Was turned away from Cafe Rustica due to "no reservation" at 5:30 pm although there were several tables open on the patio. I ate at another restaurant that was within view of the Cafe & the tables never filled. Wow!!!! This is a first!!!! Will never go there again even though I spend a lot of time in Carmel Valley. read more

We had a wonderful dinner here on Friday evening. I had the BBQ Chicken Pizza, and my wife had the Cheese Tortellini. Both dishes were excellent! read more

Our group ordered a few dishes and the only one we enjoyed was my paella which was larger and more flavorful. They should also get more blankets for guests who are cold. We were freezing but a larger table had taken all the blankets! read more

This place is terrific. Not perfect. But most everything they make, they make well. It's European, simple and tasty. The main dishes are nicely flavored, cooked right, with perfectly-prepared veggies. You get a lot of food. The service is exceptional. Your water glass is always attended to, without having to ask. The fresh bread automatically gets refilled. Your every need is anticipated. The fish specials are always excellent. So is the soup of the day. My son loves the pork medallions. I like the lamb or the ravioli, sometimes the salmon. The red leaf lettuce salad with pears and candied nuts and bleu cheese is also a favorite of mine. It's a meal in itself. Sometimes we get the pizza, but it's not my style. It has thin crust, slightly crispy, usually needs salt. It's mostly the sauceless variety. My son loves it. The desserts are great. Try the butterscotch pudding. I know, sounds boring, but it's really terrific. Everyone who tries it does so reluctantly then ends up devouring it. Cafe Rustica went through a bad spell when they changed ownership a couple of years ago, and we stopped going for a while. But we tried it again recently, and they're back to being awesome. It's a good value for the money. Not cheap by any means, but you get a lot for your dollar, in quality and quantity. read more

my husband and i visited monterey for our 1 year anniversary and my grandma recommended we drive out to carmel valley to have lunch here. we both ordered pizza (my husband the dynamite, and i had the flammekueche)...the flammekueche was AMAZING. i read a few reviews saying this place was overrated but you have to try this pizza. it's soooo yummy. also, we ate on the outside patio and learned it is dog-friendly. i really liked this although we didn't have our dog with us. even though someones dog did bark a bit much. read more

A friend recommended this restaurant so we drove up there for lunch and I must say it was delicious. I ate everything on the plate. I ordered the special - Sand Dabs with aioli sauce, german potato salad and butter lettuce salad. All tasted very yummy. We sat outside in the winter warm sun and savored our meal. Next we are going to try he Monterey Fish Company Restaurant which we hear is fantastic. I can hardly wait! read more

We went to Cafe Rustica today for lunch, and it was excellent. We got a table outside where it was sunny and very comfortable. I had one of the specials, an heirloom tomato salad with a balsamic honey dressing. Fresh and yummy.Delicious! My husband had the spinach ravioli with caramelized onions. He loved it. The wine was very good. The only thing that could have been better was that my white wine was not quite as cold as it should have been.my husband had a local cab that he enjoyed. I had a mocha cappuccino that was gigantic! It was wonderful. I also had a yummy lemon dessert with strawberries and whipped cream. Would recommend this place highly. read more

The service and food were amazing!! All 4 of us loved what we ordered. Our waitress was awesome. Super sweet and came back to check on us.

Atmosphere and ambiance are great. The food is good, but not off the charts good. The serving sizes are very large. It is still a very quaint place to have a nice dinner. read more

Cafe Rustica has a delicious selection of italian and other mediterranean foods! The red leaf lettuce with pears and bleu cheese was amazing, as was the mushroom pizza. The hungarian goulash was very, very good, too. The staff was attentive and we've always been seated quickly. The kids seems to enjoy it, but I don't think I would take them again- they are toddlers and might be a little too young (and vocal!) for a place like this. But this is just a personal opinion- we never felt unwelcome with the kids. Overall, a great restaurant, whether you want a small bite to eat or a full meal. read more

well this annual "lunch spot" when I am in valley for lunch. Great place that focusing on eating close to earth..local produce! try the mussels n broth & the chicken sandwich...over the moon. read more

We had a great dinner here. I had a steak salad that was delicious and my husband had a steak cooked to order with vegetables which was out of this world. It is a romantic place for a couples night out. I would definitely recommend it. read more

What an amazing experience. I ordered the beet salad and my husband ordered the spinach salad. My beet salad was so delicious that I had to slow down and savor every bite. My husband says it was the best spinach salad he ever had and was almost big enough to be an entree. We also had the Lorraine pizza. I loved every bite...I wonder how the chef managed to deliver bacon taste in each. read more

On our way to Paso Robles, we stopped by Cafe Rustica for an early dinner. After reading the positive reviews, we made a reservation for 6:30 in the veranda (aka patio). It seems like a charming spot for an Italo-French dinner. Boy - did it turn South. First we asked for olive oil as dipping instead to the cheap packages of butter. Both bus boy and waiter told us that the owner, who is 'French', wants to keep the integrity of the cuisine. WHAT??!?! What integrity? The restaurant is called Rustica and you serve PIZZA, Rigatoni, Ravioli and Ciabatta. Sorry to bust your bubbles Monsieur but that's ITALIAN! I assumed our waiter heard me expressed the audacity of not offering us OLIVE OIL, he came back much later and slipped us some. Really, is it so hard to do???? BTW - not EVERYONE cares for butter and especially in CA. OLIVE OIL is good cholesterol for your heart and taste 100 times better. Anyway - we started the evening with some clams and asked for NO beurre blanc. The clams were good but nothing to rave over. We also split the beet salad (nicely dressed and large portions). I decided not to order an entree and had a taste of my BF's marinated fillet lamb. I took two bites and was not impressed and I truly don't think he cares for the dish. He was scrapping the jus off of the lamb. Truth be told, the lamb was swimming in the juice. Well, my BF is Italian and I lived in Italy and we love simple 'rustica' food but this restaurant fell short. Too many sauces to cover the bland food. I will never come back. read more

Yummyyyyyyyyy! The pizza was so good! We had the mushroom extravaganza. It was genuinely good - not SF Bay Area good. Truly good. Lots of flavor, crisp crust, hot from the oven. Yum. This is a great place to eat in the Carmel area, especially since so many of the restaurants in Carmel proper seem to cater to tourists (= pricey mediocre food). I wished they had a couple of veggie appetizers here, especially since the house bread was eh. But that just meant we saved room for dessert and I was all about the roasted banana gelato. OMG YUM. I almost finished it, which is saying a lot for a half-eater like me. read more

Had a fantastic lunch here during our day of wine tasting / exploring Carmel Valley. Our party of three tried three of the wood fired pizzas.. one with sausage, a mexican style pizza and one with caramelized onions (sorry, can't remember any of the names!). My personal favorite was the pizza with the caramelized onions.. and I could live without the Mexican style pizza. The pizza was great, very fresh toppings and a thin, light crust. Deeelish! In hindsight, three pizzas was way too much for three people.. two would be just fine. read more

AMAZING! Ventured to Carmel Valley Village for the first time, such a cute, picturesque place and Cafe Rustica is even more adorable. We had a wonderfully flavorful salad and delicious pizza. Lots of local wine options and friendly, super prompt service - even when the entire indoors & patio were both full. Perfect place for a relaxing lunch or romantic date night, can't wait to go back!! read more

Had a wonderful dinner here with the boyfriend to celebrate our anniversary. The food was excellent! I highly recommend the rib eye steak and any of the Hellerman estate wines to go with dinner. Service was superb, and sitting outside added a whole new level to the ambience. Truly an unforgettable experience. Only issue is price and their bread is quite bad. Otherwise everything was delicious and extremely romantic. read more

Had dinner this past Saturday night and sat at the bar. I ordered the grilled veggie plate. Delicious! Sliced zucchini, petite string beans, scrumptiously sautéed spinach, fried artichoke pieces, delish au gratin potatoes and grilled onions so flavorful and sweet! Lovely decor, friendly and efficient wait staff. Highly recommend this place. read more

Three ladies a a baby were turned today and it made no sense. It was 5 pm just opened. only 2 were tables occupied and we were turned away because we had no reservation!? I thought maybe it was because of race but the host was biracial herself, maybe they didn't like I had a baby and stroller?? We went to the trail side cafe that served us very happily. Shame on you cafe rustica! read more

Great service, fast and friendly. Excellent crispy thin crust pizza. We had the flammekuche an Alsatian pizza with ham and caramelized onions. A must try. The sea bass special was perfectly cooked and a thick tender filet. Although we did not order the wine they were quite knowledgeable about the many offerings read more

WOW, tucked away in Carmel Valley, this little restaurant is a gem. Small, but very intimate. Outdoor seating is very nice, and the indoor seating is a little cramped. Very rustic decor, but the service and food is excellent. The escargot it better than I had in France, the duck was to die for, even the salad we exceptional. If you are every in Carmel, take the time out and dine at this restaurant. If another restaurant recommends this, you know it has to be good. read more

Finally made it to Cafe Rustica after hearing so many good things about it. It was a wonderful lunch! Their patio is adorable and the salmon filet sandwich was delicious! The price was very reasonable for the portion size. Service was quick and friendly, not stuffy or overbearing. I will definitely be back in the near future! read more

Great ambience, very good food, professional service. Roasted chicken was amazing, and I usually don't rave about chicken. Eat the skin. Delicious clams for an appy, and tasty mushroom pizza. Cozy and Warm. Highly recommended. read more

Heaven in gastronomy. The atmosphere is quaint and charmingly provincial, the food is nothing short of delicious, fresh and beautiful. A true experience in deliciousness. read more

Cafe Rustica - French Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

Four of us came for lunch, and it was a horrible dining experience. Our waiter was impatient and rude to us. They got three of our orders wrong. My burger and my friend's burger had mustard and mayo on them when we asked for them dry. They brought out new burgers, but those had mustard and mayo on them too. The grilled cheese still had the paper packaging on the cheese, which my sister accidentally bit into and swallowed a bit. Each time we had to send something back, we could barely get the waiter to listen or even look at us. We'd be halfway through a sentence and he would just walk away. I will say that the busboys were very helpful and friendly, and the horrible waiter only charged us for the one order he got right. The four of us were on vacation and were really looking forward to a day of wine tasting and lunch, but our lunch was completely ruined. read more

My absolute go to restaurant to recommend in Carmel Valley! Seriously has been the most consistent around, whatever i liked i can order again and there aren't any surprises... Tastes exactly like the dish i loved every time! Being a concierge, consistency is important when recommending places! The Lorraine pizza is one my my new favorites but my go to is a beet salad and add chicken. The pistachio gelato was creamy and the perfect light dessert after a large meal! read more

I have only eaten here once (unfortunately) but it is delicious and I can't wait to come back. They have great pasta and their desserts are even better! I have heard their pizza is delicious but have yet to try it. I'm definitely coming back soon. Great service as well. You can wear semi-casual or fancy clothes depending on the occasion. read more

Ridiculous good pizza, great service and smartly priced wine list! Hard to beat for great, local Euro comfort foid;!

good but overpriced. check out the antiques garden across the way! FOOD:~flammekeuche pizza was good, thin, & i guess neapolitan style? the creme fraiche was a nice touch, but i feel like i've had a better combination of toppings. ~egg salad sandwich with smoked salmon: i really liked this. egg salad not quite as good as bakesale betty's, but homemade tasting & made with affection nonetheless. i'm inspired to put bay shrimp on my next egg salad sandwich! fries were good. ~blueberry brioche bread pudding was yum! but sounded a bit better than it tasted. i like how each glass of wine came with its own decanter with extra wine. makes u feel like ur getting more value for that $15 glass of wine. SERVICE: nice, ingratiating, giggly. DECOR: we sat outside, which was nice. inside looked warm & inviting. i'd say the setting was the best part. BATHROOM: good. OVERALL: i was pretty shocked at the bill, which makes me not as happy with my meal. overpriced for sure. read more

Great pizza, and cool atmosphere--dog friendly, too! Perfect spot for artisan pizza, with some of the local wines--including the Georgis, sold here. Love this patio space--just the right amount of shabby chic, and not overdone like so many Carmel Valley spots- read more

This place was cozy, yummy, and all around pleasant to be in! Our waitress was super nice and helped us the appropriate amount! Not too much where it's bothersome and not enough where we were wondering where she was. I had Jose's Chili Verde Pizza and it was DELICIOUS!! Hit the spot! It was rather big too! The SO and I both decided we could have shared a meal because of the sizes! He had the lamb and it was also delicious. Cooked in a yummy "what is in this because it's so good" sauce! Hahha loved it!! YUM!! read more

Seriously good food. Like, I would never have ordered an egg salad sandwich in a restaurant, but it's the best egg salad sandwich I've ever had and sometimes I find myself daydreaming about it. And. It's just an egg salad sandwich. How could they make it so good? read more

This casual setting serves up quality meals at a reasonable price. I ordered the Pasta Rustica for dinner which was hearty and delicious.

We headed to this place because we couldn't find parking at the restaurants that we wanted to go to along that main thoroughfare in Carmel. Turned out to be fortuitous for us. We had very delicious pizzas from the wood burning brick oven. Ambiance is much much lovelier than the pictures show at the website. This place is located in a cute, small shopping center (therefore parking is not a problem) and across from this really cool place that sells outdoor and indoor Asian antique furniture. read more

I've only been there once, but I recall thoroughly enjoying my dinner (a pizza), the wine list, and the decor. I wish I had more to report, but it's been a while. If you're in the Valley, however, it's worth checking out. read more

Great pizza (5 star worthy) but the salad was lacking (3 star worthy). They were very busy and the service lacked a little bit but over all great ambience in doors, wonderful patio outdoors and great food. Pizza was thin crust and traditional! The creme brulee was also wonderful but worth sharing portions here if you are a lite eater. Two could easily split a salad and pizza for lunch and have reasonable portions. read more

Loved their crepe with curry and chicken! Very healthy and a perfect amount of serving.

Exceptional. Came here during a day trip around the central coast. Beautiful boutique eatery with flatbreads, salads, and sandos. I had the egg salad sandwich (added smoked salmon) served with a warm potato salad, and my husband had the Lorriane flatbread. Both excellent. I had a glass of the Heller Chardonnay and my husband a glass of the Garnet Pinot. Came here with our son. Decent for kids (they are very welcoming and even have a kids menu) but I would recommend it for kids who are good with their indoor voices. The meal in whole - Delicious. Fun to enjoy local wines with our meal. I would also recommend checking out this little community and wine taste. Adorable. read more

Love the outdoor area/pretty setting, huge salads that come with most entrees, and the attentive wait staff. Great weekend lunch stop is you are in Carmel Valley!! read more