Basil Carmel

It started out slow, but our waitress made up for it. We had the risotto, beef cheeks, chicken pot pie and the black ink squid pasta. They were all excellent and the desserts were even better! Time to hit the gym

My wife and I ate dinner here Saturday night at 6:00 PM with reservations. I really do suggest you make a reservation because it has a small amount of tables and they fill up fast! The food was exceptional to say the least! My wife ordered the roast chicken, which they inform you takes 30 minutes to cook… unfortunately ours too 60 minutes. I had the roast octopus which was incredible. I also had the beef cheeks that were done to perfection (quite rich though). On my visit this was the best food served out of 8 dining experiences.

Good service, somewhat higher prices although more reasonable for dinner, and nice atmosphere.
Dog friendly seating outside. Lamb meatballs were really good, especially the tomato sauce they came in. Grilled octopus was also good but only if you like octopus. It doesn’t come in pieces but in one leg end.
My pea and spinach ravioli was delicious and hot and tasted made in house, and my boyfriend’s pork chop was also pretty tasty, although the polenta was bland and the pork was a bit dry.

We met the owner and chef’s wife, Amy, at a wine tasting room in Carmel. She told us about the delicious food at Basil, but we were a bit skeptical after having several subpar meals at some of Carmel’s finest restaurants. We tried Basil on a Saturday night in June, and I cannot remember the last time we had a meal so delicious. The ambiance and service were incredible. Everything we are was beyond delicious — grilled octopus, abalone, squid ink linguine with sea urchin, the chef’s special goat burger with mushrooms, bacon and fries. Amy and her husband were so hospitable and welcoming… I wish we lived closer and could visit more often. Also, the desserts were beyond yummy. We were so full from all of the yummy food, but we still managed to devour the dessert (flourless warm chocolate cake with ice cream) because it was SO good. The chef was previously a pastry chef in Germany, so the desserts were of course delicious. The little courtyard outside the restaurant was perfect for a romantic dinner, and the heat lamps/​blankets were great on a chilly night. We cannot wait to return next time we’re in Carmel. This was one of the greatest meals we’ve had recently :)

I chose this restaurant specifically because they had an abalone dish the menu. When we received it although it was very tasty it was hard to tell if there was any abalone in the fish. We ordered an artichoke salad which came with raw artichoke. It was very crisp and took a lot of chewing and lacked the wonderful taste of cooked artichoke and didn’t really carry the dressing do it was more like crudités. I was also excited about the apple strudel but if lacked any spice or citrus peel or something that would make it have a delicious taste. It was just a lot of chewing. The sea bass was very good. When we complained about the abalone dish they did remove it from our bill. I really can’t recommend this place but if you go stick to the chicken or pork chop they looked ok.

I had the grilled octopus which was perfectly cooked. My husband had the roasted beet salad which was pretty good, though we like our beets crisped on the outside when roasted. I ordered the vegan vegetable plate with beet ravioli. The raviolis and vegetables were delicious and flavorful. My husband ordered the squid ink pasta which was perfectly cooked and tossed in a delicious sauce that wasn’t too heavy. We ordered the apple strudel served with a delicious cream. I ordered the flourless chocolate cake which was super chocolatey and moist. The wines were good and generous pours. Service was prompt and attentive.

I’m in love food is out of this world this chef can cook, you can tell every dish is made with love. Service great, friendly and warm. Perfect… the end

It was a bit chilling out but we sat on the porch. They had heat «lamps» and also brought out throw blankets for us to use. Good fresh food. Everybody at our table enjoyed it. The menu was rather limited but I assume it is because they use whatever is local and in season in deciding their menu. I would have liked more of a variety.

This place has amazing food. Everything we order was total perfection. I would highly recommend this place. It’s a top pick for me when I visit Carmel.

Saw it on Unilocal and decided to try it. I ordered the iced tea which had a Basil leaf and a hint of basil flavor. I ordered the Lady Burger and my husband ordered The Salmon Sandwich. The patio was nice. We had our two dogs with us and they had water and little dog treats. I loved my burger but my husband felt the Salmon Sandwich was a little dry. The waiter was a little slow considering the place was practically empty in the mid afternoon. We were outside so maybe they only had one waiter working inside and outside. Overall it was a pleasant experience.

Charming setting in a courtyard, nice blankets in the late evening. heating lamps add a nice touch on a cool evening.
Food flavorful with local ingredients– lamb meatballs were excellent. Ironically basil dip to start was flat in flavour– maybe they need to add olives. Chef has been here for 5 years, and it shows he knows his local produce.
Service was well informed and very polite. Not too intrusive on a romantic evening.
Would definitely recommend!

Been wanting to try Basil Carmel for a while and finally got a reservation for a weekend. They have outdoor seatings and is dog friendly. We sit by the front door and we can see people who don’t have reservations are told about an hour waiting time. However, we noticed some people who’s probably a regular (they seem to know each other) got seated right away. We came 20 minutes before our reservation and asked if we can be seated early. We saw some open tables, but the host told us to come back in 20 minutes. We did and we ended up got seated at the table that were empty when we first came in. After observing throughout our lunch, they seem to be doing that to everyone unless you are friends with the host, then you will be seated right away even without reservation.
Anyway, on to the foods. We ordered:
— lamb meatballs (good!)
— black squid ink linguine (good!)
— carbonara (very eggy, I would skip this)
— burger (my friend’s, I didn’t try)
— fries (okay)
They also give you bread with pesto sauce which were pretty good.

I’ve dined in plenty of times for one reason and one reason only… The squid ink linguini. It is to die for! Service is friendly as well. I love this place

Found this place while browsing for a lunch spot on Unilocal and decided to give it a try. It’s tucked away in a little area with a bunch of wine tasting rooms. There is seating outside with a patio cover so feel free to bring your pup! We brought our little doggy and she was treated really well. Water and treats? Yes, please! There were also blankets offered on the patio so that you can stay warm and comfortable.
All the food we ordered was delicious and fresh. We loved the Abalone, Squid Ink Pasta, Artichoke Salad (with fresh artichoke grown in the area), and the beef cheeks (SO mouth wateringly tender!!) We really wanted to order everything on the menu, but had to hold ourselves back. I can’t wait to go back the next time I am in the area to try their other menu items.
Our waitress, Amy was excellent and super friendly. She gave great recommendations and took care of us really well.

Love love love the concept and food! Came here for lunch on a weekday. They had dog biscuits which is a plus for our 4 legged friend! We ordered the beef cheeks & sea urchin pasta.
Started with some complementary bread served with a basil pesto sauce. The sauce was so good we literally mopped every ounce away.
The sea urchin pasta was rich, creamy but well balanced. Squid ink Pasta was al dente and the pieces of squid were nice and tender. The beef cheeks was not as memorable, still good but doesn’t compare to the pasta.
We got a cheeseburger to go. The thick party was juicy and nicely flavored.
All & all I would definitely come back here again!

Carmel By The Sea, CA
— Octopus app — Solid.
— Squid ink linguini with sauce Solid.
Edited — Originally I stated that I did not notice any squid ink the sauce, nothing more than an observation.
Then a real life squid pointed out to me that the sauce does Not have actual squid ink. So there ya have it!
— The opener, bread with house made green sauce — AMAZING. The bread, had a nice crust and super soft within. I could eat this stuff until I’m full. Really really awesome and worth coming for.
— Service always friendly and attentive.
— Overall a nice spot to do dinner Carmel with a casual ambiance.
— Indoor seating (limited) and outdoor patio.
— Literally several feet away from a couple of tasting rooms.
— Per my first review, I came back and glad I did!

We actually got the opportunity to try this place out of sheer luck. After a full day of exploring and driving up and down the coast, we wanted to catch dinner in Carmel and since we didn’t have any reservations and was prepared to eat anything since it was late already, I urgently was able to make reservations here, and still had to wait another half hour before getting seated.
Located at the end of an little dead end alleyway, this restaurant seems super popular amongst the locals as all the tables were filled already when we arrived. It’s a relatively small restaurant with a limited indoor seating, so they have expanded their space to about 5 – 6 additional tables outside (and even this still isn’t enough)!
What I absolutely love about this place, besides the yummy food, is that it is pet friendly and that you can find pets and their owners having meals in the same space. There were plenty of dogs around and the restaurant is even so kind as to provide water bowls for them to drink out of (and even have doggy snacks on hand to pass out to them as well!).
A true pet friendly restaurant that serves great food! A must visit in Carmel.

A rating of 4 is pushing it for me. I’ve been looking forward to trying this place after looking everywhere in the Bay for uni/​squid ink pastas. According to the website, they require reservations on weekends as it is a small place, but we got here during opening and saw it was empty. People there were friendly and welcomed us in.
We got:
–Complimentary bread and pesto: According to other Unilocal reviews it is nut-​free, which is really cool! It was a little too acidic for me, but not bad
–Duck-​pork terrine: Bacon was quite fatty; the terrine had pistachios in it. Pretty good, but it only came with two pieces of toast.
–Black squid ink linguine (x2): Doesn’t look like much, but very decent size! I couldn’t finish it all. Calamari and squid legs are REALLY fresh, and well-​cooked. The uni sauce was creamy and had lots of umami. The one criticism I have is that the dish was pretty salty, it could improve on balancing the sodium levels between the squid ink pasta, the uni sauce, and the squid from the Monterey Bay.
–5 hour braised beef cheeks: Yummy! The menu says it takes 30 minutes, but I don’t think it took that long. The mashed potatoes was more like a purée, but drenched in rich, yummy gravy! I wish the vegetables were cooked a little longer though…
The service was good, but I was slightly disappointed by this place. The food was good, but not amazing.

Isn’t it the best when the place you’ve picked for your weekend getaway’s «nice» dinner turns out to be an unequivocally marvelous restaurant?
If you’re in Carmel for the weekend and want a high quality dining experience, stop looking and just get a reservation here already!
Pre-​entrée food: fantastic. First thing on the table was warm bread with a pesto sauce for spreading. Nothing revolutionary, but I hadn’t eaten all day so it was great to nibble on something tasty quick. We ordered the local abalone first – think of clamlike meat in a creamy broth with vegetables, all served in the abalone shell. (See my picture: a dramatic dash of balsamic vinegar on the side made for a beautiful plating.) Our real favorite thing was that night’s salad: arugula and spinach, pine nuts, mandarins (or blood oranges?), goat cheese, vinaigrette. All of it went together so well that my girlfriend and I couldn’t help noting all the ingredients so we could recreate it at home.
Entrée: I had the beef cheeks, so soft and meaty with hints of wine in every bite. The beef came atop yummy mashed potatoes. I’m still thinking about it a week later.
Dessert: cobbler with olallieberries. (I’d never heard of an olallieberry; they’re like dark raspberries.) Our cheery and helpful server said it was the head chef’s specialty. Really really good.
Speaking of the head chef Soerke Peters, a very nice touch at the end was him thanking us personally as we were leaving. (I knew it was him because there’s a giant picture of him on the wall haha.) He seemed very pleased that we were leaving happy. I can only say thank you in return with this review. Thank you, and we’ll be back!

I came here because this place got such great reviews on Unilocal.I’d always wanted to go to Carmel because its beautiful, peaceful and had great eats. This place failed to impress.
I ordered the squid ink pasta. The description was very vague, I did not know I was really getting baby squids on black pastas. The intricacy of a squid ink pasta could’ve been highlighted in many ways but having more baby squids than the calamari style rings was all I could handle. The pasta sauce itself tasted canned and came with peas. I wonder if they thought, black and red is too plain so lets add peas just to add some color.
My partner got the lamb burger which was standard but didn’t have anything special. It seemed very dry.
All in all, I would not go back to basil carmel. Maybe next time, they can actually use fresh basil in their pasta.

This lovely restaurant is located in a corner among a group of chic and hip designed shops.
There are some outside sits where most of the guests were sitting in while enjoying the warm sunshine as well as the gentle breeze.
We have had a 5 hours braised rib which is very delicious. The carrot pasta is also good to eat for it’s very sweet and soft.
Waitress here is considerate, they even brought extra empty plates for us to share our dishes.
However, there were no extra salt or pepper on the table, so you have to ask for them if you need.
Overall, it was a pleasant experience eating here and I would like to recommend it to anyone who come to Carmel and wants to enjoy a comfortable meal in a nice place.