6 splurge places in Carmel-by-the-Sea, editor-picked. tasting menus and the full big-night-out treatment in Carmel-by-the-Sea. All Carmel-by-the-Sea food.
Aubergine ★ 4.9
Dolores and Lincoln · Monte Verde St at 7th Ave, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93921
Aubergine holds two Michelin stars inside L'Auberge Carmel at Monte Verde and 7th, where Justin Cogley cooks an eight-course coastal tasting menu.
Tip: The room seats a hotel's worth of diners at most; book on Tock well ahead, and budget for the 22% service charge on top.
Chez Noir ★ 4.8
San Carlos Street · 5th Ave between San Carlos & Dolores St, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93921
Chez Noir keeps its Michelin star on 5th Avenue in Carmel, where Jonny and Monique Black cook a seafood-led prix fixe from Monterey Peninsula boats.
Tip: There is no phone; reservations release a month at a time on OpenTable, and the bar takes walk-ins when the dining room is full.
Grasing's ★ 4.5
Mission Street · NW corner of 6th Ave and Mission St, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93921
Grasing's pairs Kurt Grasing's coastal steakhouse cooking with a 3,400-bottle Carmel cellar that has held Wine Spectator's Grand Award since 2024.
Tip: The list runs 3,400 selections from 15 countries; give the floor a price and a region and let the cellar do the deciding.
Seventh & Dolores Steakhouse ★ 4.5
Dolores Street · SE corner of 7th Ave & Dolores St, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93921
Seventh & Dolores Steakhouse brings a modern American steakhouse to its namesake Carmel corner, one of the village's few kitchens open until 22:00.
Tip: Book on Tock and ask for the outdoor patio; it is one of the last full-dinner seatings in a village that closes early.
Anton & Michel ★ 4.4
Mission Street · Court of the Fountains, Mission St between Ocean & 7th Ave, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93921
Anton & Michel faces the Court of the Fountains in Carmel with white-tablecloth European dining, open daily for both lunch and dinner services.
Tip: This is one of the few formal rooms in the village serving a full daily lunch; the fountain courtyard is the seat to request.
Grasing's ★ 4.3
Mission Street · NW corner of 6th Ave and Mission St, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93921
Grasing's runs weekend brunch from 10:30 in Carmel with the same 3,400-bottle Wine Spectator Grand Award cellar that anchors its dinner service.
Tip: The list runs 3,400 selections from 15 countries; give the floor a price and a region and let the cellar do the deciding.