Carmel Kitchen & Wine Bar

What a great place! We were looking to eat something other than fast food. Even though It was Valentine’s Day, the staff did everything to accommodate my husband, hungry 11 year old & I for dinner. Good size portions, nice menu & iPads for every table. We had the butternut ravioli & the pork medallions, both of which were great. Everyone who works here was friendly, a rarity we believe. We will definitely come back if in town and try its other locations!

I came in for lunch today and LOVED this place! They have a great menu, the portion sizes are perfect, and my server (Jeanne) was fabulous. Always there when she needed to be, and never when she didn’t. The food I ordered came out quickly and was absolutely delicious– the iPad menu ordering was a super cool touch that I liked a lot! I’d recommend Carmel to anyone I know!

We went here on a weeknight and the place was very crowded. We had a reservation and were seated right away. Our server was nice, but seemed rather inexperienced. He did not seem to know much about the wine (seems a little strange for a place that has wine in its name). We both ordered a glass of wine and they were fine. We ordered a flatbread which came out very fast. It was prepared well and had good flavor. We each added a salad to our main course. They were fresh and tasty. My wife got the butternut squash ravioli and I got the crab cakes for our entrees. While there was nothing wrong with either dish, I found the portions to be very small. For dessert we got one carrot cake and one raspberry crisp. They were good and well prepared. Our server was hit and miss. He seemed to disappear for long periods of time. The prices are not out of line for restaurants in the area. Overall, we had a good experience, but, unfortunately just nothing was outstanding.

Happy hour foods and service is wonderful. The dining ambiance is trendy and current. Our waitress was delightful and caring.
Great for date night or in groups.
Arrive early.

Have been there multiple times at the persuasion of friends and family. They do have a decent wine menu and bar menu is fair. Stick with the appetizers. Meals are fair to middling at best.

I want to like this place, I really do. I have been here 3 times and every time I’m disappointed. I think the atmosphere is great! The décor and bar area are awesome! However the food quality is very poor. I spent almost $ 80 before tip (2 adults one child) and I left hungry. I don’t have an abnormally large appetite either. The plates are very small but are not billed as tapas. The fish was dry and very over cooked. The chicken was rubbery. The soup was very good. My waitress was not friendly at all. She was very overwhelmed and seemed annoyed when ever I asked for something. This is the type of place that has cooks in the kitchen who warm up things according to packaging.

Charlotte was great, very attentive and informative. The steak was cooked correctly to order. The sangria was fun and delicious. The lobster bisque was not really worth it, it literally had 1 small chunk of lobster. But the two appetizers were very good especially the Ahi Tuna amazing flavor.

A great place to eat on University… The atmosphere is awesome, the food is consistent and always pretty good, and the service is always great. They have a pretty cool ipad menu/​ordering system that is really intuitive and easy to use. I love that you can place your order through the ipad as you want items and not all at once with your server — no more getting your appetizer with your entrée following two minutes later. They have a pretty decent wine menu, typical beer selections, and good food. It’s the perfect spot for a date night — casual enough that it won’t cost you an arm and a leg, but swanky enough that you’ll probably score afterwards… win win!

Had a great dinner here! Our waitress was very kind and attentive. My boyfriend and I really enjoyed being able to place our orders from the iPad menus. It’s nice being able to order drinks as often as we’d like to and I enjoyed being able to browse the menu to see pictures of everything! Would definitely recommend trying this place out and would definitely come back!

I have only been a few times. I like it for what I have tried they have a decent happy hour and service is friendly and fairly prompt. The appetizers, which are all I’ve tried so far, are flavorful and exactly as described on the menu so being the fussy person that I am I will definitely tick satisfied on my list for that! I will have to try it a few more times to experience entrees!

After a fail across the road at Bonefish, we opted to try someplace else for dinner, which turned out to be Carmel. SO glad we made this decision!
Not only was the setting and service great, but we could not have asked for better food!
After screwing around for 45 mins with waiting lists at Bonefish, it was refreshing to walk in at Carmel and get a table. The place was busy but not mobbed, and not noisy either. Setting was mellow with blond wood, earthy colors and interesting lamps.
We were given some snackies to start: a zippy black bean hummus and bread with spicy olive oil for dipping, but we also ordered the EXCELLENT short rib empanadas, offset by a spicy aioli. The meat, encased in a rich, flaky crust, was tender and tangled with melted cheese. Yum. (If you like short ribs, by the way, you hit the jackpot at Carmel, as it is on their menu in several iterations.)
Everyone’s entrees were pronounced enjoyable. I got the lobster risotto (it also has shrimp) because you don’t see risotto on menus too often, and it was very good. Parents both had salmon with a salsa type topping and universally agreed that it was great. My grandmother’s crab cakes were essentially lumps of crab meat, nearly no filler! She also got the black olive caesar salad, a different spin on the classic.
We rounded out the meal with a tasty piece of key lime pie.
For all the unusual menu offerings and upscale setting, prices were very reasonable.
Our waiter Daniel was genial and made great suggestions (and even laughed at my dad’s terrible jokes. Give that man a raise). He also made sure we squeaked in just in time for happy hour, which includes some discounted drinks and appetizers. Good timing!
Overall, we couldn’t have hoped for a better meal! What started out as a frustrating meal turned around when we came to Carmel! I would definitely return :)

Our experience at Carmel did not start off the way we would have preferred — the hostess forgot to inform the server that she had seated us outside and we waited for more than 10 minutes before someone came to serve us. The adjacent tables include a loud-​talking man and two women on their cell phones, which didn’t help the vibe.
But our fellow diners soon left and the manager came out within minutes following the server to apologize for the wait. Not only that, but she comp’d our first two cocktails — a pleasant surprise that made us quickly forgive the oversight.
We ordered small plates, and they were all fantastic. This included the shrimp ceviche (which we were told in advance is more of a shrimp salsa/​salad), Muhammarra, peppers stuffed with goat cheese, and Margherita flatbread. Everything was tasty.
The service was very good following the initial experience. Overall, we had a very good experience.

Very happy with this place! My husband and I went on a Sunday and were pleasantly surprised to find that their happy hour deals are from 4 – 7 every day of the week. I loved that their wines were available in 3oz, 6oz, and 9 oz pours and our server made some nice suggestions after asking what we like, and offered a sample when I couldn’t decide. We ordered three apps and shared an entrée. They has some unique dishes on the menu and everything we ordered was very good and the price was reasonable for the portion size. Our server, Victoria, did a really good job, even though they appeared to be short staffed. We were happy to hear that there is one closer to where we live, in Tampa, and will definitely going.

Went on Wednesday night for drinks with a girlfriend. Wine bottles were half price (which was great because it can be a little pricey). I had the goat cheese spread which was simple but good (really wish they had a cheese plate).
I would be back again, but probably mainly on Wednesdays.

I had been wanting to try Carmel for quite some time now and I’m disappointed that I waited so long. I went hoping they would have sweet potato fries on the menu but they didn’t so I opted for the AH-​MAZING chickpea fries.
Service was pleasant, the chickpeas fries are a must try & the beet salad was worth the beets (I hate beets but I typically eat things I hate because they’re good for me). Although I’m still not a lover of beets, I’d order their beet salad again.
I’d go back for the friendly service and chickpea fries alone.

Came back today, good but not great. I like my Chickpea fries, and vegi platter was decent. But my partner hated his lasagna. I took a bite, the cheese did make it tasted ‘goaty’. I guess not all dishes here are going to meet our standard.

What an upset at Carmel Kitchen & Wine Bar tonight. We were drawn in by the $ 5 Martinis on Thursdays but sadly after trying 2 Martinis I was not impressed. Both drinks tasted like juice (zero alcohol) and weren’t even chilled. The «Spiced Pineapple» Martini was not spicy at all when it was supposed to jalapeño infused Tequila in it (our waitress said it «had a kick»). Even for $ 5 I wasn’t happy. We ordered the Mezze Platter which was severely overpriced at $ 15 for just hummus and pita with some artichoke and roasted peppers straight from a can. The $ 10 Portabella mushroom and Short Rib Flatbread was totally bland and had barely any toppings which the $ 7 Kale Salad was so tough it was hard to chew. Our waitress was nice, but very awkward. I wouldn’t give this place another chance it seems like a huge rip-​off, the «small plate» options are half the size and $ 2 less than the regular portion it just doesn’t seem like his place is worth it.

Carmel Kitchen reminds me of being in a fancy country club. Very nice and open décor inside, quaint ambiance. They give out iPads to use as menus and have pictures for practically every item on the menu.
I ordered the lobster bisque and The Dip sandwich.
The lobster bisque was tasty but lacked texture. Usually you get texture from the lobster in the soup but there was only a tiny amount of it that’s put on top and once you mix it in, it’s a few tiny bits. Once the lobster was gone, it was still ¾ of broth, tasty but boring.
The Dip sandwich was very tasty and filling. Came with seasoned fries which were also well prepared. The Dip is served on a choice of white or multigrain bread. Inside has bacon jam, roast beef, and cheese (I forget what kind). Dipped in au jus for extra flavor.
The service was okay. Our waitress was very awkward so I felt like it was her first time. Which is fine, just something I have to mention when reviewing any restaurant.
I probably would not go again because I live far from Bradenton but if I was ever in the area again I probably would drop by somewhere else to be just as full and satisfied with food that’s not as pricey.

Here we go again with another corporate catch-​all food emporium that over-​promises and under-​delivers in almost all areas.
One word describing the Carmel experience is awkward. It is awkward…
…in a half-​empty restaurant to be told to hang around the hostess’s station while they find a table. Real restaurants invite you to the bar to order a drink, from which someone escorts you to your seats.
It is awkward when a guest asks the waiter for a very specific (and readily available) wine recommendation, only for it to become painfully obvious that the waiter knows no difference between sauternes and syrah. You canNOT call yourself any kind of wine establishment unless your staff is all trained or you spring for full-​time sommeliers.
It is furthermore awkward when one’s European-​born dining companion receives her «Moroccan Chicken» which has, at plate center right, an entire broccoli stalk. Yes, please enjoy your complete, cut off at the main artery, six-​inch piece of fibrous trunk, four-​fifths of which most people consider scrap.
Remove the clunky iPad bizarreness — which the waiter snatched from us to more swiftly place our order anyway — and you’re left with… a very nice dining room. Which we were savoring after our meal when suddenly all the lights went up in exactly the same way as at the end of the movie.
A bad one.

Service was fast and friendly, food was great, and the atmosphere was a perfect setting for a date.
Food:
lobster bisque– must try!
Crab cake– was not too unique but was very good; it came with a side of avocados/​quacamole
Artichoke dip– flavorful and cheesy
Moroccan chicken– best chicken I’ve had with a lot of spices and flavor
Steak frites– taste like a regular steak and fries
I wouldn’t call this a tapas bar because their items were more like meals that came in 2 sizes (small or large) but it’s good if u do want to share or if you’re not too hungry.