Flying Fish Grill cooks East-West seafood on Carmel Plaza's lower level, running from salmon and lobster to abalone and clay pot dinners nightly.
Signature: Abalone
Order: A clay pot dinner, the house's signature format.
Tip: Book by phone between 09:00 and 16:00; the timbered room is small, split dinners carry a $10 charge, and the patio takes walk-ins.
Rise + Roam Bakery and Pizzeria bakes organic-flour breads and pastries in Carmel Plaza, then turns out pizzas, soups and salads through the day.
Order: A morning pastry, then a pizza once the oven switches to lunch service.
Tip: It doubles as one of the village's few casual daytime sit-downs, and Revival Ice Cream at the counter handles dessert.
Alvarado Street Brewery & Bistro brews 150-gallon batches at the back of its Carmel Plaza dining room, pairing them with Californian bistro plates.
Order: Whatever came off the tiny in-house brewhouse that week.
Tip: The garden patio takes walk-ins, and the small-batch list here differs from the brewery's Monterey taproom, so check the board.
Rise + Roam Bakery and Pizzeria works organic flours in Carmel Plaza, moving from breads and pastries at 07:00 into pizzas and salads by midday.
Tip: The bakery side sells down by early afternoon; come before 10:00 for the full case, or at noon if pizza is the point.
Worth the queue: Morning pastry case before the pizza oven takes over
Links Club pairs Trackman golf simulator bays with a sports bar in Carmel Plaza, pouring local craft taps until midnight on weekend evenings.
Signature drink: Local craft beer on tap between simulator rounds
Food: Full bar menu
Tip: Book a simulator bay ahead on busy evenings; the bar side stays open to walk-ins and runs trivia, karaoke and live music nights.
Alvarado Street Brewery & Bistro is Carmel's only brewery, running a 150-gallon brewhouse at the back of its Carmel Plaza dining room and patio.
Tip: The garden patio takes walk-ins, and the small-batch list here differs from the brewery's Monterey taproom, so check the board.
Carmel Honey Company runs a yellow-fronted tasting shop on Carmel Plaza's courtyard level, sampling raw and varietal honeys seven days a week.
Tip: Taste before buying; the shop pours samples of every varietal on the shelf, and small jars pack better than the gift sets.
Rise + Roam Bakery and Pizzeria is Carmel's budget-friendly sit-down, serving pizzas, soups and salads in Carmel Plaza without dinner pricing.
Try: Pizza with a salad, or a pastry and coffee
Tip: The bakery side sells down by early afternoon; come before 10:00 for the full case, or at noon if pizza is the point.
Links Club stays open to midnight on Carmel Plaza weekends, its golf simulator bays and local craft taps outlasting nearly every village kitchen.
Try: Bar menu and local taps beside the simulator bays
Order: A local draft and one more simulated round at Pebble Beach.
Tip: Book a simulator bay ahead on busy evenings; the bar side stays open to walk-ins and runs trivia, karaoke and live music nights.