Tommy’s Wok
Mission between Ocean and Seventh, Carmel (831) 624-8518, tommyswokcarmel.com
A longtime locals’ favorite for a reason, Tommy’s Wok ignores the ’80s standby General Tso’s chicken and features dishes like hot and spicy eggplant, tomato beef chow mein and Cantonese roasted duck. The soups are particularly mouthwatering, like chicken corn chowder, sizzling rice soup and Tommy’s seaweed soup. Classics like Mongolian lamb, orange chicken and sweet and sour pork can of course be found, too. This place goes big on flavor and short on pretense – exactly as it should be.