Award-winning

Yafa

4.5

522 Reviews

$30 and under

Mediterranean

About this restaurant

Charming
Good for groups
Great for happy hour

Yafa Restaurant is a casual corner cafe serving delicious Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes in a warm and homey environment.

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

Is this your restaurant?

Claim this listing

There’s more to explore

Discover countless more restaurants like this one with our app.

Scan the QR code to discover countless more restaurants like this one with our app.

Open app

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Mediterranean
Hours of Operation
Daily 17:00–22:00 Fri–Sun 11:30–14:30
Phone number
(831) 624-9232
Website
http://www.yafarestaurant.com/
Payment Options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress

Location
Junipero at 5th Avenue Street, Carmel, CA 93921
Award-winning
1. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2023
2. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2022
Area
Carmel
Parking details
Street Parking

Jerusalem Lentil Soup
- CupUS$4.95
- BowlUS$6.95
Ouzo ShrimpUS$12.95
Jumbo prawns sautéed in olive oil, lemon, garlic, bread bits and ouzo liqueur
Santorini PlateUS$13.95
Assortment of sliced ham, Mediterranean olives, feta and sun-dried tomato dip, sliced tomatoes and pita bread
Labne and PitaUS$7.95
Creamy yogurt dip topped with Zaatar and olive oil
Hummus and Pita BreadUS$7.95
Homemade garbanzo bean dip with pita bread
Jordanian Hummus
Grilled OctopusUS$13.95
Topped with special sauce of oregano, lemon, garlic and olive oil
Whole ArtichokeUS$9.95
Oven baked in olive oil, lemon and garlic
MezzaUS$19.95
Combination appetizers plate with humus, feta cheese, olives, artichoke, sun-dried tomatoes, feta dip, sliced cucumber, tomatoes and pita bread

Salads

Grilled Pear SaladUS$11.95
Organic mixed greens, feta cheese, walnuts and honey lemon vinaigrette
Yafa SaladUS$11.95
Organic arugula, roasted beets, oranges and avocado with a mustard orange vinaigrette
Watermelon SaladUS$9.95
Cubed watermelon, feta, basil and pine nuts drizzled with olive oil

Pastas

Artichoke & Fontina Cheese RavioliUS$18.95
In tomato cream sauce, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and sliced green olives
Butternut Squash RavioliUS$17.95
In a browned butter sage sauce
Lamb RavioliUS$19.95
Organic homemade ravioli with Kalamata olives and get in a sun-dried tomato/garlic sauce
Yafa Pasta
Homemade lamb and beef sausage, zucchini, garlic and tomato sauce on fresh artisan pappardelle pasta. Vegetarian option available
- RegularUS$19.95
- VegetarianUS$17.95
Seafood PastaUS$24.95
Shrimp, salmon, octopus and petrale in a tomato cream sauce over frsh pappardelle pasta

Entrées

Specialty Kebabs
Two skewers served with a sice of rice pilaf, Tabouli salad and tzatziki yogurt dip
- Aleppo Kafta (Ground Lamb & Beef)US$22.95
- ChickenUS$22.95
- ShrimpUS$24.95
- LambUS$29.95
- ShrimpUS$27.95
Teta's Eggplant DelightUS$18.95
Grandmother's recipe of eggplant, potatoes, bell peppers, tomato, garlic, basil and olive oil. Served with rice and pita
Pan Seared SalmonUS$22.95
Fresh salmon pan seared in lemon and butter, side of rice and sautéed spinach
Petrale SoleUS$20.95
Fresh local petral sautèed in butter, lemon and almonds. Served with spinach and choice of rice or potato
Mishmish ChickenUS$18.95
Classic Moroccan dish. Chicken breast with apricot sauce and almonds. Served with butternut squash and a choice of rice or potato
Gorgonzola Filet MignonUS$24.95
Charbroiled and topped with a brandy and gorgonzola cream reduction. Served with roasted potatoes
Costeleta ~ Rack of LambUS$29.95
Premium New Zealand cutlets accompanied with mashed potatoes and spinach

What 522 people are saying

Yafa reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

4.5

4.5 based on recent ratings

4.8Food
4.2Service
4.2Ambience
4.1Value

Noise • Quiet

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Yafa offers a cozy atmosphere and exceptional Mediterranean cuisine. Guests rave about their "delicious food" and "amazing service." Highlights include the octopus, hummus, and Mishmish chicken. While some mention occasional service delays, the attentive staff and warm hospitality, especially from owners Dia and Rita, create a memorable dining experience.

522 Reviews

C
Cindy
Denver1 review
5.0
Dined on 14 December 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
This was a great ‘find’ for us…great service and accommodation of several special requests and the food was awesome! Will definitely plan another meal here
Is this helpful?
I
Ishita
San Francisco1 review
2.0
Dined on 8 December 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 4
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 3
The food was decent but the service was extremely poor. We did not even receive water when we got seated for a while. Then we requested water and was only given a bottle of Evian that was $9. Other tables received glasses of regular tap water as they got seated. I’m not sure why we received such horrible service and treatment. The waiter was very curt and stern with us. Would not recommend.
Is this helpful?
S
Sirosh
Houston5 reviews
4.0
Dined on 5 December 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
Enjoyed my dinner at Yafa. A charming Carmel establishment with great food and excellent service. Loved the grilled octopus and the Kebabs.
Is this helpful?
J
Jobst
Los Angeles30 reviews
4.0
Dined on 30 November 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
Food was great. Server was very nice, but it took 2.5 hours to eat dinner. Very, very slow service. Seems to be a theme in other reviews, but obviously isn’t a concern for them.
Is this helpful?
D
Dan VIP
San Francisco3 reviews
3.0
Dined on 17 November 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 3
Good food but took forever to get our dishes. they obviously lost our order which happens sometimes but they didn’t acknowledge and didn’t even apologize.
Is this helpful?
J
Jeff
San Francisco1 review
5.0
Dined on 3 November 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Fantastic experience from the food to the service!
Is this helpful?
S
Steve
San Francisco8 reviews
4.0
Dined on 25 October 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Rack of lam was excellent , wine was very good, very nice decor inside
Is this helpful?
J
Jeffrey
Orlando1 review
5.0
Dined on 14 October 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
They have enough vegan options for me and ample options for non-vegans. It was a great meal after a long day of travel. The wine list was smaller but very good! Will definitely go back.
1 person found this helpful
L
Lisa
San Diego4 reviews
5.0
Dined on 14 October 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We loved our dinner! We 4 each ordered a different entree, and all were delicious. The service was perfect and the ambience friendly and lovely. The owner gave us personal attention, too!
Is this helpful?
m
m
San Francisco22 reviews
3.0
Dined on 13 October 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
The restaurant seemed to be experiencing a staffing issue. The staff seemed to be rushing around, but the food took a long time to arrive. When it did get there, it was quite good. It wasn’t amazing Michelin star level, but it was good and we enjoyed ourselves. It just took a while.
Is this helpful?

FAQs

Yafa is rated 4.5 stars by 522 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

Is this your restaurant?

Claim this listing

Junipero at 5th Avenue Street, Carmel, CA 93921

Additional information

Award-winning
1. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2023
2. MICHELIN Bib Gourmand 2022
Area
Carmel
Hours of Operation
Daily 17:00–22:00 Fri–Sun 11:30–14:30
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Mediterranean
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Street Parking
Payment Options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa

Website
http://www.yafarestaurant.com/
Phone number
(831) 624-9232

Yafa

About this restaurant

Not available on OpenTable

There’s more to explore

Additional information

Appetizers

Jerusalem Lentil Soup

Ouzo ShrimpUS$12.95

Santorini PlateUS$13.95

Labne and PitaUS$7.95

Hummus and Pita BreadUS$7.95

Jordanian Hummus

Grilled OctopusUS$13.95

Whole ArtichokeUS$9.95

MezzaUS$19.95

Salads

Grilled Pear SaladUS$11.95

Yafa SaladUS$11.95

Watermelon SaladUS$9.95

Pastas

Artichoke & Fontina Cheese RavioliUS$18.95

Butternut Squash RavioliUS$17.95

Lamb RavioliUS$19.95

Yafa Pasta

Seafood PastaUS$24.95

Entrées

Specialty Kebabs

Teta's Eggplant DelightUS$18.95

Pan Seared SalmonUS$22.95

Petrale SoleUS$20.95

Mishmish ChickenUS$18.95

Gorgonzola Filet MignonUS$24.95

Costeleta ~ Rack of LambUS$29.95

Overall ratings and reviews

Review summary

FAQs

How is Yafa restaurant rated?

Is Yafa currently accepting bookings?

Not available on OpenTable

Additional information