My friends made a reservation at this Michelin Star restaurant and it was a 5-star experience…read moreindeed! From the food to the drinks to the overall chic and comfortable ambiance, it was an absolute treat! The service was impeccable for our party of 8. We had various tequila drinks and the chips, salsa, hot sauces (some quite hot!) made for an exceptional start. I ordered the salmon, which was sitting on a bed of cauliflower mashed potatoes and draped with an arugula salad, topped with a mache chili oil drizzle. The taste was as perfect as the presentation! The best salmon I've ever had, indeed. One of the guest had birria tacos served with a split bone marrow! Never saw that combination before! He let me try some and it was delicious! Overall, a perfect setting, a perfect meal and a truly 5-star evening!!

Tried Alejandro's because it's part of the Resy dining network, and we wanted to use our quarterly…read moreAmex Platinum dining credit. If you're an Amex Platinum cardholder looking to burn Resy credits in Monterey, this Mexican restaurant is worth a try -- but manage your expectations. We had a reservation and were seated right away, which was a plus. Started with chips and guac and a couple of drinks, then ordered the chicken enchiladas and the skirt steak and arugula salad, adding shrimp to the salad. The food was fine, the atmosphere was fine, the service was fine -- nothing memorable, nothing bad. The real issue is price. Adding shrimp to a salad cost about $15, and our total with tip came out to around $140 for two people. For that price point in Monterey, I expected more from the food and overall experience. Would I come back? Probably not at full price. But if you have the Amex Platinum and quarterly Resy dining credits to use, it softens the blow enough to make it worth trying once.

The service here is absolutely amazing! The views are stunning and the food is out of this world!…read moreWe started with the oysters and they were fresh and delicious. We then ordered the Cesar salad and the waiter heard us talking about how we loved the anchovies and brought us over extra! We each ordered one of the amazing specials and my fish with truffle ravioli was DIVINE!!! They also have a fabulous wine list and amazing desserts. The cannolis are made in house and sooo good! There is plenty of parking in the lot. The bathrooms are pristine. The ambiance of this spot is just stunning! Perfect for a romantic date night and it has that quaint, high end, intimate Italian restaurant vibe that truly makes you feel like you're on a getaway in Italy. I can't recommend this place enough and I am very excited to go back and try more of their delicious dishes!

First off the ambience is beautiful and calming, we just finished a long motorcycle ride and found…read morethis place off of yelp. I ordered the Pollo Piccata, my husband ordered the Tagliatelle alla Boscaiola, both were outstanding! The only other thing I would say is, I sure wish we had one where we live.

Service - excellent. Food - soup…read moreyummy Chicken delish The best was the Hen of the woods pasta dish. Can't wait to go back

We wanted a special dinner so my husband surprised us with a reservation here. The restaurant is…read morecute and the service was excellent. I did wish the food was better to make the cost more worthwhile. Maybe our expectation was a little high. We ordered: Drinks: husband had the old fashion (very good), I had grey goose martini (perf prepared) Duck Liver: very generous portion for $21 but it's not for everyone Caesar salad: delicious. Hint of egg in the dressing and it was just the right amount (I didn't taste anchovies which I don't prefer) Crispy potatoes: I can see why it's a favorite Crispy cod: small portion, I had a taste and it was ok for me Pork chop: beautiful presentation. Not as tasty as some of the ones I've had elsewhere Overall, we enjoyed our experience, but wished the food was more wow.

We came to Bistro Moulin with a group, which was perfect because we got to share and try several…read moredishes. I had the filet mignon special, and it was genuinely out of this world...perfectly cooked and served with asparagus, carrots, and silky puréed potatoes. We also shared the Sicilian eggplant pasta, which was absolutely delicious, along with the arugula salad and several desserts. Everything we tried was excellent. Incredible food, wonderful service, and such a warm, charming atmosphere. I already can't wait to come back to Monterey and eat here again!

We were really looking forward to our meal, but unfortunately it didn't meet our expectations. The…read moremussels had a strong, unpleasant odor that concerned us. I felt bad about sending them back and was apologetic when we brought it to the owner's attention. He was responsive, explained that it was the natural smell of the sea, and kindly showed us the invoice proving they were purchased that day. He also offered to check with the vendor. While we appreciated his efforts, the smell was off-putting enough that we decided to order something else. We tried the lamb lollipop special instead. For $42, the portion was quite small--just five thin, uneven pieces--and the lamb was overcooked and overly salty. When we gently mentioned this to our server, she responded with an eye roll, which was disappointing. We genuinely dislike leaving negative feedback, especially for small independent restaurants, but the overall experience left us quite disappointed. Hoping they can improve these items, as the restaurant has potential.

Modern Steak House! Based on my walk around downtown Monterrey Bay this is a good spot for date…read morenight dinner. Service outstanding super friendly. Food was good, had lots of flavor. Meat seemed good quality. Ambiance was clean, modern, dim light, music was a bit loud. Glad we had our date night here!

We wanted to try something special for dinner and my husband and I splurged a little bit with…read moredinner at Montrio. I noticed the Michelin sticker for 2019 and this made me more excited to try the food. Reservation was easy and available even on a days notice. Yay for that! Our server was attentive and made sure we had a great experience. Decor is nice and you can tell it's one of the more fine dining places in the area. We started with crab cakes, move on to the pork chop and short ribs. Both were made to perfection. Dessert was a toss up but glad we had the cake. For all you pop rock lovers out there, the addition of this candy to dessert was unexpected but surprisingly good. Will definitely be back to try the other dishes.

I visited Cultura with my greyhound, so we sat outside in the courtyard near the firepit tables…read moreshared with Vin, next door. It was a cool, breezy night, typical when the summer marine layer moves in over Carmel, but the propane heaters kept us toasty. If you prefer dining indoors, the interior bar and dining spaces had an intimate, funky, but very cool vibe. The host and servers were all extremely friendly and helpful. Despite being outside in the courtyard, they were also incredibly attentive, checking frequently to see if we needed anything. Their recommendations were spot on, too. I was wowed by the cocktail menu. I'll have to return to try more of their bar offerings. This trip, I took advantage of Happy Hour to order the blood orange margarita, and I was not disappointed. I ordered the ceviche appetizer. My greyhound thought it smelled as wonderful as I did. He rested his head between my feet in hopes of catching any ceviche dropping from my hands. This was so tasty, he was out of luck on the table droppings. I also had the chicken enchiladas for my entree. It was one of the best enchiladas I've had in a couple of years. My server, Mario, brought me out a small cup of their take on Mexican hot chocolate, made with oat milk, as an aperitif. It was so delicious, I almost wished I'd ordered a full cup as dessert.

Stopped by Cultura for a light dinner takeout order after over overindulging in seafood during the…read moreday. Everything I ordered --Lime/hibiscus agua fresca, guacamole, house made tortilla chips, salsa and smoked mushroom taco, was on point and I enjoyed chatting with Gladys and Mario. Definitely plan to enjoy a full meal here the next time I'm in town.

My partner and I recently celebrated our anniversary at La Bicyclette, and it was such a wonderful…read moreexperience. This was my second visit, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. Everything we ordered was delicious. The standout for me was the BBQ oysters--they were absolutely incredible and a must-order. I also loved the gnocchi. It was flavorful, perfectly cooked, and one of my favorite dishes of the meal. The only thing I was curious about was the portion size of the gnocchi. Ours came with only five pieces, but after looking through other guests' photos, I noticed some servings appeared to have 7-10 pieces. I'm not sure if the portions vary by preparation or if the photos were from a different time, but I was curious about the inconsistency. That aside, the food, atmosphere, and service made for a memorable anniversary lunch. I'd happily come back again and would definitely recommend La Bicyclette to anyone visiting Carmel.

La Bicyclette is a Michelin Guide spot that's definitely worth checking out while in Carmel by the…read moreSea. Street parking was surprisingly easy with plenty of two-hour parking throughout town. We visited on a weekday and were able to get a table without a reservation, though the wait was about an hour. We started with the stone fruit salad, classic pepperoni pizza, and spaghetti con vongole. The salad was incredibly refreshing. The peaches paired perfectly with the peppery arugula, creating a unique combination that tasted vibrant and fresh. The pepperoni pizza was easily the highlight of the meal. It was one of the best-looking pizzas I've had, with a light, thin crust that stayed soft and airy. It was satisfying without leaving you feeling overly full or weighed down. The spaghetti con vongole was packed with clams, and the sauce leaned creamier than the traditional white wine version. It was a different take, but one I actually enjoyed. The only downside was that a few of the clams had bits of sand, which interrupted an otherwise great dish. Service was a bit inconsistent. I wasn't offered a beverage until I had already finished my salad and finally had to ask. The tables are also very small, so things can feel cramped once all the dishes arrive. Overall, the food easily lives up to the Michelin Guide recognition, especially the pizza. With a few improvements to service and a little more attention to detail with the clams, this would have been an easy five-star experience.

First time to Roux and they didn't disappoint…read more Drink - Glass of sparkling rose each Starter - We shared the roasted Brussel sprouts Mains - My wife had the truffle fettuccine and I had the salmon on a bed of cauliflower risotto Desert - we could not make our mind up so ended up with both the lemon cheesecake and the crème brûlée I've attached pictures of all the dishes (literally) !.. you'll figure that piece out and how much we enjoyed them. I'd read up on the fan fav. French onion soup but was put off as someone said it was filling so skipped it .. After seeing it served at another table I was kicking myself but we will hopefully return for a lunch and will pray that's on the menu. Talking of menus, the only tiny gripe is the website had a menu that is out of date and the 2 dishes I really fancied were no longer available (lobster fettuccine and crab ravioli) .. please please could you update your website or the menu on Yelp or at the least take a photo of the new menu and delete the old ones as they are all 6+yrs old and I forgot to photograph it !. Anyhow, the ambience was great, service was faultless and food devine. Both my wife and I came away (from her birthday dinner) feeling we'd chosen really well with a sincere desire to return !. Thank you to the team for your obvious passion for food, there's lots of choices in the area and Roux stands tall in the valley of giants as a solid recommendation.

Just enjoyed a great meal here! 3/4 of us got the seafood pasta, which was amazing. I had the white…read moresangria, which was sweet and not too heavy on the alcohol. 2 people in our party got the French onion soup. I tried a bit of the cheese and it was out of this world! Maybe I'll get the soup next time with an appetizer because I would have been too full from both the soup and the pasta. The lobster fettuccine and crab ravioli also looked amazing. Easy to make a reservation online and the restaurant wasn't too crowded. There was plenty of outdoor seating. Our waiter was great too. We can't wait to come back!