Carmel Cafe and Wine Bar

We could not have asked for a better place to have our ladies luncheon.  We were a group of 10 gathering to say good-bye to a friend.  We booked about 10 days in advance for a Wednesday luncheon.  
Our table was ready when we arrived.  The staff was really terrific even though we had a late-comer.  As we requested separate checks, our charming server explained the menu, took our orders for us and entered them on the IPad.  Our meals all arrived at the same time,  orders were perfect and our individual checks were presented without a single error.
Thank you Carmel Cafe!

The food and service are excellent! However, all of the prices are creeping up while they eliminate items such as lunch combos. A $10 lunch is now $15 for the same thing, and in a short time span. The lunch crowd is definitely thinning.

Carmel Cafe is a much needed young, unique and modern restaurant in an oasis of bland north Tampa chains. The iPads are easy to figure out (and it's brilliant to have photos of each option before ordering!)  I didn't experience the iPad payment snafus that other yelpers mentioned. The ambiance is a bit more trendy than most places in the area, but it's also cozy and great for conversation.

On to the food. Everything I've ordered has been mind blowing. The spinach gnocchi is incredibly flavorful (do yourself a favor and order the full portion instead of the half.) The chickpea fries have a delicious international flair, and the edamame hummus? Lets just say I've placed pickup orders so I can keep it in the house as a snack. The happy hour mezze platter is definitely a winner for $5!

I'm a vegetarian, so it's great to see so many unique meat free dishes on the menu - but my carnivore boyfriend raves about their Moroccan chicken!