An intimate restaurant located just off of Ocean Avenue. It is comfortable inside; however, if the night is nice and they are serving outside, the side and back patios are beautiful.
Service is impeccable, the food is fresh and tasty. Everyone at the table was pleased. I had the crab ravioli and it was pretty good. Several had starter salads, but I wasn't too hungry and thought a $13 greek salad with no protein besides cheese on it is a little hefty of a price. It was good as well.
The clam appetizer could have easily been a meal and was super good with the great bread dipped in. We fought over the bread dip served when you sit down.
As for the comments about the tables being close...that's what small restaurants are like. I go to places almost weekly in San Francisco, and all of them are like that. It is how places are now. Intimate. And I didn't feel crowded at all.
The roasted peppers dip is delicious.
The crab ravioli, sundried tomatoes, and bay scallops in champagne creme are delicious (although the creme was a touch too sweet for my mother).
The tiramisu is delicious.
The service sucks. Come for the food, not for the waiter who veers between alarmingly smarmy and forgetting that you asked for beverages, multiple times.
The only reason we ended up eating here, was because everywhere else was a 45min wait, and we were starving. Â It's small, and you're rubbing elbows with strangers, they tried to pack so many people in there.
First red-flag..we walk in, a couple older ladies walk out absolutely livid. Â Apparently they were either over-charged, or charged for someone else's tab and I guess it took them quite some time to sort it out. Â But I was so hungry, I had to ignore them.
The server was ok, he was a little talkative for my liking. Â When I'm super hungry and cranky, I don't really care what kind of motorcycle you ride...shut up, go get my food.
We had the roasted garlic for an appetizer, and it's exactly that...a huge bulb of garlic that was thrown in the oven...that was probably the tastiest thing I had there, besides the bread.
I had some sort of spinach linguine, and the boyfriend had a salad...My pasta was so oily and just bland, it was gross. Â The pasta was overcooked, it was mushy. Â The boyfriend's salad was a couple pieces of chicken and some slices of bell pepper...NO lettuce leaves...uh...wtf? Where's the rest of it? When we left, I was still hungry :-/
Worst money spent on a meal. Â But desperate times...desperate times...
We had a lovely, fresh lunch there as walk-ins last July so we planned an early dinner Friday on our way rolling to Big Sur. Â Unlike many others here we had great experiences both times and recommend Nico's without hesitation. Â
Restaurant was empty when we got there ~ 5PM and they graciously sat us in our motorcycling get-ups, we looked rough! Â Again the food was very fresh with great olives and capers on our Mousakka and red snapper respectively. Â We ate up the garlic app and enjoyed that as well. Â Weather was cold so we had a vibrant Rinaldi Barbera competitively priced @ $69 which we got decanted upon request. Â Wine was very solid for the dough considering the Carmel-by-the-Sea locale and usual pricing. Â Don't miss the glorious espresso which kills! Â They gave us Baklava gratis and I didn't check the bill to see if we were charged for water or not. Â I also don't know if we received any "service charge" or not. Â Â
We will return so next time I'll make a point of looking over the invoice more carefully. Â Boris was our waiter, he is warm and complete without hovering - what else does anyone really want?
We recently had dinner here with another family. Â We started off with red wine, and then my hubby had I shared The Greek Nico's homeland salad with cucumbers, onions, olives, tomatoes and feta cheese seasoned with a light dressing. Â The salad doesn't come with any greens, but it was still good. Â For dinner, I had the penne with seafood - shrimp, clams, mussels and scallops in marsala wine sauce, which was very flavorful. Â Hubby had the wild Alaskan herb-grilled salmon with saffron risotto. Â Our daughter shared with her friend the salsiccia (Italian sausage) and arugula pizza. The food was fresh and delicious, and the staff was very friendly and attentive.
Review Source:Low quality food 3 stars (more like 2 stars but you will know why I give 3 if you read on). The restaurant added service charge for party of 2, so minus 1 star. I don't like restaurant adds service for small parties. Minus 1 star for bad service, especially when there is very little service provided and the wait staff is not friendly. The restaurant is not that busy and still has bad service. Actually, this works out to zero star but can't rate zero star at Yelp.
Review Source:We decided to try this place because we didn't need a reservation, Why? Because the restaurant was empty! But, we went in anyway because we were starving and the menu posted outside looked good with moderate prices. Not so much. How do you know when you're dining in Carmel? When they charge you $7.25 for ... Water! And they don't even list the prices of their wine. $10 for a glass of wine? Seriously? The pasta was OK but, the carbonara was over salted and the bolognese sauce was far from authentic. The service was mediocre and  they didn't really have anyone else to take care of... Now, I know why your restaurant was empty. Sigh.
Review Source:Large portions, slow service and only one real memorable dish, which was the crab ravioli many others have mentioned. The sauce on this dish showcased a nice balance between sweet and savory. Contrasting this richly flavored dish was the blandest moussaka I've ever eaten, as well as a caprese salad with cheap ingredients like dried basil.
Even taking the standard 'Carmel premium' into factor, this place was a rip-off.
I was visiting last weekend so my girlfriend and I looked for a place to get a snack and a drink. We went into Nico mainly because they were open at the hour we were looking around and were not busy. Some other places were packed. This place had about 4 tables for a late dinner. We ordered a margherita pizza, which was ok. The dough didn't taste fresh and the cheese wasn't special. It looked grated. The basil tasted fresh but the tomatoes lacked flavor. There was also hardly any sauce on the thing. We asked for waters and got swindled into buying an $8 bottle of distilled water. Woops!
Yea, no big deal. They wanted us out quickly and weren't very attentive. I am sure it will be closed next time I am in Carmel.
First, I have to say that I'm completely surprised by some of the negative comments, but I have to remind myself that most of the comments on Yelp come from people who have had a bad experience.
I came to Nico with my family, one lives in Carmel. Â This little downtown restaurant was so quaint and warm, we were greeted graciously and made to feel at home right away.
I ordered the sand dabs, which I've never had before. Â I have to say it was one of the best meals I've ever had! Â The food arrived at my table, and it was so elegantly presented, we were all very impressed.
The atmosphere has a simple elegance, yet warm, not at all stuffy. Â The wait staff were friendly and welcoming, and the kitchen...every plate at my table was beautiful and delicious!
The wine list isn't overly extensive, which is good in my opinion. Â I usually get lost with some of the 40 page wine lists out there! Â The selection was wonderful, and our waiter helped us select some delicious wines to pair perfectly with our food.
I will definitely be back to Nico's!
After strolling around Carmel with my two adult sons and my hubby on a very busy Saturday evening in Carmel, we dropped in to Nico. It was a Wonderful place filled with happy people and helpful waitstaff. even though we dropped in they found us a great table for 4 with a view of the passing people and pooches. We started with Artisanal bread and a Tomato dip that was awesome, It only got BETTER! We then indulged in the roast Garlic appetizer and the Saganaki ( sp) Flaming Greek cheese, It was like Dinner and a show! OPA!! LOL But so good with that hint of lemon. My husband and I ordered the evenings special a Creme sauce chicken with local  Artichokes dish that was  light yet flavourful, My sons ordered a specialty Pizza and the Crab raviolis with Champagne sauce reduction and we all tasted and shared, The Crab dish was Breathtakingly good!
Not sure why any of the other reviewers would complain about service at Nico, they were bending over backwards for us, filled our glasses as needed and served coffee and tea without being overbearing. We ordered the Tiramisu for dessert  and it was a Light and flavorful version that did not dissapoint! Â
With all the food snobbery you can find around town and over the top themes and menus, This tiny Bistro is worth a try. Come with a happy attitude!!
My Italian dad would have LOVED this place! Â I cant wait to return on my next trip to Carmel for another meal!!!
A long long long time ago, Carmel used to be a destination to get away from it all. Â Much like the Gallapagos, it was a place that a relative few could experience the small eco-niche that set the place apart from other places. Â Now, everyone and their dogs from their second cousin is here.
Nico isn't exactly a place that makes you feel like you have left the city.  The business culture of a small restaurant in a small town that caters to  day-trippers and the smell of old money would evolve into an efficiency model rather than an experience. Â
The service reflects that. Â There is no wasted motion. Â They just do it. Â Nothing warm and fuzzy.
The food reflects the same.  It's definitely not on par as an enoteca in Rome nor is it the dredges of the Spaghetti factory; it does its job.  The tagliatelle was average  and the spaghetti was a bit too pasty. Â
The price of the food was not inexpensive, but I don't mind spending more for an exceptional experience. Â This place was not breath-taking. Â I would actually prefer, Â dare I say it, Pasta Pomodoro if they were located next to each other. Â I feel that the chef has no passion. Â
Now that the puffins and iguanas have been tainted, much like the charming little beach town eatery, they may be on the brink of extinction.
The only star is because the food was decent.
I came here with two other girls for a day trip and thought it would be nice to start it off with some good food. Clearly not the greatest choice when we stepped into this establishment.
There wasn't any hostess when we walked in and wasn't greeted. The waiter and busboys walked pass us at least 2x each and then finally a waiter kind of acknowledged us. It was about noon and wasn't very busy yet, so I didn't understand why we were being ignored. The ignoring definitely didn't stop there. He didn't ask if we wanted to sit outside, since it was a nice day, before setting up an awkward table for us to sit at. The table was clearly only for 2, but for some reason they decided to rearrange the table, near the door so that it was cold and people were squeezing behind my chair to get around the table.
Because the three of us are young, they probably thought that we didn't know any better or that we didn't deserve good service because they ignored us the entire time other than when they took our order or cleared our tables. They didn't give us the bread when every other table in the restaurant got some (I observed). They were rude when they "checked" on us and when my friend asked about their beers. Everyone there was just all around awful.
The food was decent for the most part, but not memorable. It was also very expensive. The best thing to order is probably the pesto linguine. It's fresh spinach linguine with pesto and walnuts. I commend them for making fresh pasta, but the clam linguine wasn't amazing. My friend said that the vegetarian pizza didn't have much favor which is sad, since pizza isn't very hard to make. But altogether very disappointing for what they were charging.
So I probably would never come back to this place, considering the service was awful and the prices were ridiculous for lunch. The one star is for the pesto linguine and that is all.
Don't forget to read the line at the bottom of the Menu page. Â It says if you are splitting the plate, each plate will be charged $3 extra!!
It was around 3PM on a Sunday that me and my friends decided to dine at Carmel and looked for some Italian restaurant.. We found Nico's to be cozy and view of the street. Â Parking is convenient on Ocean and Mission Ave.
There were not many people and two tables were occupied apart from us. Â Service sucks here :( No proper attention was given. Â We ordered our food and should say the pasta they serve is real good. Â Fresh and cooked to perfection. Â Also their bread came fresh from the oven and the dipping they served tasted delicio-o-sooo.. Â Great food, nice location but very bad service.
I hadn't been to Nico in years when a friend and I decided to stop by for a bowl of pasta after shopping at Anthropologie.
Yes, they did the tacky water trick on us too. Incredibly bad form. We would have stayed for tea and maybe dessert after our late lunch but we were really put off by that classless maneuver.
One thing I gotta say though is that Nico does pasta right. It's fresh pasta that comes out piping hot and full of flavor.
The server spoke in at least three different languages in the same sentence. Uh... ok. I probably won't be back for another few years. Â I'm sure they will still be around due to the constant trickle of fresh tourist meat.
Looking for a tasty lunch on a weekend trip to Monterey/Carmel, we stumbled upon Nico's place.
My girlfriend and I saw some Italian options, though we knew what we wanted. Â Pizza, and more pizza.
After being seated, I found this place to be one of the friendliest atmospheres I've ever been to. Â Enzo was hanging out with some friends outside, and he noticed my Argentina soccer jacket. Â They were happy to see that, since he's from Napoli, and my jacket had Diego Maradona's jersey number 10 on it; Maradona played club soccer in Napoli for some time. Â Enzo, Angel, and the waiter were very friendly.
We ordered 2 pizzas: a Margherita, and a vegetarian. Â I love meat on my pizza, but thought I'd give these pizza options a go. Â My girlfriend and me loved the pizza. Â They had a light, crispy crust. Â The vegetarian pizza was loaded with veggies. Â It probably weighed twice that of the Margherita!
The bread and dipping sauce were highly addictive! Â There was a drop of the sauce left, literally.
I'd come back again, with my awesome girlfriend in hand of course!
Enzo took great care of us there the other night. Â Best wine ever from Enzo's hometown... unfortunately I don't remember the name of the region. Â I will find out soon! Â Honestly, this wine was so killer that we went back the night after for more but they were closed since we were out late night.
Portabella Mushroom appetizer with Rosemary and Roasted pinenuts is a must for mushroom lovers, the gorgeous tray of Mediterranean treats like Dolmas, Ouzo Meatballs, Olives, Feta cheese and Spanakopita was not only great to look at but tasty. Â A good friend walking his dog outside the restaurant recommended that we ordered the Fresh Spinach Fettuccine with Pesto and Walnuts was my favorite.
Thank you Enzo for a lovely and romantic dinner by the fireplace.
Don't waste your time here. This restaurant has become a "tourist trap".
There are so many great restaurants in the area and this place is not one of them.
Orginally from the area, I had heard really good things about Nico-it has been in Carmel for awhile, but apparently it has gone down hill.
I ordered the filet mignon to be cooked medium-rare. It came well done. It was a nice piece of meat but it was ruined! It came with literally four green beans, two carrots and two tiny little red potatoes. I almost laughed out loud when they put it in front of me.
My mom ordered the halibut cooked piccata style. The halibut itself was good but the risotto it came with, looked and tasted like it was out of box.
The Paella my dad ordered was just not a good choice. The clams and mussels in it were chewy and un-flavorful. The same risotto-from-a-box was mixed in.
Our server was nice but she took forever to bring us our bottle of wine and when she finally came back, it was only to tell us that they were out of the tempernillo we ordered. So we ended up with an over priced, mediocre bottle of Chianti.
All in all, we were very disappointed. Definitely will not be coming back here or recommending it to anyone.
Downtown Carmel is a place where you can go to relax, do some shopping, and enjoy some fine dining. Â As we were on our way to a concert, we figured we'd find a nice place to dine as we walked down the pristine streets of downtown Carmel. Â A rather unique sign, with Nico on it, caught our eye. Â As we intended on taking a peek inside, we were greeted by a nice host that welcomed us in. Â Being a Friday night, we were shocked that this place wasn't full of customers. Â However, for whatever reason, downtown Carmel was pretty quiet this particular evening. Â
This restaurant is full of warm earth tones, cloth-covered tables, a host of wine bottles, and a simple, yet impressive, touch of elegance. Â Since the restaurant wasn't crowded, our waitress came immediately and cheerfully welcomed us. Â I ordered the Penne with shrimp, clams, mussels and scallops in Marsala wine sauce, which was an amazing dish. Â I'm not a big fan of mussels but I enjoyed cracking them open to get the warm treat inside. Â Overall, our meals were enjoyable and were delivered quickly, as we informed the waitress we had to be at a concert in an hour.
Nico certainly didn't disappoint. Â Service was enjoyable, professional, and prompt. Â The ambiance was soothing and the gracious staff was always smiling. Â In addition, for dog owners, this restaurant is pet-friendly, as we noticed some diners on the patio enjoying their meals with their calm and well-trained pooch next to the table. Â This restaurant is definitely worthy of another visit on my next trip to Carmel.
My little brother took his date for prom here and liked it a lot. Enough to want to come back after his graduation on Friday.
Ambiance was perfect, not a bad seat in the house. You the option of several outside venues (on the street or their patio), We chose to be near the fire place. Â
Multiple languages being spoken that night- Spanish, English and French to accommodate guests and servers...
Boris was our server and totally ensured that we were well taken care of. One of the owners was around checking in with everyone and chatting it up with the regulars. Â
Yes the tapanade and bread is a great way to start the meal. The bread was hot, crusty on the outside and soft on the inside....
Salad- pear salad was yummy, field green salad was liked in our party.
Most places in Carmel start at 25 bucks and up... the nice thing about this restaurant is that you get quality food, decent portion sizes for a reasonable price.
The homemade gnocchi was to die for. The sage Gorgonzola sauce was delicious as well. Gnocchi can either be chewy like gum or melt in your mouth-- these were super delicate and melted in your mouth... I was a happy woman.
Dad got the crab ravioli. The richness comes from the sauce and it was superb. I am definitely getting this next time we come.
The Alaskan Salmon was also a hit among the party.
The graduate decided on the Ahi Tuna dish and he liked it as well.
The veggies were cooked perfectly.. The only ding was the saffron risotto texture and chewiness was uneven (some of it tasted perfect on one plate.. another plate not so much)
Although we did not order dessert- the waiters came around and brought tiramisu to all dining parties... I would have two orders of that if was not so rich. On my tiramisu list Nico's is up on my top five. It was creamy, rich and there was not too much of an alcohol aftertaste...
Yes yes yes, everyone says the bread is good. Â But are you coming to a restaurant to eat free bread? Â Seriously?
Decor was lovely, the host was attentive and friendly and that's about all the positive i have for this restaurant.
The plating of our meals were not appetizing. Â A friend ordered the swordfish, it arrived on a jumbled jungle of arugula and two lemon wedges. Â My halibut, arrived with a mess of irregularly cut and haphazardly placed vegetables with a small portion of angel hair pasta and even smaller dollop of sauce. Â
Where was the flavor in these meals?  The vegetables tasted like they were sautéed in unsalted butter and then thrown on.  The swordfish was tougher than usual; almost like a cheap steak.  The halibut though not bad in texture but the term fresh for both fish is questionable.
We came in at the beginning of dinner time, about six pm but our service was rushed, but at the time that restaurant was serving 4 tables total. Â The server/busser kept trying to take everything away from us. Â You would think that after the second time he tried to take it away from us that he would back off. Â Nope. Â He didn't have a clue. Â We both were talking, and in this kind of restaurant i would think he would understand that when you have your fork and knife resting at the 3 and 9 o'clock of your plate it means you're resting.
After the third time he came around i just lost my appetite and asked for the check. Â He barely touched his dinner and I don't blame him. Will never come back. Â If you dare to go, don't order any fish. Â Both of ours were not fresh. Â But you could always have the bread and that lovely sun dried tomato spread.
For the longest time, I been trying to find a good Italian restaurant in the city. I will have to say, Nico is one of the best Italian places. Bad thing it is like 1.5 hours away from me. My manager actually recommended me to try this place out. I really really love my dish. It was actually angel hair pasta, with chicken and this sauce that is a bit spicy. Since I am so picky with my food, the server actually help me custom make the dish. So, it wasn't even on the menu.
The bread was fresh out the oven, and it goes great with the dipping sauce. I was so close to asking the waiter if I can buy a jar to bring back home!
I will definitely come back next time I am in Carmel.
Absolutely delicious. Introduced me to the idea of champagne cream sauce, which I've had fairly good results replicating.
Extremely innovative menu, lots of stuff on it looked very good. The bread was also delicious, as was the wine selection. Prices are a bit steep, but they do back it up with quality.
Definitely sit outside if you can/if the weather's nice.
Cafe Nico used to be pretty nice, but lately I feel it's gone down hill quite a bit. Â I don't know if it was bought by different owners or what the story is, but the last few times we have eaten there, it's been disappointing. Â
The food is relatively lack luster given the high prices. Â The waitress we had last time was terrible. Â I don't know if she's the owners wife or what, but she has absolutely no business interacting with the public - certainly not at a fine dining establishment. Â We had to ask twice for bread. Â The table next to us were told the evening's specials, but we were not. Â The waitress seemed nervous and hurried, but took forever to serve anything.
I recall while ordering she actually corrected me in how I said one of the dishes - very poor form and extremely rude in front of my guest at the table. Â The funniest thing was that she - an older Asian woman - wasn't even correct! Â It might help if the people running the restaurant actually knew the food they were serving to their customers.
When our food did arrive, only half the order was brought out. Â My girlfriend was given her plate, while I sat around for another 5 or so minutes wondering where my plate was. Â WTF. Â This resulted in her having to wait until my food was brought out. Â It was almost comical as the night went on, as the service and food both continued down hill. Â In fact, it was so bad that the people at the table next to us actually leaned over and started joking about it with comments like "maybe we should go back there and do the cooking ourselves?!". Â Granted, they were a little tipsy and from Texas, but it underscores the point of how horrific the service was. Â
At one point, someone in the restaurant accidentally turned the lights down, then back up. Â I have no idea if it was the staff or a customer, but again, it wasn't exactly the enjoyable experience I was hoping for. Â By the end of the evening, I was so annoyed with the waitress and so disappointed with the bland food that I couldn't wait to get out of there and go home. Â But wait we did. Â We waited and waited and waited for our check and credit card to be brought back. Â I almost got up and went to find out what the heck was taking so long. Â It was absolutely ridiculous how long we had to sit there, especially considering the place wasn't even busy (they had maybe 4 or 5 tables in a place that could seat 15 or 20). Â
Like I say, when I used to go to Nico years ago, it was quite good. Â However, the last few trips have shown a marked decline in both food quality and service. Â I don't know for sure, but if I had to speculate, I would say that someone bought the place in order to capitalize on the reputation and the unsuspecting (and largely non-repeat) clientele which frequents Carmel.
Totally didn't realize that Little Napoli REQUIRED reservations (at 5:30PM for crying out loud! OH ok, so it's the holiday weekend...blah) so on a desperate attempt to look for food we came across "Nico Restaurante Europa." Cute interior with a fireplace. It didn't strike me as a "family restaurant" yet other patrons still brought along their children, including one screaming baby right next to where the waiter sat us. The server, Boris, was a nice guy who had the same script for every customer...cheesy yet accommodating.
Our meal consisted of the chef's soup which was tomato cream. This actually tasted real nice. The bf and I shared the Fruitti-di-Mare Pizza. That tasted pretty good too. We had to take some of the pizza home but it was probably because we ate so much of their fresh baked bread. The sauce they give with the bread is sun-dried tomatoes in oil. It's so much more tastier than the standard balsamic vinigarette that other italian restaurants dish out. The reason why I'm not giving 4 stars is because all the plates were pretty high-end, but we did choose to eat at a ritzy-ish place on the main drag in Carmel, not some Hometown Buffet in the East bay...pshyah.
I noticed in another review the couple got charged a service fee and $7 for tap water in a bottle. We didn't get those lovely extras on our bill, and the meal came out to be $30.
I'll keep this place in mind for a future visit.
we were the first to arrive for the dinner portion of the evening and were welcomed and seated.
Our waiter had a accent(all the better!) We started with Grilled Portabella mushrooms with rosemary and pine nuts. Â The steak of mushrooms. Â Sooo delightfully delicious and I don't even like mushrooms! Â We also ordered the pan grilled prawns in a garlic lemon sauce with sun dried tomatoes. Â Also rather enjoyable. Â and excellent to compliment the warm bread that was placed before us.
For the main course I opted for the pan seared Halibut, and the hubby ordered the char grilled filet mignon. Â My Halibut was made to perfection and I enjoyed every last bite. Â The sauce gave me bad thoughts of wanting to lick the plate clean. Â But one most act like a lady even through a tantalizing meal. Â I did get a bite of the filet my husband was having and that flavor was memorable. Â Char-grilled perfection! Â
The meal was delightful and the setting very romantic the (dimming lights). Â I didn't like that the restrooms are located somewhat outside. Â Great for warm sunny days., but not for cold late nights.
But the service, food and ambiance sure make me want to come back for more!
Carmel is a cute town to visit on a nice weekend. Â Good weather and a walk on the beach will invite a nice lunch close to the water or on a patio where you can soak up the sun.
A crowd of friends and I visited Nico after kayaking in Monterey Bay. Â The recommendation was made by a friend who really wanted to have their crab ravioli. Â Since we were a large crowd of 10, the restaurant was unable to accommodate outdoor seating, which was fine, since we had plenty of sun from kayaking in the morning. Â First of all, service was slow. Â We were a thirsty bunch, and had to ask for more water a few times too many. Â Our server wasn't courteous, and seemed impatient to assist us with our orders. Â When asked to split the bill between a few credit cards, he told us that he was "too busy". Â Looking around, there were only about 3 tables left in the restaurant at this time. Â That really didn't make us too happy.
I ordered the Pan Seared Halibut and Asparagus of Monterey ($24), drawing inspiration from a previous visit to Chez Papa Resto in San Francisco (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/chez-papa-resto-san-francisco-2#hrid:0HZ-CUEyMTsjugnp6676Cg">http://www.yelp.com/biz/…</a>).  I shared with a friend, who ordered Seared Tuna Kabobs ($24).  Both of them were more than well done, so the translucent color and soft texture was completely cooked away.  We had also ordered a Grilled Portabella Mushroom with Rosemary and Roasted Pine Nuts ($7) starter, and was disappointed by how greasy the dish was.  I got to sample the Crab Ravioli in Champagne Creme Sauce with Sun-Dried Tomato, and Scallops ($17), and was glad that I didn't order it as the taste really didn't suit my liking.
Strange - as I barely walk out of any restaurant feeling so dissatisfied. Â It may have just been one bad experience, but with the high prices, I would have expected a lot more.
I came here with two friends over the weekend. Between the three us, we shared 2 appetizers, 3 entrees and lots of water.
The food is delicious (I highly recommend the crab ravioli in champagne sauce...so yummy I'm drooling just thinking about it). The staff was increedibly friendly and attentive, (granted we were the only patrons in the resturant at the time). They opened at noon, and by the time we left at 2ish, the tables were filling up quickly. There is indoor and outdoor seating, its decently walking distance from Carmel Beach (about a 20 minute trek if you don't mind the walk).
The food can be pricey, but that's Carmel for you. No parking and high prices. But its all well worth it for a wonderful beach-day experience when you just want to pamper yourself for a day.
I've eaten here three or four times, whenever my friends from abroad visit, I take them down to Carmel and this restaurant.
I keep bringing people back, because everyone I've brought here has been very impressed. Other reviewers have mentioned uneven service - I haven't noticed it (though I also haven't been impressed by the service, it was just in the background and adequate).
Others are correct about the food though - and the sundried tomato dip! It really is obscenely good. The prawns make a very good appetizer, it's a simple dish but is very good.
The gnocci is my favorite dish here, the dumplings are extremely light and the sauce compliments them perfectly. The other dishes we've had, which include the roasted garlic, the crab ravioli, and the halibut have also all been outstanding.
This restaurant really shows how simple dishes can taste exceptional with good preparation and high quality ingredients. The dishes are a very good value at $15-25 per entree.
This is one of my very favorite restaurants. In. The. World.
I literally have daydreams about their sundried tomato dip that they bring out with the bread. I have foodgasms at my friends about their crab ravioli in champagne sauce, their shrimp appetizer or their portobello mushroom appetizer. If a waiter comes by to remove an empty-looking plate with some sauce left on it, I practically leap up with a "NO!!!" and continue to mop up the delicious sauce with my bread, while trying to reverse engineer the ingredients, as the waiter slinks away in terror.
It's just damn good.
They have some delicious and unusual wines on their list as well, my parents and I shared a bottle of something golden and fragrant whose name is lost in a happy haze.
Why the imperfect review? The service can be a bit uneven. Sometimes the waiters treat you like family, even giving us a free dessert (tiramisu, try it, very good). Sometimes, though, they are inattentive if polite and it takes some effort to flag them down and we have to explicitly ask for more bread/dip/whatever. It's honestly not a huge drawback, and more than a little worth it for the food. I'm always disappointed if I don't get to go there when I'm in Carmel.
We were super hungry, it was like 2pm on a Saturday and since we could not wait no more, we had to eat. Seeing this place and being starving we just went it.
The food was really tasty. I had triangular shaped crab ravioli in a champagne cream sauce with sun dried tomatoes and baby scallops. The tastes blended together in this perfect harmony.
Sadly I subtract from what would have been a 4 star review, for the uneven service. I had to ask for more water and ask for more bread to dip into my delicious bowl of pasta, and the place was not popping. So I guess I wished they would have been more attentive. That was my only qualm of the day. Also I wouldn't get tea or coffee, I was told by my companions that it was not worth it and besides there are a ton of coffee shops nearby, with similar priced more delectable items.
This place feels like a little bistro in France or Italy. There are two small dining room areas, a back patio, and a front garden-style patio - the combination of the different, cozy places to sit makes this an interesting interior.
The doors and windows are open so the breeze flows through the restaurant and makes your experience light and casual. But the service, menu, and food preparation is professional and skilled and makes you feel like you are in a place where great service is part of the culture.
The Mediterranean food is good, very tasty and good. I have tried the salmon with risotto, goat cheese tomato salad, and even a gourmet hamburger here and all the food was excellent. It's better with wine!!! The menu may feel slightly limited but, in some sense, feels cozy like the restaurant itself. The place is to be admired and I will definitely stop in again.
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