Amazing service. Rich and Gerry were absolutely fantastic. The food was amazing. Enjoyed my trip there with my friend Peggy

A definite stop when in Monterey and Carmel.Simple yet elegant and delicious dishes to indulge every visit.Love the attention to details and the ambiance.The service is top notch! It is totally a must! read more

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I've been coming here for almost 40 years -- since the days it was called Shabu Shabu. I'm embarrassed that it's taken me this long to post a review! While original owner Kenny retired 5 years ago, the Flying Fish is still my all-time favorite restaurant. The food is always excellent and the friendly service is just outstanding. Whether ordering the clay pot "Shabu Shabu" or from the regular menu, I can honestly say I've never had a bad meal or bad experience here. We now live in Tucson and visit Big Sur once a year. That visit always includes dinner at the Flying Fish. My thanks to the wonderful Flying Fish staff for keeping Kenny's vision alive. read more

We love the Flying Fish but unfortunately the dinner we had on March 17th wasn't very good. My wife had the shrimp and scallops, which she described as over cooked and rubbery. I had the steak and it was very sinewy. The service was wonderful, as always, and we love the atmosphere but the food was not up to par. read more

A hidden gem in Carmel by the sea. Wonderful service, private ambiance and respectful customers. Food is fantastic

Food-Excellent Service - excellent Ambiance is lacking too noisy at times Great location!!! read more

Great service, food, and ambiance. This place feels so cozy and the food is seriously heartwarming. I recommend this to anyone who wants some fresh seafood cooked in unique flavors. The halibut is to die for. read more

Flying Fish Grill - Calamari - Japanese Near Me - Carmel, California

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When you read all these other reviews "perfect date night spot" "first time review in 20 years" and your hopes are up.. you found a gem right?? Monterey is spoiled by the views that I think folks forget what food, the celebration of product and people really are. My date doesn't eat meat. Needed to find a mid fancy, yummy place and stumbled upon this one. I spoke highly of the reviews, highly of its location just to be let down by half hazard poor execution of what I could tell was really good fish. There aren't chefs here. There are cooks here. And that's okay. My expectations were too high and sadly I was let down. Date was salvaged with impossible burgers and vanilla shakes if you're wondering:) read more

Flying Fish Grill - Japanese Near Me - Carmel, California

Bit of a text wall but Rich was so great! We called in 55 minutes before closing and spoke to Rich who was very welcoming! After we struggled to find the location, he personally came out onto the street to guide us in, making sure we were comfortably seated quickly with our dog. Not only did he prepare a table but he also brought us heaters for the chilly afternoon! He also gave us an excerpt about the restaurants interesting history(Originally, it was a more traditional Japanese restaurant specializing in shabu shabu, after a bit of an owner swap, the original owners then added a western spin to the setting and menu), while being extremely personable and hospitable. Rich went above and beyond in making the accommodations for our dinner. We ended up ordering a seafood pasta and a seafood clay pot(which is exactly a like a shabu shabu/hot pot). The sauce and most of the fish was pretty pretty good and tasted great, however the mussels and clams could use some improvement. The interior of the restaurant is really warmly lit and comfortable. The service of the wait staff was good, they were attentive and proactive! But the experience with Rich definitely makes the establishment have a high reputation in my regard. Thanks Rich! read more

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Wonderful ambience. The service was on spot. The good was absolutely delicious. The "chips" that they bring to table so awesome!!! read more

Cute litlle place cozy and service very friendly Food amazing you should try halibut and seabass . Looking forward to come back

Just wonderful at every turn!!! We had a delicious anniversary meal and felt well taken care of. We arrived in this beautiful underground, Japanese restaurant that was dimly lit and inviting! The staff could not have been more gracious or welcoming. We were there celebrating our 21st wedding anniversary and they treated us beautifully. We ordered wonderful sake and had a delicious special, salad appetizer. We followed up with two delicious fish dishes. The black cod and I'm forgetting what my husband had- I think the almond Seabass. Both were outstanding and beautifully cooked, delicate and moist, not dry and overcooked. Then we finished the meal with two ice cream sundae. Fun and yummy, but a bit heavy. Not our first choice for dessert, but no complaints really. At the end, the host came over and told us wonderful stories about the history of flying fish grill and the previous owners. We will def return! Thank u!! read more

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We are here every time we are in the Carmel/Monterey area. The ambiance is a lot of warm wood and Asian flair. We have ordered the abalone for years. The preparation is probably the best meal we've ever eaten. That's saying a lot. The abalone, the sauce, so tender and incredible. Abalone is farmed in nearby Monterey. Before the meal you'll get fried wonton chips with a gingery salsa. Perfect to get you ready. After the meal, order the tempura banana sundae. Another taste bender you'll love. I almost forgot the staff. They're so friendly and helpful. Their fun attitudes are infectious. This place is a must as is the abalone. read more

Flying Fish Grill - Abalone, rice and spinach. Unbeatable - Japanese Near Me - Carmel, California

There's something about seafood I just can't stay away from. However, Flying Fish Grill missed the mark. I've had my share of excellent seafood, but this restaurant was sub par. The best way I could describe it is mediocre food dressed up nicely. Appetizers: They was nothing to write home about. For the appetizers, we had the tempura, California tower, artichoke and pan fried oysters. The price point for everything was not worth the food delivered. I've had better tempura at simple sushi restaurants for less than half the price. The California tower seemed like it had ingredients you can get from your general grocery store. The artichoke seemed like a simple boiled artichoke. It wasn't roasted no seasoned and was something you can prep at home in the amount of time it takes to boil water. The pan fried oysters felt like it was an excuse to hide oysters that were fresh. There wasn't even an option to order fresh oysters to compare. Dinner: Our dinner meals were not satisfying. I had the Rare Peppered Ahi and despite it being in the name, the Ahi was overshadowed by the amount of sugar and sesame in the sauce. The ahi was underwhelming. The angel hair pasta seemed cut in half and each noodle just didn't have the ratio to enjoy with amount of sauce that was present. The seafood pasta was also underwhelming. The sake butter sauce and shiso herb didn't really compliment the seafood and the angel hair served had the same problem mentioned previously. The seafood was tough and over cooked. Location/Ambiance: Carmel has a nice view and it's tourist filled streets contributes to the atmosphere. The restaurant atmosphere itself was pleasant. It was a set of small seating areas/booths and it made the environment more intimate with your party. However, it felt cramped and claustrophobic. To me it resembled closest to being under the deck on a boat. Service: The service during our meal was great. Our server really took care of us during dinner. However, a simple misunderstanding with reading the bill lead to an interaction that left me feeling uneasy. He chased us out and up the stairs to make sure we tipped him properly, which was fine with me and lead to over a 25% tip. However it was unprofessional that once we resolved things, he complain go our wives separately as they were leaving the restroom area. He told them we "stiffed him on the tip". Overall: If you have the option to go to a seafood restaurant elsewhere, I would do so. If it weren't for our service during our meal and the location, this review would be much less. Simply put, this is a place with food. read more

Flying Fish Grill - Seafood Pasta - Japanese Near Me - Carmel, California

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Carmel's hidden gem! We absolutely had the best time here at the Flying Fish, the staff are very friendly and they really know their menu, the place is understated charming. 5 stars I really have to emphasize how amazing the staff of Flying fish are. After seeing some of the photos on yelp, I was craving Oysters on the half shell, however, to my disappointment the oysters weren't really on the menu or to be honest I thought I heard it never was but our AMAZING server I don't know how he did it managed to make it happen, my friend and I had our share of oysters that evening until we're ready to move on to the next course of the evening. So here are the highlights of our visit at the flying fish while having a lovely glass of Bernardus Chardonay... ...The Rare Peppered Ahi.. Okay, how do I explain this without sounding uhhm...vulgar...lol The dish literally put the "O" in the "My Gosh", a dish worthy to be called "Orgasmic" ha ha - all kidding aside, The pepper crusted Ahi was beautifully cooked to perfection - C'est incroyable! not to mention the freshness of the tuna and how generous the serving was, served on a mound of Angel hair pasta with mushroom and garnishing - this was truly one unforgettable dish which made my drive back to Carmel worth every mile. je l'adore...mwah! My friend had the Grilled Salmon ( I know right? sounds pretty boring...but wait! ) by the way he cleaned his plate, I was sure the Salmon was far from boring, there was none left but remnants of the match stick veggies. There is only one way to complete this amazing experience at the Flying Fish, we both had a slice of their sinfully rich and decadent chocolat cake, I swear I could eat another one or two of those but they're gonna have to wheel me off with a wheel barrow. J'aime tout ce que nous avons mangé, I highly recommend this place and definitely a permanent "go to place" in my book when I'm back in the lovely City by the Sea. read more

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I've dined at FF numerous times and it is always a great experience. I plan on returning many times in the future! Excellent food an attentive staff. read more

This was my first time at this place and definitely not the last. Everything was amazing! Delicious food!! Service is superb!! The staff are amazing! Ambience is great! read more

I'd hoped to love this place but I unfortunately left a little disappointed. There was a hair in the appetizer, which bummed me out. The menu seems to be some sort of American/Italian/Asian-fusion (?) but I don't think the food is executed that well. The interior decor is also a little eclectic; there are Japanese-inspired prints on the wall, but this Japanese theme is also accompanied by metal pipes and fish bait that just made the interior look a little tacky. Service was good but nothing exceptional. Overall, not a *terrible* experience per se but I expected more from a higher-end restaurant with these price points. We started off with the calamari, which was the special appetizer for the night. The fried calamari was good and I enjoyed the aioli that accompanied it, but my mood was kinda ruined when I found a hair in the calamari. We brought it up to our server, Christine I believe, who was sweet enough to check in with the kitchen staff and take our appetizer away. We got the appetizer taken off our bill, but I wished we were given another appetizer or extra chips instead to make up for the calamari. The menu seems outdated and confused....? The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't great, and I was left wondering what the goal of the menu was. The restaurant advertises itself as offering East-West seafood, but the fusion execution made the food bland and confusing. For example, I ordered the Black Bean Halibut: the halibut of self was tender and super flaky and pretty tasty, but it was accompanied by unseasoned white rice and unseasoned steamed zucchini noodles. I was there were more spices and creativity, and therefore more to love. I'm Chinese and love love love Asian cuisines, so it was a little weird to see this East-West fusion carried out so.... poorly? Flying Fish Grill was okay, but I don't think I'd come here again :( read more

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We spent the past Saturday in Carmel, we were trying to find a good seafood restaurant and Flying Fish Grill's great reviews interest us. We try calling them during the day but wasn't able to get a hold of anyone. So we called an hour before they open, someone answered and we made reservation at 5pm, which was their open hour for dinner. My husband almost chose some place else, but he opted for Flying Fish Grill, which was a great decision. As we arrived, the gentleman greeted us and took us for indoor dinning area downstairs. Just FYI, if you have stroller, you would need to carry it downstairs, there was no elevator. The restaurant setting was quite intimate and cozy. We were greeted with a gentleman right away, he patiently explained the items on the menu, as well as the specials for the day. We ordered Abalone dish as our appetizer, then the Halibut and Black Cod as our main course. The Abalone was just ok, it's quite expensive for having 6 thin pieces. The fishes were very fresh, considering the halibut was steamed without fishy smell. I also like how they didn't "over-salting" their dishes like most of the restaurants do. For dessert, we ordered their Crème brûlée, wasn't a big fan, it tasted kind of old-ish. Overall pleasant experience with main course and service, and the alcohol was reasonable priced as well. Will definitely come back. read more

On a cold and wet Monday evening, we dined at Flying Fish for a birthday dinner. We knew it had changed ownership a while ago but we were reassured that the quality and ambience that we enjoyed on our last visit before Covid remained intact. Still great! The servers were attentive, engaging and experienced. We ordered a sashimi appetizer, black bean halibut, black cod and the tempura banana dessert. Throughly enjoyed it all! After our early dinner we walked along Ocean Ave and noticed how many restaurants had empty tables. Not so at Flying Fish. It appeared that we were not alone with our assessment and patronage. read more

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This is by far my favorite restaurant! If I could have one meal it would be the Almond seabass from the flying fish. I like to split this with friends. They bring complimentary wonton chips with an amazing ginger salsa...honestly I I would buy it in a store if they sold it. Their lemon garlic edamame is superb as well. The friendliness of the staff is great. My mom shared how we had been coming to visit at least once a year. The waiter Tony ended our night saying "Come back home soon." It was such a sweet thing to say, looking forward to the return. And they also have sweet little nooks for people to sit in. read more

Flying Fish Grill - Japanese Near Me - Carmel, California

Both the service and food here were excellent. I was super happy when the server said all the soy-based sauces could be made gluten free. They don't say that on the website, so I'm sharing it here. We came around 6pm on a Saturday evening, asked for an outside table, and were seated right away. If you sit outside, you can't order the clay pot or shabushabu dishes. SERVICE The server was super accommodating. The California tower was served with soy sauce, and the server brought me tamari without being asked -- in my experience, this does not usually happen at restaurants. Also unprompted, he brought me a gluten-free alternative for the free salsa served with fried wontons. He checked in just the right amount, and the rest of the staff always made sure we had water refilled. The only minor complaint is that it took a little longer to get the check than I would have liked. (I don't know exactly how long we waited, but it was long enough that I wondered where it was.) FOOD The California tower was a little light on the avocado, but other than that, it was delicious. The mayo was on the side, which was great because smothering real crab in mayo would be less than ideal. I had the grilled salmon with grilled onigiri and julienne veggies. Seafood is always a risk because it's so easy to overcook, but the salmon was cooked to perfection. The salmon had a nice flavor, and it was a good portion size as well. The veggies were good; the seasoning was a little too similar to the salmon, but I liked them. I was very excited about the grilled onigiri because I've had them in Japan and was excited to have one again, but it was a bit disappointing: cold, too dense and small, and not as grilled as expected. My husband (who does not eat gluten free) had the ahi tuna pasta, which he said was tasty. I didn't try it, but the seared tuna looked picture perfect as well. I can't speak to any desserts since we were too full to have any. IN CLOSING This place is not cheap, but it cost what I expected for seafood in a generally expensive area. We had a great experience with both service and food, so it was worth the cost for high quality gluten-free food, and we would definitely come here again the next time we are in Carmel. read more

Flying Fish Grill - Grilled Salmon Fillet - Japanese Near Me - Carmel, California

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Horrible service! If I could leave a zero star I would! Didn't even get to try the food because the greeter - host was rude and borderline racist. We were standing at the door waiting to be seated or at least greeted but instead he first ignored us and then rudely asked with an attitude "can I help you?" after he saw us sitting there waiting for him to finish getting off the phone. If someone is standing there... what else could we want except to be seated! So disappointing- was looking forward to trying their food. read more

This. Is. Amazing. Food: Amazing. Service: Amazing. And a VERY cozy atmosphere! I just LOVED the little booths you sit in! Highly recommended. read more

First-timer fish-loving foodie visiting Carmel for the first time with friends. We based our visit here on reviews that mentioned how outstanding it was. So our expectations were very high, and that of course colored our experience. Flying Fish grill is good and fun! But we didn't feel it was outstanding - it's a cute, small spot with great service and very positive energy. Food is definitely good but this is not five-star dining. The wonton crisps/ginger salsa was a nice touch to start the meal. Appetizers were solid. Entrees - our underdone halibut needed to be sent back for a few more minutes, and the side of pinenut rice we ordered was literally white rice with a couple of pinenuts on top (the curry rice was better). Ahi entree was tasty, just *barely* seared (I like it that way, some may not). Beer and wine only, no bar and no cocktails. Owner was personable, funny and clearly passionate about providing a great customer experience. Again, service was very friendly and efficient on every level. 4 out of 5 stars. Manage your expectations and have fun. read more

We had dinner tonight. Service and food were excellent as usual. I love the coziness of this restaurant and the staff. The staff is so personable and thee ambiance is so romantic. We had the beef clay pot and sashimi today. We will definitely be back again. read more

What a great way to start our weekend in Carmel. I will start with the service, it was friendly and personable. Our server made great recommendations and promptly saw to our needs. We really enjoyed the atmosphere, the tables are in small sections so it like private dining and super cozy. Everything we ate was well made, fresh and delicious. It is hard to pick out the highlights: the black bean halibut was the best halibut I have ever had. It was perfectly cooked, moist and tender. The mushrooms served with it were a great addition. The ahi was once again perfectly cooked (surprisingly hard to find), our only complaint was the dish was a little sweet even with the delicious pickled cabbage. To end the night we got the tempura banana sundae and it was a great ending. Our waiter surprised us with a sample of the green tea ice cream and hot fudge and it was a great pairing. I would highly recommend coming here if in the area. read more

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Great food and excellent service. Reservation HIGHLY recommended as this is a small establishment. Note, there are some steps (about 8-10 in order to access restaurant). read more

One of the highlights of our Carmel trip. Had we stayed another night, we would have gone back because there were too many dishes we didn't get to try. Loved the seafood pasta and their specialty sea bass was wonderful. Reasonable prices, charming interior, great service and won ton chips and ginger salsa were a fresh delicious substitute for bread and butter. read more

Flying Fish Grill - Sea Bass - Japanese Near Me - Carmel, California

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The staff and food are amazing. We can hardly wait until our next visit back to Carmel and our top restaurant choice will be the Flying Fish Grill. A very relaxed environment! read more

The food is awesome mouth watering. people are character in a very good way. They are very nice. read more

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Pandemic Review My wife and I came here on a getaway trip to a Monterey when outdoor dining was still allowed. We were searching for some nice seafood restaurants and saw that the reviews for this place was pretty good so we decided to check it out. The restaurant complies with health guidelines as they told everyone to wear a mask and tables were spread far apart to comply with social distancing. Our server explained the menu thoroughly and also made some recommendations to us as it was our first time at the restaurant. I ordered the NY strip steak as we rarely have beef at home so it was a chance for me to indulge. My wife got the seafood pasta which tasted very fresh! Before we received our main dishes, they served us these fried wonton crackers with salsa which gave us a great snack while we waited for our meals. As we were eating outdoors, we weren't left in the cold and were provided with plenty of heat lamps to keep us warm throughout the night. Parking for this restaurant can be complicated as it is in downtown Carmel, so you may need to park a little further out or get lucky with street parking. Overall, we had a great experience and if we were to come back - we'd definitely stop by at this restaurant again! read more

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Food is amazing and service equally as good. Wife had black bean salmon and I had the abalone. Both were super fresh and expertly prepared. Abalone is a must try and a favorite lifetime dish. Rich our server was equally amazing. read more

Once again, even under very challenging circumstances, we had an excellent meal and wonderful dining experience at the Flying Fish Grill! Would we have preferred sitting in the cozy restaurant? Of course! But, these days, we all do what we have to do and the staff and kitchen at the Flying Fish were amazingly efficient and charming, despite having to go up-and-down the stairs all night. All we had to do was sit down and enjoy ... which we did! We started with the excellent Tempura appetizer which we also enjoyed with complimentary fried won ton skin "chips" service with a delicious fruity/spicy salsa. These went VERY well with a split of Veuve Clicquot! My wife enjoyed the YinYan Salmon which was a perfectly prepared and generous portion. I had the Almond Sea Bass; again perfectly cooked, flavorful and moist fish with the nice crunchy almond crust. I asked for rice ball instead of the whipped potatoes (personal thing) and the crispy rice ball went perfectly with my fish. Our Kistler Chardonnay was a treat with our meal and we will look forward to enjoying this in the years to come! Dessert was a very rich and chocolatey decadence cake which we had to take back to our hotel room since we were stuffed! Next time we will be sure to try the Banana sundae. Lastly, the Rebel Czech beer is amazingly delicious. Thank you for letting me try it, Jan! I will look for it elsewhere but will try to bet back to the Flying Fish to enjoy one with you! Whenever you're in Carmel, treat yourself to this great restaurant. You will not be disappointed. Be sure to dress accordingly if you're sitting outside. We brought extra sweaters and lap blankets and found it to be quite cozy. Thank you. read more

Delicious food! Highly recommend, we ordered the black bean halibut and Nikumaki. The inside feels Intimate and the staff is so kind and attentive. We will be back again. read more

The best food. Best ambiance. Best service. Can't say enough about how wonderful this restaurant is! As a business owner here in Carmel I really appreciate being able to eat there often! read more

This place used to be good. Dishes tasted cheap and we didn't even finish ours. So sad because I used to love this place.

This restaurant is probably the most expensive one that I've been to in years and the food can speak for itself. We had reservations at 6:30 pm on a Saturday night so there was no waiting time. We had a party of six, five adults and one child and the seating arrangement was interesting -- two tables, one party of two, and one party of four. The menu was elaborate and simple at the same time. We each shared some appetizers and each ordered our own entrees. I ordered the Seasoned Peppered Ahi, which was basically seared tuna order a plate of noodles and mushrooms. So the reason why we came to this restaurant was to celebrate my dad's eightieth birthday. The service was great, and he ordered the Halibut correct me if I'm wrong. We stayed at the restaurant for about two hours, the service being slow but steady. Like I said, the food was good and the service was excellent Will be back again if in town. read more

After looking at approx 15 different restaurants, we decided to stop in to the flying fish grill. It is very cute and intimate setting. We didn't have a reservation, but the host was able to squeeze us in, despite the fact that there are only 45 seats in this underground restaurant. We started with the garlic edamame, which was absolutely delicious. I ordered the halibut, and it was by far the best halibut I've ever had in my entire life. I couldn't even eat anything else on the plate because I didn't want to take away from the deliciousness of the fish. I'm sure everything else is amazing on the menu, but if you are a fan of halibut, even if you aren't a fan of halibut, get the it! We are going to be here for three days and I would love to be able to eat here for every single meal and try everything on the menu. run don't walk if you're in the area and looking for a fantastic dining experience. All of the staff were very friendly, and we truly enjoyed our experience from the moment we sat down. We will be back. read more

Flying Fish Grill - Black Bean Halibut!!! - Japanese Near Me - Carmel, California

Great service, lots of jokes and happiness. The food was spot on, best meal of our trip so far! The chicken breast was delicious with a side of veggies and rice. It's real cozy inside and has small booths to sit in with pillows. They can make the salmon, chicken, most of the meals into a kids meal(half the portion and price)! Loved it. Five stars. Period. read more