We dined outside and our waiter (Dia) was very attentive and kind. We had our dog with us and she was very welcome as well. Great food, loved that Yafa is not in the center of town, very nearby but not as hectic. Great experience!

The service and food were exceptional! We went back a second night and look forward to going back again! The owners were so friendly and made our experience extra special!

One of our favorite restaurants. Creative and interesting menu, great food, friendly and attentive service. We took two friends who had never been there and they loved it.

The owner was simply charming and gracious. He treated me to a tasting of cava while I waited to order. I had the lamb shish kebab – – it was delicious. The baklava likewise was wonderful. And I especially enjoyed the house wine and some lovely bread and cheese. It’s a very pleasant sidewalk setting, Covid safe, with plenty of heaters to ward off the night chill. This will become a regular spot, and it seems it already is by the rest of the locals.

First time at Yafa.
Loved the food and friendliness of the waitstaff.
We appreciated the heaters as it was later on in the day.
Certainly will come back.

Excellent dinner! The food and service were both fantastic.

Great spot

Great experience. Great meal. They did everything to make our experience special. Had a great small family restaurant feel. I hope we get to spend our next several anniversary dinners here.

So amazing!!! We love this place so much!! We celebrated my love’s birthday here. A must go to every time we are in Monterey!!! Their flavors are authentic, the meat is lean, the desserts are delicious (especially the Baklava)!!

Food was good wine selection was okay but, the seating by the street not so good at night with traffic. To close to the cars passing and stopping at the stop sing . The service was great very nice not a lot of people 10-12 tables at the most .
But the Tomatoes with feta was great the service was excellent I would go back but request to sit on the wall side .

Amazing staff and fresh food, especially charming for off the main strip of Carmel. Really great space for outdoor dining during Covid. Can’t recommend highly enough!

Yafa was amazing! Small Mediterranean restaurant located at Junipero & 5th, Carmel by the Sea. Service was excellent, and the food more than I expected. We had the pear salad and for main course the lamb kabobs with rice pilaf. All cooked perfectly, and seasonings right on point. I highly recommend Yafa, and will return:)

Friendly staff! Great service. Delicious food. The Sole was fantastic.

Arrived for our 7pm reservation. Were seated promptly and provided menus shortly thereafter. However from the time we were asked what we wanted to drink it took 27 minutes to get the requested glasses of water.

The food was adequate but the service was virtually non-existent. It took 2 requests for salt and pepper which were not brought to the table until the meal was already 90% finished.

Will not be going back.

Our first time at Yafa was an absolute culinary pleasure. My wife and I celebrated our anniversary in Carmel, and Yafa did not disappoint. Every dish was delicious, fresh, and mouth-watering. The service was personal, timely, and accommodating to our dietary needs. Please eat at Yafa the next time you are in Carmel!

The food amazing and the host was vert attentive and made us feel home. I highly recommend Yafa and next we are in Carmel we will definitely dine again at Yafa

YAFA was fine; it was Open Table that was awful! I had a reservation with confirmation number from Open Table. Alas, arrive and YAFA has NO info from Open Table re: my reservation. The restaurant was packed with people standing outside awaiting tables to open. The owner was gracious and swift, getting me and my guests a table when I showed him my confirmation number from Open Table. Open Table, you need to pick up your game!

Douglas Schmitz
Carmel by the Sea

Wonderful hosts, good food and pretty decor... very warm feeling. The only glitch was that open table canceled our res for some reason but I was able to rebook immediately...still mystified and not the first time that has happened.. different restaurants.

The night we were there they were offering a meatball special entree for $28. The sauce had far too much vinegar and the dish was not edible. A good chef should never let a dish like that leave the kitchen. We told our waiter but he didn’t really respond and didn’t offer to make it right. We also ordered lamb chops and Mezze platter which were good.

We came with big hopes for this place and sadly we had to remind the server about our order twice after waiting for ~30min. Other tables sat after us and got their food before us. We expected for some type of comp, but, that did not happen.

This is a nice restaurant in terms of ambience, and the food was definitely above average. The menu had a nice variety of options, and and was priced very reasonably especially for Carmel. My main issue with this place is we had a reservation which I booked about a month in advance, and still had to wait 40 minutes for our table after we arrived. I understand sometimes things run behind, but 40 minutes when you have a reservation is unacceptable. I thought they would have at least offered us a complementary glass of wine or dessert for our troubles, but they did not.

Lovely dinner spent at Yafa.

Must try when you are in Carmel. We loved everything we ordered. The best slow cooked lamb shank, Lebanese hummus and lamb chops. Great service too. Couldn't have asked for anything more. My number 1 fav in Carmel till I come here again.

Great food and service I would absolutely return.

Excellent food. What a great find!

Great for Valentine’s Day! Excellent food and personable service. We’ll be back.

Great food at unusually affordable prices-- especially for Carmel. Where else can you get a rack of lamb for $29 ??? This is a small neighborhood corner restaurant and the owners are hands-on. From salads to fresh halibut to traditional Mediterranean lamb dishes, there was enough to please everyone at our table. Will return for sure!

Wonderful place, owned by the nicest couple who works hard to make your evening perfect and memorable.

Great place to eat with varied menu.Service was friendly.

We had our first visit to this restaurant for our anniversary and were so pleased with the total experience. The service was perfect and they very kindly offered us a complimentary glass of champagne to help us celebrate. The artichoke and hummus starters were very good. We both had rack of lamb as our main courses, and that too was quite good. We were stuffed and did not order dessert, but the owner brought out complimentary baklava and port. Both amazing! What a fabulous night. Thank you Kafta!

We loved our evening at Yafa. We had a great time, ate good food, drank good wine and were very well taken care of. Highly recommend!

Yafa is a great option for Mediterranean food. We had the Yafa salad with beets and arugula as well as a ground beef/lamb kebab plate that was very satisfying. The food was prepared in a way that was very tasting and also visually appealing; all items on the entree were very flavorful. The salad was very nice also, although we would have liked maybe one or two more beets in order for it to be truly satisfying. Overall, I think the food is great, the service is friendly and courteous, and the atmosphere is very nice also.

The quality of ingredients and flavor of each dish is excellent. There’s a lovely atmosphere for enjoying conversation and a great meal/treat. The eggplant dish was amazing and highly recommended. It was our second time and will make it a habit whenever we yon Carmel. My only wish was that they were open for lunch too. ☺️

Great food!

Excellent food and service. Very cozy and cute little place. We went there for our 32nd anniversary dinner. The only item we didn’t like was the Salmon kebab. Teriyaki sauce was not what we expected in a Mediterranean restaurant. Everything else was delicious with top quality ingredients.

YAFA suggested by a friend and we (6 people) showed up on December 30 with a reservation (Open Table). Several groups outside waiting but we sat at our table right away. Form the beginning - warm and inviting, amiable waiter, fun environment. Ordered wine and app's fast..and they came just as fast. Table of 6 with humus and meatball apps - outstanding. Ordered two bottle of wine and they waived a corkage fee (we brought one). Everyone all ordered diff things and we ended ups airing bites and could not agree what was best. Not a bad meal. Lamb ravioli sauce could have been a bit thinner though. Chicken kababs and lamb/beef meatballs TDF. Also the watermelon salad and spinach salad special were hits. Even deserts were yummy - and waiter admitted the baclava was not home made but the film was crisp; we said no thanks but then he brought sampler of that and dates. Very nice touch. Carrot case was surprisingly good. All in all a great experience, comfy and casual, and we'll be back (except in tourist season - they get packed I am sure).

Wonderful atmosphere, friendly staff and great food. There are many good restaurants in Carmel and this is definitely at the top of the list.

Always a go to when we visit Carmel! Incredible food and service. We love this spot!

Excellent dinner and very accommodating service. We showed up early (before reserved time) but they went out of their way to service us anyway. Great octopus appetizer. Wife had a fine Eggplant dish and I had a delicious steak with Gorgonzola. We will definitely return to Yafa during our annual visits to Carmel.

Booked a reservation for a special occasion only to find the restaurant was closed for a private party. The woman at the door was very rude considering it was their mistake. No notice was given. Took us almost 45 minutes to make other arrangements. Horrible experience. Will never go back.