Vineyard Bistro

This restaurant has a lot going for it. I like the atmosphere, whether it’s al fresco or inside. The service is very attentive, with the owner usually personally greeting and thanking his guests.
The food is always quite good, if perhaps somewhat pedestrian, meaning there’s the usual filet mignon, a fresh catch, a seafood pasta, a veal and chicken dish to select from. Another reviewer suggested that Jimmy, the owner, put a South American delicacy on the menu, and I whole-​heartedly agree. I’m kind of a foodie, and am always open to trying something exotic, a la Food Network’s Andrew Zimmern or Guy Fiera (no eyeballs, though).
The Vineyard Bistro is a romantic, quiet, reliable restaurant for Carmel Valley.

Went there for dinner. Nice quiet atmosphere, the salmon was delicious, the lemon sauce amazing. There was a bit too much garlic for my girlfriends taste.
I had the filet mignon, asked for it medium rare, got it medium. But it was amazing.
The appetizer we had was the crab cakes. I’d skip those. Everything else was amazing. Would go again and again.
Total bill $ 80 after tip. So on the expensive side.

Amazing in every way: the food was top-​notch, the service very attentive, the outside patio wonderful and cozy. This was by far the best seafood dinner we had for a very long time: the clams in a chardonnay and lemon sauce as an appetizer were just divine, the linguine with seafood absolutely mouthwatering and the special of the day — sole with white wine/​garlic sauce with fresh veggies (cooked to the point!) and mashed potatoes — was just amazing! The wine list offers a huge variety of local as well as wines from all around the world. The service was extremely nice and helpful, the owner and chef came out to ask about the food, which I thought gave the restaurant an even more personal touch! All in all: a fantastic bistro-​style restaurant in Carmel Village, situated a bit back from the main road (more quiet) — highly recommend! Thanks for the great evening — we will definitely come back!

Amazing! The fresh halibut was cooked to perfection! The grilled vegetables and mash potatoes made to accompany the meal were great!
Jimmy Ugaz the chef came out to make sure we enjoyed the fresh fish! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS RESTAURANT!!!

The food is good but the service is slow. Calamari was great with the dipping sauce. Spinach salad was excellent!

Had dinner with friends outside and had the best ever sole dish. Cooked to perfection!
Great family owned business. I am a local .
Hats off to this place!!!

Very nice tables, attentive staff. I got the chef’s special, which had all kinds of different seafoods in it. Everything was perfectly cooked, but the sauce was a little watery. After explaining to staff and the chef, they brought out a free cheesecake, which was also very good.
The wine, of course, was great, and I got a hot chocolate which was amaaaazing, a little spiced, really great.

Some of the best food we’ve had on the peninsula! Don’t let the exterior (or interior for that matter) fool you, it could definitely use sprucing up and probably deters patrons — but don’t let it, the food is incredible. Service can be hit or miss, but it’s never bad. But the food! From the salads to the burgers to the salmon, even the margaritas, everything we’ve had has been on point. Great for lunch or dinner!

This was highly recommended by our hosts as their favorite restaurant so we gave it a try. There were dishes that were very good– the salmon entrée and the french onion soup, both were delicious. Then there were the bad menu items the spinach salad had old fried onions on top that tasted awful like the grease they were fried in was rancid and made the salad inedible. To my surprise the waiter failed to ask why it went uneaten and if it was OK. It has been a rough week for me so I did not bring it up or send it back so I have no idea if the restaurant would have been responsive to my request for something else, I was just not in the mood to have to stand up to something being sent out so badly. I also was very disappointed with the crepes, they did not taste fresh either. They seem to have been reheated after being made ahead.
I was sad to not find any Peruvian dishes on the menu since the chef is said to be Peruvian. All in all we will not be returning as the overall experience was not a great one.

We had a great dinner here. Jimmy the chef and owner was a joy to talk with! They aim to please, the chef was willing to customize some of the menu for us to accommodate our guests! Very impressed with the food and the service! We would definitely recommend Vinyard Bistro !!

We went last Friday as a party of 6. With the exception of the artichoke appetizer, which was very good, everything else was plain and lacking in flavor. Several different entrees were ordered (Seafood Pasta Special, Duck, Veal, and Chicken Piccata), and each was just barely ok.
To top things off, the service was appallingly slow. One example was it took them 15 minutes after the entrees were served (and no waiter to be found anywhere near our table) to ask if everything was ok. It wasn’t, especially the Beet Salad which was dripping in dressing. I won’t bother further detailing the lack of service, but it was a joke on a night where the crowd was light (about 30% full).
Finally, to add insult to injury and because we were a party of six, they added 18% gratuity. Never again.

Not bad!
The wait at our initial choice was a bit long so we ventured into this cute little place on a Saturday afternoon and sat on their patio under the sun.
The four of us shared the artichoke and each had a salad as our main dish. The artichoke was just okay but my crab/​mango salad was great.
The staff was very friendly and attentive and the ambiance was just what we needed for our Carmel Valley afternoon: cozy and sunny with a little bit of music in the background.
We finished our meal with a tasty chocolate fondant and espresso and left completely satisfied.

Hubs and I are glad we tried this place. Carmel Valley is the perfect place to enjoy dinner
al fresco. The weather was perfect, so we chose to dine on the patio. We did make reservations, but I was dismayed that there weren’t many patrons. Service gets five stars. The chef/​owner greeted us warmly and was very charming. We started out with the grilled artichoke with a balsamic glaze and pesto aioli ($ 8). The only thing I was a tiny bit critical of is that when I prepare artichokes, I cut them in half (which he did) and remove the tough outer leaves and the thistle. I also snip off the tips of the outer leaves, so the thorns don’t bite. He didn’t. Minor ding, but noted.
We ordered the pear and butter leaf salad $ 7). It was good. Not outstanding (very thin pear slices, about 8) but the dressing was light and good, and we liked the celery seed.
For our entrees, they get five stars. Hubs ordered the wild salmon $ 21), and the meager taste he shared with mewas delicious. There was garlic, but not too much. It was served with capers. I couldn’t really get a taste of the sauce, because Mr. Stingy wasn’t sharing. Fine.
I ordered the rack of lamb ($ 27). The first few bites were delicious– delicious char flavor, well-​seasoned with mustard and herbs. But, when I got to the center it was very rare… like extremely rare. I ordered «pink on the inside». The mashed potatoes were super creamy, but cold. Reluctantly, I sent my dish back and asked them to kindly fire them up a little more «until pink» and noted that the potatoes were pretty cold.
The wait wasn’t terribly long, but my husband finished his dinner before I did. Batting my lashes at his salmon didn’t work. He wasn’t going to share.
The lamb returned, cooked to perfection and the potatoes were nice and hot.
For dessert, we ordered the crepes with bananas, brown sugar and orange juice, with vanilla bean ice cream ($ 8). It was good, but nothing earth-​shattering… a bit soupy with the sauce. I make bananas foster all the time, and I like to caramelize the bananas in the butter and brown sugar and I add only a splash of OJ so it’s not too thin.
Hubs liked the Peruvian beer, and I ordered a glass of pinot noir $ 8 (quite good, actually).
Total check came to $ 93.00, plus tip. Overall, we would come back again. I’ll pass on the appetizers, though next time I will order the Caesar salad, which looked great. I’d stick with the entrees and pass on dessert.
The only criticism I have comes from my background in the restaurant business. When a customer’s meat order doesn’t come as specified (in my case ultra-​rare vs. pink), it’s a good idea to comp something… my glass of wine, offer a cup of coffee… the entrée doesn’t have to be comped– I did eat the whole thing and loved it, once they fixed the problem. Still, I had to wait for the rest of my dinner. That didn’t happen and these are the little things that makes customers very happy. I suspect that the owner reads his reviews, and that’s smart. If you are, please know that overall I enjoyed my dinner at your restaurant, and I hope that more locals will take a lovely drive to Carmel Valley to enjoy the menu. There is something for everyone– from pork, to fish to beef and I’d love to try the pasta.
This is definitely a little gem of a place in the Carmel Valley village, where I grew up during my high school years. I miss living there, but it’s only ½ hour drive for us. Well worth it.

We came during lunch time in a group of 8. We sit outside and there were not too many tables. It took them 15 minutes to even give us a menu and the service is very not attentive. There are 2 table that came after us and already ordered and get their bread. They are also not generous with the bread… we have 8 people and they gave us 8 small piece of bread… the food was just ok but I wouldnt come back again.
Some of us ordered the monterey calamari pasta while other ordered thr sandwiches. The sandwich was not bad but the pasta was beyond terrible. When you are eating the pasta the sauce taste like the water drained from cooking the pasta. Just to be safe its better to order the sandwich.

I was underwhelmed by this place. We actually drove 2 hours to try this place and I am not sure why it has 4 stars. Food was good. but nothing to write home about. There are better places in Carmel. Service was great though. :)

We love this location, the charm of this place is great! We came early to enjoy the warm evening, and chose to sit outside. Service was timely, poured water regularly, and answered all ?? About menu. The calamari appetizer was superb, the dipping sauce was a sweet chili combo, and was yummy! Our entrees were good, especially the Seafood pasta linguini in a lobster sauce, it was full of scallops and prawns. The Only down side of the evening was the corkage fee of $ 20.00, I wish we had asked ahead of time about the fee. Lovely local restaurant to try in the Valley!

Great place to stop for a glass of wine

What a memorable dining experience. From the outdoor ambiance to the savory food choices to the chef and his entire staff, we were well taken care of and very comfortable. Located out of the hustle bustle of the town of Carmel, this bistro was off the beaten path in the Carmel Valley. Will return again and make sure friends and family do the same. Delightful time.

Three and a half stars rounded up to four.
We went today for brunch. I wanted breakfast and my wife wanted lunch. BV met our needs. Lots of places to sit inside and out. Nice patio seating and they allow dogs if that is important to you. We sat outside. My wife ordered the Caeser salad with chicken and I ordered the Bistro Express which is two eggs, meat, potatoes, pancakes and toast or English muffin. Yumm.
All the food was wonderful.
Pros: great food and excellent quality and quantity.
Cons: too long. Too long to order, too long to get our food, too long to get our check.
I will go back but I will be more persistent that I want to eat faster than an hour and a half. I also want my check promptly; the tip starts going down every few minutes.

Great little place where you can sit outside and have a very good meal in a casual setting. I usually always get the fish special, and it is always wonderful.
My wife can be picky about food and restaurant locations, and she loves this place.
We love Carmel Valley and this restaurant is part of the reason why.