3/3/26- Portola Hotel & Spa Started the evening at Jack's where Juan made an excellent Cadillac margarita -- absolutely delicious. After that, we headed over to Peter B's to watch the game, where Alex the bartender greeted us and made us feel welcome. It didn't make much sense to have live music at a sports bar on game night, but Zack was really great and did a fantastic job. Victoria and Spencer were amazing -- attentive and friendly throughout the night. Andy, the busser, kept everything spotless -- no dirty dishes left on the table. Overall, a fun night with great service all around. read more

It's Christmas Day and we decided to have Christmas dinner at Jack's Monterey. My mom is 90 years old and wanted something easy, no faft, so, we were happy to comply. We were sat at our table and waited about 10 minutes for our server to come and recognize that we needed two more menus and silverware settings. We gave up and I hunted for them myself. The server finally came to the table and we ordered waters and two coffees. Only water was brought to the table, so after 25 minutes I went to the host stand to make a personal request for coffee. That took another 10 minutes to receive. The food was generic and the Christmas turkey dinner was lukewarm. The turkey was a bit dry and tough to chew, so I asked for a large serving of gravy for our table to add some hydration within our dish. The ambience was non-celebratory with the exception of a couple Christmas trees that you pass to get to the restaurant, within the entrance of the hotel. We expected the trees in the restaurant, where we were sat, to have a decorative treatment with ornaments--nothing. It was also quite cold, somewhat of a wind tunnel because of where the doors exist. We will never go here again. read more

Our stay included bottomless mimosas and breakfast! Our first visit was great. Our server was attentive and wonderful! The food was good. Our second visit, the manager didn't smile much yet seated us right away. Our server was okay and informed us about extra charges for avocado, which we weren't charged the day before. We were fine with the charges. Later, the manager came to check on us and asked who our last server was. I did not want to get any one in trouble given the way she was asking. It wasn't a good feeling. She could work on being friendlier. I hope they are treating their employees well... Overall, their food is okay/good. There's many great dining options in the area. The last experience sealed the deal that we won't return if we don't have to. read more

Clam chowder was not very good. Bread and butter was tasty! Always appreciate good fresh butter. Hotel lobby style atmosphere but they have a couple of tvs for sports which is nice. Paid for a $59 check with a $100 and the server brought back two $20s as change and scurried off basically forcing an overtip which was annoying.... read more

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Huevos rancheros was the best I have ever had. Server Plu was the best! No need to leave the hotel for this breakfast! read more

Jacks Monterey - Bars Near Me - Monterey, California

Had a fabulous breakfast here! The French toast had so many berries and I was in love! Our Server Plu was excellent! He was personable, professional and attentive! Highly recommend read more

The service was pretty meh and very unfriendly. Seems like all the waiters and hostess were in a bad mood and that kind of made my birthday dinner with my family unpleasant. Food was pretty bland but the drinks were great. The restaurant and hotel are absolutely beautiful but everything else was lackluster read more

Jacks Monterey - JUMBO SCALLOPS - Bars Near Me - Monterey, California

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Great place to visit inside The Portola Hotel lobby Jacks has a great ambiance and setting. The service there is very good. All servers are very attentive to the customers and always check up on us. My 3 stars comes from the food served at Jacks Monterey. It is very under par when it comes to the food in the menu there and for what you pay we expect more. The sliders were extremely under cooked and tasteless the cooked onion was horrible with a plastic texture and taste. The burger was very under whelming also and not worth the price you pay. Jacks Monterey is only good for scenery and ascetics only. Luckily for us spending are hard earn money we have many other good eatery options within walking distance of Jacks Monterey. read more

Food and service was great. Our server Plu was so nice and helpful. Awesome experience!

Beautiful restaurant attached to the Portola hotel especially with the holiday decor. Food was only okay and service wasn't the best but good for a hotel dining option read more

We just stopped for a quick visit before going out with friends to a different restaurant. We ended up grabbing a couple of drinks from the bar and had the bread. Our female bartender who had been working for 19-20 years was amazing and had great service with super sparkly nails. The drinks are good and the bread was outstanding or as the kids would say (that was gas). It's in the lobby of the hotel so perfect if you don't want to go far to eat. They have breakfast then closed till dinner and I heard live music one night. read more

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Dessert & beverages at the bar is always my favorite way to end a night in downtown Monterey. Sooo many options & the best bartenders in town. They acknowledge me immediately, even when they're busy. Not like Cibo's where the bartenders spend more time on the phone just watching their customers from the mirrors. Jacks prices are good. Latte is served in a soup bowl. Sorry, I forgot to get a pic. Warm yourself by the fire & don't forget to use the super clean bathrooms before you leave. Ample parking & location is great for accessing everything in Monterey. Check out the hotel, too. read more

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In town for the Big Sur Marathon and needed a good breakfast spot. We decided on Jacks and this hit the spot completely. Got Monterrey Classic eggs Benedict and highly recommend. My brother and father loved their choices too..brother got French toast. read more

Jacks Monterey - Monterrey MONTEREY CLASSIC EGGS BENEDICT - Bars Near Me - Monterey, California

Staying here at the hotel and love stopping in to Jacks for libations and food. It's always a great vibe chillin here. Service is great. read more

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This review is just for the breakfast at Jack's Monterey, which is located inside the Portola Hotel & Spa (separate review). Hubby and I stayed at the hotel and included the breakfast w/bottomless mimosas for our weekend stay. Our first morning we had the pleasure of having Plu as our waiter. He was so friendly, welcoming, and provided us top notch service! He recommended to us a few items. We went with the huevos rancheros - they make their green salsa in-house. I was sold. It was a tasty breakfast, my iced coffee was absolutely delicious, made by Plu. He always ensured our mimosa glasses were full. Now, it takes me a while to finish my drinks. I had my water and mimosa, so I was working real slow on my iced coffee. I was planning to ask Plu for a to-go cup, but he beat me to it and brought me a to-go cup! He's very good at anticipating your needs before you even ask. It also happened to be my birthday weekend, and the staff brought me a slice of cake with a candle, and they all sang me happy birthday! It was very kind of all of them and I liked how they all did it as a team. Plu's service was excellent! The next morning, we had a different waiter. He was one of the ones who sang to me and asked me how our night was which I thought was kind of him to ask. We saw Plu and he stopped by our table to say hello, which I thought was very kind since it looked like a pretty busy morning. He noticed the iced coffee I had was different (black over ice), and asked me how it was. I said it was okay, but he knew me already and said he'd bring me the one I like. Sure enough, he brought me the same one he made for me the morning before. So GOOD!!! Hubby and I nicknamed it Plu's Iced Coffee :) Again, he noticed I was still working on it, and brought me a to-go cup with fresh ice. I didn't even have to ask! So thoughtful. Made for a perfect drink to take on our walk along the trail outside. Overall, a fantastic breakfast, and top notch service from Plu. If you can, request to sit in his section. read more

Jacks Monterey - Bars Near Me - Monterey, California

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Had breakfast after Thanksgiving at Jack's Monterey which is located inside the Portola Hotel. Breakfast menu and food was a 3.5-4 star. Our family ordered the silver dollar pancakes. Two eggs any style, chorizo burrito, and waffles. All good. Ambiance and Service is a 5 star. Ambiance - the restaurant is situated in the atrium of the hotel lobby which is convenient for hotel guests and surrounded by beautiful indoor trees, a bar, and fireplace. Service - Plu, our server, was very attentive and went above and beyond. Service was smooth with no long wait times for food. He was super friendly and hospitable. read more

We dined here on New Year's Eve and liked the food but service was off. Waitress description of my entree didn't match the dish I was served. She was also absent when we needed her table side. Background sound level was extremely high making conversation difficult. We were seated by the exit door and had a blast of cold air every time someone entered or exited. This was very annoying. Manager explained safety precautions made it impossible to close one of two doors. Offered to move our table midway through the meal. He did discount the price of our check. We would recommend the food, but not the service or venue. read more

Everything was amazing. Wonderful holiday spirit and festive decorations. The food was delicious and the wait staff super nice and friendly. Our server Plu went above and beyond. He was friendly and very attentive. I highly recommend Jacks and a stay at the Portola Plaza. read more

Our breakfast was so delicious and our server, Plu was excellent! I highly recommend! read more

Jacks Monterey - JAVIER'S SKILLET and CREATE YOUR OWN OMELET - Bars Near Me - Monterey, California

This review is only based on drinks. Came in for a nightcap and ordered a dirty grey goose martini... it was average and the service was also average... took our order, but never came back. Decent for a hotel bar as there is variety and selection and the food that was passing us looked good, but maybe you need to have a meal... Ambiance is good as it is inside the Portola Hotel and Spa which is nice. read more

Jacks Monterey - Dirty Grey Goose Martini - Bars Near Me - Monterey, California

The food was good, service was attentive and they allow dogs in the atrium so that is nice. The food has been pretty good for many years that we have been coming. The bar is fun. read more

Jacks Monterey - Waiting for dinner - Bars Near Me - Monterey, California

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Came by for breakfast while staying at the hotel upstairs. The indoor dining area is located in an airy atrium space shared with the hotel lobby, and there is more seating further inside of the restaurant next to a cozy fireplace and bar. Buttermilk pancakes - ordered with chicken apple sausages on the side. The two medium sized pancakes pancakes were perfectly buttery yet light and cooked to just the right height, the outer edges were CRISPY. Ugh we couldn't stop raving while eating these! Eggs Benedict - always a solid choice, I was very happy with the poached eggs :) Huevos rancheros - the fried tofu in this was a nice touch paired with the salsa verde. Dog friendly in all areas. Service was also quick and friendly! read more

Jacks Monterey - buttermilk pancakes, chicken apple sausages, eggs Benedict, and huevos rancheros - Bars Near Me - Monterey, California

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The food, ambiance & staff were amazing! Attentive and Personal! Plu & Alberto! We will be back!

Plu was the best server and food was amazing! Bacon is the best and bottomless mimosas are for the win!

The breakfast here is the best! Our eggs were cooked perfectly and everything was well seasoned. The dining room is gorgeous with the trees and dangling lights, as well as lots of natural lighting. Our waiter, Plu's excellent service and kind demeanor made the experience incredible, here at Jacks Monterey. read more

Jacks Monterey - TWO EGGS YOUR WAY - Bars Near Me - Monterey, California

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Shoutout to Katherine & Jesus! Last night Katherine was our hostess and this evening Jesus our server. Among all of the car week & car auction mayhem they were the nicest and most attentive! Katherine with a smile on her face no matter how tired & late it got & Jesus you were so kind and helpful! We appreciate your service and thank you both for being amazing people! read more

Here for a conference and had the best French toast for breakfast. Also our server Plu Garcia was the best, very friendly and provided excellent service, we will back for breakfast hope we have Plu as our server again read more

The service was horrible. The food was average. The beer was warm. It was not worth the money.

Plu was and excellent server for our party of 30 today with Mimosa's. He was running around taking good care of all of us. I recommend him for promotion. Very detailed. Thank you Plu. read more

wonderful food, Excellent service with Plu. They really go the extra mile. Highly recommend the French Toast.

We came for our annual trip and stayed at our usual Portola Hotel. We were so hungry and enjoyed our meal right after we checked in. read more

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Plu gave me amazing, personalized service during my visit and the food was excellent.

Excellent service from Plu and the rest of the staff. Plu really made an effort to connect with my family and I. The whole staff was quick and overall service was great. The brunch menu was simple yet delicious. The staff at this restaurant made our stay at the Portola so much more special. Highly recommend the brunch! read more

The review is for the breakfast and unlimited mimosa ! It's a gorgerous dinning area in the middle of the hotel with excellent attentive staff! Everything we order was delicious and flavor was on the point and easier able to make substitution! We sure will return if we visit Monterey! We had a wonderful stay too in the hotel ! Thanks read more

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Service and ambiance was great. Dog friendly menu too. However the food was fine. Apparently a new kitchen crew and delays getting food out. The ahi tuna sandwich surprised us on how badly this sandwich was done. A sweet soft brioche with sweet coleslaw conflicted with the soft tuna already. Then the odd taste with a large slab of pickled ginger ( much like the side you would get with a sushi roll) that really made the whole sandwich taste overly sweet and off putting. Would not order that again. We let our server know to try the sandwich in the future. Mother in law liked the shrimp scampi. Kids meals were fine. Clam chowder was ok. Overall, I wished the food was better or we ordered something else. read more

Last night's dinner at Jacks Monterey was truly delicious! We had been for appetizers, but never dinner so decided to try before the 40 Fingers concert at the Golden State Theater last night. I enjoyed the Panko Sautéed Sand Dabs served with jasmine rice and green beans with a lemon garlic butter caper sauce. The fish was fresh and flaky - honestly some of the best Sand Dabs I've had out in a while. The green beans were tender, but still had a bit of crunch. In my opinion perfectly cooked. The sauce perfectly complemented the meal. Marty chose the Flank Steak & Pommes Frites. The steak was cooked to the medium rare he requested and was quite tender and flavorful. The fries were crisp and delicious. The sauce/marinade served along side was great to dip either the steak or fries. Delicious! We sat at the bar and both Tayet (I hope I got her name right) and Kasey took wonderful care of us. Very friendly and attentive. I love the portion sizes as they are reasonable and we were able to finish most of our food. We are not huge on leftovers so this is a plus for us. I found the prices reasonable for what we received, especially for The Portola. Bonus, we were offered a 10% local's discount on food. Kudos to taking care of your locals!! I checked their website later and found they offer a 20% food discount if you are going to the Golden State Theater for a show on the same night you dine. All you have to do is show your tickets! Had I known that yesterday, we would have saved even more. We chose Jacks in part because the show we attended was on a Friday night and we had not made any reservations. We stopped in early (about 4:30) and were able to snag a couple seats at the bar which is quite comfortable. By the time we left both the bar and restaurant were fairly busy, but still not overly noisy which is nice especially when located in a hotel lobby. Really nice atmosphere with the fire on the side and simple coastal decor. Great experience - I will go back! read more

Jacks Monterey - FLANK STEAK & POMMES FRITTES - Bars Near Me - Monterey, California

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We had an amazing time at Jacks Monterey! The service, food, drinks were great. Everyone is so nice and it is such a cute restaurant! Would definitely come back m! read more

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Jacks can be found in the rear of the Portola Hotel & Spa. There is a covered parking structure near the front entrance of the hotel for convenience but also a nice walk from the nearby pier parking area. We stopped in at around 9:00 pm on a Wednesday evening after a long day of traveling. We were seated promptly and with kindness although we were one of the last to be seated before closing. We were so starving and ordered a margarita pizza to share as well some ahi tuna. There was a little mixup in delivering our food to the table next to us, but they were very understanding as it turns out we ordered the same dishes. I had a tropical drink with rum and fruit (i forget exactly what) and it was so good, as was the food. The ambiance is dressy casual and it makes a great spot for a date with the low light atmosphere. Bar seating is available as well as tables in and outside the restaurant. We appreciate the quality service after such a long day! read more

Jacks Monterey - Bar - Bars Near Me - Monterey, California

Waiter Plu was excellent. Very friendly and service was excellent. Environment and food was excellent.

Went for breakfast! Really good service! We had Plu as our server and he was amazing and very attentive!