My husband and i looked at places to visit during our Monterey trip this month weeks in advance and…read morewe came across sea harvest. This place is a little hidden gem!! We tried so many different things off the menu and every single thing was delicious! We live 2.5 hours away and already are planing on making the trek back just for sea harvest. Also our 9 year old son said they have the best chicken strips he's ever tried in his life. So if you have a picky eater that doesn't venture from chicken strips and fries, apparently this is also the place lol!

Sea Harvest is a restaurant and fish market. For the restaurant, you order at the counter and get a…read morelittle device when your order is ready for you to pick up at the counter. Super casual, but good, fresh seafood. I had the seafood kabob which had a whitefish, salmon, and a prawn along with onion and bell peppers, served with rice and steamed veggies. All very good. My friend had fried clams, which came with French fries and cole slaw. Unlike New England fried clams, these were in little strips. Not as good as those enjoyed in New England, but still pretty good. All considered, a tasty lunch. They have indoor seating and outdoor seating and parking was easy in their little lot.

One of the best seafood restaurants I've ever been to and they offer it oak grilled! Fantastic…read moreoffering, service, commitment to excellence!

This is the best held secret for fish dinner. They open at 5:00 pm and at 5:30 all tables are…read morefilled. Call for a reservation.. why it a family with history of fishing and volunteers ... the menu is good standard fish meals and pasta dishes... then ever night they have 5 to 6 specials of fish and maybe a meat specials... I always get a special . Friday night they err packed and the way Saint it's 39 minutes or you could sit at the bar in 5 minutes . We always had a table but that sounded good to sit at the bar. The team from the way to the assistants are just amazing... like a food team . They move so fast water, wine , bread with olive oil and basaltic vinegar with a touch of hot sauce. Our first time at the bar they serve dinners, wine and beers ... the server told us the specials or home made raviolis with crab ect. The special I picked was the grilled tuna ... with pasta and vegetables.. I said I want it lightly grilled.. he said a mini or two on both sides ... yes .. he said it the best way. You get to see what the others are having and get into conversations with them... the tables are very close together you can talk to other people at tables but they just have 4/6 people at the tables... I had a glass of red wine whiz we wait ... no fried squid this time ... it's a lot so we passed this time first time we Did not have them ... my wife saw the wimp next to her and she had the crab ravioli so Linda ordered it . While we waited the serve was cracking to oysters . 3 hit and it was open slid the knot under it and repo it 5 more times for for a table order... our dishes can't from behind us from another waitress... both plates were just great looking, and the plate was hot ...I finish by glass of wine to mou for my plate .. the tuna was lightly grilled .. I cut into it and it was gust right .. the taste was so good as if the had it come in the back door... I usually put lemony on my fish , shrimp clammy ect but this tuna was so Amazing not tonight... I copy not believe what a big piece if aha tuna it was. Like it was a Bone steak... it push the pasty and vegetables to the edge of my plate. At ect other restaurants on the peninsula if it's a special it would be a small piece of fish like it so expensive... ... the staff comes by asking if we need any thing ... they weave in and around ti clear a table for prolly wait out the front door... Their deserts are made in house and the one who may the tearmisu was a family friend who makes the best we have ever had.... I know I have had so many servings in 3o years... the best was an old it's which has an Italian restaurant in Castroville .. from the old country...him and his wife ... U say who made this and the server said the isn't.. I said tell him his was the best we ever had. In a few minutes he and his wife came out to our tablet to thank us... his was the picture of a family that came to California 50 years ago.... We took Linda's hid mother out to dinner with us many times and she was so hay to meet them ... then they talked in Italian for a count minutes... we took her out to dinner and drive up to the redo ... a big sign said closed down... But we have found the next generation here at the fish restaurant... it's like the same recipes from his father.. and must have been his grandmother recipes ... this time the staff has a a Hispanic families from South America ...hard working navy stopping just to make sure eco gets perfect service.... With the perfect meal ... there are other good restaurants on the per but if you want the best mess you ever had it's the Monterey fish house on Del Monte body ... call for reservations or stand out side the fro door. Prolly have a good time together and they eat have do and coffee and leave for others w come in to enjoy they great meal tell them you saw a rent from a local member of the o for 55 years

This place was so good! great food, quick and friendly service, and an overall good vibe. 10/10read more

Grotto Fish Market is amazing! It is it a cute little area…read morewith shops and many places to eat. The service was superb. We were greeted by Rosie who was very friendly and gave us some great advice on the menu and area. She was very sweet. For our dinner, we ordered clam chowder, salmon pokie bowl, and the Baja tacos. All dishes were fantastic! They are large portions, so depending on how hungry you are, you can split a portion with your group. Overall, Grotto Fish Market is awesome! Check it out!

Seriously old school. But I was kind of looking for that, as I wanted a taste of old Monterey,…read morenothing crazy bougie or hip. Building is on a wharf, just slightly above the water. Right in the marina where dozens of boats are parked. Window views of the marina are easy to be had, just one big long room really. Old school traits: the crowd on a weekday lunch was 80% seniors, most seemed local as I can tell by their banter. The rest of the peeps were regulars who seemed to have a routine. The menu is seriously basic seafood town ie chowders, louie salads, seafood that can be griddled, fried or sauteed. Solid cooks that can execute clean plates. And the clincher old school trait Sandbar had, was a bowl by the entrance/exit they gave away free match boxes with their logo. I haven't seen that in decades! It hit home for me cuz I used to collect restaurant/bar matchbooks in my younger years. So crazy to run into them again as they are no longer normalized. Glass Sauvignon Blanc ($10/5*) Perfectly chilled, fruity without being sweet, great balance. Went great with bites of the seafood throughout the meal. Clam Chowder ($8/cup/4*) Solid. Creamy and thick but not excessively stodgy. Good clams and potato ratio. But very herb-y, as in dry herbs cooked into the soup. Great with the sliced sourdough given upon seating. Calamari Appetizer ($14/3.5*) For some reason I thought this was going to be deep fried breaded calamari, the cut tubes along with a few tentacles. But this was thick, bite-sized squares cut from a big calamari steak. It was breaded in fresh bread crumbs and lightly fried, so no significant crispness. Just a mild and soft breaded exterior. I had to salt it and dip it in either tartar or cocktail sauce. It was fine but I was just looking for something more flavorful and crisp. I still enjoyed it, just threw me for a loop. Lunch Sand Dabs ($23/4*) I was torn cuz I wanted to try their special of the day which was a Halibut dish with a Tomatillo Butter Sauce; but I also wanted something very basic and local. It doesn't get any more Monterey than local sand dabs, which is like a small flounder that is mild and delicate. I also overheard multiple tables around me order it, so I simply couldn't dismiss the local's consensus. I did like that it was super plain where the fish fillets were allowed to shine. But after the first initial few bites, I was just wishing there were something else to elevate the fish, like a butter sauce or wine/parsley sauce. It did have a side of tartar sauce, which theirs is good with big hunks of capers and celery. But I just thought a warm sauce of some sort would have soaked into the fish nicely. Served with brown rice pilaf that had good flavor but was a bit too al dente for me, crunchy rice isn't my jam. But I took some of the fish home, and I made a quick 30 second garlic lemon butter sauce that indeed went well with delicate fish. So I was able to get some serious satisfaction after all. Irish Coffee ($15/5*) It was a cool and grey day, so I opted on this for dessert. Theirs is as old school as it gets, so it was perfect. Great way to end a meal, belly happy, sipping a well made coffee cocktail whilst watching the boats float on by. As a passing tourist, Sandbar did me just fine. They gave me the flavors and charm of Monterey without being around a ton of other tourist. More off the beaten path which is how I like to roll.

After many years of loving this local favorite we have eaten here for the last time. We got our…read moreusual, calamari and sand dabs. For a change I ordered battered prawns. The calamari was tough, and instead of strips, some were tight little balls. The sand dabs were very thin and oily. The battered prawns were delivered as battered fish. And the battered fish was a sad state indeed. It was thin, over battered, and very greasy. The entire meal was awful. When I called to complain, the "manager" didn't believe me when I said I received fish instead of prawns, so he felt the need to verify with his kitchen...insulting, to say the least. He also kept calling me "boss", and left me on hold for long periods, which I didn't feel was respectful or good customer service. If he was truly a manager, and, personally, I wonder, this place has fallen even farther than I feared. For $65 this was probably the worst meal we've ever had in Monterey. Sad to say "so long", but this was our last visit.

Food was amazing and staff were really friendly. Loved the vibes in there it was relaxing and…read morelighting was perfect for a date night .

We were traveling down the coast and found this place on Yelp, all other nearby restaurants didn't…read morerate that well. After walking on the pier we were kinda worried about finding a decent spot to eat. So glad we gave it a try. Walking in there were like 3 other parties walking in so that was encouraging. It gave off Hawaiian/tiki vibes and was inviting. They have a 3 course special 4-5 pm for like $30. My husband and I picked that, I had the teriyaki chicken bowl and he had bbq ribs. The salad had a delicious dressing and had to eat every morsel. Both the main courses were really good. My grandson ordered the steak and ate every bite of the whole meal. Kai (the waiter) was very nice and gave us some advice on what to see along the route. I got an amazing picture that I blew up to hang in our room. Totally recommend giving this place a try!

Schooners is at the very top of my restaurant dining list. I have been coming here for the past 6…read moreyears and have never had a bad meal or bad service. Overlooking Monterey Bay what more could one ask for when it comes to ambience, it is pretty hard to beat. Service is top notch; pleasant and attentive without being overbearing, great wait staff. A tip of the hat to these unsung heroes. Food--try the Schooners seafood salad, it is packed with crab, a couple jumbo shrimp and Ahi tuna on a bed of mixed greens, sliced carrots and (I think jicama) and it is all married to a soft, delicate, slightly sweet sesame dressing. To add some fun to this meal, order up some Schooners french fries on the side--now you are as close to heaven as you can get.

Arrived for our 12:30 brunch and were seated right away with our reservation. (Highly recommend…read moremaking a reservation.) The staff was very friendly, from the hostess and waiter to the bus staff. A manager even stopped by at the end to check in and thank us for coming. The oysters and shrimp cocktail were some of the freshest we've had. The Caesar salad was excellent, and the anchovies on top were a nice touch. Top-notch food, and we'll definitely be returning for dinner soon. The outdoor seating is beautiful as well.

Amazing food. Great views. Would definitely eat here again…read more Service was also great.

Wife had the Mahi Mahi and I had their blackened Rib Eye and crab-stuffed Prawns Chef's kiss I tell…read moreya! Glad we did food was exceptional!

my first impression was amazing bcoz such a busy place made us sitter in next 30 min without any…read morereservations - I think, it's a noce attitude to customers. Well, should I tell you about the food??? Please, come over and taste it!!! Thank you Tim, you made our experience even better with history lesson. it's always nice to find out about the story of the place and about people who created it. Good luck to you guys!

Thank you Tim, you made our dinner and evening special with classic 5 star service. Attention to…read moredetail was quite evident and your recommendations were spot on.