The Corkscrew Cafe

We showed up around 3 pm and chose the outside seating area since it was 73 degrees outside. They have a cute little fountain with fish swimming around in it. Plenty of shade with their umbrellas. Just all around a very nice place to relax. The mushroom pizza was great but for me the artichoke ravioli was the favorite. The lava cake was also very good but didn't have enough heat for the "lava" but the wife was very happy with it. I had the tirimasu and it was very light and delicious. Loved having the strawberries on both plates. Very much worth the price. Love the atmosphere and really enjoyed our time here.

Amazing pizza!!! So delicious~~~~~ Great dining experience

+3

Had a great lunch sat outside in their beaut garden. Pizza delicious and staff lovely!

Amazing food in a wonderful environment. New chef with some new delights!

+1

We head to The Corkscrew Cafe regularly. The ambience, service, food, and wine selection are all top notch. We enjoy date nights there, but they also are kid friendly if you are with the family. Their children’s menus are repurposed Golden Books which is a nice touch.

First time visit and loved it! Its casual heated outside dining was lovely. Perfect to celebrate an intimate birthday lunch, or just something a bit nicer than a regular restaurant. The waiter was prompt, and dinner was delicious (not too heavy). I highly recommend it.

What a charming location possessing a backyard patio eating area reminiscent of a small hilltown trattoria or osteria in Tuscany or Umbria. The menu is small but they do what they do correctly and that's more important than a large scale menu. They can focus on the essentials . The pizza is fantastic. I had the sausage pizza for takeout yesterday and enjoyed it through the evening and morning. I've had other items on the menu recently as well as the french onion soup which was the special for today and most delicious. The fish tacos are always a go-to. And the pizza, back to the pizza.... it's more about the crust and that's where they nail it. The toppings are great as well. I would recommend the Meyer lemon pizza, the sausage, or the helote pizza(a Mexican corn street food delight). But try everything if you get a chance..That was on top of my meal of a great hamburger. There's only one on the menu and that's all you need . A caesar salad and two glasses of a very good local Chardonnay(Georgis). I've been here several times over the past 8-9 years and the consistency of quality and service is excellent and commendable. Quality has not dimmed. It's gotten better. This is in a little village with several good restaurants to eat at as well as a lot of good local wineries in the area. And foodie having Carmel not too far away. But they hold their own. As far as wine regions between Yountville and Los Olivos, I might still opt for this area for its beauty, quiet and calm, scenery, and good food and wine, and the price is still remarkably good for the area. So I wax poetic....🤩 Just try it for yourself and you'll love it! 👊🏻👍🏼

Excellent wine and food and rustic atmosphere . pet Friendly ! Just a short walk from our Luxury vacation in the Carmel Valley Ca. Close to this wine tasting and excellent restaurants. Enjoy the Carmel Valley Luxevaca com Luxury Vacation Rentals

+5

I really like the food here and the coffee. I had burrata and onion soup, soup was fine, as cheese was not as it supposed to be, but in general like the place

Today we had the sausage pizza and the beet salad. Both were very fresh and totally delicious. Just the right amount of meat on the pizza, and a perfect, light crust. Our server was very friendly and did a very good job as well. Sat outside and enjoyed butterflies and hummingbirds. This was our second visit and we will definitely be back!

I stopped here with friends during Monterey Car Week and had a pretty quiet lunch. Everyone had pizza except me, I went with the trout. It was tasty but the pizza was pretty great too! Affogato and Tiramisu for desert.

Delicious and quaint. It's a little garden oasis. Our server did a good job. The portions are fairly small, especially for the prices, but the flavors were excellent. Oddly, they were out of sauvignon blanc. I say oddly because there are three wineries within 2 blocks. Something doesn't add up. But that's not a big deal. Two people had a total of 2 appetizers (including a charcuterie board) and a salad, 4 drinks. The bill was about 160 with tip.

Overall a good experience, worth the time. Good atmosphere. Great burgers, ravioli and salad.

My wife and I were searching for wineries in the Carmel Valley and stumbled upon the Corkscrew Cafe, located about 12 miles east of Highway 1 along Carmel Valley Road. While I’m not certain of any formal affiliation, the restaurant serves wines from the neighboring Georis and Cowgirl wineries. The restaurant offers both indoor and outdoor seating, and we opted to sit outside to enjoy the beautiful weather (a perfect 69°). We were seated at a table for two next to a small water feature and pond. The atmosphere was excellent—ideal for a late lunch or early dinner. Because we were seated behind the restaurant, traffic noise from Carmel Valley Road was minimal and pleasantly masked by the gentle sound of the water feature. We ordered a bottle of Georis Cabernet Franc to share. It was an approachable, well-balanced red—full-bodied without being heavy, smooth on the palate, and dry enough to pair nicely with food. For appetizers, we chose the Calamaretti Fritti and the Bread Service. The calamaretti arrived with both a light tartar sauce and a cocktail sauce. The bread service was excellent. The bread arrived in two pieces, each roughly four inches square—almost flatbread-like, but thicker—with an open, lacy crumb and a well-burnished crust, each piece approximately an inch thick. It was served with an outstanding olive oil dipping blend of balsamic, chili flakes, parmesan, garlic, and basil—a perfect pairing. For our main, we shared the Margherita pizza, topped with traditional sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil, and cherry tomatoes. The pizza had a thin crust and measured about 12 inches in diameter—ideal for sharing. The slightly oven-roasted tomatoes were a standout. Of course, we had to top off the visit with a shared lave cake and vanilla Gelato. We were very happy to have found this little gem and will definitely be back. Service was excellent—attentive without being intrusive. Highly recommended.

Adorable little spot with amazing service and delicious food. We're traveling and I'm so glad we stopped at this place. Service was fast, server was attentive and very knowledgeable about the menu. We felt a little out of place in our sweatshirts but we were treated as if we were wearing ballgown and suits. Pizza is absolutely phenomenal, woodfired so of course is going to have a little char because, duh. Ceaser salad was also delicious. I loved the chalk walls in the back area and the wine bottles used for water. Just an overall amazing experience

Stopped by Corkscrew Café in Carmel Valley and ordered the Salad Pizza — easily one of the best things on the menu. The crust had that perfect wood-fired char, crisp on the outside but soft inside, layered with mozzarella, burrata, roasted red peppers, and thin prosciutto. The fresh arugula and shaved Parmesan on top gave it a bright, peppery bite, and the drizzle of spicy honey tied it all together. Beautifully balanced between rich and fresh. Enjoyed it with a glass of local white wine on their charming patio — olive trees, and valley sunshine made it the perfect lunch setting to hang out. Highly recommend.

Awesome food. Great spot for lunch in walking distance to some great wine tasting areas.

Great spot for a drink and a bite. Stopped in with the family and enjoyed a sunny afternoon while eating calamari, soup, and a burger. All were delicious. 'The food was extra extra good!' According to the youngest in the party. Very good service and kind staff. It's definitely worth the visit and the time spent.

The Corkscrew is one of the places you have to go to when you visit Carmel. The pizzas are pretty unique, especially the Meyer Lemon one which is my personal favorite. Plus, their salads are incredible. I have tried almost everything on the menu, and their pear arugula salad with the meyer lemon pizza are my favorites. The goat cheese platter is also extremely delicious, along with all of their pizzas, and their burrata and grapefruit/beet salad. Highly recommend, and the vibe is very nice and outdoorsy as well. Plus, it is a good place for dogs!

This place got plucked from the Tuscan countryside and dropped into Carmel Valley. Absolutely adorable inside and out. Enjoyed a lovely brunch with coworkers yesterday, the service was great and they accommodated our large group very graciously. Tried every single specialty pizza on the menu and they were all quite tasty, the one pictured is the Meyer Lemon. Don't miss this whimsical wisteria wonderland, it's truly lovely and one of a kind.

Elote pizza is out of this world!!! Slightly spicy, tantalizingly sweet corn. Crispy edges. Speechless. Tasty fish tacos. Lovely wine pours. My drinking mate and I walked in for lunch with no reservation. We were seated right away. We had a time crunch, and the waiter was very accommodating. Quirky outdoor seating area with multi-colored cushions adorning the seats. Indoors looked more rustic with brick and wood motifs. Great food. Great service. About $40/pp. We’ll be back!

Delicious fresh prepared food with quality ingredients. The mushroom pizza was yummy beyond expectations. Excellent prompt service to boot. All of this in a quaint courtyard garden setting. Very romantic! It's sure to impress. A+ experience.

This California casual cafe does things right. Just a few miles from Carmel by the Sea, it is worth the drive to this snug stylish stucco restaurant with fire-roasted pizzas and spacious outdoor courtyard. We are particularly fond of the Meyer Lemon with proscuitto. This time, though, we ordered the seasonal fig pizza and seasonal salad, both of which were divine. We’ve always experienced excellent service (over more than a dozen visits.)

We went to an event nearby in Carmel Valley and our host recommended this place. We lucked out and got a parking spot and after a very brief wait got a table on their outdoor patio. Service was beyond friendly, but our server could have come by a couple more times to offer drink refills. The food was excellent. We had the mussels and fries which was a special, one of their wood fire oven pizzas, and the fish tacos which was our host's husband's favorite. Everything was delicious and well cooked. The tiramisu was a delicious end to our meal.

We tried SEVERAL restaurants in the Carmel region and this one has all others beat on “best food”. It was our 13 year anniversary. Our server, Christian, provided the best experience a person could imagine. SERVICE WAS STELLAR. We highly recommend this place and will be back again.

Incredibly kind and gentle place. We had a kids birthday party, because my kid is a foodie and loved the pizza menu. And it was as incredible as the menu looked. The staff was so gracious and kind, we felt right at home. The coffee is incredible too, it’s a routine stop for me. Very very tasty coffee with super kind staff. I look forward to any and every visit!

This place is great. Located in the beautiful Carmel Valley, it provides some amazing food in a great atmosphere. Make sure to catch them on a nice sunny day (easy to do out here) to enjoy their extensive outdoor seating. If that's not good enough, its walking distance to nearly a dozen wine tasting rooms!

Ordered the lemon zest pizza. All the pizzas are 8 slices each, 1 pizza is perfect for 3-4 people. The pizza was tasty and the ingredients were fresh. We just stopped in for a quick bite. It was delicious and I would repeat.

Rory Benedict

My wife and I were searching for wineries in the Carmel Valley and stumbled upon the Corkscrew Cafe, located about 12 miles east of Highway 1 along Carmel Valley Road. While I’m not certain of any formal affiliation, the restaurant serves wines from the neighboring Georis and Cowgirl wineries. The restaurant offers both indoor and outdoor seating, and we opted to sit outside to enjoy the beautiful weather (a perfect 69°). We were seated at a table for two next to a small water feature and pond. The atmosphere was excellent—ideal for a late lunch or early dinner. Because we were seated behind the restaurant, traffic noise from Carmel Valley Road was minimal and pleasantly masked by the gentle sound of the water feature. We ordered a bottle of Georis Cabernet Franc to share. It was an approachable, well-balanced red—full-bodied without being heavy, smooth on the palate, and dry enough to pair nicely with food. For appetizers, we chose the Calamaretti Fritti and the Bread Service. The calamaretti arrived with both a light tartar sauce and a cocktail sauce. The bread service was excellent. The bread arrived in two pieces, each roughly four inches square—almost flatbread-like, but thicker—with an open, lacy crumb and a well-burnished crust, each piece approximately an inch thick. It was served with an outstanding olive oil dipping blend of balsamic, chili flakes, parmesan, garlic, and basil—a perfect pairing. For our main, we shared the Margherita pizza, topped with traditional sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil, and cherry tomatoes. The pizza had a thin crust and measured about 12 inches in diameter—ideal for sharing. The slightly oven-roasted tomatoes were a standout. Of course, we had to top off the visit with a shared lave cake and vanilla Gelato. We were very happy to have found this little gem and will definitely be back. Service was excellent—attentive without being intrusive. Highly recommended.

N. Hempel

Adorable little spot with amazing service and delicious food. We're traveling and I'm so glad we stopped at this place. Service was fast, server was attentive and very knowledgeable about the menu. We felt a little out of place in our sweatshirts but we were treated as if we were wearing ballgown and suits. Pizza is absolutely phenomenal, woodfired so of course is going to have a little char because, duh. Ceaser salad was also delicious. I loved the chalk walls in the back area and the wine bottles used for water. Just an overall amazing experience

Andrew W

Stopped by Corkscrew Café in Carmel Valley and ordered the Salad Pizza — easily one of the best things on the menu. The crust had that perfect wood-fired char, crisp on the outside but soft inside, layered with mozzarella, burrata, roasted red peppers, and thin prosciutto. The fresh arugula and shaved Parmesan on top gave it a bright, peppery bite, and the drizzle of spicy honey tied it all together. Beautifully balanced between rich and fresh. Enjoyed it with a glass of local white wine on their charming patio — olive trees, and valley sunshine made it the perfect lunch setting to hang out. Highly recommend.

Adriana Avila

Awesome food. Great spot for lunch in walking distance to some great wine tasting areas.

Jackie Morrish

Elote pizza is out of this world!!! Slightly spicy, tantalizingly sweet corn. Crispy edges. Speechless. Tasty fish tacos. Lovely wine pours. My drinking mate and I walked in for lunch with no reservation. We were seated right away. We had a time crunch, and the waiter was very accommodating. Quirky outdoor seating area with multi-colored cushions adorning the seats. Indoors looked more rustic with brick and wood motifs. Great food. Great service. About $40/pp. We’ll be back!

Anthony Langlois

Great spot for a drink and a bite. Stopped in with the family and enjoyed a sunny afternoon while eating calamari, soup, and a burger. All were delicious. 'The food was extra extra good!' According to the youngest in the party. Very good service and kind staff. It's definitely worth the visit and the time spent.

Annette Henderson

The Corkscrew is one of the places you have to go to when you visit Carmel. The pizzas are pretty unique, especially the Meyer Lemon one which is my personal favorite. Plus, their salads are incredible. I have tried almost everything on the menu, and their pear arugula salad with the meyer lemon pizza are my favorites. The goat cheese platter is also extremely delicious, along with all of their pizzas, and their burrata and grapefruit/beet salad. Highly recommend, and the vibe is very nice and outdoorsy as well. Plus, it is a good place for dogs!

Heather W

This place got plucked from the Tuscan countryside and dropped into Carmel Valley. Absolutely adorable inside and out. Enjoyed a lovely brunch with coworkers yesterday, the service was great and they accommodated our large group very graciously. Tried every single specialty pizza on the menu and they were all quite tasty, the one pictured is the Meyer Lemon. Don't miss this whimsical wisteria wonderland, it's truly lovely and one of a kind.

Ramin Akhbari

Delicious fresh prepared food with quality ingredients. The mushroom pizza was yummy beyond expectations. Excellent prompt service to boot. All of this in a quaint courtyard garden setting. Very romantic! It's sure to impress. A+ experience.

Merry “Merrycyclist”

This California casual cafe does things right. Just a few miles from Carmel by the Sea, it is worth the drive to this snug stylish stucco restaurant with fire-roasted pizzas and spacious outdoor courtyard. We are particularly fond of the Meyer Lemon with proscuitto. This time, though, we ordered the seasonal fig pizza and seasonal salad, both of which were divine. We’ve always experienced excellent service (over more than a dozen visits.)

Cecilia Knapp

We went to an event nearby in Carmel Valley and our host recommended this place. We lucked out and got a parking spot and after a very brief wait got a table on their outdoor patio. Service was beyond friendly, but our server could have come by a couple more times to offer drink refills. The food was excellent. We had the mussels and fries which was a special, one of their wood fire oven pizzas, and the fish tacos which was our host's husband's favorite. Everything was delicious and well cooked. The tiramisu was a delicious end to our meal.

Jimmy B

We tried SEVERAL restaurants in the Carmel region and this one has all others beat on “best food”. It was our 13 year anniversary. Our server, Christian, provided the best experience a person could imagine. SERVICE WAS STELLAR. We highly recommend this place and will be back again.

Christina Crumpton

Incredibly kind and gentle place. We had a kids birthday party, because my kid is a foodie and loved the pizza menu. And it was as incredible as the menu looked. The staff was so gracious and kind, we felt right at home. The coffee is incredible too, it’s a routine stop for me. Very very tasty coffee with super kind staff. I look forward to any and every visit!

Wanderlost.Productions

This place is great. Located in the beautiful Carmel Valley, it provides some amazing food in a great atmosphere. Make sure to catch them on a nice sunny day (easy to do out here) to enjoy their extensive outdoor seating. If that's not good enough, its walking distance to nearly a dozen wine tasting rooms!

This is located in Carmel Valley. It's not a fancy place from the outside. The decor an inside vibe is interesting and they have a nice outside seating area which I really enjoy. The food is absolutely top-notch. Every time I go to Carmel I make a point to have lunch at this location. The Last time I was there was the first time I really remember having exceptional service. Our waitress was great.

J L Herchenroeder

I stopped here with friends during Monterey Car Week and had a pretty quiet lunch. Everyone had pizza except me, I went with the trout. It was tasty but the pizza was pretty great too! Affogato and Tiramisu for desert.

Steve Broyles

Delicious and quaint. It's a little garden oasis. Our server did a good job. The portions are fairly small, especially for the prices, but the flavors were excellent. Oddly, they were out of sauvignon blanc. I say oddly because there are three wineries within 2 blocks. Something doesn't add up. But that's not a big deal. Two people had a total of 2 appetizers (including a charcuterie board) and a salad, 4 drinks. The bill was about 160 with tip.

Delicious restaurant. The appetizer we got was amazing, but my pizza was too moist.

Can’t go wrong eating here. Unassuming yet elegant. Great outdoor seating with heaters. The pizzas and fish tacos are delicious and the best. The pizza will take you to Italy , but I’m changing my rating because they changed the fish tacos‌. Their previous recipe had the fish served hot out of the fryer with fresh cabbage slaw. The new recipes is cooked red cabbage that’s is sweet. Their salad also has a sweet taste, I’m not sure why and who is making the decision????? Wine selection are local and French. Local wines the Georis and cow girl both decent but not excellent. The are their own wineries. Don’t order the tacos anymore!! It’s no longer 😌

A great place to re-energize after some wine tasting. The smell of the pizza as you walk in is welcoming. They have indoor seating as well as a huge outdoor section. We chose to sit outside and got seated next to a beautiful sculpture with fish in the bottom. The sound of water falling was very peaceful and the friendly fish kept us entertained. Service was quick, but nothing special. We got a pepperoni pizza and it was delicious! The crust was perfectly burnt on the edges, crispy, and very tasty! Good portion of pepperoni and lots of delicious cheese. Wine selection includes some of the wineries that have tasting rooms near by. Will definitely come back the next time we are in the area! There is a parking lot in the front and it is also within walking distance of many wineries nearby.

Warm interior and service complement the wood stove pizzas, mains and salads. Try the roasted garlic starter. Small, but hearty menu. Nice local wine and beer list. Easy parking.

Me and my son went me for the first time his second the pizza,fish tacos,and cheese board was so good

Great place for lunch, either as a couple or grouop-of-6. Kids can easily find their favorite pasta or pizza. Warmly recommend the mushroom ouzza or the oiteli one (hope I got it right). Don't forget to try their corkscrew salad. The locally made white wine was good enough for us.

Lovely, simple Californian cuisine. Service is warm and welcoming—they seated us at 8 even though the cafe closed at 8:30, and we didn’t feel rushed in the least bit even though we closed the place. All the food was flavored well with simple seasoning that let the fresh ingredients shine. The combination of corn and shishito pepper was unexpected but provided a bright contrast for what was a hearty, satisfying pizza. The dessert sounded good in theory but was too strong in rose flavor. Would love to go back for a meal when back in the area.

Benishay Danny

Great place for lunch, either as a couple or grouop-of-6. Kids can easily find their favorite pasta or pizza. Warmly recommend the mushroom ouzza or the oiteli one (hope I got it right). Don't forget to try their corkscrew salad. The locally made white wine was good enough for us.

Mike Hays

Me and my son went me for the first time his second the pizza,fish tacos,and cheese board was so good

Sunny Kim

Lovely, simple Californian cuisine. Service is warm and welcoming—they seated us at 8 even though the cafe closed at 8:30, and we didn’t feel rushed in the least bit even though we closed the place. All the food was flavored well with simple seasoning that let the fresh ingredients shine. The combination of corn and shishito pepper was unexpected but provided a bright contrast for what was a hearty, satisfying pizza. The dessert sounded good in theory but was too strong in rose flavor. Would love to go back for a meal when back in the area.

Very nice environment. Good service, just okay food and a good selection of drinks. I changed my rating from before as we went there after a while and the environment and service are still the same, but the quality has noticably gone down. We ordered multiple items for starter and main course and out of everything the tomato salad was the only mentionable item! The chickenparm was extremely salty and too tomatoey! The pizza was too oily, the fresh ingredient and good famous crust was totally ruined with the excessive oil!! The fries and calamari were just okay! Very disappointed 😞

They sat us at a table in the corner where we both faced the walls, even though the restaurant was not crowded at all. The food was good but not great.

Two hours before close, place was nearly empty. Took the hostess five minutes to look up from her iPad and seat us. We said we were sharing a Caesar salad and Elote pizza. Salad came, no plates. Had to ask. The salad was fresh, the dressing was solid, but the croutons were bland and pointless. The pizza came about 25 to 30 minutes after the salad arrived. The crust was great, but everything else fell flat. It sounded like a fun idea but tasted like someone gave up halfway through making it. We didn’t finish it. Then the staff disappeared. No check-in, no refill, nothing for 20 minutes. Finally flagged someone down, and even then it took another 10 minutes to get the check. This place feels like it’s trying to act better than it is, but the food and service don’t back it up. Tone it down a bit. Be a little more friendly.

This was up until now my favorite restaurant in the area, went for my birthday, when we walked in we saw the pizza chef kind of scraping the char off a pizza and we're like oh dang ... Fast forward and one of the pizzas we ordered was charcoal on one side, you can see where they tried to cut off some of the crust... Bizarre that they would serve it, I was going to send it back but no one ever did a check on our table and I gave up. It kind of ruined wanting to go back there for me : (

Meg Coleman

This was up until now my favorite restaurant in the area, went for my birthday, when we walked in we saw the pizza chef kind of scraping the char off a pizza and we're like oh dang ... Fast forward and one of the pizzas we ordered was charcoal on one side, you can see where they tried to cut off some of the crust... Bizarre that they would serve it, I was going to send it back but no one ever did a check on our table and I gave up. It kind of ruined wanting to go back there for me : (