I just got my credit card bill and was surprised to see that our Easter brunch at Fandango was only a few dollars less than a full-on fabulous dinner at Christophers on Lincoln. Seriously $35 for eggs benedict and a little dessert? The two of us ordered a cocktail and a coffee. Total came to $116. Yikes. It was good, but not that good. Plus the place feels a bit like going to visit my 92 year old auntie at the retirement community. I noticed the waiter speaking in a loud, patient and practiced tone to an ancient member of the party adjacent to us. This was also the case last November when we went to Fandango for our anniversary. read more

What a super cute French restaurant with a great staff and amazing food. I came here with my family on a Monday night and was seated right away. There were a bunch of empty tables but the wait was literally forever, like approximately 30 minutes. I wasn't really even that hungry, but the dim lights was making me sleepy. BUT, once the food came out I totally forgot we waited so long. I got the filet of sand dubs per Yelp recommendations, and wow. I had no idea what to expect because I had never even heard of sand dubs before I looked at the reviews, but the lemon butter sauce is delicious. The potatoes that it came with: SO GOOD I never wanted them to end. The green beans: delectable. My mom got the pasta, my dad got the filet mignon, and my grandma for the salmon. Everyone loved everything. My dad especially loved everything. He would not stop raving about how unique and wonderful everything tastes and how he couldn't eat regular marinara sauce again after tasting the pasta. I still had a piece of the sand dab left and some potatoes and green beans, and my dad literally cleaned my plate after cleaning his own. I would definitely come back next time I visit Monterey, but maybe not if I'm starving. read more

Great food, excellent service. I liked the ambiance as well - floral arrangements, fireplace etc read more

I took Michelle here for our first date, back in 2002, and we just returned this weekend. It's as delicious and romantic as ever--with a Europe-heavy wine list to match. I had wild Alaskan halibut pan-sauteed in a lemon Beurre Blanc, paired with a half-bottle of Pouilly-Fumé. It was perfectly executed--simple and delicious. For desert, we had their Grand Marnier Souffle--amazing. The ambiance is warm and friendly, as are the servers. Definitely a hidden gem down in Pacific Grove, only ~3 mins from Monterey. Check it out after your next visit to the aquarium. :) read more

Great French restaurant. Went for the first time and had tomato soup and a hamburger (not exactly French but still very tasty). Fancy place for a date or family get together. read more

My wife and I went on Sept 11, 2010 for our 35th wedding anniversary, looking forward to a good meal to celebrate. Altogether, Fandango was disappointing. The food was OK. Onion soup: OK. Caesar salad: OK. But nothing special. Spaghetti Siracusa: Very good indeed. Sand dabs, excellent. The problem was the service and the atmosphere. We were put into a cramped basement room with an average decibel level of 85 spiking to 95. (My wife the audiologist has a sound pressure level meter for her iPhone.) Somebody call OSHA! The overburdened waiter didn't explain the specials--didn't even mention them. He gave us our menus, came back sometime later and said "Are you ready?" and took our order. Didn't ask about what we wanted to drink. (We demanded wine.) He brought me mushroom soup instead of the onion soup I ordered (see decibel level, above) and basically ignored us throughout the dinner. It wan't awful. But for a hundred bucks on a special occasion, we'd have had a far better time at a couple of other restaurants in Pacific Grove/Carmel for half the price. read more

Had lunch here with 3 girlfriends. Everything was Delicious and the service impecable. Beautiful inside. The smoke salmon, which is made in house, is to die for. My friends had the lunch special and it was yummy. The have a full bar and lots of parking. read more

Nice cozy place. It came highly recommended. As I entered it had a gnarly smell, like heavy cheese. They quickly opened the windows and doors to freshen up. The server was nice. The menu was great. It has a lot of great food to choose from read more

7 if us came here for dinner after reading all the great reviews and what a shock! Server was very short with us and unprofessional.. the food was not what we expected and for what we paid.....very disappointed.... we were also crammed into the upstairs and it should be a little more spread out. Really sad and bad trip. Will not go back again read more

Overly priced food quality fairly mediocre you're just paying for the atmosphere oh it does have an extensive wine list

Had the app sampler: sanddads, calimari steak and scallop were ok, but heavily sauced. The sole filet is drowned with sauce and garlic, but surprisingly bland. Could figure out if this was supposed to be an italian place or french? C- for effort. read more

No one knowledgable about wine list. Food was mediocre and over salted. Expensive specials were pushed. They did throw some cute streamers on the table for a birthday celebration and brought a dessert. It was a busy week Ned but food quality wasn't there. read more

My husband and I spent Thanksgiving Day with the Fandango team. The Prix Fixe menu was delicious! We started with assorted breads and Duck Pate -- exquisite! My husband ordered the traditional plate (turkey breast, stuffing, smashed potatoes/gravy and green bean) and I ordered the top sirloin (med rare) with same sides. The desserts were also delicious! All-in-all, it was a great meal, with the perfect ambiance -- OH, did I mention that we lucked up on the 2-person table that sits right in front of the cozy fireplace?!? Yep, sure did. The staff was okay -- he was busy so we didn't get the 1-on-1 attention that we usually look for, however our needs were met. If you're in the monterey, pebble beach, pacifica area - you should stop in :) read more

My fiance brought me here for my birthday almost a year ago and I am still thinking about this place!! I hope he brings me here again this year. We started off with the Fresh Sanddabs appetizer. The sanddabs were like butter. They just melted in your mouth. I had the Osso Bucco Fandango for dinner. I had never had Osso Bucco before and wasn't sure how it would taste, but it turned out to be a great choice. The meat was so flavorful and tender. My fiance really enjoyed his Double Lamb Chops too. Our waiter brought out a special dessert for me because it was my birthday. We were seated in a small room with three other tables and a cozy fireplace. If you let them know you're celebrating a special occassion, they'll definitely set you up right. read more

I went to dinner tonight. Food was good, seating staff was very friendly, but my waiter was bothered with my group of 8. 10 people were suppose to show up but only 8 of us did. Our waiter was also bothered that we wanted to drink lots of water and not lots of alochol. I had to ask for bread a few times and after a few rolling of the eyes we got it! read more

Very quaint place...our waiter was somewhat friendly...but did not make you feel at home. The food was good but not off the charts.

We came here for a date night. We were probably the youngest couple in the place which actually only added to the charm. The menu is chock full of traditional french and italian items. The bread here is fantastic. The service is excellent. We ordered the salmon pasta and the duet of filets. The pasta was amazing, with the salmon cooked perfectly, the pasta sauce was flavorful but not over powering. The dish could have been a little more artfully presented but other than that no complaints about the pasta. I had the duet. The plate was well put together. It came with carrots and a half potato. The carrots were done to perfection from texture to flavor. The potato was confusing. It was a potato cut in half and skinned, way over done, bone dry, and slightly crispy on one side. There was no butter or sauce for the potato. I ended up not eating it because it was pretty bad. The first filet was served with a seasoned butter. It was cooked very well, although very crispy on some of the edges. The second filet was in a brown sauce with capers. This one was cooked perfectly with now crispiness. The sauce however was way too salty, which I think is just because they salted the sauce without taking into consideration that the capers are very salty on their own. We also ordered dessert, the chocolate mousse. It was perfect!!! Overall this place was fantastic. Just a few small menu tweaks and they are on top! I would come back here, I have told my friends to come here and next time I would try something new just to taste everything! read more

Cozy atmosphere and great staff everywhere here. It's like an Italian or Basque cafe in the heart of a Pacific Grove. Wide selection of dinner entrees and everything ordered in our group of six was good. Pasta potions are very large especially. We would definitely recommend and return. read more

Oh, yum. This place was great. Fabulous seafood, fantastic Grand Marnier souffle for desert, exceptional ambience, terrific service. I would go back to Pacific Grove just to have their lovely sand dabs again. Just...yum. read more

Delicious food: Between the four of us, we ordered the lamb shank, scampi and steak, sweetbreads and diver scallops. Clean plates all around. The service was perfect, and the ambiance was perfect -- just lively enough to feel festive, yet acoustics were good so we didn't have to yell to say how good the food tasted. Which makes yelping is easy enough. read more

We went here because I saw all the good ratings on Yelp. I had the steak and it was like butter. It was a little weird set up only because it was my first time there. I didn't know the difference between the front and the back of the restaurant so I didn't know what was better. We did have a very attentive waiter and busser. Especially busser. Great food and the dessert was great also. read more

Had an excellent dinner with 11 others here. I ordered the sand dab appetizer, French onion soup and the Halibut. Sand dabs were entree size with a nice sauce. Onion soup had a great ratio of cheese to soup. The halibut was good but a bit over cooked. read more

Really good food, nice atmosphere and I really enjoyed myself. The bar gets a little packed, but we will be back.

This restaurant has jumped to the top of our list! Belatedly celebrating a birthday, my son and I were seated in a small, four top room which was occupied by two other couples. Our waiter, Tony, was attentive and entertaining. My son, who has worked in the service industry and is picky about his cocktails, was very pleased with his rye old fashion. We both opted for the filet of sand dabs and they were delicious! The zucchini side was also very good with a little tomato and herb sauce. The only thing slightly off were the potatoes which were a tad undercooked and a bit "dusty" tasting for lack of a better word. The profiteroles were light and just the right final note to our celebratory meal. read more

Great service and great food for our family dinner. We have a party of seven of all different ages and there was choices for everyone. Our waiter Mike was great. Thank you for an enjoyable evening. read more

My goodness this place is amazing! There had been a black out in pacific grove so a lot of places were closed and I was pretty hungry. We didn't even consider this place because it was past 9:00 and they were supposed to have closed at 8 but the manager I believe was walking by and said that they were open! We were wary but went anyway. Service is amazing and outstanding. Every person was super friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. We ordered the salmon appetizer which was amazing! The bread at the table was crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and that along with olives were awesome. The wine, which we got by the glass, was so good that my husband even approved and loved despite not being a wine person. We ended with dessert we got for free with the check in ( they gave us EACH a free one which I was not expecting) and it was hard not to lick the plate! We brought home our entrees which were outstanding. The osso buco is fall off the bone and melt in your mouth tender with amazing flavor and my husbands paella was fresh, delicious, and hard to stop sneaking bites of! Amazing experience and we will absolutely be back. read more

Lovely ambience. Good service. Delicious food. Good sized portions. Interesting menu variety. I went here 20 years ago and the food was just as good as I remembered. read more

I wanted to like this place. The proprietor greets you at the door with a welcoming smile. The rooms - there are several of them - are cozy and well appointed. It was Valentine's Day so the place was packed - but the service was just fine. HOWEVER - the food is awful. We had ersatz paella - more of a seafood saute' than real paella. Some of the shellfish was less than 100% fresh I fear. Also the cassoulet - again a bit ersatz and just OK. We won't be back read more

My husband and I went here for his birthday on a Sunday night. It didn't look like much on the inside but it has a window so you can watch them prepare your food and a big fire going to give it a nice atmosphere. I got the tortellini and it was excellent. The pasta was fresh as was the home-made sauce. My husband had the rack of lamb (their specialty) and he practically licked his plate clean. Service was prompt and friendly. We would absolutely go back. read more

Been here a few times over the years. I'd agree that it is overrated. tables crowded together and narrow aisles, noisy, so-so service, all at high end prices. Seems the menu has been the same for many years. Some dishes are pretty good through, such as the paella and rack of lamb. And I believe they have a full bar for those who are interested. Not that it is a bad restaurant, but there are better around. read more

Been coming here since I was little girl and food is always up to par; well on a good day. Some of the dish can be over seasoned some days but the quality of the food haven't changed at all. Few of the dish I would stay away here these days are pasta dishes. Something happened, its not what it seems. Appetizer's are must; like Escargot etc. Main dish is same as I remembered. If you want fun relaxing time with friends, come here for lunch. Dinner service can get little crowded and that's when mistakes happen in the kitchen. Great attentive service and food. read more

I made reservations here to celebrate John's 50th birthday dinner. We rented a Harley Davidson from SSF and rode down the coast. The maitre'd was incredibly friendly and the atmosphere was so quaint and romantic. We were in a little room with two other couples who were so nice. Dinner was incredible. Had the foie gras (AQ) which was more expensive than the entrees. I had the cassoulet and John had the osso bucco. We had a bottle of my favorite local wine--2007 Smith and Hook Cab. They gave us a complimentary dessert that were two miniature creme puffs filled with chocolate ice cream. I would go back there in a heart beat. read more

Been here several times, love their brunch as much as I enjoy their dinner. Definitely recommend everyone should put this on their bucket list. read more

Cool rustic looking place. Definitely family owned and you can feel how much those who work there care about the place and the food. Best calamari steak I have ever had and a beautiful wine list. My boyfriend took me here for Valentine's day 2011 and we had a very nice evening. I recommend this restaurant. read more

Can't beat the ambiance. Paella was not as good as I remembered, but everything else was really great. Service is fantastic.

I went with the bf for our one year anniversary, and to be honest I wasn't dazzled by the place. The service was FANTASTIC, don't get me wrong. But the prices of the food and the quality of the food did not match up. We started with a bottle of Silvestri Pinot Noir (our personal favorite) and went straight for the main courses. I ordered the Osso Bucco and the bf ordered the double lamb chops. The food was tasty, but NOT worth the price. The waiter bought us dessert for our special occasion, and it was a little sampler of a few of their desserts. The souffle was VERY good and the profiteroles were refreshing and creamy. All in all, I don't think I'll come back unless it's for lunch or someone else is paying. read more

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The osso bucco veal is the best meal I've ever had at a restaurant . Seriously

For the second in a row New Year's Eve dinner at Fandango, it just doesn't get any better than this. No surprise that I had the Sand Dabs. Why have anything else when I know this place does the best in preparing them and the taste........indescribably delicious. As busy as the restaurant was being that is was New Year's Eve, the customer service was spot on even with our large group of 10!! They were on top of everything! Some serious back-end workflow organization going on and I give all those working that evening an A+++ rating! What a treat it is to come here whenever I am in the area. read more

Really nice place. Great decor and good food. Started with escargot and French onion soup. Escargot was tender with the right amount of garlic and butter. Had short ribs and rack of lamb. Both were delicious and cooked to perfection. Service was perfect. Only a short ride from Monterray and well worth it! read more

a really good meal for both of us charming restaurant and colorfully decorated plus a fireplace excellent service right away and continued food exceptionally good and plentiful bread good and olive oil readily available plenty of good choices on menu for both vegetarians and not hostess actually came over to ask how we were doing a delightful experience read more