Our favorite morning spot in Downtown Carmel to grab pastries and coffee. Get their ham and cheese biscuit and toffee brown butter potato chip cookie - you won't regret it.
Handmade donuts fresh from the fryer. Enough said.
The places we visit will vary each time we go to Carmel, but we 100% always make it to The Cheese Shop. It's a cheese-lovers dream, as you can sample and take home how much cheese your heart desires. There's also a bottle shop in the back with wine+cheese tastings.
Dual coffee shop and bike shop. We booked an e-bike tour of 17-mile drive with a guide, and we saw many reindeer grazing on the side of a hill.
Some of the best breakfast burritos and sandwiches. Get their BLT - thick cut bacon with a tangy, sweet sauce.
Grab a seat at the oyster bar for some pre-dinner oysters and cocktails. No reservations required. Get the Matt and Sara special: espresso martinis, oyster shooters, and a dozen raw oysters on the half shell. Okay, it's not an actual special by the restaurant, but the order is special to us.
A charming, local dinner spot serving homey French-Italian cuisine. Make a reservation and ask for a table in the Courtyard. Order the sole, which is de-boned tableside. We are still dreaming about their tiramisu.
Authentic, no-frills sushi with some of the freshest fish you could imagine. Reservations are encouraged, but they did not pick up any of Matt's phone calls. Good luck!
A perfect place to watch the sunset on their rooftop bar with heaters. Also great for a post-dinner night cap.
We chose this as our wedding venue with good reason! Bottles and tastings are wallet-friendly, the tasting room often hosts live music, and they serve fluffy pizzas. The winery looks like a storybook castle. We recommended making a reservation online and sunbathing while sipping on crisp wines. Alternative fun: book a spot at Yoga in the Vineyards on the Sunday after the wedding.