Shearwater Tavern

Review summary

1. W

   Wendy

   San Francisco

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on 10 November 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We hadn’t visited the Carmel Mission Inn for several years and knew that it had been refreshed since our last visit. We decided to have dinner at Shearwater Tavern, tucked inside the Carmel Mission Inn and had an absolutely wonderful experiencey. Our outstanding dining experience began with a delicious Caesar Salad paired with their wonderful signature Parker House Rolls—warm, house-baked, and served with local honey butter and a bit of sea salt. These starters set the tone perfectly for the main event: a flawlessly grilled bavette (flank steak), a favorite of ours, topped with a rich green peppercorn sauce and accompanied by crispy shoestring frites. Our steak arrived cooked precisely to our medium-rare preference and request, showcasing the kitchen's attention to detail.
   

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2. M

   Megan

   Tahoe

   18 reviews

   3.0

   18 reviews

   Dined on 3 November 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 2

   Very small dinner menu on a Saturday night. It’s not the menu they post on their website. Service was just ok. Calamari appetizer was way over cooked and tough. Chicken Cesar and the burger were good. Don’t plan to return in the future.
   

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3. S

   Sean

   San Francisco

   2 reviews

   4.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on 20 October 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 3

   Food as excellent. Ordered a few small plates to share and it turned to be satiating both from a taste and amount perspective. The cocktails were a disappointment. Ordered two different kinds and both seemed as thought the ratio of ingredients were off.
   

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4. J

   John

   Seattle

   5 reviews

   vip
   1.0

   5 reviews

   Dined on 20 October 2024

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 1

   Hotel restaurant. Dated. Awful service. We walked out.
   

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5. M

   Michael

   Los Angeles

   9 reviews

   5.0

   9 reviews

   Dined on 19 October 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   First class menu, and the service high-end professional. Quality of food is excellent - local, healthy, fresh. Very interesting menu - and amazing wine list. A little bit noisy for an intimate dinner, but still a beautifully designed/built dining room. Overall - an excellent choice and only 5 min. from Carmel Village.
   

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6. L

   Linda

   Central Coast

   6 reviews

   5.0

   6 reviews

   Dined on 16 October 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Very good appetizers and small bites. The steak was cooked perfectly and the fries delicious. The veggie tempura was perfect with our martinis❣️
   

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7. b

   beth

   San Francisco

   25 reviews

   2.0

   25 reviews

   Dined on 21 September 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 2

   We really wanted to enjoy our meal at Shearwater Tavern. We had been there a few times over the past 2 or 3 years, but we stopped going because it was just "fair." We heard there was a new chef/new menu, and the reviews seemed to be better as well. So we thought we would try it again. Unfortunately, we really did not see very much improvement, and the prices seemed much higher than they should be. $30 crab cake appetizer? That's considerably higher than at Mission Ranch, for example. In addition, Shearwater's $24 hamburger was reminiscent of the pre-formed (but high quality) burgers available frozen from a grocery store. Other Carmel establishments charge $22 or so, but their burgers are bigger, tastier, and better presented. And $10 for Parker House rolls - hmmm, unlimited fresh sourdough (or even fresh made garlic bread) is complimentary at 2 of our other favorites in town. Even their molten chocolate was disappointing, though we appreciate the GREAT SERVICE of the waitress (who gave it to us as we were celebrating an anniversary) - this cake, like some, seemed to undercook the center to create the "lava;" as a result, it tasted like cake batter. A single chocolate ganache truffle dropped into the batter makes for a much more delicious cake, IMHO. So, again - GREAT WAITRESS, fast service, but food was just OK, and the prices seemed unreasonably high, even for a resort town, when compared to other (arguably better/better atmosphere) dining choices in town. The Locals' discount card is a nice touch, but they're going to have to really improve before we try it again. Even with that, the food isn't worth the price. Sorry.
   

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8. D

   Doug

   New Orleans

   1 review

   2.0

   1 review

   Dined on 15 September 2024

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 2

   Beer draft line were dirty. Food was terrible. Server was very nice and hard working.
   

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9. P

   Pablo

   San Francisco

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on 31 August 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Good menu selection, good food, pleasant personnel
   

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10. A

    Anita

    Minneapolis

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on 28 August 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    We were seated immediately and pleasantly by someone who I think was the manager, very nice man. Our server Stephanie, could not have been more professional or knowledgeable about the food offerings as well as being pleasant and fun to talk to. Our dinners and appetizer were delicious and well presented. A gem of a restaurant, relaxing and easily accessible from Hwy. 1.
    

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