Don't be fooled by the roadside location and beachside vibe. The food is fantastic! The sea bass was incredible, perfect, and even the sides were perfectly prepared. How perfect? I hate broccoli, and I liked this broccoli. And the shrimp Alfredo was amazing. The shrimp prefect, and the taste a step above. Check it out, you won't be disappointed. read more

Manta Rey Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - San Simeon, California

Food was so good, way better than expected especially considering this is a small town! Stopped by San Simeon with the folks for a one-nighter in preparation for a visit to Hearst Castle the next day. The dinner options I presented was either Manta Rey or Moonstone Grill and we decided to stay local. For the 3 of us we ordered 1 clam chowder (to try out), dad ordered the New York, I got the filet mignon and mom ordered the salmon. Everyone was exceptionally pleased with the food! You can tell the chef prepared everything carefully and paid attention to presentation. The complimentary sourdough dinner rolls were also served hot which was a nice touch. Overall portions are not overwhelming and a good size. Pricing is as expected for the type of food and location. As many other Yelpers already mentioned there was only one server manning the entire restaurant. He was extremely polite and attentive given that he waited every single table, bussed, hosted, and managed the take out orders. Expect dining time to be a little longer during rush hour but it's not terrible and the food is worth it! read more

Manta Rey Restaurant - New York (bottom), filet mignon (top) - Seafood Near Me - San Simeon, California

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Love when we're shocked in a great way. This place is quaint and surprisingly fantastic! The food was so good. Sea Bass entree was delicious. Mediterranean Salad had so much to it; spectacular! Small dining room with romantic ambiance. Looks kooky from outside, but perfect inside. Service was excellent. Our server was busting her bum, handling the entire front of the house herself! Crazy that this place is attached to a Quality Inn. Such a lovely surprise!!! read more

A Peaceful Dining Experience at Manta ray in San Simeon! On our anniversary trip, we were on our way to Hearst Castle we decided to stay one night in San Simeon. We weren't really looking for anything in particular. We just wanted to see the elephant seals, and made an early tour in the morning in Hearst Castle. We stayed at the Sea Breeze Inn, a nice hotel in San Simeon, and then wanted to find somewhere nearby to eat within walking distance. We crossed the street, there isn't much traffic, and after about four minutes walking, we arrived at a restaurant Manta ray. We were welcomed by our waiter, Oscar, a very kind man, who showed us to a table. We started by ordering fried calamari, which came with a couple of sauces. We were served fresh water with ice, along with a glass of wine for me and a beer for my husband. I ordered a Zinfandel (about $13, though I don't remember the name), and my husband ordered a beer. After the calamari, we shared a clam chowder bread bowl. It was delicious, with warm fresh bread and great flavor. Later, we ordered a house Pinot Noir, one of the affordable options. Oscar, our waiter, was respectful, attentive, and very polite. But then the restaurant filled up quickly, a group of 15 came in, then a couple, then another group of four, then two, then another eight people. Suddenly, the restaurant was full. I was surprised at how popular the place was, the service and the food were great. But they are short-staffed. If you come here, remember this: * Sit down and calm down. * If you're in a hurry, this is not your place. * If you're coming with kids, this might not be your place either. This is a peaceful restaurant, a local spot where you can enjoy the experience with kind people. Oscar was extremely hardworking. He was cleaning tables, bussing dishes, taking orders, making drinks, serving wine, delivering food, refilling water, and even bringing bread, all at the same time. He was essentially running the entire dining area by himself on a Saturday night rush, while just a couple of cooks worked in the kitchen. In less than 30 minutes, around 25 people came in, and the restaurant can probably hold about 30 in total. Oscar and the cooks did an amazing job doing everything they could to provide good service and tasty food. If you come here expecting fast, five-star service in five minutes because you're starving, then go somewhere else and pay the extra price. But if you want to relax, have a bottle of wine, order appetizers, and enjoy the atmosphere, this is the perfect place. We stayed from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., enjoying every moment. We had the fried calamari, then clam chowder, then a cioppino, along with battle of wine, beer, and water. The music was relaxing, the atmosphere was peaceful, and the people, locals and travelers, were friendly, kind, and smiling. Please, don't write a bad review here just because you came from the city expecting to be treated like someone "special." The special ones are the local people working hard to make your evening better. Be patient, be respectful with the staff, and you'll have a great experience. For us, it was a memorable anniversary dinner, and we are thankful to Oscar, our waiter, as well as the chefs and staff who made our night special. If I ever return to San Simeon, I will definitely come back to Manta Ray Restaurant. read more

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Crab cakes with no crab just dense and mostly breading. Sanddabs were watery and flavorless. We ate two bites and left the rest.

We each got the Mediterranean salad and it was big and satisfying, lettuce was very good quality, crisp, fresh. We needed takeout but another time it'd be good to eat in because I love the artwork and cute round windows. Charming. read more

We got the dinner salad, clam chowder, and seafood pasta. Everything was seriously so good! The server was the nicest server we've had all trip. He was attentive, friendly, and thought about the little things like clearing the table and checking in about dressing options. It's a small spot connected to our hotel and wasn't very busy. But the interior was clean and decorated beautifully for the holidays. read more

Food was excellent! Sadly the restaurant was not very busy. It was raining and off season. Cute little spot across the highway from the ocean. read more

Breaded artichoke appetizer mushroom raviol and seafood sample platter...this place is right near Cabrillo high or the 1.....probably wouldn't have stopped here but we are doing a 1 nighter before going to Hearst Castle and its near were we are staying......nice interior lots of windows nice for a sunset dinner, this is only a dinner restaurant........the food was very good, very nice for an intimate dinner for a date night, nice wine bar...over allI would come back read more

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What a hidden little gem attached to a hotel. It's on the non-ocean side of the highway but SO WORTH IT. Everyone waits in long lines for all these other restaurants to open up and I had a spectacular dinner. They open at five. I ordered the sea bass my husband got the seafood pasta dinner. Cooked to perfection both dishes. The prices were responsible for the quality you got. The big beautiful round windows made for an artist flare as the sunset was unfolding. Service was excellent. Would highly recommend this spot as the others seem so played-out and over-hyped with hour long lines. read more

Manta Rey Restaurant - Sea bass and seafood pasta. Great choice and great prices. - Seafood Near Me - San Simeon, California

Visited Hearst Castle...had dinner here afterwards. Very nice small quaint place. Food is good...I had the Sea Bass, wife had the Filet Mignon both were great. Only one person working the floor when we got in, so small delay on some ordering. But helped arrived soon after when the room started filling up. Highly recommend..!! read more

Ambiance was great, especially around sunset. The bread they give before the meal was tasty and we enjoyed our meal. read more

Manta Rey Restaurant - Calamari - Seafood Near Me - San Simeon, California

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Crab cakes were 90 percent Breadcrumbs and overcooked, ciopino was just tomato soup with some shrimps and the Mediterranean salad felt like salad mix out of a supermarket. Service was the only good thing about it. Disappointing. read more

Stayed at local hotel, Ordered fish and chips, clam chowder with dessert. Everything was actually good. Quiet, cozy little spot. Good menu selection read more

Best seafood pasta I've had hands down. It got better with every bite. The Seabass was good, the sourdough bread as good as any bakery you'll go to. But that seafood pasta just blew me away. Perfectly cooked scallops, clams and shrimp. Paired with the Savignon Blanc it doesn't get much better than this and it's connected to the Quality Inn of all places! Definitely exceeded expectations. read more

Manta Rey Restaurant - Seabass - Seafood Near Me - San Simeon, California

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The food was fantastic. The salad with blue cheese was excellent. The ahi was exceptional. The fried seafood platter was good. And it was a nice quiet environment read more

Staff were nice. We had dinner on Valentine's day - I wanted a filet mignon. Cooked great. Everything was delicious. The asparagus and mash potatoes were delish. read more

A quiet unassuming place for an evening of fine dining. We visited years ago and again this February. The food was excellent both then and now. And the service is very attentive. A gem in the area! read more

Portions didn't allow for take home anything. Potatoes were scooped like at a cafeteria. Shrimp cocktail was two med/large shrimp with about 2 ounces of bay shrimp supposedly "on" ice. But once you were trying to get the shrimp you were competing with the ice in the bowl. I thought It was a strange way of serving the shrimp that's my opinion. I had the ahi tuna crusted with black sesame seeds and ginger sauce. I could barely taste the sauce. Hubby had the chicken piccata. The vegetables were three sticks of carrots and two small florets of broccoli. We had room for dessert because the portions were on the smaller size. Service was nice. Place has nice ambiance. Parking was good. Right across from our hotel. Made us want to dress up a little. And we did. Dessert was nice too. My husband tells me all the time that this is the reason he likes me to cook at home. My portions, my quality, my presentation, outweighs everywhere we go. Pat on the back for me. Still it was nice getting out and $117 later I was still happy to get to try another restaurants food. read more

Nice restaurant in San Simeon. The food and service were great. Salmon Florentine and Ribeye plates were delicious. No issues during our meal. read more

So surprised at how attentive the wait staff was. Food was served quickly and really was quite tasty.

Nice little place. Filet was good. Garlic nashed potatoes were dry. Creme Brulee was good. Waitress was a delight!

A small restaurant with great food! The service was excellent too. I had the Sea Bass and it was cooked to perfection. They are big on mashed potatoes which is fine with me. read more

The service was quite good, and some of the menu items were very delicious. Especially the seafood. Not sure if I would go again, but I was not disappointed. My only complaint was the restaurant felt slightly warm, and decor seemed a little dated. They had some 80's/90's pop instrumentals for background music. read more

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I enjoyed the food here - so much so that I ate here a couple of times during my last stay, especially bc the restaurant was conveniently attached to my hotel (the Quality Inn)! The staff were all so friendly and helpful - and even though I got my food to-go each time, the vibe inside the restaurant was excellent - very cozy but still elegant with awesome ocean views too. On my first visit, I tried their clam chowder in a bread bowl with the "bay shrimp" add-on. The portion was ample, and the shrimp were of decent size and tons of them! I was very surprised at the portion! Definitely worth the extra $3. And the flavors and textures were all lovely. I also couldn't resist trying their homemade orange ice cream for dessert. It had an ok flavor but it seemed freezer burnt so may have been old? I feel like it would've been excellent had it been really fresh. And it's listed on the menu as coming with a raspberry sauce but I didn't get any with my order :( On my next visit, I tried their Ahi Tuna and it was also great. Cooked perfectly and comes with mashed potatoes, veggies, and bread. The menu says it comes with a "creamy ginger sauce" but I didn't get any sauce with this either. My food was good but that sauce definitely would've taken it to the next level I'm sure. Overall I enjoyed the food and the staff and location were excellent - in spite of not getting my sauces on my to-go orders, I'd definitely come back! read more

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It's a small quiet place in the front of Quality Inn. We've had dinner several times and they are always excellent.

Food was great but restaurant is under staffed. One guy was waiting on all the tables as well as seating and bartending. He was a trooper and very friendly. Took a while to get my order taken just because he was the only one. I wasn't in a hurry so it was fine. Nice cozy vibe. read more

Slow, despacio el servicio pero rica la comida! Ordered Chicken, cioppino, dessert and wines! read more

My wife and I met our good friends from Cambria at Manta Rey for dinner. The restaurant is quaint and cozy. We arrived after sunset so our window table didn't have a view. It was a quiet Saturday evening and so we were able to converse before ordering dinner. My wife and the wife of our friend ordered the same item, shrimp scampi; he ordered the filet mignon and I chose the cioppino. The scampi dinners looked good and they were satisfied with their choices. My friend enjoyed his filet dinner. My cioppino was very tasty, the broth light yet flavorful with a good amount of clams, mussels, shrimp and fish. I would order that again when go back......and we will go back!!! read more

This place is a hidden Diamond on the central coast! We reviewed this place a year or so ago, and we happened to stop in again! It is still fantastic! The restaurant is relatively small place, tucked in next to a hotel (also an outstanding place. See our review on Quality Inn San Simeon). The ambiance and decor are relaxing, and the place is quite nice inside. The service is extremely good, with knowledgeable, friendly staff and quick accurate food delivery. And, oh! The food! We had the Clams and Linguini and the Scampi with Mashed Potatoes. Absolutely INCREDIBLE! The pasta was perfectly cooked, and the sauce was fantastic, and the sauce on the scampi was absolutely amazing: creamy and rich, and the shrimp were perfectly cooked. A memorable meal! The house wines are extremely good, and we had the chocolate cake and the lemon cheesecake for desert, both were wonderful. We can't recommend this place enough! If you're on the central coast, go to the Manta Ray for dinner! Note: they're closed on Sundays. read more

The filet mignon was amazing! The rest of the dinner was as well. The service was great. This is a small restaurant, but will definitely go back when we're in the area. read more

It was very disappointing. Fish wasn't fresh some were frozen. I won't go back. Disappointing

When vacationing in San Simeon we like to try different restaurants. We decided on the Sea Chest but they are closed on Tuesdays. We started looking at nearby restaurants on Yelp. Manta Rey had some bad reviews but we had eaten here in 2022 and we liked it, so we ignored the reviews and were so glad we did! I had the Filet Mignon and it was cooked perfectly! The blue cheese butter and demi glaze was outstanding! My friend had the shrimp scampi and it was also so good! The garlic lemon sauce with capers, artichokes, tomatoes was very tasty. The garlic mashed potatoes were so yummy! Our server Ahtziri was very sweet and helpful. The chef was Saul and I hope they are here when you eat here. I'm not disappointed that the Sea Chest was closed tonight, maybe next time. We will be back again and I'm still thinking about that steak with that butter and glaze... read more

Service was excellent. The restaurant was real nice and had white table cloths. The food was a little pricy. I ordered the seafood sampler plate. Scallops, shrimp, and calamari with mashed potatoes and veggies. The other plate was steak, mashed potatoes, and veggies. The steak was cooked perfect but the cut had a tendon that made it a little tough. We loved the quiet atmosphere with the instrumental music playing in the background. It was fun figuring out which song it was each time a new one came on. read more

Manta Rey Restaurant - Menu - Seafood Near Me - San Simeon, California

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The pictures on the website make the restaurant look fancier than it is. The dining room is small and conversations of other dinners are hard to miss. We were here on an off season Saturday night. There were only two other parties besides us but they appear to do a pretty brisk take out business. I ordered the cioppino and my wife had the filet. The cioppino was delicious and the steak was perfectly cook to order. The rest of the plate was a little under seasoned and kind of bland. Oddly the only two choices for salad dressing was a balsamic or a ranch dressing and they don't serve decaf coffee. The young man who waited on us was nice and attentive although he was the host, and waiter as well as taking and cashiering orders for take out. We didn't see anyone else in the front of the house. Hope they pay him well because he stayed very busy. The food was good and prices reasonable. I'd definitely order the cioppino again. If you're in Cambria or San Simeon it's worth a try. read more

The food was delicious and well served. We had the beef special and shrimp fettuccine pasta. Service was excellent! And the restaurant was comfortable and clean. Love the relaxing music! Also the mashed potatoes and bread was great! read more

Excellent service and the seafood is most exceptional! "I eat seafood everywhere, this is one of the best" Husband

With a few restaurant options, we picked this as it was close to our hotel. This is a sit down restaurant. The host/server immediately seated us. The interior is very dated and has a musty smell. We ordered clam chowders for the kids, steamed clams and seafood sampler. The food was surprisingly good! read more

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Left a message on Monday afternoon for a 7:00 pm seating. The message on the phone says if we don't call you your reservation is confirmed. Arrived Monday evening at 6:40- the restaurant is locked up tight, not open. Ambiance tonight- it's cold in the parking lot. read more

What a gem! We were a bit apprehensive as it was connected to a hotel and very quiet. Just go! You will not be disappointed! The food (halibut and filet) were expertly prepared. Fresh hot bread. Awesome salad. Good local wine selection. Great owner/manager! Self made Restaurateur who knows all aspects of the business. Give this place a chance! Hoping the highway reopens soon and makes accessing the Manta Rey easier! Great dinner! Glad we went! read more