Carmel Belle

Carmel, CA

Upon arrival in Carmel for a winter getaway with Chu-Toro, BroCo, Envelope and Shaddy, we stopped for lunch at Carmel Belle. We had read some good reviews on the relatively new and popular breakfast/lunch destination. The awesome thing about Carmel and Carmel Belle is that its super dog friendly. There are indoor tables just for dogs with hooks for leashes and table tags for muts and pups. When we arrived at 1:30, most of the indoor tables were occupied, so we went outdoors for some beautiful California sunshine on a late December day. The vast menu filled with breakfast options, salads, and sandwiches were written in chalk on a large board above the register. There's something for everyone on the menu and as we stood in line and dishes came out of the kitchen, every item looked really good.

grilled cheddar (from Grafton,VT.) on country toast with bacon

BroCo went with the grilled cheddar sandwich with bacon and loved it. He said it was the best grilled cheese he'd ever had. Days after returning home, he continued to rave about it and although not better than the amazing grilled cheese at Hog island, it was pretty darn good. 

free range rotisserie chicken, avocado, tomato, Hobb’s bacon and blue cheese
with mixed greens & lemon vinaigrett

Envelope attempted to go healthy and ordered a chicken salad, which looked really good. She said it was good, but regretted not getting something heavier, like the grilled cheese which she munched off BroCo's.

slow-cooked Berkshire pork and red onion-currant chutney on ciabatta

Chu-Toro ordered the pork sandwich, which had a great smoky flavor and was melt in your mouth tender. The red onion chutney was a great sweetness that balanced the tasty sandwich. 

meatloaf and house-made ketchup, shaved red onion on ciabatta

I went with the meatloaf sandwich which was good, but I was hoping for a larger cut of meatloaf in my fresh, chewy ciabatta roll. The best part of the sandwich was the home made ketchup which was very unique and flavorful with a little kick at the end. 


Overall, our meal was very good, a great lunch place with fresh ingredients, great execution and friendly service. It is a little pricey, for the amount of food that you get, but everything that we ordered was enjoyable. We even considered going back the next day for breakfast but decided to save our 2nd visit for another time. If you're in the area, its a definitely place you  should check out.


Rating 7/10
December 26, 2010

Shaddy Approved