La Balena restaurant to close on Jan. 25 as owners move to Italy.

“The day has come for us to say ‘Arrivederci.’”

That’s how Anna and Emanuele Bartolini announced the upcoming closure of their popular Carmel restaurant, La Balena on social media. The last day of service will be Jan. 25, 2025.

“We know you will understand our decision to move to Italy to be closer to Emanuele’s family,” the couple explained.

Anna was studying art and design in Florence when she met Emanuele. He came with her to the U.S., first to New York and then to Carmel, where they opened the cozy rustic restaurant with a from-scratch Tuscan menu in November of 2012.

La Balena was an immediate hit, not only for its cooking and hospitality—Anna and Emanuele speak of regulars as their “California family”—but also for the rigorous sourcing of ingredients. It is said that Emanuele can tell you where each vegetable and every cut of meat came from, as they work closely with Swank Farms, Fogline Farm and others.

Even as the couple worked through grand opening bumps and bruises, they were sending their chefs on trips to Italy to seek unique seasonings. Such was the impact of La Balena that Weekly readers named it the Best Restaurant in Carmel in consecutive years through 2021.

In 2015, the Bartolinis opened a second Carmel restaurant, Il Grillo, with the same emphasis on from-scratch regional Italian cooking. Although popular, the spinoff restaurant did not survive the pandemic.

The restaurant will take a break for the holidays, closing for Christmas, Dec. 24-25 and New Year’s, Dec. 31-Jan. 1. But for patrons wanting farewell dinners, they will open on Sundays and Mondays starting Dec. 23 through the end of the year.

In January it will be back to the regular schedule until doors close for good.

As they wrap up 12 successful years, the couple offers a bittersweet, “Thank you from our hearts.”