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Interior - Shearwater Tavern, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA

Shearwater Tavern

4.4 (148)
$30 and under
Country kitchen
3665 Rio Rd, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93923-8609

Make a booking

A photo of Shearwater Tavern restaurant

Shearwater Tavern

4.4
$30 and under
Country kitchen
Carmel

Make a booking

2 people
23:30
Booked 3 times today

About this restaurant

  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Good for groups
  • Great for creative cocktails
Located in the idyllic seaside community of Carmel, Shearwater Tavern features breakfast and dinner within the Carmel Mission Inn. Our dinner menu has a selection of smaller plates to share along with some larger individual plates.
We have partnered with a local dairy, coffee roaster, honey purveyor and bakery.
Our Chef's focus is on locally sourced seasonal items in an all from scratch kitchen. Our cocktail program features beautiful classic and specialty cocktails along with craft beer and California wines. You must try our house made Parker House rolls.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Country kitchen, Breakfast, Cocktail Bar
  • Hours of Operation
    Breakfast Daily 06:30–11:00 Dinner Tue–Sat 16:00–22:00
  • Phone number
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress Code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive Chef
    Jae Moon
  • Private party facilities
    Visit https://www.carmelmissioninn.com/special-events/start-planning/ to fill out a request! We have a private dining room as well as other meetings spaces and a lovely patio.
  • Area
    Carmel
  • Cross Street
    Carmel Mission Inn on Rio Rd.
  • Parking Details
    Hotel Parking
  • Public transport
    Across the street at Crossroads Shopping Village
  • Additional
    Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Vegan

Concierge
AI Beta

Our AI assistant, Concierge, is here to answer your questions about this restaurant.

Reviews

OpenTable reviews from verified diners

Reviews from people who have dined at Shearwater Tavern.

4.4

4.4
(148)
  • 4.3Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.1Ambience
  • 4.2Value

Noise • Moderate

148 Reviews
  1. Natasha

    San Francisco Bay Area47 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 18 September 2026

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Always a delight. Thevfood, service and ambience are so underrated. We love it here.

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  2. kathryn Gold

    Detroit / Eastern Michigan75 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 22 July 2026

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Great job on making our dinner amazing! The service was awesome!

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  3. Natasha

    San Francisco Bay Area47 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 28 June 2026

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Our never fail, go-to restaurant; a local jewel. Everything on the menu is delicious, happy hour is fantastic. Do not sleep on their creative cocktails, great draft beers and thoughtful wine list. The staff is so helpful and friendly, Christian is our waiter!. We love this place so much.

    Is this helpful?

  4. James

    New York City1 review

    5.0

    Dined on 29 March 2026

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We were on a 54th anniversary trip and really enjoyed everything about Shearwater.

    Is this helpful?

  5. darlene Gold

    San Francisco Bay Area30 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on 22 February 2026

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Overall, service and hospitality was on point. Food was prepared nicely and it was tasty. Enjoyed the evening entertainment.

    Is this helpful?

  6. Alison Gold

    Hawaii7 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 15 February 2026

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We really enjoyed our experience here. Really good prime rib and filet mignon. They had a kids menu and my 7 yr old son wanted to know when we were going to go back. Kid friendly.

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  7. Jeannette Gold

    California Central Coast51 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 4 February 2026

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Small fresh menu but with something for everyone. The sea bass was fresh and tasty. Chicken was moist and delicious. Beet salad was fresh with an absolutely wonderful piece of salmon. We'll be back. No Parker rolls though..too bad. Artichoke dip was surprisingly light and great with the toast.

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  8. Natasha

    San Francisco Bay Area47 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 24 January 2026

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Our favorite place! The staff is absolutely stellar and everything we ordered from cocktails, wine to appetizer, the calamari is amazing and the seabass an hangar steak was delicious and perfectly seasoned. We can't wait to go back.

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  9. Frank Gold

    San Francisco Bay Area37 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on 17 January 2026

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    My wife loved the sea bass over a bed of black lentils and mushrooms, with a lovely Bernardus vineyard savi blanc. After our big hike in Garrapata, I went with the juicy cheeseburger and fries. Every item was excellent, and the service from Christiano was fantastic.

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  10. Michele Gold

    New York City37 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on 10 January 2026

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    I eat out all the time and have eaten at Shearwater Tavern a number of times. I have always enjoyed my meal and even raved about it to my friends. Today I asked for pasta as a side dish instead of puréed cauliflower. The chef must be a prima donna because what I got was some cold cooked rigatoni on the side of my plate, a small dish of Parmesan cheese and a small dish with a lump of frozen butter. Unfortunately, I wasn’t invited to go back in the kitchen to cook it myself. Chef must not like any changes made to his menu.  I have always given this restaurant five stars in the past but today it barely made three. All I can say is don’t ask the chef for changes to his menu.

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Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Country kitchen, Breakfast, Cocktail Bar
  • Hours of Operation
    Breakfast Daily 06:30–11:00 Dinner Tue–Sat 16:00–22:00
  • Phone number
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress Code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive Chef
    Jae Moon
  • Private party facilities
    Visit https://www.carmelmissioninn.com/special-events/start-planning/ to fill out a request! We have a private dining room as well as other meetings spaces and a lovely patio.
  • Area
    Carmel
  • Cross Street
    Carmel Mission Inn on Rio Rd.
  • Parking Details
    Hotel Parking
  • Public transport
    Across the street at Crossroads Shopping Village
  • Additional
    Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Vegan

FAQs

Sunday stands out, guests repeatedly praise the Just Jazz Sunday Brunch and Sunday brunch events as a favorite community brunch experience.

Guests describe portions as satisfying, small plates are shareable and satiating, and some mains (for example, a generously portioned smoked salmon) are noted as sizeable.

Yes, guests celebrate anniversaries here and enjoy intimate moments (many mention being seated by the gas fireplace), making Shearwater Tavern a lovely choice for a special evening.

The house-made Parker House rolls are a standout at Shearwater Tavern, the restaurant highlights them and guests repeatedly praise the warm, house-baked rolls served with local honey butter and sea salt.

Yes, Shearwater Tavern has an outdoor patio that guests enjoy, complete with cozy gas fire pits and live music on occasion.

Yes, guests mention a popular happy hour and a Thursday Prime Rib special (noted as a phenomenal value), so check for those when you visit.

Casual dress, comfortable, relaxed clothing is appropriate and nothing formal is required.

For lively weekend vibes and live music, plan for the Just Jazz Sunday brunch; for a quieter breakfast visit, guests specifically note about 8:30 am as a calm time.

Shearwater Tavern feels warm and inviting, with a cozy, tastefully designed dining room, an attractive bar, and a gas fireplace, while a patio with firepits and regular live music add an outdoor, convivial element.

Yes, families are welcomed here: guests note a kids menu, kids enjoying pancakes, and staff going out of their way to make family meals special.

How FAQ content is generated

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. California Central Coast
  4. Monterey / Carmel
  5. Carmel

Make a booking

A photo of Shearwater Tavern restaurant

Shearwater Tavern

4.4
$30 and under
Country kitchen
Carmel

Make a booking

2 people
23:30
Booked 3 times today
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