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Serves meat, vegan options available. Serves family style dishes inspired by Oaxaca at this upscale Mexican food restaurant. Has a vegan bowl, both at dinner and weekend brunch and veggie tacos. Has other veggie appetizers that MAY be vegan, plus some vegan choices are not on the online menu, such as enchiladas with a cashew crema. Open Tue-Sun 5:00pm-8:30pm.
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Dolores St (at Between 5th and 6th), Carmel-by-the-sea, California, USA, 93923
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- Reservations required
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 05 Apr 2022 by LisaCortezBarry
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Added by NearTheSea on 31 Jan 2020
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22 Reviews
First Review by Brenda Jauqe
BritBot
Points +13
Wonderful! - Edit
I had the mushroom mole and my daughter had the black bean tacos. Everything was clearly labeled and our server fully understood our vegan request when leaving cheese off another appetizer. Everything was so delicious. I wish I could’ve tried the kabocha squash enchiladas. For dessert, the oat milk flan was phenomenal and the churros were also vegan. So very good!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-03-30
Guest
Zurv
Points +2337
Friendly service and nice outdoor seating - Edit
Friendly service and great outdoor seating with heaters and fire.
Read moreThe food was just ok. I liked the mushroom taco a lot. The chips and green salsa were good too. The enchiladas were not that good to me. They gave us free hot coco afterwards which was nice. Yummy agua fresca. The guava one was great and the horchata was ok. Also the churros with chocolate sauce were a nice touch. Not often I see a vegan churro. Overall good place though.
Updated from previous review on 2025-08-25
Pros: Service, Location , Mushroom Taco
Cons: Price
Guest
vegan.panda
Points +664
Underwhelming Indeed - Edit
I had the enchiladas and my husband tried the mushroom mole —both dishes lacked seasoning and depth. We even had to ask for more salt.
Read moreThe presentation was fine and the ingredients seemed fresh but overall the food was bland and not worth the high price point. For a town known for its charm and culinary offerings, we expected more. It was our second time visiting. Next time, we’ll be looking elsewhere for dinner.
Guest
carokris
Points +93
Tasty food and excellent service - Edit
There were several vegan options here; we were told that this is because the chef is vegan. We started with the trio of chips and guacamole plus two salsas. The chips were fresh and not oily at all; the salsas flavorful; the guac also very good and topped with pickled veggies. I had a choice of four options for my dinner: kabocha squash enchiladas, smoked mushroom mole, tacos with mushrooms or beans (or both), or a vegan bowl. The squash enchiladas was the bartender’s recommendation, but it was sold out. I had the mushroom mole which was memorable-complex flavors, smoky and creamy. The real surprise was that two out of the three desserts were vegan. We chose the churros with chocolate and coconut dipping sauce, but there was also an oat milk flan. Overall I would rate this five stars for the variety of vegan offerings, the service, and the quality of the food. This is now my favorite restaurant in Carmel.
Read morePros: Delicious food, Multiple vegan options, including dessert, Good service
Guest
MariaD
Points +3570
Really good tacos but the mushroom mole wasn't as good as I expected - Edit
There is a good number of vegan options per category. I really enjoyed the tacos and the churros!
Read moreGuest
fingerprints
Points +58
Underwhelming for the Price - Edit
My partner and I shared the vegan enchiladas and mushroom mole. Both were bitter and bland with few other flavor notes. They didn't feel fully thought out. We also had the Cardi Bee's Knees (contains honey) which tasted a bit like potpourri, and the horchata, which was good.
Read moreAt $30 an entree and $17 for a cocktail, I expect to enjoy it more than I did.
I will say that the atmosphere was interesting and it's nice to have multiple vegan options at a place that serves meat.
Guest
linearloop
Points +58
Great food and great experience - Edit
Had dinner here last night. The vegan bowl was amazing. They had several vegan options using beans, mushrooms, yams or plantains. They also offered a vegan flan for dessert that was superb.
Read moreGuest
errrrcuh
Points +20
Great service/ Delicious vegan options! - Edit
My boyfriend and I went for my birthday tonight and we were blown away! We shared the butter lettuce salad (which is vegan with the chipotle cashew dressing). The salad was super fresh and the dressing was very flavorful. I ordered the Yam Enchiladas (which are vegan) and have a ancho chile sauce, black bean puree and cashew crema. They were the most unique enchiladas I’ve ever had, and the perfect combination of flavors. We had the oat milk flan for dessert which was amazing! Our server was so friendly and attentive, we’ll definitely be back!😄
Read morePros: Many vegan options, Great service , Flavorful entrees
Guest
RachelFeiner
Points +1237
Very welcoming - Edit
Everything marked clearly. Food is delicious. Beautiful place and great service
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-09-29
Guest
BaileySchneider
Points +2272
Underwhelming - Edit
I had high hopes for this place because of the reviews and atmosphere.
Read moreUnfortunately the food was underwhelming.
The trio appetizer came with red salsa, tomatillo salsa and guacamole. The chips were super cool. The bowls they came in were both rusted at the bottom. The red salsa had a great flavor and tasted fresh but really needed salt. The Guac was just smashed avocado with a few half tomatoes on top and pickled onions. It desperately needed some salt and pepper. The tomatillo sauce was yummy. Overall they all tasted very fresh but lacked salt making them taste incomplete.
The black bean tacos were good but messy. The beans again lacked salt but the toppings disguised it. The beans seemed to not be drained and were very wet causing the tortillas to be wet. The rice was good.
The flan was delicious but if it were for the lack of toppings then it would be underwhelming. The flan itself didn’t have much flavor so the toppings really saved it! I would order this again if I came back.
The churros were good but nothing special. The chocolate sauce was very dark and wasn’t my favorite but very rich!
The staff overall was very attentive at cleaning our tables and refilling waters but our waiter was very very slow. We got there before the crowd set in and multiple tables that got there way after we did with more people and left way before us. We were placed in the back corner and felt a little forgotten even though they had to walk by us to get to the kitchen. The tables were also so close together I was almost bumping elbows with the people next to me and we could all hear each others conversations. It felt very intrusive.
Overall I probably won’t come back. The food was underwhelming and nothing special. An appetizer, two taco plates and two desserts ran us $100 before tip. It is a nice atmosphere and nice staff but the food didn’t make it very worth while. I honestly would’ve much rather enjoyed the tacos from hulas or el cántaro and paid half the price. Nice that they have vegan options but they didn’t do it for me.
Updated from previous review on 2024-03-18
Pros: Friendly staff, Nice atmosphere, Multiple vegan options
Cons: Bland food, Expensive, Tables too close together
Guest
phaniedim
Points +150
Incredible ! - Edit
Great food, great quality. Clearly noted vegan and gf options.
Read moreGuest
Vegantrvlr
Points +432
Excellent vegan choices - Edit
My husband and I both enjoyed the mushroom mole and vegan flan. Many vegan choices on the menu. Great Mexican food.
Read morePros: Lots of vegan choices
Guest
DmarieC
Points +251
Lovely staff and service but food was disappointing - Edit
The positives were that the staff was attentive, the food was served incredibly quickly and we were able to eat outside with our pooch. We were delighted with the free hot chocolate at the end of the meal. We weren't impressed with the Margaritas, the mushroom mole, or the black bean tacos. One friend did really like her vegan bowl. If you like smoky or lime flavors with low oil, it might be a good fit for you. I like neither smoke flavor or lime, so it wasn't a good fit for me. However, I would go back and try the vegan bowl. There are so few vegan choices in Carmel and I appreciate their efforts.
Read morePros: Service, Nice pet-friendly ambience outdoors with heaters, Vegan bowl was recommended
Cons: Margaritas which were pricy and not very tasty, The mole with the very smoked mushrooms, The black bean tacos were so bland.
Guest
mmg
Points +205
Absolutely delicious - Edit
They have a great vegan selection clearly marked. All the desserts are vegan. Amazing tequila selection and the service was great!
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options, Great bar, Great service
Guest
KarinaLynch
Points +538
It is not bad - Edit
The options are average, not so tasty… maybe we are spoiled with great food. They are very friendly and a nice atmosphere. The guacamole is great.
Read morePros: Decent selection of vegan options
Cons: A bit pricey
Guest
Dariush
Points +1134
Exceptional Mexican Food - Edit
Three factors decide whether an omnivore restaurant is great for vegans: (1) tasty food, (2) diverse, well- and properly-labelled vegan offerings and (3) knowledgeable waitstaff who understand what vegan dietary restrictions mean. All three boxes are checked here. A significant proportion of the menus is either vegan or veganizable (OK, not sure if that’s a word), including most importantly 100% of the desserts. The food was delicious. And our waiter understood my dietary restrictions and was excellent in advising what to eat (and drink)! I went for the vegan bowl, which was absolutely delicious- chock full of rice, beans, purple yams, greens, etc. However in an effort to balance my healthy choice, I might have also ordered the chips and salsa. And the churros. And the hot chocolate. Yeah. But they were all great.
Read moreGuest
LynseyNaylor
Points +20
Absolutely incredible! - Edit
Definitely deserves 5 stars! The restaurant is not fully vegan, so I am not allowed to give 5 stars, but it was absolutely wonderful. My husband is not completely vegan, but was absolutely raving about the smoked onion with his meal! I loved the vegan tacos I got. One of the chefs is vegan and at least one of the servers/hosts is vegan. My husband checked to see if they had vegan options, and not only is their menu laid out very well to explain that there are a number of vegan options, but the host was very quick to explain what her favorites were. Both my husband and I had an incredible meal. Plus!… they’re dog friendly! Win win win for us!!
Read moreGuest
JRSIII
Points +188
Deserves 5 stars!! - Edit
Their menu features a multitude of plant based and vegan dishes, however because they do offer a few meat and dairy dishes happy cow only allows a max 4/5 rating. Even though in my opinion they deserve 5 stars.
Read moreTheir vegan tacos,both the black bean and plantain tacos, were my favorite. The two salsas and guacamole were fresh and amazing. The vegan bowl and veggie enchiladas were fantastic as well. Also the mezcal was fire! Really adored our great, insightful, and friendly service. Truly a gem and a treat. (And they will be receiving 5 stars on Google, Yelp, and more)
Guest
courtpline
Points +1208
Delicious - Edit
They have a few vegan options on the menu: a vegan bowl and plantain tacos. Make sure your server knows you don't want cheese on the beans if you order the tacos. The flan was delicious and our server was friendly and accommodating. Great place for a special occasion.
Read morePros: 2 vegan entrees + appetizers + dessert, Nice atmosphere, High quality food
Cons: Expensive, Need to specify vegan
Guest
mazinha
Points +342
Good surprise in Carmel - Edit
Carmel can be a bit challenging in terms of vegan options and this was quite a surprise.
Read moreFood was great and Antonio, our server, made our experience even better by being knowledgeable about veganism - we even got a taste of the house hot chocolate.
Totally recommend.
Pros: Great service, Great mezcal, Tasty vegan options
Cons: Few options (enchilada was not available)
Guest
LewisBollard
Points +80
Very vegan-conscious - Edit
The restaurant has two vegan entrees (garden bowl and plantain tacos), plus a vegan desert (oat milk flan). The waiter also proactively asked if we were vegan and said he’d leave out some dairy normally in the rice. Very friendly service and thoughtful.
Read moreGuest
Brenda Jauqe
Points +752
Amazing vegan enchilada!! - Edit
This is such a nice restaurant in Carmel. A great place to bring for a special dinner or a date. The restaurant itself is rather small but very cozy and beautiful. They have the bar room called the mezcal room and they have a wide range of varieties of mezcal from cheap mezcal to top-shelf mezcal. Their chips and salsa is really good and they even offer a tasting course of mezcal where they give you a little lesson of how it's made and what to pair them with.
Read moreI had the vegan enchilada and it is by far one of my favorite enchiladas ever. The inside was not made of mushrooms which I feel like a lot of vegan dishes are now made of mushrooms like oysters which I personally don't like so it was nice to see that they use yams. They even have their own homemade cashew sauce that they drizzle on top.
If you were to have the mezcal taster, tell them that you are vegan and they will accommodate you. We didn't realize that some of the parings came with worm salt and fried crickets so be sure to mention that you're vegan so they they don't waste their food.
Pros: Vegan Entree, Great location
Cons: Opening Hours are slim
Guest
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