Sade's

I appreciate the "divey-ness" of this place - I truly do. I'm from Portland, OR where dive bars are easy to come by and are a lot more comfortable when you don't have to worry about spilling and there's always good music blaring somewhere.

I agree with the other reviews though that the cigarette and cigar smoke for a non-smoker as myself was not pleasant at all. I didn't think places like these existed anymore. I would imagine it's a hidden gem for smokers to congregate and swap stories over a smoke but for me it was like walking into an establishment and being hit by a thick wall of smelly smoke. Still, it was my choice to visit this place and overall I'm glad I did.

I feel that there are enough hoity-toity places to eat and drink in Carmel, so Sade's was the black sheep out of the herd. While my stay in this bar was short and sweet while I threw back a whiskey neat, the bartender was rough around the edges but funny and the other patrons were jovial and lively. It was simply an "A-OK" experience.

You have to understand that this is a really particular kind of place. If you need a place to get some serious drinking and smoking done, look no further.

I have a few friends I grew up with who always seek out the most hardcore, hole-in-the-wall dives in a town as soon as they get there. If you're that type of person, this is your place. In fact, I never would have guessed a place like this existed in Carmel. Hell, I was surprised to find a place like this in California. It reminds me of the places the southern guys I grew up with would take me whenever I'd visit them or whenever they'd visit me after we'd all gone our separate ways, back around Texas and Louisiana. When we saw each other we'd need a place to do some serious sitting, drinking, smoking, and palavering. You absolutely have to respect this place for what it is, and that is a bar.

And I can tell you the bartender, Parker, is a stand-up guy and a gentleman.

From Ocean, walk the way a ball would roll on Lincoln, and it's just there on your left.

This bar isn't for everyone. As an aficionado of bars, this is a rare gem. Please don't show up expecting fancy cocktails or an obscure scotch. This is a place for professional drinkers, seeking fun and comrades in crime. Don't be a jerk or you will be treated in kind (deservedly). The drinks are strong, the customers friendly, the dice warm... a little wager between friends never hurt anyone, right?

Of all the many places I've been in Carmel, this was the ONLY place I met people I really liked and wanted to be friends with - a true "Locals" place but welcoming enough to an LA girl like myself.  I met half a dozen cool people that I would hang out with again in a heartbeat. Numbers and emails were exchanged a-plenty.

We often treat bartenders and waiters with a ridiculous disdain like they are indentured servants. True, we are customers, but this is an egalitarian place. Treat Parker with respect, humor and a bit of flirty charm and you will go far.  You have to have respect for that.  Who wants a bland, kiss ass bartender with nothing interesting or contrarian to say?

And extra point for the fact he likes Texans. :)