Cultura Comida Y Bebida - Carmel

Absolutely INCREDIBLE! Lovely staff and great vegan options. Also, make sure to order chips and salsa- you won’t regret it!!

Cultura in Carmel is a Oaxacan restaurant that serves Chapulines toasted and seasoned GRASSHOPPERS) This is the main reason we went to try something different and out of our comfort zone!.Took me about 10 minutes to stop freaking out about it but once I tasted them....honestly they were pretty good! It has a citrus taste to it and I thought they were pretty tasty. So if you're feeling brave TRY THEM OUT! The menu is heavy on vegetarian plates but everything sounded and looked delicious. They do serve more than vegetarian dishes. The restaurant is very nice, spacious, they also have outdoor seating. Staff was very friendly and attentive. We had the Queso Fundido as our appetizer, a Monterey Jack cheese almost like fondue with poblano and red peppers and shallots. It was served with chips and corn tortilla. It was very delicious and filling! For our main meal I had three tacos and you get to choose what kind you want. I picked the mushroom taco, plantain taco and the barbacoa! It was accompanied with cilantro rice and Oaxacan black beans. All three were delicious BUT THE BARBACOA TACO WAS AWESOME!!! It reminded me of the barbacoa we use to eat in Texas! SERIOUSLY DELICIOUS AND LITERALLY MELTS IN YOUR MOUTH! Must try!!! My husband had the mushroom Mole which was just as delicious. The mole has a little kick to it so if you like your dishes a little spicy...you'll like this one. The veggies were pickled and yummy! They serve a lot so come hungry! At the end of our meal they gave us a small little cup of Oaxacan Hot chocolate which was very, very yummy. We ordered the churro chocolate fondue for dessert. So....this wasn't very tasty to me. The churro was thick, fat and tasted doughy. This was the only thing I didn't like. But everything else was very delicious and I'm glad we tried them out! Be brave and try the GRASSHOPPERS! ENJOY!

Came here on a Taco Tuesday after reading great reviews. It was very good food but maybe our expectations were a little too high. There are so many good taco places in CA that we were not super impressed. The decor was cute though and the staff was very attentive and accommodating

Incredible selection of mezcal (ask for the six-page addition to the menu) if you 're and enthusiast! The three-part tasting was perfect with orange slices, chili powder, and dried crickets for a truly authentic experience. The food was wonderful, with both vegan and non-vegan options. Ordered off the starter menu, and three items was plenty for two of us: the decadent cheese fondito, zucchini in creamy cauliflower sauces, and oat milk flan. The bartender/server even gave us half-price for one of the more expensive mezcal tastings since he forgot to mention it was a premium priced option. Thanks, Dave!

Loved this Mexican restaurant in Carmel. Everything we ordered tasted great except the churros! We sent them back twice but each time they did not taste right. They were way too heavy and did not have that crispy texture on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside that is common for great tasting churros. I would definitely return to this restaurant as the service was great and the food tasty.