Went to Running Iron for lunch. Service was indifferent despite the restaurant being practically empty. No greeting at the door or attempt to offer me a table. Finally I asked the bartender and she just pointed and said sit anywhere. Then took another 5 minutes just to get me a menu. Ordered a steak medium rare. It came out very well done. Showed server and she said she would get me another one. The second steak was also closer to well done than medium rare. I ate some of it but couldn't eat most of it due to it being overcooked. Also Running Iron's ambiance is dark (lights were off in the dining room) and dirty. I just moved to Carmel Valley full time and eat out most days. Was hoping to add Running Iron to my repertoire, but don't think I want to experience the off putting service or the mediocre food again. I am hoping this review is read by the restaurants owner which triggers an upgrade in the service and food standards. Carmel Valley is a small community which gladly supports quality food and service. Cafe Rustica also in Carmel Valley, is an example of a restaurant which always offers welcoming service and terrific food quality at similar prices as Running Iron. They are always full of customers. read more

"No better place in the Valley." Well, up to that place, I really hadn't seen too much else in the Valley. So sure, there is quite possibly "no better place in the Valley." Doesn't make it good though. Odd menu. Pasta on top, Mexican in the middle and dessert at the bottom. Boots hanging from the ceiling. Probably should have gone for booze instead. Most accurate review I've read so far: "Kinda Denny's Caliber Food." read more

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We ordered to-go: burger, quesadilla and onion rings. Everything was delish - next time will ask to substitute fries with more onion rings.

Gréât local hangout. Bartenders are friendly and make excellent drinks the best burgers, chicken wings, Cobb Salad is the best Fried chicken dinner is a special & the best. Friday night Prime Rib dinner is a local favorite. read more

Stopped in for lunch & as always food was great!! I had the patty melt with sweet potato fries & my sister had the french dip, everything ive tried was great read more

Been going downhill fast for a couple of months now. Food was average last year, downright horrible now.

Wonderful live music. Great bar with top shelf liquor (1942!). Very nice people and mountainesque settings. Can't wait to go back.

Appealing, western-style roadhouse featuring a cowboy-boot-clad ceiling and an eclectic array of local memorabilia and local folks. There's also a nice, shaded outdoor seating area, and our waitress was very friendly. The Mexican standards were good as were the more contemporary salads, but that artichoke sets this place apart from the rest! We thought their artichoke was even better than Mission Ranch's, and that's no small feat. all around, I very pleasant staff in Carmel Valley. read more

Running Iron - Bars Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

My husband and I always enjoy a meal every time we visit the Carmel area. We love the hamburgers! We often will dine outside where other diners sometimes bring their (well behaved) dogs. I do want to let them and you know that they need to spray the outdoor area periodically. Last week when we dined there I came back covered with flea bites which was confirmed today by my doctor. Hope this information will help them to improve customer satisfaction. We will give them another try and hope this oversite on their part never happens again. read more

The sign on the door at Windy Oaks Tasting Room said, "Back in 10 minutes." So we went across the street to the Running Iron as we needed a quick bite before we continued our wine tasting. Running Iron looks more like a local hangout. Certainly a far cry from Corkscrew Cafe, ROUX, or Rustica. Patio area was pleasant enough and service was friendly. DH and I decided to split a club sandwich. Our server graciously divided our side salad so we both had a small bowl. The salad was rather mundane: spring green mix with a carrot stick and a celery stick. Good dressing on the side. The club sandwich was very large: turkey, ham, bacon, lettuce, and tomato. No cheese. My main complaint was that the bread was toasted so lightly that one might have assumed it was just stale bread. Running Iron met our needs but with so many other options in Carmel Valley, it is doubtful we will make a repeat visit. read more

Been there many times. It's fine at night when there's local music in the bars crazy and you put in an order for fried chicken and your dog is sitting next to you out on the patio. Enjoying a lovely night locally. I also love their hamburgers. Oh my gosh, their hamburgers are so good. read more

I don't do many reviews but I felt like this one was warranted. The place has a rough around the edges vibe that is just perfect, but the food was so awesome! It felt like home, from the yummy prime rib, mashed potatoes & gravy to the house made apple pie & ice cream, it was perfect! My husband had the ranch burger & couldn't believe how good it was. We will definitely return! read more

We are locals who have come here for years as a family. The last couple of visits has been very disappointing, hamburger and steaks overcooked, and quality of food has gone down. The last time we came a glass of local wine cost twice as much as normally we had been charged in the past. I get that Covid has changed many things, but, now sadly, we just felt like this is not a place we will come back to again soon. read more

Came here at 7pm on Friday for the live music. The menu is well balance as is the seating. Music was good, chocolate lava cake with ice cream was tasty ! We grabbed mint tea and listen to the music for a while. Our server was super sweet, we'd definitely come back again when in Carmel Valley read more

First off, I love a good dive bar. Secondly, Running Iron checks all the boxes for being a great local dive with crusty locals, cheap well drinks and a jukebox full of jams. Epic. So epic in fact that I visited everyday while in Carmel Valley last weekend. They are one of the only spots in town open early where you can get some breakfast and a Bloody Mary on the side. This place also goes well into the evening and is usually chalk full of people bellied up to the bar. The bartenders were super friendly and had heavy hands, the locals were grumpy and hated the tourists and it was everything I was looking for in a great "townie" bar. read more

Running Iron - Bars Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

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I came here with my friend to support his sister's wedding to continue the celebration. We had a few drinks and pizza here. My friend and I just sipped on beer and water. We weren't in the mood for hard liquor. When we came, the people looked at us funny since it was a huge group of 20s/30s people (mix of asians and other ethnicities) in formal attire. We definitely looked out of place. The one waitress I saw handling our group was very on top of her game, even though we arrived at 10pm, which I consider late. She kept up with people ordering drinks and food. This place is definitely a locals place. It got a little rowdy between our crowd and the locals, and my friend and I tried to keep everyone calm and whatnot. So DONT PISS OFF THE LOCALS! There's parking on the side of the building. Watch the road since people tend to drive fast down it. Otherwise, overall it was a chill place to if we were in different attire and didnt' look out of place. read more

Boots, boots, boots everywhere! I love the ambiance as you walk into this restaurant. It reminds me of old Western movies I watched in Thailand about America. They have cowboy boots hanging from the ceiling everywhere inside the restaurant! There are signs, antique pieces and small trinkets all over to complete the decor. They also have a bar if you're thirsty with a TV to watch. It was a beautiful day so we dined outside. We all ordered and the portions are huge!! I ordered the French Dip and it was very flavorful. The au jus that came with the dish was better than I expected. It came with their homemade potato salad and that was very tasty. The dish is 4 stars out of 5. Dan ordered the Rib Eye with 3 eggs and potatoes. Good thing he was hungry because it was massive! He gives the dish 4 stars out of 5. It was a nice touch with the sweet watermelon slice and orange slice. Service here was great! They assisted us in moving tables during our meal because the sun was getting too hot for us. Our server came back many times to check on our coffee and water. He checked on our meal a few times to ensure a great dining experience. Service was 5 out of 5 stars! We will definitely come back in the future! read more

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Having been to Carmel Valley many times over the past 30 years I have seen this charming little valley change. While wine bars are popping up like mushrooms after a good rain it is nice to have a staple like the Running Iron. A running iron is a type of branding Iron, not the one that has the ranch family's moniker on it but more like a big, red-hot Sharpie that the cowboy could do some freestyling on the butt of some young steer. Having been to the running Iron before I knew what to expect, fine dining not exactly but good honest food, generous drinks all at good prices. This time I had the Rib Eye open faced sandwich. I ordered it medium rare and it was perfect. They gave me some Au Jus and a side of horseradish. It went down great with the Delerium Tremens that is one of my favorite beers. I was there early and it was happy hour. I might say that they don't cut their prices in half or go crazy with appetizer discounts but they do knock a buck or so off of a beer, a drink or a glass of wine. Fair enough because you wouldn't complain about their prices to begin with. There is always a colorful group of locals. A very interesting and engaging man of a nuclear physics background who's dog sits on the stool next to him and has for years. He secretly whispered about the poor manners of his friends dog sitting on the chair next to her. There was a group of friends that stopped in after work. Pay a couple dollars and do they dice roll to see if you can get a Yahtzee and win the pot. Could be a profitable day if you do since the pot looked pretty fat. I waivered and decided it is a four star place rather than five, I reserve the right to up my rating on my next visit. read more

Skirt steak and fish and chips were some of the best we've ever had. Drinks were refreshing. Dive bar with influence and character. Service was impeccable! Must stop here if in Carmel Valley! read more

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

My wife suggested we stop here after a nice sunny day out laying out in the.. sun. next to the river. ANY WAY, I wasn't too sure at first as I've been let down by many Bar & Restaurant combos before. I was definitely impressed with this place. The service was top notch and the food was amazing. I had one of the clam specials which consisted of clams, and a nice white wine base garlic sauce type of yummyness over linguini. I know my description probably murdered it but IT WAS AFREAKINGMAZING! I devoured my plate and decided to venture into their lava cake for dessert. I was expecting something the size of what you get at a Roy's Hawaiian Fusion, but what came out was the Godzilla of lava cakes. that thing was HUGE and delicious. Normally, the wife and I are very loving and share our desserts, but this time it was a fight to the death for the last bite. it was THAT GOOD! The water was good too. I wanted to try their selections of draft but completely forgot after that lava cake. Definitely a place to come check out. I know I'll be back. read more

Running Iron - Deliciousness from the Running Iron Restaurant & Saloon - Bars Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

If we could give 0 stars, we would. Every part of our order was incorrect. I ordered over the phone for take out. Was told 15-20 minutes. I arrived 30 minutes later and discovered they forgot to put the order into the kitchen. Okay, fine. I waited. When I finally got our order and made it back to our hotel room, we discovered that on my husbands burger, they forgot the burger patty, bacon AND cheese. Seriously - there was a box with a bun, onions, lettuce, and our soggy sweet potato fries ( oh yeah, also nothing to dip them in). We called and the guy who picked up said he found the missing ingredients in the kitchen. But he didn't know how to issue a refund. Promised a call from the manager tomorrow. We decided to just share my cheese nachos (which I specified "NO meat"), but under our chips, we discovered chunks of PORK ( let me mention I'm a vegetarian). Our third order, a grilled artichoke was way too chewy and also not edible. For $40 we expected a decent meal. This was terrible. We will be very disappointed if we do not get a full refund for this meal. We ended up ordering room service. $$$. But correct. read more

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Racist and offensive bartender ... We were sitting in the restaurant area and could hear the female bartender yelling an offensive accent, mocking an Asian woman. Her loud mocking and imitating went on for approximately 5 minutes. Super offensive and inappropriate. Our waiter (jake) was really nice and helpful, but hard to enjoy our dinner while hearing that. read more

I love that place. Great place, good food!! love the decor. You must go and try it. Nice staff

Very cool place. Very good food. Relaxed environment. Indoor and outdoor seating. Full bar. Delicious Homemade Pie!!

Great food, great atomsphere, great time... Well worth the visit - a great break from wine tasting... Fun place... read more

We came here after my wedding and desended on these poor people (with thoughtful, self aware warning in the previous months and days....) right when the night was quiet and they were in the homestretch. In fact, we packed that place so tight, as did a couple other locals, other revelers.... I must say it was our moxie that charged our brethren to a hair's breadth from anarchy. The most exciting aspect of that a) they loved us b) Crackerjacks played Donkey Kong for hours and he is an artist c) Only one near miss when the Costa Rican taunted local farmers with his skill in horticulture, and d) The limber yet drunken future mother wasn't capable of screwing the 6 women she was coming onto, while defending herself from the potential onslaught of a perturbed man. read more

Excellent food and service ! Can't beat it anywhere in the valley! Especially appreciate them doing the best that they can to serve the people of this area! read more

Came here for the first time and LOVED IT. They have a patio to eat at with a cute country kinda style. We had a fabulous server named Terris and food was delicious and very reasonably priced. I will definitely be coming back! read more

Thank you Running Iron for a great steak dinner. Home style and tasty. The place inside is filled with all kinds of boots and cowboys stuff totally fits the place. The bar was full both nights we were there. It was so good we went a second Night because it was close to our inn. My husband has fish it was in his words tasty. I had there burger loved it. I think they bake their own bread and buns. read more

We had our food to go three times over 3 weeks while renting a house nearby. Both the meat eaters and vegetarians in my family loved their food. Apparently they will have a bigger menu again after covid, but everything we had on the limited menu was yummy. read more

Great food. Definitely the best fried artichoke hearts I've ever had. Waitstaff was very friendly and chill. We sat in the back and admired the boot ceiling. A friend ordered a dirty martini which also was my first dirty martini. We came back here on New Years. The band was pretty good but we spent the whole time on the patio. There was a rotating cast of characters. Mostly locals but a seemingly few from out of town. Everyone was extremely friendly. Talked a woman from a nearby ranch. Another dude from Sweden. Another guy saying how this town used to only be locals and he remembers a time when you could wave at every car that went by. Talked to an art teacher. Had a few glasses of champagne. read more

Probably the worst steak ever. Tasteless. Everyone says you go for burgers. My mistake The bar looks like fun though. Obviously a local hang out. read more

I like this place. I like the way it looks and feels and the staff is friendly. Unfortunately, we went the other evening and ordered the fried chicken. I am a sucker for good fried chicken and seek it out. When we got there we sat down outside and noticed that the staff was walking out of the restaurant without masks. I got up and looked inside and could see several staff members and none of them were wearing masks, even though California has enacted a statewide mask mandate to protect us against COVID. The chicken arrived. It came with mashed potatoes with chicken gravy and steamed broccoli with some type of aioli. The flavor of the chicken was decent but the pieces were the largest pieces of chicken I had ever seen (my first job, at fifteen, was at Kentucky Fried Chicken where I worked through high school). What that told me was that the chickens, when alive, were pumped full of antibiotics. It is illegal to use growth hormones on poultry, thankfully, but the way the poultry farms get around this is by using antibiotics as a growth stimulant. I do not want to eat meats full of antibiotics or growth hormones. The overexposure to antibiotics is leading to superbugs that have figured out how to get around them and if that continues, we could be in great trouble. Once I saw that the employees were mask-free, I shouldn't have been surprised that the restaurant serves meats of questionable safety, but I was disappointed. Again, I like the place but will probably just go there for a beer now and then as I have realized that the quality of the food is questionable. A few other restaurants in the area serve Fogline chickens which are all natural - no antibiotics and normal sized - and are delicious. I wish Running Iron would up their game. read more

I'm a long time resident of Carmel Valley and love taking guests to the running iron and it has a great atmosphere. A tame biker bar if you will....that is mostly the kind of Bikers that normally drive a mini van full of kids lol and the Guzzi on the weekends. read more

Been going to the running iron for many years with friend and family. Today was the worst day I ever had there. After being seated the waitress was out in the parking lot for 10 minutes talking to some guy in a pick up truck. Apologize for being so long on service. Then when she brought the meal it was not correct. When I brought it up she said the cook was hung over and in a bad mood and she did not want to take it back. I won't be going back again. She was a heavyset blonde that I have never seen there before hopefully she doesn't stay long read more

Good food, casual surroundings and a very good place for the good ole boys. Bar and saloon atmosphere. read more

Absolutely terrible food. Leathery steak with no sauce on a bun. Do not eat here. Do not know how anyone would this is good.

Came here hungry after a hike near by, waited over 4O min for a buffalo burger and Chile relleno. Food was edible but tasted bad. The bun on burger tasted almost stale, and buffalo burger was like a clump of cole. Chile relleno tasted like egg and bottled salsa. Guacamole tasted like it was made with rotten avocados. Despite being so hungry we left a lot of food on the plates uneaten. RUN from the running iron!!!!! Left completely disappointed. I made vegan meatloaf out of lentils earlier this week and that was 10 times better than the buffalo burger read more

Not a pleasant visit. This is the retaurant that won't, can't and just might make you feel incomfortable even asking for anything. Here are a few instances: 1. My sister asked for a coke refill. She was told she only gets one. So my sister asked if they could bring it while she finished the rest of her first. She no and that it has to be the same glass. What?! 2. My girlfriend asked to substitute the bacon on her burger for mushrooms. The wait person (female) said that "they" might not, but she'd check. Ultimately they did, but not before some explaining as to why from my GF. What's the big deal? 3. When the bill arrived 18% was automatically tacked on. We had 5 people. I was surprised and stated not too loudly or even in any kind of annoyed voice that the tip was already added. The wait person overhead that from a few tables over and bellowed that this info was "all over the menu." Well, gee, forgive me! My sister's husband decided not to ask for anything. She also made it clear to us her shift was almost over and she was "outta here." There was one other dissppointong thing that now evades me, but the overall experience was not comfortable. The food was decent. read more

Well let me make this easy for you. Ordered artichoke steamed for an appetizer. Wife and daughter started eating it. Found a worm in the artichoke. Clearly not cleaned well. Told the server. They said sorry. Did not feel comfortable so asked for the bill. Provided me a bill for the whole lunch including what we had not even been served yet. I think that sums it up. It only takes burning me one time. My preference for protein is chicken, hold the worms. read more