10/10. Beautiful venue, wonderful staff, excellent menu. Dan is the man! Ask for Dan!

Me and my friend loved our time here. The surrounding area was so beautiful, seeing the sunset here is really a beautiful event. The flatbreads we got were so gooooood, and not too heavy at all. The wine tasting we got wasn't too much alcohol and it came with knowledge explanations about the background and taste of the wines. The service was pretty greats, it started slow but they apologized with Champagne, and afterwards the timing of the food and wine was spot on. Overall it was stellar and I have no complaints. read more

Folktale Winery - A couple flatbreads - Wineries Near Me - Carmel, California

What an amazing time! The setting is absolutely gorgeous--a greenhouse-style space with multiple tables surrounding the main area, complemented by charming barrels and cornhole games that add to the ambiance. The wine flights are a great touch, offering a variety of selections to suit different tastes. As for the food, everything was delicious! We enjoyed the artichoke dip and roasted potatoes--a perfect combination. The octopus was massive and definitely a standout dish! The service was okay, but overall, the experience was fantastic. Would definitely come back! read more

Felt like I stepped in to a story book! This is a magical place and I am loving the vibes. Food: Pepperoni Pizza - 5 stars Margherita Pizza - 5 stars Truffle Fries - 5 stars light and crispy Rose: 5 stars Ambiance 5 stars- very nice vibes , surrounded by barrels and beautiful greens! Service: Impeccable! We had a great server who kept his eyes on us. He was friendly and smiled a lot! read more

Folktale Winery - Great server! - Wineries Near Me - Carmel, California

See all

Gorgeous space, both for their indoor and outdoor dining. Even though we came on an overcast day, I was still impressed by all the details, from the lighting to the landscaping. Fun place to try their wine flights, listen to live music, and enjoy the string lights. They have a pretty extensive food menu and it isn't too pricey. Recommend the truffle fries! **I think you're required to make a reservation which I would recommend doing anyways since they are so popular. read more

See all

We went on a whim tonight after grabbing food near the winery. The weather was great, we were given a great table, and received excellent service from Nick. When we told him we had never been to their tasting room, he came back and splashed us with their most popular wine, a sparkling rosé. It was fantastic, and Nick's knowledge balanced with his easygoing friendliness made us feel right at home. They had a lovely band playing outside from 4-6. We tasted several wines and bought two to take home. The vibe was everything, heaters near or at every table if it was a colder evening, though we didn't need them today. The band playing was excellent. Nick's service was thoughtful and attentive, without being overbearing. We really enjoyed the vibe, the wines, the music, but mostly the service that Nick provided. We will certainly be back and we appreciate how much they added to our fun day. Thank you! read more

Amazing vibes very relaxing laid back. Service was very attentive we waited for a while with no reservation and waiter accommodated us to club member area which was really nice! Definitely will be back read more

Folktale Winery - Ambiance - Wineries Near Me - Carmel, California

See all

Located in sunny Carmel Valley Folktale Winery is a perfect place to spend an afternoon with friends and family. Lots of outdoor space for kids to play. The Sparkling Rose is elegant and crisp with hints of kiwi, watermelon and cherry. The outdoor space has comfortable seating with umbrellas in their wine garden. Our favorites are the flatbreads and the Cheese and Charcuterie Plate. read more

See all

Always a five star place!! Like wow it is delicious, and great food. Very sunny and outdoor vibe is excellent. Wear sunscreen and bring a hat. Order multiple items and share! Yummy stuff: make your reservation NOW! Cheers Yelpers. read more

See all

We had a wonderful experience the other day. We showed up (2people) without a reservation so we had to wait about 20min before being sat, but we were offered water and given a splash of sparkling rosé while we waited. The wait was more than worth it. While they were booked with reservations for the rear terrace that overlooked the vines, we got a beautiful little table right by the fountain in the front courtyard and our Wine Educator, Dan, was super knowledgeable and very welcoming. We tried one of each flight and loved the wines, we may end up joining theire wine club, since you can join online through their website. They even offer a full menu for food although we just shared a charcuterie board and an artichoke dip, which was the best artichoke dip we have ever had and made with local Castroville artichokes. The supervisor Nick stopped by a couple times and was also very informative about the wines and the Manager came by to clear our table as we finished our food and asked if it was our first time in and where we were visiting from. As it turns out, he grew up in Santa Cruz as well so we chatted a bit and he recommended joining the wine club since we lived so close that we could enjoy the full perks of membership. We will definitely be back, although hopefully as members next time. They even had live music from 4-6pm and stream the music throughout the entire place so we could enjoy it in the courtyard as well, since the musicians were performing on the back terrace. The Manager, Chris, even gave us a couple of extra tastes of some of their newer releases that were not on the menu quite yet--The Ruler Pinot Noir was superb and my wife loved the Pet-Nat Rosé of Sangiovese. read more

Wonderful visit, the grounds are lovely. We did a tasting and food sampling. It was all great to taste . Will go again when we're in th area. read more

A good friend suggested Folktale Winery for Wine tasting in the areas. I mainly come here for wine testing and we came on Sunday morning. The parking get full pretty quickly on busy day however I think you can park on the side of the road once you are beyond the entrance of the winery. Outside of the place before you enter the main restaurant/patio for the wine tasting is very beautiful for pictures then you check in You need to make reservation to visit, you check in inside then someone take you to your table in the large open patio with lots of Umbrellas and outdoor lamps. If you are going for Wine tasting don't go on Sunday, Sunday is open for Brunch, you can still have wine tasting but they only have two different menu to choose from for wine tasting and its mainly white wine. Looking at the plates on the other table the food looks good but we didn't order any food. We had tasted the two different wine from the tasting menu and for me it was too many white wine, the wine seems fine but I didn't spend too much time on them. If you love White wine ! this is the right place for you, you could also get wine by the glass and other drinks but most of the people come on Sunday are here for the Brunch The patio where the brunch and wine tasting happening is very large and beautifully setting and well spaced out. They have many large seating for large group. Make sure you have long sleeves shirt of a light Jacket, the patio can be windy and gets really cold at 12 noon. I do recommend it for Brunch, I don't know how the menu for the wine tasting like on the other days. I will be back again next time for the brunch if I am in the area. read more

Folktale Winery - Sunday Brunch menu - Wineries Near Me - Carmel, California

See all

This is our second visit to Folktale Winery. This time we were here to celebrate my birthday. As always this is an amazing place and we love the ambiance and food! read more

See all

Very pretty here and was super excited to come. The staff was nice when we saw them but not very attentive. Took a while for someone to come and greet us. The food was not very good and super expensive. We got the charcuterie board and the salt and vinegar potatoes. My cheese from winco is much better. I asked THREE times for the fire pit to be turned on outside and they never did it. Next time I will for sure be going to the store and grabbing a bottle of wine, cheese and crackers and heading to the beach. Way cheaper and way better. read more

My new fiancée and I had an incredible time at Folktale. I booked at 12:30 reservation through Allie, and had an amazing time on the patio. Allie was there on the day of the reservation and she was so friendly and very helpful in getting us set up, and as well helping us check out with a few bottles of wine and merch in the main store later in the afternoon! The service was excellent (shout out Alicia and Dan), and wine even better! 5/5 experience. Would highly recommend. read more

Folktale Winery - Patio - Wineries Near Me - Carmel, California

Wow, where to start. My husband and I made reservations hoping to have a romantic dinner, we love wine so we thought this would be a great place to spend the evening. I had seen the bad reviews and I always try to give the benefit of the doubt, but unfortunately I have to agree with them. Our server was not only unfriendly, but also the most negligent server we have ever had. He never smiled, never asked how we were or how things were as the meal progressed. He grabbed our wine, put in our appetizer then avoided us. He didn't bring us utensils or napkins so we had to make due when out appetizer came. My husband had to flag him down to put in out entrees. I was ready to leave at that point, my husband wanted to give them more of a chance. I am a very patient person, but we finished our bottle of wine and bottle of water before ever being asked for our order, that I feel is a reasonable breaking point. read more

We were wine members for 6 months because the vibe is really really nice. It's really a beautiful place that's great for kids and just really a nice place to be. Sadly the wine, food, and service is really mediocre. We just opened a Hound wine that we bought a couple of years ago for $100 and it was so disappointing. Really wish they would improve. read more

Wine 3/5 Service 1/5 After being handed our flights we were pretty much non-existent! Hardest time flagging down service for a spit bucket and our check. Cute Instagram worthy spot though. Thanks! read more

Folktale Winery - Wineries Near Me - Carmel, California

Two layer review, one for a regular visit and one for providing the drinks for our wedding (5 stars for both!). Visiting Folktale is wonderful. It's a beautiful location, flatbreads are delicious, and wine is incredible, but what really elevates it is the service. Every time we've visited the staff has been attentive and considerate, not to mention excellent at making recommendations (even though we know very little about wine and so we couldn't really give them a lot to work with). My favorite was one time we visited and the server (sommelier? like I said, I don't know much here) learned I have a background in chemistry and we got to talking about how the climate, soil, etc. might affect the flavors. Very cool. For our wedding, they were again fantastic. They made good recommendations with respect to quantity, didn't try to over-sell or anything like that. Thanks to our visits, we already knew what we wanted, so we didn't need help selecting. When my parents went to pick the order up and make a visit of their own, the staff were really sweet and made sure they got an extra good table, to celebrate the special weekend, even though we weren't having the wedding there or anything. Overall, an emphatic recommendation to visit if you have the chance! read more

This is an amazing place located in. Carmel Valley. The ambiance takes you away just like a ferry tale. The concert and comedy series are amazing and personal. The only reason for 4 star is that the food selections has gone down since the last chef departed and in particular the concerts and comedy series menu offerings are particularly bad and over priced! The waitress Briana is the sweetest person and great personality. Very helpful! read more

See all

folktale is the best! Our absolute favorite! The wine is superb as is the food. The atmosphere is beautiful and relaxing and the staff is extremely knowledgeable, helpful and attentive. There is no comparison! We loved this wine so much we now have it shipped to our home in CO and we have taken it on vacations with us! Highly recommend Folktale! read more

Nothing but 5 stars for Folktale Winery!! This was my second time visiting but I love their Pinot Noirs so much that I have ordered delivery at home multiple times! Also, think they have the best labels of any winery! So pretty! This will be my must-visit on my trips to Carmel or Monterey Bay. The food is good and the winery grounds are beautiful! The first time it was just me and my husband enjoying their wine flights and the charcuterie board. This time, we brought our kids (3 yo and 8 months) and they seemed to enjoy their time as well. Can't say enough about this place. Make reservations online and enjoy a wonderful experience with some really yummy wine! read more

Folktale Winery - Wineries Near Me - Carmel, California

See all

Food was great, and the wine selection is amazing. As far as service goes, Chris is the BEST! He was super attentive, and extremely knowledgeable. The ambiance was chill, summery, and just generally perfect for a date night! read more

Had a pretty bad experience recently at this winery, avoid and look for other wineries in the region. Good - Decent ambience and atmosphere, nice property. Bad - Pretty rude staff and poor service. Several instances of repeatedly telling the staff to fix their patio heaters while children in our party were freezing and ended up being ignored. Also, they just had one patio heater which was not enough for our party of 6 (total only 2 patio heaters for the entire outdoor area). - The pictures for the outdoor area are misleading, there are no kids play areas with a lawn, its just a courtyard with cobblestones (my kid fell there playing around and had an injury). - Avoid when going there with children, we made repeated requests throughout our visit for a spot in their terrace area where there were several tables empty. We were told that they dont allow children/pets in that area where clearly we saw other families with children. - Non existent service in other instances as well, we requested hot water when the patio heaters weren't working and the staff never brought us that, we got frustrated with the entire experience and never had such an experience across several wineries in Napa or Paso Robles. We were looking forward to visiting this winery esp. since its not in one of the super busy wine regions and were looking forward to great hospitality but were unfortunately very disappointed, enough to leave this review (which I rarely do unless its a very positive or a very negative experience). read more

Go somewhere else seriously, I am shocked they have good reviews. If you're looking to have a relaxing time with friends/family just dodge this place and go somewhere else. We made a reservation and were sat on a bench near a table with three umbrellas (despite us being directly in the sun) and a lot of children so we decided to move to the fire pit. Once we got there service was terrible if you look at other low reviews this is also their main issue. I've been to a good amount of wineries and this one stood out for the wrong reasons. I've worked in food service before and don't know why management chooses the staff they do, clearly many people have a problem with it. The food is pretty overpriced for what it is. Just not a welcoming environment staff was pretty rude. read more

Charming little winery with fantastic food and a wonderful outdoor garden dining area.

My husband and I visited this winery during 4-6 pm on a Saturday which they have live music. The ambience is perfect. It has the mountains in the background and the patio area has nice umbrellas for shade, and various seating options (picnic tables, bar tables, patio furniture with tables, and semi indoor/outdoor space). Staff had excellent customer service. Wine was delicious and the food we ordered was on point. We'll be coming back to visit! read more

Folktale Winery - Butternut squash, fried sage, toasted pine flat bread - Wineries Near Me - Carmel, California

See all

Had a fantastic time at Folktale for an evening charcuterie board and wine flight. Our server and host were fantastic and we knew we had to sign up for the tour the next day. Our tour guide was lovely and it was rad seeing the grounds of the winery. We are wine club members based in LA so this was our first time coming up to Folktale; I hope we are able to return soon because we had such a great time, the people are so friendly and the wine is excellent. We love Folktale! read more

Folktale Winery - Provisions shop - Wineries Near Me - Carmel, California

Such a fun and well appointed winery and a great outing location! Thoughtful and elevated menu that offers pairings. Welcoming staff and service. Will return again! read more

My gf made reservations here for our lunch Saturday afternoon. I'd never been here, but her hubby and her had been a few times. I was delighted to explore further away from Carmel-by-the-Sea closer to Carmel Valley. Folktale has a lot of character with the properly themed building and a beautiful outdoor wine garden for dining and even events! We each did a wine flight and ordered a few dishes to share. Each dish was very unique, and we joined the clean plate club! We started with the scallop crudo which was every bit refreshing and tasty as most crudos. I appreciated the scallop texture as being softer to the usual hamachi types. They had some lamb meatballs that looked interesting with red sauce and some sort of yogurt sauce. It also did not disappoint! The charred Spanish octopus with fava beans and chorizo was amazing and had a beautiful nuance of flavors. Lastly the roasted cauliflower had a curry vinaigrette with coconut yogurt and arugula. This combo was most interesting and basically a vegetarian party in my mouth! The wines were decent. I enjoyed them but was not blown away. That's because I'm a regular visitor at the Napa/Sonoma Valley wineries. I would definitely return and repeat this entire experience again surrounded by a picturesque landscape and the vineyard. It's definitely a romantic place to bring your significant other also. read more

See all

My second time returning here. A very popular winery/food spot. The wine isn't the most top quality and not the cheapest; but you come here for the aesthetic. Very cute vibes for a girls day or date night. I would also not recommend coming here without a reservation. You will most likely be turned away unless it's not at a peak time. Their pizzas are pretty good.. I normally get the sweet heat one. We tried the chicken pizza and I thought jt was okay the sauce threw me off a little since it was slightly sour. The Caesar salad was honestly pretty bland. Not much flavor and I hate they added anchovies to it. When it's busy servers are often overwhelmed and don't tend to check up on you without you having to flag them down. We ended up splitting a bottle of rose and it was decent. This is one of the more popular and well known wineries because of cute it is. I'd recommend if you've never been, but locals will definitely say this isn't their favorite for wines purposes. read more

See all

I loved the sparkling rose and I'm usually not a rose person! The sweet pizza was incredible! I thought the artichoke dip was too cheesy, hummus was average. The garden was relaxing and beautiful! I honestly didn't even see the actual castle part. read more

Came in for a reservation at 2pm on a Saturday. Someone I assume was the manager came over to drop off water and let us know our server would come soon. It then took the server 20 minutes to get to us and take our order. Noting that it was busy, we were understanding and waited patiently. Received our food but we had to request items such as plates, utensils, and drinks multiple times from other employees who weren't our server. Noticed our server barely came around to our table throughout our time here. Would have to flag him down and again, ask multiple times for a drink that was never brought over. Now I don't mind it being busy but when you're going to your assigned tables around us whereas we had to flag you down, I don't appreciate that. I don't feel that the 20% tip that was added due to our large party was deserved, as it was much more work to call him over and made the visit not as enjoyable. I am thankful for the supporting staff that provided the service when we couldn't get it from our absent server. I wanted to speak with a manager prior to leaving but I was over the visit. We chose to purchase bottles instead of doing a tasting. Pizza was good. Dog friendly. Outdoor and indoor seating. Be aware that if it's busy, there's a possibility you may not have an umbrella and be sat directly in the sun until an umbrella opens up. Would maybe give it another shot if we don't have the same server during our initial visit. read more

Beautiful winery and venue for your next event! I photographed a bridal shower inside the greenhouse and it was so pretty with all the natural light coming in! Hope to be back soon! read more

See all

After reading some reviews, I was hesitant to come here; however, I am glad we did. It was wonderful! The grounds are charming and beautiful. We were greeted at the host stand, and they were able to accommodate us at the wine bar for a tasting without reservations. My boyfriend and I each got a different tasting so we were able to sample all of the wines. There was not a bad wine in the group. We both enjoyed the bubblies, Pinot noirs and other reds, and I purchased a bottle of The Hound. Our sommelier was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. We learned while we sipped. It was. A great time. My only disappointment is that they don't sell wine glssses with the vineyards name on them. Stop here...you won't regret it! read more

See all

We had a wonderful experience. The staff were extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Roderick (I think) , the host, was so refreshing and considerate. Nick was awesome, we couldn't have received better service. The garden is beautiful and vibrant. Our food was top notch. This was my first visit and I'm looking forward to returning. read more

I came here for my birthday with a friend while we were staying in Carmel. We had to uber over because it's unfortunately not located in the heart of Carmel. You have to make reservations in advance. The place itself is really beautiful, they had live music and once that wrapped up, played music. They have a few areas that are great for taking photos by the barrels. Service: Incredibly disappointed. We got a waitress who was new and it was incredibly obvious. I asked which cheeses were in the "cheese charcuterie board" and she said she'd check; when she came back to our table, she forgot 2 of the cheeses and didn't ask a fellow waiter or offer to find out. She then proceeded to ask, so do you want it? Obviously I don't want something if I don't know what it is. I asked her to describe a couple of the wines when I had trouble choosing, and she was unable to do so, and again, didn't even offer to grab someone who knew more about them. I asked her for a crisp white wine, and she brought me one that was described as "marshmallow" and it tasted like syrup. Never came to check on us. Wine: We each got a wine sampler, where you sample 3 wines I believe. The sparkling rose was by far the best and was delicious. I believe they're known for their roses so I would stick with that. The sparkling brut was also good. Honestly didn't love the other ones I tried. Food: Was pretty disappointed by the food here. First off, who splits up meats and cheeses for charcuterie boards?! Hate that they make you choose, they basically want you to spend over $50 on a complete charcuterie board which is ridiculous. We ordered the truffle pizza which was oddly bad. Too creamy and just weird. Not enough truffle. We ordered the berry cobbler which was thankfully good. Pretty winery, but got unlucky with a bad waitress. Get the sparkling rose if you come here, you won't regret it. read more

Folktale Winery - Truffle Pizza (didn't like it) - Wineries Near Me - Carmel, California

See all

I'm so glad my mom recommended this place to me after her visit. I was able to book our reservation on the Tock app which was super easy to use. A table for 4, ladies day out for Memorial Day, enjoying the warm weather. Next time I'm going to sit in the garden area since I wasn't aware prior. The wooden sitting areas had a lot of spider webs in the chairs, tables and even the outdoor heaters. That grossed me out but no matter where we were able to move to, another sitting area had the same issue. But on a positive note... the wine and food is super good! I ordered a flight which is 3 for $25 and you get to pick whichever wines you want to try. I chose the sparkling rosé, the still rosé and the white witch. All of them were really really good! I bought a bottle of the white witch because I knew that was a taste I wouldn't find at the store. Plus it will remind me why I need to return. It was really good. Another one of my favorite parts was the fondue in the bread bowl. It's a must have! The fondue wasn't stringy, the consistency reminded me of potato soup and the flavors were phenomenal. It paired really well with the fruit & veggies. I was surprised to see pickles but it was actually pretty good. The fondue was so good that we cut up the bread bowl just to get more of it. No food formed against shall prosper lol. We also had the 4 cheese pizza. Highly recommended and addicting. read more

See all

4/24/2021 Quarantine Day 404 I came across Folktale Winery as I was searching for things to do in Carmel. This winery was very close to the hotel we were staying at, which was convenient. About a week before our family trip, I was required to make a reservation online and pay a $15 deposit per person. There is a 2 hour limit for all parties and the maximum amount of people in a party is 6. That saturday, we arrived at 11:30AM, and there were two parties ahead of us but we didn't have to wait more than a couple before we were seated. Our waitress, Brandi, came by and told us that we needed to scan the QR code to see the menu and then she told us she would be back with water and to take our order. After looking at the menu, this is what we got: 1. Winery burger (Dad) 2. Meat and heat pizza (Mom) 3. Roasted beet salad (Mine) 4. Classic Tomato Basil Margherita pizza (Sister) 5. Flight: white witch, estate chardonnay, joseph's blend (All mine haha) About 10 minutes later all the food arrived. I tried both of the pizzas and I liked them well enough, but there was nothing super outstanding about them. The Meat and Heat pizza was a bit too spicy for both my mom and I so my dad ended up finishing that along with his burger. I did enjoy my roasted beet salad. The combination of the beets, fruits and cheese was very delicious. My favorites out of the flights were the white witch and joseph's blend; I ended up buying a bottle of each before I left. Props to Folktale Winery for being dog friendly, having great service and good food! read more

See all

VISIT DURING COVID Great place with nice atmosphere and very cozy winery. We were visiting back in November and they made nice outdoor seating with tables far from each other. Masks and reservations required. We arrived around noon and it wasn't crowded. Just few couples were seating. They have big patio so we all have huge distance between tables. We took wine trio and fish ceviche and fries. Everything was amazing and we ended up buying 4 bottles of wine. Total bill was $250 for 4 bottles and food. read more

See all