Monterey Restaurants, Fine Dining in and around Monterey

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• An Choi Restaurant
  1120 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove, CA 93950. Phone: 1.866.413.9527
  Offering creative preparations of contemporary and traditional Asian cuisine, An Choi restaurant in Pacific Grove is a unique destination for a richly flavorful dining experience. Many of the Thai, Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese dishes feature the influences of French cuisine, and the expansive menu boasts meat-based and vegetarian dining options. This restaurant in Monterey County is located near Pebble Beach, Asilomar and Carmel attractions like Cannery Row, and there is ample space for private parties and social events. 
   
• THE SARDINE FACTORY
  701 Wave St., Monterey • Phone: 373-3775
  There are a number of world-class wine lists here on the Monterey Peninsula. In addition, there are dozens of exceptional lists that satisfy any wine-lover’s needs. But there is only one Sardine Factory. One visit to its magnificent underground catacombs, where international beauties have lain untouched for two to three decades awaiting introduction to heart-thumping suitors, clearly illustrates why The Factory is on the go-to list for never-to-be-seen-again treasures. For relatively short money, true aficionados of the grape can have the opportunity to taste mature wine that has been perfectly stored, and experience what only fortunate collectors already know. 
   
• Cibo Ristorante Italiano
  Intimate yet vibrant atmosphere is accentuated with expressive art in the form of photography, paintings, sculpture, hand-blown glass and LIVE JAZZ.    301 Alvarado St.
  Monterey, CA 93940 Phone:  (831) 649-8151 
  
• OLD FISHERMAN’S GROTTO
  39 Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey. Phone: 375-4604 When is a soup no longer a soup? When it’s a dynasty. Grotto chief Chris Shake is pretty sure he knows how the Grotto has dominated this category for half a decade. “I think it’s because it’s completely from scratch with nothing but fresh ingredients,” he says. “It’s what I consider a high-end clam chowder. A lot of places don’t do it because it is expensive. What makes it ‘Monterey clam chowder’ is a little extra garlic. It’s also different from Boston and other chowders that are more chunky because ours is more creamy, like a bisque.”
   
• P.F. CHANG’S
  1200 Del Monte Center, Monterey. Phone: 375-0143 The well-known national brand P.F. Chang’s came to town and, within six months, shot to the top slot for area Chinavores. It’s hard not to be swept away by the grand style of the palatial restaurant: The elaborate entryway should get an award for Best Place to Wait for a Meal, the bar is sleek and user friendly, and the seemingly vast dining room (by local standards) is built for comfort. It features dramatic murals, booths, well-spaced tables, and is a miracle of soundproofing. All diners receive a custom hot sauce made at the table to their desired level of heat. Dishes are both traditional and innovative, and present fresher ingredients than typical Chinese fare. 
   
• The Crown & Anchor
  Voted by The Monterey Visitor's Guide "The most Authentic Pub in Monterey County and a must to see while visiting historic old town Monterey"   150 West Franklin St.
  Monterey, CA 93940
  
  
• JACKS Restaurant
  The elegant, yet warm and welcoming, JACKS, reflects the best of Monterey's charm and history. It's the perfect setting for a variety of hearty and flavorful cuisine.   2 Portola Plaza
  Monterey, CA 93940
  
  
• Peter B's Brewpub
  Monterey's only on-premises micro-brewery. Peter B's combines great food and great beer with a warm, friendly atmosphere, pool table and sports TVs to create the Peninsula's best and only "Brewrestaurant"!    2 Portola Plaza
  Monterey, CA 93940
  
  
• TusCA Ristorante
  Relax on comfortable banquets as you watch our chefs prepare this fabulous cuisine in an open air kitchen with wood burning ovens, or take in views of the world-famous Pebble Beach Company's Del Monte Golf Course from floor to ceiling windows. 
  
  
• Casa Munras, 700 Munras Ave., Monterey.  The tapas – especially the grilled prawns, but also the baby squid and the seafood chowder – are hard to top and fun to share, but so, too, is the dark marble-and-sandstone setting right swank-dab in the middle of Monterey. And while the 20 tapas offer a wealth of Mediterranean options that work as well at a business lunch as a wind-down evening with the hip-and-sexy set, the gourmet sandwiches also are excellent for about $10. After just six months, this sleek installation already looks like a fixture on the area’s diverse finger-licking landscape. 
  
  
• FANDANGO
  223 17th St., Pacific Grove
  From the multi-level eating areas and wildly fun décor, Fandango gets you at hello. The superlative service and fantastic food keeps you there hours later. One night, a special of gently seared, jumbo Eastern scallops on a bed of lightly lemoned pasta was everything these meaty, succulent mollusks should be. Seafood and meat-laden paella came in its own big, black pan, enough for dinner and lunch the next day. The vacherin dessert – coconut and almond embedded in meringue surrounding vanilla ice cream, accompanied by a small pitcher of warm chocolate sauce to pour at will, was heaven on a plate.
  
  
• MONTRIO
  414 Calle Principal, Monterey • It has been a long time coming for one of the Peninsula’s hardest-working chefs, Tony Baker. He has steadily built a following, always sensitized to undulating trends, tweaking his dishes in one of Monterey’s most urbane environments. It’s a place you can take your big-city visitors to show them you haven’t had to give up much while living here in the wilderness. With the Best Appetizer award, astute Weekly readers also recognized Baker for addressing the growing appetite for tasting new and various foods by featuring both a small-bites menu ($4.50 each) and an appetizer menu (various prices). The two-bite Yorkshire pudding with filet and horseradish, the pavé of pork with parsnip purée and apple fritter, or the hot crab and artichoke bake are good places to start. Well done, Tony.
  
  
• CIELO
  Highway 1, Big Sur •  Cielo at the Ventana Inn delivers an elevated Big Sur experience without detracting from the whole point of being in Big Sur: natural splendor and unpretentiousness. Cielo does make a sublime place more sublime. Three environments allow a more customized experience with casual drinking and dining in the bar, an inspiring panorama on the outdoor patio and a rustic elegance in the main dining room. The cuisine is a theme common in these parts – local, seasonal and influenced by Mediterranean forefathers.
  
  
• CANTINETTA LUCA
  Dolores between Ocean and Seventh, Carmel-by-the-Sea • This hip, city-style casual Italian eatery erupted onto the spot where Toots Lagoon used to reign during the 1980s, reincarnating with the same high energy and magnetic appeal. Redesigned by wife Kathleen, this David Fink creation matches fresh, hand-crafted Italian specialties like wood-oven-fired pizzas, home-cured salamis, pasta dishes and seasonal specialties with an extensive all-Italian wine list offering tastes, glasses and bottles from across every region in Italy. Add a full, lively bar scene, friendly staff and local buzz that won’t quit and you’ve got the hottest – and the best – restaurant in Carmel. 
  
  
• WILL’S FARGO DINING HOUSE & SALOON
  16 Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel Valley . There is something about bucking trends that appeals to the pioneering spirit in Carmel Valley. Where else in the Age of Dining Reason would a 50-year-old saloon and steakhouse that has made no significant changes to its interior other than to remove dust win an award for best restaurant? But Will’s Fargo doesn’t ask customers to compromise on high-quality grub to enjoy some awhalinguthentic nostalgia. Will’s is truly a repository of memories for multiple generations who have worked, dined and imbibed on its creaky wooden floors. But make no mistake. Chef Jerome Viel’s famous beef preparations are complemented by one of the largest seafood menus around, with tasty vegetarian sides and dishes to please one and all. And if you ask Spike nicely to mix your drink a certain way, the legendary bartender will make it like a mind reader.
  
  
• AJ SPURS
  3295 Dunes Dr., Marina . At this Western-style carnivore’s paradise, the side dishes alone constitute a meal. Every entree begins with a cast-iron kettle of beefy vaquero soup, accompanied by salad, hearty tequila beans, roasted spuds, garlic bread, rice pilaf and salsa (“hot sauws” in cowboy lingo). Save room for steak. The restaurant offers finely cut top sirloin, filet mignon and rib-eye steaks, all barbecued in a red-oak pit. After you’ve filled your doggie bags, your meal even includes a root-beer float or post-gluttony liqueur. It’s easy to see why readers voted AJ Spurs best restaurant three years in a row: They were still full from last year’s dinner.
  
  
• TARPY’S ROADHOUSE
  2999 Monterey-Salinas Hwy., Monterey
  You can tell a lot about a community based on its choice for best business lunch. In Monterey County’s case, get as far away as possible from the center of town and its slick city ways, and you’ll find a place where it’s possible to relax and forget about work, or relax and get a lot of work done. Either way, you win, because Tarpy’s is as close as it gets to a restaurant that is all things to all people – it also was voted Best Restaurant in Monterey. Go for satisfying, creative dishes that please comfort-food seekers, high-protein types, leafy-California-seafood and Chardonnay types, or any combination thereof.
  
  
• PHIL’S FISH MARKET
  7600 Sandholdt Rd., Moss Landing .•
  The colder the night, the more likely the locals are noshing on Phil’s mind-bogglingly fresh creations. Sure, others steer clear of the legendary eatery because of the blustery ocean wind that used to blow through the open outdoor patio. Secret: Those canvas windows have been replaced by roll-up doors, and the heat lamps glow on full blast. But hey, no rush. More for us: the cooler jammed with itsy-bitsy bottles of wine; the cioppino teeming with fish Phil may have bent down and scooped right out of his backyard sea; scores of catch grilled to perfection; the fork-worthy New England clam chowder jammed with clams. Go on now, we’ll be just fine. 
  
  
• PASSIONFISH
  701 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove.
  For the past 10 years, Ted and Cindy Walter have been shaping Passionfish into what is now a beacon of light in a murky field of mediocrity. They have quite simply reworked traditional restaurant formulae by using only the freshest, sustainable ingredients, prepared in inventive ways; a world-class wine list priced so far below normal restaurant pricing it’s almost unfair; a commitment to staff and community that includes helping with health care and reducing the carbon footprint put forth by the restaurant; and a fun, lively perspective that brings folks back over and over. Foodie and wino blogs hum with activity about the latest experiences at this PG paradise.
  
  
• ROY’S (INN AT SPANISH BAY)
  2700 17-Mile Drive, Pebble Beach. With a location worthy of the Seven Wonders, Roy’s would be worth a visit for the setting alone. But Japanese-born, CIA-trained, LA-tested, Hawaiian-hatched Roy Yamaguchi, the restaurant’s namesake and creator of Hawaiian fusion-style cooking, is not impressed with scenery alone. Roy’s food makes use of fresh local ingredients wherever possible and combines them in ways only his imaginative flair can originate. For example: Lakanilau Roll, which is seared kobe beef wrapped around dynamite crab, tempura asparagus and avocado. This Roy’s at Spanish Bay, under the stewardship of Chef de Cuisine Yoichi Saito, one of the unsung local treasures, delivers Roy’s goodies, including a phenomenal sushi bar, just like the big man had in mind. 
  
  
• OL’ FACTORY CAFÉ
  1725 Contra Costa St., Sand City
  Built from eco-friendly materials, stocked with organic coffee and teas, and committed to locally grown food, Ol’ Factory Café is a refreshing hub of sustainability. With lean, free-range beef and organic fries, Ol’ Factory has nearly mastered the guilt-free burger. They make a tasty brie panini and serve fresh, organic greens all grown within a 100-mile radius. The cavernous and art-embellished edifice also is an elegant place to catch a buzz. Ol’ Factory features fabulous European beer, including German dark Hefeweizen and Belgian grand cru. If you go for dinner, you’re likely to stumble upon some live music or a spelling bee. Can you spell “serendipity”?
  
  
• FISHWIFE
  1301 Fremont Blvd., Seaside. The tostada salad will change your life. An exaggeration, perhaps. But for $10, it will make living a heck of a lot more decadant. Enormous slabs of piping hot, pan-seared fish, atop a crisp-fried flat tortilla covering mushroom rice and black beans, and sided with avocado salsa. The whole affair is topped with a mound of fresh greens. Ask for some ranch dressing on the side. Other worthy choices are the barramundi, sand dabs, and the enormous salads and hearty soups, accompanied by yummy garlic bread. If you still have room, try any of the desserts, including chocolate truffle torte, key lime pie and mocha cheesecake.
  
  
• FIRST AWAKENINGS
  125 Oceanview Blvd., Pacific Grove. They should offer some sort of prize for finishing a massive stack of three plate-sized bluegerm pancakes here, or the Joaquin Yahoo frittata, with its piles of fresh veggies, zesty salsa and plethora of cheeses, or any of the crepeggs, like the turkey dill. But a prize would be redundant – the mountainous flavor is its own reward. And besides, being served by the sweet, experienced wait staff, while sitting next to the fire pit outside, listening to seagulls and drinking an unending mug of fresh coffee with breakfast, is pretty darn nice as well.
  
  
• TURTLE BAY
  1301 Fremont Blvd., Seaside. Leave it to Monterey County to produce a place that serves a sustainable seafood lunch, fast, and with the added benefit of being inexpensive. And it gets better – the food tastes damn good. They offer sopa de lima, with big chunks of chicken, sweet lime and tortilla strips, or a nice grilled shrimp salad for the feathers and fin crew. Veggie lovers can relish a hearty, vegan bahia bowl and a banana berry smoothie. Meat lovers, don’t fret, they have carnitas, steak tacos and pork loin Yucateca.
  
  
• BUBBA GUMP SHRIMP CO.
  720 Cannery Row, Monterey
  For 12 years running, the original Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. has been a great place for family eats. Bring the kids and take a seat in front of the huge dining room windows with arguably the best view of the Monterey Peninsula. From there, great meal combos and reasonable prices please even the harshest family food critics, and any shrimp dish on the menu is worth the price of admission, (but the shrimp po’ boy in particular is a solid choice). There’s loads of Gump memorabilia on the walls, and the nostalgic ‘60s and ‘70s music takes you back. For drinks, try the Bayou Surprise, with Skyy vodka, almond syrup, triple sec and tropical juices.
  
  
• FIFI’S CAFÉ & BISTRO
  1188 Forest Ave, Pacific Grove
  Maybe it’s the red-velvet drapes, the poster of Willy’s Wine Bar or the various French photographs and paintings. Or maybe it’s the bistro-style menu with stalwarts like steak frites and boeuf bourguignonne. Maybe it’s the variety of French wines chosen for typicality, taste and style over flash. Maybe it’s the hip French music that is always playing at the correct volume. Or maybe it’s just Michele Wilkes, who has been commandeering this perennial favorite since its inception more than two decades ago. Her sparkling eyes, sparkling cheeks, sparkling persona and singsong French accent grace all who enter with authentic joie de vivre.
  
  
• AMBROSIA INDIAN BISTRO
  565 Abrego St., Monterey
  Diners from as far as Santa Cruz commute to this downtown Monterey northern Indian restaurant just for the butter chicken. Not hard to believe, considering the lofty reputation Ambrosia’s owner/chef Bhupender Singh left at the Zagat-rated Amber India Restaurant in Mountain View. Ambrosia Indian Bistro (barely a year old) combines an enviable location with warm salmon-colored walls, an iridescent full bar, and a peace-inducing, backyard falling water pool. But what brings people back, over and over, is a hefty menu filled with hera kabob patties, samosa pastries, paneer tikka cottage cheese, rack of lamb, oven-roasted sea bass, tandoori chicken, vegetarian and vegan dishes, a daily (and addictive) lunch buffet, and 10 different kinds of Indian breads made in a clay oven imported from India. Order a lychee-infused martini, soak in the Pan-Asian music and meditate on the dizzying menu. Repeat regularly.
  
  
• SUSHI HEAVEN
  Dolores between Seventh and Eighth, Carmel
  Locals simply swear by this place – as in, “The sushi is really f***ing good.” One Carmelite says its absence would mean certain sadness. “I would be so depressed,” she says. “I would be in bed for days.” The super freshness starts the second customers sit, as the welcoming service drops miso soup, hot tea and a delicious little cucumber-salad number with noodles and fresh crab. Then it’s on to the tidy rolls and delicious dissolve of nigiri on the tongue.
  
  
• ORIENT EXPRESS
  1884 Fremont Blvd., Seaside
  Orient Express serves up its main courses of rice, noodles and meats with a small army of side dishes called banchan – the secret weapon of the Korean meal. Their banchan (literally, “side dish to eat with rice”) includes bean sprouts, spinach, radish and cabbage kimchee, sautéed potatoes, tofu, roots, dried anchovies… 11 little dishes that color each bite with complex and strong tastes of sweet, salty, spicy and savory flavors. For the adventurous, Orient Express serves the popular kimchee ji-gae soup in an iron pot, bubbling with all kinds of heat. Its menu ranges from seafood, casseroles (more like stews), and lunch and dinner combinations to the more exotic broiled eel or oyster pancake (take that, IHOP). The Korean karaoke machine, busloads of lunchtime Korean tourists and the soju, the national rice liquor, let you know you’re not in Kansas anymore.
  
  
• PETRA
  435 Alvarado St., Monterey
  Petra knows how to deal out the hummus and falafel. Two locations, one in Monterey and one in Pacific Grove, serve a mix of Middle Eastern, Greek, Turkish and American dishes. “My favorite is the chicken delight,” says Samer Nimri, chef at the PG location. “It’s chicken curry over a casserole of vegetables with a cream of mushroom curry sauce.” Shiskabobs, tabouli and fava beans round out a full menu for both lunch and dinner.
  
  
• THE WHOLE ENCHILADA
  Highway 1 and Moss Landing Road, Moss Landing
  Locked tightly between the Monterey Bay just inches to the west, and miles of Salinas Valley farmland just a stone’s throw to the east, this jewel is perfectly poised to commingle earth and sea, with a dousing of Mexican flare, to produce sense-heightening dishes that whisper careful attention to detail but scream “Ay dios mio!” Literally translated, it means something like Oh. My. Freaking. God. The chicken-stuffed, sun-dried tomato tamales with avocado salsa trucked from Castroville is sublime, though you can’t go wrong with any menu item here. No need to long for warm nights on the Mexican Riv. It’s right here in Moss Landing.
  
  
• AMIR’S KABOB HOUSE
  794 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey
  Two years after owners Mukhtar and Dolores Amir brought the exotic spices, smells and sounds of Afghanistan to New Monterey, the tiny treasure on Lighthouse Avenue still might be considered a local secret – but not for long. The setting, with its candle-lit tables and rich, crimson tapestries, is warm. The entertainment (belly-dance performances on the first Friday and third Saturday of every month): sensual. The wine and beer list: good. The food: mind-blowing. Traditional Afghan dishes like mantu (thin pasta encasing ground beef, onions and spices) and banjan (pan-fried eggplant) share menu space with oh-so-tender lamb and chicken kabobs. One regular has been known to drink the hot, homemade red and green chutneys like water, and while we can’t recommend this course of action, do try them out on the Afghan naan.
  
  
• THAI BISTRO II
  159 Central Ave., Pacific Grove. Offering fresh and somewhat lighter takes on a wide range of Thailand’s complex cuisine, Thai Bistro II hits the spot on a cool winter night. Their Pad Thai, sometimes called the national dish, is a hearty portion of pan-fried rice noodles with pork, egg, tofu and three clean-tasting prawns. Ask for some chili sauce and limes to spice it up. The curries, except for a luxurious coconut cream Panang version, are less creamy than many places, but pack a punch of heat, and are loaded with fresh vegetables. A heat level of 3 on their 1-5 scale is enough to clear your sinuses. A special often on the menu not to be missed is green papaya salad, and the mee grob appetizer is at once pretty and tasty.
  
  
• THE FORGE IN THE FOREST
  Junipero at Fifth, Carmel. The Forge is one of few restaurants where outdoor seating is preferred year-round in all but the most inclement weather. Trailing vines and trees, colorful umbrellas and heaters provide climate control. Fireplaces, a brick patio and an air of history are all the ambience needed to keep the fans coming to this one-time blacksmith shop and subsequent hangout of local characters since 1944. The neo-American food menu features hot sandwiches, burgers, pizza, pasta, steak, poultry and a bit of Asian this or that. Well-behaved dogs are encouraged to lounge.
  
  
• TILLIE GORT’S CAFÉ
  Raw foodies, vegans, vegetarians, omnivores – whatever your dietary discretions, Tillie’s got options for ya. Perched like a little slice of the ’60s on PG’s charming Central Avenue, the almost-40-year-old café offers a menu extensive enough to stump both the stoned and the sober. Breakfast ranges from organic oatmeal to slammin’ eggs benedict; lunch and dinner bring salads, pastas, Mexican food, sandwiches and burgers (and these servers won’t look at you funny if you request soy substitutes). Drinks include espresso, “Postum” coffee substitute, fresh carrot juice and wine. Save room for dessert. Daydreams are built on the moist orange strata of Tillie’s homemade carrot cake.
  
  
• THE WHALING STATION
  763 Wave St., Monterey. You probably think society has turned its back on traditional steak houses, what with the trends toward lighter eating, more health-conscious diners and newer, fancier types of cuisines popping up. Think again. The strongest segment of the industry over the past decade is steakhouses, baby, and John Pisto, curator at large of Monterey’s Whaling Station, knows all about that. He delivers the big goods with juicy 100-percent USDA Prime Midwestern corn-fed beef, aged 28 days, cooked the way you want it; live Maine lobster; oysters Rockefeller; creamed spinach; martinis and big red wines. Veteran, well-seasoned waiters and a warm, clubby atmosphere keep The Station the first stop for chops. 
  
  
• MONTEREY’S FISH HOUSE
  2114 Del Monte Ave., Monterey. If you can’t feel the love the moment you enter this down-home fave, better get your chakras cleared by a professional. From the cozy converted house to the exhaustive specials menu to the generous platters offering pasta on the side, the folks at Monterey’s Fish House know how to nurture the soul. Oysters are shucked at the bar for that just-off-the-boat-dock feel, and the barely grilled barbecued oysters are pure magic. It’s all about you with choices of sauces and sides for many of the entrees at this Italian home-style eatery, and the prices are reasonable, to boot.
  
  
• MARINUS AT BERNARDUS LODGE
  Carmel Valley. Despite heroic efforts by many new and established dining operations barking at the heels of this comfortable-yet-profound bastion of belle cuisine, Cal Stamenov’s ode to perfect ingredients perfectly prepared, complemented by talented and dedicated service staff catering to diners’ needs, accented by Mark Jensen’s classically chosen accompaniments from the vast cellar, resumes its reign as king-of-the-restaurant-to-splurge hill. In a setting more country home than business establishment, fortunate foodies loyally revisit Marinus, where the kitchen spins magic from the back and bar manager Zole Andahazy conjures greats from the spirit world.
  
  
• PACIFIC’S EDGE
  120 Highlands Drive, Carmel. Mystery, idealism, love. Pacific’s Edge evokes all of these sentiments. Whether you are seated at the fore of the immense glass walls that nestle occupants within an enchanting forest or ensconced in the luxurious wood interior so representative of one vein of California architecture (spacious, modern, bringing in the outdoors), you will not have to rely on the meticulous cuisine of chef Mark Ayers alone for transport to another state of mind. Your journey will be further supported at every step by a helpful staff, fine linens, flatware, glassware and all such sumptuous accoutrements. That, plus the edge of the Pacific – roiling, placid or playful, as the whim of nature might have it. Try to arrive before sunset.
  
  
  If you would like to add a live link to your Monterey restaurant click here: Request Form