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    Running Iron

    3.4 (203 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 2:00 AM (Next day)

    Running Iron Photos

    RUNNING IRON ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Divey
    Casual
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Running Iron

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    Reviews With Photos - Running Iron

    "He Who Drinks With Grace Is Always Welcome In This Place" Long may that hold true.
    Rory F.

    Great to return to the Running Iron for a decent Bloody Mary and their Valley burger with avo & bacon. The area and village might have changed but this wonderful bar and restaurant have the same vibe, thankfully! For example, we miss the Blue Sky Lodge up the road, which has closed, and the local airfield is used as a tree nursery... The Running Iron is still run by the original family, so I met the granddaughter this time. It's been more than 25 years since I first came to this place with my own baby Grace. The carving above the bar still says "He who drinks with Grace is always welcome in this place!" Long may that hold true!

    Steffen S.

    I was visiting from out of town, and came here for a drink with friends. We had a nice time, they have a great vibe and a well stocked bar. I left my favorite jacket and didn't realize until I got back home to southern ca. I called the bar a few days later. They had set my jacket aside and offered to mail it home to me. Very nice people, and a great place to grab a drink if you're in town.

    Ranch Burger: Bbq sauce, cheddar, onion rings. Added bacon
    Jayne B.

    This place has such a unique vibe. Cowboy boots and antique relics fill the ceiling, giving it a rustic, old-school charm that instantly sets the mood. We ordered the fish and chips (upgraded to curly fries) and the ranch burger with onion rings, and both hit the spot. The fish was crispy on the outside and tender inside, and the ranch burger was juicy, flavorful, and perfectly satisfying. Great atmosphere, comforting food, and a fun dining experience overall. Our waiter was very friendly and attentive.

    Chef salad. Excellent.
    Robert H.

    Stopped for lunch on the way back to Manhattan Brach after the Concours d'LeMons in Monterey. Great lunch. I love the atmosphere. Rally4Vets 5tars.

    Grilled cheese with onion rings
    Nyla K.

    We spent a weekend in the area for a friend's bday and wanted to go to a nice local restaurant. This place has a bar and restaurant section and is a bit divey but I love a good dive bar. We got seats out on the patio and ordered drinks and food. Our waitress was very nice but looked a bit old and was having a hard time hearing us. I asked for tomato soup and she said they had some but instead she put tomatoes on my grilled cheese. 2/5 Regular grilled cheese with a side of onions - I wanted a regular degular grilled cheese but the waitress misheard my request for tomato soup for adding a tomato on my sandwich. Also the sandwich was not grilled at all and arrived lukewarm and not not. 3/5 Fried artichoke hearts - decent and wanted to give this a try since I've never had them fried before 4/5 Bloody Mary - best thing I ordered. Very good. I would probably just come only for drinks. Go elsewhere for food.

    Wedge salad ?!

    The running iron is hit or miss, more often than not a miss! This was supposed to be a wedge salad that I got to-go. A $16 wedge salad mind you! You think they would have at least cut off the dead brown spots, and since when has a wedge salad been done on a head of Romaine?! Extremely disappointed.

    BBQ sauce, onion rings, cheddar cheese burger
    Jennifer T.

    This place really hit the spot after a backpacking trip. Service was really friendly and I like going to places with character like this one. They have fun decorations hidden around inside and really clean bathrooms. The menu is pretty extensive with all the burger options, hot dogs, veggie options. If Mexican food is what you're craving they have burritos and tacos too. The sides are a must get. I got a Western burger because I wanted to try their onion rings and could have eaten an entire plate of them. They're crispy, perfectly seasoned and massive. The curly fries were also very tasty. The burgers are a great portion size and I love that they grilled the bun too. My friends and I all ordered our patties cooked differently and they all came out perfectly. I'll definitely be back when I'm in the area. Parking is fairly easy as they share a lot with a string of other shops.

    Just too quaint
    LoriLynn R.

    I absolutely love this place. The habanero wings are perfect. Seems the water down their blue cheese dressing quite a bit, but that's truly my only . The waitress was great and the people awesome. The locals having great debates of football. It's a beautiful thing.

    the inside of a restaurant

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    2 months ago

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    3 months ago

    I love this place. Been a regular for 26 years. Good solid food, hilarious decor, friendly waitstaff.

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    1 year ago

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    4 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Food was great, prices are extremely fair, and service was wonderful! Had a great time! We will be returning!

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    1 year ago

    Had the best steak in a while there yesterday. The customer service was awesome. If you want a country style meal I recommend this place.

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    2 years ago

    Love this place! Brent the bartender makes the best martini in town. I love the sweet potato fries too!

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    4 years ago

    Long wait to get in on a weekend but good food and good service.

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    3 years ago

    Great food, great service by Terris, ambiance is fun and great vibes! Coming back again soon

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    Page 1 of 6

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    Sur at The Barnyard

    Sur at The Barnyard

    4.4
    (2.1k reviews)
    10.8 mi
    $$$

    After multiple failed attempts to find somewhere to eat with our dogs in tow, we arrived at Sur at…read morethe Barnyard hungry, tired, and a little defeated. What a wonderful surprise. It was just me, my two girls, and our two dogs, and from the moment we arrived, we were met with genuinely excellent service. The staff was kind, attentive, and welcoming. The food was absolutely fantastic, fresh, flavorful, and beautifully prepared. Sometimes a meal is more than just a meal. After a long day of searching for a place that would work for our little crew, Sur felt like exactly where we were meant to end up. We left happy, full, and already looking forward to coming back. Highly recommend.

    We dropped in to SUR today after hiking a bit. We hadn't been there before, and since Scratch was…read moreclosed and this place a great reviews, we decided to check it out - and I'll chalk this up to anther time Yelp did us wrong. TLDR:: Meh.. I wanted something to drink that wasn't sweet, so I tried their raspberry ice tea. They used a sugary syrup to flavor the tea, and that was a strike out. It was sweeter than a soda, so it went back and I swapped it out for a plain unsweetened ice tea. Then we tried the cheesy garlic bread, which we were really looking forward to. Welp, it came out with mozzarella cheese and a ton of corn. No butter. No garlic. We all looked at each other when we tried it. Ok, let's try their brussel sprouts. Those are hard to mess up - but sure enough, they managed to. They deep fried them to the point they were black and charred. There wasn't anything left of the brussel sprout itself, it was mostly crunchy charcoal. At this point, we all ordered something we assumed would be safe for our main. I got the sliders and a side salad. I had the salad but only of the sliders. The cheese on it was queso, like you use to dip chips, so it was ran all over the place and the burger was a grease ball. I won't even get into what everyone else had, but they had similar experiences. Overall, it was pretty disappointing. Maybe there are other things or other times where this place is better, but it was a swing and a miss for us.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Signature Beet Salad and Fried Artichokes
    Signature Beet Salad and Fried Artichokes
    Chocolates

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    Chocolates
    Lucia Restaurant & Bar

    Lucia Restaurant & Bar

    4.0
    (249 reviews)
    2.1 mi
    $$$

    Holly is over the top in service…read more Lucia new chef is excellent The staff best servers in all the monterey area The restaurant is in a beautiful setting Try the the steaks Excellent High recommended

    Beautiful Ambience and Setting…read more Decent Service. Our server was a nice guy and helped with the menu selection. Good Food that was beautifully plated. - Bread service - I know it's just bread but damn this bread is a beautiful creation of dough and baked to perfection. - Harvest Vegetable Bisque is fantastic! And completely plant based so don't let the "bisque" in the name scare you away. - Red Abalone appetizer - don't bother as you don't get to taste the abalone. The brioche and sauce overpower the abalone... so all you taste is brioche and butter sauce. - The farm fowl is hearty and comforting. The quail is quite tender. Loved all the veg in the dish too. - Salmon was perfectly prepared... meaty yet tender. Sadly the low points.... outweigh what should have been a lovely dinner out. - We received our wine AFTER we were mostly done with our appetizers. We even waited to start enjoying our appetizers thinking our wine would be out at the same time. Since my soup was getting cold, I could not wait any longer and had 1 bite left when our wine finally showed up. - Our server seemed overtaxed. It appeared he was trying to help literally everyone from what I could tell and disappeared for long stretches of time. - The 1 mom (sitting at the table behind us) constantly telling her toddler to sit down (the toddler was actually quiet, it was the mom that was irritating). - The multi family, multi kid large table that sat in the middle of the patio (while not super noisy) was disruptive with the kids constantly walking around all the tables and going back and forth from the patio to the "outside" down the stairs by our table. Seriously... your kids don't care that you want to sit and drink and hang out... they want to move and play and be kids. Eat and then take them someplace else.

    Photos
    Lobby.  Beautiful and full of fresh flowers.
    Lobby. Beautiful and full of fresh flowers.
    Kids Plate
    Kids Plate
    Lucia restaurant. We dined outside on the patio.

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    Lucia restaurant. We dined outside on the patio.
    From Scratch Restaurant

    From Scratch Restaurant

    4.3
    (2.3k reviews)
    10.8 mi
    $$

    From Scratch is DELICIOUS!! Everything on the menu looks amazing and the portions are large. The…read moreambiance is very nice and the staff is very friendly and accommodating. Shout out to Waylon who was able to make a simple modification to my fruit cup and is passionate about working here as well as very knowledgeable on the history of this restaurant and had great suggestions for those visiting from out of town! This is also a dog friendly restaurant with lots of tales outside. We had a wonderful experience and will be back again soon, thank you Waylon!

    Chose this place off the cuff and was really impressed with how good it was. We came with a party…read moreof 11 and was seated within the hour and we got our food relatively fast. We got the patty melt fries and a banana walnut pancake and I got the tuna melt and a side of chilli. The brisket chilli was really really good, and the sandwiches were amazing. The pancakes smell so good we all gasped when they brought it out. The potions are very large so honestly you could split every meal besides maybe the skillet dish. But every sandwich our table got was huge and all tbe food was really well made. For the price it was also very worth it. The place is surrounded by a nice walkable area and the resturant itself is very cute, I was expecting a random restaurant along the road but it has a very aesthetic design here. You could easily come here for an elevated but not crazy fancy brunch and enjoy the day.

    Photos
    View of inside seating
    View of inside seating
    Hot chocolate
    Hot chocolate
    Bloody Mary

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    Bloody Mary
    Valley Kitchen

    Valley Kitchen

    3.9
    (198 reviews)
    4.5 mi
    $$$

    The brilliant work of Chef Andrew. It's clear that the chef loves food, has a huge heart, and cooks…read morewith joy and passion. We've been to Valley Kitchen dozens of times and the food gets better and tastier. It's evident that the chef and team explores how to incorporate fresh, local, and fine ingredients and bring to life the best of CVR's and California's identity to its dishes. Our favorites are the smoked salmon sourced from Santa Cruz and smoked at Valley Kitchen, Upside Down Hot Honey Cornbread .. and love how he uses the honey, cheese, and garden ingredients. At one point, we had strict diet restrictions and asked Chef Andrew to cook without sugar and to keep our meals below 5g of carb. Not only did we stick to our strict keto diet while traveling but we also fell in love with every single dish he made. Chef Andrew embraced this opportunity to test and adjust to meet our diet needs AND introduce us to new ingredients to include into our diet. We are forever grateful. On this trip, although we asked for his avocado dessert, he politely recommended Chef Molly's desserts. I love how he puts the entire team at the center of the experience. It's a team effort and the desserts were unique to Carmel -- especially with CVR lavender curd. The people who work at CVR and Valley Kitchen are top notch. They are extremely attentive, respectful, and friendly. Many of the servers have been there for years and it shows that when there is a good work culture that it translates to better customer service. The ambiance brings a combination of natural beauty, warmth and coziness (especially with the fireplace), and Californian modern and sleek. I love the Zafferano Pina lamps that provide an intimate experience and enough light to the table (need to see what we're eating!). Thank you, Chef Andrew and team for letting us experience culinary excellence while we rest and heal at our happy place.

    Went out here after watching Chef Molly on food network. Mostly went for the desserts but the food…read moremenu had lots of good looking options. Went with the lamb which was cooked perfectly! For dessert I got both the lemon tart and the cheesecake. Personally the cheesecake was my favorite but both were amazing! Will definitely add this to my must visit when I'm in town.

    Photos
    Valley Kitchen
    Valley Kitchen
    Hen-House Egg White Burrito
    Hen-House Egg White Burrito
    Apple/berry cobbler

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    Apple/berry cobbler
    Los Laureles Lodge Restaurant & Saloon

    Los Laureles Lodge Restaurant & Saloon

    3.9
    (127 reviews)
    1.4 mi
    $$

    Our visit took place on a Friday around 7 pm. As a group of 4 we showed up with no reservations and…read morethere was luckily one seat available that could accommodate our party. Stepping into Los Laureles felt like we went back in time to an old western saloon, it was dimly lit, rustic and full of character. Our friends recommended the loaded burger, so all 4 of us ended up ordering one. For $20, the loaded Laureles burger comes with bacon, avocado, mushrooms, grilled onions and your choice of Cheddar, Swiss or Bleu cheese. In addition to the burger it comes with fries. For $20, this feels like an absolute steal. I have to say, this burger may be the best burger I've ever had. It was juicy, flavorful, and fully loaded. I will certainly be back and can't wait to share this hidden gem with some friends.

    Stayed at the Lodge this week on the advice of my friend (a local) and now that I know about it,…read morethis is the place I'll always stay whenever I come up to Monterey or the Carmel Valley. It feels like you've sat stepped back in time to the 1930s or earlier - the cottages are charming, and have lots of little nice touches. It's not fancy by any means, but that's why I like it - it's not colorless and bland like modern hotels. I would choose this every day over those types of hotels! The staff is friendly and knowledgeable about the area. There's a nice cat that likes to hang out in the lobby, which contributes to the cozy vibe. Breakfast is light, which is fine with me - the granola is great, and tastes homemade. They have fruit and boiled eggs and a homemade coffee cake, which was a little dry but tasty. I didn't have a chance to try the restaurant, but I will on my next visit. Definitely coming here again!

    Photos
    Hill House Dining Area
    Hill House Dining Area
    Lovely ceremony under the expansive oak tree up on the hill.
    Lovely ceremony under the expansive oak tree up on the hill.
    They didn’t want a lot of clicking cell phones and cameras.

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    They didn’t want a lot of clicking cell phones and cameras.

    Running Iron - bars - Updated July 2026

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