Chez Noir
Jonny Black ran Atelier Crenn as Dominique Crenn's first executive chef, then took a Craftsman house in Carmel and put a four-course menu of abalone, skate and dry-aged fish in the front room. He and Monique live upstairs. It has held one Michelin star since 2023.
Why go
Black went to the Culinary Institute of America on a full scholarship, graduated in 2007 and spent six years in New York at Allen & Delancey, Corton and Per Se, then staged at Noma, Relae, In de Wulf and The Clove Club. He opened Pineapple & Pearls in Washington as executive sous and the room took two Michelin stars in its first year. Crenn hired him as her first executive chef, Atelier Crenn took its third star while he ran it, and Bar Crenn took its first. He moved to Big Sur in 2019 to run the kitchen at Post Ranch Inn and spent nearly two years learning what the peninsula lands before opening here in October 2022. The plate reads that history as housemade everything, baked goods, charcuterie, preserved produce, dry-aged fish and fresh pasta, on a prix fixe of a few choices per course. Michelin's inspector names what that lands on the coast: The cooking has a broadly Mediterranean sensibility, showcasing the bounty of the California coast with the likes of impeccably prepared abalone and skate.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the prix fixe, and the canelés at the end. Michelin's line on them is
ethereal vanilla-scented canelés offer an ideal balance between a crisp, caramelized exterior and a creamy, custardy interior.
1 - Avoid: turning up on spec. There is the dining room, an eight-seat bar and a courtyard, and that is the whole house.2
What locals & experts say
- MICHELIN Guide California, One MICHELIN Star (read 21 August 2026):
Jonny and Monique Black are the force behind this charming spot, where he acts as Chef and she oversees the service team.
1 - Monterey County Weekly (Dave Faries, 26 January 2024):
Chef Black had already gained a reputation for fanatical sourcing. So even when he stoops to cook a burger, it stands out as the best you've ever tried. But Chez Noir is a marvel.
3 - James Beard Foundation, Best New Restaurant 2024: nominee, not a winner. Semifinalist in January 2024, one of ten nominees on 3 April, the award decided in Chicago on 10 June.4
Good to know
- Timing: dinner only, and the format is a set menu rather than an à la carte list.
- Booking: essential. Carmel-by-the-Sea has no street numbers, so the address is the block: 5th Avenue between Dolores and San Carlos.
- Getting there: the village grid is walkable end to end, and this is four blocks up from the beach.
Verdict
must-visit — One Michelin star, held since 2023, in a room of a Craftsman house the owners live above. Black ran Atelier Crenn as Dominique Crenn's first executive chef while it took its third star, and opened Pineapple & Pearls to two stars in its first year, and the peninsula version of that is a four-course menu built on abalone, skate and dry-aged local fish. It was one of ten James Beard nominees for Best New Restaurant in 2024. On the Monterey day out this is the reservation you make first, because it is the only room here with a star.