Mesoporous carbon CMK-3s with different textural properties have been used for the adsorption of phenol to understand the necessary physicochemical properties of carbon for the efficient removal of phenol from contaminated water. The kinetic constants (both pseudo-second order and pseudo-first-order kinetics) increase with increasing pore size of carbons. The maximum adsorption capacities correlate well with micropore volume compared with surface area or total pore volume even though large pore (meso or macropore) may contribute partly to the adsorption. The pore occupancies also explain the importance of micropore for the phenol adsorption. For efficient removal of phenol, carbon adsorbents should have large micropore volume and wide pore size for high uptake and rapid adsorption, respectively.