Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Valley Kitchen

    3.9 (196 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Valley Kitchen New American Restaurant Photos

    VALLEY KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Upscale
    Good for kids

    You might also consider

    More like Valley Kitchen

    Recommended Reviews - Valley Kitchen

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Pool area
    Elmer G.

    From the moment you turn into Old Ranch Rd you start to feel that relaxation and begin to separate yourself from everyday life and the mind goes into relax mode, well for me It did. It's a beautiful drive up to the restaurant as you go by a golf course and beautiful views. Once you arrive at the parking lot, if you pay attention you will see a tree with a swing near by. Look closely or you might miss it. The restaurant personnel gives you a warm welcome, we had a reservation and sat us at our special table as soon as we arrived. I could tell the restaurant was at at peak time, and through all that we received an amazing service throughout the whole dining experience. The drinks were on point, each of our cocktails and wine recommendation did not disappoint. We were really pleased with the Charred Beets Salad. Perfect acidity balance through each bite and we could taste a bit of chard through each beer bite. My wife and I, ended up sharing our plates. The burger was perfectly cooked, the beef patty was juicy and full of flavor and its served with thick chunks of bacon something we love on a burger. My veal pappardelle was packed with flavor, I could taste the veal and herbs. I was surprised and very pleased as the veal tasted so good. The desserts were amazing as well. The apple berry cobbler hit a home run! I would really like to thank the Valley Kitchen staff for all of their attention! All I mentioned on reservation was that if they could accommodate a table with a view as that night we were celebrating our wedding anniversary. From the moment we arrived we were greeted with a warmth welcoming feel, and the service provided through the whole dining experience felt so amazing! Thank you for making our night that much more special!

    Elainey G.

    Excellent service and super dog friendly. Everything came out quick and the food seemed farm fresh. Love that they had an indoor area to sit at if you have a dog with you. Because it was too cold to sit outside.

    Sarah C.

    We had reservations for 630pm for Sunday night. Our first evening at Carmel Valley Ranch. Our toddler was hungry so we checked in early and we were seated right away. Loves how child friendly this place was. High chair given along with a sticker sheet and children's menu. Chicken tenders and fries for the little one - they also gave her a toddler friendly plastic cup with straw. Large portion - can feed two + toddlers or a really big kid. Or an adult. Both my husband and I got drinks. I got a low proof cocktail and my husband got a glass of white wine. My husband got the ribeye- cooked perfectly. It was very good and juicy. I got the calms - comes with a lot and two slices of toast. We shared the Cesar salad - It was definitely worth its 20+ dollar price tag. It was one of the highlights of our entire two night stay. It was a large portioned and seasoned very well.

    Anna T.

    We did the breakfast buffet on the morning we checked out and I will say they had an excellent selection of items. They kept up with replenishing items and the food was fresh and delicious. It's located right near the pool so we had a nice view as well. The downside of the buffet was that our server was nonexistent and took over 30 minutes to appear after we were ready to pay the bill. The latte also needed a bit of help. Overall enjoyable experience.

    Birthday
    James M.

    We had an amazing dinner and breakfast here while staying at Carmel Valley Ranch this past November for my birthday. I usually have lower expectations with hotels restaurants, but Valley Kitchen ended up being one of the best meals I've had in Carmel in recent years. Some of our favorites from dinner were the kale brussel sprout caesar, bread with butter, and chicken piccata. Breakfast was just as good and enjoyed their egg plate and pancakes. The restaurant has a completely different vibe from dinner to breakfast, and we had a particularly cozy dinner sitting at a corner table with a view of the restaurant. We'll definitely be back. Pros: Phenomenal food for breakfast & dinner, friendly staff, and cozy setting.

    We had a fantastic dinner at Valley Kitchen, highlighted by both incredible food and outstanding service from Adalberto. The meal featured the Maple Leaf Duck and a perfectly cooked New York Striploin, along with the rich and comforting Five Cheese Orecchiette and a beautifully executed lemon meringue dessert. The atmosphere was relaxed yet upscale, with a warm, inviting ambiance that really elevated the experience. The drinks were just as memorable--my tiki cocktail was vibrant and well-balanced, while my wife's mule was crisp and refreshing. From start to finish, the service, food, and setting all exceeded expectations, and we're already looking forward to coming back.

    Tomo S.

    This was a first: a fine dining experience for my dog--and I'm officially jealous of my fluffy dining companion. We visited the restaurant at Carmel Ranch Valley Hotel, which has a cozy, inviting ambiance and even a special area where well-behaved pups can join their humans. It was a delightful surprise to see other canine guests, all looking just as excited as their owners (if not more). The Dog Menu: Yes, you read that right. My lady Samoyed had the luxury of choosing between Salmon, Chicken, or Ground Beef, all priced between $17-$20. Inflation really does hit everywhere--even dog fine dining! This might just be the most expensive bowl of dog food I've ever purchased, but hey, it's all part of the experience. She went with the Chicken with Pilaf and Chef's Choice of Local Vegetables--which honestly sounds fancier than half the meals I make for myself. The portion was generous, though she demolished it in 30 seconds flat. Clearly, a five-star rating from her! Meanwhile, I enjoyed a deliciously tender braised beef with cheesy polenta that was so good I momentarily considered growling if anyone tried to take a bite. Their cocktails? Top-notch. Definitely a spot where both dogs and humans can dine in style.

    Chef Andrew personally picking out herbs for dinner menu

    We didn't expect to start our dinner in a garden, but that's where Chef Andrew greeted us--quietly harvesting herbs and edible flowers with intention. That moment set the tone for what followed: a meal grounded in freshness, care, and quiet excellence. The paella was a standout--perfectly cooked seafood and deeply fragrant saffron rice, accented by the very herbs we'd just seen plucked from the earth. There was nothing showy about it, just clean, bold flavors balanced with finesse. The cornbread deserves its own mention--moist, slightly crisp on the edges, and rich enough to linger in memory. And the flourless chocolate cake? Rich, velvety, and thoughtfully paired with local strawberries that added a subtle brightness. Service was warm and intuitive, and the setting made us want to linger. There's something special about a place where every detail, from the ingredients to the plating to the atmosphere, is so deliberately cared for. This isn't just a restaurant. It's a place where food tells a story. We'll be back.

    Cornbread, filled with cheese and corn kernels. Heavenly with honey butter
    Harrison S.

    The best meal I have had in a LONG time. We first met Chef Andrew in the herb garden, personally picking out flowers and condiments for the paella special that night. The paella turned out excellent -- fresh herbs, seafood, and incredible umami of the saffron rice. Chef Andrew's cornbread is also the best I've ever had. The flourless chocolate cake, which comes with local strawberries, is to die for. Chef Andrew is one of the most talented chefs we've met. And we enjoyed the great service, comfy ambience, and delightful dining experience filled with local and fresh ingredients. Highly recommend for and will definitely be coming back.

    Steak special
    Stef M.

    The Valley Kitchen is perfectly and beautifully located right within the Carmel Valley Ranch hotel. If you are a guest of the hotel I'd for sure swing by for a cocktail and I'd recommend you try the risotto. We were celebrating our anniversary and decided to go for the special which was a 16oz NY strip with mashed potatoes, and mushrooms. Unfortunately the steak was tough and lacked flavor which made us sad considering it was $95. The kitchen was kind enough to split each of the entrees in half which made it really easy to share. The service here was absolutely stunning. We had Jose A as our waiter and I cannot say enough good things about him. He predicted our needs, was extremely kind, and really made our night special. He was who every waiter on the planet should be. I also really appreciated his transparency when I asked his opinion on wine and entree options. The restaurant is super nice and does allow for pets as long as weather allows!

    Special of the day

    See all

    Photo of J L.
    2
    151
    137

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lori N.
    721
    814
    5590

    6 years ago

    Helpful 79
    Thanks 0
    Love this 76
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 1
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 32
    Thanks 0
    Love this 37
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Bo B.
    639
    2107
    2544

    6 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Eric S.
    49
    27
    1

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Great food and service . Waitresses and waiter were very attentive, will definitely go back. Location is nice alot of shops to go shopping.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Eric S.
    146
    741
    1158

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Delicious dinner and fantastic service. Cocktails and wine recommendations were great. Will definitely revisit!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kim E.
    0
    26
    99

    6 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sydney E.
    329
    15
    20

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Emerald S.
    158
    181
    830

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 7
    Thanks 1
    Love this 8
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Aykui D.
    1
    131
    99

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 2 of 5

    Valley Kitchen Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Valley Kitchen

    Do I need to be staying at the hotel/ranch to dine in here?

    No, but reservation is recommended

    Is this restaurant dog friendly...any outdoor drinks/dining?

    Yes

    View All 4 Questions

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for New American 20,701 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Lucia Restaurant & Bar - Vegetable Wrap

    Lucia Restaurant & Bar

    4.0(246 reviews)
    2.5 mi
    $$$

    Food was okay. Service started out great, then went downhill…read more Came here over the weekend and the host was kind enough to seat us early and we cozied up in one of the booths. The atmosphere was chill and romantic. Kerry started off so energetic and knowledgeable about the chef and the menu. We ordered bread service, 2 oysters, the vegetarian pasta but added the pacific halibut. I ordered the fowl of the day, which was guinea fowl in like a deconstructed pot pie. Then it starts to go downhill. Our entrees took an unreasonable amount of time and even the floor manager recognized this and stopped by the table to check in. Additionally, we wanted more drinks and also had to flag her down for that. We barely saw him after he took our order. Our food came luke warm, like it was sitting under the warmer for some time. The sauce on my dish was cold and the halibut was overcooked and dryyyyyyyyyyy. Thankfully they removed this from the bill. I could see staying at the hotel and grabbing drinks at the bar. They also had a piano player in the lobby/bar area, so that was a nice touch. But would I come back for dinner? Unfortunately no.

    This hotel has two 4-star diamond plaques on their wall so believe the hype. This restaurant is so…read morewell kept and just like the hotel, the food itself is fresh and incredible. The ingredients are grown on the grounds with nice veggie and fruit dishes. I thoroughly loved the classic breakfast plate with buttery crisp hash browns, and two egg Benedicts with a creamy Hollandaise sauce. My wife and son's eggs were cooked perfectly. Their bacon is cooked just right; thick strips and no burnt ends. Even the yolks are orange! My son's apple juice was freshly pressed, my smoothie was full of their fresh berries with no artificial sweeteners, and the cream for our coffee was pure. It's no wonder why this place is on the Michelin guide. The farm to table experience here is spot on. Even their sourdough toast has a nice thickness to it and pairs beautifully with their creamy butter and jam. There's not a single complaint here. The interior decor to the bathroom around this restaurant is just an A+. This is by far one of the best breakfast experiences I've had. I want to stay here next time with my wife and spend quality time because the ambiance is perfect all around. I totally recommend this restaurant and hotel.

    Photos
    Lucia Restaurant & Bar - Lobby.  Beautiful and full of fresh flowers.

    Lobby. Beautiful and full of fresh flowers.

    Lucia Restaurant & Bar - Kids Plate

    Kids Plate

    Lucia Restaurant & Bar - Lucia restaurant. We dined outside on the patio.

    See all

    Lucia restaurant. We dined outside on the patio.

    Cachagua General Store

    Cachagua General Store

    4.0(95 reviews)
    4.1 mi
    $$

    I wish they gave half stars here. My rating would be 1.5 stars. Maybe it was my high…read moreexpectations... Besides my great company of my friends and the decor.. I would pass First the drive to Cachagua if you follow the gps would take you to a shorter but windy road. Going there was fine since the sun was up but after dinner we took the longer route and less curvy. The place is really out of no where. You can hear rosters crowing and see a peacock roaming around the lot. The interior of the restaurant was very eclectic. I love the curtains that looked like it came from Minnie Mouse playhouse, colored bottles on the railing of the other window. The big moose with a moose headband was adorable. I could just look at the decor all night... in which we did. We were a party of 8 with reservations at 630pm. We sat down around 615pm and my party was complete by 645pm. They got our drink orders immediately.Drink menu was pretty vast, good set of wine and beer. The guy was on top of that. Food on the other hand is another story. We waited an hour and half before they took our order. Then it took them an hour to deliver our appetizers. One hour to prepare salad? We got our main course around 930-945pm. It was staggering in. Guests from the second seating came in received their food about the same time as us. One of our friends did not even get his food.Another had to leave at 930 because she had to get home to her kids. 3hours and half for an entree? The food was alright. My friends chicken was cold and so was the soup he ordered. So was it standing around for a while?The pork chops was massive! Tri-tip was heavily recommended and my friend finished the plate clean... and I mean clean! My duck was a bit dry. In short I do not think it was a yummy in my tummy restaurant. The presentation on the other hand was wonderful, it was like a piece of art. The did give every table complimentary appetizers like jalapeño and pizza. Instead of whipping up appetizers that people did not order maybe they should cook the meals that were ordered. But they were tasty. The waitress said it was for waiting yet, they gave it to all the tables, so it did not seem as special when the table that came 3 hours after us received it also and was given the same spill about waiting... The lady at the cashier was RUDE. Tip was included because we were a big group .. yet tip should be earned, and we did not get the service that of 18%. There were more bussers than servers. To sum it up... it was very disorganized. They did not know what was going on with our orders and where it was in the queue. I am glad other guests were able to enjoy their food but unfortunately we did not. The food was not worth the wait. We left at 1030pm all unsatisfied and slightly hungry, we wanted dessert but then that would be another 2 hours, we think not. We did expect to wait a bit, but not for cold food and definitely not for 4 hours... Maybe if there was a sincere apology for the wait and a discount we wouldn't have been bitter leaving the restaurant. Good luck to all who eat here.. it is a gamble... Or at least buy chips at the general store while you wait for your meal, to hold you off a bit. OH and there is banjo and harmonica duo to render us with entertainment, it is not free, they come and stand by your table with the tip jar until you put something in.

    Omg. I am in a food coma and my taste buds have exploded into outer space somewhere…read more I had low expectations since I had the meal of my life last time around and didn't want to get disappointed. Well, needless to say, I wasn't anywhere near being that. In fact, this was the second best meal ever. The first one was also had here. Sea brass, red beets, apple and caramel: all jusy outstanding. Delicately served. The place is noisy; it's like a huge family dining all together, singing, eating and humming to the live music. What a splendid atmosphere. So, If you are fragile to noises and can't wait a bit for seating and food, then perhaps go elsewhere, but to me this is nothing compared to what you get. Waiting for something good is worth the while. I can't at all understand those who give fewer stars than 5 to this place. Only being too picky if you ask me. If you don't get served, then ask a waiter for some action? Shouldn't be any problem. I saw waiters running to get food served but the problem was actually people from the first serving never leaving. So, don't blame it on the waiters. Go here asap and before they change location / close down and be patient my friend. This is worth waiting for. Hurry up! Gotta love them all. PS we came all the way from Norway by the way :)

    Photos
    Cachagua General Store - Caprese!

    Caprese!

    Cachagua General Store - Cachagua Atmosphere

    Cachagua Atmosphere

    Cachagua General Store - Beautiful Beets!

    See all

    Beautiful Beets!

    Valley Kitchen - newamerican - Updated June 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...