Yafa

An incredible ending to an incredible day. Got married today on a beautiful beach in Carmel. Perhaps, it’s the love in the air or the beautiful surroundings, but everything seems brighter and more vibrant than usual. This definitely applies to our experience at Yafa. The owner greeted us as he did everyone who dines at his place. The staff was friendly and cheerful even before they learned that we are newly weds. The mood was set, now it’s time to taste the beautiful dishes. We started with the Grilled Squid. It was tender and served in a delicious garlic aioli. We also had the Pear Salad. That was a gem. The pears were not cut too thin and cooked just enough that it retained it’s original texture just slightly tender and sweeter. She had the Mish Mish Chicken and I had the Yafa Pasta. The chicken was topped with diced apricots that elevated the dish to another level altogether. The rice that accompanied the chicken had a wonderful Mediterranean spice that made it stand out from the customary rice pilaf. The pasta was no pushover. A generous portion with the most mouthwatering lamb and beef sausage. They provided a complimentary gigantic dessert called Floating Island, an interesting Meringue concoction that tasted like vanilla ice cream. It was good but felt very rich after all the food we put away. Even without the wonderful memory of the day, the food, service, and intimate ambiance will surely bring us back.

This restaurant was amazing! Everything we had was excellent. My husband ordered the Filet Mignon, which was like butter. It melts in your mouth. I had the chicken kabobs plate. The chicken was delicious. My daughter had the Yafa pasta, which was equally as good. We really enjoyed our meals. We’ll definitely be back again soon.

This was a lovely relaxing and welcoming dining experience. The staff was ready with our reservation the moment we walked in and the service was truly excellent and filled with recommendations for us. The décor is quite homey and Arabic music was playing in the background. It was a very nice romantic setting.
The grilled octopus with the caper and lime sauce was delicious. The meat was very good and their baklava was excellent.
I would come back here and I would recommend this to a friend.

Absolutely charming. Absolutely amazing is just a few choice words to start out with. Carmel is definitely known for their restaurants and hospitality, Yafa is a PRIME example of one the best things that Carmel has to offer. The ambiance, the food, the service, all combined into an extremely lively and upbeat feel to a small, homely setting makes for the most perfect and memorable Valentine’s Day dinner for my boyfriend Ahmed and I. We were treated so kindly from the very beginning. I’ve been wanting to try this place out for over a year and we’ve finally came on a special night. The watermelon salad, Lamb kebabs and pistachio pudding are all a must. Along with some Lebanese beer and I was one happy lady. The son of the owner, who TRULY is the definition of class, was one of the most nicest people I’ve ever met. He was MADE to do what he does. He made me feel a part of their family. He made everyone feel like we were a huge family, all together that night. Very special evening made perfect thanks to the entire staff during my time there this past Valentine’s Day. Ahmed and I will make this place a tradition
You guys are great. Keep doing what you do!

We visited this place tonight and will return in a heart beat From the warm welcome, cozy environment and amazing food filled with flavor this was an experience.
The staff was so prompt and attentive to our table. We ordered a few different selections for our main meal and enjoyed dessert. The pistachio pudding we would not get again, but the chocolate cake is a must!
We were also delighted to listen to the music that was played live while getting full participation from the guests there for dinner.
This was a awesome experience and truly enjoyed the dinner.
We will return next time we are in the area for sure!

And my 600^th Review goes to Yafa of Camel, CA!!!
Once again another amazing Unilocal find. We have never been to Carmel before, so we relied soley on Unilocal to find a good place to eat within our budget.
Unilocal led us here. You know it is a good sign when the place is almost at capacity on a Sunday night!
Right after we ordered our Lamb Ravioli, grilled octopus and Fontina and Artichoke ravioli. The whole restaurant was invited to dance. We were all invited to do our own version of belly dancing to some awesome live music. Literally customers and staff were up there shaking it. It was amazing.
The food. omg…is amazing. I was having flashbacks of the taste and smells of food I have eaten in Portugal and Croatia. I think this is the first time I have experienced food like that since I visited Europe.
For dessert go for the Baklava! Tastes just like homemade Baklava! Not sure what prompted them but complimentary Port wine was also included.
Between decent price point for this town, amazing service, a welcoming atmosphere, and food that brought back tasty memories I have no choice but to give this place 5 stars.

Great food — like… AWESOME FOOD.
Good service.
Awesome welcoming by the owners/​managers.
Absolutely recommended.

Super nett, man fühlt sich recht einsam und die live Musik war eher so la la dorfmusiker … Wir hatten beide fisch — der Lachs war recht langweilig und trocken. Das Schollenfilet ok aber nicht fantastisch. Preis Leistung für den Ort in Ordnung.

Yafa — amazing restaurant all around!
My wife and I spent a few days in Carmel and Yafa was on our short-​list of restaurants to try.
We arrived without a reservation on a Monday night (make a reservation!) and had about a half-​hour wait for a table.
Fortunately, for us, it was a beautiful evening and the owner Jacob supplied two chairs for us to sit outside on the sidewalk and wait (we had drinks while we waited :)
Jacob checked on us a few times while we waited and even spent a few minutes chatting with us — what a sweet man — very warm and friendly.
Our wait paid off — a perfect table for two in the corner of the restaurant.
We started our meal with the Santorini Plate: Assortment of Mediterranean olives, Feta and sun dried tomato dip, slices of tomatoes, ham and bread. 12.95 Oh my, SO delicious!
My wife ordered: Gorgonzola Filet Mignon — charbroiled and topped with a brandy and gorgonzola cream reduction. Served with roasted potatoes. 24.95 It was cooked perfectly, tasted amazing and was a very generous portion well worth the price (she substituted cooked spinach for the potatoes — a great choice — again very nicely executed.)
I tried: Aleppo Kefta platter — round beef and lamb kebab served with yogurt sauce, rice and Tabouli salad. 18.95 I loved this dish, very delicious, hearty and a portion so generous, I had to take some with me, as did my wife with her dish.)
The wait staff was excellent — all very nice, friendly, efficient and genuinely warm. I felt as if I were dining at a personal friend’s restaurant — like I had known everyone for years.
One of the finest meals I’ve had this year — 2015 — can’t wait to return!
5 stars, thank you Yafa.

Bonne cuisine méditerranéenne, super ambiance. On même eu le droit à un petit spectacle ou les clients sont invités à danser. Très sympa. Notre serveur était top. Je n’hésiterai pas à revenir lors de mon future séjour.

Très bon restaurant, pour un prix raisonnable. J’ai pris les ravioli au veau, qui sont très fins et goutus.
C’est un restaurant familial, et le fils (gérant) et son père sont très accueillants. Ce dernier nous a raconté l’histoire de sa famille avant que nous partions.
Je le recommande.

Lundi 20 août
Durant notre périple le long de la route 1, nous voici arrêtés pour la nuit à Carmel. Un petit coup d’oeil sur les spots Unilocal du coin et tout de suite sauté aux yeux le Dametra Café. On se dit qu’en semaine ça né devrait pas poser de problème: ERREUR. La salle est pleine et déjà des dizaines de groupes attendent devant… Mon copain brave notre déception tente de savoir pour quelle heure une table pourrait se libérer et l’hôte lui donne une carte — au cas où — du restaurant de son frère situé un peu plus loin, que nous avions pu consulter rapidement, mais qu’il nous appelle dans l’heure si une table se libère. Grand bien lui a pris de nous appeler après une heure !
Notre soirée au Yafa a été magnifique. Le awesome qui me fait toujours sourire sortant de la bouche d’un américaine semble de mise ! Nous sommes accueillis par le patron, un bonhomme fort en tout point de vue et agréable, transcendant l’esprit chaleureux méditerranéen. On doit cependant patienter le restaurant est complet et une bonne ambiance règne. Au bout de quelques dizaines de minutes, nous pouvons prendre place. Entre temps, le patron nous a offert un petit vin rouge, à 14,5*.
Les plats sont méditerranéens, tant de la rive nord que du sud ou du Levant, majoritairement du mouton mais pas seulement. Je me suis laissé aller à des brochettes de mouton, spécialité de la maison. Pour patienter, on nous apporte une petite tapenade à base de feta et tomates avec des tranches de pain italien (Très bon). Attention, les portions sont pas mal du tout, à vous de voir si vous avez la faim pour une entrée.
En fait mon entière satisfaction en rentrant à notre Inn, et le lendemain, et aujourd’hui, né tient pas à la qualité de ce que j’ai mangé (très bonne cuisson), des accompagnements somme toute classiques mais très bons, de la quantité (même si j’ai rendu une assiette blanche), que de l’ambiance et de l’atmosphère qui se dégage du lieu et de ces convives, du plaisir à manger ma part de cake au chocolat (quand je mange assez j’ai toujours la gourmandise de prendre un dessert pour la route et pour une fois dans ce pays n’était pas écoeurant), de ce patron qui passé de table en table avec une façon de faire très conviviale, du service agréable et de cette musique en fond qui de Méditerranée s’est transformée en play list du serveur lui rappelant son séjour en France (Des morceaux très pointus de la scèné française que l’on né pourrait connaître qu’en écoutant la radio FIP).
Vous comprendrez donc que je suis rentré tout sourire et bien plus que satisfait de cette agréable découverte !

The food is absolutely delicious but more than that, the service is phenomenal. The server was very professional and always checking in. The vibe is very family friendly and fun. The owner started playing the drums and they brought up a few restaurant guests to dance. It was really fun! Maybe 30 minutes later, they had a guitar player perform a song. It was really nice to be in such a great professional, and fun environment. We had a great time! The food– it was very tasty and the service was quick! PS: Get the watermelon salad and date dessert, it was delicious!