Carmel Belle
| Address: | San Carlos St, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923, USA |
| Phone: | +1 831-624-1600 |
| Site: | carmelbelle.com |
| Rating: | 4.1 |
| Working: | 8AM–6PM 8AM–6PM 8AM–8PM 8AM–8PM 8AM–8PM 8AM–8PM 8AM–8PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 13
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Adam Lasnik
In a nutshell: understatedly tasty food, slightly inflated prices, odd ambiance. My friend and I visited here for lunch in the summer of 2009. I had fresh squeezed OJ, and we shared a sandwich and salad. OJ: Nothing to write home about. Better than store-bought, but not outstandingly delicious for fresh-squeezed. Sandwich: At first I was disappointed. Wheres the sauce?! (hint: theres just an aoli, no discernible BBQ sauce). But the pork was melt-in-your-mouth tender and delicately flavored, and after a moment I grew to appreciate this more subtle sandwich... especially given that the bread was probably ranked up there with the best bread Ive eaten in my life. So crisp on the outside and tender inside, so absolutely fresh! Salad: Hmm... wheres the dressing? Actually, the entire salad (including mixed greens, chicken, bacon bits, blue cheese, and avocado) was imperceptibly but apparently productively misted with a very mild lemony vinaigrette of some sort. Im used to a hearty ranch or Caesar or blue cheese dressing, frankly, and admittedly thatd be a bit more decadent... but unlike with that, this salad didnt have me feeling heavy or guilty. Only real criticism: more blue cheese crumbles, please. All other ingredients were abundant in this generously-portioned salad. Ambiance: Kinda weird. In an artsy shopping mall of sorts. Seating was okay, neither very uncomfortable or comfy. A good amount of natural light. * * * Only significant downside: Many of the items here seem priced a bit higher than they should be given the unstellar ambiance; in particular, many of the breakfast items looked rather expensive (especially without sides provided). But this place wont break your bank. For lunch, expect to pay $25 for two people and a couple of drinks.
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Jessica Cu
I was surprised to find Carmel Belle hidden in a small indoor shopping center, and structured as an order then take your number style eatery. What makes Carmel Belle so amazing aside from its lack of pretentiousness, is its simplicity and freshness. * Roasted mushroom melt & two soft poached eggs ($11) - 4 STARS: Served with white truffle oil and chives. I loved how fresh the bread was and perfectly poached eggs were. While delicious, I was hoping for something a little more complex or unique since I had made the trek all the way from SF. * Soft-poached egg, cheddar (Grafton, VT.) & Hobb’s bacon on toasted ciabatta ($10) - 3.5 STARS: Again, simple fresh and delicious. The ciabatta and cheese were a bit overwhelming given how little bacon/meat was in the sandwich. Good overall but again I kind of felt more homemade than what I was hoping for. * Open-faced avocado ($7.50) - 3 STARS: Local olive oil & sea salt on country toast. Another great and simple item. The avocados needed to be more ripe and it would have been great with a nice balsamic and bigger flakes of sea salt. I really enjoyed Carmel Belle because of the freshness of ingredients and simplicity; I could see myself being a regular if I was a local. However, as a visitor I was hoping to have something more unique and would go somewhere else for breakfast if I could do it over again.
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Salvatore Rametta
So we found this place tucked away in a beautiful shopping center and stopped for breakfast. First thing I noticed was the cool decor that felt warm and inviting, and made you hungry. You order at the counter and then relax in the dining area which was even nicer with comfy seats and an open fireplace in the middle which was awesome. The menu had lots of really tasty looking stuff. Got the mushroom melt and it was absolutely delicious paired with a chai latte. They also had smoothies and bowls. The staff were also super friendly. Overall kind of pricey, but the experience was with it. Definitely recommend.
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Isabella Silva
We had come to Carmel as a weekend getaway and were having a wonderful time until we came to this juice bar. Overall horrible experience here. Ordered a verde verde and the girl at the register in her 20s was extremely rude and inexperienced. The guy working behind the bar made us wait for the longest time even after he had finished making the drink (without gloves and without washing his hands.) The two were also being extremely rude to another coworker on the inside. Total bummer. Wont be coming back again.
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Sansar L
There isnt a single thing that I dont LOVE about this restaurant. Its oh-so-French yet very Californian at the same time, and features the finest, organic ingredients. Their poached eggs on a toasted baguette topped with sautéed mushrooms is divine. Their coffee beats most franchises eyes closed - its pretty hard to beat their brew. Its canteen style layout and servers dont come to your table. You order and pay at the counter and when your food is ready, they call it out.
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David Liang
Food: 3 Decor: 4 Service: 4 Came here for brunch with my gf on a Socal roadtrip. 1. Polenta with all of the above, 9 ~Pretty good. Not a big fan of goat cheese, but everything else worked very well. 2. Open-faced avocado, bacon, and arugala on pullman, 11 ~Okay, although the avocado was a bit brown, and the bacon was too fatty. 3. Bowl of summer fruit, 9 ~Delicious, although a larger portion would have been nice.
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Ivan Aranha
The ambience is quaint and comfortable with space to accommodate larger parties of 4 or 5 and couples. It inspires a writers coven with its warm fire pit. Many local, organic offerings from meat, pastries, olive oils, coffee, and jellies are offered. Think Greenwich Village in a petite California bottle with friendly service typical of smart students who used to work part time at your university cafeteria line.
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Amanda Burkman
Food is mediocre here especially for price. Ordered truffle egg toast. They didnt bother to tell me they ran out of truffle oil, found out when I discovered there was no truffle on my toast. Kind of a key ingredient when youre paying $11 for bread and one egg. Got a salad instead, they used canned tomatoes. Pretty disappointing.
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Ben Guthrie
Fun atmosphere, and trendy menu, but wasnt impressed with the food. Mushroom melt wasnt tasty, and the scone wasnt stale at 10am. Clearly a day or two old. Im always put off by the systems that expect you to tip up front, before you have experienced the service/meal. Poor taste, and doesnt encourage performance from the staff.
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Josefina Poyser
Went for the high reviews but service was poor. The guy seemed bothered just taking my order. Didnt bother to inform me to go pick up my coffee on my own, just handed me my order tag and then seemed super nice only to those he knew or seemed "high class". The food was ok. Not worth the time, location or price.
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Christoffer Klemming
Wonderful breakfast. With simple ingredients (avocado, poached egg, sourdough and a strip of bacon) they managed to compile one of the best sandwiches Ive had in a while. Combine they with a great almond smoothie, a great cappuccino and a fresh bowl of seasonal fruit, and you have a perfect start of any day.
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Lilith Aida
The food is way over priced for the amount received. Yes it is organic and delicious, but after spending $50 for a friend and myself, we left hungry. The bowls are very shallow. However the environment is great if you just want coffee and a chat with a friend. Atmosphere very welcoming and comfortable.
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dave luger
Great environment ! Had the mushroom melt,which tasted good. But I brought the (melt) up to the counter to mention that they forgot the cheddar cheese. She pointed ever so delicately to a small (fingernail) space and said " heres the cheese, its sliced very thin... Ill say!
