Their style of salsa and “chips” was a welcome surprise. We had the California Tower, Rare Pepper Ahi, and the Yin Yan Salmon and LOVED all three. The most delicious dinner in Carmel and well worth the price! Can’t wait to come back
We would probably have never go here without the TripAdisor's recommendation. Down the stairs, Japanese-style interior, ... but already the smell of great food was convincing when we entered. And then the meal itself was outstanding. We rarely had a better tempura dish - including in Japan - and the main course fishes were extremely well prepared and very, very tasteful. A must-go in Carmel.
We came for a special birthday Sat. Evening meal and our outstanding food was ruined by a 3 year old out of control ‘ dining with her parents at 7pm in the very next booth. This Japanese style restaurant is physically tight to begin with. When you add a 3 year old having a temper tantrum in the next booth and screaming and banging her feet it’s a recipe for disaster. The staff or manager never intervened to request the parents take the child outside for some fresh air or for a time out. The parents seemed oblivious and unconcerned about the havoc their disruptive child screaming at the table created for others. Consequently our special occasion meal and birthday celebration dinner was stressful and not enjoyable. Our event was hijacked by a 3 year old! We could not change tables as the restaurant was full. We did mention this to the manager who said the staff were aware of the disruption but “hoped the parents would take the child outside”, The staff chose not to intervene when the parents did nothing and seemed to care less about other diners. I would not return to Flying Fish. Susan N.
What a great experience. Wonderful staff, loved the atmosphere, food was everything we hoped for and much more. Hardest thing was deciding what to order. We had 4 people in our party everyone ordered something different and all of the dishes were amazing. Banana split desert was ridiculous, should have ordered a second one after the first, only regret. Won’t forget this place. Thank you for such a good time.
Managed to get a table last minute - thank goodness we did! The best service from start to finish and the BEST fish we have ever eaten. Go here if you are staying nearby or travelling through - well worth it.
Loved this restaurant. Small and cozy, very fun vibe that makes you feel like you’re somewhere else. The food was very good. The Asian fusion dishes are very well executed. The California Tower and the Black Bean Halibut were outstanding. Will definitely recommend this place to anyone who wants good fish dishes in the area.
Great service! Great food! They were able to very successfully accommodate my wife's food allergies and on top of that the food was great. Looking forward to returning!
We really enjoyed our dinner here! The ambiance is very much in the style of a traditional Japanese restaurant, which we enjoyed. The service was excellent, friendly, and professional. We got the California tower as an appetizer, which was delicious, and we also enjoyed their variation of chips and salsa (fried won-ton wrappers with ginger salsa). I got the tempura prawns - the prawns were incredibly tender and flavorful. My husband got the Monterey Abalone, quite a rare find, and it was amazing. We would absolutely recommend this place.
What a great way to start our weekend in Carmel. I will start with the service, it was friendly and personable. Our server made great recommendations and promptly saw to our needs. We really enjoyed the atmosphere, the tables are in small sections so it like private dining and super cozy.Everything we ate was well made, fresh and delicious. It is hard to pick out the highlights: the black bean halibut was the best halibut I have ever had. It was perfectly cooked, moist and tender. The mushrooms served with it were a great addition. The ahi was once again perfectly cooked (surprisingly hard to find), our only complaint was the dish was a little sweet even with the delicious pickled cabbage.To end the night we got the tempura banana sundae and it was a great ending. Our waiter surprised us with a sample of the green tea ice cream and hot fudge and it was a great pairing. I would highly recommend coming here if in the area.
My husband and I returned to Flying Fish Grill on our first trip to Carmel since March 2020! We love the private wooden booths and the extensive menu. Unfortunately the restaurant was not able to offer Alaskan Black Cod - simply not able to obtain it. No worries! We shared a fantastic Californi tower appetizer as a starter - crab an avocado and very fresh and so yummy. I ordered the black bean halibut - cooked in parchment with bok choy, ginger and mushrooms and fermented bean sauce - this was a fantastic dish and the matchstick veggies were also yummy. My husband enjoyed the grilled salmon with ginger soy glaze. The staff seemed a bit stressed when we arrived, but our waitress and the manager checked on us. The restaurant offers clay pots and our neighbors ordered this - we will definitely go back to try this as it looked fantastic! This is a great place!