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The Monterey Bay area is a culinary paradise. The surrounding waters are full of fish, wild game roams the foothills, and the inland valleys are some of the most fertile in the country—local chefs draw on this bounty for their fresh, truly Californian cuisine. Except at beachside stands and inexpensive eateries, where anything goes, casual but neat dress is the norm.
To eat and sleep at luxe L'Auberge Carmel is an experience in itself, but even those staying elsewhere can splurge at the inn's intimate restaurant, which was awarded a Michelin star in 2022. Chef Justin Cogley's eight-course prix-fixe tasting menu (your only option at dinner, $265 per person) is a gastronomical experience unrivaled in the region.
The menu here is mostly Mediterranean and southern French, with such dishes as osso buco and paella. The decor follows suit—stone walls and country furniture lend the restaurant the earthy feel of a European farmhouse.
Exotic Mediterranean flavors with an Afghan twist take center stage at this artsy, stylish space with soaring ceilings. In the evening, locals come to relax over wine and soft jazz at the blue-concrete bar, on the seasonal heated patio with twinkly lights, or at a communal table near the open kitchen.
This spacious restaurant with soaring ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows serves dishes featuring the authentic flavors of the French/Italian Riviera, from Nice to Genoa. The menu changes often, depending on ingredients acquired from local purveyors, but, in addition to house-made pizzas and traditional pastas, it might offer black-truffle cappellini in an Armagnac and truffle butter sauce, Dungeness crab gnocchi, or pork belly with squash and fennel in a scallop sauce.
This quirky converted firehouse, with its rawhide walls and iron indoor trellises, has a wonderfully sophisticated menu. Organic produce and meats and sustainably sourced seafood are used in imaginative dishes that reflect the area's agriculture—crispy artichoke hearts with Mediterranean baba ghanoush, for instance, and hamachi crudo with passion-fruit vinaigrette.
South American artwork and artifacts decorate Passionfish, and Latin and Asian flavors infuse the dishes. The chef shops at local farmers' markets several times a week to find the best produce, fish, and meat available and then pairs it with creative sauces like a caper, raisin, and walnut relish.
In surf lingo, "the pocket" is a perfect riding spot within a barrel-shape wave, and this Italian–Californian restaurant is likewise a perfect (casual and unfussy) gathering spot for those who seek first-rate food, wine, and cocktails. The chefs craft seasonal menus that focus on seafood, fresh pastas, curries, steaks, and braised meats.
