Monterey Fine Foods — Restaurant in Bernardsville

I had my son’s 1st birthday party catered by Monterey Gourmet this past Sunday, and to say everything was PERFECT is a huge understatement! Not only was the delivery fee completely reasonable, but they were here 15 minutes early, brought everything in for me when I asked, and all of the food was packaged safely and tightly so that nothing had spilt or leaked en route to my house. The owner was actually the one who delivered my food, and when I tried to tip him, he refused to accept the tip/money because he said the owner cannot accept tip money and said he just hope we enjoy everything. I’ve been in the restaurant industry myself for over 15 years now, and I can honestly say that NO ONE would be so honest as to abide by that “owner can’t accept tips” rule. So clearly, this establishment is run by honest, genuine, kind and good-hearted people. All the guests LOVED and raved about ALL of the food. The tequila lime shrimp with corn and tortilla chips and the lemon garlic grilled chicken were probably the biggest hits! I had people asking to take some home with them. The ordering experience was also phenomenal- easy, quick, simple, and they provided me with tons of honest suggestions, advice, and detailed information for the 382749364 questions I asked while ordering haha! So, all in all and overall - 100/10 HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Will be using Monterey Gourmet again and again and again for any future catering orders I need for sure! Thanks Monterey Gourmet, you guys...

Just not what it used to be, both the whimsy and quality of the old Monterey Gourmet is no longer. Did we have a decent lunch? Sure. But it definitely wasn't anything special. We ordered ahead, not realizing the store was literally empty when we arrived. Despite it being slow, our order was still incorrect. The egg salad was blah, the Sloppy Joe was not a true Sloppy Joe (not a double decker sandwich), the potato salad didn't taste like much of anything and I was unimpressed by the portion sizes. Again, the food was fine but nothing to write home about. I was surprised by the total sparseness of the place. The prepared food in the deli cases looked pretty good, but there wasn't a whole lot of it. Long story short, I wouldn't be disappointed to eat here again but I wouldn't go out of my way to make it...

Sorry to say, this place is definitely not what it used to be, and clearly, that is reflected in multiple previous reviews. The chicken noodle soup is flavorless, and the sloppy joe sandwich had way too much Russian dressing and coleslaw on it to where you could barely enjoy it. The inside of the place looks like they're going out of business, with their shelves half full and dusty. The prices on their wines and spirits are $10 more per bottle than down the street. You won't get sick eating here, but it's not cheap (at all). Bernardsville is a very expensive town. We've had better food from the Bridgewater Diner on Rt. 22. Average/decent quality at best. If they don't change things around, and clean up their acts, they're going to be closing their doors rather sooner...