Valley Kitchen — Restaurant in Monterey

My husband and I took a beautiful Sunday drive from Monterey to a longtime favorite destination over the past 30 years, the Carmel Valley Ranch Resort. We dined at their Valley Kitchen off at this great hotel set in a gorgeous setting, overlooking the swimming pool and patio. We both wanted to have an egg dish at lunch today at 2:30 pm as we were a bit late for their Breakfast hours. The Lunch menu had many tempting choices and the item we both selected was the Valley Kitchen’s Swing Omelet. This amazingly delicious and very unique omelet features Sauteed Shrimp, Smoked Bacon, Monterey Jack Cheese, Spinach, Mushroom, Avocado Aioli, Pico de Gallo plus a choice of toast and a choice of salad, fruit or country potatoes. Service was attentive and we were very well cared for by our server, Alex, who has worked there for several years. It was my husband’s birthday recently, so after lunch, we stopped off at their ice cream sundae bar served in their Gift Store which was fun and creative. We sat outside on their front patio and enjoyed the ice cream adorned with a number of colorful sweet toppings, from chocolate to caramel sauce, Oreo cookies, mini-m and m’s and more. We noted that the Valley Kitchen also has a great menu for Breakfast with lots of unique and traditional favorites. For both Lunch and Dinner, the Valley Kitchen also has a terrific menu, and we plan to come back and try some of their sandwiches on their Lunch menu which includes Hot Pastrami, Grilled Chicken, CVR Burger, Smash burger, and a Rancho Caprese Sandwich. They also have three types of Tacos and many interesting Salads too plus a Hummus and Harvest plate we’d love to try. The dinner menu looks great and includes light fare such as Seared Cabbage, Swank ranch salad, Burrata and Stone Fruit, Scallops, Beet Salad, Scallops and more. For main entrees they have Sweet Corn, Crab and Shrimp risotto, Lobster Paccheri Pasta, Salmon, Alaskan Halibut, 14-ounce Niman Ranch ribeye, Citrus Half Chicken, Duck Garganelli Pasta, Bourbon and Rum Braised Short Ribs and a 16-ounce Bone-In Pork Chop. Can’t wait to come back soon and try some of these items from their talented chefs. We have stayed at the hotel in the past and it truly is a wonderful family-friendly luxurious well-run sanctuary in the middle of Carmel Valley, with lots of places to relax and overlook their vineyard, golf course, majestic oak trees with lacy lichen, and the great mountains of the nearby Ventana Wilderness. The resort summarizes, “From tasty s’mores to tasteful suites, playful activities to artisan treats, Carmel Valley Ranch is a 500-acre oasis focused on fun.” ...

While the hotel was nice and restaurant in itself doesn't have any issues, the host who works at the restaurant is absolutely rude and unpleasant of an individual. I arrived at the restaurant around 5:00 PM for a 5:30 PM reservation, hoping to be seated a bit earlier as my baby was hungry. At check-in, I politely explained the situation to the receptionist, who curtly replied that the restaurant was busy and could not seat us before 5:30 PM. While I understand policies and seating procedures, what was troubling was her dismissive and condescending attitude. She avoided eye contact, spoke in an unwelcoming tone, and bluntly stated that there were “5 PM seatings not even seated yet” and that she “would not accommodate.” She also pointed to another group behind me and said I needed to wait, even though no one else was in line at the time.

I waited another 15 minutes and noticed that the restaurant and waiting area remained mostly empty. When I politely asked again, she became defensive and argumentative. I explained that I wasn’t demanding special treatment but was simply hoping for some understanding since my baby was getting fussy. Her response—“that’s none of my problem”—was shockingly unprofessional and unempathetic.

By the third interaction, when I tried to calmly express that her attitude was unnecessarily rude, she accused me of yelling, which was completely false in front of other guests as a way of defending her behavior. At that point, I requested to speak with a manager, but the damage had already been done. The entire exchange was unnecessarily hostile and completely inconsistent with the standards I would expect from any restaurant. Making false accusations in front of other guests has clearly crossed the line.

I want to emphasize that this was not about being seated a few minutes earlier—it was about being treated with basic respect and courtesy. The receptionist’s dismissive behavior and lack of empathy were unacceptable and made what should have been a pleasant family dinner an upsetting experience.

This restaurant is worth skipping entirely. If I were to visit this hotel again, I will dine out in the Carmel...

This was our second visit to Valley Kitchen at Carmel Valley Ranch, and unfortunately, the experience this time—especially with family—was incredibly disappointing.

Despite noting in our reservation that we would have our dog with us (at a pet-friendly resort, no less), we were made to wait an unreasonably long time to be seated for dinner. The staff seemed disorganized and unprepared. Once seated, our server felt inattentive and unwelcoming. He didn’t even offer the dog-friendly menu that the restaurant advertises.

The food itself was subpar. The octopus appetizer was alarmingly undercooked, with an overwhelmingly fishy and rubbery texture that suggested improper storage or preparation. Cocktails tasted artificial—like they were sweetened with Splenda instead of real ingredients.

We returned the next morning for breakfast hoping for a better experience, but were again disappointed. Even after clearly informing the staff that we were on a tight schedule due to check-out, we waited over 45 minutes for our food with no check-ins from our server—not even once. For a resort of this caliber, the lack of hospitality and attentiveness was frankly shocking.

We’ve dined at comparable luxury properties like Ventana, Post Ranch Inn, and CordeValle, and the service at Valley Kitchen doesn’t come close. Carmel Valley Ranch is a beautiful resort, but the restaurant sadly undermines the entire experience. We expected so much more. I do not recommend spending any money here if you care about good service and a...