As always, Dametra Cafe was excellent. This was my first lunch here in a few years, as we normally make dinner reservations. The lunch menu has a wide variety of options. It's obvious that the ingredients are fresh. All of their dishes are authentic and delicious. The portions are perfect for lunch. If you are in the area, make the stop!

Such a gem! My sister, 2-year-old daughter and I had dinner here on Thursday night and we had a fantastic time. We shared the hummus and baba ganoush starters - so, so good, but too much for just us since we were also getting entrees. (Don't worry - we enjoyed the leftovers the next day!) I then split the gyro plate with my daughter and my sister had the Greek salad with falafels added. We both were in love with our entrees. Even my 2-year-old happily ate the gyro plate. We finished off the meal with a little bit of baclava, which was also very, very good. I can see why this restaurant has such high ratings as the whole meal was perfection. To top it off, they had a little bit of live music, which we all enjoyed. Service was wonderful (everyone was very charming and friendly). It was a wonderful evening!

It was our first experience in Dametra cafe, we will go back there again for sure. The food was great. The live music was fantastic, we loved it!!

The best Mediterranean restaurant in town! It is right in the downtown Carmel and we had a small line close to noon on a Thursday while the restaurant was packed. We only waited for a few minutes but I would imagine for a weekend the wait could be longer. The restaurant has a nice vibe with decorative murals, paintings and multiple flags from Greece/Italy/Lebanon. We ordered the following dishes and they were all great and 10/10! Greek starter plate - Comes with three dipping sauces /eggplant, yogurt and hummus) with pitas on the side. Chicken shawarma sandwich - Flavorful chicken in two half sandwiches and coleslaw with a side of Greek salad. Lamb and beef gyro plate - comes with gyro marinated in perfection (not overall salty). The rice pilaf has great flavor (saffron colored) and nicely firm texture too! At the end, I would recommend not ordering any dessert and they will bring a baklava for free!

3.75 stars Waited about 20-30 mins on a Saturday night for a group of 6. The service was fine though at times a little odd because our waitress would only bring water for the adults and leave out the 2 kids that were with us (same with plates and utensils). Eventually she did bring out plates and utensils for the kids after being asked a few times. However, it was pretty busy so I understand. The manager also came out to check on us a few times which was really nice. Now onto the food we got: Flaming cheese saganaki (comes out with a show of fire, tasted ok but would probably not get again) Grilled salmon (I chose the potatoes au gratin accompaniment, potatoes were good, salmon was ok) Greek combination platter (loved the tzatziki and gyros that this comes with, chicken was a little dry) Our friends also got the fisherman's cioppino which I didn't try but they said they liked. The ambience is very lively and fun! There was a guitar and drums duo coming out to perform about once every hour (we saw it at 6:30 and 7:40ish), and many people getting up to dance. It was definitely an experience to say the least and since the pandemic I've found moments like these especially precious. It also reminds me how far we have come since then and our resilience... Anyways, recommend the tzatziki and gyros for food. Oh and they gave us free baklava at the end of our meal, which was a nice touch!

Food was fresh. Ambience was music and dancing every hour. Service was one on one like it should be. This place is the only restaurant open after 9 PM and still at 10:30. People were showing up even though they close at 11. Very professional staff and very friendly. This place is packed even in the middle of the week.

Dametra Cafe sits pretty on Ocean Avenue in Carmel. With plenty of restaurants to choose from in a small proximity, you should consider dining here while on your vacation. Hands down it's the most lively restaurant you'll get to experience in Carmel. Family owned and operated, Dametra is a Mediterranean restaurant with a wide-ranging menu spanning numerous countries. My usual opinion is if a place is doing too much then it's not going to be a lights out meal, but I'll tip my cap to Dametra for doing a great job on making many types of foods from different Mediterranean cuisines very well. MUST ORDER: Dametra Royal Combination ($22.95) Hummus, Spanakopita, Dolmas, Baba Ghanouge, Tzatziki sauce. Serves two. All of it, I mean all of it, was outstanding. My wife and I were happy campers as we devoured this plate. Each bite was better than the rest. Almond Crusted Halibut ($39.95) Pan-seared wild Alaskan Halibut filet with Prawns over sautéed spinach with cream sauce and rice pilaf on the side. Good, but overpriced for the execution. It was all just overdone, though the flavors were there. It was a big plate of food, but the fish was dry even with the cream sauce trying to make up for it. THE BEST PART: The owner himself got the entire restaurant to stand up, clap, and start dancing. It turned into a full on production. Queue My Big Fat Greek Wedding! I'm not sure if I've ever seen an entire restaurant get on its feet and dance in the middle of service before, it was quite a sight for sore eyes. A memorable experience to say the least. They do pack a lot of people in here, which is fine for the party vibes, but maybe a bit excessive for a proper meal. They gifted us the last two seats at the bar, but it ended up being tight quarters considering the amount of servers running food and customers frequenting the bathroom. Still keeping Dametra as a must-do in Carmel. Talk about a fun time!