Best restaurant between LA and SF. Eat everything on the menu. Amazing, charming husband and wife owners who will make you believe you are in Firenze when you walk across the threshold.
C B.
Fantastic food. Must order the cauliflower. My husband will even eat it - usually he's a 'no-go' for any vegetable! The half chicken is amazing!
Susie B.
This is our favorite "GO TO" place in Carmel. Whether it's just to go grab dinner or a special occasion with guests- it's ALWAYS La Balena. The service is stellar, love the back patio atmosphere and the food is the best in town. Anna and Emmanuele are wonderful hosts.
Gilbert P.
Yikes! Let's say I could cook better pasta and I don't cook. Poor. Out of a box pasta and they forgot to season the ragu! The beet salad - 6 small pieces of beets placed around a bush of arugula. Add one glass of wine and a $150 bill. No way!! And for it to win best Italian restaurant in Carmel! Come on!!!
Sasha Voinov
Beautifully cooked Italian food! Gorgeous atmosphere for its small location.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mombo M.
This was our second visit to La Balena and we were just as happy as the first time. This little restaurant has a rustic Italian vibe with wine filled racks adding to the atmosphere. Our excellent dinner started with their beet salad accompanied by freshly baked bread and olive oil. My husband had the delicious hand cut papadelle pasta with wild boar ragu. I had the special short rib raviolis in a creamy Marsala sauce. Great service too.
A W.
Ambiance, really good Service, great Food, excellent Cost, pricey Made for a great date night. We'll be back.
Ross G.
WE recently ate at La Balena for Valentine's Day. It Is a cute little Italian restaurant in Carmel by the sea. The first thing you need to know about this restaurant is that it is very small and loud and impossible to have a private conversation unless you happen to hit it when none else is seated inside. The second thing was there was a pretty big disconnect with our server...my wife and I specifically asked for a pasta dish to be made without the mushrooms and when he brought our dishes out, he served her a dish with mushrooms. This was a little inconvenient because I had my food in front of me while she had to wait to have her food re made. To be honest, once the food got to our table it was pretty tasty. I probably would not go back to this restaurant if I returned to Carmel.
Lizz H.
Atmosphere in their outdoor patio was lovely. I loved their garlic bread and Caesar salad, but hubby didn't. We shared their bolognese sauce which we both agreed was just ok. We won't be going back because we prefer other Italian restaurants in Carmel. A big MISS was that they didn't offer cracked pepper for our salad or any Parmesan cheese for our pasta. I didn't say anything because I wanted to experience their service from their POV. Any respectable Italian restaurant offers both!!! And I can't excuse them because they were so busy. It was busy, but far from slammed. Otherwise, service was very nice. We would go back if we didn't have other excellent choices in Carmel.
Anne P.
First time here. Intimate restaurant with an amazing wine list. Mostly Italian wine list. Service was great. We had pasta - they were both good. My husband wanted a simple pasta and they were happy to accommodate him. I had the Gigli with pesto. Desserts were also good. I had the limoncello cream cake. Great selection by the glass and half bottle of wines
We chose Balena because it shows up on a lot of bloggers' lists but our experience was unremarkable - nothing particularly bad or good.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Esther Yeoh
This place used to be very good. This is my fifth time eating here. I tried to make it a point to come here every time when I am in town.Their appetizers are still good and it is still dog friendly.The cauliflower and octopus are delicious.The pasta however are all very bland and not great. It is very unfortunate because this place used to be excellent.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Craig Balaban
La Balena is among the finest restaurants in Carmel. We dine there every time we visit. The Lasagna is the best we have had. On our last visit the cauliflower appetizer was impressive. The staff is attentive and the wine list features some real treasures from Tuscany.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Cauliflower, Lasagna
Wendy Brickman
We enjoyed a fantastic dinner al fresco in the beautiful cozy front patio at La Balena decorated with colorful purple and white lights. First of all, the service was friendly, very attentive and professional. The food was fantastic and unique, too. We started with the delicious Burrata Tartufata (garnished with truffles), toasted bread, sea salt and olive oil. We then enjoyed the amazing chanterelle (great flavor!!!) mushrooms with linguini in a wonderful light sauce. We split their famous crispy giant Pollo Fritto which is half of a Fogline Farm Fried Chicken with flavorful mashed potatoes. We finished with a refreshing lemon sorbet nestled inside a giant lemon accompanied by Italian Biscotti. The owners, Emanuele Bartolini & Anna Abney Bartolini, stopped by to say hello and were so welcoming and kind. The restaurant also features an indoor dining room and back patio, but the front patio is my favorite! An outstanding dining experience in Carmel by the Sea. Very highly recommended!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pollo Fritto
Charlie McBride
Really pricey for under-seasoned food. I had the fig salad ($17) and the pesto pasta ($32). Both were quite bland and nothing about them justifies the price. We also paid $5 for unsalted bread and a thimble of olive oil. Overall kinda bummed, but the service was good and helpful.
Best restaurant between LA and SF. Eat everything on the menu. Amazing, charming husband and wife owners who will make you believe you are in Firenze when you walk across the threshold.
Fantastic food. Must order the cauliflower. My husband will even eat it - usually he's a 'no-go' for any vegetable! The half chicken is amazing!
This is our favorite "GO TO" place in Carmel. Whether it's just to go grab dinner or a special occasion with guests- it's ALWAYS La Balena. The service is stellar, love the back patio atmosphere and the food is the best in town. Anna and Emmanuele are wonderful hosts.
Yikes! Let's say I could cook better pasta and I don't cook. Poor. Out of a box pasta and they forgot to season the ragu! The beet salad - 6 small pieces of beets placed around a bush of arugula. Add one glass of wine and a $150 bill. No way!! And for it to win best Italian restaurant in Carmel! Come on!!!
Beautifully cooked Italian food! Gorgeous atmosphere for its small location.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This was our second visit to La Balena and we were just as happy as the first time. This little restaurant has a rustic Italian vibe with wine filled racks adding to the atmosphere. Our excellent dinner started with their beet salad accompanied by freshly baked bread and olive oil. My husband had the delicious hand cut papadelle pasta with wild boar ragu. I had the special short rib raviolis in a creamy Marsala sauce. Great service too.
Ambiance, really good Service, great Food, excellent Cost, pricey Made for a great date night. We'll be back.
WE recently ate at La Balena for Valentine's Day. It Is a cute little Italian restaurant in Carmel by the sea. The first thing you need to know about this restaurant is that it is very small and loud and impossible to have a private conversation unless you happen to hit it when none else is seated inside. The second thing was there was a pretty big disconnect with our server...my wife and I specifically asked for a pasta dish to be made without the mushrooms and when he brought our dishes out, he served her a dish with mushrooms. This was a little inconvenient because I had my food in front of me while she had to wait to have her food re made. To be honest, once the food got to our table it was pretty tasty. I probably would not go back to this restaurant if I returned to Carmel.
Atmosphere in their outdoor patio was lovely. I loved their garlic bread and Caesar salad, but hubby didn't. We shared their bolognese sauce which we both agreed was just ok. We won't be going back because we prefer other Italian restaurants in Carmel. A big MISS was that they didn't offer cracked pepper for our salad or any Parmesan cheese for our pasta. I didn't say anything because I wanted to experience their service from their POV. Any respectable Italian restaurant offers both!!! And I can't excuse them because they were so busy. It was busy, but far from slammed. Otherwise, service was very nice. We would go back if we didn't have other excellent choices in Carmel.
First time here. Intimate restaurant with an amazing wine list. Mostly Italian wine list. Service was great. We had pasta - they were both good. My husband wanted a simple pasta and they were happy to accommodate him. I had the Gigli with pesto. Desserts were also good. I had the limoncello cream cake. Great selection by the glass and half bottle of wines
Restaurantji Recommends
We chose Balena because it shows up on a lot of bloggers' lists but our experience was unremarkable - nothing particularly bad or good.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
This place used to be very good. This is my fifth time eating here. I tried to make it a point to come here every time when I am in town.Their appetizers are still good and it is still dog friendly.The cauliflower and octopus are delicious.The pasta however are all very bland and not great. It is very unfortunate because this place used to be excellent.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
La Balena is among the finest restaurants in Carmel. We dine there every time we visit. The Lasagna is the best we have had. On our last visit the cauliflower appetizer was impressive. The staff is attentive and the wine list features some real treasures from Tuscany.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Cauliflower, Lasagna
We enjoyed a fantastic dinner al fresco in the beautiful cozy front patio at La Balena decorated with colorful purple and white lights. First of all, the service was friendly, very attentive and professional. The food was fantastic and unique, too. We started with the delicious Burrata Tartufata (garnished with truffles), toasted bread, sea salt and olive oil. We then enjoyed the amazing chanterelle (great flavor!!!) mushrooms with linguini in a wonderful light sauce. We split their famous crispy giant Pollo Fritto which is half of a Fogline Farm Fried Chicken with flavorful mashed potatoes. We finished with a refreshing lemon sorbet nestled inside a giant lemon accompanied by Italian Biscotti. The owners, Emanuele Bartolini & Anna Abney Bartolini, stopped by to say hello and were so welcoming and kind. The restaurant also features an indoor dining room and back patio, but the front patio is my favorite! An outstanding dining experience in Carmel by the Sea. Very highly recommended!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pollo Fritto
Really pricey for under-seasoned food. I had the fig salad ($17) and the pesto pasta ($32). Both were quite bland and nothing about them justifies the price. We also paid $5 for unsalted bread and a thimble of olive oil. Overall kinda bummed, but the service was good and helpful.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5