Flaherty's Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar — Restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea

Don't waste your money or your time.. Extremely disappointed with our experience at Flaherty's. We had reservations at 7pm, we arrived a little early and we were seated inside. We were greeted about 10 minutes after arriving as they were pretty busy. We were asked what we'd like for drinks, my husband and I ordered a glass each of wine. So far, the wine was was pretty good. It went all down hill from that point. Our waitress came back and asked if we've decided on what we'd like. We ordered a cup each of soup.....my husband wanted the New England clam chowder and for myself, I wanted to try their Award winning Lobster Bisque. We also decided to try their Calamari appetizer. The Calamari and my husband's clam chowder came really quickly. His clam chowder soup was cold in the center, but the cup was warm. My husband told our waitress his soup was cold in the center. They took it and microwaved his soup....The Calamari was just Luke warm and soggy on the bottom from this cole slaw juice they put with the Calamari. The portion was very small as well. I never received my Lobster Bisque soup. I was really excited to try it too! I wasn't able to flag our waitress or any waiter to let them know I was patiently awaiting for my soup to come to the table. The next time we saw someone, we were being delivered our meals. I ordered the wild Crusted halibut. My husband ordered their Award-winning fish & chips. My halibut was just okay. The advertisement of the menu...claims Crusted halibut, well....scratch that. No crust at all. It was a soggy type crab paste on top of the halibut only on a small section of the halibut, not evenly on the entire piece of fish. Just strange. The brown gravy like sauce was just okay as well. The sauce tasted like Campbell's dark mushroom gravy. The roasted potatoes were burnt tasting and black to the top. The halibut had a very blan flavor. My meal was $33.00. Carmel definitely has great restaurants. This place is pricey and poor quality of food. Not great service either. Our waitress was busy, I'll give her respect for that. She just was not attentive and less than average customer service. My husband's fish & chips were just okay he claimed. The odd thing is, they served his fish & chips on a plate lined with this brown paper. (Strange!) so, while he was cutting and eating his fish he was eating some of this brown layment paper that was stuck to the fried fish. GROSS!! Who serves fish & chips on a plate lined with brown layment paper? Waste of our time and money. I normally don't give a review unless it's excellent or terrible. Maybe this will help Flaherty's step up their game....If they don't know, they can't fix things.. If you're up for a negative dining experience,...

Worst seafood I’ve ever tasted! They can’t even make a salad entree right, which mostly consisted of lettuce and the salad dressings were even worse. The Italian Seafood soup was even worse with too much tomato sauce and barely any seafood! It didn’t taste good! I love lobster bisque and their lobster bisque was terrible tasting and barely had any seafood. Either they don’t have a good chef or they are skimping on ingredients since they can’t even make a good tasting salad. I’ve tried their food three times to be fair. Very disappointing every time! They do a lot of promotions and walk around downtown Carmel to lure people inside, while other restaurants in Carmel-by-the-Sea delicious food without walking around handing out coupons like Flaherty. I think most tourists come here and never return. I really don’t think they can survive without innocent tourists who have their been to Flaherty’s.. It’s hard to believe they have repeat customers from locals; I don’t know any locals who like this restaurant. If they were not in a tourist spot, they would not survive as a restaurant. I really don’t understand the good reviews and wonder if they were paid to write positive reviews! Honestly, this is the worst restaurant I’ve ever been to because they food is awful. I went there the first time since we didn’t know better. The last two times I went there, I was persuaded to go because my friends wanted to try this place after they read the good reviews. None of my friends liked their food and said that they should have accepted my warnings. If you are used to going to the great local restaurants in downtown Carmel, then you will be disappointed with the food and service of Flaherty’s. Food was bad before the pandemic and Flaherty’s is consistently still serving awful tasting food. They need to hire a good chef but I guess they are still making money off of innocent tourists with their promotions. Third time is a charm. I guess I can only say that their food is consistently bad tasting so I don’t need to try this place beyond trying it three times. I cannot believe that they have received any awards for their lobster bisque or any food they prepare. Well, awards and reviews can be bought since this place cannot compete with any of the great restaurants in Carmel or in Monterey Bay. If you want to eat high quality, delicious seafood, you need to go to Fish House in Monterey, where they consistently serve high quality, delicious food regardless of whether you order seafood or another menu item; Fish House also has great staff and...

During a recent trip to Carmel, we stopped at Flaherty’s Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar for lunch and had a pleasant and satisfying meal. The restaurant offers a relaxed and casual atmosphere, which was a nice break from the bustling streets. Overall, the combination of good food, friendly service, and fair prices made for a decent experience, though it didn't quite have that special sparkle you often look for in a town like Carmel.

We decided to sample a variety of their offerings, starting with the New England Chowder and a Lobster Cup, accompanied by a couple of their featured beers. Both soups were tasty and served as a good start to the meal. We also shared the crab cakes appetizer, which was well-prepared. However, the undisputed star of the show was the Paella. As you can see from the photo, it arrived as a vibrant, colorful pan filled with flavorful saffron rice, peas, peppers, and a generous mix of seafood. The portion was perfect for sharing, and every bite was packed with flavor. It was easily the most memorable part of our lunch and a dish I would recommend.

The service throughout our meal was excellent. Our server was friendly, attentive, and struck the right balance of being available without hovering over us. We also noted that the entire restaurant was very clean and well-kept. From a value perspective, the prices were quite fair, especially considering the location in the heart of Carmel.

The only area where we felt a little underwhelmed was the location itself. While perfectly fine, it didn't offer any of the unique scenic views or quaint charm that makes so many other Carmel spots feel special.

In conclusion, Flaherty’s is a solid choice for a casual seafood lunch. You'll get good food, particularly the paella, friendly service, and you won't leave feeling like you've overpaid. While we weren't completely blown away, it was a perfectly enjoyable meal. It's a reliable spot, just perhaps not the first one we'd rush back to on our next visit to this beautiful...