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

Kinda sad. We found this place a a year and a half ago when they just opened and as a local to the Monterey carmel area we were excited! It was wonderful service and food at first but has gone down SIGNIFICANTLY. Seems like they only care about the Tik Tok fame and being a "popular" and "trendy" restaurant rather than being a place where a community can eat together. Super sad to call and be told they don't take any reservations after 4 to give everyone a "fair chance" whatever that means. It's literally a Wednesday but I guess they want the food reviewers to come and give them more popularity. Honestly save your money and go somewhere local in pacific grove like Peppers or red house down the street. read more

Second time here and was unfortunately disappointed this time. Giving this place 3 stars because the food quality is excellent. What dropped my rating was the service. It took 45 minutes to get our food and our waiter didn't bother to check in or explain why it took so long other than "we're just busy". It also took a while to get our tab paid. Again - food was great but really encourage the staff to improve their service. read more

Went with kids, grandparents, and a puppy and all were happy with the experience. The patio was lovely. They have blankets to keep you warm. We had the arugula pear salad, Wagyu Ragu, meatball apps, chicken risotto, truffle fries, cheesy bread for the kids and it was delightful! Paired with glass of Pinot noir perfection. We will be back! 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

What an amazing restaurant, looking for a place to eat in Monterey is hit or miss, a lot of places are super touristy and overpriced for what you get. We stumbled in to Rudolfo's and were blown away. The food is all made fresh or sourced from very high quality purveyors, the staff was super friendly and accommodating and the restaurant has a great outdoor space with an intimate indoor dining room. We can't wait to go back and try it again. read more

Rudolfo's - Chicken sandwich - 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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Great pizzas and arugula salad. I'm coming back again! Our server was very helpful with suggesting meatless options and was very warm and welcoming. The fig pie was our favorite. read more

My 5 year old needed the bathroom and my husband and two other kids stayed to hear how long the wait was. Because we were in the bathroom for 5 minutes and our whole party wasn't there, they gave the next spot to someone else. I don't want to eat somewhere with staff like that ever. Glad we went to the cute place down the street instead. I don't see at all how the owner's comment makes this ok. A five year old needing to go to the bathroom should not be a reason to let others in front because our party is not complete. Of course we chose not to join the wait list after that. read more

Indoor seating was not available......too busy. Ordered a pizza to go which was good. Also recommend grabbing a cookie or two! read more

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

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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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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Food was solid - service was slow. We sat outside so maybe that is why? Took 2 hours for a soup, salad and pizza. I would rate it overall a pretty average experience. read more

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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I ordered takeout from this place the day I drove down from a week long stay in San Francisco. The food was by far better than anything I ate in San Francisco, for half the price. The smoked chicken was phenomenal, with perfectly cooked risotto, and the "this sh*t is bananas" cookie was... You guessed it... B-A-N-A-N-A-S! Loved the cozy vibe of the place, and they allow dogs on their outside patio! read more

We have eaten at Rudolfo's twice and were delighted on the first visit to have a delicious pizza with vegan cheese, as well as a tasty vegan vodka pasta. We were so disappointed the next time when vegan cheese was not available. I called today to make a reservation and confirm if vegan cheese would be available but was informed that it is not available any longer. I would strongly encourage Rudolfo's to be more inclusive and healthful by offering pizza with vegan cheese on the menu and a vegan pasta dish that has some protein like cannellini beans and/or nuts. read more

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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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

The truffle fries were the best!! Perfectly crispy, flavorful, and absolutely delicious. Great food and a wonderful experience overall. Highly recommend! read more

First time dining at this restaurant. Definitely make a reservation as it can get crowded. Had Caesar salad, onion rings, pizza and gelato to share. Service was great and food is good value, quality is there too. We'll be back to try more of the offerings like pasta. read more

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

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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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

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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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

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

Nice small spot but very loud, even when only 1/3 full it felt awfully loud in there. I had carbonara which was good but unfortunately water based pasta. And server kinda looked at me funny when I asked for ground pepper on it and she never brought the pepper (which I love on pasta). My partner had a pizza which was great and portion sizes were perfect. read more

Amazing food-interesting variety and well served. Been there 2x and never a disappointment. Modest prices but great value!

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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I read several reviews before we ate at Rudolfo's and what others said about the Caesar salad was true. It was excellent --one of the best Caesar salad salads I've had. The pizza was delicious too. We went with the build your own pizza with the red sauce and enjoyed it very much. The desserts looked awesome but we were too full to try one this time. We sat outside and were not cold because we wore our jackets. The staff was very friendly and helpful with the few questions we had. 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

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

Searching on Yelp on where to have dinner in Pacific Grove and decided to try Rudolfo's Cafe. They have a large outdoor area which is really nice and I think even better than their indoor dining. The evening wasn't chilly, so we sat outside. Nextdoor is wild fish restaurant and they had live entertainment with a band playing popular old hits like, "I left my heart in San Francisco." I think the music just made the evening so much more enjoyable! Some people stopped just to dance and they weren't even eating at either restaurants! We were hungry so we ordered 2 pizzas and a pasta to share. Paesano pizza - sausage, pepperoni, olives, mushroom and caramelized onions The pizza bread stayed dry on the bottom and didn't get soggy! Nice chewy and crispy pizza bread with the right amount of savory toppings which surprisingly wasn't too salty. 5/5 Prosciutto pizza - organic basil, prosciutto, arugula, burrata cheese. The prosciutto was salty but the burrata cheese balanced out my palate so it wasn't overwhelming. Very good pizza! 5/5 Braised short rib bolognese with whipped ricotta and parsley oil - how can you resist in-house made pasta? Nothing beats the texture! It's just so much better when it's freshly made versus store bought dry pasta. This is how it should be! The sauce was good as well but the meat was a little bit too salty for me. Maybe if they added cream to the bolognese, it would lighten the saltiness of the sauce. Still a very good dish! 4/5 Tiramisu gelato - Perfect sweetness and flavor! 5/5 We had 3 pieces of pizza left and had to pack it. I also wanted to make room for their gelato! So I walked inside their restaurant where they had ice cream behind the counter like an ice cream parlor. I tried a sample of their pumpkin which was very good. It had pieces of gingerbread cookie in it! But I had my mind set for tiramisu gelato. It was yummy! Loved the coffee liqueur flavor and bits of lady finger biscuit in it. Sweet way to end the evening! I highly recommend Rudolfo's Cafe! read more

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Two visits and vastly different food experiences. 1) Take out pizza. Full of fresh toppings. Crust was little soft for our preference but the overall flavor was very good (4/5). 2) Dine: First the positives, Caesar Salad was excellent, flavorful and all around great taste profile (5/5). Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese tasted fresh, just needed a little more seasoning/flavor profile could be up'd a bit (4/5). The less than great: Wagyu pasta, no flavor at all, mushy/bland all around (0/5). Fried chicken, such potential (crispy outside/tender inside). However, so salty as to make it not remotely palatable (2/5). Service: Excellent (5/5). We should have said something, perhaps it was just an off night? 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.

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

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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