La Balena
Junipero between Fifth and Sixth, Carmel (831) 250-6295, labalenacarmel.com
When a restaurant is a favorite spot for other chefs to eat – as is the case for La Balena – it’s a sure sign it’s top-notch. With strictly sourced ingredients and a menu that changes daily, La Balena is Italian food in all its authentic, heavenly glory, and is the best way for locals to get a taste of the old country without getting on an airplane. It’s the type of restaurant where diners can feel safe ordering anything, because everything is divine.