My girlfriend and I ate hear yesterday and loved it so much we came back to eat again the next…read morenight. The Food here is AMAZING. Our service Oscar was the best. Super sweet. Checked on us multiple times throughout the night to make sure we were doing great. Thank you Oscar!! The ambiance is also incredible. We love sitting by the fire pits. 10/10

We wanted a special dinner so my husband surprised us with a reservation here. The restaurant is…read morecute and the service was excellent. I did wish the food was better to make the cost more worthwhile. Maybe our expectation was a little high. We ordered: Drinks: husband had the old fashion (very good), I had grey goose martini (perf prepared) Duck Liver: very generous portion for $21 but it's not for everyone Caesar salad: delicious. Hint of egg in the dressing and it was just the right amount (I didn't taste anchovies which I don't prefer) Crispy potatoes: I can see why it's a favorite Crispy cod: small portion, I had a taste and it was ok for me Pork chop: beautiful presentation. Not as tasty as some of the ones I've had elsewhere Overall, we enjoyed our experience, but wished the food was more wow.

I finally was able to make a trip to Monterey/Pacific Grove, sadly it's been years. That being said…read morewe chose Rosine's because it was always a favorite of ours. Our order consisted of a steak salad/fries and a calamari steak sandwich. I can't comment on my daughter's food because she ate all of it with no complaints. Mine was ok, wasn't bad nor great but I was excited (I'm a fatty) about the slice of key lime pie I took home. Unfortunately I was really disappointed. No key lime "zing" to the filling and the whipped cream only had a small hint of sweetness. The sliced almonds were really unpleasant, they had the old rancid taste/smell. Overall I wasn't thrilled with the food nor the price. Service was below average, I say that because it was not busy at all yet we had to get the servers attention more than once, meaning she didn't check on us. On a positive note I was able to spend the day with my beautiful daughter.

We had such a wonderful brunch at Rosine's! We were told the wait would be about 20 minutes, but to…read moreour pleasant surprise, we were called to our table in just 14 minutes. I ordered the breakfast special, the Crab & Avocado Benedict, and it was absolutely delicious! The eggs were poached to perfection, and the combination of crab and avocado made every bite rich and flavorful. Definitely a dish I would order again! My husband ordered the Brunch Burger, made with Angus beef and cooked perfectly medium. It was topped with house-made bacon jam, cheddar and Jack cheese, bacon, and a sunny-side-up egg. The burger patty tasted hand-formed, was incredibly juicy, and all the toppings came together beautifully. From the shorter-than-expected wait to two delicious meals, Rosine's made for a fantastic brunch. We'll definitely be back!

We had another delicious meal at Montrio with family while we visited Monterey. Located downtown,…read moreit has indoor and outdoor seating. On some occasions, they will open up the front wall which provides a great environment during good weather. Our food was excellent. I had short rib ravioli, which I never had before. The dish convinced me it should be one of my favorites. For desert, we had Chocolate cake with ices cream. The service was fantastic! Looking forward to coming back and enjoying their food again next time!

Montrio is a restaurant struggling with the same dilemma everyone wanting to open a fine-dining…read morespot in a touristy area does. The closer you are to ground zero-Fisherman's Wharf in SF or Pikes Market, Seattle-the harder it is to remain profitable. Geographically, the density of Taco Bells and tee shirt shops increases. So, kudos to Montrio for trying to run an up-scale business as close as they are to the Wharf. Unfortunately, they fall well short of the mark. We arrive early and the place was nearly empty. To start with, we ordered the Porcini Pomme Frites ($14) as an appetizer. The fries came out limp and starchy-raw in the center. I sent them back. The replacement or refry of the original batch came back a little past GBD. They pushed the limit on the far side of doneness. And they tasted exactly and precisely like In-And-Out's awful fires. The match was amazing. For reasons known only to the Snyder family, and in spite of endless terrible reviews from food critics, I-A-O refuses to double-cook their fries. So they come out tasteless with an off-putting consistency. Not qualities anyone should try and emulate, IMHO. Now, ostrich and octopus, for example, are famously difficult to cook correctly. But fries are the polar opposite easy to do well. To screw them up twice in a slow kitchen at a $14 price point is inexcusable. I knew we were in for a rocky ride. I ordered the scallops. Yes, you guessed correctly, the kitchen screwed them up big time too. They had a light seer and were stone-cold raw in the center. The creamed corn side was excellent BTW, but not forty nine dollars good. Why didn't I send them back? Well, first, I knew they couldn't cook fries or scallops. Why would their second effort on the second course hold out any promise. Secondly, I refuse to be that guy who sends every course back, even when it should be. At a certain point my philosophy is shut up, learn your lesson, and share an honest review so that other might avoid the sad experience. My wife had the short ribs and enjoyed them. I thought they were dry, which is hard to achieve with fatty short ribs. Her mashed potatoes were okay, though under-seasoned. But if she was happy, so was I.

I haven't been going out to eat. Saving money for travel. But, got a bug to be at 12 turn. I…read moreexperience the best service here as a solo (not at night. Night manager won't give me a 4 top). Ordered food. But what I want to point out is the generous pour. This photo was taken after a few sips.

What could be improved.... Everything but the cook!…read more Any stars given are to the chef. People that were in line for a table behind us got their food first. There was a family of three that came 15 mins after we did... we barley got one round (no waters, the bus boy served us waters, waiter over worked) they got two rounds plus there food. Mind you there was only two of us. There was a table of 4 that were behind us, they got their food, ate and we still didn't have our food. Worst service I've ever had I am from the Bay Area where we are over populated and use to waiting. It wasn't the wait, it was how disrespectful the wait became. DONT OPEN THE 12 doors just walk away.... Not to mention they didn't even give me my damn truffle fries, didn't even have the heart to ask and wait another hour for them to fix it. Thanks for the strong drink, it was greatly needed!

While I can't speak to the restaurant normal operations I can speak to their event hosting. We held…read morea farewell brunch the morning after our wedding at this restaurant and it was fabulous! The staff were easy to work with in setting up the event and more than accommodating with the several dietary restrictions that we brought up given the size of the party that would be stopping by (roughly 80 or so). They had a wide variety of pastries, meats, and other desserts that's were all absolutely spectacular. And bother internal and external of the venue are absolutely beautiful. We had a nice sunny morning so most of our party were sitting outside in the wonderful patio space and everyone was raving about how good the food was.

Cella Restaurant and Bar is a beautiful space in the heart of Monterey, with a warm interior and a…read morelovely back patio with heat lamps. Our server was very nice and attentive, but there was some unevenness in the courses due to a disconnect between what he described and what the kitchen actually delivered. For example, I mentioned that my partner has an aversion to cilantro, and in one course the kitchen actually replaced it entirely with chives, which was amazing. However, when our server came by, he mentioned they had put the cilantro on the side. In another dish, a full cilantro stalk came right on top of the plate. Not a huge deal since we could just pick it off, but it was a sign of inconsistency in service. We also ordered the cod dish, and when we mentioned we were avoiding undercooked proteins, our server said he would make sure it was cooked through, which confused me a bit since I believe cod is always fully cooked through. On to the food itself, we started with the plum lacquered duck kefta, which came out on two cinnamon sticks used as the skewers. These were absolutely fantastic, with the yogurt sauce acting as the perfect foil for the expertly seasoned duck and the cinnamon stick adding a subtle spice. The Moss Landing black cod was likewise delicious, with the cod cooked to a buttery and flaky texture, and it was paired with a sumptuous vanilla bean butter sauce over a bed of pepper and green bean panzanella that was out of this world. My only complaint was that for the steep price, the portion was quite small. The curried lamb shoulder was exceptional as well. It arrived with a striking presentation, encased in a three-quarter dome puff pastry shell filled with shredded lamb shoulder meat. It came with a side of some kind of fruit compote or chutney, though we were not given a detailed description of most dishes. This portion felt appropriate for the price and was the favorite of the night. We mentioned we were celebrating our wedding anniversary, and while we were not expecting anything over the top, we were a bit disappointed when we saw them bring out a dessert with a candle for what I assume was a birthday celebration at another table. For a restaurant of this caliber and at this price point, I have always experienced at least some sort of gesture, even if just a small card or message at the table. Overall, we had a pleasant evening, but it is not somewhere we would return to based on the uneven service and the mismatch between price and portions.

Such a nice place to relax and enjoy drinks and a meal. When…read moremy family and I walked into the restaurant it looked empty. Not very many people were there. That changed very fast! I guess we happened to arrive before the brunch rush. It got packed and stayed that way. We chose to sit inside. The place was decorated nice and the music was great. Our server was Laurie. She was so sweet and she made us feel very welcome and so friendly. We chose the bottomless mimosas and three different brunch options. The food was amazing and what we really liked was that unlike some places, when they say bottomless they mean it. Laurie checked on us often which was much appreciated. There were also two Hispanic ladies who were at the front. They were always smiling, sitting customers, cleaning off tables, and offering condiments. This is a team effort that was well appreciated and Noticed!! Well Done! When we come back into Monterey we will definitely be back!!

Came here after great reviews, there is a lack of waithelp. The food was pretty good although they…read moregot our order wrong No onions doesn't mean add extra I was really hoping for a good experience here I will say the host at the front was very nice and helpful

After multiple failed attempts to find somewhere to eat with our dogs in tow, we arrived at Sur at…read morethe Barnyard hungry, tired, and a little defeated. What a wonderful surprise. It was just me, my two girls, and our two dogs, and from the moment we arrived, we were met with genuinely excellent service. The staff was kind, attentive, and welcoming. The food was absolutely fantastic, fresh, flavorful, and beautifully prepared. Sometimes a meal is more than just a meal. After a long day of searching for a place that would work for our little crew, Sur felt like exactly where we were meant to end up. We left happy, full, and already looking forward to coming back. Highly recommend.

We dropped in to SUR today after hiking a bit. We hadn't been there before, and since Scratch was…read moreclosed and this place a great reviews, we decided to check it out - and I'll chalk this up to anther time Yelp did us wrong. TLDR:: Meh.. I wanted something to drink that wasn't sweet, so I tried their raspberry ice tea. They used a sugary syrup to flavor the tea, and that was a strike out. It was sweeter than a soda, so it went back and I swapped it out for a plain unsweetened ice tea. Then we tried the cheesy garlic bread, which we were really looking forward to. Welp, it came out with mozzarella cheese and a ton of corn. No butter. No garlic. We all looked at each other when we tried it. Ok, let's try their brussel sprouts. Those are hard to mess up - but sure enough, they managed to. They deep fried them to the point they were black and charred. There wasn't anything left of the brussel sprout itself, it was mostly crunchy charcoal. At this point, we all ordered something we assumed would be safe for our main. I got the sliders and a side salad. I had the salad but only of the sliders. The cheese on it was queso, like you use to dip chips, so it was ran all over the place and the burger was a grease ball. I won't even get into what everyone else had, but they had similar experiences. Overall, it was pretty disappointing. Maybe there are other things or other times where this place is better, but it was a swing and a miss for us.

First time diners…read more Awesome experience. We started with the spicy tacos that were superb. 3 small crispy tacos for $17. Our waiter suggested 1/2 salads. Great suggestion. 1/2 of a wedge salad & 1/2 of a beet were the perfect size. Next we advanced to the braised short rib that was huge. A full rack of baby back ribs is a better value, but way too much for 1 person. Their old fashion has a hint of nutmeg. Unique and tasty! Overall a great experience.

We want to give a shoutout to Tori, who was incredibly accommodating and helped our large party get…read moreseated on short notice. The hosts and servers were also wonderful throughout the evening--friendly, attentive, and professional. Unfortunately, the experience took a turn when our steak arrived. It was ordered medium but came out closer to medium-well/well and tasted noticeably burnt. My husband has never sent a steak back before and was actually very hesitant to say anything. Our server was incredibly kind about it, immediately took the steak back, and made us feel completely comfortable bringing it up. Unfortunately, that's when the experience became really uncomfortable. The manager personally brought the steak back out to our table, essentially to show us the steak and explain that, in his opinion, it was medium. We were then asked what we wanted to do. Rather than feeling like our concern was being heard, it felt like we were being challenged for sending back a steak that we simply felt was overcooked. Our entire table became uncomfortable, and there were definitely some awkward looks from surrounding tables. What made it even more frustrating was that, on our walk to the bathroom, we noticed another table had also sent food back. So it was especially uncomfortable to feel as though our table was being treated like we had done something unreasonable by asking for our steak to be cooked to the temperature we ordered. They eventually brought out another steak, but it was well-done on one side and medium-rare on the other. By that point, our table was ready to leave, and the whole situation had put a pretty significant damper on what was supposed to be a fun night with a large group. Afterward, we also noticed that we had been charged for an extra wine glass during happy hour. It was only $5, so we decided it wasn't worth bringing up after an already uncomfortable interaction with management, but unfortunately, it added to the overall impression. We do want to emphasize that the restaurant itself is beautiful, and Tori, our server, and the hosts were genuinely kind and professional. The staff who actually served us did their best to make the evening enjoyable. Unfortunately, the way the steak situation was handled by management turned what should have been a simple issue into a very unpleasant and awkward experience for our entire table. For that reason, despite the positives, we probably won't be returning.

Fresh, delicious food, and wonderful service!…read more We came to Monterey for a quick getaway vacation and we had a wonderful dinner at Passionfish. Located in Pacific Grove, this restaurant is well known for its sustainable seafood and fresh ingredients. Street parking is available but you may need to drive around to get a spot close to the restaurant. We made a reservation online, and we were notified our table was ready 15 mins prior to our reservation time. When we arrived, we were greeted warmly by the hostess. The restaurant was mid sized, but it felt warm and cozy. The menu was quite simple, but the selections were solid. We had the salmon cervice as appetizer, salad, scallop entree, and halibut entree. The cervice was delicious and we loved the innovative concept. The salad was great with perfect balance of veggie, dressing, and cheese. The scallop entree was very flavorful as well. For desserts, we gad the banana pudding with ice-cream, and it was the perfect way to wrap up our dinner. As for service, our waiters were attentive and friendly. The bill for our meal was around $200, which was very reasonable for the quality of the meal. Highly recommend!

This was our first time going to Passionfish! And it did not disappoint us! The crowd was super…read morenice. We ended up talking to a few people which made it nice. The food was excellent. We had the bread rolls which are absolutely to die for! We had the jicama salad and the halibut. We shared this between two adults, and it was more than enough. And their wine selection is incredible! We will definitely be returning!

After my experience last year, dining here again was a given on my next trip to the area. I…read moreoriginally booked a reservation for Friday but due to an unforeseen problem at another restaurant, I was able to get a Thursday night reservation for three at 6 pm here. After checking in, we were seated at a window side table facing the bay. After getting our menus, we decided to have the three-course menu, though I did add a supplement for our meals to share. I asked about mocktails and our waitress suggested this, a pomegranate mojito (). For my meal, here's I ordered from the Choice menu: 1st course Tomato and fennel soup, shrimp dumpling, squash blossom, toasted sourdough (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=168&select=PMKIsV5rFcg9C2BGzQFsrA). 2nd course Hokkaido scallops, toasted farro, golden peach, roasted bell pepper broth (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=168&select=qHDBo855HJeKwzlDRE_O9w). 3rd course Baba au rum, local peaches, buttermilk, almond crumble (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=168&select=Fsv7ar1rcCVpKgo0nLf6Eg). Valhrona Manjera chocolate delice, creme anglaise, hazelnut, cherry sorbet (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=168&select=rQqh85ifpAz16wGwpiaF2A). Additions: Oysters on the half shell, cucumber granite (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=192&select=su0wJ3dlLvMxo2vkM92_7w). Bison tenderloin, brioche, horseradish, nasturtium (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=192&select=SAOmEF89-qCErokMR-l0lg). Bonus course Local black cod, okinawa sweet potato, chanterelles, shellfish emulsion (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=192&select=s1IaShShT6IAJiQUztkUtg). Here's a photo of the fish uncovered (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=168&select=PMKIsV5rFcg9C2BGzQFsrA). In addition to this, we received Parker house rolls during the meal (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=192&select=quZoH0f8JnFK5xS4f_xeDQ), macarons after dessert (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=168&select=ZzDIdesx1I28aJv9O7kxXQ), and a gift bag to take home (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=0&select=L6WkfHFISvU1tR2fmh65lw). Foodwise, everything was delicious with my two favorites being the local black cod, the Hokkaido scallops, and the chocolate delice. The menu changes by what local produce, seafood, and meats are available during that particular season. The dining room was not very crowded but filled as we ate. Service and atmosphere are consistent with fine dining restaurants in SF, likely even better since they are not emphasizing turning tables. Big thanks to Rachel for guiding us through our meal and thank you to my generous chef friend Michael for crafting our meal. It is a must dine here meal whenever I'm in town.

What a gem of a restaurant We decided on a whim to head up…read moreto Napa and we wanted a stopping point which was Monterey. This restaurant is located in the Monterey plaza hotel It offers choice menu and chefs menu We did the choice menu, each course was exceptional. The service was spot on , the views from the restaurant can't be beat. On their Instagram page they point out service Food. This place for me is a class mlby itself. I can only compare to views from Yosemite. I can't wait return