Crystal Fish — Restaurant in Monterey

We found this place having a serious sushi craving and we wanted something really great. We checked out the Google reviews, and went for it. We arrived around 8:45 worried that we weren't going to be able to get in. It was excellent, we were immediately seated the place was packed full, which obviously did not affect the quality of the service or the food. The firecracker roll was outstanding the Philly roll was perfect, & I highly recommend the KFC chicken they do. I believe it's called the Japanese KFC? Go for it ! It is absolutely excellent. It's served with just enough sliced cucumber & red onion around it that for some reason it just totally works! ( the sauce is wonderful). This is a great place to go. * I wouldn't say it's extremely romantic or big and spacious, but there's the sushi bar and then tables around large groups where in every corner. They stay open until * 9:30 they had to actually turn people away repeatedly at about 9:45! It was about *$ 85.00 for 3 rolls , the chicken, garlic edamame, & two beers. I have to agree with the other Google reviews it's absolutely fresh and absolutely delicious. They do take out as well. At least 8 people came for large takeout orders. *Absolutely huge menu it's also an excellent place for vegans and vegetarians a very versatile menu! (Large Saki list too! ) Really, Check...

This place is a gem! Service was decent, and staff were pleasant. Vibe and decor were welcoming and nice. Their chopsticks are premium as well. Sushi rolls were very nicely balanced with r perfect amount of rice. Fish quality was hands down some of the best we've ever had! Everything we ate was SOOOOOOO clean in flavor, zero fishiness that we have found even in the bougie places, and their rolls were very unique.

The Eggplant roll was absolutely MOUTHWATERING! I did pick out some of the sushi ginger because it was quite a lot inside the roll. Regardless, it was fricken drool worthy! The Eggplant is not deep fried, it's marinated and grilled to a caramelized dream. One of the tastiest rolls I've had in my life.

As for the rest, we had the roll with apple and macadamia nut in it which was very fresh and light in flavor.

The roll we got with salmon in it was also very clean in flavor.

Finally, the last standout for us was the yellowtail sashimi... I've NEVER been able to stomach yellowtail due to its tendency to get fishy very easily and every time I've tried, that's the case. We ordered multiple orders of it because it was DIVINE.

Cannot wait to go back when we're in...

As a resident of Monterey Peninsula, I’ve been coming to Crystal Fish for a little over 10+yrs! My husband and I decided to come here for our 28th anniversary, as this is one of our favorite restaurants! We’ve come in and little by little, noticed changes with service and even the decor of the restaurant. Not sure if they’ve had a change of management or ownership. Our anniversary dinner had us sitting at the bar, which was fine, but after 25 min of waiting, we finally had to flag down a waitress to take our order. Our edamame, which is usually served warm, was delivered cold and in a bowl of cold water! We received our food (combo meal) cold. We would’ve brought this to the attention of our waitress, but once the food was dropped off, she never returned to check on us! Sitting in a limited area (bar), we sat with our dirty dishes around us, throughout the entire meal, with us shuffling them around so we could have room for our meal, sushi roll and drinks! Unfortunately, the only quick service we received for the evening was getting the check! We may be forced to find another sushi restaurant in the area as Crystal Fish has progressively lost their edge on their customer service....