Monty's Alhambra — Restaurant in Alhambra

I found Monte’s in Alhambra just poking around for something to eat one day. I live pretty close and had no idea it was there. Walked in, looked at the menu, and immediately knew this was my kind of place. Alexis runs the show here, and he and the rest of the crew are great, friendly, fast, and you can tell they actually care about the food. Everything on the menu looks solid, but I went with the first sandwich on the hot list the Legendary Chopped Cheese. It did not disappoint. Great flavor, perfect portion, and for about thirteen bucks, it’s a very fair price. The sandwich-to-price ratio is a strong 8½ out of 10 for me. The inside of the sandwich was fantastic, melty, flavorful, just messy enough to be satisfying. The bread was soft, which isn’t a bad thing, but personally, I would’ve liked it a touch crunchier to give it more texture. Still, the bread did its job and held everything together just fine. Parking’s super easy. It’s in a little strip mall with a ramen spot and a few other restaurants. You can pop right in and out. I think it’s off the Fremont exit on the freeway. The location couldn’t be better for a quick, easy meal. Everything about this place feels right: great food, solid pricing, easy parking, and good people running it. Every sandwich I saw go by looked worth ordering, and I’ve already got my eye on the chicken and waffles, which seems to be one of their signature dishes. Monte’s is one of those hidden gems that feels like it should already be packed all the time. I’ll definitely be back, probably more than once to work my way...

An event brought me here and their menu looked so good, I had to order some more to try on my own and bring home for a hearty meal later.

Monty's is in a plaza literally right next to the 10 freeway. Exit the plaza and turn right to get straight onto the freeway! The plaza has limited parking but people come and go, especially if they're here to get something from the nearby smoke shop. Inside Monty's, there's elevated seating and regular table seating for maybe 4-5 groups. They have a Pepsi soda fountain machine for your dine-in needs.

Everything on their menu looked great so it was hard to pick just two things to get. I ended up ordering the following with no regrets:

Breakfast burrito with all the meats (bacon, sausage, steak). $10 base price plus $2.50 for sausage and $4 for steak. Decent amount of filling and protein. Yummy. Will probably stick to just one protein like steak, given the various price points for extra meat.

Monty's Favorite #3 with 4 pieces of fried chicken and a waffle ($14). OMG, the fried chicken was so crispy! It comes with some hot sauce and syrup for dipping and the staff stopped by to give us some housemade garlic aioli to pair with the chicken. Heavenly! I didn't finish and heated up the waffle 2 days later. Still crisp! What the heck. I was amazed.

Service was excellent and they're pretty efficient with balancing dine-in and pick-up orders. Will be back to try their other sandwiches like the French dip, the cheesesteak, and even the grilled cheese. Hopefully they also keep the Hot 5 on their menu....

I came to Monty Alhambra with my sister and a friend to celebrate her birthday, and we had a great time. We tried a few different items from the menu, and overall, the food was solid. I ordered the Italian Beef sandwich, which comes hot with au jus sauce on the side. Heads up, it has a bit of a spicy kick, but the flavor was great, especially when dipping the sandwich into the au jus. That combo really hit the spot. The Italian Grandfather sandwich is a cold cut option and ended up being my favorite. I’d definitely get it again next time. My friend ordered the Chicken and Waffle, and they enjoyed it as well. No complaints from our group! The service was super friendly, which really added to the overall experience. Everyone there made us feel welcome and taken care of. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to try any of the cheesy sandwiches this time around since my sister isn’t a fan of cheese, but I’m already planning a return visit so I can check those out. The plaza has plenty of parking, which is always a plus. As for value, it’s a good place for either lunch or dinner. You can expect to spend around $15 per meal, which feels fair given the portion sizes and quality. Overall, Monty Alhambra is worth a stop if you're in the area and craving a...