The 11 best restaurants in Carmel

Exquisite tasting menu and impeccable service have guests dropping French Laundry comparisons at this special occasion destination. A seasonal eight-course meal from superstar chef Justin Cogley features theatrical presentations of local seafood and produce like oysters and caviar packaged like a gift from a high-end boutique. A 2,500-bottle-strong wine cellar makes the supplemental wine pairing an indulgent must.

Savor elevated Mexican cuisine and superior mezcals at a cozy restaurant and bar from three Post Ranch Inn vets. You needn’t be Andrew Zimmerman to enjoy a delicious basket of spicy chapulines (grasshoppers), the perfect snack for sampling the noteworthy collection of rare mezcals. Follow it with enchiladas, steak tacos, and the excellent Cultura vegan bowl in the dimly-lit dining room or outdoors around warming fire pits.

Take in the views of the hotel and Carmel Valley while dining at this unfussy yet chic restaurant within the hotel lobby. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner feature honey, cheese, salts, eggs, fruits, and vegetables sourced from The Ranch’s organic garden. The dinner menu includes cheese boards, lobster paccheri pasta, a slew of fabulous sides, and other dishes ranging from a Niman ranch ribeye to Alaskan halibut.

This Carmel charmer has all the elements for your big night out: fetching interior, lively crowd, and a steakhouse staples menu. Order a martini and pace through a meal of pristine West Coast oysters, Little Gems Caesar, and an aged Niman Ranch porterhouse. 

When you think you’ve had your fill of Cal-Italia restaurants, a place like La Balena comes along to reinvigorate your spirit. What might sound good on the menu is likely phenomenal on the plate. Daily options feature handmade pasta, exceptional bruschettas, and a smoke-tender grilled octopus if you’re lucky. Choose an unfamiliar Italian wine, and you’ll soon be in heaven.

This cheery, farm-chic cafe offers seasonal fare, wholesome juices, and an open-air dining room. You won’t twist your tongue enjoying the clever Green Eggs and Ham, a delicious country toast topped with prosciutto, poached eggs, and a dollop of vibrant herb pesto. Lunch and dinner offer healthier comfort foods such as Mary’s chicken, organic quinoa mac & cheese, and grass-fed meatloaf with homemade ketchup.

With a rich ambiance that transports you to some rustic European countryside—wooden country tables, dangling copper pots—classics such as steak au poivre sit alongside mozzarella di bufala pizzas, and nobody bats an eye. The vino flows at lunch and dinner, but come morning, the kitchen shifts gear with bellinis, wood-fired eggs, and brioche French toast. 

Situated in one of Carmel’s many hidden courtyards, this tiny Italian restaurant woos diners with al fresco dining and spot-on pasta dishes. In addition to a killer Bucatini alla Carbonara, Il Tegamino dishes up romance worthy of the tear-jerking finale of your favorite rom-com. Snuggle up with your SO under throw blankets and fork into a white wine-sauce spaghetti bursting with prawns, clams, and mussels.

This satisfying hipster take on a classic England pub is what Carmel needed. This stylish hideaway is a welcome hang in a town that leans more cute than cool. Sleek wood banquettes backed by a wall of vintage beer cans set the stage for draught brews and gastropub fare such as a fantastic tavern burger, halibut fish & chips, and giant pretzels with spicy sauerkraut mustard.

Lucia Restaurant & Bar is the fine dining centerpiece within the luxurious Bernardus Lodge & Spa in Carmel Valley. Diners—both hotel guests and not—can choose to sit within the relaxed yet sophisticated space just off the buzzy lobby or dine al fresco on the patio. Lucia offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with menus pulling ingredients from the onsite garden. For dinner, locally grown vegetables are the star—alongside perfect dishes from King's salmon to prime Angus beef fillet.

Once co-owned by the late legendary film star—and avid animal advocate—Doris Day, the Cypress Inn and its signature restaurant, Terry’s, are filled with hounds, Yorkies, and other hounds who rest contentedly as diners nosh on chicken rollatini and shrimp scampi, and eye Day’s Technicolor films on flat screens overhead. You needn’t bring a pooch to enjoy nursing a stiff Vesper cocktail—James Bond’s drink—on the garden courtyard strung with twinkling lights and warmed by an outdoor fireplace.