SHAWARMA KING & MORE It ticks all the hidden gem boxes. Beef and lamb give a swarthy richness to the signature dish, with the zip of tahini. Between the two rides a streak of sparking heat, sweet cucumber, sharp peppers and more. It’s a happy cacophony, and a messy one. There are no tables here. The juices and sauces are ample. You’ve been warned. 11601 Merritt St., Castroville. 633-3333. SHEARWATER TAVERN Management of the Carmel Mission Inn’s dining room would prefer not to be hidden. It is, after all, in close proximity to a well-traveled corner on Highway 1—although in a hotel tucked behind a gas station and easy to miss from the road. And being a hotel restaurant, it can be difficult for a chef to create an identity. Hotel restaurants, after all, must provide some basics. Yet Chef Jae Moon, most recently sous chef at Lucia Restaurant + Bar, is deft at elevating humble dishes. With his touch, hanger steak develops a swagger, and chicharrones dusted with chile and lime become an irresistible treat. The chef brings this same ideal to other plates on the menu: pan seared seabass dressed in saffron couscous, for example. 3665 Rio Road, Carmel. 624-1841, carmelmissioninn.com. WOODY’S AT DEL MESA Few people are going to wander off the well-beaten path of Carmel Valley Road into a gated residential community to see if there is a restaurant around. You have to know Woody’s is there. And many people know Chef Tim Wood very well. The menu will be familiar to regulars at his airport location—familiarities prepared with good ingredients, drawing as much as possible from local producers (right down to the salt). 500 Del Mesa Drive, Carmel. 624-1854, woodysmontereyairport.com. 30 THE BEST OF MONTEREY BAY ® EAT + DRINK 2025-2026 THANK YOU FOR VOTING US THE BEST! 867 Wave St. Monterey 831-333-1200 One block above the Aquarium www.BistroMoulin.com ’24 Best French Restaurant Open for Breakfast and Lunch 8am-2:30pm • Closed Tuesday 831-324-4162 602 Lighthouse Avenue, Pacific Grove winstons_1-3s_ED24_dg.indd 1 4/3/24 4:03 PM
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