Top 12 Budget-Friendly Restaurants Near You in in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA

MARY ALLAG Brophy’s Tavern absolutely blew me away, especially considering we visited on Thanksgiving Day. Devin and Asia were running the entire bar and floor by themselves, and you would never know it — they were in perfect sync. No one waited to be greeted, sat, served, or poured. The whole room had this energized, effortless flow that you only get from people who are really good at what they do. The food was unbelievably delicious; we got the Reuben calzone and the filet mignon sliders. Whoever was making the food behind the scenes was truly on it. Devin made me the “Ted on the Water,” and Asia told us the best story about Ted, and Jaws, we just had to take home the shark cup! As someone who works in the industry, I would’ve assumed they needed at least one more person… but these two handled it flawlessly. They’re rockstars, and Brophy’s is lucky to have them.

Henry Ting Cash Only. There are 2 MUST REVISIT places every time that I come here: one is Patisserie Boissiere for their French onion soup and salad combo, and the second is Katys Place for breakfast. They have over 15 variations of Eggs Benedict, everything from a more traditional style to a lobster eggs Benedict. They can also do the same dozen styles but in an omelet. The 2 of us shared the corned beef eggs Benedict and pancakes short stack. My favorite must-have is their huge, fluffy buttermilk pancakes with a side of Canadian maple syrup. OMG. Our 2 pancakes were big enough for the 4 of us to share. One the best. Great service. But CASH ONLY.

Janet Dang Food was good. Service was sloooooow! We grabbed a table for 5 and they had us wait for a chair and then a random patio chair was brought over. Orders were placed and we brawl sat there for 3 hrs total between waiting, ordering the food, and then getting the food. Do not come here if you are hangry or on a time crunch. Service was inattentive after we received our plates, that was that. We didn’t get checked on or ask if we needed anything else. All the dishes were good though so no complaints on the food. Just know they are very busy and they had two ppl for the whole entire restaurant. Bring your patience

Mark McDonald We came for Tuesday dog night from 6 to 8. There were dogs all around. The live music was a two-person band. We each ordered their hamburger which was delicious. The fries were spectacular, extremely crispy. Good work chef! Theres a pop-up bar but its limited in the selections. Good place to see your dog friends and make new ones.

Ernest Lopez Well this is my 2nd Michelin rated restaurant and it was absolutely delicious. First of all the food menu is very nice with me being from the Southwest and spending time by the Mexico Border. The mezcal and tequila menu left me feeling extremely content but sad that I could not possibly ever try them all. I selected a still strength Fortaleza and boy let me tell you. I am now officially a fan of Blanco Tequila!! Well Still strength at least. The Chapolines……hahahaha when I see something like this in a menu I have to try it. I got my entire table to eat them……the chile lime flavor from a grasshopper is pretty unique and a memorable Moment I will have forever. My wife and I were merely in the area only for one evening and we walked into a slice of Home away from home and Heaven at the same time. The service was perfect…..duh they have the Michelin sign out front;) the atmosphere was perfect. If I am ever in the area again I will most definitely be going back to try more tequilas……one shot at a time, save the salt for someone else ;) oh and the chocolate drink at the night for night cap was absolutely delicious and reminded me of hot coco that my grandmother would make for me.

Lastxuan. The food was good, though not particularly outstanding. The service was attentive and professional, with friendly staff throughout the meal. In my opinion, the dining atmosphere was the biggest highlight — the restaurant has a warm, vintage feel, and in one corner there is even a table that was once used by Vincent van Gogh.

Hannah Clitheroe I was nervous about bringing our 10 month daughter out to dinner in NYE but they were so accommodating! I made reservations for 5:15 (before people who didn’t want a nosy baby near them came to dinner) and we were seated immediately. The service was amazing! We ordered a bottle of Pinot noir, the crab cakes, My husband got a burger. Ans I had the seafood linguine - it was AMAZING! I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the restaurant was and how easily they accommodated kids, there’s a kids menu and plenty of high chairs. We will definitely be coming back!

Jea Kim Heard this was the brunch spot everyone talks about, so had to make this our first stop. Scored a reservation just two days ahead, and I guess we got lucky, because walk-ins looked nearly impossible without a wait once the tables started filling up. Most people went straight for the standard breakfast plate, but we opted for the potato pancake and the chilaquiles. Best call of the day. The potato pancake was one of the best brunch plates I’ve ever had. A perfect stack: light creaminess from Stepladder fromage blanc, fruity sweetness from stone fruit, and that punch of umami from Ibérico ham. The crepe-thin potato pancake underneath gave everything contrast, soaking up the toppings with a little crisp and just enough grease. Absolute magic. The chilaquiles were solid. Balanced flavors, satisfying enough, but after the high of that pancake, they felt a tad plain. If you’re in the area, this place is worth the reservation for breakfast or brunch.

William Fox Impeccable service and atmosphere. We walked in without a reservation and were welcomed in right away. Great wine list, reasonably priced. We had the branzino which was prepared with artichokes and shallots with a light sauce (very different, very delicious!) the Pistacio Mousse was a great dessert touch. Highly recommend!

Marilyn Chi Delicious! Tasty!! Well worth it. Excellent service! At least 2 people have recommended this restaurant when we got into Carmel. We didn’t have a reservation, but we really wanted to try it since it was highly recommended. They gave us the option of sitting at the bar area which had some tables. The plus in sitting at the bar area is that you can order from their regular menu and the bar menu. I ordered the Sole Menuire and hubby ordered the Grilled bistro rib eye steak, 10oz which included French fries and salad. His steak was from the bar menu. We had also ordered the octopus as the starter and that was very tasty. The service was excellent! I highly recommend this restaurant and making reservations prior to going. But if you don’t and don’t mind, the bar seating was great too.

Sunny The food was very good and had great quality and quantity. However the food took long to come. In my order we got 2 pizzas and 1 pasta, instead of 1 pasta we got one we didnt order. It was just a misunderstanding and we gave it back!

Andre Manzoni I really like my experience over there. The server was very attractive to details. The food was soo rich in flavor. I personally loved the paella. I totally recomed this place.