Village Corner California Bistro

Food was fine but we felt a bit rushed. We got the main course just minutes after we got the appetizers so had to choose which one to allow to get cold. They had only one dessert and ran away before we had a chance to order coffee

We made reservations on this app for dinner at 6:15. Everything was confirmed. We arrived and were told they were closing and they only serve breakfast and dinner. Very disappointed. You should update your information on the app so it’s not misleading to customers.

We visited to celebrate my birthday and was thrown back when the server presented the check with her hand written tip and total on my credit card authorization slip. It’s one thing for the server to add a “ suggested” tip percentage on the itemized bill but very wrong ,if not ilegal , for anyone to pre fill my own credit card authorization slip. Very tacky, insulting and very unnecessary. The manager didn’t think it was a big deal. Not only, but they said is their policy to add gratuity to a party of more than 6. We were 3 adults and 4 small children lol . As a restaurant manager myself , I know how wrong that is. Still tipped the server 20% like I always do. Like I said, unnecessary.

Great service, large portions and outdoor seating.

I took my dog on a girls “Harrah” trip after she got diagnosed with terminal cancer. We had dinner at the Village bistro the first night we arrived. My dog came with me and we sat on the patio near the fire pit the ambience was lovely and the food was wonderful! I would highly recommend.

Online menu not the same as the actual menu, tried to sit us next the the clean up cart but moved us when asked

This has become our new favorite spot in Carmel! Great food and service!

We were super disappointed in this restaurant. Screaming kids at the table next to us, forgetful servers (had to ask for water and condiments multiple times)...they were friendly enough but didn’t come by often, and most disappointing was the missing items from the food we ordered to go after we were over the poor service and the rowdy kids (chicken and waffles were missing the gravy, which we found out when we got home...). Would not return- wasted $80 meal plus 20% tip... I’ve always said there’s not a bad restaurant in Carmel- this place changed that for us. Going to stick with our favorites here on out.

Excellent food and service!

The food was underwhelming for the price.

Decent place for meal during COVID. Nice setting in a central location.

Great patio area for dogs!

Food is edible but cooked with no taste and rarely as ordered (for example: a hamburger ordered medium rare arrive overcooked and oversalted). This restaurant claims to have vegetarian dishes but in fact has none.

This is our go to place when we went a relaxing delicious place to dine, for any meal!

Village Corner is always a great place for lunch or dinner....Nice patio (pet friendly) and great wait staff. Could not ask for anything more.

Showed up for our reservation and we were told the restaurant had closed early. So unable to tell you anything about the restaurant. Very rude to close when you’ve got a reservation on the books.

Great patio dining and people watching. Excellent food and service. Always our first meal in Carmel.

Carbonara was second to none. Beautiful setting. Cordial staff.

Love Village Corner. Great vegan options too!

We live in Carmel and this will always be our go to with friends/family visiting. We have never been disappointed!
I crave the meatloaf, my husband always gets a pasta dish and has never been disappointed.

Big yes on comfort food. I had the meatloaf and my husband had the Carbonara. Very plentiful.

Terrible bad and very bad

Very pleasant! We’ll be back!

The food here was delicious! A California take on comfort food, with a lot of seasonal, local touches. Sitting outdoors and watching the pedestrians walk downtown Carmel is a delight.

Mellow spot, not super deluxe. Service was fair. Had to put our plates on a neighboring table to make way for desert. Probably won’t be back.

Don't go here if you expect a reservation to mean anything, or if you want exemplary food. We have been coming here for 15 years, and rated it 5 star. The ownership changed recently and it shows. We arrived on time for a reservation, gave our name, and received blank looks from the staff. All tables were full, including many who had obviously arrived in the last 15 minutes. We were told we would be seated "when space became available". When I asked the value of a reservation, the 20-something host said "it put us at the top of the list," which is not my understanding of a reservation, nor have I ever encountered such a ridiculous attitude before. Luckily, but at our suggestion, they agreed to move some utensils and napkin storage off a table and seat us. The food was only so-so: rubbery steak, tasteless polenta appetiser, bland carbonara, tiny piece of cornbread with chili - nothing memorable at all. Our server was excellent, which is the only reason this review is not one star. Village Corner has always been a key dinner destination for us, but no longer.

The burgers looked great, unfortunately we did not order them.

Love the place. Atmosphere was very pleasant. My children and spouses were celebrating one of my daughters Birthday. I have been there in one occasion before this visit and was delighted. My other daughter works for Monterey Visitors Bureau and she recommended this place. I will definitely will go back.

Pretty bland menu and food. Ours were not very well cooked. I had the chicken which was over cooked and a bit burnt tasting my partner had a french dip and salad. It was bland and lacking much flavor and or character... Not the worst meal but far from somewhere I'd recommend. The place seemed confused. Was it a diner or a failed attempt at being an upscale place? Maybe your experience would be better.

Average meal...hamburger bun was overly soggy

Great night! Host was hilarious and totally took care of us. Service and food was great.

"As a matter of fact, its colder inside!" ;)

We had an early reservation at 6:30 and ate inside as we had our 15 month old granddaughter. Service was quick and attentive. I was tentative about the pork chop as they are often over cooked and dry but it was perfect! My wife had the meat loaf and she had to negotiate with the one year old about who got what portion.

The outside patio looked awesome and would have been out there if we did not worry about the baby.

This felt like a neighborhood place and several tables made that feel true. Would definitely go there again with or without the baby.

Great food and great service! It has better vegan options than some places in the area as well

It was a quiet night but service was great. Food was delicious and atmosphere was very peaceful (but again, I did not go at a busy time). I would recommend the bistro due to excellence of both food and service (and they were understanding when I was late for the reservation as I had driven a long way that evening to get to Carmel).

The food was beyond amazing and it was so great that dogs could hang out on the patio. It gave the atmosphere a really warm homey feeling. The vegan options were great. We all enjoyed it so much we stayed for desserts!!

Excellent food. Excellent service!!!

I enjoyed my experience here but had a couple of criticisms. First off there were a lot of tables with very noisy screaming children. I did not expect this coming to an upscale bistro in Carmel. Certainly not the ambience I would have selected for a late dinner on Sunday night. Also, I ordered the seasonal ravioli and was quite upset when I discovered it was covered in mushrooms and even the filling had mushrooms when this ingredient WAS NOT listed on the menu. Luckily the staff quickly made me another dish that was lovely and was kind about it however all ingredients should be listed on the menu to avoid the embarrassment I felt & the hassle of having to finish my meal after the rest of my party. Inside the restaurant was quite cold, I wish we had been seated outside with heat lamps. I also mentioned that we were there for a birthday and no mention of the birthday or celebration was included from the staff. Lots of money for a subpar experience, however all of our food was quite delicious and the staff was accommodating and friendly towards us

Did not honor reservation and was not apologetic or accommodating.

Disappointing. I had read great reviews about this restaurant, but (1) we were seated in a tight remote corner with no views (2) the waiter forgot about us multiple times, (3) the impossible burger was not cooked thoroughly, (4) the kids pasta Alfredo was very bland, (5) room noise was rather loud. French fries were tasty though. For a table of 2 adults and 2 kids, we were out $98.

We’re Seaside residents and I took my two daughters, ages 10 and 17. They absolutely love dining in Carmel. The food, the service, the ambiance and the BLANKETS were impressive! They definitely want me to take them again. My husband was out of town when we went and they told him all about it and said he HAS to go. We’ll be back.