Whaling Station Steakhouse — Restaurant in Monterey

We have a baby. I preface this with that because the service was outstanding given that context. Luckily, she was well-behaved and even had the hostess smiling and giggling as they played peekaboo across the way from one another.

The food... omg amazing. Now I like really good food, and don't mind paying a bit for better quality. Not only was the quality worth the price, but the portions were generous enough to fill me up (but not so big that I had leftovers I had to awkwardly stow in a hotel room with no intention of eating them).

Dinner was Beef Wellington, which I've never had, but can't imagine any other restaurant would have done better. The sauce was absolutely outstanding. Obviously made fresh with really good quality ingredients. The pastry was not too thick or overwhelming compared to the steak inside. The prosciutto complemented the dish very well. The mashed potatoes weren't too creamy or too lumpy. Just the right texture and flavor.

They allowed me to substitute broccoli for the normal veggie so I could feed baby alongside myself. They served the broccoli with hollandaise sauce (on the side, which i appreciated because of baby). The hollandaise was slightly spicy, but not a heat I can't handle (and I can't handle much), but just the right amount to give it a kick of flavor. Never had hollandaise like that, and it'll be hard to find hollandaise that measures up to it. The broccoli was perfectly steamed. Not too soft, not too hard. Soft enough for baby, but crunchy enough for mama. Hard to thread that needle.

The bread was baked fresh and served hot. It was a hit at the table. My husband usually doesn't eat bread at restaurants, but it was so good he tried it and ate a couple of slices. He had ordered the bone marrow butter alongside his steak. He ate some bread with that butter, and the results were out of this world. Crunchy crust, nice expansion inside to give just the right density. I bake bread & am kinda opinionated about fresh baked bread at restaurants. This bread was definitely something the restaurant does well, not some afterthought of wanting to serve bread, but clearly the kitchen staff takes the bread just as seriously as other dishes. Appreciate that very much.

Now for dessert.... if you go, you have to, have to, have some. We got pavlova, and honestly I don't even know how to describe this heavenly dish beyond saying that the only time my baby fussed all night was when we weren't sharing it fast enough with her. The merengue was expertly made, expertly! It isn't an easy thing to make right, especially in a busy kitchen. I doubt I will ever in my mortal life have merengue that good. The vanilla cream on top complimented it to the point of ecstasy. Fresh chopped fruit consisted of strawberries, kiwi, & mango. There was a passion fruit sauce drizzled over it at just the right portion to compliment, not consume, the flavors.

Drinks... husband & I had Blueberry Chopins. Very well-balanced flavors. I had a double espresso with dessert, & they didn't hesitate to bring me a lemon rind when I asked. The coffee complemented the pavlova well.

Now, beyond the fact that everything was so delicious, the service was amazing. We have an 8 month baby, and usually places kind of look at that as something weary, especially in a really fancy steakhouse. Not here. They pulled up a high chair and treated her like the princess she is. They were careful about what they put in arms reach (hot plates, drinks, knives, etc), not just our main waiter, but everyone who came by to deliver anything. My husband is more of a meat & potatoes man's man, complete with flip-flops and shorts. He's not really a dress up and go out to eat type. They treated him well, and made him feel welcome. Professional, yet friendly, also clear that they enjoyed their jobs and each other.

All in all, this place is worth every single penny we spent. It is a wonderful place for anyone who loves good food, good service, and doesn't want to feel like they need to be something they are not just...

A friend of mine and I came to Monterey for a couple of days to celebrate her 50th birthday. One of the nights we were here we went to the Whaling Station Steakhouse. First, there is FREE parking for this place. We walked into the restaurant and immediately noticed the warm and inviting decor. The hostt greeted us right way. I had reserved the table in advanced with notes about it being a bitthday dinner and that our table had people with food allergies. The staff confirmed this. Our waiter was on point. He knew exactly what went into each dish and helped us navigate the menu with safe choices. He recommended some drinks as well as food choices. We took his recommendations and were not disappointed. Everything was delightfully delicious! This place is not cheap. Our tab for 2 without tip was $170. Which I would gladly pay again. Normally I find that the price of a place is usually way more then the place and food are worth. Not this time. This place is worth every penny and then some. I will definitely be coming back to Monterey to have dinner here. As for the bill, we did order several courses. We shared a true jumbo shrimp cocktail cooked to perfection served with a true house made cocktail sauce. Followed by a shared buratta salad. My friend had the special Halibut that was cooked to perfection. It had a beautiful light brown crust and was very juicy inside. She said it was the best cooked fish she's ever had. It had come with some kind of cream sauce, mashed potatoes and a vegetable. My dish was the best risotto I've ever had. It was a crab risotto with lemon and mint. I know, it sounds like it might not work with the mint and all, but wow! Superb. Originally I had planned to order the Beef Wellington because you just don't find that being served anywhere anymore. But risotto is one of my favorite dishes anywhere and I had never had it with crab. So the risotto won out. I'm so glad that I took the chance, because it was plate licking clean delicious. We finished with the cannolli for dessert. The shell was perfectly crunchy and the filling was very smooth and just the right sweetness. We both had cocktails before dinner. I also had the server's recommended coffee after dinner drink. It had rum, kahluah and brandy I think. I like my coffee on the sweeter/milker side so the bartender adjusted the drink. It was exactly how I enjoy coffee. So we did get a lot for our money. We were stuffed when we left. We have already planned on returning for her husband's and my birthday (we a week apart). Next time I'm definitely getting that Beef Wellington! This is such a great place. You got to try it if you get the chance. Everything was totally perfect....

Came here with our family of 5 due to the high rating. We were seated at a table, and before we even had a chance to order, we were advised by the manager that there were already "multiple complaints" about our 2 year old, and we would either need to move tables, or leave. Our child was admittedly a bit cranky, but nothing out of the ordinary for a kid that age. We were doing our best to calm him down, and would have taken him outside to settle down after ordering. Regardless of the discreteness, this is still extremely embarrassing for any parent, especially since we were doing our best and had barely been there for 5-10 minutes. We should have taken this as an indication that we were not welcome, but we decided to stay, and give them a chance to give us a good experience.

We were placed in a very awkward table located in the farthest corner of the restaurant, far away from everyone else. None of our drinks/waters were moved over, and no help was offered. Felt like we were put in time out. Kids ordered pasta, wife and I ordered Fillet, with French Onion Soup to start.

Our server was fantastic - he was working the bar, and had been tasked with "supervising" us. He was attentive, kind, and understanding. The soup was also very good - great flavors and textures. Unfortunately, the steak was very mediocre. No flavor, and a bit overcooked. Far from the best we've ever had, and well below what we would expect for the price.

As for the rest of the experience, the manager never came back to check on us, thank us for our flexibility, or apologize for the inconvenience. Shortly after we were re-seated, several large groups came in, one of which was put at our original spot. While passing by on the way to the restroom, we couldn't help but notice their noise level wasn't any lower than ours.

Finally we called the manager over to explain our disappointment and ask if there was anything he could do to make the situation right for us. He was incredibly defensive, angry, and even threatened to call the police on me for asking for consideration.

We have dined at restaurants all over the world, many of which are much nicer/fancier than this one. Not once have we ever been treated this way, or felt so unwelcomed/unappreciated. They act like they are a 5 star upscale restaurant when they are not.

Your experience may differ from ours, but if you have small kids, be warned: the management and clientele at this establishment are not welcoming of children unless they are perfectly behaved 100%...