Sat outside and it was freezing. The heat lamp above the door was not on and we could see lights hanging from it. The service was horrible. I stood for a while until someone brought the 1 highchair they had and the table was cleared. We still don't know who our server was. A woman sat us and we ordered a pizza for our kids and Bolognese for us. The food was good, but I don't recommend this restraunt for the cost, portion, and service. We were dissappointed. read more

Rudolfo's - Pizza - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

I wanted to give my mom a special lunch for Mother's Day. We went on Saturday because on Sunday, the place transforms into a chicken sandwich pop-up. It's a small neighborhood type of spot with outdoor seating. We made reservations and got a spot at one of the corner windows. The menu is somewhat limited but the place is small so it works. That could be one reason why the dishes are so well-prepared. We started with the amazing garlic cheese focaccia. My mom enjoyed her lunch immensely. She ordered the lasagna and a beet salad. I snuck a bite of the lasagna and it's a delicious pink sauce. My mom said it's the best she ever had and she loves lasagna. The portion size is huge. I had the Fun Guy pizza, with mushrooms, ricotta and arugula. The flavors and textures complement each other. Lunch was exquisite and relaxing- not overdone but special enough to make my mom feel celebrated, read more

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Food - 4/5. Fried Chicken & waffles were good. Brine on chicken was tasty (reminded me of Ad Hoc Chicken from Napa). Pancakes were pretty solid. Would have preferred some maple syrup to also be offfered. Burger - Good. But construction and proportion may have been a bit too big and it was uneven. Drip coffee from Smooth was really good and was so fresh it had a natural creaminess without cream. Service : Adequate 3/5. Suggest touching tables more when kitchen is backed up. Time to get food : 1/5. Way tooo long. 50 minutes from ordering to get 3 brunch items is just absolutely unacceptable. I get it, scratch made things can take longer, however high end restaurants can operate at a much higher efficiency than that. They also served other customers first that came in after us first (not good for eagerly waiting patrons after 45 minutes of waiting). So it's clear that kitchen operations can be vastly improved. I hope you improve that. If you don't mind waiting and have plenty of time to chill then you should consider here for pretty good food. My kids were late to our appointment and we got our food ready to be packaged once arriving, because we didnt expect to wait 50 minutes for food to come out after ordering. I suggest trying to keep it at under 20 min, maybe 30 minutes max for food to come. Will potentially try out dinner when we have more time to chill and have a drink while waiting for the food to come out. read more

Amazing food. Fresh,hot and quality. The flavors in my lasagna were perfect. My mom had a pizza she loved it. We each ordered an espresso martini with our lunch. It was tasty. Service was amazing. This little spot is busy I suggest booking your time. They do have minimal indoor seating and outdoor seating is available on beautiful days. A lot of shade read more

Rudolfo's - Build your own pie and espresso martini - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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so good we had it twice!!!! food and service so good we had it twice on our visit to pacific grove. I personally loved the spicy vodka rigatoni but the pizza is a must try too. cute outdoor seating and our server was so personable he felt like a friend. read more

This is my new go-to restaurant to bring friends to! The staff is attentive, the ambiance is cozy, and there are no words for the food... the carefully selected menu items, the quality ingredients, the presentation, and the melt in your mouth taste is worth a second, third, four.. visit to Rudolfo's. The owner has carefully put his menu together with such thought and quality. Ruddy- we are lucky to have you in Pacific Grove read more

Rudolfo's - Cesar salad and Bee's Knees Pizza - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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We had two pizzas and the jalapeño burger. Pizza was fabulous and my husband enjoyed the burger with house made fries. Service was excellent, the staff were all so sweet and attentive. Nested in a cute lil spot. Would be good for a family outing or a date night! read more

This place is so tasty and something yummy every time. I love their mushroom risotto with chicken entree, their fettuccine Alfredo, and their cheesecakes- even their garlic bread is delicious. The atmosphere is intimate and also outside patio nice for doggies. We love coming here and will be back soon (: read more

Rudolfo's - Risotto and chicken - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

To begin with, I really appreciated the friendly staff, everyone was so welcoming! The food was delicious. We sat outside since it was a beautiful day, which made the experience even better. I ordered the Braised Short Rib Bolognese pasta, and it was absolutely perfect!The pasta was cooked just right! My husband had the Brisket Sandwich with onion rings. The meat was flavorful and the coleslaw was tasty, though the bread tasted a bit stale. We also enjoyed a Paloma and a Limoncello... both were great choices! read more

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Great Pizza!! Good Salad. They were crowded and expecting more folk but they squeezed us in, durning cat week no less!! read more

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Love and keep ordering the same oxtail pasta it's so good so is the gelato, both so delicious! Because I love their oxtail pasta so much I figured their lunch would be fabulous as well so I took a friend there for lunch thinking that the meal would be just fabulous however it was just mediocre and disappointing, because I wanted my friend to have a good experience and it was not anything to brag about definitely not at the same level of flavors as oxtail pasta which I keep returning for until I become vegan again:) read more

Rudolfo's - Black cherry and chocolate gelato mix - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

The 3 stars is for the food. That was the best part. The service needs help, nowhere did I read that a reservation is required to sit inside. Being that it's in PG the weather is a little unpredictable. You can arrive with sunshine and five minutes later the clouds are out and it's freezing. Yesterday four of us asked to be seated inside and were told it was for reservations & they only had seats outside. Although the hostess/waitress did suggest the "community table" inside she would have to ask her boss first if it was ok. She turned to "the boss" and asked and she said "no" not until 5pm. That was in 30 minutes. Mind you, there are 4 open tables and a large community table in the middle that are open. Nope we were told the tables outside were open. It was one of our birthdays and had planned to eat there for weeks & didn't want to ruin something she was looking forward to which is why we did not just leave. As we're sitting outside it started to get misty... still no offer to the customers to go inside, even a customer with a new born and toddler sitting in the cold. Instead while waiting for our food we saw several people get turned away because there was no availability in the restaurant and were told the kitchen was busy trying to get over the last rush. My only advice, call to make reservations if you're desperate enough to want to eat here. Advice to the establishment, please treat customers with respect and gratitude because in this economy going out to eat is a luxury. You have lost four future customers and I'm sure those you turned away yesterday. Most of your customers are probably tourist and won't realize they need a reservation for a cafe. I personally have driven 3 hours to eat somewhere because the food and service are great. Rudolfo's is in my backyard and I would not waste my time there again. When we left, the tables inside were still empty. read more

Placed an order to go, pizza was delicious and so was the dessert! Will definitely come back!

Went for dessert, and coffee. Honestly we were pretty happy this time. The latte is def one of the best in town. The seating was changed again, and it is much more comfortable. My only constructive criticism is that the owner/manager (woman with the messy hair bun) was running around cleaning things that were already clean. Why that was annoying? We were just trying to relax, and enjoy ourselves. It was distracting to have her running around in an almost empty restaurant dusting each chair on the middle table. She seemed frantic, and it made for a less relaxing time for us. She didn't greet us or acknowledge us, which also felt off. read more

We came up to Pacific Grove for the Motorcycle Races at WeatherTech raceway. And where staying in Pacific Grove for the weekend. My partner in crime was looking for something different for dinner and found this little cafe on Yelp. Omg this place was amazing. Outside dining and Italian dining dishes that were out of this world. We managed to get in without having to book a reservation on short notice the staff there were very polite very helpful. I trade the lasagna and oh my God the portions they serve there were amazing so filling so good. My girl had a pear and apple salad with also some handmade lemon raviolis. They were delicious and for dessert she tried their dark chocolate Italian gelato hit the spot dinner for 2 this quaint little intimate little restaurant. I highly recommend if you're staying in Monterey or in Pacific Grove it's Fairly priced for what you're getting in the service is amazing. We also found out that if you order a head special order, they do serve a very, very nice Tomahawk steak.! we will definitely make this a regular spot every time we visit Pacific Grove and when we're traveling the Bay Area read more

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Our favorite place in Monterey Bay. The food is always fantastic, the desserts are great, the service is amazing, and the vibe is so welcoming. Definitely a hidden gem worth checking out. Get a reservation because they fill up fast! read more

It's a great spot -- and my favorite pizza in Monterey. The service was excellent, the beer was cold, and the ambiance was casual and cool. My kids had the spaghetti and meatballs, and they loved it. read more

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Today my friends and I went to have lunch at Rudolfo's Cafe and we were NOT disappointed! The food was amazing! My friend sent me an Instagram reel and wanted to check this place out. I'm so glad we made it out here! We will definitely come back again! Thank you to the staff that were all so helpful and provided great service! read more

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I had a very nice food experience at Rudolfo's. We decided to try several dishes we started with the Meatballs in a delicious tomato sauce with a side of Focaccia bread which tasted amazing I'd say 8 out of 10 only because the sauce was just a tad salty other than that the sauce was very tasty. Then we had the Works Burger that was delicious 10 out of 10, it was juicy and flavorful. Next was the fire roasted Pizza we had pepperoni it was delicious the crust was perfect cooked, 10 out of 10. Last was the special of the day the Brisket sandwich this was a moist flavorful delicious sandwich 10 out of 10. Don't forget dessert The Tiramisu was absolutely delicious. 10 out of 10. The service was amazing, fast and friendly service. The restaurant is in a very nice location on Pacific Grove downtown area. We will definitely be back here to dine. read more

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Our entire experience was amazing!!! Best lasagna we have ever had, the Bolognese was good and I would skip the onion rings next time and get the garlic bread. We will be back every time we are in town. read more

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Favorite restaurant on the coast. They also celebrated our engagement, and made us feel so special. Local business that I love supporting! Also, they are gelato is to die for! read more

Service was great and the food is awesome. Glad to see this spot in a growing and thriving PG!! Keep up the great work read more

Rudolfo's - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

The fried chicken "small plate" was a perfect meal with a side Caesar salad. The best fried chicken that I have ever had on the Monterey peninsula. It has the rosemary and salt flakes like Addendum in Yountville and the light crispy crust of Willie Mae's in NOLA without too much heat. It does come with a jar of habanero hot sauce on the side for self titration. The Caesar salad was excellent as well. Anchovy dressing, tasty fried capers, and a generous amount of Parmesan cheese on top. read more

Rudolfo's - 3 pieces of fried chicken - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

What an incredible dinner we had! The dishes were simple but the taste was amazing! Our server was amazing - he recommended what we needed to hear plus he also heard what we didn't need to eat ! He also was so helpful - there when you needed him! The dining room is small so make sure to call for a table! It has this warm feel ambiance! Our pasta dishes were 5 forks! And the colors were beautiful! The taste decadent! Definitely deserves more visits from us! Simple yet the menu will make you want more! read more

Rudolfo's - This sauce was paired so well with the pasta! Amazing taste as well! - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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Best tasting food in Pacific Grove!! Local favorite & talented chef!! Everything on the menu is tasty & ambience is perfect. After dinner, walk to the beach. #paradise read more

Rudolfo's - Pebble Beach Whiskey Fest winner - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Always good. Pizza is the best on the peninsula. Sourdough crust is amazing. Rigatoni was divine along with the arugula and pear salad. Waitress and employees were very attentive. It's a fun restaurant with a great vibe and options. read more

Hubby and I stop in for dinner many times so I can't be specific about one meal because they all are very delicious!!! Can't forget the dessert and wonderful selection of wine too which I highly recommend!!! The service is always great and it really is a cute and nicely decorated place to have dinner. read more

3 star rating is because it has the potential to be a stellar restaurant if it can get some kinks worked out. Our first visit here the food was amazing! Everything was perfectly cooked and delicious flavors. The 2nd time we came all of the same dishes were a disappointment. I am familiar with the concept of wood fired pizza (and that there will be black chars) but over half of the pizza was literally black and had them remake it. We were confused how a chef would let a completely burned pizza be served to a customer (the waitress seemed very young so I don't think she was experienced enough to make those kind of calls). The second attempt at the pizza, the crust was perfect (and very delicious!). Unfortunately, the middle of it was like goo. It's almost like their pizza oven wasn't hot enough to cook all the way through unless they had to cook it so long that the rest of the crust would be completely burnt. The chicken parm was also a bit overcooked on our second visit and the chicken was slightly tough whereas the first time we had it, it had a nice crunchy outside texture but the chicken was still very tender. We loved it so much we raved to our friends that it was the best chicken parm we've ever had! The pasta also seemed to be a weird combo of soggy al dente (I'm not sure how that would occur but that's the best way to explain it). Maybe it was a different chef on our second visit but the sign of a good restaurant is that it should be able to consistently turn out the same tasting meals every time. Our first and second visit were only a week or so apart so there is no reason to experience inconsistency in the dishes. read more

Only complaint is that when outside it is so cold the food even seems to get cold fast. They really should invest in some outside heaters.

Food and service were great. Stumbled upon the gem on after our Aquarium visit. Very friendly staff and food was delicious. We had the build your own pie and the Parmesan chicken with a Cesar salad. read more

Rudolfo's - Cesar salad - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Another five star lunch experience at Rudolfo's. The CHEF himself came out and took our order went back in the kitchen and prepared it and had his staff service us. I can't say enough about this wonderful restaurant. CHEF Rudy is becoming one of the top chefs in the Monterey Peninsula. If you haven't dined at Rodolfo's, you need to go there and enjoy one of the best culinary experiences you ever ever have. read more

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Everything we ordered was simply fantastic. After a long beautiful day walking 2 of the pro-am tournament courses, we were tired and craving burgers. Rudolfo's The Works burger was perhaps the best burger I have ever eaten. Eat it exactly as constructed for a savory flavor bomb. We really enjoyed it with the fries and a side of onion rings. To get our veggies in, we shared a gimungous Caesar salad with delicious dressing, copious grated Parmesan and tasty crunchy bread crumb "croutons." If only we lived in Pacific Grove, we would be regulars. Sorry was too hungry for pics. read more

Seriously what the heck this place is so good I think I died and levitated over my delicious Caesar salad with tri tip after the first bite. This place is perfection and deserves to be in the heart of PG, it is truly an amazing restaurant and experience. read more

Rudolfo's - Bleu burger - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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10/19/24 Visiting Monterey we stopped at this quaint Italian restaurant. Very good food. Homemade pasta. Our server, Cesar was very polite and pleasant. Great attitude! Thank you! We didn't have a reservation but, were lucky to be seated outdoor. Stop by. You won't be disappointed. read more

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Arrived at 7:15 and were seated immediately outside, while the indoor tables were either occupied or held for reservations. Once seated, we discussed the menu for about ten minutes (including bathroom breaks), then waited an additional ten minutes before anyone came to take our order. The server--a young gentleman doing his best--earns a solid 7/10. Wild Boar Ravioli - Bland with hard edges; the sauce is the only redeeming factor, but it's not worth ordering again. Chicken Alfredo - Overwhelmingly garlicky; I couldn't taste anything else. Lasagna - The star of the night: super simple yet delicious, and the sauce was perfect for dipping garlic bread. Paesano - The mushrooms were tough (didn't know they could be--learn something new every day), and only the caramelized onions saved this dish. As pictured, it definitely came with toppings, but sometimes it's nice to let the sauce and dough shine through. Two tables seated after us received their food before ours, and the staff only approached us again to drop off the check. Maybe it was because we were outside, but everything except the ravioli and garlic bread arrived cold. I'm sure there are better dishes, but three out of five were misses for the three of us--though I still need to try the carbonara read more

Rudolfo's - Chicken alfredo - Italian Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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Great attentive service & food is delicious. From the bolognese, spaghetti & meatballs, salads, tri trip and chicken sandwiches to the onion rings & tiramisu nothing disappoints. Great seating indoor and outdoor. Nice casual ambiance. One of the best restaurants on Lighthouse in Pacific Grove. Give it a try! If you do, you'll return again. read more

Actually, Rodolfo's is better than great. The food is beyond excellent! Try the lasagna, it'll knock your socks off! The caesar Salad is phenomenal. Actually, everything on the menu is worth trying. The service is great and the atmosphere inviting. Make your way to Rodolfo's...you'll be glad you did! read more

We have been coming to Rudolfo's for years now and our experiences have always been wonderful. Rudy is truly innovative with his menu, offering unique and perfectly presented meals to us. The effort this establishment puts into making everything from scratch amazes me and the dedication and devotion to ensuring their patrons truly enjoy their meal are apparent. My husband is obsessed with their Bolognese or Ravioli, and my go to is typically one of their homemade soups and spaghetti w/meatballs. If Italian isn't what you are looking for, they have several other offerings on the menu. Everything is fresh, quality, and cooked to perfection. Give them a try, you won't be disappointed. Make sure you make a reservation if possible, their popularity has exploded for good reason! read more

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Everything is insanely good - from the pastas to the burger to the fries. Thank you for serving such a huge side of fries!! read more

Pasta made in house, pizza dough made in house, desserts made in house, portions that are more than large enough to share Rudolfo's is Always a lovely meal. I enjoy that the menu is often changing so there is always something new to try. The service is warm and welcoming, busy and accommodating. Highlights are the bee's knees pizza, the Caesar is big enough for the whole table to have some, spicy Italian sausage pasta with the broccolini if it's on the menu atm is so good. The half chicken! Get a cookie to go. read more