They did welcome drinks for my daughter's wedding in their back garden area. Very nice spot and the service was great.

Nice wine selection and good, decent, simple American-style selection of food. Not a formal setting at all, with a lot of loud music and lots of families moving in and out, so not a relaxing setting, at Carmel Valley prices. Probably won't come back again. read more

The food is good, but a salad with no protein is $20. It's not a big salad. My burger was good, but it was $24.

This place is so charming, their food always delivers and there is always a table available. Most recently I had the salmon dish and it was one of best cooked salmon I've had. Can't say enough good things about this place. Downside - prices are steep but so is everything in this area. I think these prices are more justified if it's table service. In this case it is not. Also, be ready to flag down folks for help. You can always get someone after a few minutes though. read more

Originally when we checked into our hotel in Carmel Valley for the Big Sur International Marathon... I thought we had made an error.... The Valley was a good 11 miles from Monterrey and I figured we would be driving back and forth, etc. After the race we went wine tasting and asked a local winery where a good place to eat was - there was no hesitation and the Corkscrew Cafe was on our agenda. It was within walking distance (check) and got some pretty good reviews from the winery owner we asked. Upon walking up, I knew this was going to be a great meal. The restaurant reminded me of a converted house - super unique and cozy. It was a super nice evening so we sat outside. Our server started out with drinks and everyone at the table ordered pizza. I went against the grain and ordered the Short Rib with Patty-pan Squash and Cauliflower Puree... It was melt in your mouth delicious. I was also able to try a slice of meyer lemon pizza and it was super good! Our server Christian did an awesome job serving us - we also got to know him since one of my friends asked some probing questions. Great to hear his story how he started out and his passion for food. I think he's found a great fit in this restaurant since he shares the chef's passion for food as well. We ended our evening with a slice of coconut cream pie which was pretty darn awesome. Overall a great great experience and great way to end our marathon weekend. read more

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A perfect place to stop when whine tasting. Do not sleep on the Meyer Lemon Pizza!! (you're welcome)

This place really made our night in Carmel--we were originally going to Roux right around the corner half an hour before they close. The hostess at Roux didn't even look up to us, mumbled "we are fully booked tonight" while the restaurant was more than half-empty, and then we luckily stumbled upon Corkscrew. Corkscrew was also closing soon, but the hostess welcomed us in with a warm smile. She even took the time to show us both their inside and outside seating areas so we could decide where to be seated. The waitress was also amazingly friendly. She had great recommendations for the food and drinks here, and was helpful and upbeat the whole time. The Meyer Lemon pizza was absolutely delicious! Also amazing gelato selection (we got the banana dolce de leche... never had it anywhere before.) What a gem and a pleasant surprise for a lovely night. We hope to be back soon! read more

Corkscrew Cafe - Meyer lemon pizza! - American Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

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Amazing food, great outdoor setting, good for kids - took my 3 year old and she was very happy! Can't wait to go again!

My husband and I shared the pear salad and mushroom pizza, which had a perfect crust. Both items were delicious. Outdoor seating area in back is large, yet quaint. Good service, too. read more

Great lunch place but small area if the weather is rainy. Has the chicken salad, broccoli and burrata were excellent. We were placed in another room with a heater and no other tables. Service was very good. Suggest reservations in advance. read more

Had a lovely dinner here with family. Although food did take a little longer really enjoyed the artichoke ravioli!

This is one of our all time favorites! The patio is great and I love the Meyer Lemon pizza. Sergio, the waiter, is fantastic. A must stop if you're in the area. read more

2 stars for the ambiance. Food is fair. On more than one occasion had poor service. Younger poorly dressed kids waiting on us. Telling us we need to hurry up due to the restaurant closing in 1.5 hours. Also called and told they were too busy take a simple to go order. read more

We've been to the Corkscrew a number of times, it's changed a lot over the years. It's been pretty good until this last time. My wife's dinner was cold and scrimpy, especially for the price. I got a dinner type salad for $28 that was smaller than most restaurants salads that come with the meal and it wasn't even good. I felt like I needed to order another meal, but not at that price and quality. Never to return. read more

Carmel Valley has a relaxed, country vibe. Corkscrew Cafe provided the perfect Friday late lunch - outdoor covered garden seating, soft 70s music. Corkscrew white port cocktail was very refreshing. Shared corn pizza and beet salad both full of fresh, creative flavors. Definitely worthy for something different. read more

Do not order the pear salad with add on protein. The salad will be smaller than a side salad. My friend ordered the beet salad and it was much larger in a large bowl. I paid $31 for dry, overcooked chicken with the tiniest bit of salad, and the iced tea was $7 (my mistake for not checking the price first). This place is overpriced for what you get. We were there for lunch. The salads did have a nice flavor so at least there's that. The pear salad is now half the size of what you see in the pictures here. read more

We ordered two pizzas which took over 50 minutes to arrive. No pizza is worth such a wait. I'm sure with better service we would have had a nicer experience. The garden is lovely read more

Great location, food is good but service is terrible. Went there on a Thursday night, only 2 tables occupied at the time. It took 2 hours to get pizza and soup. read more

Don't bother!!! Even in this pandemic they don't care! Awful service and food ..We had mussels and pizza a beet and rose 76$ way too much ...we have eaten here a couple Times but won't be back! read more

We have LONG loved The Corksrew Cafe, and I can finally say that the Corkscrew Café is back! During and after Covid, Carmel Valley lost a lot of its staple QUALITY restaurants. While Corkscrew Café did not go under or close, their change into a cafeteria was a huge mistake., and in my opinion, lasted too long after most restaurants had recovered from that horrible time. I'm going to give them credit here for not closing. Now, I'm also going to give them five stars for what they are today! It is just like being back in that beautiful restaurant back in 2017 or 2018. The ambience of theback European patio cannot be surpassed. The food is stellar, and the service is so sweet and relaxed, without being neglectful at all. It's like an old friend has come back home! We are so happy to have this wonderful restaurant back to its beautiful self, so that we are having a meal there at least once a week! Please try it, you won't be disappointed! read more

They have really good pizza but it is kind of self serve so not what you want if you are looking for something elegant.

Corkscrew Cafe has such an enchanting garden which is a lovely place to have a leisurely lunch! The ordering set up is a little confusing and there can often be a wait, but we were lucky to find a rare quiet time to go. I ordered the salmon which was pricey (which is to be expected for the area) but very delicious. I will be back to try the pizza! read more

Mushroom pizza was one of the best I have had, crust was incredible. The outside seating was peaceful and felt like a vacation. Inside very cute and intimate. Loved that is is right next to winery also! read more

Oh my gosh lunch at Corkscrew Cafe was such an unexpected treat. It's a quaint and charming little restaurant with the nicest staff! My mom and I visited on a rainy day and had a spectacular lunch. The steak frites and carrot soup were so yummy. The pear salad was amazing. I think about the broiled pear almost daily. When I came home I bought all the ingredients to try to replicate it but had no luck. I guess I'll just have to visit again soon. read more

Okay so let me tell you! Nice ambience, The pizza was good but limited menu! The hostess working the register was awful. So our waiter we ordered a burger which was very mediocre, a pizza which was good and some onion rings which he forgot and didn't even apologize. When we went to the front to explain to the hostess/register that he forgot and the onion rings she didn't care. The only staff that seemed remotely caring for as the guy making the pizzas!!! Don't waste your money!!!! read more

Food, service and ambiance are wonderful. Meyer lemon pizza is incredible. Please figure out how to play music without ads

Best food and service in Monterey County . Dogs of all sizes welcome on dog patio . Knowledgeable and caring waitstaff exceptional kitchen crew Price point is moderately expensive but worth it. Love this place read more

Corkscrew Cafe - American Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

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Delicious pizza. Ordered the elote one to try something different. Also ordered the burrata starter to share. Nice courtyard area to sit with our dog. Brut rose on the menu was nice read more

We are so happy our friends told us about Corkscrew Cafe! We had lunch here a few months ago and decided to go back this time, for dinner! My husband and I had a spur of the moment overnight trip to Monterey! Our dinner at Corkscrew Cafe was just perfect! It's a lovely drive thru Carmel Valley to get there from Carmel, and oh so worth it! They have a great system setup, to order, and the outdoor patio is rustic and cute... lovely water features and plants in a private courtyard, with colorful tables, spaced far apart! We chose one of their wee "nooks" and we were happy! We were starving after our long walk along the beach, so we didn't hold back! We splurged and ordered TWO appetizers- Roasted garlic and goat cheese and the Mac and cheese! Then we shared the pear and Gorgonzola salad and the mushroom pizza! Omg! All of it was sooo yummy! All with a delicious glass of wine(or two) It was the perfect date night! We even had dessert!! read more

Corkscrew Cafe - Our private nook! :) - American Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

I thought the atmosphere was amazing! The food was delicious! We had the bread/ roasted garlic/goat cheese and it was so good! For our main meal we had sausage pesto pizza! My friend and I split a slice of coconut creme pie! It was perfect the filling was just right and the crust was amazing! The issue was the service. Our waitress was inattentive and when we asked for something she gave us her two cents. I would go back again as everything else was good! read more

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We were regulars at Corkscrew when we went to Carmel Valley pre-Covid and always enjoyed it. Today was our first time visiting in about 12 months and we had the most amazing customer service. The owner/manager was extremely accommodating for our family of three and we will always have this as our No.1 CV restaurant. Food was delicious, as always. read more

The food is good. BUT the service, unfortunately is terrible. I wasn't asked once in our hour visit what I would like, we had a table of 8. I had to get up to grab our table napkins and silverware after we were served food. I also had to go to the front on the business and ask for a beverage because our service was almost completely nonexistent. And the waiter record his automatic tip because we had a table of 8 . Sorry but I'll never order from this local business again. read more

Wonderful food, lemon pizza! Pear salad! Cheeses. Great wines! Absolutely beautiful garden dining, Dog Friendly!. Lovely village surrounding it. Next to the Library! Cool on a hot day. Always cool! read more

Corkscrew Cafe - Lemon pizza, pear salad. - American Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

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Beautiful and unique restuarant. it was surprising the upbeat music was so loud for this type of restaurant. Very distracting and hard to hear server over the music. We thought it was a happy hour type bar at first due to the music. Onion rings were fabulous. Braised short ribs were somehow cold with cold smashed potatoes. Server did remove this item from our bill which was not expected but appreciated. read more

The menu online is not accurate. Ordered Osso Bucco but what was offered was pork in a barbecue sauce on a brioche bun that was burned and it couldn't be a sandwich because the brioche was soggy (a different bun would have been a better choice and we've grown to expect good food from this restaurant); the smoked trout smelled like a bad fish and the mashed potatoes had so much salt that it was inedible. Being close to the restaurant I called and said the trout and mashed potatoes were inedible and I wanted to order a pizza and brought the fish back. The pear salad is always good but the pear was on its last day as the middle was brown and no amount of melted cheese can cover a bad pear. The meal was $88 and I left the $11 for a tip but I should have taken that back as it was the only tip in the jar and the young man needs to be trained on how to deal with bad food returned.we The restaurant has good pizzas and the pizza men are polite and always smile. read more

This should be three $$$ dollar signs. $7 for iced tea! Are you kidding me? It's getting hard to justify going out any more.

The service was fast and friendly. The pizza and salad were okay, but nothing memorable. The salad portion was very small for the price. Prices in general are about 40-50 percent higher than what you'd pay in nearby Monterey for comparable dishes. I realize it's Carmel Valley and "gourmet," but it's just didn't seem to me to be a great value. read more

This place did not live up to what I hoped for. Pros: Dog friendly and nice staff. Outside of that, everything was a bummer. The lunch menu online did not match the menu at the restaurant. I went there for the greek chicken salad to find it wasn't on the menu. So, I got the pomegranate chicken salad. They were out of the dressing, so I picked another option. Salad was lacking and the fruit on it was mush. It was also missing the nuts which I didn't realize until writing this. For $24 I expected a lot more. My husband had carnitas tacos and they didn't have much flavor. read more

huge fan! it was a really hot day but they brought us ice and water to help cool down. the heirloom burrata salad was very good but i am a huge sucker for burrata so i always love burrata. we tried 3 pizzas: the pepperoni, meyer lemon, and mushroom. all were very yummy! my personal fav would probably be the mushroom or pepperoni but ive never had a pizza like meyer lemon before... with actual lemon slices so definitely try it! it had prosciutto, shaven parmesan, and arugula so very refreshing. the mushroom had truffle oil and i love truffle so that was my go-to. the pepperoni was super yummy just classic flavors! overall great food experience dining with a large party. everyone left satisfied after a day of wine tasting! read more

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Lovely outdoor garden area, delicious food with generous portions. 1glass of wine could have easily split into two, reasonably priced.