent Fish House and Plaza Linda. It's nice to go where you like the people who serve you. read more