Came here last night for an early dinner and as always the clam chowder is excellent my favorite in Monterey for sure. The calamari is excellent always as well. The service is friendly and attentive. It's white table cloth but you can be dressed super casual if you like.. I will say this is one of my goto spots the food is good, but this time my steak was way overdone I didn't mention it because I was hungry, didn't want to wait longer. All in all it's a solid consistent place to eat on the wharf probably one of the best on the wharf. And they must have a new chef working cause the plating of the food is much better than in past years say 10.

BEST clam chowder!

We decided to spend the day in Monterey, and stopped by Old Fisherman's wharf for our first meal. There were so many different restaurants to choose from, each one with staff outside trying to lure you in. We walked past Old Fisherman's Grotto, and my wife said it's really good, plus they had signs saying it's the best clam chowder 21 years in a row? It was Sunday, we were able to walk in and be seated immediately upstairs. We had a beautiful view of the water. The restaurant was nice and clean, and it had a great vibe to it.

We were brought water's immediately, and hot, fresh bread. We started with the chowder of course. WOW. I think the chowder here is the best clam chowder I've ever had. It looks like every other chowder out there, but it tasted amazing. The flavor was all there. We were impressed. We also ordered half a dozen oysters. They were very fresh, and delicious. I'm not sure what type of oysters they were. For our main entrees, my wife had the fried seafood plate, and I went with the shrimp pasta. The seafood plate came with fried shrimp, fried fish, calamari, crab cake and fries. Everything was fried nicely, she really enjoyed the dish. The shrimp pasta was also amazing. The white sauce was exactly what I wanted. There were only 3 pieces of shrimp, it would've been nice to have a few more but it's okay. Overall, the food was amazing! We couldn't have been happier.

Service was also excellent. The entire staff was attentive and very friendly. Our server was constantly checking on us and carried himself very professionally. I believe his name was Miguel? Thank you sir!

We will definitely be back next time we're in Monterey. If you're looking for some excellent chowder, this is the place!

He always feel taken care of when you go to the grotto for dinner. Besides the food atmosphere and you the weight staff makes you feel like 1000 bucks.

Visited Grotto on the Wharf in Monterey and had a mixed but overall pleasant experience. The crab ravioli was the highlight of the meal--very flavorful and definitely something I'd order again. The shrimp scampi could use a bit more seasoning and depth of flavor.

The margaritas could also use some work. They weren't bad, but they could definitely be improved.
What really stood out was the staff. Everyone was friendly and attentive. Edith, the host, welcomed us warmly when we arrived. Our servers, Victor and Imam, were both great--attentive, helpful, and made sure we had everything we needed.

The owner is always amazing and full of hospitality, which really adds to the welcoming atmosphere and keeps us coming back.

Overall, good service, great people, and a few standout dishes made for an enjoyable visit.

I always look for cioppino at seafood restaurants. The menu said their cioppino was the best on thec wharf. My husband and I ate there for the first time. The no strollers, no high chairs was not a problem for us bc our son would have been a problem 34 years ago. I really liked the handsome, chatty, well dressed hosts ( suit and tie). The decor was romantic and charming, plus we we seated at a table by the water. I was quite pleased with welcoming hosts. The servers wore black vests with gold embroidered logos, I'm into that. I ordered the bbq oysters. THE BEST PREPARED I have ever had. I order oysters Rockfellor all the time, but these were juicy, and delicious. The waiter lost a bit of his jovialness (word?) When we turned down the 25% off a bottle of wine. The only non alcoholic beer they served was definitely good, but Heineken zero is the BEST. when will restaurants pick up on this? I got all the tools and a bib for the cioppino. It arrived HOT, temperature wise. That was a huge hit for me. The table bread arrived fairly hot also. The octopus was part of the meal, but never my favorite. The broth could be a bit more spicy. It was a tad mild. The garlic toast was tasty, well seasoned. The seafood inside was plentiful. At the end of the meal I couldn't finish the cioppino. The waiter brought a to go box for my husband's halibut and said someone else was bringing something for my dish. When the fellow arrived, I asked him to pour the cioppino into the container. He seemed a little miffed, and asked me if I wanted HIM to do it. The bowl was quite large, I could imagine myself spilling it all over the table. He did it
We ordered a dessert to go. Restaurants needs to come up with more original desserts that are not exceedingly manicured. The waiter placed a long stem red rose in my hand. I was wondering if I would get one, since I saw other women receiving them. We liked the place, I will remember the bbq oysters.

We had a late dinner, so no issues with wait time. Our server, Miguel was very attentive and exceptional. The food was delicious and cooked to perfection. We're only in Monterey for the weekend, loved the restaurant so much, going again before we leave to try other dishes.

We had such a wonderful time here! We were greeted by Austin, who showed us to our table and found out it was our first time so we were gifted with complementary Calamari which was divine. All seafood we ordered tasted fresh and cooked so well. The ambiance of the place felt elevated yet family-oriented and cozy. I would definitely recommend this place to others and look forward to dining with them again on our next visit!

They have the best Clam chowder and Calamari in Monterey. Clam chowder is best in the garlic breadbowl hands down. Calamari has the perfect amount of breading.
The sit down experience is a bit kore expensive but in my opinion it is worth the extra expense. Ambiance is romantic and has great view of seals.
Service is impeccable from the host to the waiters. Everyone is very friendly. Also very clean bathrooms which is always a plus.

A lovely restaurant on Fisherman’s Wharf. It was a “pot luck” selection as there are plenty of restaurants to choose from but what a find. A friendly welcome to a charming family run restaurant with a great menu and extensive wine list. The chef adapted the linguine Isabella for me (extra scallops) which was very much appreciated. Our server, Jeanetta, was polite & friendly with a great sense of humour and the lovely farewell with a long stemmed red rose made our night.
If you’re ever in Monterey definitely check this place out.