A Local's Guide to Carmel-by-the-Sea: The Perfect Summer Day of Shopping, Dining & Exploring

If you're wondering how to spend the perfect summer day in Carmel-by-the-Sea, you've come to the right place. While visitors often come for the stunning beaches and storybook charm, the real magic of Carmel is found in its locally owned boutiques, neighborhood cafés, exceptional restaurants, and hidden gems tucked along its picturesque streets.

As the owner of Carmel Valley Coffee Roasting Co., I've had the opportunity to get to know this incredible community and the small business owners, many of them women, that make it so special. In this guide, I'm sharing my favorite places to shop, dine, and explore so you can experience Carmel-by-the-Sea like a local. Whether you're visiting for a weekend getaway or planning a day trip along California's Central Coast, these are the spots I recommend all summer long.

From your first cup of coffee to an unforgettable sunset by the ocean, here's how to make the most of one perfect day in Carmel-by-the-Sea. One square mile. No streetlights. More charm per block than should be legal. Let's go.

Start Where All Good Days Start: With Us

FOGLIFTER® COFFEE AND BREAKFAST BURRITO FROM CARMEL VALLEY COFFEE ROASTING CO.

We're biased, but we're also right. Begin your morning at our Carmel Valley Coffee Roasting Company shop on Ocean Avenue, the beating, caffeinated heart of the village. Order your favorite coffee (a pour of Foglifter® if the marine layer is doing its thing, which it will be) and do not, under any circumstances, skip the breakfast burrito. Warm, hearty, and engineered to fuel a full day of walking hills, browsing galleries, and pretending you're not going to buy that thing you're definitely going to buy.

Coffee in one hand, burrito in the other, you're properly equipped. Now, down the rabbit hole of secret passageways and courtyards this town does better than anywhere on earth.

Shop Like You Live Here

PALOOSH, WOMEN'S APPAREL ON OCEAN AVE.

Paloosh (Ocean Avenue & Dolores) and its sister store Girl Boy Girl (Mission & 7th) have been dressing Carmel's most stylish since 1991, when owner Sweet Pea (yes, that's her name, and yes, she's earned her title as the fashion maven of Carmel) opened Girl Boy Girl, adding Paloosh in 1999. Three decades in, her eye hasn't missed once: contemporary fashion, unique jewelry, and the kind of curation that blends modern style with this town's charming eccentricity. If you walk out of Paloosh empty-handed, check your pulse.

CRIS CARMEL, LUXURY CONSIGNMENT

Then there's CRIS CARMEL (3 Dolores St between 5th & 6th), Carmel's temple of luxury consignment. Founder Cris Rosenbaum spent nearly four decades building her legendary San Francisco consignment shop before bringing the concept down the coast, and that pedigree shows in every rack. Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, and a rotating cast of designers, all pre-loved and beautifully curated. For serious shoppers, make an appointment for one-on-one attention.

JAN DE LUZ, LINENS AND UNIQUE GIFTS FOR YOUR HOME

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For the home, make your way to Jan de Luz (Dolores St btwn 5th & 6th). The backstory is as good as the towels: Jan, born in French Basque country, discovered an ancient Basque handloom in his twenties, taught himself the lost art of Basque weaving, and built a chain of linen stores across France. Then he fell for Carmel on a 1979 sales trip (his first American customer was Casanova, right here in the village) and moved the whole family over in 1996.

Jan's wife and business partner, the lovely Brigitte Leplus, is the Grande Dame of the establishment carrying the rich tradition of quality and service with every patron. 

I've been shopping at Jan de Luz for 30 years and have Brigitte on speed dial. I only use the flax washed linen dish towels in my home and my signature wedding gift is a box of 8 French linen luxury napkins with monogrammed initials. If you love beautiful things, this is your place.

The Little Courtyard That Could

Find your way to the Carmel Square Courtyard on San Carlos between Ocean & 7th and you'll discover two of our favorite neighbors sharing one impossibly charming pocket of the village.

GALLERY EXPOSED, LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHIC ART

Gallery Exposed, co-owned by local photographers Evynn LeValley and Rachael Short, shows contemporary photography from established and emerging artists working in traditional photographic mediums. Two working artists running their own gallery means the eye behind the walls is the real deal. 

You can find Rachael Short and Viktor Klinger's photography at this charming gallery and we are fortunate to have their art on the walls of our Ocean Ave coffeehouse.

SEA SHACK CANDY CO.

A few steps away, Sea Shack Candy Co. is doing the Lord's work in Swedish-style pick-and-mix. The name comes from the tiny Carmel cottage its founder, Tiffany Bufkin, dubbed "The Sea Shack" when she moved here in 2001, a nickname that followed her family from home to home. Now with kids in college, she half-jokingly told her husband she was opening a Swedish candy store. Lucky for all of us, he called her bluff. 

Premium European gummies, chocolates, and build-your-own bags of pure joy. You will tell yourself the bag is for the kids. The bag is not for the kids. I ship this adorable candy to my daughter in Boston. A bag for her and a bag for me!

Now You've Earned Lunch

A.W. SHUCKS, A BLOODY MARY AND OYSTERS

Time for A.W. Shucks, the village's beloved cocktail and oyster bar on Ocean Ave. I've been ducking into this gem with my husband and business partner for over 30 years. This spot has real history: the space originally opened as Whitney's Bar back in 1933, became A.W. Shucks in 1992, and has been lovingly run by owners Randy and Karen Basi since 2023.

The move: share a dozen oysters, an ice-cold beer, and a Bloody Mary that qualifies as both beverage and appetizer. Grab a seat, settle in, and watch the village stroll by. This is bustling little joint with a well-stocked bar, perfect for a pit stop or a full meal.

Here's a hometown collaboration we're proud of: head to Alvarado Street Brewing Company in Carmel Plaza (Mission St & 7th) and order the bourbon barrel-aged martini, made with (you guessed it) Carmel Valley Coffee Roasting Company's secret recipe bourbon barrel aged coffee.

Founded by the Hill family in 2014 with brewmaster J.C. Hill at the kettles, Alvarado Street grew from its original Monterey brewhouse into one of the most decorated craft breweries in California, and their Carmel Plaza bistro brings that same obsessiveness to the cocktail list. Our beans, their bar program, your afternoon suddenly looking a lot more interesting. It's the perfect bridge between "still shopping" and "definitely on vacation."

This is our go to spot for a team lunch or birthday celebration. The outdoor patio is expansive and there are plenty of outdoor heaters when the cool afternoon fog rolls in. We love the papas bravas, seasonal hummus, enormous Mediterranean salad, and the juicy burger!

For Apertivo & Dinner, You Have Decisions

GRASINGS RESTAURANT, A WINE LIST LIKE WAR & PEACE FOR OENOPHILE

GRASINGS, BUBBLES AND FRIED CALAMARI 

Grasing's (Mission St. & 6th) is the spot for champagne and calamari and a leisurely tour through what might be the biggest, fattest wine list in the village. A cellar so serious it earned Wine Spectator's Grand Award, the highest honor in the wine world. Chef Kurt Grasing cooked his way through Michelin-starred Le Gavroche in London and the Four Seasons before opening his namesake here in 1998, and the place has been a Carmel institution ever since.

The staff is renowned for treating you like family and for that reason, we frequent this restaurant.  Its also open between the lunch and dinner service, which means we can drop in at 3pm for a late lunch. The goat cheese appetizer is divine and the crab cakes are packed with sweet crab (the best in town). Come thirsty, come curious.

VESUVIO'S ROOFTOP BAR

Spicy Diavola pizza and a Fortaleza blanco on the rocks 

Vesuvio (the corner Junipero & 6th) is where you climb to the roof deck, order the spicy Diavola pizza and a cocktail, and watch the evening settle over the rooftops. This is the Pepe family story in restaurant form: emigrated from Napoli, stopped in Hoboken, settled in Carmel, where Rich Pepe ("baker by trade, chef by passion") has been feeding the village since the seventies. Wood-fired pizza, house-infused cocktails from the rooftop Star Bar, open sky, ocean air. There are worse ways to live.

We love everything about this place, the lively happy hour, wood burning oven fired Neapolitan pizza, homemade pastas and bread, and delicious coffee. 

NICOLAS COCINA DE HERENCIA, QUESO FUNDIDO AND A MEZCAL MARGARITA

Nicolás Cocina de Herencia (Ocean & Mission) brings three generations of Michoacán family recipes to the village, courtesy of the Alvarez family, the same folks behind the beloved Villa Azteca in Salinas, who named the restaurant in honor of their patriarch. Start with the queso fundido and a proper margarita and let the evening take its course. Heritage cooking, serious hospitality, and margaritas that mean business.

The brothers triumphant. Chef Andres (left) holds down the dynamic kitchen while his brother Marco magically handles the warmth of the front of house.

The Sunset Move: Mission Ranch

Non-negotiable. As golden hour approaches, make your way to Mission Ranch, a former 1850s dairy farm that Clint Eastwood personally rescued from the condo developers in 1986 and restored into the most romantic property in town.

Grab a drink on the patio, listen to the piano bar warm up, and watch the sheep graze in the meadow as the sun drops behind Point Lobos, what locals affectionately call putting the sheep to bed. There is one black sheep that will melt your heart. 

If you're lucky, you'll be welcomed by the one and only Lotte Stokkebye, restaurant manager and hostess with the mostess, who runs the place with the kind of warmth you can't teach. I recommend the wedge salad and their slow roasted prime rib with classic twice baked potatoes for dinner, its a staple on the menu. 

It's the single best sunset ritual in Carmel, and we will not be taking questions. 

Just Before they put the sheep to sleep under a brightly lit moon.

Lotte Stokkebye: part of the heart and soul of Mission Ranch.

The Nightcap: Bud's at La Playa

The Bud's Burger served with crispy french fries on a pretzel bun, at home with it's best friend: an ice cold martini.

End the night at Bud's, the jewel-box bar at La Playa Carmel, the grand 1905 "castle by the sea" that's hosted Carmel's bohemians for over a century. The bar is named for local legend and former owner Howard "Bud" Allen, and the newly restored room, lined with historic memorabilia, is a fitting tribute to the man and his era. The order is simple and time-tested: a burger and an ice-cold martini. Old Carmel elegance, perfect execution, and a martini cold enough to make you rethink every martini that came before it.

Late night pool at Bud's at La Playa.

The Fine Print

That's the day. Coffee to candy to oysters to martinis, with sheep at sunset in between. Wear comfortable shoes, bring a layer (the fog is not a rumor), and leave room in your suitcase. CRIS and Paloosh will see to that.

And when you get home and find yourself missing that first cup on Ocean Avenue? That's what The Coffee Collective is for. Fresh-roasted organic coffee at your doorstep, so every morning tastes a little like Carmel.

Brew boldly,

Janet & The Team at Carmel Valley Coffee Roasting Company

P.S. All three of our coffeehouses (Ocean Avenue, The Barnyard, and The Crossroads) are open daily and fully stocked with breakfast burritos. Just saying.

It's easy for the most discerning palates to stay properly hydrated at Grasings.