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2
Mon, 10/2
8:00 PM

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Travelers' Choice2023
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

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PRICE RANGE
$25 - $40
CUISINES
Steakhouse, Seafood, Soups
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
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Reviews (2,506)
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Traveler rating
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68
91
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All reviews chowder seafood calamari crab cheesecake bread surf and turf abalone steak salad potatoes fries our waiter the wait staff visit monterey an appetizer wharf
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Reviewed 1 week ago

The Old Fisher Grotto." 2023, WOW!!! Most beautiful experience ever! Thank you Arlene manager & precious "Pablo" our server. You made our anniversary the best one we have ever had in our 30 years together! You treated us like royalty even though you never met...us. Pablo, you by far are rated high scale in our books at #1! You were so attentive to not just our needs but, every table! You made sure all tables were cleaned, water glasses were filled, and everyone was happy! What surprised us is when you arrived at our table with a beautiful plate of "Grilled artichokes drizzled in sweet balsamic vinaigrette, tasty fried calamari with a side of aoli & cocktail sauce, sourdough bread with mouth watering shrimp bruschetta. Not to mention a beautiful flower right in the middle of the plate. We were not expecting that! Pablo you truly are a "Gem💎"! What brought me to tears was when you also brought us a month watering tasty dessert, I mean a delicious cheesecake with a candle on top for our anniversary. My goodness our taste buds were dancing furiously! You didn't have to do this either, but you did. We are so gracious to Fishermen's Gratto for their kindness and love. The food overall by far was the best on this wharf!!! Especially the clam chowder which was a "10" there is no other clam chowder out there this tasty. Not even in Santa Cruz where I was raised. Throughout the years of our exploring restaurants we have tried at least 5 restaurants on the wharf and 'Old Fishermen's Grotto" has always been number one!!! The fish and calamari were most excellent, it had so much flavor, with a nice outer crisp, the internal body was moist and delicious. We haven't stopped talking about Old Fishermen's Grotto to our friends. Many of them had to visit for themselves and totally agreed that it is by far the best restaurant in Monterey. Please do yourself a favor and bring your family to this restaurant, they won't regret it! We will be back! Thank you Pablo! Thanks to "Old Fishermen's Grotto" for your beautiful smiles, gorgeous hospitality, and delicious food!💛More

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed 2 weeks ago

Loved it ! Great dinner and fabulous service from Cristian. We were seated upstairs with a view of the bay & the sea lions trying to entertain everyone. We will be back.

Date of visit: September 2023
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Reviewed 2 weeks ago

Wandering past we stopped here for lunch, then ended up returning twice more for dinner. Delicious fresh seafood, great atmosphere, service and overlooking the water and all the activity that goes along - paddlers, sea lions, pelicans.

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed August 20, 2023

Well decorated restaurant on the very touristy Monterey pier. Food is good, Sand Dabs excellent and fresh. They have a regular every night menu and an up-charge special seafood menu where they add at least $20 an entree. My only objection is when they overcharge...for dinner entree’s. It is not necessary to charge $50 for a fish entree and even more for steaks. The service is decent with a friendly waiter. It is a bit gross to display menu items fully cooked on a table on the pier as you enter the restaurant. When ordinary Americans are suffering the ravages of inflation, I feel restaurants should make sure they have a few entree’s at reasonable prices! I told this to the owner he was not apologetic and defended his exorbitant prices. The bottom line is the owner can charge whatever he wants and as customers you are free to find a similar less expensive restaurant.More

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed August 18, 2023

The wharf experience is not our cup-of-tea, but we were hungry and decided to drop in because the restaurant clearly advertised "no children or strollers". Ah - wonderful. It's clear this place has been around forever. Yay for a full bar with bartenders who know...what they are doing. Yay for the sound dampening materials which allow for conversation. Yay for the window seats where our out-of-town guests could ogle the sea lions. Yay to the servers who are attentive and professional. As to the food; it's good Italian comfort food. Nothing exceptional, but generous portions with solid sauces and good ingredients. Our favorite appetizers were the fried calamari (delicate breading and properly fried), the grilled artichoke ($14 - large artichokes halved, and grilled). I had the Linguini Isabella with bay shrimp, chopped clams and scallops in a garlic and cream sauce over a bed of linguini. It was good, but not $34 good (yes seafood is expensive, and they didn't skimp, but still). On our second visit (to bring our guests) I had Seafood Puttanesca consisting of penne pasta with salmon, shrimp, scallops, tomatoes, olives, capers, anchovies and fresh herbs. The amount of seafood was great, but again I'm not sure it was $39 great). We are glad we went, but this wasn't a cheap meal.More

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed August 16, 2023 via mobile

We loved our food and cocktails here. The clam bake was so so good, best chowder I’ve ever had…. and I’ve tried a lot in my travels on the east and west coast. The seafood salad was excellent also.

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed August 8, 2023

Great place. I love that they have older, experienced waiters. They know what you want before you do. Clam chowder - one of the best I’ve had. I got the seafood pasta - clams, lobster, pasta, about $50 and more than I could eat. Wife...had Sea Bass which she loved. Sat upstairs by the window and watched the seals play in the bay. Fun, enjoyable experience. We walked around, other restaurants were nearly empty. They definitely have the good reputation.More

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed August 6, 2023

Old school wharf restaurant - Perfect experience! Our waiter was great (Pablo) and we were seated by the window with a view of the water and the sea lions. Clam chowder was classic and delicious, grilled and marinated local artichoke was outstanding and my husband...thoroughly enjoyed his fish special entree as I savored the prawn cocktail. Big band music in the background plus a red rose upon leaving - felt special and pampered.More

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed August 6, 2023

We enjoyed this restaurant so much we went twice! Wait staff was pleasant and efficient. The food was wonderful! The first night, I had the seafood risotto and my wife had the sea bass. Both were wonderful. We had key lime pie and NY cheesecake...for dessert. Both were delicious. The second night we shared the Cioppino, which was out only negative. While it was delicious, at the $53 price, we had one clam and zero mussels, and the scallops were very tiny. Really good, but not great value. We also shared a beat and goat cheese salad which was delicious. Had the tiramisu for dessert...delicious! We would definitely recommend this place. Absolutely great food and service!More

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed August 4, 2023 via mobile

Get the clam chowder bread bowl at the stand outside of the seated dining room. We had that the first night on the wharf and it was yummy. Decided to check out the actual dining room the next night and it was a different story....Seemed to be quite the tourist trap. Huge portions, mid to low quality food, luxury prices. We only ordered entrees which as a restaurant worker I would almost never do if the place hadn’t immediately announced itself as a trap in the way it had. My partner had the grilled scallops which were inconsistent. The sautéed vegetables were the best thing on the plate. I had the linguini with clams which was decent, although the clams were not presented in shells and were chewy. I’m not for sure, but I think they were canned. Came out to about an $100 tab with the two entrees, soda and tip. I think you can do better on the wharf for less. Get the clam chowder on the stand next to the host station and post up on the wharf like we did the night before. Second night was a bummer experience.More

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed July 30, 2023

The best Clam Choweder in the WORLD. So deliciouse and so was the Sourdough bowl. Visiting from Bay Area do not expect to fing The Best Clam Chowder out of Bay Area but WOW! they have it.

Date of visit: July 2023
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Reviewed July 23, 2023 via mobile

Want a surprise! Go here for dinner! We had the Alaskan Halibut w/macadamia nut and Goat cheese and beets w/chicken. Plus, try the Monterey clam chowder! Great wine selection. Key Lime Pie was better then what we get in Key West FL! The staff was...very friendly and our waiter of superb! Veteran friendly, too!!More

Date of visit: July 2023
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Reviewed July 18, 2023 via mobile

After a disappointing seafood meal in Cambria, we decided to take a day trip up to Monterey for a truly awesome lunch. Once again, we chose our favorite restaurant, The Old Fisherman's Grotto, located on the wharf. It was Father's Day weekend and the place...was packed, necessitating a long wait. When we finally got inside, we were seated in a comfortable upstairs booth. My sidekick Cookielee ordered her favorite large bread bowl full of their award winning Chowder. I chose chowder, tasty fried calamari, and an order of scallops with onion risotto. We absolutely love this restaurant. After lunch, we enjoyed the annual hot rod show. We'll be back soon for some more great chowder.More

Date of visit: June 2023
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Reviewed July 9, 2023 via mobile

Beautiful restaurant and views. Romantic a large portions. Cioppino was amazing and enough for two. Keen- bartender and Tara our waitress were wonderful. Will stop here any time we go through Monterey

Date of visit: July 2023
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Reviewed July 7, 2023 via mobile

After hiking all day we enjoyed an afternoon on the pier and decided to eat a late lunch at Fisherman’s Grotto. We had a short wait and then were seated at one of the front open view tables. We had delicious Espresso martinis, Aperol Spritz,...Cosmopolitan martini. The food was just as good - chowder, salad with salmon (amazing!!) seafood special and lobster ravioli. Great portion sizes. Wonderful attentive service. Hope to get back some day!More

Date of visit: July 2023
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Questions & Answers
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phillD3329SP
December 31, 2019|
AnswerShow all 2 answers
Response from Free32697 | Reviewed this property |
I do not know if they do not allow children there. We were there around 9pm and we didn’t even see children out on the wharf. But you are correct that people allow their own children to behave badly and therefore ruin it... More
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Nancy B
August 18, 2019|
AnswerShow all 5 answers
Response from Kekio W | Reviewed this property |
So sorry, can't help on this one. Maybe call them?
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Terri c
June 12, 2019|
AnswerShow all 2 answers
Response from Fofo44444 | Reviewed this property |
Go to their website. Their menu is viewable there. Unfortunately we can't include HTML or website links on this forum. If you can't pull up their website use a different browser.
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OLD FISHERMAN'S GROTTO, Monterey - Menu, Prices, Restaurant Reviews & Reservations - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Old Fisherman's Grotto

Yes, Old Fisherman's Grotto is taking precautions against COVID-19. A full list is available within the "safety precautions" section of this page.

Old Fisherman's Grotto is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travelers:
  • Food: 4.5
  • Service: 4.5
  • Value: 4
  • Atmosphere: 4.5