Top Carmel Restaurants: Unveil Culinary Joy
Nestled along California's picturesque coast, Carmel-by-the-Sea boasts a culinary panorama as diverse as its natural beauty. From cozy, fire-lit inns offering locally-sourced fare to avant-garde eateries serving fusion cuisine, the restaurants here cater to every palate. Patrons can savor fresh seafood plucked from the Pacific, indulge in rich Italian pastas, or sample artisanal delights in quaint courtyards. Carmel's dining scene is not just about food; it's an intimate experience where the charm of the village and the creativity of chefs are served on a plate, leaving visitors yearning for just one more bite.
Pad thai restaurant
4.4
(444)
Traditional dishes plus beer, wine & sake are offered by this unstuffy eatery with a seasonal patio.
Reviews:
Interior decor is very cute, table centerpieces, lights, and whole set up in the front. Convenient and central location. Good service, good variety offered on the menu. I loved how the rice came in a heart shape, but the rice itself wasn’t that great. The curry was better, the meat was good. There was a leak in the ceiling but they did try to contain it. Probably won’t visit again but wasn’t bad for a one time visit.
Helen Xu
This place was wonderful ,it was our 1st visit. We were really impressed when we walked in of how it looked, the décor was beautiful. The service was amazing ,they were truly welcoming and so kind. We will definitely go back and we need to try dinner time. One young lady who helped us that is absolutely charming her name is Cutie Pie. There's another young lady named Ice 🧊 who was just as awesome! We've now gone twice, exceptional both times! Update: We have gone here many times now and it has always been exceptional. And we have always been made to feel very welcome and we will continue going back.
John Ginder
Good authentic Thai. One of 3 places I truly believe has good heat and dishes for the Thai category of food.
Kapsool Seo
Great food. Were were seated quickly, food came out pretty fast. Everything we had was delicious. Flavor is on spot and Spice levels are good, the portions are good too. enjoyed our meal will definitely be coming back
R S
The only good thing about this restaurant is the tap water and ambience. Don't expect any flavors out of food except sweetness. Service is so bad that they don't offer water refills and don't ask if you want to order anything else after ordering once and they go straight to the bill. Might be one off that we are not even given water jugs. They are short staffed with 2 people waiting, serving and cleaning tables. I definitely wouldn't come back and not recommend this. Idk how they got such a high
Mani Sankar
110 W Main St #140, Carmel, IN 46032, USA
Monterey cuisine
4.8
(384)
Down-to-earth restaurant spotlighting elevated surf 'n' turf & Asian-inspired specialties.
Reviews:
First time in this restaurant and I will be back. We got lobster bisque soup, sushi, salmon and tuna poke bowl, and peach sake. Everything was fresh and tasty, and we left fully satisfied without feeling heavy. Perhaps one suggestion for the restaurant is to include some baguette with the lobster bisque soup (as in complimentary, not for additional charge). Our server Jennifer was wonderful and did a great job getting our orders in a timely manner and checking on us without being intrusive. We were sitting by the window, overlooking the street, which I liked. Next time I'd sit at the bar as it looked very inviting! I certainly recommend this place!
Pav el
Just had the most amazing sushi experience at Monterey Cuisine! 🍣🌟 From start to finish, it was an absolute delight. The freshness of the fish was unparalleled, and each bite was a burst of flavor. The presentation was simply stunning, making it almost too beautiful to eat. The staff was incredibly friendly and attentive, ensuring that every need was met. The ambiance was perfect - cozy and inviting. Whether you're a sushi connoisseur or a newbie, this place is a must-try! Trust me, you won't be disappointed. Five stars all the way! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rebecca Collins
The service was excellent and the presentation was perfect! Everyone loved their food. I got the salmon, it was good esp the spicy sauce on the side. My only critique was that all the meals could’ve used a bit more salt.
Jessica Jackson
Everything about this place was wonderful! My fiancé and I were walking around Carmel’s Art district this Labor Day weekend to celebrate buying our first home together. We smelled something wonderful and just had to see where it was coming from. We tracked it down to Monterey Cuisine and decided that’s where we would have our dinner! Our party walked in to see an absolutely stunning live jellyfish display. Inside the atmosphere was very cozy and welcoming. I wish I would’ve taken pictures of everything I saw! Great to bring your love, coworkers, business, etc! To start, our table had the Oysters Rockefeller. It was an amazing start! We were also given a nice fresh, cold bottle water to enjoy with our food as well. I knew then that we had made the right choice with this restaurant. My fiancé LOVED the Big Sur Burger. The side of fries that came with it were very crispy and satisfying. I had the Lobster roll and it was VERY good as well. Great portions of juicy lobster on each piece. I also had the Raspberry Kush cocktail, it was so delicious that I just had to have another. The service was amazing; we loved our waitress! She was very quick to help if there were any issues. I loved her sense of humor. Be sure to try their homemade desserts as well if you come! I was absolutely blown away with the Lemon Posset. Just the perfect amount of lemon with a very creamy, sweet base. It was topped with juicy fresh fruit. My fiancé had the Brownie A La Mode. It was so gooey and delicious. You absolutely can not go wrong with picking a nice homemade brownie made with love. The dessert portions were HUGE. This restaurant made my weekend one I will not soon forget. It was our first time here, and definitely won’t be our last! It’s such a shame I didn’t take photos of our entire meal.
Kayla Webb
Yum. This was my husband and my first time at MC. The decor is very warm and inviting. We sat outside on the small, but cozy terrace. On the menu it’s say the appetizers shareable. It’s true, the servings are bountiful. I ordered the crab artichoke dip. It was served piping hot with crostini. The ration of cheese buried the crab and artichoke but I was ok with that. My husband ordered the calamari. He said it was lightly battered and cooked perfectly. We didn’t order dinner because we were stuffed from the appetizer, but we did enjoyed the cream brûlée and chocolate brown desserts. Oh I forgot, if you’re a light weight drinker like me and don’t like the taste of alcohol try the raspberry kush.
Bebe Finnell
110 W Main St Suite 135, Carmel, IN 46032, USA
Verde - flavors of mexico
4.3
(827)
Reviews:
Fantastic experience for my son's 19th birthday dinner. Food was on point. Service was outstanding atmosphere was awesome as well. This is NOT your typical Mexican restaurant. It was very niche as my oldest would say. Street tacos were amazing from the steak, carnitas and biddia were all great. The only "negative" was that my side of rice that came with tacos literally was about the size of a shot. Would have liked a little more rice and beans but overall would definitely come again. Could be a great date night spot too. Hot sauce was fire too. Really good
Clint Jones
The chips and salsa were great. We went for lunch and had to wave down our waitress multiple times for assistance. The food looked great, but lacked a punch and needed salt.
Sarah Irwin
Verde has been on our list of places to try for about a year. We decided to drop in for lunch and we’re very underwhelmed. The atmosphere is great with the decor, bar, outdoor seating, lots of TVs with multiple sports, music, etc. The menu presents an upscale, but traditional Mexican menu with every option you have come to love about the cuisine. The issue we found was with the food and service. I would venture to say the restaurant was about 1/3 full between the indoor seating and outdoor seating. We received chips and salsa quickly after being sat, soft drinks fast after ordering and waited about 15 minutes on the food to be delivered. However, we ate our entire meal without refills of drinks (including the pitcher of water you receive upon being sat). The waitress did not make it back for 20+ minutes while we ate and we had to ask someone else for our check. I would expect that somewhat if it were slammed, but I did not get that feeling when scanning the capacity of the restaurant and number of available servers walking around the place. The biggest issue was the food. It comes down to being bland. We did the Pick 2 and mixed and matched to get a variety of options (which we thought would be nice in the event we come back). The enchilada tortilla was floppy and undercooked - which overtook any of the flavor the unseasoned ground beef could have had. The tostada was a highlight with the crispy tortilla, but the chicken could have legitimately come from a can. It was unseasoned and dry. Likewise, my chicken quesadilla was sized from the kids menu and dry even with the Papa John’s stuffed crust cheese flavored cheese all compacted in the crease of the tortilla. Finally, the burrito had one single onion sliver in it (not sure if it even supposed to have onions), the beans tasted like blended turkey from Thanksgiving, and the rice was unseasoned as well. All in all, not worth the $40-ish price tag of a lunch for 2.
Lance Irwin
Amazing food! This place has pristine Mexican food. They also have lunch specials for people looking to grab a bite between work. They have music playing in the background and the art decor is top notch. I got the lunch special fajitas and they were muy fuego! Definitely recommend to everyone 10/10
abhimanyu sharma
Customer service is great! Grilled chicken on fajita, burrito or taco is extremely bland and not really marinated! Very large pieces of chicken and seems uncooked, tuff and no flavor. Chefs are pushing out food fast but the quality is not great. They have started to charge additional $3 if you add couple strings of green papers to burritos. I also tried steak fajitas and the meat was not tender and extremely chewy. Indoor/Outdoor dinning area is nice. Please improve the flavor of the food! Main Street, Carmel location.
APS Style
1111 W Main St, Carmel, IN 46032, USA
Piada italian street food
4.3
(614)
Counter-order restaurant serving design-your-own Italian food including wraps, pastas & salads.
Reviews:
AVOID THIS PLACE.. I went with my family 7 people.. and the services were terrible.... I requested Basil besto pasta with chicken.. and my paste came without the pesto and not the portion I requested. Also, some of the Piada was so bad. The served and cashier were totally lost with everything.. and the restroom is horrible dirty... I NEVER WILL COME BACK...
Richard Morales
I've know about this place for a few years now. I don't think I was very interested in trying it, about I have a colleague that tried it before and expressed how much she enjoyed it. Fast forward to a few years later, I'm certainly making different decisions about how I eat and I'm trying to incorporate more vegetables and my meals. It's particular day I was out and about quite a long time and my husband reminded me of this place and wanted to know why we never tried it. I reminded him that our pallet was a lot different a few years ago and that we weren't really checking for this place. I went ahead and signed up for text alerts, and doing so I was given a discount code so what better time to cash in than now. So many things to choose from, we started with the lobster bisque though I forgot to remove the lid, it was very rich,grass-fed beef meatballs, they were very tasty, we also had the fried calamari, they were a little soggy by the time we made it home but we just tossed it in the air fryer and that gave it life, partnered with a nice marinara sauce. I customize my piada, which is an Italian flatbread, I filled mines with all types of veggies, along with chicken, and basil pesto. My awesome husband also had deluxe Caesar salad and he actually had it without chicken. Everything was delicious I must admit and not too expensive of course with the coupon code. On this journey I can see myself returning and even sitting down inside as it is very spacious and enjoying my meal hot off the presses.
Muted Xpressions
Advisory: I have only ordered via delivery. I will not be able to speak to the service and the atmosphere at this establishment. While I hope Piadas is able to excel at both of them, I can not speak to them. The food here is absolutely amazing and I believe to be very reasonably priced. I have ordered from here a few times and the food has always been consistent and delicious.
Matt Lawson
We were looking for a place to grab some food and have a late date. The food was tasty and not a bad price. There was a helpful young lady who made suggestions as we had never been here. We also have some food allergies and have to be careful. I ordered the pesto pasta with grilled chicken and my husband ordered the pesto pasta with fried chicken. We also got the farmers market salad to share. The food made up for the lack of atmosphere. It was delicious and filling.
Christy Byers
The lady making our food was just awful. Really acted like we were putting her out. You could tell she just hated her job and resented the customers. Food was very good, but I have a hard time recommending. Maybe try the other location. These folks need to work on their customer service.
Joshua Hartman
1380 S Rangeline Rd, Carmel, IN 46032, USA
Bazbeaux pizza (carmel)
4.4
(1089)
Creative thin- or thick-crust pies in a casual location with a patio, plus beer & wine.
Reviews:
Sitting at a window overlooking the Monon trail on a beautiful fall afternoon, we sampled the Mediterranean and Colossus pizzas from Bazbeaux. I was delighted at the thin crispy crust (because IMO, that makes or break the pizza) and the generous amount of toppings. The service staff was prompt and polite. We also tried the bomba dessert. While it was good ice cream, it wasn't what I expected. After being very impressed with the pizza, the dessert was underwhelming. For dessert, maybe go to one of the other ice cream locations on the same block, but there is no substitute for a beautifully prepared pizza
Christof Will
Best Ceasar salad I've had in 7 years. The dressing is amazing. When I say 7 years it's because I stopped eating them that long ago. My daughter ordered one and I was so sad....until...the croutons and the cheese and the dressing oh my! The pizza was amazing! Added goat cheese and it was so smooth and delicious! Had the mozzarella and bread appetizer. So delicious! The bread is crispy on the outside the inside soft and airy! The cheese so fresh! Can't wait to return! The service can use some training. Dirty plates the whole time we were eating. Had to ask for refills. However, I view it and not trained properly as our server was pleasant.
Michelle Chavez
Great family pizza joint with a large selection of specialty pizzas and salads. I love that they have several 'veggie' pizza options. Great wine and beer selections with very reasonable prices.
Jenny Cozad
I’ve been coming to Bazbeaux for years, Initially it was always the Broad Ripple location until moving to the north side a few years ago and then started frequenting the Carmel location. I will say this: the food has always been great, at least to my standards. I love the thin crust, the variety of toppings, and the local aspect. However, with that being said, the Carmel location is terrible. Again, the food is not my complaint here. Parking at this location if downtown Carmel is busy is a nightmare when picking up to-go orders, which I usually always do. I recently received a gift card and had lost the receipt after first using it. Their website has no way of checking the balance virtually or call a number on the card to find out. They have no way of ordering online, which BAFFLES me; it’s 2023 guys, c’mon. Then when you call to order, you are on hold forever just to place the order. I truly love this pizza place and will return, but perhaps it will just be on a slow day or for lunch, as clearly the best time to go is when it’s least busy. Frustrating, but still a good local place. Perhaps 2024 will bring some improvements.
Wilson Casto
I have called 4 times and literally just got hung up on this time I called. We ordered 2 large pizzas and a side of bread sticks a little over a week ago. I’ve been told I’ll get a call back twice they didn’t even take my number. This time they flat out told me they were not going to do anything because it was a week ago and hung up on me. I called the night of the issue, considering it’s a 14 minute drive I figured I’d just call and they would figure it out with needing to come in issue is we paid for large pizzas and bread sticks and got medium with no bread sticks. Worse customer service I’ve ever seen. You never hang up on a customer and tell them they are wrong. Will be filing a BBB complaint on top of this and never stepping foot in this slum of a pizza stop again. Definitely do not deserve to be in town Carmel.
Michael Shaffer
111 W Main St, Carmel, IN 46032, USA
Juniper on main
4.5
(460)
Reviews:
My group of 7 enjoyed our experience. The shares appetizers of fried green tomatoes, corn bread and Brussel sprouts was excellent. The garden salad was fresh tasting. I got the Buffalo Mac and cheese which was good but the chicken was slightly chewy for my taste. My boyfriend had the hummingbird cake which he said was excellent. We sat outside which was great but the air conditioner was close by and kind of loud
Kelly Seyer
Service was great. Promptly seated and given water. Frequently refilled water to the very top (pictured) which was entertaining. Took our orders and food came out very in around 15 minutes. Food was very reasonable, though only two bacon strips on the sandwich, oily, and could have more flavor. Plantains tasted good. Buffalo mac and cheese was not bad, can request pepper and tabasco if you want spice. It is not spicy by itself in any capacity. Cake was pricy, 9 dollars, but options were unique. Chocolate cake wasn’t too bad but wouldn’t order again, nothing quite special. Sandwich was good, grapes were unique and added sweetness.
Helen Xu
Almost gave me a Bew Orleans feel for atmosphere. Great place to eat. I enjoyed the style of food and the healthier side of Soul food. My salmon was great and the sauce was good on it. Greens were good but as I said, a healthier version of soulfood. So in other words, no ITIS.. Pros -Atmosphere is great -Service was good and friendly -Food was good and a good amount of items on menu -BONUS: They forgot plantains, and they compensated us for it! Cons -Not really a con but more informational, reserve ahead of time to guarantee a seat for a bigger party. Overall great! I will definitely be back!
Adrian “AD” Dorsey
Sue was a good server. She kept our drinks filled and food came out at appropriate temps. We tried the deviled egg flight, the BLT, the Charleston style shrimp and cheese grits, lemon blueberry cake, and the Hummingbird cake. All were delicious. I highly reccomend making a visit.
Crisany Zook
This place is fantastic. Being from the Coastal GA area, Juniper on Main nailed the coastal fare, especially the Shrimp and Grits! The service was amazing as well. A must try!
JJ Puccio
110 E Main St, Carmel, IN 46032, USA
Muldoon's on main
4.5
(994)
Warm pub serves fried American grub & Irish eats by the fireplace plus hosts trivia & live music.
Reviews:
An excellent dining experience. Fast friendly service and tasty food. As an appetizer we got the fried cheese (and adult take on mozzarella sticks) and I got the Breaded Pork Tenderloin and my wife got the French Dip. The appetizer and sandwiches delicious. I got a Black and Tan and it was tasty as well. We would not hesitate to go back if the opportunity presents itself.
Rick Roseberry
The Pork Tenderloin Is Spectacular! We were in the area for a wedding and knew that Indiana was famous for pork tenderloin sandwiches so we did some searches and went to Muldoon's. We went for lunch and had a nice seat out on the covered patio. Just as their menu says, their pork t-loin sandwiches are award winners so we had to try. My wife had the Mini Breaded tenderloin sandwich ($11.99) with an included side of Kettle potato chips. I had to try the full size Breaded Tenderloin sandwich ($13.99) with included side of french fries. Our orders came to the table and they looked great. The Mini t-loin still hung over the bun by inches and my full sizer was more than double the bun size! I cut it in half and double stacked it. Lettuce, tomato, mayo and sliced pickles accompanied the sandwich. I had them bring me some raw onion. The breading was light and crunchy, the pork had a great pork flavor and was very moist. Now we know why their pork t-loin is award winning. The french fries were tasty also. Twice fried and seasoned with a crunchy exterior, soft interior. You've got to try this place!
Heino Puidak
A nice place to have a good hearty meal, in the center of Carmel. Their tenderloin was excellent. They also do very good fish and chips. The service was good and our waitress came back at regular intervals to check that we had all we needed and to top up our coffee cups
John Kurton
Great service - the host was especially nice and you could tell he was working very hard wearing different hats from seating and cleaning tables. Food was outstanding! The only critique is the margarita was very weak or maybe someone forgot the tequila. Overall, it was very satisfying and a cool atmosphere. We will return.
Lindsay Koskie
Excellent! Large portions. First visit. Appetizer - 9 layer dip with tortilla chips- which I Love and have never seen at any other restaurant- good taste & plenty of melted cheese! I ordered a breaded tenderloin- Huge and good, seasoned fries are super crispy. Homemade banana cream pie- yummy & the piece was Huge, like a double slice! Table mates: Huge BLT salad with Slices of bacon not wimpy bits & tuna melt sandwich was overstuffed, also commented the slaw was Excellent! I'll be back!
Janet
111 W Main St Suite 100, Carmel, IN 46032, USA