Restaurants near Downtown, Carmel, CA

In a place with as rich a culinary community as Carmel, you need to know the right restaurants to get the best at the right value. Many of the restaurants on this list feature two of the other essential ingredients-besides food--to a great dining experience: excellent service and a determination to use only the freshest and most local of ingredients.

Number 1 on this list is a newer restaurant and a departure from the regular "surf and turf" restaurants that normally make Top 10 Carmel dining lists. Dametra is the haut eatery of the moment, and if the exquisitely executed menu and superb service keep up, it sounds like Dametra is positioned to be the Number 1 Carmel eatery for the long haul. In a highly competitive field, Dametra keeps the menu straightforward and delicious but raises the bar by flavoring its cuisine with just the right mix of penache to keep the crowds begging for more.

La Bicyclette beat out old favorites like Flaherty's Seafood Grill and Oyster Bar and Grasing's Coastal Cuisine because it, like Dametra's, offers a different kind of menu that is no less delicious. Serving French-inspired cuisine, La Bicyclette is as much a social experience as a dining one. Once you've ordered from a pre-determined list of succulent entrees, you're free to nosh on the salad and soup provided by the kitchen. It's old world, rustic charm brought to Carmel in an unassuming, yet fantastically filling, environ.

Representing the traditional cuisine found at many Carmel restaurants, Number 7 on this list is the Wickets Bistro at Bernardus Lodge. Don't be star-struck if Bill Murray or another Hollywood star is sitting next to you (ok, maybe a little star-struck), digging into the same flat iron steak and swordfish as you. A consistently good meal in a fabled setting is always on the menu at Bernardus.

The dining scene is always evolving in Carmel as new chefs set up shop and those who've been here for decades refine their dishes and experiment with new and amazing ingredients. This list is a jumping off point to the many varied, entertaining and delightful dining experience available in Carmel.