From the warm welcome at the door to the 'thank you for coming' as we left, the Corkscrew Cafe was a wonderful experience. It's a bit of a drive into Carmel Valley but I can honestly say it's the best food we've ever had while visiting the area. Hands down, 500x better than any meal we've had on Ocean Ave or some of the other Yelp favorites. We started with baked garlic and goat cheese which was the perfect bite that went along with their Cowgirl Chardonnay. We said goodbye keto diet and welcomed Mac & cheese to the table which was so creamy and satisfying. The pear salad featured a baked (?) pear with Gorgonzola cheese..light but also savory. So good. The wood fire mushroom pizza was thin and had just the right amount of char on the crust. Cannot recommend this place enough. Enjoy the drive into Carmel valley and take some time to enjoy a meal at Corkscrew. read more

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Picked up a few pizzas to go. Very nice, especially the mushroom. The edges on 1 pizza were over charred... Was not thrilled with how they managed people as it felt over crowded with the lines when picking up. read more

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Love this place. From the minute you walk into the door, the staff and ambiance are warm and inviting. The pizza oven meets you and let's you know this place is doing it right. We started with the fried onion haystack. Followed that up with a few artisan pizzas The mushroom pizza was one of the best I've ever had. Love the back patio and fountain area. Will definitely be back. read more

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Service depends on who you get but it's a cute cafe with outdoor seating in Carmel Valley. The food is tasty, we had a yummy pepperoni pizza and cheese plate. They forgot our dessert so we went inside to ask for it and we got it but it was still partly frozen because they rushed it to us. Decent prices considering it's Carmel and easy parking. I'll be back. read more

Oh ladies and gents... must stop here for a to die for cheese board ($20) and charcuterie board ($24) The place is small but intimate. Service was prompt. And fun fact- being your own bottles of wine in from one of the 5 or so wineries within walking distance in for a small corkage fee. The bathrooms are super clean and gender neutral. read more

Corkscrew Cafe - Cheese and charcuterie boards - American Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

The ambiance is great but it lacks service. Larger party but we tried to order a couple things and the server would run away after asking if we were ready only able to order one to two items at a time. JB must be in training or there is a lack there of here. I spoke highly about this place having previously frequented the family's other restaurants. Leaving hungry and disappointed. Please teach and train Dennys is more attentive than this. read more

Good food and pizza oven. This Carmel Valley classic will make you smile. Try the Cowgirl wine which is a good value. Really relaxing patio on a sunny day. read more

Leaning forward generously on this review. Had a reservation 4/20/2018, cool vibe but service left us very much wanting....intent was to do two $36 rib eyes but after a bottle of red and the goat cheese appetizer we closed in search of an alternate location. Bottom line: table next to us sent back their pizza, our server after delivering a bottle of red was noticeable missing in action (for 40+ minutes) and the goat cheese app while "ok" summed up to us departing early and dodging a bullet - a likely unsatisfying $150 dinner tab. read more

Corkscrew Cafe - Goat cheese appetizer with roasted garlic. - American Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

Delicious pizza. The corn pizza is yummy! My husband loves the cheeseburgers. Our book club met there a couple times for dinner and everyone enjoyed it. read more

3.5 stars. Cute spot with a lovely courtyard. During winter, try to get a table under a heating lamp. My friend really enjoyed the Meyer lemon pizza with prosciutto and arugula. I love the citrus intense flavor on this one. The crust resembles more like flatbread. I tried the steamed clam dish. I didn't really like the grounded chorizo in the sauce. I am more of a purist when it comes to mussels. Bacon goes well not so much chorizo and Garbanzo beans. This middle-eastern influenced dish just tried too hard to be exotic. Definitely a great place to be away from the Carmel By The Sea crowd. read more

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If there is any location that encompasses rustic winery summertime fare, its Corkscrew Cafe. For lunch, I got to try the Mushroom Pizza and the Asian Pear Salad. The Mushroom Pizza is absolutely delicious - perfect for vegetarian noshers. It has an essence of truffle with some perfectly acidic tomato sauce to pair. As for the Asian Pear Salad, this was the star of the show in my opinion. The greens were paired perfectly with the gorgonzola cheese, nuts, and grilled pair with cheese on top. It was the perfect balance of sweet and savory. The taste? Explosive. I'd recommend this as a main meal if you aren't super hungry or a side to share. The outdoor seatings are perfect in the summertime. Keep your eyes peeled for one with a covered table as it can get hot in the valley. read more

Great food and ambience. I have been a few times. It's off the beaten path of Carmel by the sea. But worth the drive. It's a cozy place for date night or to hang with friends. Their pizza is awesome and their steak frites was well cooked and seasoned. Their tiramisu and gelato were a nice way to end dinner. Will be back. read more

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

We just had a bridal shower for my future daughter-in-law and the team at the Corkscrew Cafe made the day absolutely magical! The service team was one step ahead of our every need all day! Hats off to Corkscrew Cafe!!! read more

We are locals and absolutely love and adore this place. Indoor/outdoor seating, family friendly, koi fountain to entertain the kids. Pizzas are great, wine is delicious! read more

In these very difficult times one must applaud the effort of a restaurant that goes one step beyond what is required of them to protect the staff as well as customers. This is Corkscrew... outside dining, staff wears gloves, masks and is constantly wiping tables and other surfaces with disinfectant, each table gets a bottle of hand sanitizer too (either neutral or floral sent. The service was excellent, the food very good. We had the Caesar and Pear Salads, the Natural Burger with fries, Mexican Street Corn Pizza, a Sausage Pizza too. To drink we shared a bottle of Joyce "Submarine Canyon" Chardonnay. We would have had the Mussels; but, alas they were out. We were a party of 4 on July 18th, no reservation walked right in, their outside dinning area is huge and picturesque. Thank you to the owner and staff for keeping us as safe as one could expect from Covid. read more

Cute cafe nestled on a beautiful property. Cute, colorful outdoor seating, and it's a lot bigger than it appears from standing out front. My friends and I wanted a light lunch and opted for the mushroom truffle pizza (soooooo good!!!), Salmon with quinoa (couldn't figure out the yellow sauce they used - a bit too thick for my liking), and a beet salad (so refreshing and tasty). It was just the right amount of food for us to get our afternoon started! read more

A great place to re-energize after some wine tasting. The smell of the pizza as you walk in is welcoming. They have indoor seating as well as a huge outdoor section. We chose to sit outside and got seated next to a beautiful sculpture with fish in the bottom. The sound of water falling was very peaceful and the friendly fish kept us entertained. Service was quick, but nothing special. We got a pepperoni pizza and it was delicious! The crust was perfectly burnt on the edges, crispy, and very tasty! Good portion of pepperoni and lots of delicious cheese. Wine selection includes some of the wineries that have tasting rooms near by. Will definitely come back the next time we are in the area! There is a parking lot in the front and it is also within walking distance of many wineries nearby. read more

Corkscrew Cafe - Pizza and wine on the patio - American Near Me - Carmel Valley, California

I'm a local and this is the third time i've gotten jacked and hate to say i won't be back and will tell other not to go. what food i did get is good but never, ever get what i order!! first time i ordered 3 different items. the third item never arrived and no one said anything. at the end of our meal i asked what happened and got gaslighted by waitstaff. had to go inside, stand in line and spend 10 minutes debating with cashier to get money back. second time we order a desert and it never arrives. again i have to go back in and stand in long line to get my $ back today i ordered fairly expensive entree and tip well. after paying and sitting down they say they don't have that entree today, so i ask for $ back. ya i got the base price refunded but they kept the now 30% tip. keeping it classy read more

We saw the location on Check Please. The Meyer Lemon pizza was delicious and we have already ordered one to go since our first visit. The salads are pricey for the portion size and the service was spotty. The staff were friendly but took too long for food and the waiter to check in and bring the check. read more

Splendid dining experience with helpful service. Wonderful location to feel like you are in the heart of Carmel Valley. Great ambiance. food quality was above average. read more

Excellent. Wine tasting in the area and this place was recommended by locals at a couple of different tasting rooms. Sure enough, great recommendation! We started by sharing an order of onion rings. We were all surprised when our waitress, Sarda (who was fantastic - friendly and helpful) brought a plate piled high with super thin onion rings. They were delicious and we gobbled them up! Finger licking good for sure. Next each Couple shared a pear, gorgonzola, hazelnuts served on a lightly dressed bed of mixed greens (and purple). Very, very tasty. Lastly we shared two pizzas. One was sausage and cheese and tomato a little spicy but really good. The other was topped with cheese, very thin slices of Meyer lemon and prochutto with Arugula on the very top. Sounded so different we had to try it. So glad we did! Strongly recommend and will definitely come back when we are visiting the area again. read more

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The elote pizza was very good but the salads were extremely overpriced at $24 each. Perhaps if the lettuce and pear were top quality, but there were many slimy pieces of lettuce I had to pick out of the salad and the pear was poor quality. Not sure we'll return. 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

What a gem this place is!! The outdoor garden seating is charming. I ordered the pear salad (incredible) I finished every morsel and could've eaten more. Maybe add a protein if it's your meal. My 13 yr old daughter ordered the wood fired mushroom pizza. I quote "best pizza ever!" We are in carmel valley for a glamping weekend and feels like a foodie tour. The restaurants have far exceeded expectations! read more

I am back again after the car show on the Peninsula . Better than my previous visit . I had steak/frites . Tasty sauce on the steak . Very happy ! Go here . read more

Delicious!!! Food order to table was about 20 minutes (no pizza). The onion stack was soooo freaking good! Sweet, but crunchy, and gone in minutes! Two can share easily. Beautiful garden area to explore while you wait for food. Dogs welcome outside. read more

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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.

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

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

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

I love food at the Corkscrew. Supported their business during COVID. The last 3 time I haven eaten there, something is amiss. My Greek salad, the special, took a long trip from anything Greek. Lettuce with some grilled chicken; a non descriptive dressing and a few morsels of feta cheese. Time for me to shut the door on my once favorite place. read more

Was recommended to this place by family and immediately was pleasantly surprised to see the lovely ambiance and how rustic the facade and especially the outdoor seating was. Was accommodated very quickly and efficiently as we were in a group of 10. Ordered 6 salads and pizzas which came out surprisingly fast with a beautiful presentation. Specially the salads. For me the pizzas were the delicious, especially the lemon pie, however the salads were the main attraction. The pear salad and burratta salad were incredible and savory. I think this restaurant is a place to try out if near by because of the amazing dishes but also because of how unique and creative the dishes in terms of how they're cooked and the ingredients used with them. read more

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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

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

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

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

The setup here is weird. There are no reservations, and you have to order and pay on the way inside. And get your own water, silverware, etc. And collect your own drink en route to picking your own table. But the food is fantastic. Everything we had was great: my roasted garlic appetizer, salad and glass of local Cabernet Franc, and my husband's delicious lemonade and sausage pizza. Get here early on a weekend to get a parking spot and table. read more

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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

Service - 4 Food - 4 Value - 4 They were very nice. The waiter was great but the kitchen took a long time finishing my burger. It might have been my fault because I ordered two Entrées. The mussels were very tasty and cooked just right. My burger was a little bit overdone for medium but the bacon was delicious. My nephew loves his pizza he said it was the best he's ever had because the crust was crispy and the cheese delicious. The meal was great and the value was good. It could've been a little less expensive but at the same time my nephew said he enjoyed it very much and it was his birthday. It can't be cheap to keep a restaurant open on a Monday night and I'm sure glad they did because we had a wonderful time. read more

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