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Monterey's Fish House

4.0 (3.4k reviews)
PriceySeafood
Closed • 11:30 am - 2:00 pm, 5:00 PM - 8:30 PM

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MONTEREY'S FISH HOUSE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Classy
Loud
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Monterey's Fish House

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New England Clam Chowder
Carissa K.

I was so not impressed with this place. Maybe things have gone downhill? It started with the ridiculous "specials" list repeated by our server. There was already a specials list menu but there was a crazy long list that he told us about. The list went on and on. The problem is that I have difficulties with auditory comprehension due to a past stroke so I didn't get most of what he said. And the one time I did ask about a specials item, he didn't even really describe and explain. So I just went with an item that was on the regular menu. My salmon looked and tasted frozen which is fine but it was overcooked. The pasta was also well overcooked. The veggies were excellent though. I really enjoyed them. John ordered the New England Clam Chowder which I had to try. It was pretty watery and just okay. The complementary bread was cold and I passed on it. (We had recently dined at a restaurant that gave us incredible focaccia so it's hard to compare.) Once we got past the menu and specials snafu and ordering our food, our server warmed up and did a good job. We definitely won't be back.

Clam Pasta
Angelina C.

It's been a while since I last came here, and I was in Monterey, so I needed to go back. When in Monterey, you should try their seafood because it's top-notch. Their calamari is incredible--no words. I love it and find it very addictive; I wanted to bring more home with me. It's served with a cocktail sauce that has a hint of horseradish and tartar sauce. The pastas are very delicious. It's cute that the pasta is served in a big bowl--I felt like I was drinking soup. I had the clam pasta, and it was delicious. The clams are super fresh, and the sauce is flavorful. However, the only letdown was the pasta noodles. They are average, but homemade, which is impressive. The noodles seem to be small and not long. My parents had the Sicilian Holiday Pasta, which was also very tasty. Just be careful with the red sauce--try not to get your shirt messy. The sauces are perfect for dipping your bread. The service is quick, but it's best to come early because it gets packed really fast. Parking is okay, but it fills up quickly due to its popularity, especially after being featured on Triple D.

Swordfish with linguine and red sauce
Natalie M.

What a bummer! Came here and was deeply disappointed in the food. It's very loud or it was the time we went. It was not a positive ambiance. The best thing were the oysters that were grilled. These were flavorful. Our server was very kind. But geez they had so many specials. The waiter was very patient to describe them all but it was overwhelming to remember them all. I'd recommend just picking a few...(the people next to us commented that there were more specials than actual items that were on the official menu lol). Then came my fish. I ordered the sole. This came with a light batter. Unfortunately it was not seasoned well. We got veggies and pasta on the side. The pasta was cold and the veggies were mixed with soggy and fresh vegetables. The experience was disappointing since the food was unflavorful and unappetizing and the environment was chaos. Would skip and try to go to other restaurants instead.

Prawn Pasta
Tiffany L.

I don't even know where to start.... This looks relatively small from the outside, but more spacious once you get inside. It's clean, and it was a little busy when we went. However the service was great, we were seated as soon as we walked in, handed menus, and our server was attentive all throughout. The food... holy moly. the food was amazing!! This place was recommended to us and since we were in the Monterey area we decided to visit for dinner on our last night there. We ordered the prawn pasta and the scallops pasta. Both were out of this world. The pasta itself tased fresh, just made. and the sauces were divine. if I could recommend the one place you have to go to if you happen to be in the area, it would be this. Seriously ... I'm still thinking about this place lol. 10/10 hands down the best seafood pasta dish I have ever had!!

Menu
chris m.

Omg!!! The grilled and fresh oysters are amazing! We went back twice during our weekend get away for more oysters. Their pasta and calamari are also superb! Clam chowder is ok. Not the same flavor that I am used to. Restaurant gets really busy. It gets Will definitely go back to this place. Highly recommend! The oysters alone are worth the trip -- grilled or fresh, they are very good, superb! We loved the home made pasta and calamari as well. The clam chowder was fine, just not quite what we expected flavor-wise. We ended up going back twice in one weekend. Service was great. Highly recommend." ---

Oak Grilled Oysters (6)
Eleanor C.

Local gem that we love so much! Must haves are the oak grilled oysters as well as the bbq octopus. The flavors in the seafood is jaw dropping and our family can eat them in less than 5 minutes! Service is kind and definitely family ran. Great warm ambiance in the restaurant with warm chatter and full stomachs. Definitely get the oak grilled house fish specials and the pastas are all homemade!

Oak grilled oysters were very tasty, not over cooked and slightly smokey.  Oak Grilled Oysters (6)
Marjon M.

We got there on a Friday at 5:15pm and it was quickly filling up. The service was fantastic, they were very attentive. The ambiance was very lively, everyone was talking so it's not a "let's go for a quiet dinner". The food was all fantastic tasting and very fresh. We also ordered the fried calamari and the burger and fries. Everything was amazing. The portions were very filling. Will definitely be going back.

Salmon Diablo Pasta
Armando C.

Small casual dining. Amazing service. The food came Out fast. Big portions and very tasty. The clam chowder could have had more clams in it for my liking and the calamari could have been crispier but everything else was perfect. Extremely pleasant staff. The line might be long but the move it quickly without making diners feel rushed. Food comes out quickly. I recommend making reservations. We only waited 5 minutes to be seated once we arrived. Other parties our size had a 30-45 minutes wait without a reservation. Overall a great experience. Will definitely be back.

Menu - Nov 2025
Priscilla K.

Food: 4/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance: 4/5 We were in Monterey for a friend's wedding over the weekend and stopped by here on our way back to LA. They're famous for their oak grilled oysters (5/5) and it was amazing! I'd go back just for that. It was so juicy, tender, garlicky, and smoky. Then we had the shrimp bisque (3/5) which needed some spice lol, and had our main--the Sicilian Holiday pasta, which was full of seafood and handmade pasta. I asked if they can make it extra spicy for us and it was perfect. It was like a spicy cioppino with pasta. Without us asking, our waiter Aaron made sure each dish was paced with perfect timing. Highly recommend this restaurant and would love to visit again just for the oysters. I'd like 2 dozen next time. Thank you Aaron for a great experience!

Menu
Chris S.

Overall the experience was mediocre to okay, but with how much hype that this venue has it felt disappointing for what I was expecting. We had a reservation which was a MUST because the line out the door was at least 5-6 parties at all times and the restaurant was packed. While they have many pasta dishes, their main fish consisted of 4-5 choices of fish with different ways of making it: grilled, pesto, lemon crusted etc. while it was prepared fine, it was not the level of fish I would have expected in Monterey. The pasta was overcooked but the vegetables were quite good. Prices overall was not too far out there. Dessert was very good however so kudos to them for that. The vibe feels very busy with many different servers and bussers walking around, many tables in a small area and due to the line felt like constantly trying to turn tables. During lockdown, they had shut down their parking lot and had outside seating which would have been nice to make it feel less cramped. Not a bad experience, but if I'm looking for a nice dinner on a trip I would likely go somewhere else

Hamburger or Cheeseburger
Juwan T.

I used to come here years ago with my family and I always order the clam pasta. I think the recipe changed because it tasted different than how I remembered but it was still great. My friend got the burger and asked for medium but it came out dry. On a Sunday night it was busy right at opening but they were able to get us a table and they were as quick as they can be. I loved the decor and everything inside.

Menu
Diane W.

We came here tonight for dinner. Last time we were here was about 8 years ago and I remembered how much we loved it. When we arrived the line was out the door, and they had just opened. The line moved quick and the kind hostess seated us quickly. Our waiter Cesar was so sweet and took excellent care of us. We ordered a cup of shrimp bisque and split a house salad with shrimp. Both came out fast. The soup was very good and the salad was nice and refreshing. For our entrees my husband ordered the artichoke seafood pasta. Their pasta is made fresh daily. He loved it. I ordered the lobster special. Their pasta special was supposed to be cut up lobster with a spicy marinara over pasta. I didn't want spicy sauce. Cesar let me know they can make it scampi style and I said that would be great. For some reason it took our main dishes over 35 minutes to arrive which seemed a bit long. Finally our food arrived and my lobster dish was flavorless and watery. My dish was supposed to be just lobster but there were shrimp in there too, and not much lobster. So that special was very misleading. I got Cesar's attention and explained that the dish was not good and didn't taste anything like a shrimp scampi. It was so watery. I've made scampi many times and this was bad. I asked if the chef could make a creamy sauce with cream and Parmesan to add to the dish. He said yes and the dish was brought back to me. It tasted much better than before. I would never order this again. I do appreciate Cesar doing all he could to make the dish better. Another problem was the acoustics inside. It was packed to the max inside and it was so loud. We couldn't hear each other talk. The noise just echoed off the walls. Both our main dishes were $40 each. We both thought that was way overpriced for what we got. I was so disappointed with my main dish because our last experience was so good. I'm not sure when or if we will be coming back.

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Was amazing . Saw their menu and was not thrilled. Boy was I wrong. Delicious and great atmosphere.

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Monterey's Fish House Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Monterey's Fish House

How does one make a reservation? They do not answer the phone!!!

They don't do reservation. It's first comes first serve. Go early if you can. It's a hot spot.

Do they offer gluten-free pasta?

Do we need to reserve?

I would make a reservation as there are times there is a long line for walk ins.

Are they still in the same small venue?

Yes. 2114 Del Monte Ave. It is the same as when I first visited years ago.

Is there a lunch offering menu and/or daily specials? Or is the attached menu the same for both sessions (lunch + dinner)? Planning on visiting during lunch hours.

They have daily specials that change everyday, but they're super pricey

Do they still have outdoor dining as of today 4/1/23?

When we visited a couple months ago, they did not have outdoor dining. When dining inside, it gets busy, and they may seat you with other customers. It's ok if you don't mind meeting new friends.

Anyone know how to contact the restaurant? The phone just rings & rings. Do they take reservations?

I have used the phone number listed on Yelp. They take dinners reservations starting at 5 pm which I would recommend to be in the first seating. I usually call at 1130 am when they open for lunch to make dinner reservations.

Do they have gluten free pasta Options?

Not on the menu. I haven't asked though.

Will I be allowed to bring my small dog while dining outside?

Yes, I had my pug with me! Dogs are welcome.

Are reservations still being recommended or is it first come first serve?

They take reservations now (as of 11/6/2021)

Is there a kids menu?

I don't remember a kids menu, but people sitting by us had a fish and chips plate split for their two kids. Another couple had a burger meal split for theirs. The staff is really good

Their health score is 59 out of 100 according to Yelp. Is that correct?

Yelp gets this data from HDScores, which collects public data from your local health department. Because your local health department does not provide inspection scores, HDScores calculates its own score based on past inspection results of this busin

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Sandbar & Grill - Crème Brûlée

Sandbar & Grill

4.0(1.6k reviews)
1.3 mi
•$$

Came in on Friday afternoon, before the dinner rush. We had been driving for four hours and we came…read moreto the restaurant hungry and on the tired side, looking forward to a good dinner in the afternoon. The restaurant is small, but not THAT small. We sat down and ordered drinks (Mojito and an iced tea) and sat down in a small table that was composed of two smaller tables. We ordered the calamari as an appetizer and started to enjoy our drinks. Before we got comfortable munching on calamari, when the young guy who had sat us down, came to us and told us he was going to take half of our table away because some other people had come in and needed more space. He didn't ask us, he just started to move thing around in our table, didn't offer to move us to another table (there were tables available toward the back), just started to remove the smaller table and told me that i had to move so that the staff would be able to serve the other people. This pissed me off! We said no. There were other people on similar table configuration than us, why did he ask US to move. He was pushy and said 'well, we're a small restaurant and we just need you to move'. He didn't ask, he didn't apologize, he didn't offer another table, just expect us to comply. We got upset and told the waiter that we're just going to pay for what we ate (the drinks and the calamari) and to cancel our order. The waiter was a very nice guy who apparently has been working in that restaurant a long time, and said, no problem, what if we move you to another table. He helped us move, get settled and was very nice about it. He apologized and said the young guy was relatively new and didn't really know how to ask things nicely to the customer. We eventually settled and tried to enjoy our dinner, even though this pushy treatment left a bad taste in our mouths. Wife had the special, a fresh piece of sea bass on a creamy tomato sauce, prawns and risotto base with asparagus ($48). It was very good. I had fish and chips, and it was also very good. ($28?). For the food, I'd give this place 5 stars. For the way we felt we were treated, we'd give this place 1 star. However, in all fairness, our waiter was very kind, and he deserves better than that.

This is my favorite spot in Monterey, located on (or shall I say under) the commercial wharf #2…read more Sometimes you can catch some great scenes of the sea lions swimming around just outside the window. If they are busy, you can usually find a spot at the bar without having to wait long. The Sand dabs and calamari steak are my favorite meals here and this place has the best bread pudding I've ever had.

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Sandbar & Grill - Hot chocolate with a view.

Hot chocolate with a view.

Sandbar & Grill - Sobremesa

Sobremesa

Sandbar & Grill - Views of the harbor come free with every meal

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Views of the harbor come free with every meal

Schooners Monterey

Schooners Monterey

4.0(2.1k reviews)
1.9 mi
•$$$

We started with the Clam Chowder bread bowl, Brussel Sprouts appetizer, and the Dungeness Crab Dip…read more All 3 were excellent. I love Brussel Sprouts and order it anytime I see it in a menu. This was one of the best I've had. I like that it was more on the shredded side so it could cook evenly. (I hate when places halve the sprouts, but then don't bake it through. These were cooked to perfection here.) The crab dip was amazing...it's the morning after as I'm typing this and my daughter is still raving about the crab dip. We all agreed that it was worthy of the price tag bc there was a good amount of real crab in it. We really enjoyed the taste and texture. We wished there were more of the garlic bread for dipping! We waited for the clam chowder bread bowl to arrive, and tore into it so we could use that to dip! For our meal, we ordered the Harvest Salad, Organic Half Chicken, Honey BBQ Ribs, Wagyu Burger, and took a mandarin coconut sherbet to go. We were all very happy with what we ordered.

I don't know if people still say bomb.com but it's def warranted here…read more It would be a shame to order a burger when in Monterey so I made sure I ordered something from the ocean on the other side of the glass of the seat next to us. I got the Cioppino, wife got the Crab Pasta and the kids got Fish N Chips + Chicken Tenders. I was very surprised to see a generous amount of crab in my soup. At some places, you get a claw and check that box off but not here. In addition to the real crab, there was a few giant shrimp, mussels, clams, fish, and calamari. Man...everything was very fresh and delicious. I would even have to probably say the best I've ever had! The soup was seasoned to perfection and not too tart. My wife's crab pasta was also very good! I shared mine with her and we swapped for a bit just to sample other dishes here. The kids plates were also high quality as expected from this nice restaurant inside the Monterey Plaza Hotel. To make my bday weekend even better I was able to score a spot right in front of the hotel which isn't easy since it was a non-raining Saturday. This is definitely a "come back and eat" place the next time we're in Monterey.

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Schooners Monterey
Schooners Monterey
Schooners Monterey - View from the restaurant.. Get here early and watch the sunrise.

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View from the restaurant.. Get here early and watch the sunrise.

Monterey's Fish House - seafood - Updated May 2026

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