50 Best Vegetarian Restaurants in Carmel By The Sea

“Great foods and great friends !“

“Just a fabulous experience! The service levels were over the top. Never wanted for anything. Ate at the restaurant and had an 8-course tasting menu! To die for!“

“Amazing food with first class service. In a word.... WOW!!!“

“One of the best chinese restaurants in Carmel. We make it a tradition to visit every year to satisfy and recalibrate our taste buds. The restaurant itself is very simple, not fancy at all. You could almost describe it as a fast food spot or a cafeteria. But don’t let the appearance fool you. The food is incredibly fresh, and the flavors do something extraordinary to your palate that is genuinely hard to describe. It’s one of those places you simply have to experience for yourself. A special thank you to Tommy for the passion and consistency you bring. You have created a place that gives people a truly memorable dining experience, and we look forward to coming back every year.“

“Delicious pizza & drinks.“

“Beyond amazing. Service ambience and food was impeccable“

“Amazing food and service. If you need gluten free options then this is the place! GF garlic bread, pasta, and more. soooo good!“

“This is our go to romantic restaurant in Carmel. The food is so good. The atmosphere is exactly what you want for fine dining. Tuan was our waiter. He was friendly calm and efficient. Don't miss the French onion soup and the rack of lamb. Liz and Dick ate here back in the day. If it's good enough for them it's good enough for us.“

“This is one of the most unique and exciting restaurants in Carmel. Amazing cocktails and the food is both creative and authentic. Wine list is great too! Never disappoints.“

“Great food, wonderful service and awesome atmosphere!“

“We are regulars here! Everyone is really kind, food is amazing and they make you feel like family. Best sushi on the peninsula in my opinion. You pay for quality and that’s what you’ll get every-time. Every friend we bring only has great things to say! Truly worth it and a great date night!“

“Highly recommend!! We had a 90th birthday dinner for my mom with 11 people. Everything was superb! Outstanding service, excellent food and drinks. Outside terrace is pretty and even allowed our 2 dogs. Superb! Thank you to Z and the wonderful staff, everything was perfect!!!👍“

“Amazing food with even more amazing service. Highly recommend for your special night out!“

“one of the best in Carmel...“

“A cozy and lively place with high quality food and very pleasant vibe. This is not the first time I come. I have tried a couple of dishes here before (e.g. schnitzels, fondues, goulash soup, sand dabs, geschnetzeltes) and they are all excellent. I came today at odd hour (after 2pm) so I took a picture with no crowd.
Service is excellent and friendly. Comfortable environment.
A must-go place every time I visit Carmel.“

“Amazing place.

Service was exceptional, really friendly and welcoming.

Food was amazing. Really recommend the chips and salsa. The hose special sea bass was fantastic, as was the banana sundae. Worth every calorie.

We were lucky enough to get a table as walk-ins but would probably book as they were full on a Wednesday evening.“

“We celebrated our anniversary there and had the BEST time. Faisal always makes you feel like family. The food and music are the best!!!“

“Folktale is such a dreamy location, experience, and vibe. I was not a wine drinker before my first visit. Three visits later, I became a member and stop in at least once a month (sometimes more, oopsies). Their wine educators are the absolute best humans ever. They are all genuinely excited about giving you the best experience and so helpful if you, like me, have no idea what you want.

They've been doing construction on the inside/restaurant so I haven't been in there yet. In the meantime they have a Wine Garden outside with amazing views of the vineyard and mountains. Folktale, if you're reading this, DON'T CLOSE THE WINE GARDEN EXPERIENCE!! It is the literal best thing ever! Especially with the live music.

Overall amazing place, amazing staff, they are dog friendly. And yes, you can bring your kids and babies. There is shade, or sun if you want. Yes, they have food. It's perfect for bookclub, Bachelorette, birthday drinks, or 12 o'clock day drinking with your husband because the kids are in school and mama needs a night off, Carl!

So grab your kids, grab your wives, and pick me up too on your way to Folktale, friends!“

“Loved the happy hour! Great food and drinks!! The service was fantastic!“

“Amazing food. Amazing atmosphere and wonderful service.“

“Great piano bar! Awesome lemon drops😃“

“Excellent food and great service and good live music.“

“An unexpected highlight of our recent visit to Carmel! Warm, welcoming, fun vibe, great food. There are places one just doesn't insist on veggie options. 🤫“

“Felt right at home as soon as we walked into this place. Both the manager and the gentleman who helped us were wonderful. They expanded our horizons from our typical palette. Ended up leaving with a bottle of their sparkling rose which we normally don’t lean towards at all! It was so refreshing yet dry and definitely hit the spot during the warm day. The bar was spacious and the outdoor dining area had a nice cool breeze. Good ambience is key and this place definitely has it. We will be back when visiting the area again🍷“

“Love the BLTA. Need a quick lunch or snack? This is the place. Only reasonable prices in Carmel.“

“I came here for the first time today and wow!!! What a unique atmosphere and energy. Diego the host originally greeted us and Rowena was our bartender/server. Only thing that upset me was we don't have this place back home! There clam chowder was amazing!“

“I recently had brunch here - it was delicious. The service was great. I ordered a salmon+avocado benny with hash browns. Overall, a unique and different take on bennys. The hollandaise was saltier than I’ve ever had, which I honestly enjoyed.

Be prepared to wait awhile if you want to try this place on a weekend, it’s worth it.“

“Wonderful customer service and the Zin was wonderful!!! 👍🏻“

“Amazing wines and a tasting room that is the best in Carmel!“

“Picked up food to go last year and it was really good. So happy that we found this place again! Ordered garlic parm and spicy fried chicken wing plates, lemongrass chicken and beef meatball pho. Also ordered strawberry and melon boba milk tea and Vietnamese coffee with egg cream. Food and drinks came out quickly. Customer service was great. It was so good that we ate and drank everything! We will definitely come here again when we’re in the area.“

“yummy food and great atmosphere my sliders were epic and the wine choices were great,Andrew was really attentive thank you“

“My wife and I had a wonderful time during a day-trip last Sunday, 4/12/26. Our server did a great job of attending to our every whim and request! The ambience was fantastic and even though it rained a little, moving into the bar area was another experience in itself. We can't thank em enough for giving us such a memorable experience!“

“Always amazing. Great food and service. 👏🏼 my favorite“

“We had excellent service! Our server Juan was very professional and provided personalized service throughout the evening. If you want a perfectly prepared steak, this is the best! This is our third visit to this restaurant and it was the best ever.
We highly recommend!“

“Never fails to give great food and service.“

“First time I finished a burger!!“

“I enjoyed the food very much. I loved the tuna and yellowtail rolls, and the local King salmon nigiri, something I have never had before. We were asked to sit at the sushi bar I think because there were only two of us, and the tables were four tops. I was okay with that because I liked watching the chef prepare the sushi. There is a $40 minimum per person and if you have ordered too little, you will have a menu shoved in your face asking you what else you would like. It ended up being too much food but I ate it happily because it was all tasty. Just an odd experience. Service was a little brusque, overall. But I'm glad we tried it since there are only a couple of sushi restaurants in Carmel.“

“Always love the bagel bakery. Good bagels and great service.“

“Enjoyed an amazing lunch! Delicious and the service was great 😊 👍🏻 Totally recommend this place.“

“Route 1 was closed and I had to return to Carmel from Big Sur and took Freeway 101 instead. So another pasta at Portabella! Always going back for it.“

“Gorgeous!! I came to the ranch for a conference, and will definitely be coming back again. Could not ask for more lovely scenery, more activities (hiking! golf! archery!), or more considerate staff.“

“Great food service and atmosphere“

“Mini combo was Yummy!“

“Great Customer Service. And the food was Great“

“Fun sitting at the Sushi Bar! Great team, great service, and of course great food!“

“We recently visited Carmel and were craving Italian food, so we decided to try Allegro Pizzeria since it was conveniently close to our hotel—and we’re so glad we did! This charming local spot has a warm, low-key, inviting atmosphere that immediately made us feel comfortable. You can tell it’s a favorite among locals, not just tourists, which is always a great sign.
The restaurant was very clean, neat, and welcoming, and the service was excellent from start to finish. Our waiter, Evan, took wonderful care of us—friendly, attentive, and prompt without making us feel rushed.
As for the food—delicious! We started with the calamari appetizer, which was perfectly cooked and flavorful. I enjoyed the lasagna, rich and comforting with classic Italian flavor. The shrimp and scallop pasta in a butter and wine sauce was absolutely wonderful—fresh seafood and a beautifully balanced sauce. Our son loved his pizza, which was fun, cheesy, and hit the spot. We also appreciated the soup, salad, and fresh bread that rounded out the meal.
Parking was plentiful, though we loved that it was an easy walk from our hotel. If you’re visiting Carmel and looking for a casual, delicious Italian restaurant with great service, Allegro Pizzeria is definitely worth a visit!“

“We've been coming for so many years never had a bad experience always love the food the people the ambience it's absolutely fun and excellent food drinks, etc. This time for lunch we had an exceptional server she's new to us. Her name was beautiful. It was a flower like maybe jasmine we hadn't seen her before but boy was she on top and thorough always seeing if we needed any more of anything we loved her she was phenomenal.❤️ just wanted you to know“

“Wonderful dining experience. Food was fabulous. We shared the calamari appetizer which was delicious. Then we shared the Paella oh my goodness was it wonderful. More than enough for two. This is a favorite restaurant of ours when we come to Carmel and it never disappoints.“

“Lovely setting, excellent service, food was delicious and best coffee I’ve ever tasted! I know you use Lavazza but how do you make it?? When we make it to Carmel again we’ll definitely come back!“

“We went here for breakfast during our trip. Servers are nice but seem very understaffed and rushed. A lot of folks didn't want to ask for help because they looked super busy. Food is great! Probably wouldn't come during peak hours so the service feels more relaxed.“