Carmel

laynee

First let me say at no fault to the resturant for the power outage. We were there for about 20 mins before the lights went out. We had ordered our drinks prior and it took awhile to get. The restaurant was not busy at the time. My drink was incorrect. We ordered our food to be coursed out and in a certain order for wine pairing. Let's just say items came together, main courses came before small plates and the mains were not in the right order. Wines had to be switched out. I never was asked for another cocktail. Our server didn't really check up on us and things we asked for didn't come so we had to ask anyone else. I asked to speak to the manager just let her know what was going on. We were understanding that we're in Candlelight but service is still important if you are putting out food. Gas stoves and fire oven was working just fine. Everything was good and some items better. I recommend the prawns and scallop dish. The manager asked what we wanted. Totally caught us off guard because we didn't want anything. That not something that should be asked. Managers can offer for inconvenience something but we were not interested in a free meal. We drove from Ventura to eat at the restaurant on our foodie list. Glad we tried it but I find no reason to go back.

Esteban Orlando Vega

Hands down one of my favorite food and customer experience in a long time. We sat at the chefs table . The food felt authentic I want to return for the evening menus. Skinny & Hunter provided excellent customer service. Looking forward to coming back.

Ram Blotman

Wonderful experience . Excellent Mediterranean cuisine. The chef’s fresh sea food and fish small plates combined with great sauces and spices are mouth watering. I had the Peruvian sea scallops, The Bluefin tuna tartar and the Hamachi Ceviche. The smoked eggplant and feta brûlée was a huge surprise . The combination of the smoke , the chili ,the Za’atar and the crunchiness of the brûlée was brilliant. I took a few minutes rest before continuing to the mains. Since I had quite plenty of food I decided to choose a lighter dish - Jerusalem artichoke tortellini. It was perfect ending of a perfect dinner. Now I have to a huge problem. Should I take the Malabi Sandra that I remembered I’ve tasted in NYC a few years ago? I can’t go back to NYC without talking at list a bite? A huge dilemma! The service was perfect.

Claudia Herrera Vargas

Amazing Mediterranean place in Melrose. Best of all is their Carmel’s salad and eggplant brûlée, and the Carmel’s burger is out of this world. Great place to have brunch or dinner, with amazing music and service.

Sahra S

We had a wonderful dining experience at Carmel! We sat at the kitchen bar, which offered a fun view of the chefs preparing each dish — definitely worth doing once for the experience. That said, the bar seats were a bit too low for the counter, which was my only real complaint (and I am tall so that tells you they’re especially low). Now, the food… absolutely delicious across the board. We started with the hamachi ceviche, which was citrusy, fresh, and beautifully garnished with cilantro. The tuna tartar had a Mexican-inspired twist, almost like a refined pico de gallo — so flavorful. The Moroccan bread was warm, fluffy, and perfectly salty, served with tahini and the mushroom cigar came with pickled cauliflower — such a bold, delicious combo of textures and tastes. The spring salad was light and refreshing with a bright citrus finish. The hanger steak was cooked perfectly, and the short rib pappardelle was rich and satisfying. I also loved the artichoke tortellini — delicate but packed with flavor. For dessert, don’t skip the rose sundae. It was the highlight for me. The pistachios were especially fresh and added the perfect crunch. The only thing I’d tweak is the mountain of cream on top — it made the ice cream a little hard to get to, but the flavor and texture were still amazing. I’d absolutely come back — next time I’d opt for a booth or table, but the kitchen bar is a great choice if you enjoy watching the action. Highly recommend! Tori came and checked on us a couple times I think as she might’ve been the manager, which was nice in addition to everyone else including our server giving us attention. And there was a guy I didn’t get his name, behind the counter who was very kind too, spoke with me despite him being busy cooking and wished me a happy birthday!