From Scratch Restaurant — Restaurant in Monterey

I should’ve known the second the hostess rebuffed the other FOH table suggestion and (attempted) to seat me at a tucked away corner seat with very little space & no view:ambience whatsoever. I refused that table and the hostess asked where I wanted to sit then. There were plenty of open tables. I said “anywhere but there.” She walked me to a table, threw the menu down and asked if that was ok. Sure. I should’ve left then.

The waiter was friendly, all of them were, but his recommendations were awful. Not sure if it’s his fault that the recommendations were awful or the kitchen’s fault. The cinnamon roll pancakes were not fluffy at all and although, they tasted like cinnamon rolls, the icing was not gooey like cinnamon rolls. It was more akin to a pre-packaged cinnamon roll you’d get from a convenience store.

That wasn’t the worst of it though. The eggs Benedict (picture below). As soon as I showed the waiter this, he profusely apologized and took it back to the kitchen for a redo. I honestly didn’t want another one, but didn’t have the heart to tell him the hard boiled egg wasn’t the only issue. The amount of ham is way too much for a Benedict. It’s also too thickly cut and dry. On top of that, the menu and waiter boasted about this house made hollandaise. It’s certainly nothing to write home about, but definitely something to write about on Google. You can see in the picture that it’s broken, it’s not creamy, it’s not good.

The restaurant was very understanding as they comped the Benedict and provided another 10% discount. All told, I ultimately paid $16 for a small cup of fruit and store bought pulp-free orange juice. Not what I’d expect from a spot that’s been on Food Network and is listed as one of the best breakfast restaurants...

This restaurant promotes itself as a place where everything is made from scratch, but from the very first bite it becomes clear that nothing is prepared fresh in-house. The food has the unmistakable taste and texture of mass-produced, bulk-distributed items—more in line with something pulled from a delivery truck than crafted in a kitchen. Each dish carried the flat, processed flavor profile often associated with prepackaged Sysco-style meals, and worse, there was a faint chemical aftertaste that lingered long after eating.

The menu itself appears ambitious, but the execution is disappointing. Portions are overpriced relative to the quality, leaving the impression that the establishment is trading on presentation and marketing rather than substance. What should have been flavorful, hearty meals instead came across as bland, artificial, and reheated. It felt less like dining at a restaurant and more like being served cafeteria food at a premium cost.

Even basic details were lacking. Ingredients lacked freshness, textures were inconsistent, and plating offered nothing that could elevate the experience. For a restaurant claiming authenticity and homemade care, it delivered the opposite: an assembly-line approach that prioritizes convenience over culinary quality.

The one redeeming factor was the staff. The servers were attentive, polite, and efficient, doing their best to provide good service in a situation where the food itself worked against them. Unfortunately, no level of professionalism on their part can salvage what arrives on the plate.

In the end, this place fails at its most important promise: serving honest, well-prepared food. The service deserves credit, but the kitchen does not. Avoid this...

We called ahead of time at 1030am on Tuesday, June 6th. I called to ask if we can have our dog in a stroller and eat inside since it was raining. Before I could get my sentence out the man cut me off, and very rudely and sternly said "NO, unless it's a service animal" I said ok well that's why I'm asking. He then stated we can eat outside and some tables just opened up. I and another person went down and were greeted by the same man "Since you have a dog we will sit you right here" he directed us to a table that was along the walkway, wide open top without any covering except an umbrella that only covered half the table. Mind you it was starting to rain already. We sat down, and a nice waitress came over "Ooh nice seats you got" I looked up and told her "Ya but I'm starting to get wet, can we sit on the patio" which was covered fully but still outside. She said no because we had a dog. I told her "Well we can use the stroller we have," She said "Oh, ya that would be fine" I went to get the stroller, and as I was walking away the same man from before told them waitress we can't sit there, she said well if they don't they will get wet. Then he just looked annoyed. Luckily the waitress said something because it started pouring rain.

Other than that the food was very good! we got a skillet of spinach, mushrooms, and bacon. French toast, and biscuits with gravy. The food came out very fast, and aside from the rude host, the waiter we had was very nice and professional. We would come back, and hopefully, we...