Monterey's Fish House — Restaurant in Monterey

Before I left the comment, I really hope the owner of the store, David DiGirolamo, can respond me and contact me for this awful experience in your store.

I am extremely frustrating today eating at Monterey's Fish House. I went with my wife, my mom, my son (3 year old) and my daughter (2 month...), we arrived 11:30am right after the store opens and i told them we have 4+ 1 (infant), they gave me a table with 4 seats, we think its ok since baby can be on the stroller, however then the waitress (don't know her name) told us the stroller is NOT welcome, I am speechless so she is forcing us to hold the baby in hand? I then asked to change the seats to the booth then we can fold the stroller and put the baby seat on the booth even the spacing is narrower, they said ok.

Then we order bunch of food, squid pasta, ravioli, Cioppino, fried calamari, bbq oyster, ... drinks, ..., ok, then i wait more than 30 min without seeing my food, i think they are busy so i did not complain but until I figure out all the tables near me who ordered after me, much later than me, all got the food, and they also ordered pasta, Cioppino, ... same food, then I asked my waitress why I am not getting it. They told me: Hey, its coming, be patient!

WHAT??? HELLO??? then i wait another 10-15 min, my food finally arrived, after 45 min after i ordered my food. There has a explanation from my waitress stating the service is not always based on the ordering order, so what i encounter is normal. I do not buy in that so I asked to talk to the manager. Until we finish our food, the manager never comes to us, and when i received the bill, they add 18% service fee since they claimed we have "5" people. Yes we have 5 people as a party but first of all you gave us a 4 people table since you dont recognize my little baby is counted a person, then or course we cannot order any food for the infant in this store, and I am very frustrating on all the service this store provided so i asked to remove the service fee since i am not feeling i am serviced well. The lady at the cashier told me I have to pay the service fee and i am enforced to pay the service fee since i have 5 people as a party, i asked to talk to manager again, they refused....., then a guy called Allen told me he is "one of the managers" in the store and he told me yes i can either pay the 18% fee, or if i do not pay, i can only choose to sit in the store waiting the police or until they close the door..........

i am feeling extremely threatened due to their humiliation on me, so i chose to pay the service fee and left the store.

I hope all the people aware this event and understand their "rule", not welcoming the infant, not respecting the first come first serve, and extremely rude on...

We were in Monterey on a work trip last week. The week before we were in Washington DC and I had a conversation with a woman who worked in SF as a Social Security judge. When I told her we were heading to Monterey the first place she told us to go was The Monterey Fish House. "You have to go!"

The trip happened to fall on my husband's birthday, so we went that evening early with no reservations. If you want to get in before the dinner rush my advice is to get there before 6 pm. After that people start pouring through the door and many wait at the bar or outside waiting for a table. The restaurant itself is very intimate, comfortable and friendly. It's very clean and decorated without being at all pretentious. The staff are incredibly attentive and responsive, you'll want for nothing even if the place is full.

We were excited for a great dinner for my guy's birthday, and we weren't disappointed. We started out with oak grilled oysters on the half-shell (AMAZING. Found out the they were Hama Hama oysters grown right where we live, we enjoy these oysters every summer up here in the PNW! Excellent choice!) and crab cakes (absolutely delicious). We followed up with grilled artichoke and seafood pasta and oak grilled sea bass with vegetables and pasta. To say both dishes were amazing is an understatement. The white sauce over the artichoke/seafood pasta blew me away. The seafood included was scallops, clams, mussels and prawns. All fresh and delicious. My husband's sea bass was great, we shared bites of each other's dishes. The portions were very generous, the wait for food was fast. The presentation was great, really top-notch.

I have to thank our waiter Tony, he was so good at his job. He often checked in to see how we were doing. The other gentleman (who's name I didn't get) was also incredibly attentive and kind. He heard my husband mention that it was his birthday and pretty soon our chocolate mousse came out with a birthday candle and the entire wait staff singing "Happy Birthday." A wonderful and memorable night! We also chatted with a couple of gents from Ireland on a road trip up the California Coast. We loved the conversation between bites.

We did come back the day before we went home and had another incredible dinner. All the same raves as above. Our chatting partners this time were a couple of lovely local ladies, a mom and daughter, celebrating the birthday of their husband/father who had the birthday of 04/04/1924. I would be very happy if my relatives we celebrate my birthday every year at The Monterey Fish House to remember me!

Until we visit again, thank you!!!...

Here's the quick version:

Get some sort of grilled seafood--salmon, snapper, swordfish, doesn't matter. Expect quick, attentive service, and for your plate to come out with the fish piping hot and tasting like it was blessed by Poseidon himself.

Now here's the long version. Read until you get bored.

They earn five stars for their grilled seafood. It's grilled over oak wood, which leaves a gentle smoky finish that isn't too sharp (hickory wood tends to run cheaper, but it's better suited for red meat). The fish practically falls apart when you prod it with a fork.

The plate is served with a modest side of pasta and sauteed veggies. The pasta is good, though it loses flavor as it cools. The sauteed veggies however, are LITERALLY THE BEST I've ever had. The staff was kind enough to tell me that they sautee them over the wood grill with a little bit of soy sauce, which is how they develop such deep flavor.

I cannot recommend a better place for a simple plate of fish.

With that being said, I was disappointed with the cioppino and the creme brulee.

The cioppino was just a bit too greasy for my taste, and it was strange that some of the seafood elements were perfectly cooked (the fish and clams), while others were badly overcooked and hard (the octopus, mussels and shrimp). Plus, the shrimp was awfully bland. Overall, it was just kind of gross.

Meanwhile, the creme brulee came while my wife was in the bathroom, and I could tell before she got back that it would be no good. The sugar crust on top was clearly burned, and it came in a rather tall ramekin, which meant they baked it for extra long to cook it all the way through.

Sure enough, the sugar was bitter and overpowering, and the cream was curdled and grainy on the bottom. Plus, the flavor and mouthfeel were more akin to flan than creme brulee. If this restaurant takes suggestions, I would say get a new creme brulee recipe, or at least invest in some wide, shallow ramekins.

A final note about this place: their service was wonderful. Everyone I talked with was helpful and friendly, and the waiter took personal pride when I complimented the meal. They all seem to care for their restaurant, and I could tell that most of the people I spoke with had worked there for a while. To me, that says a lot about the quality of a restaurant. Despite my misgivings, I will certainly...