Basil Seasonal Dining, Carmel-By-The-Sea CA

This cosy little spot is tucked into an alley in downtown Carmel and it couldn’t be more perfect. The bruschetta is a must order, along with the pear fiocchetti. We also had a homemade chocolate cake that was fabulous, along with really delicious coffee. Our waiter Carlos was absolutely lovely, and we enjoyed the dog friendly, heated patio. I wouldn’t return to Carmel without coming here.

This seemed like a chef who'd read about Italian food and blindly tried to make it, but fancier. Lots of excess ingredients to justify increased cost, but each dish missed the mark and just seemed "cutesy" rather than inspired.

For the price this place is very much NOT worth it. Which is a shame since the food is actually really good! Like others have said, long wait for food and service even though the place was nearly empty. All over Carmel there are busier places with better service. And the portions are tiny. Not just tiny for the price, but flat out tiny. Real shame.

We tried this restaurant considering good reviews for veggie food. We ordered Veg options (as my wife and I do not eat meat). First, we had to wait a lot for almost 45min. Later, when food arrived found one dish had chunks of meat. (Small pieces sprinkled which are hard to see easily and we found after eating that). Now mistake could happen, but they didn't seem very apologetic about. Giving one star because of their indifference toward the situation. May be food is good, can't comment on that.

The staff is really nice and the orders came out quickly but the food did not taste great. The pastas were extremely underwhelming for the price and the short ribs did not taste fresh. The portions were also extremely small. We left feeling hungry and dissatisfied.

Fresh ingredients, stingier and stingier portions, poor execution (bland) and extremely unprofessional staff.
We were a party of 8 but this is the second or third time we’ve been here. We are locals and once recommended this place to people but not anymore. As others have mentioned, the hostess is incredibly rude and incompetent. This recent visit sealed the final nail of the coffin, so to speak, and warrants a review.

The food: the ingredients are good quality- pesto, olive oil, everything is very fresh. The best are the appetizers. The quality speaks for itself. However we were appalled this last time that the Salmon Gnocchi was served with dried up shavings and end pieces of salmon instead of the mini salmon filets it once had. Their special was Salmon that day so it was not because they ran out. The portions in general were also exceedingly small- smaller than Paris, where I am from, so I know what European serving sizes are. For a 30$ dish I would hope I would not go home hungry, and even if so, I would enjoy my meal. The entrees only fill 1/2 of the serving dish but the dish looks conspicuously empty. You also have to pay for bread, and you get 6 measly slices of it. Nothing is complimentary here. The gnocchi was also bland and the sauce it was supposed to be served with was absent. Usually a fine dining restaurant will not put seasoning on the table because the food is supposed to be seasoned properly to begin with. However everyone in our party asked for seasoning. I was shocked (however somewhat relieved) when a tiny mason jar of powdered Parmesan cheese was brought out and spooned on our plates! No fresh ground cheese offered here! It was like dining at an Olive Garden! And unfortunately the Parmesan also had no flavor to save the bland (and lukewarm) entrees!

Service: Our server had a very unpleasant attitude from the get-go, crass and rude in various instances. I was totally aghast at the way she was speaking to customers. We also called in advance and asked before being seated to take a credit card beforehand so that the bill would not be sent to the person in our party who was having a birthday. Not only did she deliver the bill to our birthday guest, but she charged the card twice. Absolutely no apology and did not take any accountability for the mistake. Made a snide comment that it was our problem and that our request was not clear or inconvenient for her to execute.

This was our final meal at this place. They also made us wait 20 minutes beyond our reservation time while in the visits prior they informed us that they would give our table away if a member of our party did not arrive within 5 minutes of the reservation time. Lastly, they did not attend to the gas lanterns beside us that ran out as we were seated, while others were left running for other customers. It was 40 degrees and we did prepare adequately with warm clothing but it still was not polite. We were a quiet and not a demanding party; appalling service.

Second time we have eaten here. My wife and I are now convinced Basil one of the best restaurants in Carmel and definitely our favorite. Great service and quality food/drink. Accommodating of us and our wild child too.

What an amazing experience. One of the best places to eat in Carmel. Denis is a great owner and the service is very attentive. Definitely coming back soon!

Nice people, but unfortunately pretty mediocre food - the pizza looked like microwave pizza (although I will say I occasionally enjoy a good microwave pizza), the cauliflower was undercooked, and the pesto / gnocchi were undersalted. Maybe a 5/10 for food, a 7/10 for ambience.

For the price, we had rather poor service and the serving sizes are too small. We ordered garlic bread as an appetizer and it took over 30 minutes to arrive, and we asked twice in that time. My wife and kids all ordered pasta and left hungry after their meals.

I had the vegetarian burger and it was very, extremely good and I would highly recommend it.

Walked in for dinner on a Thursday night (5: 30) and were seated immediately. Had the Bruschetta which is made with their homemade pesto. Very good. Also had the Spanish Octopus which my husband said was the best he ever had. We both had pasta dor the entree which waa very good and cooked correctly, el dente. The dog even had a grilled chicken breast. Recommend!

Fantastic food with great ambiance. Service was very good even though it was very busy. We would definitely recommend this to anyone wanting excellent Italian food. We didn’t have reservations but they were able to fit us in right away. Will definitely be back again!

Fantastic experience! I have a lot of uncommon food allergies and they made me a pasta sauce from scratch that was safe for me to eat. Will definitely come back!

Staff doesn’t wear masks (except for one). Good food so gets a star for that but had I known no masks I would never have gone

New Zealand salmon was amazingly delicious and above any expectations. Monterey calamari were very good and just right, not overcooked. And even polenta was top notch. The fullness and intensity of taste was even above the high bar of the Carmel cuisine.

The Basil burger is a must have. Good place to catch lunch in a busy town.
Portions of pasta could improve for the price.

Best, best, best.one of top 5 best Italian spot I've ever had u can taste the freshly chopped Parsley and garlic in the sauces. The bloody Mary's were on point this place is a must try when in the area

I was a bit worried when I walked in, because the restaurant is a little empty. I'm so glad that I came. The food here was amazing and the service was great, too!

The avocado toast is topped with black truffle and poached eggs. It comes with some sauce that's sweet and sour (balsamic vinegar maybe?) and it's soooo good!

The burger was tasty too, the perfect balance between bread, beef, egg, and sauce. Also love the fries!

Finally - the cauliflower, perfectly roasted. The server gave me some pesto sauce as the dipping sauce, and I love how it tastes!

Vegetarians don’t come here! Especially when you are hungry as portions are small and they charge premium for extra veggies.