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Nicolas Cocina de Herencia, Carmel, CA

Nicolas Cocina de Herencia

4.6
4.6
352 Reviews
$31 to $50
Mexican
ocean avenue & Mission St suite 111, Carmel, CA 93921

Make a reservation

2 people
8:00 PM
Booked 17 times today

About this restaurant

  • Great for creative cocktails
  • Good for special occasions
  • Lively
Reservations are not needed but are recommended, Walk ins are Welcome.

The newest creation from the owners of the beloved Villa Azteca in Downtown Salinas (Salinas City Center), the eatery honoring the Alvarez family patriarch will open Summer 2023 in Carmel Plaza. The 5,000-square-foot restaurant will have indoor dining, bar seating and a small outdoor space, serving specialty Michoacán dishes as well as other Mexican favorites, incorporating three generations of family recipes.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Mexican
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Daily 11:00 am–4:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–8:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Executive chef
    Andres Becerra & Susana Alvarez

What 352 people are saying

Nicolas Cocina de Herencia reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.4Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.2Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Monterey / Carmel

    Innovative

  • Monterey / Carmel

    Hot spot

  • Monterey / Carmel

    Romantic

  • Monterey / Carmel

    Lively

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Nicolas Cocina de Herencia offers a "beautiful ambiance" and "delicious food," featuring unique and daring takes on traditional Mexican cuisine. Guests rave about the "outstanding service," "authentic flavors," and "creative cocktail menu." Though some report slow service, the "wonderful atmosphere" and "exquisite dishes" make it a must-visit for an upscale dining experience.

352 Reviews
  1. Elisa

    San Francisco1 review

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Piatti davvero ben presentati e buoni ,porzioni dei piatti principali giganti,si può tranquillamente ordinare un piatto principale e dividerlo ,siamo rimasti molto soddisfatti dalla qualità del cibo e del servizio

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  2. David

    Washington DC1 review

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Lively place serving non standard Mexican fare. Stylish and spacious. Some biggish parties but it’s spacious and you aren’t going to find yourself swamped if there are only two of you. Service was good and not rushed. Take your time he said after the check came. Prices quite high (because it’s different) but some cheaper options and wine by glass reasonable for the area. Owner came and checked us out. Would definitely go again.

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  3. Randy VIP

    Nashville9 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food quality along with service were outstanding

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  4. Marc VIP

    Denver19 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    If you're looking for authentic modern Mexican cuisine in a very cool setting you will be ecstatic that you found this outstanding Carmel-by-the-Sea jewel. They even accommodated a few out of the box requests without hesitation. Bottom line: superb service and awesome menu! 😋

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  5. lynne VIP

    San Francisco205 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Pricey but worth it. Nice decor, high quality ingredients, helpful service. Good margaritas too.

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  6. Lisa

    Greater Boston3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 26, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Great spot! This will be a go to for years to come.

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  7. Cristina VIP

    Greater Boston6 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on April 25, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    I wanted to love this place. The staff were professional and attentive. But it was expensive, and the food was not good. I got the shrimp enchiladas and was only able to eat one bite. It tasted like someone spilled an entire sack of salt into the sauce. I couldn’t eat it. My husband got the fajitas, which were ok. But disappointing for the price. Cocktails were good. We thoroughly enjoyed the ambience and the corn appetizer. Great tortillas! But I wouldn’t come back. Sorry.

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  8. Kent

    Dallas36 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on April 24, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    First off, the entry is from the entryway to the courtyard. Not being from the area, we wandered a bit around the side of the building looking for the entrance. Compounding that was our Lyft driver not dropping us off near the restaurant. Drinks were creative and really good. We did get the chips and three salsa's. While a bit pricey, they were really very good. All three salsa's had great flavor. Wife had the chicken enchilada's. She said the best she's ever had which is something given how prevalent that dish is on the various Mexican restaurants we've eaten at through the years. I had the short ribs. They were oustanding. Really, really good. Service was prompt and courteous. If in the area, we would definitely go back.

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  9. Wendy

    Dallas1 review

    1.0

    Dined on April 23, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 2
    Overall the food was amazing. If you want to be ignored most of the night come here. Carlos was our server, really the only server, and the service was HORRIBLE. Carlos ignored us most of the night in favor of his most profitable table next to us. It took almost 10 minutes for him to acknowledge us. Overall the food was great but the poor service was not worth it. Do not dine here.

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  10. Janet

    Unspecified1 review

    5.0

    Dined on April 21, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The ambience was super lovely. The staff were super friendly, they go above and beyond the experience. The food was absolutely delicious and I will be returning on my next trip.

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FAQs

Nicolas Cocina de Herencia is rated 4.6 stars by 352 OpenTable diners.

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

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. California Central Coast
  4. Monterey / Carmel
  5. Carmel

Make a reservation

2 people
8:00 PM
Booked 17 times today
Google Map for Nicolas Cocina de Herencia

ocean avenue & Mission St suite 111, Carmel, CA 93921

Additional information

  • Neighborhood
    Carmel
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Daily 11:00 am–4:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–8:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Mexican
  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Private Lot
  • Executive chef
    Andres Becerra & Susana Alvarez
  • Additional
    Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Wine
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