Toast

The new place is called trailside. The food was ok but the service was horrid. 5 minutes for a simple greeting and 40 minutes to get our food. Figure out what you are doing wrong and fix it fast new owners, people won’t put up with this.

Excellent! We had brunch and enjoyed the tri tip sandwich and burger with fries and a delicious side salad. Great beers on tap and the service was wonderful! We will be back, this is a must try!
Love the outdoor seating and friendly staff

Terrible. The corn beef hash was literally foul and inedible. Bad coffee. Poor service, rushed, the guy was brash. Asked to take our order 30 seconds after we sat down. Sorry won’t be coming back…

Went for brunch this last Saturday with the bf. Bf got the chicken fried steak, which was really good, although the potatoes were pretty lackluster (and I’m not wild about sausage gravy). I got the hamburger, which was a pretty good, if standard hamburger. I did order it well-​done and it came out of the kitchen pink all the way through, which is why I removed a star. Shoestring fries were fantastic.

No wait –coupled with a gorgeous view of the Carmel’s expansive landscape from Toast’s charming front outdoor patio made Toast an easy dining choice.
Right away — a warm man — who I suspect was the owner — greeted us kindly, informed us about the menu, and he even offered us up restaurant alternatives in the area.
Once we heard about their freshly caught halibut and their dedication to trying to source as much local and sustainable food in their seasonal menu — I was all about Toast.
The owner helped us set up a shaded table outside and continued to check in on us throughout our pleasant evening meal here. From the cascading sun — to my extremely fresh halibut — paired perfectly with fingerling potatoes — to my dining partner’s beautiful piece of juicy steak — Toast was sublime.
If you want attentive service, as well as flavorful and artfully designed meals — come here.
Trust.

We always love our experience at Toast! We come for the great view, great food and friendly service!
Everything that we have tried there has been delicious and the prices are reasonable. We highly recommend that you try their Lavender ice-​cream, it was a wonderful experience :).

I’ve been hesitant to write a review of this place.
I lack the superlatives to describe this place.
So please indulge me and let me review in a series of haiku
eggs benedict float
fluffy hashbrowns soak golden
sauce perfect muffin
trees mountains early
morning fog outside we sit
a side of smiles
grease the enemy
enemy defeated so
i will have some more
cup of orange beauty
down it goes fresh coffee ah!
lets stay one more day

Toast was a great find in Carmel Valley and a nice stop for a casual meal. We read about the restaurant via other Unilocal review, and even though most of the reviews were for brunch, we gave it a try for an early dinner. The restaurant is located behind a gas station, which can be a bit off-​putting, but other than that, it was a great experience with very friendly service. PS — the restaurant is open on Wednesday, even though it’s not updated on Unilocal.
The both of us have been blown away by the incredible produce and vegetables found here along the Monterey Bay and coastline. Everything we’ve tried during our trip has been fantastic, and Toast did not disappoint. We had the beef carpaccio and caprese salad to start with, and were really impressed by how fresh everything was and how much it made a difference to our meal. The heirloom tomatoes in our caprese salad were amazing.
For entrée dishes, we ordered the salmon and rigatoni bolognese, with a side of sauteed vegetables (broccolini, squash, zucchini and tomatoes) with garlic. Again, the vegetables were outstanding — incredibly flavorful, simple and full of crunch and flavor. The salmon was prepared very well, and delivered with sides of fingerling potatoes and sauteed asparagus. It was one of the highlights of our meal.
Overall, we thought Toast was a great find and are happy we made the drive out to Carmel Valley for dinner. Would definitely come back again!

We stopped at Toast for dinner last night on our way through Carmel Valley Village. We arrived at 5 PM just as the restaurant was opening and we were immediately greeted by very friendly staff welcoming us. Service was great and friendly. Our server paid special attention to my Granddaughter making sure she was ok which I appreciated. My husband had the burger and fries which he loved. My Granddaughter had the field greens salad with citrus dressing and I had the Ziti Bolognes (hope I spelled that right?) My only slight concern was we ordered the hummus appetizer because my Granddaughter loves hummus. When it arrived it was a lovely plate with obviously house made hummus, however, it was spicy, which was not indicated on the menu or explained by our server. So that was a kind of turn off especially for the child at out table.
My pasta was wonderful. The ziti was cooked al dente and the sauce was delicious.
Even though it was over 100 degrees in the Valley we enjoyed our meal and would go back again.

Although Toast is recommended by most for breakfast or brunch, they are open until 9 pm. Perfect for a late lunch or early evening meal. An affordable find near the Carmel Valley tasting rooms… and much needed after you’ve had a fair share of vino ;)
Dropped in around 5:30 or so, after most of the tasting rooms were shutting down for the day, just looking for a snack. Sat at the counter and shared a few small plates and I enjoyed a very generous pour of Santa Barbara Syrah. As for the cheese plate, I could eat Humboldt Fog all day. That and the beef carpaccio made this girl very content. Rich meat, cheese and red wine? What’s not to like?
Very personable service and there were a few regulars mixed in with the tourists. We felt like locals hanging out at the bar and having some casual conversation with the «bartender» who just happened to be the owner as well. I’ve discovered that most Carmel Valley residents are warm, accommodating and happy to strike up a conversation if you’re in the mood.
Road trips down to Carmel seem to be happening fairly often these days, so perhaps we’ll make Toast our first stop of the day next time!

We spent our anniversary short trip in Carmel Valley and ate breakfast here twice. If I get really analytical, it wasn’t perfect, but I left feeling like it would be my go to place if I lived here. Here’s what I loved about it: The eggs seemed unusually fresh! The service was prompt. The waitress was wonderfully warm and friendly. The coffee was good. They got my order of the special wrong on the second day — smoked salmon eggs benedict, which I selected because of the salmon, and they left it off. They brought it back with luscious salmon added and the hollandaise was exquisite– not an easy thing to pull off. I had a hard time going with something so rich for breakfast, but when I hesitated the great server told me I could get a half order, and that settled it for me. Lucky I don’t live nearby or I’d be really tubby.

Toast has been a great addition to the Carmel Valley Village scene since its opening a couple of years ago. I generally go for breakfast, which is served until 2:30 (a good thing given the glacial pace at which my family leaves the house).
The staff is always super friendly, and happy to accomodate special orders. They’ve really figured out the right balance between attentiveness and letting you enjoy your meal, and I don’t think I’ve ever had to ask for anything twice.
Everything is fresh, homemade, and very good. The potatoes are sliced thin and perfectly crispy. The biscuit is totally worth it, especially with homemade jam. They frequently have a smoked salmon omelet special, which I strongly recommend.
Wishing Toast many years of success in Carmel Valley!

Belgian waffles with fresh strawberries, cream, and nutella fondue.
Enough said.
I’ve only been once, but I had good company and good food.

Holy hollandaise sauce — this place rocked my socks. The food was delicious, the service was warm, friendly and quick and any benedict you order will make you wish you weighed 300 pounds so you could eat it everyday.
We went there two mornings in a row, so we only had the breakfast. The OJ was fresh squeezed, the potatoes were delicious, and the pancakes were fluffy and yummy. Can’t speak for lunch or dinner, but the breakfast killed it. And by killed it I mean it brought us to life. So it didn’t really kill anything at all… quite the opposite. Just eat there.

People who know about this hidden gem are among the fortunate.
Nailed the eggs benny, and served it up with a «gramosa», a mimosa made with grapefruit juice. Tasty potatoes with my brunch, and great, timely service.
Another outstanding option in the village.

The only thing saving this place from getting one star is that our meal was comped. This was the first time I walked out of a restaurant and to be honest, I have never been so mad at restaurant before.
We made a reservation using opentable after seeing all the glowing reviews on Unilocal.OK– first lesson to restaurants– if a party makes a reservation on opentable, they are probably pretty social media savvy and will write a review about you and the experience.
It started off badly when we walked in and were greeted simply by having a server point at table. No hello, no checking if we had a reservation, etc. After waiting for ten minutes while all the tables around us were getting drinks and bread, we sat and waited. Finally a server came over and took our drink order. Still no bread. That finally came after another ten minutes. By that time were ready to order. It was pretty simple– a salad to split and we each got an entrée. The salad comes– we asked for one with peanut sauce dressing and it was actually very tasty. But then the evening really got bad. Out comes my steak entrée, and the server asks if we planned to split it. Um no, we had two entrees. That’s when I knew something was wrong. My steak disappeared to the back, and we were left sitting there with no food. I quickly realized that the server had never put in the order for the second entrée. We sat for about ten minutes before I flagged down our server and asked how long it would be. Second lesson to restaurants– don’t lie to your patrons, it only makes them really upset. Our server told us it would be a few more minutes since they wanted to get the salmon entrée cooked just right. Sorry, not buying it.
So then my steak comes out again, having obviously been thrown back on the burner to keep it warm. But my wife is sitting there and still doesn’t have any entrée. So we wait. After ten minutes the chef finally brings out the salmon. I cut into my steak, which was supposed to have been cooked medium. At this point it was beyond well done, dry as a bone and completely flavorless. I was furious. After waiting a few more minutes since our server was clearly avoiding us at this point, I flagged her down and told her the meal was unacceptable, and asked if she had forgotten the second entrée. She started to make another excuse about the kitchen being backed up before finally admitting that she hadn’t put the order in correctly, and then said she would comp our meal.
After being lied to twice, and having an inedible slab of meat that might have resembled steak at one point in front of me, I had no interest in either paying for it or eating it, which I told our server. We then left, angry and hungry. Fortunately we found another restaurant to eat at.
I will never go back to toast and will never recommend it to anyone.

I’d like to propose TO Toast ;) hehe…
Will you bury me? In your fresh lemony hollandaise sauce… and drown me in your perfect mimosas? We’ll be together forever!
Here’s to another fresh, yummy breakfast washed down with a tasty mimosa just the way I love them– with literally just a drop of OJ.
Hey Locals! Won’t you please support this restaurant in the off season? It’s easy to find yourself in the village on those fantastic, hot summer days but if we want to be able to enjoy this gem in the future, we have to be loyal customers year round. Are you with me?
Until we meet again, mi amor.

Cute Carmel Valley restaurant located within a cluster of quaint cottage-​style Carmel Valley shops, wine tasting rooms and a family-​run market. The beautiful Santa Lucia Mountains are absolutely peaceful and breath-​taking and serve as your dining backdrop. Gorgeous vineyards and an abundance of fun tasting rooms, to pull over at and get your swirl and sip on, en route to Toast.
Toast offers a sun-​drenched outside patio for a nature-​filled dining experience. Extensive wine offerings from their backyard mountain ranges and many offerings from abroad. We opted to dine inside this trip because the sun was unrelenting but we would love to come back to catch a sunset in the serene valley for dinner :-)
I had the Chicken Fried Steak with eggs and scalloped potatoes and a buttery biscuit, served with a trio of jams and butter. Thick, buttery breaded chicken with a host of wonderful flavors. The gravy was warm, thick with a nice smattering of sausage.
Mimosas and coffee were perfect brunch accompaniments for one heck of a delicious meal. My boyfriend had the Brioche Burger with avocado, cheddar, bacon and lettuce and shoe-​string fries. It was perfectly cooked, juicy and mammoth. He absolutely loved every bite!
We thoroughly enjoyed our brunch in the valley and look forward to returning.

This was a great find in Carmel Valley! My friends and I got there for an early dinner on a Friday night and were told the place would fill up later. It did. We picked a table toward the back, though we were certainly not forgotten about by the waitstaff.
The waitress knew every piece of the menu, including many of the beers and specialty drinks. We shared an order of the mussels and they came with the most decadent thin fries and crème freche. Zero calories until you eat them.
For my entrée, I ordered the mushroom pasta with garlic and Humboldt fog… which the waitress explained is not what Humboldt is famous for. It’s a kind of feta cheese with more distinct flavor than typical feta. So I learned something on this culinary trip. The entire dish emitted a wonderful aroma on the nose and the palate. Some of my friends had meat dishes which they also raved about.
They don’t get 5 stars since this kind of caliber is to be expected from a relatively exclusive town where everything else is pricey, and the dinner wasn’t «knock your shoes and socks off» good. It’s definitely a good bet and offers a good value for what you get.
If you’re in the Carmel Valley for a couple days, it’s worth checking out for an early wine tasting, appetizers or a casual dinner.

Even though it was 111 degrees no joke (I took a pic of the car’s outside temperature thermometer) we wanted to drive out to the village to enjoy some brunch on this ridiculously hot day.
We were so glad we did. We enjoyed a lemonade, Arnold Palmer and a large Crab, Spinach served with Louis Dressing w/​fresh cracked Black Pepper (perfect balance overall esp. with the nice slices of cornichons in the dressing and the nice heaping of sliced avocado on topof the salad didn’t hurt either) and their special of the day, KILLER Fish & Chips but Frites more like it. Lovely homemade tartar sauce too!
The only thing that would have made our experience more enjoyable is if the weather wasn’t as hot outside and if we had some chilled white (wine) to go with it. Don’t you worry, they are expecting their wine & beer license in a week.
Great service and I adore their ambiance; rustic Carmel Valley chic with beautiful plants and just a classy but comfortable feel overall.