This is by far my favorite restaurant in Monterey, it has the best food, it's right on the water, and the ambiance is very old school. Nothing beats their fish and chips! We were eating there to celebrate a graduation and they gave us dessert for free, so sweet and thoughtful!

Went here to eat while visiting the Pier and the inside looks very nice, as well as some good views of outside. I got the coconut shrimp with sweet potato fries and the entire plate looked nice and tasted amazing! The mango sauce it comes with was very tasty as well. It was also my anniversary and they brought out dessert for us which was tasty and very sweet. The waiter provided great service and the team wished us a happy anniversary, it was a great experience.

We visited Monterey for one night during our road trip down the California coast. We walked by the Grotto, where a gentleman in a suit greeted us and invited us to dine inside. We were able to get seated quickly, even though the restaurant was lively and full of patrons. I had the oysters rockefeller and grilled octopus; my husband had the fish n chips. Everything was amazing--food, service, ambience. They even gave me a rose as we left. It was just such a nice experience. As another reviewer said, I would give this place 10 stars if I could. We will definitely be back the next time we're in the charming town of Monterey!

45 minutes wait when we arrived around 6:30pm.

Very dim lighting inside. Service was ok. There was a nasty piece of hair in our utensil and they replaced it. They gave all the females at the table a long stemmed rose at the end of our meal. Food was very filling. We didn't have enough stomach space for dessert. Glad to finally have tried this place.

Food:
Clam chowder 5/5 excellent and creamy
Isabella pasta 5/5 very tasty pasta with lots of seafood.
Ultimate risotto 4/5 most of the seafood was good but salmon was dry. Risotto was creamy and buttery.
Cioppino 4/5 good
Fried calamari 4/5 complimentary with first time visitor card, good but could have been more crispy.

The Old Fisherman, a local gem, offers some of the best food and service on the Monterey Peninsula. Whether you’re looking for a great casual lunch or a place to celebrate a special occasion, this restaurant has something for everyone.

I have been coming here since I was a little girl. This place is just so special and it NEVER disappoints. My husband and I went for our 20th anniversary this past weekend and the food was incredible! We had a reservation for 530 but we arrived early and they were able to get us in. I can't remember the name of the dish I had but the lobster was incredible. Giving out a rose to the ladies of the tables was also such a kind gesture. Can't wait for our next weekend to Monterey.

The best sea food I've ever had, usually sea food comes a little cold but this was steaming hot and delicious. The scallops were AMAZING, the clam chowder was also the best I've ever had. The owner and his son Austin went above and beyond with thier service and friendliness. Unfortunately our server Ruben was very rude and pushy, any time we said no to his suggestions he was very mean lol. Couldn't imagine not writing a 5 star review about this place though!

Went in late last night for dinner, was seated 10-15mins z our service Giovanni was great.
We had salad, clam chowder martinis and lots of seafood for dinner wish we saved room for dessert.
Service was great and dinner was delicious

The food, service, and ambiance were unmatched! Highly recommend the chowder in the garlic butter toasted bread bowl it was 100/10. Both the seafood sampler and chowder were the perfect amount of food for two, we left happy and full!