The Top 7 Tasting Menus Near Bad Animal
-
Rank 1. Le Papillon
European
-
Rank 2. Coastal Kitchen
Contemporary
A staircase descent through a hotel lobby leads to bay views and Chef Michael Rotondo's tasting menu, where local seafood—black cod from the wood-fired oven, pristine halibut sashimi—mingles with global spice and technique across each course. The room is polished; the cooking is restless, layering flavors until each plate becomes a small argument between restraint and abundance.
-
Rank 3. Aubergine
Contemporary
In a historic hotel on Carmel's main drag, Justin Cogley orchestrates a tasting menu that marries classical discipline with contemporary flair—think cabbage tacos layered with caviar and braised treviso, or dry-aged beef brushed with wagyu XO. The dining room hums with understated refinement, and the wine list rewards close attention. It's cooking that feels rooted in place yet stubbornly its own.
-
Rank 4. ADEGA
Portuguese
Adega pairs a Portuguese tasting menu of sardines, bacalhau, and octopus with one of California's deepest collections of Portuguese wines. The understated dining room lets the kitchen's contemporary technique and wine program command attention.
-
Rank 5. Protégé
Contemporary New American
Chef Anthony Secviar, a French Laundry alum, pairs refined but unfussy cooking—think sablefish with sweet onion dashi, morel lasagna—with a sommelier's wine list in a relaxed modern room. The lounge's à la carte and trolley desserts balance the tasting menu's ambition without pretension.
-
Rank 6. Navio
Contemporary
Inside the Ritz-Carlton's clifftop perch, Chef Francisco Simón crafts polished coastal fare—Dungeness crab with apple and sourdough, duck with radicchio and pear—that balances classical precision with an unhurried sense of luxury. The room lives up to its setting: ocean views that flare gold at sunset, a dining experience that feels as much about ease as refinement.
-
Rank 7. Wakuriya
Japanese
Katsuhiro Yamasaki commands the counter at this eight-seat temple of kaiseki, where each monthly menu threads classical technique with California's seasonal bounty—a silver spoon might cradle lobster in dashi gelée, soft-boiled egg, crisp kombu. The steamed black cod arrives flawless, the sashimi course assured, each plate a studied conversation between tradition and the chef's singular vision.