Best Restaurants for Wine Lovers in Carmel-by-the-Sea
This page covers eight wine restaurants in our Carmel-by-the-Sea guide. Six are in the neighborhood Carmel-by-the-Sea: Aubergine Carmel, The Pocket, Casanova, Toro, Grasing's, and Seventh & Dolores. Chez Noir is in Carmel, and Anton & Michel is in Court of the Fountains. Menus on this list include a tasting menu, prix fixe, a la carte, and small plates.
Three restaurants on this list hold Wine Spectator awards. Grasing's, in Carmel-by-the-Sea, holds the Grand Award, with 3,400 selections and 35,000 bottles spanning California, Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Italian wines. The Pocket and Toro, both in Carmel-by-the-Sea, hold Best of Award of Excellence.
Aubergine Carmel, in Carmel-by-the-Sea, holds two Michelin stars and serves a tasting menu with a sommelier-led list. Chez Noir, in Carmel, holds one Michelin star and a Star Wine List. Casanova, in Carmel-by-the-Sea, holds a Michelin Plate and a hand-dug wine cellar of over 2,000 bottles.
How this list is chosen: Restaurants with a Wine Spectator Restaurant Award or a deep wine list, listed alphabetically. Updated October 8, 2026.
Anton & Michel
Deep wine list
Anton & Michel has anchored Carmel-by-the-Sea's fine dining scene for decades, occupying a courtyard address on Mission Street that signals classical European ambition in a village otherwise defined by galleries and weekend wine tourism. The kitchen works within a continental tradition that prizes technique and tableside service, placing it in a different register from the casual coastal options that dominate the town.
Aubergine Carmel
2 Michelin stars · Deep wine list
Aubergine at L'Auberge Carmel holds two Michelin stars in 2025 and a La Liste score of 88 points, placing it among the more decorated fine-dining rooms on the California Central Coast. Chef Justin Cogley runs an eight-course tasting menu built around Monterey-sourced ingredients in a nine-table dining room that books at least a month ahead. Smart business casual dress is required; reservations open Wednesday through Sunday evenings.
Casanova
Deep wine list
A Michelin Plate-recognised European restaurant on Fifth Avenue, Casanova occupies a well-established tier in Carmel's dining scene, where its mid-market $$$ pricing and back-to-back Plate distinctions in 2024 and 2025 place it clearly above the casual end of town.
Chez Noir
1 Michelin star · Deep wine list
A Michelin-starred counter on Carmel's 5th Avenue where French bistro technique meets the California coast's seafood abundance. Chez Noir operates from the ground floor of a Craftsman residence, the Blacks live upstairs, which shapes everything from the scale of the room to the warmth of service. Ranked #472 in Opinionated About Dining's 2025 North America list and named one of Esquire's Best New Restaurants in 2023.
Grasing's
Wine Spectator Grand Award · Deep wine list
A Carmel institution at the corner of Mission and 6th, Grasing's anchors the town's upscale American dining scene with a steakhouse-leaning menu served at lunch and dinner. The wine program is the real draw for serious drinkers: 35,000 bottles across 3,400 selections, with California, Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Italian heavyweights represented throughout, and a $35 corkage policy that rewards guests who bring something special.
Seventh & Dolores
Deep wine list
A modern, upscale steakhouse that’s ideal for celebrations. Get the filet mignon, the mac & cheese, and absolutely finish with the beignets.
The Pocket
Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence
The Pocket in Carmel-by-the-Sea sits at the intersection of California coastal cooking and a serious wine program, with 370 selections across 4,000 bottles and a Pearl-recognized kitchen delivering farm-to-table dinners priced at the upper end of the village's dining tier. It holds its own alongside Carmel's most established dinner destinations.
Toro
Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence
Toro brings Japanese cuisine to Carmel-by-the-Sea at a mid-range price point, paired with a wine list of 450 selections and 5,000 bottles deep, with particular strength in Burgundy and California. Wine Director Stephen Wilson and Sommelier Jake DePasquale oversee a list priced at the $$ tier, with corkage available at $35. Lunch and dinner service makes it one of the more accessible Japanese options on the peninsula.
Planning restaurants for wine lovers in Carmel-by-the-Sea
- Which restaurants on this list hold Wine Spectator awards?
- Grasing's, The Pocket, and Toro are the three restaurants on this list with Wine Spectator awards, all in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Grasing's holds the Grand Award, with 3,400 selections and 35,000 bottles of California, Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Italian wines. The Pocket and Toro hold Best of Award of Excellence.
- Which neighborhood holds most of the wine restaurants on this list?
- Carmel-by-the-Sea is the neighborhood that holds most of the wine restaurants on this list. The restaurants in Carmel-by-the-Sea are Aubergine Carmel, The Pocket, Casanova, Toro, Grasing's, and Seventh & Dolores. Those six form the largest neighborhood group on this list.
- Which restaurants on this list have Michelin stars?
- Aubergine Carmel, in Carmel-by-the-Sea, holds two Michelin stars, and Chez Noir, in Carmel, holds one Michelin star. Those are the Michelin-starred restaurants on this list, and both latest awards are dated 2026. Aubergine Carmel serves a tasting menu with a sommelier-led list. Chez Noir serves prix fixe with an exceptional wine list.
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