Lucia Restaurant & Bar

Fresh, flavorful and beautiful food! The service is outstanding and the cocktails/​wine are on point. We highly suggest eating here rather than driving into downtown Carmel. Then you can relax out by the fire pits or on your own deck.

Fabulous dinner outside by their fire pit. Holly was our server with great info and recommendations re menu. Wine list extraordinaire although pricey. Started with fois gras (OMG) and then I had perfect cooked salmon on bed of fresh corn and parsnip polenta. Finished with mouth watering beignets and dipping sauce. Makes my mouth water just to describe it.

My husband and I had the privilege of dining at the Chef’s Table at Lucia for his birthday dinner. It was such a cool experience and like nothing we have done before. We were escorted to our booth right in the middle of the kitchen! Being people who enjoy food and like to dine at different restaurants around the world, getting a VIP view into the kitchen was awesome for us. To make everything even more pleasant we were immediately greeted by our waitress who was lovely and informative, our Sommelier was extremely educated and provided us some of the best wines we have ever had. The food itself was incredible and we enjoyed so many amazing plates including caviar, oysters, lamb, and a fabulous tea at the end. That was a truly enjoyable and delicious dinner. Thank you all at Lucia! We also had breakfast and lunch at Lucia the next day and enjoyed their salmon bagel plate, french toast etc. everything was tasty.

Bernardus lodge is a nice getaway in the mountains, recently renovated, nice grounds for weddings. brunch dining standard choices. great service.

Excellent food, attentive service, I loved the foie torchon and the fallow venison. The lamb was a bit tough, so thank god we ordered a ton of other goodies… like the perfectly cooked spot prawns, scallops, pan fried abalone, oysters, caviar, and lobster. Great wine and champagne selection, quiet and private romantic booth seating.

We went to Lucia for for their Thanksgiving buffet and also had a light bite to eat there again later that evening. It was the second day of our stay and we had also eaten there the previous day. Although everything was delicious, my husband and I became very sick in the early and late morning with food poisoning. My daughter who ate completely different items there was fine.
Although the inn was beautiful, I was not impressed with their concern and sense of urgency when we told them about our experience and how it had completely ruined our stay.

Julie is the best server ever and if you need a bottle of wine, Mark is your man. The food ain’t so bad either Cal… Always amazing
Torchon of fois gras is to die for (make sure to pair with something sweet)… Duck cassoulet is better than grandmere’s and you will lose your s**t over whatever seafood comes your way (petrale sole tonight)
An experience in fine dining with everything on point. A wine list to die for and service to wrap it all up

Great food and a beautiful view. We were staying at Treebones and their sushi restaurant was closed for February. Treebones other restaurant is way overpriced for what you get. Lucias restaurant isn’t cheap but the quality is much better and worth the short drive. The store next door to Lucias has some basic essentials including ice but is a bit expensive. Bring whatever you need when you travel that far south!

Had a great experience. Gabe, the bartender, is awesome. Food was excellent. I have no complaints whatsoever! Rock on!

My wife and I came in about 2 weeks ago and I’m still reminded of the excellent experience we had.
The décor is top notch, vibe is cool although there were a few rowdy locals, service top notch, and the food tailored to my needs as a vegan and VERY decadent. The combination of factors made this a top experience for me. Will be back!

My husband and I dined at Marinus (the previous version of Lucia) about 3 years ago and absolutely loved it. The new restaurant, Lucia, did not disappoint. The décor still gives an aura of an upscale restaurant without being too stuffy. But the food is what will make you smile and come back for more. We came back to Lucia on Monday, Jan 18, and I wished I came back the next day after a disappointing dinner in Carmel. Don’t miss the Monterey Bay abalone appetizer: the best spaghetti you’ll ever have paired with a perfectly seared abalone. The special item on the menu was seared rock fish on a bed of sautéed mushrooms and greens. Delicious as always. Chef Cal is a culinary master, and we can’t wait to come back. Lucia is by far the best restaurant in the Carmel and Monterey region.

Went for the prix fixe Christmas dinner. We got there early and had a glass of champagne in the ‘lobby’ in front of a roaring fire. More like an elegant lodge. Perfect for the 40 minutes before our dinner reservation. You could pick from 3 to 4 choices on the 5 course menu, and each course was delicious. The presentation and service was flawless. The reason that I am giving this 4 stars instead of 5 was my 4^th course was served luke warm, it was a meat course and should have been hot. I sent it back and received many apologies from our waiter. It came back just as luke warm, minus the sauce the steak had been resting on. Ok, not one to beat a dead cow, I kept quiet and enjoyed it only slightly less than if it had been served the way it should have been. Our 5 course menu was 125.00 per person. Would we return? Absolutely.

So we stayed at the Bernardus lodge and enjoyed room service during our stay from Lucia and their amazing chef. We had the followings items:
1. Brussel sprouts. Yummy. Fresh, cooked with some garlic to perfection.
2. Caesar salad. A bit overdressed but delicious.
3. Bluefin tuna over a salad. Yummy. Generous portion of perfected seared tuna.
4. Red snapper. Yummy. We don’t eat swordfish and they told us they had some fresh snapper and we snapped it up. Cooked to moist perfection in a hollandaise with mashed potatoes and green beans.
5. Local artichoke and ricotta ravioli in a tomato sauce with truffle. We are not huge truffle fans and the truffles gave it a smokey flavor. Overall, tasty but I would hold the truffles next time.
6. Beet salad. Yummy. Fresh local vegetables.
Thank you Chef S!

Newly renovated, Lucia Restaurant offers elegant white tablecloth indoor dining as well as a casual outdoor patio with heated floors. I had an abalone over spaghetti as a starter. There were two small bites of delicious farmed abalone. The spaghetti was cold upon arrival, but our server quickly had it warmed. The wild mushroom soup was richly textured, and the cassoulet was layered with several slices of juicy duck, and the rabbit with English peas and potato purée was full of flavor. For dessert our server recommended the figs with sour cream ice cream and shortbread cookies. Fantastic. Very convenient to eat at Lucia when staying at Bernardus Lodge and Spa, but a restaurant that does stand on its own.

I’m updating my review. I never brought the issue up to our server at the time it occurred but it continued to trouble me. I contacted the establishment via their website and let them know the situation. They promptly contacted me back and sent my inquiry to the correct person within the company. That person contacted me within 18 hours and was professional and compassionate. They refunded the charge immediately. Hindsight is that I really should have brought this up to the server at the time but I’m often self conscience about complaints when I’m out. I will strive to be more proactive and open at the time of situation in the future. The people who helped me sort this out are a class act and I will not hesitate to be a continued customer.

pretty disappointing.
small portions, high prices and okay service.
we left with a very large bill and still hungry.

My husband and I have been searching for restaurants in our local area for our favorite light dinner meal: oysters, crab cakes and a martini. We were referred to Lucia. The restaurant is part of the Bernardus Lodge and has recently undergone a major renovation. My husband and I ate at the bar and just enjoyed the open design of the restaurant with many dining options. In summary:
Décor: A+. Appropriate modern alternative design to the Carmel Valley «Lodge» style.
Food: A+. The oysters were fresh and properly chilled, the heirloom tomato and pressed melon salad was extremely fresh and flavorful, the crab cakes were the best ever!!! AND… the postage stamp ravioli with wild mushrooms was the best dish I have had in a long time!!!
Ambiance: A+. The design includes an open floor plan, a patio area with heated outdoor seating, chef’s table program, an open fire pit in the center of the deck, and the entire room has views of the vineyards, gardens and olive trees… YET, you feel very private.
Service: A+. We ate at the at the bar so can not speak to the table service, but our bartender was extremely professional, engaging, and knew when to step back.
$: Plan to spend some money.

Disappointing experience. Had been to Marinus many times under the prior management and considered it superb. The service at Lucia was well intentioned, but poorly executed. The wait for dinner was very long and requests of the wait staff had to be repeated before there was action. Food did not all get served simultaneously. The waitress spilled sauce from my neighbor’s plate on me. I did not notice until later and just thought I might have dropped something, but later found sauce on my shoulder. The food was ok, no more. The dishes were somewhat pretentiously described. Prices are very expensive and the evening left our party unimpressed.

Delicious. Got the chef’s choice menu and wine pairings. This is definitely a special occasion restaurant. It is very pricey but hot damn it’s worth it. The staff was very attentive, the atmosphere was relaxing and the food warmed my soul.

Wonderful experience for fathers day brunch. It was BBQ — buffet style. The burger was awesome, you got to choose the fixings. The patty was nice and juicy because I got a fresh one medium rare off the grill. (The ones sitting on the serving area were looking well done!) Great selection of fresh fruit, pasta salad, and a couple different green salads.
The dessert was amazing. I should have saved more room, or skipped lunch all together! They had make your own strawberry shortcake with fresh whip cream and fresh homemade shortcake. So delicious. I also heard that the chocolate pie and the chocolate chip cookies were great but I was too busy stuffing my face with strawberries!
We really enjoyed getting up and playing bocci ball with the family. The big grass lawn is right next to the restaurant patio, and it was nice to work off lunch a little.

Cal has done it again by recreating another unbelievable restaurant with the freshest local sourced seafoods, meats and veggies.
You must stop by Bernardus and the Lucia Restaurant and try it for yourself.
You will be amazed

Love this place!
Recently stayed at the Bernardus Lodge and ate a couple meals here. Loved the outdoor dining, the open and more contemporary style and Chef Cal’s food. The menu is a bit more casual and approachable than I recall it being when we dined at Marinus, the predecessor and the vibe is way more fun and casual. We will definitely come back on our next trip.

We celebrated our anniversary at Lucia last Sunday and WOW, what a great choice we made!
I had been to the Marinus years ago, but really loved the modern update of Lucia — much more in line with our style. And the food — no dip in quality there — if anything, an updated twist in the kitchen too.
This is inspired food in a beautiful setting. We had a spacious and intimate booth to ourselves, matched with top notch service — the kind of service that is so good, that you hardly notice they are there.
The house made agnolotti starter was unique and intensely flavorful. The real highlight though was one of the best filet’s I have ever had — and that is saying a lot!
Perusing their extensive wine list was a real treat too. With the help of their sommelier, I decided on the 2001 Clos de Caillou Les Quartz Chateauneuf-​du-​Pape that was actually an incredible value.
All around, a perfect dining experience. The question is not if we will be back, but how soon we can arrange to come visit again!

Went here for a pre-​race meal while in town for the Big Sur marathon. We did the tasting menu, which was delicious. My husband got the wine pairing, which the sommlier topped off for him a couple of times, which I thought was really nice. I really enjoyed the food, service, and setting. Perfectly cooked salmon, flavorful lamb ribeye, and the postage stamp ravioli were wonderful. The amuse bouche of jamon iberico was also a pleasant surprise. We would love to return here sometime to enjoy the spa.

Local resident who has visited the previous restaurant Wickets. Came to celebrate my 50^th with some close friends. Almost all new staff along with manager. For such a grand remodel I would have thought they would have had a much better trained staff. The service was the worst I have ever had there. Waiting 25 minutes for our drink order along with ice water. Barely chilled $ 90 bottle of champagne. I had to ask to have it placed in a ice bucket. I could go on about the multiple service errors and very little customer interaction.
Really shocked to have experienced such low quality service. Back to training room I guess. This used to be our go to spot, not sure I really want to go back. Never like giving a bad review, but maybe they will read this and make some changes.

Lucia is open! The former Wickets and Marinus spaces have been opened up and redone to create a bright open new restaurant. It was nice to see Chef Cal out in front working the room.
There’s still a four course tasting menu; other menu items that sound interesting include the Hudson Valley foie gras items and several vegetarian items.
Easter brunch was the same solid experience as ever. Food is carefully prepared and we spent nearly three leisurely hours enjoying ourselves. Service is more comfortable and friendly than refined but I can work with that.