The Best Places to Eat and Drink Around Monterey and Carmel
All the best places to fuel up after the aquarium and before winding your way along 17-Mile Drive
There’s plenty of food and drink that counts more as a destination than a pitstop along Highway 1. There’sHalf Moon Bay, of course, but further south, the Carmel and Monterey area is its own west of Eden, a coastal trove of fine dining restaurants, breweries, and taco shops. You absolutely can’t go wrong with well-loved and time-tested local favorites such as one-Michelin-starredAubergine and Michelin Guide-listed (andceleb-approved)La Bicyclette — though we’ve left both off this map to make space for some lesser-known gems. Here, then, is a roster of restaurants, cafes, and breweries between Seaside and Carmel-By-The-Sea worth checking out for your first visit or your hundredth.
And if you’re looking for kid-friendly spots in Monterey and Carmel,here are some suggestions for restaurants and outings.
This time around, Coastal Kitchen rotated off the list while Jeju Kitchen joined the ranks.
— Additional reporting byDianne de Guzman andLauren Saria.
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The Best Places to Eat and Drink Around Monterey and Carmel
All the best places to fuel up after the aquarium and before winding your way along 17-Mile Drive
There’s plenty of food and drink that counts more as a destination than a pitstop along Highway 1. There’sHalf Moon Bay, of course, but further south, the Carmel and Monterey area is its own west of Eden, a coastal trove of fine dining restaurants, breweries, and taco shops. You absolutely can’t go wrong with well-loved and time-tested local favorites such as one-Michelin-starredAubergine and Michelin Guide-listed (andceleb-approved)La Bicyclette — though we’ve left both off this map to make space for some lesser-known gems. Here, then, is a roster of restaurants, cafes, and breweries between Seaside and Carmel-By-The-Sea worth checking out for your first visit or your hundredth.
And if you’re looking for kid-friendly spots in Monterey and Carmel,here are some suggestions for restaurants and outings.
This time around, Coastal Kitchen rotated off the list while Jeju Kitchen joined the ranks.
— Additional reporting byDianne de Guzman andLauren Saria.
Passionfish
A pioneer in Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch and Restaurant Partner program, family-owned Passionfish has served sustainable seafood for nearly two decades. The seasonal menu offers small plates and entrees that are balanced, thoughtful, and fresh. Dishes such as smoked trout ceviche and Dungeness crab salad are offered alongside a considerable 400-item list of local and imported wines offered at close to retail prices.
Züm Sushi
Züm is the ideal place to get a boatload of sushi — literally, as the casual restaurant decorates actual miniature boats with dozens of pieces of sushi as a serving vessel — and for a cheap bottle of Sapporo or two. Headed here is a worthwhile alternative to Cannery Row tourist traps while not breaking the bank or needing to throw on a tie to enjoy a bit of fried fish by the sea.
Cafe Guarani
Liliana Rodas de Araujo grew up making and selling empanadas in Paraguay, and after a long career in the pastry arts, she opened Cafe Guaraní during her retirement, hoping to introduce the Monterey Peninsula to traditional Paraguayan foods. This cute cafe, full of cheerful folk art, offers a welcoming atmosphere, and serves a wide selection of empanadas including typical versions, like chicken and ham-and-cheese, but also specials, like a pulled pork variety. They all come with house chimichurri sauce, which alone is worth the trip. Sandwiches are served on homemade brioche along with mandioca fries, and the pastry case is full of fancy-looking cakes, guava-filled croissants, and dulce de leche alfajores. Everything tastes great with any of the yerba mate drinks.
El Cantaro
El Cantaro defies any resistance customers might have toward the idea of vegan Mexican food by offering fresh, traditional flavors nobody can deny. And it happens to be non-GMO, mostly organic, and completely devoid of animal products. The menu is large, broken into appetizers, soups, salads, traditional plates, combination plates, enchiladas, tacos, burritos, and tostadas. Those looking to try something new might opt for the kipes (fried bulgur and potato croquettes) or the empanaditas made with red beet flour and Chickin’ instead of chicken.
Gianni’s Pizza
Amongst the rich and famous, towns where celebrities are literally mayors, a no frills pizza place is all the more important. Gianni’s on Lighthouse Avenue does the trick. This old school pizza parlor opened in 1974 when Carl and Ginger Costa decided to honor their family roots from Palermo. Now fans come in for the veritable library of a menu: garlic bread, ricotta-stuffed calzones, garlic and shrimp pizzas, and so much more.
Pearl Hour
Aside from a handful of dive bars, hotel bars, and Fisherman’s Wharf restaurants, the cocktail scene in Monterey isn’t necessarily buzz-worthy. But, thankfully, there is Pearl Hour, an eye-catching turquoise storefront on Lighthouse Avenue, aptly named by proprietress Katie Blandin (of Good Food Award-winning Golden Bear Bitters) after Steinbeck’s poignant quote: “It is the hour of pearl — the interval between day and night when time stops and examines itself...” Here, Blandin mixes inventive cocktails like the Pearlescent with mezcal, gin, bergamot liqueur, dry vermouth, and yarrow. During daylight hours, the bar transforms into a Euro-inspired coffeehouse.
Other Brother Beer Co.
The often-ignored strip mall town of Seaside, in North Monterey County, is having a food and drink revival, and Other Brother Beer Co. is one of the main attractions. This breezy craft beer spot, founded by two brothers who helm a California olive oil company with the same name, offers a diverse variety of fresh brews (not just IPAs) for local pickup and delivery.
Maligne
Step inside this stylishMichelin Bib Gourmand, with its lofted ceilings and an open kitchen, and you’ll be greeted with friendly casual service and a menu that blends European cuisine with California ingredients. Start with light fare including a rockfish crudo or a beet salad with buttermilk dressing before moving onto large plates including a skirt steak or chicken Parmesan. The wine list should have something for even the most discerning aficionados.
Captain + Stoker
This local shop roasts its own beans and provides a buzzy, well-lit place to grab single-origin coffee. The food is worth it, too, with banana-peanut butter toast with honey and cocoa powder and sharp cheddar-stuffed croissant sandwiches as standouts. The name is a reference to tandem bikes, with the two seats in front and back called the “captain” and the “stoker.”
Alvarado Street Brewery
Alvarado Street Brewery is aNorthern California favorite, so it’s worth a stop in town to get a sampling of the beers that put it on the map for beer fans. Try the latest offerings or go with the hoppy IPA dubbed You’re Right on Time or an easy-drinking American lager like Alvarado’s Monterey Beer. Meanwhile, for food, visitors can enjoy the newly launched Bar Pie pizza program or dig into a wagyu smash burger should the mood strike.
Alta Bakery and Cafe
The Old Town District of Monterey is chock-full of history and lore, and one of the richest places to absorb some of it is the rehabilitated Cooper-Molera Adobe and the surrounding grounds. The project to revitalize this property was no small feat, and one of the principal players was Ben Spungin, formerly of Post Ranch Inn and now culinary director of Alta Bakery & Cafe, housed in this historic corner on Munras Avenue. The tucked-away garden courtyard is a lovely spot to sip a cold brew coffee or kiwi and pineapple sage mimosa while nibbling on a croque-monsieur or obligatory avocado toast.
Chez Noir
Husband-and-wife co-owners chef Jonny Black and Monique Black bring years of cooking at Michelin-starred destinations to their hotly anticipateddebut restaurant. Opening in October 2022, the restaurant showcases Jonny’s cooking chops in dishes that showcase the abundance of local ingredients including uni-topped spaghetti alla chiatarra and anabalone sausage stuffed chicken wing.
Foray
In a city and region known for its powerful seafood, husband-and-wife team Michael Chang and Caroline Singer’s fare holds its own — and more. Dry-aged salmon paired with the gorgeous, serene design of the restaurant makes for an ideal dinner. Be bold and order a drink with pox, apre-colonial corn-based spirit worked cleverly into cocktails.
Stationæry
Stumbling upon Stationaery, hidden within the quaint San Carlos Square, is like discovering a secret note written just for you. Except it is no secret, as everyone now knows about the delicious food to be found here. The tiny 34-seat space has outdoor seating too, which helps accommodate the long wait for the popular brunch featuring items like the potato pancake or a lobster roll on an Ad Astra brioche bun.
- San Carlos Street, 3 NE of 6th Avenue, San Carlos St, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93921, USA
- (831) 250-7183
- Visit website
Edwin's Kaona Carmel
Edwin’s takes the place of Affina, a longtime Mediterranean restaurant from chef Dexter Salazar. During the pandemic, Salazar was on the brink of retirement with plans to sell the restaurant, when his brothers and nephew stepped in. Now they’ve reopened as Edwin’s, a tribute to the family’s Filipino roots, and Salazar’s father, Edwin. Expect “Shanghai” lumpia rolls, Balinese chicken, and more Filipino flavors sprinkled throughout, with an extensive wine list, to boot.
Jeju Kitchen
Ashley Wolff opened Carmel-By-The-Sea’sonly Korean restaurant in late 2023. She couldn’t have known it would be such a huge hit when she did, though theMichelin folks, theNew York Times, andForbes all knew what she was cooking up straight away. Kimchi fried rice arancini and miso cacio e pepe await any smart enough to get a table at this Carmel Center Place restaurant.
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