I've been coming to Pacific Grove for decades and have somehow managed to miss this wonderful gem of a restaurant...until today! From the warm greeting on arrival, the excellent service (thank you to Rich and his fellow staff), and every delicious bite, I was transported to the best meals I've had in Italy. The food is true to la madrepatria and you can taste the freshness, skill, and love that went into preparing it. I started with the Dungeness crab arancini as my appetizer (more like little balled crab cakes set atop a lovely cream sauce), then had the spicy squid ink scampi as the main course (incredible mix of wonderful flavors all complimenting and enhancing each other...be sure to squeeze the grilled lemon onto your meal to brighten it all up and if you enjoy a little extra spiciness, ask for some red pepper flakes to kick it all up even more!), and topped it all off with the lemon tart for dessert (the accompanying raspberry sauce was the perfect complement to the sweet zingy "lemoniness" of the tart). It was all delicious! I can't wait to come back! read more

I LOVE pasta and this spaghetti pomodoro from @ilvecchiopg in Monterey hit the spot. And they expanded their menu and offer more vegan options as well! (instagram: jax.vegan.eats) read more

il vecchio - Vegan spaghetti marinara (instagram: jax.vegan.eats) - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

The service and food were both fantastic. There were so many dishes that I wanted to try but decided I the Caesar salad and gorgonzola gnocchi. The salad had plenty of creamy Caesar and Parmesan. My gnocchi was different than most gnocchi I've had but was cheesy and delicious. I hope to go back and try other menu items. Edit: I made it back for the cannelloni and I'm so glad I did. It was one of the best dishes I have ever had! Soft pasta with creamy ricotta and a perfectly seasoned tomato sauce all baked in a skillet. It looks a little burnt but it didn't taste that way. All I wanted was more tomato sauce on it. read more

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GO. HERE. In town for a week. We have been here twice. Great drinks, food (pasta), wait staff and ambience. Here on a Thursday with live music in the background and an amazing wine selection and cocktails. Don't miss this place. read more

I have not been since the ownership change, but had lunch with mom at Il vecchio in Pacific Grove recently. Our server, Regina, was a hoot. Very friendly and cemented our choices. I decided to try the Carbonara. This is something I rarely like out which is why I chose it. My mom chose the Zoodle al Limone. The Carbonara claimed to be traditional style; eggs, guanciale, black pepper, pecorino, grana padano, poached egg, and crispy prosciutto. While not exactly a traditional preparation, it was quite delicious. The poached egg was cooked perfectly and the yolk added a lovely creaminess to the dish. What I could not eat, my mom did. The guanciale and prosciutto added the perfect amount of salt. Delicious! Mom's Zoodle al Limone was so fresh. Between the basil pesto, tomatoes, mushrooms and grilled lemon, there was quite a bit of flavor. A touch of parmigiana and it was the perfect lunch. Service was on point and friendly, the atmosphere is still quite cozy and they are once again offering a lunch specials menu. I can't wait to take my husband back for jazz night on Thursday. read more

il vecchio - Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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A group of us went down to Monterey for a golf trip and I was tasked with finding a place to eat for our first night there. After reading all the positive reviews, I made a reservation for 8 of us. We got there early and hung out at the bar, even though they offered to sit us down early (30 minutes). We told them that we were fine to be at the bar while we waited for the rest of our group. We all sat and ordered our food. We started off with the charred octopus and crab arancini. I'm not a big fan of octopus so I passed but everyone at the table raved about them. The arancini was delicious. I ordered the lasagna romana and it was a good portion. It was one of the best lasagnas I've had in a long time. Everyone at the table was happy with the meal and I got plenty of praise for picking this place. read more

My pasta (rigatoni) was incredible and I also got a side of seasonal vegetables that were very satisfying (well cooked and well-seasoned). The affogato was much bigger than expected and delicious! Unfortunately the seafood pasta was not good, the scallops were tough and the clams were sandy. We still had a lovely time though and our server was great! Fast service even though they were very busy. read more

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We called ahead to verify that there was outdoor seating, and the host was very kind and accommodating on the phone. When we arrived, our table was ready and we were able to order right away. While the food was good, my partner was wanting Parmesan on his gnocchi, and I could have used black pepper on mine, but our server seemed too busy to come and check on us outside, so we weren't able to ask for it. We would come again, but maybe when it's less busy! read more

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This spot was one of the most successful for a family meal. I like the rustic vibe and the fun chair mismatched throughout the restaurant. We arrived pretty much when they opened, which you can tell other families chose to do, as well. There was only one waitress for the whole restaurant, which made some things slow, but she was kind and appreciative of our patience. There are a bunch of coloring books and crayons available at the front. They were life savers. We ended up getting the cheese pasta and splitting between my two kids. It was really delicious; I even ended up eating many bites. My cod entree - recommended because it wasn't as messy as the sandwich - was really good. The side salad and rice were nice touches. We got $12 mimosas. I wish they had been a little more alcoholic, but they did the trick in this context. read more

il vecchio - Inside before the rush - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Tried our luck for a table on a busy Saturday night at 6:30. They said they wouldn't have a table available until 8:30, but we could wait for bar seating which would be maybe around 30min. We ended up waiting an hour (we waited outside and I think they forgot about us until we moved inside) but was worth it for a cozy table they referred to as "the nook." For the apps we got the burnt grapes with whipped feta - different, fresh, light - and crab arancini - savory, perfectly crisp on the outside, flavorful. As our entrees we got the rigatoni and braised short rib with carrots and polenta. Both were so good and very decent sized portions (we had enough left over for a second meal). The noodles were al dente perfection! We got a sneak peek of the noodles being handmade near the host stand while waiting. We tried the tiramisu and chocolate cake for dessert. I was blown away by the tiramisu as I don't normally like tiramisu. It was well balanced, the espresso was not bitter or overwhelming. The chocolate cake was also great, not too chocolatey and somehow light for such a decadent dessert. The service from start to finish was welcoming and relaxed even though they were packed. The ambience is rustic and homey. We had a great evening and will be back for sure! read more

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This cute little Italian restaurant was quite the surprise. Our server Lisa was great. We let her know what type of drinking we wanted and she knew exactly what to suggest. They were delicious!! The sourdough cheesy garlic bread was absolutely delicious. Just the right amount of garlic and cheese. The clam chowder was nice and creamy We order the lasagna and three-cheese pasta with white sauce and chicken They were both amazing! 10/10 would recommend!! read more

AMAZING. everything is home made and delightful. Please stop here and try the food. I got the carbonara and it was delicious and delightful. read more

The food was amazing. We got there right when they opened and were able to get seated immediately. We order 6 items off the menu and everything was amazing and very flavorful. As soon as you walk in you see them making the fresh pasta. I left full but not uncomfortable because everything was clean ingredients. Whenever we come back to Monterey we will definitely come back. read more

il vecchio - Spaghetti (Dinner) - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

The menu offers a diverse selection of dishes, and I was particularly impressed with the seasonal ingredients they use. I started with the roasted beet salad, which was fresh and beautifully presented. For my main course, I opted for the grilled salmon, which was cooked to perfection and accompanied by a flavorful quinoa pilaf. The service was attentive without being intrusive, and our server was knowledgeable about the menu, providing great recommendations. The only downside was the wait time for our food, which was a bit longer than expected, especially during peak hours. Dessert was a highlight! I highly recommend the chocolate lava cake--it was rich, decadent, and the perfect way to end the read more

il vecchio - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Service was good. Ambiance was good. Food. Food was not good. I'm sorry, I tried but it was awful. Everything tasted just awful. To start I tried the pumpkin soup. I know, I know... I can still see my husband's eye roll, but I wanted to try it. It's a firm no for me. Tasted like chicken and canned pumpkin. The bread slice in it was burned and added nothing. A soggy mess. We ordered - Carbonara and Spaghetti with meatballs as our entrees. With a side of extra meatballs. Our server (who was excellent btw) suggested both dishes because it was homemade fresh pasta. I will say that the spaghetti was better. The carbonara noodles were exceedingly thick and chewy. The spaghetti sauce ... left something to be desired. The meatballs were tough and hard to cut. The carbonara sauce was greasy. The pancetta was cooked great and was tasty. I do wish there were options for another protein. Our Hail Mary was the tiramisu but it also was not what you expect from a restaurant with 4 solid stars. IMO it was overly sweet, too much rum and soggy. I prefer the ladyfingers to not be mush. I'm just saying... if you go out to eat, you expect to get something you can't make at home. Or something you look forward to. I'd say that the locals that enjoy this place are probably assisting a memory with the food. And that's fine but at least be honest about the food. I've wanted to try this place for a while and I'm just sad that the flavors did not excite my palate. I love a good Italian meal but there are far better places nearby that are worth the money. This menu could be excellent! It just needs more flavor. We probably will not go back. read more

il vecchio - Pumpkin soup - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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The restaurant has changed owners or management or something and, although the menu is pretty much the same, the food is not as good as previous years. They no longer have the pizza; the gnocchi still has a good consistency but the gorgonzola sauce was overpowering whereas previously it was light but flavorful. Still a cute place for Italian dining that won't break the bank, but probably won't go back. read more

this used to be my favorite Italian Restaurant. I dined there tonight expecting a great meal. WAS I WRONG!' !!' I had the worst Italian dinner ever!! How can one screw up Lasagna?!! They did!!! Their food was an insult to all the amazing Italian cooks on the Monterey Peninsula!! Never will I bother with them again...too many others, including my own, to enjoy the great cuisine of Italy. DON't waste your time or your money!!! read more

It's a nice Italian restaurant with a cozy and nicely decorated interior. I was quite impressed by everything we ordered here. My favorite was the charred octopus. It was perfectly charred, very crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It was served either capers, corn, and potatoes which went perfectly together. The pesto gnocchi and mussels were also excellent. The only downside to the experience was that the bread was served cold, but aside from that everything was great. Overall I was really impressed by the experience almost ended up coming back the very next day. read more

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It's very solid. Cute interior with some straightforward food that is well prepared. Can be a little loud and on the weekends the service is a little slow because they're busy. read more

il vecchio - Multiple different options for gelato served in large glass which is enough for two or even three people. - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

I made a Valentine's Day reservation and they called me 5 days before the reservation to cancel it. They then proceeded to charge my card for a no show despite cancelling the reservation on their end. I am very disappointed in this outcome and hope they make it right. read more

Ordered online-- no spot to put allergies. Called and couldn't get a hold of a human to convey allergies. Asked the door dasher to ask, and they would not tell him. Food was just okay for the price. read more

We had an amazing birthday dinner, and LAURA was an amazing, attentive, kind, and knowledgeable waitress. We had friends from out of town and this was the perfect spot to showcase amazing authentic cuisine. read more

It's a very cozy restaurant and good for friend gatherings (maybe smaller groups). Great service and amazing food! Their salad, pasta, and dessert all have almost perfect taste. We will definitely visit again when we are in Monterey next time! read more

Absolutely delicious. I was in Monterrey for a two week trip and we ate here 3 times. The pasta was so yummy, the meatballs were great, and there is a peak-a-boo view to the ocean read more

Amazing pasta dishes! We arrived late in the evening and ready for great cuisine. Ambiance is cozy and nice for a date night. However, we just have to call out the exceptional Saffron Seafood pasta- chef's kiss! Everything on we ordered was great tasting and matched the ambiance of the place. However, this dish will have us returning as it's a dish we don't commonly see at other Italian establishments. Mmm mmm good! read more

il vecchio - Starter - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Incredible experience! Casual but felt like a white-linen high-end evening. EXTRAORDINARY service! Friendly, knowledgeable and seamless. Before we could ask,it seemed, our wishes were fulfilled. Food was outstanding! Grilled octopus, mussels in white wine cream, carbonara and tiramisu. Recommend it all. Really appreciated that even though it was very busy, we were able to hold a conversation easily! Very quaint. We will be back!! read more

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2024/07/10 We came for happy hour and were surprised to see some things were different. We learned that the owner had recently changed (the previous owner was in his 80's). The menu was different and prices went up. This time we sat in a corner booth in front of the window - lots of natural lighting, felt very private from the inside the restaurant (of course, people outside could watch you just as much as you're watching them). I wish I knew about this corner booth earlier! We had a chill time and our waitress was fantastic. Food service was incredibly quick. The cocktails and starters were pretty different from the original menu. We started with some cocktails (Lorenzo and Medici). We liked the Medici better but they were both good cocktails. For starters, we had the eggplant parmesan fritto (cashew red bell pepper, pesto, and lemon aioli dips) and berries & burrata salad. The cashew red bell pepper dip was our favorite. Berries and burrata was also delicious, but ours seemed to miss the candied pecans. Not a huge loss to us. We ordered our favorites (lamb pappardelle, mafaldine osso bucco) and are happy to say they taste just like we remember! There was a slight change to the lamb pappardelle, a Fresno chili topping. I was excited for the chili, but was disappointed with the sugar flakes the chili was tossed in. I can't tell if next time I'd order it with or without the chili on top. I love chili peppers and this was actually had some heat to it! We were too full to order dessert, but we were happy to see that the dessert menu practically stayed the same! Would definitely come again! read more

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The restaurant has amazing pasta! The service is great the ambience is beautiful and the food is just fantastic. Prepare to be amazed!

Beautiful place with warm atmosphere. We ordered pasta and wine and it was delicious and good portions. read more

Just saw from another patron that the owners sold last year. When I looked at the menu I saw my favorites were no longer on the menu. There are few seafood dihes offered, I always ordered the rock cod and it was no longer on the menu. I ordered the osso buco and expected succulent meat but it was stringy. We will probably find another favorite restaurant when we come to town. read more

Amazing restaurant! Fantastic fresh food. Everything so well done. The BEST cocktails with a rockstar bartender Laura! She's an artist! The owner Kelly was also super cool. Great vibe. This place is a must! Our new fav! read more

il vecchio - Grilled octopus - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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This place is amazing. We are visiting Monterey and il vecchio was recommended to us from a local. I now know why. The service and ambiance were great and the food was absolutely amazing. We ordered the butternut squash starter, the Italian meatballs and the rigatoni ragu. All amazing but the butternut squash ravioli and the meatballs are an absolute must to start w and share. We will be coming back to Monterey because I know we will be craving this delicious food. read more

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What a wonderful evening at il vecchio! My partner and I arrived early to our reservation so we sat at the bar for an appetizer and drinks. Our bartender Arturo, blew us away with his attentiveness and kindness. We mentioned we were celebrating a birthday and he made us a special blueberry shooter YUM! We stayed for dinner at the bar and enjoyed the fantastic food. The burrata is a must have, and their homemade (daily) pesto was phenomenal. Arturo made our night truly special, we are very grateful. All of the staff were attentive and kind as well. read more

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We were very excited about spending another Christmas Eve at Il Vecchio and invited close family members to join us. One of them has had an absolutely horrible year and we were looking forward to helping her end the year on a happy note. We drove 45 minutes in the rain to get there only to find a note on the door that they were closed due to a power outage that apparently had been underway since midday. Of course we understand that unavoidable things happen but they should have notified their customers in time to make other plans. We booked online so our contact information was available but no text, no call, no email. About 5 minutes after the time of our reservation it was suddenly canceled on the app. Uh, thanks but letting us know AFTER the time of our reservation was too late to avoid a ruined evening. Very disappointing and frankly embarrassing given that we organized the evening. read more

I came here for dinner with my cousin who's been here several times and loves it. We read the menu prior to arriving so I knew what I wanted. I ordered the lamb pappardelle and she ordered gnocchi osso bucco and both dinners were great. There was a lot of food on each plate and we felt each could serve two people. Our issue was with the service, which was extremely lacking. First off, the woman who sat us was really unfriendly. No greeting, no smile, just sat us and walked away. The menu was on the table which was so sticky that it was hard to peal it off. Maybe 15 minutes went by before we were ready to get up and go when a waiter came by and served us water. He asked what we wanted to order and my cousin, who was not in a good mood by now, asked me if I wanted a cocktail first. I asked for wine and she ordered prosecco. He took our order and maybe what felt like 10 minutes went by before we were served our drinks. Neither of us were happy. We finished our wonderful meals, gave a measly tip and left. It's hard to say if I'll be back because I loved my food. But I have very little patience for such unfriendly staff and poor service. The employees set the tone for a business and this group said "you're here bothering us". read more

Obsessed with the Carbonara and the Ragu here! Both were recommended by our waiter and it did not disappoint. We stopped by for an early lunch and did not have a reservation, which was no problem because it wasn't that busy yet. Our waiter was very friendly and did amazing with the recommendations. We really enjoyed lunch here and I would definitely want to come back if I am every back in the area. Setting was very nice and loved that it was easy to get to. We found street parking easily but I dont think it'll be too hard to find parking in this part of town. Highly recommend if you are in the mood for Italian! read more

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This used to be my favorite restaurant in PG. What happened? Food is still very good, but not what it once was. Portion sizes and menu choices have shrunk a bit. The atmosphere was pleasant, but the table surface was very sticky. Service was lackluster. I just paid $24 (30 with tip) for a lunch serving of pasta with no salad, no bread. I won't be going back to Il Vecchio! read more

delicious food. Great cocktails. Good service. My favorite restaurant We were there last night for New Year's Eve. The new ownership has really expanded the staff and menu. My partner ordered lasagne and it came in a very large offering with some deliciousness, although not much pasta that he could find. Two things...the restaurant at 5:00 (our usual time to dine there) is very cold so seeing the patrons all still in their winter coats while dining gives you a hint to layer up! Many times restaurants leave their doors open for the staff who are moving swiftly around and who are heated...not so the customers who are sitting....Also, cut the music! The chosen tunes and music were loud and incongruous with the usual great ambiance there. Also, if you are ordering gluten free pasta, ask for it to be cooked an extra 2 minutes...three times I have ordered it and it comes undercooked and actually crunchy. It is most probably timed for a very certain cooking time. When I take my pasta leftovers home and put them in the microwave, it is cooked a little more and tastes much better. Other than that (hopefully constructive criticism), the restaurant is really thriving, has opened up more daily servings, offers the great ambiance and food that we have come to expect from Il Vecchio....For now I won't be ordering gluten free pasta. read more

Amazing vibe, food, and cocktails, would highly recommend and can't wait to come back and try more things on the menu. We had the fried artichoke and the arancini apps, both were innovative and delicious! We had the pappardelle ragu and pappardelle seafood pastas as entrees and they were amazing, I wish I had two stomachs so I could eat more. Cocktails were delicious and high quality too , staff were super friendly . read more

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Food is Delicious, the service is great and it had a great vibe for casual or date night.