Brophy’s Tavern is a popular neighborhood pub and sports bar located in a corner of The Hotel Carmel.  With a separate entrance you’ll find a selection of high-top tables, bar seats and booths to choose from.  Music is in the background and TVs are playing without the sound.  The walls are filled with sports items and beer parphanlia.  One wall with windows to the outsdie is completely covered with beer cans.  It’s a festive and friendly place with lots of tap beers in addition to wine and cocktails.   We had been in a number of years ago to share some fries with a drink but this time we wanted a little snack to go with a glass of of wine.   The food is good and the vibe is great so plan to grab a snack, meal or just a drink and some conversation at this place when you’re in Carmel.

Set-up

Food

We tried the Monterey Bay Calamari which was served with a lemon caper aioli.  They were nicely crisp and tender and I loved that they didn’t come with red sauce.  It’s a mix of tentacles and rounds.  The aioli was mild enough it didn’t dwarf the calamari but I think I liked it best with a little of the roasted lemon which was also in the basket.

The Fish and Chips are made with fresh halibut and served with steak fries, coleslaw and remoulade.   There were 4 good sized chunks in the basket which were fried perfectly to a lovely exterior crisp while leaving the tender fish inside moist.  While the sauce was good I enjoyed them without anything but salt.  The slaw was good and not filled with mayo.  It was a refreshing side.  The fries were wide rectangles and reasonably crisp with good potato flavor.  I would easily get this basket again and it’s plenty to split.