Ignore the reviews claiming a tourist trap.

This place is still the real deal and the best food in Monterey. This is my 3rd visit in 4 years and this place is still going strong.

Their seafood is fresh and the portions are hearty and filling.

Starting with their chowder, yes it is expensive at $20 per bowl but it is the best chowder I've ever had, beating San Francisco wharf and Boston Massachusetts.

You also can sign up for their loyalty card to get a free appetizer usually calamari. The calamari is fresh, not rubbery, nicely salted and most importantly not greasy or over fried. This is proper calamari.

Their entrees are excellent also. We had seafood paella, seafood captain platter, King salmon, and a pasta.

The captain platter fish was perfectly cooked and the scallops excellent. Great sear and not overcooked. Comes with veggies and couscous.

King salmon is one of their specials and is worth a try. The fish is so different from regular salmon, so buttery and rich. I would describe it as the waygu version of salmon. $50 price justified.

The seafood paella also hits the mark well. Rice is flavorful and not mushy at all. Matches Mallorca in Cleveland and on par with the famous spot in Santa Barbara.

Pasta is good also. Not much to say there except proper cook.

And of course their famous dessert platter they bring out. We were too stuffed to try but we've had good experiences in the past.

Overall 10/10. Super tasty food and at a decent price point of 35-50 per entree. Not to mention a great harborside view.

MAKE A RESERVATION in the morning as walk in waits is 90 min at lunchtime.

Sign up for their loyalty black card. Gets a free appetizer every visit except holidays.

While visiting Monterey with my mother and sister we had a great dinner at the grotto.
Th e staff was very friendly and professional. The food was very good, as usual! Their calamari the best I have ever had! It was fresh and hand breaded and cooked to perfection.

Massive bread bowl with a ton of clam chowder. The serving was huge. You can eat in or order takeout and just go sit somewhere to eat your food. They have a lot of different seafood dishes to choose from and the outside wait was super short.

One of the best clam chowder I have had for a long time! Their cup sizes was big, they did not skimp. My friend and I were going to get a bowl but was advised against it especially if we were going to get o there items. Their crab cake was also spectacular. The fish and chips portions were also huge. The sever was nice and friendly and very attentive.

This restaurant deserves every good review it gets. Outstanding food, outstanding service. We were only in Monterey for two days, and ate dinner here one night, and lunch the next day. We tried another restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf and it was so disappointing after the quality of Old Fisherman's Grotto. This is upscale, somewhat pricey, and worth it. I had the macadamia-nut-encrusted halibut with coconut shrimp. Fabulous. I could have licked the plate. The side veggies were perfect.

The food was awesome and professional wait staff was great.

The food, service and atmosphere was very good and pleasant.

We were visiting from San Jose again, we wanted to try this spot last time we were here but the wait time was over an hour. This time the wait was around 20 minutes. I asked the host for a table, but when we were called they only had a booth. They were going to have us wait longer, but Sal who ended up being our waiter said he had a table in his area for us.

Sal made us feel very welcomed and he knew a lot about the menu. He gave us suggestions on the different items they had on the menu. He was always checking on us. The mood lighting felt like date night when the sun went down a little. The food was really good! We ate the appetizer so fast we didn't get a chance to take a picture of it. I would highly recommend the artichoke as an appetizer. The surf and turf was so good. The highlight of the night was the rose our waiter brought to our table at the end. Sal was amazing! Thanks for the great food and experience.

Sure it's a tourist trap, but the Old Fishermen's Grotto still has one of the best clam chowders in town. Creamy but not too salty, the Grotto's chowder is arguably one of the best you'll find on the West Coast.

The rest of their menu is pretty standard fare for Monterey's fisherman's wharf. Their calamari is solid. Not too heavily breaded, light, and crispy.

Their front of house can be rather brusque and unfriendly, but inside, the service is attentive and fast.

Try to get a table next to the windows for some beautiful sunset views over the water. You'll be able to watch sea lions and sea otters playing in the water!