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75 YEARS IN THE MAKING
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TRUE FINE DINING EXPERIENCE
Consistently, Old Fisherman’s Grotto has been recognized as the champion of Clam Chowder. Over the past two decades, the Grotto’s clam chowder has remained at the forefront in Monterey, consistently vying for the title of the best clam chowder.



Testimonials
from our visitors
If you're visiting Monterey, you absolutely can't miss the garlic bread bowl clam chowder here. It's incredible and honestly life changing. I'll be thinking about it every day until I can have it again. It's rich, creamy, flavorful and just perfect and the bread bowl itself is also perfectly made.
The service wasn't the best, as they forgot to bring out our appetizer, but they made up for it by comping it, which I appreciated. The rose at the end of the meal was such a sweet touch. It does get pretty busy and packed on weekends, but the ambiance is beautiful especially if you're seated by the window overlooking the water.
The service wasn't the best, as they forgot to bring out our appetizer, but they made up for it by comping it, which I appreciated. The rose at the end of the meal was such a sweet touch. It does get pretty busy and packed on weekends, but the ambiance is beautiful especially if you're seated by the window overlooking the water.
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Chanel D.
4/21/2026
My friends picked this restaurant for our get-together. The portions are huge, and we ended up taking leftovers home. They have a great variety of seafood. The place was really crowded, so we couldn't get a window four-person table. The only bummer was that we were way too full to try their signature bread soup--definitely saving that for next time.
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Yinong T.
4/20/2026
This will always be my favorite place to eat in Monterey. We visited for our honeymoon, 5 year, and 15 year anniversary and the quality of food, service, and overall experience has never disappointed. The staff is always so welcoming and makes the whole experience feel special from the moment you walk in! The view of the harbor is breathtaking, mixed with the old world charm of the interior makes for a romantic, relaxing date night. My husband loves their clam chowder and always grabs a few cans from the front to bring home. We love this place and always look forward to visiting on our trips to Monterey!
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Rebecca S.
4/19/2026
The best clam chowder bowls you will find in California. And I stand on that lol. We always order outside and take our food and eat on the wharf by the water. We've ate inside the restaurant a couple times and it's really nice but more on the dressy side. I always feel underdressed when we go to the wharf and I'm just in a hoodie and jeans and we go inside. Delicious chowder!!!
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Ashley M.
4/19/2026
If I could give this place 6 stars I would! We went for our anniversary and they made it so special! The food, service and ambiance were all incredible. 10/10 experience all around! Whether you are going for a date night, special occasion, or just because, this is the place to go!
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Skylar L.
4/18/2026
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