We could not have asked for a better place to have our ladies luncheon. Â We were a group of 10 gathering to say good-bye to a friend. Â We booked about 10 days in advance for a Wednesday luncheon. Â
Our table was ready when we arrived. Â The staff was really terrific even though we had a late-comer. Â As we requested separate checks, our charming server explained the menu, took our orders for us and entered them on the IPad. Â Our meals all arrived at the same time, Â orders were perfect and our individual checks were presented without a single error.
Thank you Carmel Cafe!
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!) Â 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!
We went on a thursday evening and were seated right away, the atmosphere and decorations are nice and it definitely makes for a great place to meet friends. We had the brisket flatbread, calamari fries, morrocan chicken, and crab cakes. Sadly the chicken was not that great, the taste was a bit off and neither of us would order it again. The crab cakes were delicious and were paired with some avocado, I greatly enjoyed it but my boyfriend felt the portions were small for the cost.
The menu was a bit limited, but it was good enough to maybe try again.
The service is kind of bad actually. The food is ok but I think the idea of ordering your own food on iPad may have seemed smart or fun even, but really it's a little work when your trying to have a conversation and just enjoy your company. The server was MIA at times we had to flag him down a couple of times. It's a nice setting and good lighting/music. Just not too impressed.
Review Source:Although the concept of the iPad is exciting we had at least 3 different people explain to us how to use it which was a little annoying but I understand they were just trying to be helpful. A friend and I shared the chickpea fries which were very good. We also shared the Carmelized Brussels sprouts which were alright but I wouldn't order them again. I had the village salad which was very good. The drinks were great and the atmosphere was also wonderful. Â The iPads are good for people like me who like to see what the food looks like before you order it. Â All in all it was a good experience!
Review Source:I become less and less in love with their iPad system with each visit I make... During a recent meal there, the shortcomings became even more apparently.
First off, it never ceases to amaze me how little they capitalize on having an electronic interactive menu. Just off the top of my head, some options for those with food allergies would be nice. Being lactose-intolerant, I'd love to quickly be able to find the meals that are dairy free.
Secondly, to address the slowdown of having only one iPad per table, they now also provide printed menus. That's nice for helping other people at the table figure out what they want, but they still need to wait for the tablet to be passed around to order. Sorry, but if you want to be "that restaurant with the iPads", you need to have iPads for everyone. Otherwise, it's just an inefficient gimmick.
Lastly, when I attempted to pay my bill after eating, the button to pay was disabled and the text, "The check is closed" was displayed. WTF does that even mean? If paying via the tablet isn't supported, hide the option to pay. Don't even let me see it. But if I can see it, at least give me useful information about WHY I can't pay. Otherwise, one of my final experiences at the restaurant is that of frustration... I ended up having to wait an extra 5-minutes or so for the waitress to come to the table, ask if I wanted desert, take my card, and then bring back a receipt to sign. While I normally don't care about that sort of thing at traditional restaurants, the selling point behind the iPads is supposed to be how efficient it makes things....
At this point, I really think the restaurant needs to go all-in and fully invest in tablet-based menus that actually add something to the experience or they should ditch them completely. Â As it is now, it's just annoying.
Sat at the bar and had the Calamari Frittes and Steak Frittes. Both were quite good. Calamari does not disappoint as it is wont to do. Not crazy about the iPad ordering. Seems a bit over much and impersonal, though seeing pics of the food is nice. Not sure about the sit-down dining, but the bar was a great stop to split a couple plates and glasses with the lady you eye with longing ...
Review Source:If it weren't for the iPads and the $25 prix fixe menu, I would probably give this place 3 stars. BUT they do have iPads and an amazing $25 prix fixe menu for 2 on Sundays/Mondays, so I will give this place 4 stars.
The iPads are probably a little over the top but I love that you can order off of it and most of all, I LOVE that they have pictures of all the foods they serve. The prix fixe menu is a great deal... a 4-course meal for 2 people for $25 total (not each). You get to choose 1 appetizer to share, each person gets their own soup or salad, each person gets their own small entree and 1 dessert to share. It's the perfect amount of food and you get to try a bunch of different dishes. Quality of food is good, but not great -- nothing really to write home about (which is why I would probably only give it 3 stars).
Carmel Cafe offer a Mediterranean uniqueness that separates this establishment from other restaurants. Â Generous potions and gorgeously presented local foods are full of worldly flavors. Â Despite their wide selection of wines, I always chose the house sangria which is served in a coffee press which adds to the uniqueness of Carmel Cafe. Â Carmel Cafe changes its menu with the available flavors of the season, so your favorite dishes may be missing from the menu. Â Their signature flatbreads are always available but the flavors may be slightly different. Â The chickpea fries are a house specialty and a must-try! Â On Sundays and Mondays, Carmel Cafe offers a Prix-Fixe Dinner for 2 (dinner for two for $25) and also offers lunch specials for $10. Â They do not offer a kid's menu but can recommend certain dishes for kids. Â Kids are welcome to entertain themselves with Angry Birds and other games available on the Carmel Cafe's iPad menu
Review Source:Oh my famished feelings are hurt because I wanted to like this place so much! Â The hours are different depending on the moon's axis and speed of rotation around the sun, so check before just dropping by. Â I heard so much about the ipad ordering system but it was so glitchy. Â I have an ipad and it has never torutured me like the ones at this place have; plus they're kinda gross, just sayin. Â The portions are small and expensive. Â I tried so many items on the menu and they were all meh. Â I kept flipping from page to page ordering different options, just hoping that there was something wrong with my all-inclusive tastebuds but no. Â If you are vegan, and hungry like most vegans tend to remain, stop by. Â If you have no dietary ristrictions: warning....you may experience severe feelings of underwhelment at Carmel, I did. Â 2 stars for a good try...I think I may have lost the third star somewhere in my hummus.
Review Source:Coming from out of town, but having lived in Tampa in the past, I was thrilled to find this restaurant. Â The ambiance and menu are a pleasant change from the sea of chain-restaurants in the Carrollwood area. Â The food was very good. Â I enjoyed the variety and the ability to order smaller portions. Â It was also nice to see that people from all ages were there, and paper menus lived happily next to iPads. Â The only con I found is that service is really prompt, even for a busy Saturday evening, so the time I usually spend chatting while waiting for my meal was reduced to almost nothing. Â Therefore, I now know to spread the timing of my order a bit more next time I go. Â However, there will be a next time
Review Source:Thank you, Sarah and the entire Carmel Cafe crew for taking in two refugees fleeing the horror of failed engagement plans at another restaurant. Â After enduring a noisy, crowded place that served us mediocre (and in one case partially cold) food - dessert at Carmel was what we needed. Â Thank you for providing a lovely place to get engaged and enjoy celebratory dessert and cocktails. Â If the other place had been our only option, he would have had to ask me via text as we couldn't even hear each other across the table (I wish I was kidding.) Â We love you all and cannot thank you enough!
So - do you all do private parties for weddings? Â :)
Ran across a review from the Tampa Bay Times that said the food and service was not good. Â Checked Yelp and found lots of good reviews. Â So, Â I decided to find out for myself.
Yes this place is in a strip plaza (a not very nice one at that), but the interior is upscale and modern. Â The big deal here is the i-Pads as menu and ordering device (a waitress helps or will even take the order herself). Â We found it easier ordering drinks from her but ordered the food off the i-Pad. Â We shared the Mac & Cheese that was very good and had a surprising nice bite to it. Â My wife had a Flatbread which she said was OK. Â I had the Lamb & Pork Sliders and Fries. Â Both had very nice flavor. Â All and all the food was good and our server was very good!
This was a fun place to go for dinner largely for the i-Pad gimmick.  I don't know if we would go back often, but it  was fun and that seemed to be what the place was going for.
Yummy food. There was a wait upon arrival but the manager made up for that since there was confusion on reservations. We ordered stuffed dates, meatball lollipops, ceviche, mezze platter, crab cakes, chickpea fries, gnocchi, and 4 cheese Mac. My favs were ceviche, mezze platter and the 4 cheese Mac. The others were good just not as good as those 3. Cute ambiance and layout. Ordering via iPad was fun. Food comes very fast. Go try it out.
Review Source:Not bad for a strip mall, but I guess in Fl, that's not a good barometer of what will be good. Interior decorum is nice, good "date" ambiance, due to low lighting. Everything is ordered from an iPad which is convenient and easy. The food comes in a variety of portions which is refreshing. All the food is generally health conscious and flavorful. The service is prompt and courteous. I haven't tried them for dinner, so I'm not yet acquainted with the wine selection, but hopefully I will get the chance to do so soon.
Review Source:Today's secret Iron Chef ingredient is........the iPad!
Well sorta....Carmel Cafe gets high marks for originality as the concept behind this Modern Mediterranean (Mod Med) cafe is to place your orders via a supplied iPad which has been custom-programmed to show you pictures of the various plates of food as well as a small description for each item. The idea is for each diner to take the iPad in hand and then select their individual courses. Â Let the fun begin....
Carmel Cafe has Mod Med cuisine combined with an extensive wine list and full bar. The food is extremely good, and the iPad ordering system is fun, and I'm sure quite practical for the kitchen & serving staff.
Carmel Cafe is located in a strip mall alongside Dale Mabry Highway in Carrollwood. Â The location is a bit disconcerting as their neighbor immediately to the north is Chuck E. Cheese, and to the south are several commercial and retail establishments, all in this same strip mall. It's a bit tough to find, but if I told you that it is directly opposite the highway from Grillsmith, that might make things a bit easier.
Once through the front doors you'll see a very chic and elegant dining area adjacent to a long bar with a nice mix of tables and extremely comfortable booths. The hostess brings you your very own iPad and introduces your server, and from there you start flipping through the screens and zooming in on various items.
At this point your server magically appears to explain that you should order each course one by one, because once you submit an entry to the kitchen via your tablet, the food comes whisking out within moments. This gives you the ability to control the speed of service and delivery of your food. When you're ready for the next course just whip out the ol' iPad and tap away to your heart's content. The servers are there to answer your questions and give you some suggestions on pairing the various courses, and selecting wines or cocktails.
OK, so on to the food... I was there tonight with a buddy from work, so we decided to order some of the small plates and sample a bunch of items. We started with Nan's Goat Cheese which included roasted garlic cloves, sun-dried tomato, olives, and some yummy toasted bread wedges which had been seasoned with spices. Along with that we also ordered the shrimp ceviche which was chilled and included seasoned shrimp, peppers, citrus, cilantro, avocado and vegetable crisps. And our final appetizer sampling was baked spinach and artichoke dip with toasted pita chips.
Naturally we needed some adult beverages to accompany our meal, and so I ordered the Pinot Noir flighting which was three excellent samples of Italian, California, and Chilean wine for $10. My friend had a tough day at the office, so he went straight for some pomegranate martini action.
Because we were deep into business talk, we decided to order one more small plate to serve as our main course. Mine was the Spinach Gnocchi Marseilles made with shrimp, scallops, mussels, fennel and roasted peppers in a spicy bouillabaisse broth. This was serious "lick-the-bowl-clean" good!  My friend ordered the Steak Frites which was grilled and sliced Meyers Natural Angus beef, served with béarnaise aioli over their house fries.
And now, back to our iPads.... So now it's time to pay the bill, and the waitress explained that we would be able to check out using our new friend, the tablet. A few clicks of the button and you can choose to pay the full amount of the bill, divide the amount between a number of diners, or pick off your individual menu items and just pay for your share. This seems much easier than the old days of trying to figure out "OK, who had the grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup?" Oh, and naturally you enter your credit card information on your friendly neighborhoof iPad, and faster than you can say 'Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations', the restaurant auto-magically delivers your credit card receipt right into your email before you even leave the table.
OK, the technology part is seriously cool and one heck of a lot of fun, but the quality of the food at Carmel Cafe stands up to the iPad gimmick. I will definitely go back, even if they drop the whole iPad thing. Â Meantime do you think we could convince them to let us play 'Angry Birds' on the tablets between courses?
The location is next to a Chuck-E-Cheese. Don't hold that against them. Ordering from the IPad is a good idea so you can pace what comes out. The waitstaff was very helpful and friendly. I have to say the food was good but don't go starving. The food servings are pretty small but they are good.
The first round, we had goat cheese served with small toast crackers, olives, roasted garlic, and red peppers. It was very good. I also had the white sangria. Wow, that was delicious. It rivals my favorite sangria at Ceviche. The second round, I had the chicken skewers and the tomato and mozzarella flatbread. I was really impressed with the chicken. It was full of flavor. The flatbread wasn't as impressive. I was hoping for more of a softer texture. Lastly, the chocolate lava cake. Normally you can't go wrong but the outside wasn't what I was expecting. Â It may have been a darker chocolate than I like. My lava chocolate was real milk chocolate. My friend's lava filling didn't melt corectly and stayed inside the cake.The ice cream was forgettable.
It's really a shame. I loved the decor, the service, and the sangria. The chicken was very good. Nothing else really did it for me.
Once I dealt with chaotic Friday night parking, I walked into a dark, sultry and ever so swanky room filled with romance, friendship and everything between. Â Stone and crimson walls brightened with a colorful bar, abstract paintings placed perfectly throughout, and posh lighting beautifying every guest, this restaurant invites all to calm every nerve, to sit back and relax in the lush booths and to have one memorable night of delicious food and fun. Â
  Carmel Café is not only sexy; they are quite "techy" too.  With iPads at every table, guests have fun scrolling through a menu in a very nontraditional manner.  These iPads also allow guests to have complete control with the timing of their drinks and dishes.  Servers are still present, bringing the dishes to the table, ensuring everything is up to par and making sincere suggestions along the way.  What strikes my fancy the most is that I did not once have to wait on the server to ask for another glass of wine.  I simply ordered it through the iPad and in no time, she brought it to me.  Not relying solely on technology, it was very evident that Carmel Café staffs their restaurant with knowledgeable, skilled, and friendly servers
We began our night with their seared Atlantic scallops. I was hesitant to order scallops because I am quite particular with their preparation. Â No need to be nervous...these scallops were enormous and seared to perfection! Â They cut like butter and were in a heavenly saffron vanilla sauce topped with peppadew peppers. Â The sweetness of the vanilla and the warmth of the saffron created a winning dish that I will definitely order again.
 Having heard that their flatbreads are divine, we ordered their Portabella and braised short rib concoction.  I was most amped about the short rib but was displeased when I realized they weren't too generous with the succulent meat.  With that said, the portabellas and the fig marmalade made the flatbread a memorable starter.
  This night was certainly a never-ending culinary experience as there were many more sharing plates to come.  With a couple of glasses of white wine ingested, I decided ordering Mac n cheese from a Mediterranean restaurant was a smart move.  Indeed it was.  This Mac n Cheese was decadent with four different cheeses including a fiery pepper jack.  With a crisp crumb topping and devilishly silky tangy and smooth cheeses covering every noodle, I was in Mac n Cheese bliss. Â
 To please our lovely server's request, we ordered an interesting creation of calamari, olives and herbs, served cold in a zesty marinade.  The presentation was attractive, the flavors fun, but somehow I just couldn't get down with this dish. Â
 My beau demanded we order the lamb and veal sliders.  The sliders were brought to the table and after I had a few sips of my wine and looked over, they were demolished.  The meat was juicy and packed with great flavor.  The mint cucumber sauce was the "icing on the sliders" with its bright and creamy zing. Â
 Up next was a spinach Gnocchi seafood plate, looking so lovely with its vibrant colors from the shellfish and sauce.  Gnocchi is a dear friend of mine as is seafood so I was especially attracted to this dish.  Beautiful jumbo shrimp and flawlessly cooked mussels lay soaked in a bouillabaisse broth along with roasted reds and various fresh herbs.  I prayed the fennel (written in the dish's description) would not overpower the glorious goods.  My prayers were not answered.
 As if we were not about to keel over and die from the abundance of food, I felt forced to order the lamb. After all, it is one of my top three favorite meats. Impeccably marinated and grilled to absolute tenderness, I was so happy I had resisted devouring too much with the prior dishes.  We had certainly saved the best for last. Â
To wrap up this splendid night of intense indulging, we ordered a few desserts. Â Cannoli, Strawberry pound cake and Chocolate lava cake made the cut for my sweet tooth. Â The cannoli was awe worthy the second it hit the table. Â The moment it hit our palates-that was another story. Â So bland, so uninspired. Â The chocolate lava cake, adorned with vanilla bean ice cream, spewed its warm gooey filling and was absolutely delectable to every last bite. Â Finally, the strawberry pound cake, a dessert that may seem so unoriginal was absolutely, positively, breath-taking. Â The top of the cake had a sugary sweet and crispy glaze and the cake itself was beyond moist.
 Carmel Café is something different.  With very few memorable Mediterranean restaurants in Tampa, I am not surprised that this establishment has been getting some serious hype.  They deserve it.
Went for the $25 fixed price "Dine Tampa Bay" deal, and was very  pleased.  Classy decor, and well staffed.  The order by I-Pad innovation may be fine normally, but was cumbersome for a special that was not programmed in, and some patrons just did not want to bother with it so ordering actually took longer due to the scrolling done by wait staff.   And wait staff recommended ordering in phases...not the whole meal at once because "the kitchen is very fast."  And it is, but  other restaurants manage not to bring out apps, entrees & desserts all at once.
Their salads are very nicely arranged and dressed, and here you get 4 courses for the deal, so we also got unique chick-pea fries (fritters) and nice mac & cheese.  Entrees of filet with well-seasoned "Carmel fries" and a very good gnocci/seafood dish with wonderful broth were well portioned and  prepared...finished by some fine desserts...try the trio with truffles and a small cherry custard. Good sangria with the meal.
The menu theme leaned towards Mediterranean, with many-Middle east touches. Â The chick pea fries were exceptional, like fried hummus with some nice aioli and tomato jam sauces. Â Now pleased to hear another Carmel is opening next week on Henderson near Kennedy to serve the South Tampa folks who wither when pulled off their peninsula. Â There is a science-fiction plot in there somewhere...."The Shriveling of the Stampons."
Totally cool concept. Â When they seat you, the hostess hands you an ipad to make your order. Â My fiance and i ordered the chickpea fries, the steak frit, the lamb sliders and roasted veggies (you have to be semi healthy). Â The chickpea fries were good, but after 2 the mushy texture takes over. Â The lamb sliders were over salted and i could feel my fingers starting to swell due to the water retention. Â The veggies were bleh. Â The one thing that saved this meal was the steak frit. Â It was delicious. Â Dipping the fries in the chickpea fries tomato jam took it over the top. Â Next time i know, skip everything else and just order the steak.
Review Source:Well We tried this place on a whim, due to the fact I was looking for a good wine bar for a date.
First off, The wine selection is very good. They offer multiple sizes of glasses for you to sample. The food was good. Seems to be more of a Mediterranean style. Â Very good selections of appetizers and entrees. Most of the entrees come in two sizes.
They have no menus. They use ipads to serve as menus. The nice thing is you get a very good photo of the dish. Along with a wine paring. I also liked the fact that you order directly from the ipad. You can take your time and really enjoy your meal, or if you are with a group of friends, you can sample different dishes with different wines.
We didn't try any desserts but I do look forward to going back again. It was a good experience. I will suggest that you double check your bill. The ipad system sometimes will not clear the previous bill from the table before you. I was surprised when the server gave us a bill even before we ordered our meals. Other than that it was enjoyable and I will be going back.
Ewie. Was super excited because of all the good reviews; and a recommendation from a friend. Moroccan chicken was "squeaky" and the sauce tasted like it was from a jug. Beat salad was good, but a bit salty. What killed it for me was the loud, cheesy lounge singer in the middle of the restaurant. Couldn't get out of there fast enough!!
UPDATE:
Note that this review was belated. Â I had posted it on 3/21/12 via Yelp Mobile and didn't realize it hadn't been posted until July. Â
I did get a nice note from Mike from the restaurant who appreciated my input and asked for more information. Â Of course, I replied directly to him, but wanted to provide the community some more info. Â The "lounge singer" was during a wine tasting that was going on in the restaurant that night. Â I assumed the singer was a standard part of the atmosphere, but Mike stated that they hadn't had an ongoing singer there since late 2011. Â
Wanted to provide the update to be fair, especially since Mike was so cool about reaching out. Â He was truly proactive, vs. defensive. Â
I look forward to trying the restaurant again and will post a new review after that. Â Upgraded this review from one to two stars because Mike was so cool, but wouldn't be able to raise it more until I go back and try it again.
we went there late on Sunday night - around 8:30 pm, which in Tampa, is like 3am in New York, so i was expecting tired staff preoccupied with getting out of there, cold food, and a wait staff who probably needed some adderall to stay on it.
What a pleasant surprise when we got nothing remotely like this!
Sharp staff, delicious, freshly prepared food, and a great atmosphere, filled with other lively bodies at this time of the night.
If nothing else, go for the cool iPad ordering experience alone, and get blown away by the tasty vittles. Â
We'll definitely be back.
This place is still awesome but I seriously love the food and the lava cake the most. Â We had a press of white sangria. It's about 2.5-3 glasses. Â But the white sangria was purely wine with no sweetness. We really did not care for it.
We also got the 3 trio with two truffle, and one custard with amaretto too sweet, but the lava cake with ice cream really hit the spot. It's so nice to bring friends and guests to a place where you order from an ipad. So cool and this is definitely a part that keeps bringing me back. Â We ordered food to go for my husband and that was very easy as well.
I give it 3 stars because half the food was OK and the iPads are a very good distraction for antsy toddlers. But the food here tastes like "chain food." It's not really all that fresh, it's salty, etc. The minute you place your order for an item on the iPad (they have iPad menus), about 5 minutes later the food comes out, and you are thinking to yourself, what, did they have this just sitting back there cooked already?
The ordering system, by the way, needs fine-tuning. The waitress was as confused as we were in terms of what we ordered, didn't order, were missing, etc.
Place is also very dimply lit. Too dark, IMHO.
I thought the best thing we ordered was the burger. Not a mark of a great restaurant.
Tried this place out for lunch today. Â Placing your own order and paying the check via iPad is a novel concept, but they have a few issues that they need to work out. Â First being that our iPad lost connection to their wi-fi and the server had to manually connect it to their secondary wi-fi. Â When it came time to pay the check, the ability to split it up with other diners was very easy. Â However, when I chose not to get a receipt, one still printed out at the host stand who then brought it to me anyway. Â Then, when my friend paid his, the host came over a second time with another unwanted receipt. Â It was a minor annoyance, but not very efficient on their part and 2 times our conversation was needlessly interrupted.
With that said, the food was good and I enjoyed the decor/atmosphere. Â I'll definitely go back!
I've driven by this restaurant many times, but finally had an excuse to stop in and try it for lunch this afternoon when my friend was up for suggestions. I arrived about 30 minutes earlier than my friend, but it wasn't an issue waiting for her. I ordered a cappuccino (which was surprisingly top notch for a restaurant that doesn't specialize in them) and took my time scrolling through the ipad menu.
The ipad menu was marketing genius on their part. The gorgeous photos of all the dishes were way more persuasive than the written description I had read online before hand and I found myself suddenly tempted to order and extra starter dish and sides, just because they all looked so tasty.
When my friend did arrive, we both enjoyed the experience of ordering right from the iPad. We each took our turns ordering our combo meals then submitted the entire order to the kitchen at once. It was nice because we didn't have to wonder where our server was at the time and we could order in peace. Once the order was sent, it was really no time before the food arrived. I swear I blinked and the food was in front of me.
The food itself lived up to the beautiful presentation showcased in the ipad menu photos and it tasted as good as it looked. I ordered the lunch combo with 1/2 the seasonal flatbread (shrimp, mango, arugula) and  Minestrone Verde Soup, which was herby, salty, and delicious. Be warned that the 1/2 combo portions seemed small at first, but ended up being pretty filling.
When it came time to check out, the convenience of the ipad was again wonderful. We were able to easily split our check through the ipad app and pay via our credit cards while never losing sight of them. It was also very 'green' considering the receipt could be sent directly to our inboxes.
Trendy and high-tech. I've been here twice and have had a great experience both times. Using an iPad given once you're seated, you can order as much or as little as you want at a time... but I highly suggest that you stagger food orders (if you're with friends sharing small plates) because the food can and will come out very quickly.
During one of my visits, the Mac 'n Four Cheese dish was ordered and, for whatever reason, it wasn't prepared correctly. Our server promptly informed us of the mishap and let us know it had to be re-made and will be out soon. Food already comes out in a flash, but when the re-make did come out (not long at all, maybe 5 min later), it was hot and extremely delicious. Such exceptional service and a high standard in kitchen deserves a shout out.
They have a decent wine selection and the ambiance is great, often with live music. The food overall is delicious. A couple of my favorites are the Chickpea Fries and the Lump Crab Cakes. So far, there have only been a few items that I felt to be average compared other menu items -- the lamb and veal sliders with patties that were a bit small and a little on the dry side and the chocolate lava cake that wasn't really hot at all (the ice cream accompaniment tasted better than the cake). Aside from those two moderately tasty items, I think everything on the menu is great.
An overall awesome place for all occasions.
Love the atmosphere. Have been here twice and will return. Â First time had a group of 12. Â Tomato basil soup was tasty and spicy. Added goat cheese to cool it down a bit. Glad we got to try so many different items as that is how to truly enjoy this type of place. Â The crab cakes were small but had more crab than breading . Â
Save room for the dessert. Â The cannoli was awesome!! Â Wine is a bit pricey but espresso drinks were priced right. Â
Service was great and fast. Food appeared amazingly quickly after keying on iPad.  They have live music on Friday and  Saturday.
Pretensions yes, high tech yes, but good, yes!
Carmel Cafe and wine Bar, is a Middle Eastern / American fusion restaurant, that specializes in not the wine but the iPod menu at Carmel they utilize the iPod for there menu and to order if you want, they almost outsource the servers. There servers are however very good and friendly.
The food, no complaints here, the food is Middle Eastern, with a Italian and American flair, typically theses don't work, what country do you know that tolerates more then two other countries, by the way Canada doesn't count! Here the food is served elegantly and with pizzaz. The Baba Ganoush was excellent with a hint of garlic, the Hummus Fries has a little back heat and two great dipping sauces; however, I used the Baba Ganoush as a dipping sauce. The Bouillabaisse or Spinach Gnocchi Marseilles (French) was good and chock full of seafood I didn't see any Gnocchi in it, but it was good! The Beef Short Rib also was very good it had a hint of cardamon, but of course it was that middle eastern flair.
The wine was a little pricey, but very good!
All in all I like this place, if it were a franchise restaurant, I'd say it's a winner, if it's not, I'd say Tampa is the winner!
This is my second trip to Carmel Cafe and the food was just as good as the first time, I did ding them one star as the waiter serving the table next to me bumped my chair pretty hard not once or twice but three times without even an "excuse me".
I had the Spinach Gnocchi Marseilles, it was a tasty treat. Just the right amount of spices with the mussels as good as I have ever had. Â My daughter had the Salmon and she was equally pleased. The Mrs had the burger which was perfectly cooked exactly as ordered. My friend and fellow Yelper Andy D had the braised short ribs said it was delicious but I was a little shocked how tiny the portion was.
An upside to Carmel Cafe is many dishes come in a small and large size which is great if you're going out afterward and don't want to deal with leftovers but his order was ridiculously small IMHO...
Carmal Cafe deserves to be proud of their food as it's excellent. The decor is classy and comfortable and ordering from the Ipads at every table is just plain neat.
Overall well done.
Enjoy!
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