Barmel

Personally I love barmel, it’s refreshing to have somewhere like this in Carmel. It’s low key but it can be crazy fun on weekends, bartenders are awesome and Kelsey definitely makes the best drinks in town.

The bartender was f***ing hammered and obnoxious, coming on to ladies at the bar, leaving to go to the bathroom for lengths of time, etc.
But in stuffy Carmel, that stench of stale beer was a breath of fresh air. I’d come back for a beer.

Good music! Make sure to check out Mundaka first and have yourself some Spanish food and wine, it’s right next door.

Cool place, draws an eclectic crowd. Not many spots like this in Carmel, period. It’s no-​fuss. Nice to find some live music as well. We enjoyed the bartenders, they were low-​key and friendly. Look forward to going back.

I want to put this place in my pocket and just take it with me wherever I go. A charming blend of cozy and divey. Hidden in the little walkways of Carmel. Good, well priced drinks. Quick service. Live music. Good buzz of people.

This little gem is a little difficult to find. But the drinks and service are on point! We stopped here for a couple of pre-​dinner drinks and ended up staying to talk to the bartenders and a few other patrons.
Great, bohemian vibe with a good selection of beers on tap and unique cocktails.

Bring back the street tacos! So disappointed that they’re gone. Barmel isn’t the same.

It’s places like this that make me never completely trust Unilocal.Came to Carmel with my wife to celebrate our first wedding anniversary last Friday, and decided to stop somewhere and get a quick drink while we were waiting for a table to open up at the Mediterranean restaurant around the corner. At first, we stopped by this little oyster bar that looked kinda cool. The hostess told us it was standing room only, but since we wanted to sit, we decided to try somewhere else. The hostess, sensing that we didn’t really want to wait for seats to open up, recommended Barmel. So we ended up taking her advice, and walking through this little plaza in order to get to the street around the corner. The place wasn’t easy to spot, but we eventually found it.
So we walk in and notice that it’s just about as crowded as the other bar that was standing room only, but just a little bigger. They tried to put a mirror in the back of the bar to make it look bigger than it actually is, but they weren’t fooling anybody. Now I haven’t been drinking lately, so it took me a minute to decide what I wanted. However, I liked one particular drink a bartender made for me a few months back, and I decided that I would order that. Apparently, a Moscow Mule is a pretty common drink. One thing I remember the bar tender telling me though is that it’s ALWAYS served in a copper mug, because that brings out the flavor. Anytime after that, if I ordered a drink, it was a Moscow Mule served in a copper cup. No matter where I went, I was told that if it isn’t served in a copper cup, then the bar tender didn’t know what he was doing.
So I ordered the M.M. at the bar and patiently waited. My wife and I were taking in the sites and I think we both got this really weird vibe from the patrons there. It was a bizarre mix of snooty hipster rich kids and an older wine and cheese-​type crowd. Now one thing you should know about me is that I don’t like when people make little «cute» chicken-​shit comments out of the side of their mouths. If we’re friends, and you’re joking around that’s cool because I know you. If I don’t, I think it’s disrespectful. So while the first bartender is making my drink, my wife decides she wants a glass of water. I approach the bar again and ask another bartender for a glass of water. He looks at me and goes «is it for you or her? (my wife)». I tell him it’s for her, and he goes «oh, ok, because if it was for you I wasn’t going to get it.» Dude, first of all don’t be a dick to people who are being respectful and polite, especially one’s that spend money in your bar. Secondly, I wouldn’t suggest employing this strategy with people you don’t know in the future. Someone who’s not as nice as me might make an example out of you and throw all 5“3 of you like a football into on-​coming traffic.
So when the first bartender gave me the drink, I noticed two things right off the bat. 1.) It was kinda small, and 2.) it was served in a glass cup… bummer. Oh yea, and it was $ 9…double bummer. A little on the expensive side, but to be fair, it was pretty good. When my wife saw the drink, she looked at me and said «isn’t that supposed to be served in a copper cup?» I told her that she was right, and that it was a little strange, and disappointing. Immediately after I said that, this random lady, sitting at the bar by herself, gives me this really dirty look as if she just learned that I was single-​handedly responsible for the holocaust. And on THAT note, we decided to just sit outside.
We find two chairs to sit in to the left of the door, and decide to just relax. Soon afterwards I had to get up to go to the bathroom, and when I came back, some old creeper was hovering around my wife. He passed by us a few times, and his head was on a swivel whenever he came in our vicinity. When I came back, he scattered. We sat for probably fifteen more minutes before I noticed this random older lady staring at me from the doorway. Ever seen the original «Halloween» movie with Jamie Lee Curtis? Remember when she see’s Michael Myers peak out from behind the bushes? Yea, that’s what it felt like. And on that note, we’re done, lol. I gulped down the last of the drink, went back inside to return the glass, and bolted for the restaurant in hopes that our table was ready. The whole walk back to the restaurant, my wife and I were talking about the creepy vibe at Barmel. I don’t know what else to say about this place, other than something just seemed a little «off» here, you know? I like to go places where I feel comfortable and welcome, and I DEFINITELY did not get that vibe here. We thought maybe they didn’t like us because they could tell we weren’t locals. Not sure why we got such a creepy/​standoffish vibe here, but it doesn’t really matter… there’s plenty of fish in the sea, and plenty of bars in Carmel. Better yet, there’s a liquor store right by there too. Who needs $ 9 cocktails when all you really need is a bottle of Mad Dog ²⁰⁄₂₀ and a paper bag.

After dinner at Il Fornaio I asked our server where a good place to get beers was in the area. When I figured out he was going to give me a «Carmel» answer I quickly changed my question to, «Where would YOU get beers around here?»
Well, Carmel & wine from dinner totally got me. Lost that is. The directions were «down the street to the left by the bank.» But with street names in there that I didn’t remember once I actually got down the street… Unilocal app in this situation was USELESS and led me into a courtyard that must have been on the wrong side of the alley.
With the help of a few locals we finally made it to an unsuspecting bar right near a bank.
Beers were well priced, the crowd was certainly interesting on a Saturday night and the DJ didn’t make me want to rip my ears out. Unfortunately the birthday girl was a lil tipsy from wine and dinner and we only got to stay for one drink. While it’s far from dive-​y compared to the dives I frequent I can attest it certainly was a dive bar by Carmel standards.

I love this place. The atmosphere is great, the food is good as are the drinks, great happy hour too. And the music nights are terrific. However there is nothing more disappointing than being really hungry, and the bartender tells you how great the burger is and then you order it… Only to find out they haven’t ground the beef — so, no burger. Key words «ground the beef» — no frozen patties here.

Great place! Upscale enough to feel worth the trip out, but the management and staff are genuine and friendly and it has a neighborhood kind of feel to it.
My only complaint (and we are very open minded, not prudes) is that we’ve been there lately and my wife and daughters have felt uncomfortable around some of the «regulars»… loud, wine chugging cougars in stripper boots hanging onto tourist guys at the bar and generally making others feel uncomfortable. Mundaka has also had this issue recently. I know there is nothing they can do about it but it definitely brings the class level down a bit. So be ready for that.

Amazing bar! Had a great night hanging out here while in Monterey on business. Kelly was fantastic and kept the drinks coming all night even when the whole bar was packed wall to wall. Drinks were made well and not light on the alcohol. They had a DJ start up later in the evening (this was a Saturday night) and we stayed until we shut the place down.
The bar is small but has character. Good selection of beer and liquor. I say it’s more of a hipster/​indie feel than a dive bar. If you are looking for it, it is tucked back in the corner of a small center with little shops. Definitely worth the visit!

Kelsey is awesome and the vodka selection is great. Lot’s of people from all over come in and its a very social environment. Great time. Can’t wait to come back!

When in Carmel… please sip on the Aviation and enjoy the Barmel Burger. ask for Jackson. best service in Monterey Peninsula!

Dive bar my ass. This may be a dive bar for ex mayor Clint Eastwood. It was all snooty blue blood … people come down from the mountain tops to listen to some folk music played by their neighbors kids.
I did not stay. I walked out and laughed. I lowered the status of the establishment too much. They won. They can keep that «mess» too.
For the record, this town just made me feel uncomfortable. More smug in the air than pollen this summer.

Service and environment rock.
Burger was ordered medium rare and burger was served medium rare.
I watched the warrior’s win the championship surrounded by a great crowd of people.
Awesome service from Frank and Stewart.

First of all, happy hour is every day of the week! Including Saturdays and Sundays! 430 – 630 like clockwork. This place is very VERY hard to find, but worth it. Go in by the wellsfargo parking lot and head down toward the sound of music and laughter. The $ 5 happy hour margarita is delicious and the bar keep gave us the extra that couldn’t fit in the glass in the shaker, just like a milkshake!

Adorable awesome bar that won my heart the minute I walked in during happy hour. Settling comfortably on the couch, I knew I had found the place for me in snooty Carmel.
Ps. It’s a little tricky to find, ticked off a side street, in a courtyard behind a coffee shop.

Jackson is an awesome and knowledgeable bartender. The atmosphere has definitely cleaned up since it’s prior incarnation and I definitely like the crowd a lot better. The music is good whether it is a live band or a mix of CDs of the bartenders choice. The one thing I don’t understand is all of the raves about the food. We ordered a quesadilla, chicken strips and fish tacos.
The quesadilla was good however I can make a much better quesadilla at home. Apparently the fish tacos were good but I didn’t get any, as my husband and his friend ate them all. They must have been really good! The chicken strips obviously came out of a freezer bag.
I left hungry– next time I will grab a bite elsewhere before coming in for drinks.

Opened in May 2014
Happy hour 4−7PM — $ 5 well drinks, tap beer and street tacos!
A few outdoor places to sit
A classy dive bar with some good eats.
Seems to be ‘the bar’ for Mudaka (Tapas restaurant next door).Tried the Pork Sandwich with Kimchee (owner mentioned that the cheeseburger is the best in town — will try that next time. Had some tasty zuchini and almondy, and some very good street fish tacos (watch out for the hot sauce — it is ‘smokin’ hot).
They have a dance floor, and live music /​DJ most nights.
Around the corner from AW Shucks, but no waiting!