Paluca Trattoria — Restaurant in Monterey

This waiter was so horrible that, even when he had no customers and wasn't even open yet, he made an 83-year-old woman stand up and wait somewhere else.

This review is for the service, not the food. In truth, We didn't remain long enough to try the food.

My 83 year-old great aunt was visiting with my mom so we went to Fisherman's Wharf, something nearly all tourists do. My aunt was a little tired from the walk from the parking lot so we stopped here and sat down at a table outside. Paluca Trattoria was not yet open so we ordered some food and coffee from Crepes of Brittany next door. The crepes take a little while to cook, so we took our coffee and sat back down. There were no open tables at Crepes of Brittany.

We were still considering ordering some food and drinks from Paluca Trattoria, since we were sitting at one of their outside tables.

Here is a summary of our conversation with the waiter/owner/whatever when he walked up to the table where my great aunt (80s), my mom (60s), my cousin (30s), my two kids (4&5), and I (30s) were sitting:

Waiter: "We're not open for another 30 minutes." Me: "Ok, thank you." W: "Why are you sitting here?" I assume he noticed our coffee cups from Crepes of Brittany. Me: "Right now we're waiting for our crepes to be ready, ..." W (interrupting): "I can't just let everybody who orders crepes come sit at my tables." Me: "I understand, ..." W (interrupting again): "You should not sit here then."

After several times through this same conversation, where he kept interrupting me, I stopped trying to explain that I was planning to buy some food and drinks from his establishment. Eventually my great aunt tired of this man's scornful attitude and got up. We all followed her and a few minutes later a table opened up at Crepes of Brittany.

This guy was so horrible that, even when he had no customers and wasn't even open yet, he made an 83-year-old woman stand up and wait somewhere else.

I will never give these people my money, and I hope you all...

Wow! What an experience. Location was excellent. First restaurant on the Wharf (right hand side). Were greeted by the owner at the entrance. Very kind and accommodating. Wouldn't have actually known this was the owner if he hadn't known ever answer to all of my questions in detail. Andrea was our server and she was excellent! Kind, funny, attentive, and professional.

Large assortment of local wine, small list of local craft beer, excellent coffee selection. Soft drinks also available.

Fresh Tomato & Herbed Ricotta Bruschetta was delightful, fresh toasted crostini with very fresh ingredients. Some restaurants have a tendency to drown the bruschetta with balsamic reduction. Not the case here! There was a perfect balance between topping, sauce, and bread. Excellent!

Daily special was the Linguini Aglio e Olio topped with pan sautéed California Halibut. Pasta was a true al dente, light profile. Oil/pasta ratio was great with a good balance of spice from the red pepper flakes. Who ever cooked the Halibut deserves a medal! It was as perfect as Halibut can be cooked in a pan. Simple, yet delicious dish. It let the ingredients speak for them selves. Added Prawns was a good choice on this for an extra sensory effect.

Kids Meatball Marinara Linguini was delicious. Marinara sauce had a very fresh and pronounced tomato flavor. Meat balls were great as well.

Dessert was a Crème Brule Cheese Cake. Sourced from a local bakery. hands-down top 5 cheesecakes I've ever had and I love cheese cake. Not the slightest hint of burn on the caramelized sugar and a delicious caramel drizzle.

Definitely a must if you are spending time in the area.

Side note: Unlike the majority of the restaurants on the Wharf, this one doesn't have someone out front trying to coax you in with free calamari rings or clam chowder. They definitely don't need it either!

Regretfully, I was too busy eating to have...

Keep Points: delicious food Accommodates young children Kids meals had generous portions Back Drop of HBO's "Big Little Lies"

We visited Paluca Trattoria for a nice lunch with friends and all of our kids during our last day in Monterey. We were looking for a spot on Old Fisherman's Wharf and were intrigued by the fact that this place served as the backdrop for Big Little Lies on HBO!

Our large party, full of fidgety kids who couldn't sit still was accommodated pretty well by the staff. I honestly felt they were exceptionally patient, opting to take orders for appetizers and kids' entrees first before returning again for the adults' orders.

The Mrs. and I were relatively full from our previous latte and breakfast so we opted to share an entree and a clam chowder. The Lobster Ravioli came in a beautiful orange-pink-ish sauce. So essentially a salmon color? It was creamy, rich, and delicious. While not necessarily the best ravioli we've ever had, it definitely hit the spot.

The table shared two plates of calamari. It was definitely better than the version we had at Sandbar the night before, and was fairly decent, but still lacked some degree of crispness.

The kids all had variations of linguini. Our Little One got the buttered version with meatballs, while the other kids had theirs with red marinara sauce. The portions were surprisingly large for a kids' meal. It actually reminded us of that episode of Peppa Pig when everyone ordered spaghetti at the fancy restaurant and it was the biggest dish at the table! The base price was $6, which was exceptional, but I did think the extra $8 for meatballs was a bit steep, but overall, evened out to $14 for the plate, which felt reasonable given the portion size.

We were too full to try dessert, but the view of the Wharf was absolutely stunning! All in all, a great experience and a wonderful place that can...