Carmens Lunch Bar

Carmens Lunch Bar is the perfect lunch spot. The portions are appropriate for the price and the service is fast. Be sure to come when they open because seating is limited and seats fill up fast. The Rosemary and Cranberry soda bread is moist and crisp and is baked fresh. I always order the soup of the day and it never disappoints. When I was a meat-​eater, my husband and I would order the BBQ sandwich or the chicken salad sandwich and say «swap» and the chef would give us half of each sandwich. However, now that I am a vegetarian I stick with the salad of the day. Carmen gets her vegetables from the local farmers market and that is what sets her apart from other dining establishments in the area. Make sure to try the carrot cake if they have it (different specialty desserts everyday).
Price 5*
Service 5*
Food 5*

Spanish lump crab melt then blueberry cake. Delicious!

Mom recommended it, so I came for dinner. They gave me a lunch menu and told me that the lunch options were cheaper than the dinner. I appreciated that a lot actually. Atmosphere was great and very dog friendly. Had a slow roasted steak slider and it was delicious. Price is not to bad for the quality

Love this place. Food is good, servers are nice. Outdoor seating during summer/​early fall is pure bliss. Did the shrimp salad and it was good. The devilled eggs were yummy. Cool place for quick lunch.

One of my favorite lunch spots, in downtown, from the sandwich’s to the soups. Excellent service fresh food!

I love love the food. And usually the service is great but today the service was less than desirable. The bartenders ignored me and didn’t ask if I wanted another glass of wine. Who at a bar doesn’t ask u if u want another drink? I would say it is worth the food but the experience is lacking. To tip or not to tip that is the question.

I loved this place!
I enjoyed the lunch menu recently. I ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala on Ciabatta Roll with the Potato Salad. I also ordered the soup of the day (a carrot soup).
I was pleasantly surprised at the flavors of the soup. The sandwich was very good, creamy and sweet. The customer service was spot on, too.
My favorite thing on the plate was the potato salad, oddly enough. It was SOOO GOOD. A bit peppery, but not overly spiced.
This was my first time eating at Carmen’s and I look forward to coming back to try their dinner menu.

Carmens is a delicious lunch/​dinner spot in Pensacola and a definitely must-​try. Please do yourself a favor and get this the Spanish lump crab. Your taste buds will be grateful and you’ll have a satisfying meal – I promise. It can get busy but the wait is reasonable (probably 10 – 15 minutes at most) if you’re there at a «good time.» This is hands down one of the best places to grab lunch in P-​cola. This city could use more gems like this.

First off this review will only be for the food that we ate here. The service was friendly, attentive, and prompt, so no problems there at all. For me, if service isn’t an issue I try not to include it in the rating for a restaurant, because ultimately what will bring me back to that restaurant is the food. I am the person who will tolerate soup Nazi service if the food is just THAT good. Trust me, I’ve spent half my life dealing with dim sum cart servers who skip past my table time and time again (and it’s always the cart with the one item you want!). I hate dealing with them and the absurdly long lines just to get a seat but I keep going back for more because the food is just THAT good. But if the food is mediocre I usually won’t go back no matter how exceptional the wait staff are.
Anyways, on to the review. I have to say that based on the reviews for Carmen’s I had really really high hopes for the food here when we came for lunch a couple of weeks ago. While there were some things that were undeniably good, there were more misses than hits.
It might not come as a surprise to the frequent patrons of Carmen’s that the soda bread that served as out appetizer was the highlight of our meal. It really is remarkable soda bread; lighter than any soda bread I’ve ever had in my life with hints of both sweet and savory elements that complimented each other well. As for our mains I had a bowl of the Thai yellow curry crab chowder which was, sadly, neither a curry nor a chowder. I don’t quite know which one it was trying to be, a Thai curry or a chowder, but the flavors were far too weak for a Thai curry and it was too thin to be a chowder (for those thinking that maybe it was more akin to a Manhattan chowder just stop because a Manhattan chowder is not a chowder period). I think the problem lies with the naming of the dish because I expected something else than what was delivered before me. Yes, it may all be semantics here, but if it had been called anything else (curried crab soup maybe?) I would have said that it was a tasty soup, light and refreshing and drawing lots of inspiration from a Thai curry. The featured crab, however, tasted fresh and sweet.
My partner had the Spanish crab melt sandwich and on paper it sounds like it would be delicious; jumbo lump crab, chorizo sausage, manchego cheese. lemon, saffron, arugula. Sadly the dish as a whole was not greater (or even equal to) the sum of its parts. There was just too many ingredients in the dish. The crab got lost underneath the strong flavors of the chorizo and manghego cheese. I say just take out the crab and let it be just a Spanish melt sandwich. The arugula on the dish added a nice slightly bitter contrast to the overly rich melt but I wished they would put it on the sandwich as the default option rather than just being a bed for the sandwich to nest upon. Alone arugula may not suit everyone’s taste, but I think it’s a crucial element that serves to make the sandwich more balanced. But by not automatically being on the sandwich some people might overlook it and arugula as a vegetable deserves to be more than just garnish (I’m an arugula fan if you couldn’t tell). The side of horseradish potato salad that he got with the sandwich was also underwhelming — couldn’t taste the horseradish at all. The potatoes were cooked well and the ratio of dressing to potato worked but, like with the curry chowder, I was expecting more, something different and it didn’t deliver.
So how is it that the best part of our meal was bread? Granted we may have ordered the wrong things but with such a small menu I’m expecting everything to be more on point than they were. I read about the chicken tikka masala on other reviews but I’ve lived in the middle east for some time and had incredibly incredibly good Indian food there thanks to the large population of Indian and Pakistani immigrants so my standards for it are staggeringly high. Maybe the other sandwiches are a better bet or even the salads but salads are too easy to make at home for me to order at a restaurant. I’m willing to give it another chance, maybe for dinner instead since lunch was so lackluster, and give my final judgement then. For now it’s now a place I’d be seeking out come lunch time.

Top notch. Get the daily soup and the soda bread without hesitation. Then another small item. Don’t overthink it. You’ll be back. A great place to share. Don’t forget about the sparkling water.

This beautiful space is made of joy. The food is amazing. The service is perfect. The owner is always available. Try the sardines. The Spanish are jealous of these sardines. This is the future of Pensacola.

My wife had been to the original Carmens many years ago, so she was wanting to give this place a try. I normally am not anywhere around downtown during the day, so we had to go on a day that I had off work. That being said, the place is small with just bar type seating inside for maybe 20 people and another four or five tables outside on the sidewalk. Being a nice day, we opted for the outside seating. My wife chose the Stracotto Pie which is much like a Shepard’s Pie, and I chose the Spanish Lump Crab Melt sandwich. Both were very good, but both my wife and I felt that the Lump Crab Melt was definitely the better choice. We also got the Soda bread as an app, and it was very good. Prices may be a tad on the high side, but the food is worth it. Service was good, and friendly. Definitely we will be back, maybe to try the evening specials.

Great little place with fresh and good food. The inside bar area is a little tight but they do have outside seating available. Service was a little delayed, but everything we ordered was fresh and tasty. The Mexican shrimp salad w/​mango-​lime slaw appetizer was aesthetically pleasing with all the bright colors and textures and tasted as good as it looked. I was skeptical about the Thai yellow curry crab chowder but it was great with just the right amount of kick and the crabmeat was also fresh. It’s not the thicker chowder texture that you would expect, but the Thai flavors fell together nicely. Such a tiny serving though! The Spanish lump crab melt was soo good and not heavy at all even with all the cheeses. I ordered the cranberry orange iced tea because they recommended it since it’s made in-​house. It was on the lighter side and not as bold in flavor as I would have liked. I could barely taste either the cranberry or the orange and was confused as to whether I had accidentally been given the Arnold Palmer. It tasted more like a light version of half lemonade and half tea to be honest, but good for someone who doesn’t like their drinks overly sweet or flavorful. Food was on point though, so I’m a fan!

Carmens has a cute atmosphere and the service was good. The soda bread was a small serving but really delicious. I had the chicken tikka marsala with rice and would probably order it again. One star is taken away because my husband had the pulled pork sandwich which was very, very greasy (we will not be ordering it again).

Had a wonderful time there. There is a separate menu for the evening but they don’t have a dinner menu, they serve «Tapas» or small servings. Initially, it was a disappointment, but with a large party, we were able to sample a large portion of their menu. Spanish Lump crab toasts are fantastic as well as the Smoked Sock-​eye Salmon deviled eggs. You can’t go wrong with anything they have on the menu.
The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable, with the owner sitting a few seats away prepping vegetables! Great place and would definitely go back again next time I’m in Pensacola.

Superior and unique food! A must stop in downtown Pensacola! Truths crab melt and soda bread!!! It’s a small place with sidewalk dining in shade. Ask about how it got started!!!

I had the kale salad with strawberries, walnuts and goat cheese vinaigrette… delicious and dressed perfectly. Also had the soda bread with rosemary and cranberries, served with sweet butter. I could have eaten two loaves, but since I didn’t, it was the perfect light lunch. Very nice staff and outdoor dining was wonderful. I will dine here again when in Pensacola.

Newish to the area, and my tour guide/​better half decided to take me here…
First, the atmosphere. It’s on the small side and not in a bad way. The place is cozy and inviting, the staff are beyond compare; not joking, Matt is awesome, if he suggests it, get it. You will not be disappointed, only sorry that you won’t have room for seconds! Didn’t get a chance to try the wine, but I hear thought the grapevine that it’s on par with the food.
On that note… the food is indescribable. We started with the soup of the day for me. (the best veggie soup I’ve ever had), and Thai for my man. I’m still torn as to which was better, but the Thai basil edged out a bit. Both were spiced and flavored to accentuate every ingredient. Things only got better from there– the crab stuffed peppers (can’t recall the name) was I think the best thing that we tried. If it wouldn’t come off as weird, I’d have an order for an app, then a second for my meal. They were that good =)
We had the pulled pork plate for our main dish. After the soup and peppers, we decided to share, which was a great idea, because the plate it is on the big side. The slaw was perfect-I’m not a fan of overly mayonnaised slaw, so this was the best I think I’ve had, ever! The BBQ sauce was gravy-​like, and trust me, it is paired perfectly with the pork!
All in all, I’m def going back! The meal itself would have warranted a repeat visit, but the staff and speed at which we received our meal was beyond compare!
This place is not to be passed up! Locals and out of towners on vacation def need to stop in!

The food is so amazing! The service is exquisite! The atmosphere is divine!
Matt is a fantastic bartender that goes out of his way to explain his product! If you don’t stop by here it’s a shame!
–Today 30^th Aug, we visited again. Matt took care of us! This is not a hidden secrete on Palafox in Pcola. This town is lucky to have such a fantastic Hot Spot!!!

What a difference a couple of weeks make. When I said if you walk by Carmen’s it should be considered a crime, well the crime has become there service!!!
There defense was a novel approach, blame the customer, it’s your fault for being here, you should have come earlier, we have a lunch service. We have a small kitchen.
Well, other then blaming the customer for haphazardly walking into their establishment, like a person who stumbles into a gun fight, oopppps your fault. Bad service, there’s never any excuse, because it started from the very beginning, when while sitting at the bar, we had to flag down the staff to order, and once ordered, we were forgotten about, literally there was no «Let me check on your order», or «I’ll see what’s taking so long» nothing, and as you see customers ordering, eating and leaving, well it becomes frustrating and perplexing. Our order was never fired, basically the screw up was a result of a continuing course of ineptitude on the wait staff, I can’t place blame on the chef, they still looked as if she was putting out amazing looking items, just none to us.
Really it was the way we were treated, when we said that we wanted to go elsewhere because 45 minutes had gone by and not a thing! We were given excuses, told we were wrong. That shouldn’t have been the answer, Our server, or lack of server, she should have said, yep we screwed up, please wait and will make sure you have a lovely meal. But, there’s some people who can’t bare being on the side of honesty, politicians for one, and Carmen’s for another.
I am totally service oriented, if the service is good and the food is OK, I’ll try it again, but if the service is bad, and the food is great, I won’t give them a second look, as what I will do with Carmen’s!