Exceptional food at very reasonable prices. The wine by the bottle is a good value. We had a few orders of whole fish Branzino at the table and everyone liked how crispy the skin was and how good the flavor was. Every bit was eaten. I don't eat seafood and they thankfully have a few non seafood options to suit everyone, I got the short ribs on polenta. It was very solid. The polenta was very creamy, the short rib had a good reduction caramelized on it. Overall I cleaned my plate. For dessert the Tiramisu was enjoyed by everyone. read more

Overall we had a lovely group dinner to try out the new spot in town, so I would give 4.3 if I could... The dinner rolls with herbed butter were warm & super yummy! The seafood paella was wonderfully full of flavor & a nice mix of ingredients, but pretty salty, so just needed to tweak that down. Bouillabaisse in this town needs to be pretty up to par to compete on the Monterey peninsula, so it was a bit underwhelming with a dull sauce. Arugula salad with stonefruit was good, and I ordered a side of veggies that wasn't on the menu that was delicious, because there weren't enough warm vegetable options on the menu. It's a cozy bright dining room with plenty of tables. We got a quick response for our online reservation. Look forward to them tightening up & adding more options to the menu! read more

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There is a new seafood restaurant on the block, 100% I recommend stopping in for dinner, but make sure you save room for the dessert. Located at the old Max's restaurant in Pacific Grove on Forest Ave, just off of Lighthouse. The owners of this new restaurant are well acquainted to the Monterey Bay Area, past Chef of Old Fisherman's Grotto & his son Juan (brother to Rodolfo of Rodolfo's on Lighthouse). Just one week after opening it is apparent that La Cote Bleue is a must if you are looking to go out. Soon to become a staple of the Pacific Grove restaurant scene. The menu is small, but all items are carefully prepared fresh that day, full of tons of flavor, and menu items pivot based on seasonality. Since the restaurant was new, our party thought we would try out a variety of dishes: Crudo, oysters, salad, whole fish, freshly made focaccia, and of course, my favorite thing about the crème brûlée. The calamari was actually one of the most enjoyable dishes that we ordered. Our waiter had suggested it! Lightly battered with a unique flavorful batter, but the spicy marinara sauce that went with it made the dish. We actually had to ask for more sauce. I would recommend trying this as your appetizer over all of the other appetizers on the menu. Usually, I do not like to order fried food, but this did not feel fried. It felt light and fluffy. My husband ordered the whole fish, which is one of his favorite dishes to order when it is on any restaurant menu. The way the fish was cooked and cut made it extremely easy to take off the bone and enjoyable for eating versus creating a giant enormous mess like usual (lol) Highlight of the evening was actually dessert. Crème brûlée, is my favorite dessert and if not, prepare correctly is often a large let down. 1,000,000% one of the top crème brûlée I have ever had in my entire lifetime. This pistachio cake was also great however, the crème brûlée is the win for the evening. I would come back time and time again for a glass of wine and this dessert anytime any day. It should be noted that the menu provides both land and sea options as a main course but the main focus of the restaurant is seafood. If you are a seafood lover or not La Cote Bleue has something for everyone. Oh, and did I mention it's an excellent price point!!!! read more

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We just dropped in to try out La Cote Bleue, which recently had its soft opening in PG. It was very quiet (Monday night), only one other table occupied, so we got full attention - and we loved it. The food was really excellent. They served us a small plate of homemade bread and butter, which was very tasty. We shared two starters, the house salad which had a really fantastic dressing; and the crudo, which was out of this world - my favorite course of the meal. I should also add these are huge, generous portions, we easily could have shared just one. My girlfriend had the cod, I had the salmon, both excellent preparations but more than we could finish and we took them home. And we each had a glass of a nice Santa Cruz pinot. (A real bonus, at least as of now: no corkage.) If we had it to do over, we would either share a starter or a main. We were disappointed to skip dessert but we will without doubt return. The space was a bit chilly tonight but I imagine as it fills with customers it will warm up. It's a great new addition to the local dining scene. I wish them well and will be back before you know it! read more

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We had such a great experience! We ordered the BBQ oysters, Mixed Paella, and Goddess salad--everything was absolutely delicious. The service was excellent from start to finish, staff was friendly and the owner was attentive to detail. We'll definitely be coming back soon! ¡Tuvimos una experiencia excelente! Pedimos los ostiones BBQ, la paella mixta y la ensalada Goddess--todo estuvo absolutamente delicioso. El servicio fue excelente de principio a fin, el personal fue amable y el dueño fue muy atento a los detalles. ¡Definitivamente volveremos pronto! read more

While the pasta was disappointing, the takeout short ribs were amazing, as was the polenta that accompanied them. The small crown-shaped bread roll for two showed creative initiative. My taste buds encourage them to make the pasta dishes a bit zippier. Then, they deserve five stars from me. read more

So glad we tried this new restaurant! Fresh flavors and an interesting menu. My husband and I shared the green goddess salad and the lettuce was perfectly crisp and clearly NOT from a bag! I had the herb crusted cod and it was lightly breaded on a bed of whipped potatoes and topped with mushrooms. Every bite was absolutely delicious. Our server was kind and attentive. We will be back! read more

This restaurant is off to a great start and has the feel of a real neighborhood gem. The bread service was delicious. The fish was fresh and well prepared. The service was attentive. Miguel made us feel like we were welcome regulars on our first bisi read more

La Cote Bleue - Red Snapper with Roasted Vegetables - Modern European Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

This restaurant is amazing! The waiter was very friendly and attentive, and the food was excellent. The prices were very reasonable as well. read more

Great food. Fish so fresh you could taste a hint of salt water. Loved the QUIET of the room. Service: untrained young woman who did not know how to take an order, what wines were available, did not offer bread, did not offer dessert, and wasn't sure about the final check. She was very pleasant, but didn't know what she was doing. Still we will be back. read more

We went to celebrate a birthday at the newly opened seafood restaurant. All the food was delicious and the owner/chef, as well as the rest of the staff members were very polite. My favorite were the fresh oysters and the tuna crudo (raw fish). The vibes are good. The light in the dining room is perfect and the portions are reasonable. Good luck!!! read more

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New place in town, still feeling their way. Best thing so far has been the fritto misto (the calamari, with a couple of perfectly cooked shrimp), great appetizer, good idea just for an entree. Swordfish has been the best entree so far, though the recent special - crab ravioli with lobster bisque sauce should become a permanent part of the menu. Paella was so-so - really generous pair of chicken thighs on top of only so-so paella rice. The chicken was really good - so I would guess the chicken entree would also be good. Generous salads. read more

I had a great evening out with friends, in an ambience of elegant vibes, quality music, great food, and excellent service.

The food was amazing, some of the best in PG. the seafood pasta and bread pudding were the highlight. Would definitely recommend to anyone that wants a good meal in PG. read more

We had been looking forward to trying La Cote Bleue since it first opened a short while ago, but I am sorry to say were disappointed. The menu was certainly adequate, but our server wasn't very good and we found the food to be very uneven. Our cups of onion soup were tasty enough, but the cups were filled with large chunks of soggy bread. One main, the short ribs, was sent back, my wife's jidori chicken was overcooked, and my "whole fish", while tasty, consisted of a single good-sized flat filet with a large fish head propped up next to it. To his credit, the chef came out to inquire what we liked and did not like about our dishes. This, his and his family's culinary pedigree, and the fact they have been open a very short time, has us thinking La Cote is a work in progress that will improve over time. We plan to return in a few months to see if that will indeed be the case. read more

First time trying this new restaurant and will definitely go back. I had the black cod and my friend had the paella. Neither one of us wanted to share. We decided to skip an appetizer and go for desert and we were not wrong in that decision. Apple crumble and Black Forest cake oh my! read more

Starting with the coffee.. the waitress could not tell me who made the coffee they use. About 20 minutes later she finally came back and told me that the package said French on it! Not a good start.. I asked for a cappuccino and explain to her what a dry cappuccino was. She looked very confused. 20 minutes later she came back to tell me they didn't have cappuccinos, only espresso. My mom ordered tea, but the girl could not tell her what kind of tea they had and about 10 minutes later brought her a stack to choose from. She didn't notify me that they didn't have cappuccinos until after she delivered my mother's tea. I ordered a strawberry shortcake, my mother ordered a cheesecake. 10 minutes later maybe longer, the girl comes out to tell me they don't have strawberry shortcake. I ordered the black forest cake. She tells me they don't have that either. Another waiter overheard us and came to tell me that the Marion Berry tart with stellar. I go ahead with that. I don't know what they did to make a tart crust like that, but it was so hard a knife would not cut it! There was no delicacy, and I had to stick the fork in it and practically hammer it to break off a bite. Not a great tart. Will I go back to this restaurant? Unlikely. Management, educate your staff! If they don't have the where-with-all to learn their job. It's your job to train them or hire somebody who takes serving food seriously! read more

The branzino and the accompaniment vegetables were excellent. The skin on the branzino was crispy and the fish was perfectly cooked. The bowl of clams were very good as well. My only complaint was that the butter that came with the focaccia bread was unsalted and rather tasteless. But the focaccia was perfect for sopping up the broth that came with the clams. We look forward to returning! read more

Went out with a group of friends, so we made sure to each get something different to try. We got the fish and chips to start with, which was really good. We liked that you could taste the fish and not just batter. Our table had the seafood pasta, short rib, chicken cacciatore, and crudo. Each dish was delicious, there was only some left over so that we could save room for dessert. The evening we went, there was a delicious pistachio cake, pot de creme, and crème brûlée. We will definitely be back to try the rest of the menu. read more

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We came here to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, and they provided us with a bouquet of flowers at our table. On Friday nights, they also have live music 6-8pm, so we got to enjoy that, and they played a song for us. The food was very good. We had the whole branzino (excellent and easy to eat!) and the local black cod from Moss Landing - also excellent. We also had bbq oysters for appetizers (so yummy and well-priced) and a creme brûlée for dessert. The meal was very fair-priced. We sat next to a couple from Carmel, who confided in us that they prefer to come to Pacific Grove to eat b/c the restaurants in PG are better for the price and the environment less pretentious. This restaurant is wonderful, and the co-owner (?) was extremely attentive and kind. We would wholeheartedly recommend this restaurant! read more

My wife and I could not stay and eat at this new restaurant due to having our baby having a meltdown. So, we asked to make it a to go order. Everything was amazing. I had the braised ribs and my wife had the herb-crusted cod. We also had the house salad and the arugula salad. Very well made and we look forward to going back again soon. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE!! read more

After enjoying Pacific Grove Good Old Days and a walk along the bay shore, my husband and I had our premiere meal at La Côte Bleue. We sat at a table for two by the window. Little did I know that our server was the owner! Miguel Ponce, whose father and brothers have served food on the Peninsula for decades, finally has his own restaurant. The County Weekly article mentioned menu items that were not on our menu. The reviews here on Yelp mention items not on the menu. That tells me how versatile Miguel and his chef are. That also tells me we will need to return often. The previous restaurant was Max's, also outstanding, our "go to" celebration restaurant for birthdays and anniversaries. My last birthday there, I (finally!) learned Max and I share a birthday! So, Miguel's bread was a surprise, with savory garlic and chive butter. I anticipate a different bread next time. While chatting with Miguel, he was attentive and friendly, never rushing away. My bouillabaisse was superb with a thick tomato sauce and abundant fish, clams, and shrimp. In this relaxed atmosphere of blue and white, like the visible bay down the street, we struck up a conversation with our neighboring table and the congeniality felt like a table for four and none of had ordered the same! I imagine that all the dishes are masterpieces! I will certainly save room for dessert next time, and I will certainly make a reservation next time, as La Côte Bleue will grow in popularity. The new kid on the block knows how to excel! read more

Had dinner here for the first time last night, and let me just tell you the food was DELICIOUS! We started with the oysters and the fried fish and they were fresh and savory! In our main course we had the paella and the ravioli. Everything was flavorful and delightful! They also had live music which set the tone nicely as well. If you're thinking about dinner and don't know where to stop, this is your place! read more

This place is top notch. Excellent food and service. Way, way above average. Very reasonable prices and generous portions. Highly recommended. read more

So the melt-in-your-mouth braised short ribs are my new favorite thing about this wonderful gem of a restaurant. Congrats to Miguel for a wonderful addition to Pacific Grove. read more

service was bad. the french fries were cold. we did have the crab tower which was outstanding