I had high hopes for this place but unfortunately, it completely underwhelmed for the price. My sister and I were sat in a small nook with two other tables. The space was tight and cramped and it felt awkward to be in such close proximity to the tables when you're trying to have a nice dinner. I would maybe expect that at a more casual dining place. To drink we had a cosmo (around $15) and a patron margarita (about $17). We ordered the surf and turf ($95 for two lobster tails and a filet) and the filet and scampi ($60 for a 6 oz filet and three shrimp). Our bill came to $250 with a tip. I don't have an issue paying good money for good food but the food was just meh. Nothing special at all about the dishes. The cuts of meat were not the type to melt in your mouth like other filets I've had. The very small scalloped potato side was cold and flavorless, the green beans were over cooked. I was super disappointed. I will say, that the service was excellent. Super attentive and accommodating. So that was the highlight. read more

Fandango Restaurant - FILET MIGNON & SCAMPI - French Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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One of the better French style restaurants in the area. I really like the paella. They have plenty of different options including vegetarian and fine dining. A good place for special occasions and a great place for a fancy dining experience. Good wine and full bar. read more

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Love the food! The help is absolutely wonderful. It's cozy warm and friendly! Dessert is fabulous, all I can say is bring your appetite

This place is cram packed with tables, leaving no waiting area. You walk into the host desk, then are asked to go to the bar with only a few chairs in a hallway, with ppl walking by constantly. Bartender is slammed and not friendly. There's already a bad vibe in the restaurant, guests are being rude to other guests. Then another woman tripped and is yelling and just being awful to everyone. We finally get a table after waiting 30 minutes after our reservation time. There's flowers on the table, but they are really depressing looking. They look mostly dead but I think that's just how they look. They take up half of the table of this little two top. Service is ok, but we aren't being treated the same as a larger party, didn't offer souffles, specials... The food took quite a bit of time, it's a busy Saturday night so it's as expected... really surprised they have such cheap low quality steak knives. Something you'd expect at Denny's, not a nice upscale restaurant... Food was ok, really not that great. Nothing was seasoned well... soufflés. Somehow they ended up making 2 so we got a free one... but they were so bad. Worst I've ever had. Tasted like eggs... I really don't understand how this is such a popular restaurant, unless it's mostly older crowds. Will not go back and would not recommend. read more

We were having one of our family holidays down in Monterey and wanted a nice dinner....especially for our father who loves French onion soup and roast duck. My brothers had been to this restaurant a number of times before, but this was my first time. We made a reservation for 6.15pm as we knew this place would be packed, and I'm glad we did....the place WAS packed! But what a charming little French country style house this place is....especially on the inside....it's so warm, cozy, and quaint that you feel like you're right at home. There are numerous dining rooms throughout the restaurant....from a larger sized dining room, to medium sized, to a private room with a large table that looked like it could seat perhaps 8-10 people? We were greeted by a very nice and friendly host.....whom also appeared to be like a manager there.....and because we had a reservation, we were seated almost right away in a medium sized dining room near the entrance. The table was all nicely prepared for our arrival....nice. We were all seated and was soon attended to by our server.....seemed like a very nice guy.....very professional and made sure we were well taken care of from explaining the dinner specials, to taking our wine order, to taking our orders. The menu had a long list of very yummy dinner selections, but I was still pretty full from lunch......but since this was my first time here, I figured it'd be a waste just to order a salad, so I ordered the Filet of Sanddabs (a light whitefish brushed in egg and sauteed) which usually comes with a side of vegetables and potatoes, but I subbed the potatoes for extra vegetables. Other members of our group ordered the Onion Soup Gratinee, Rack of Lamb, Veal Piccata, Chicken Capri, Lamb Shank, and for dessert, we ordered the Grand Marnier and Chocolate Souffles. All I need to say is that everyone was 100% happy with their meals! Beautifully presented, perfectly cooked, and delicious! And the souffles were excellent too!.....even though I'm not a dessert person and will likely have to work it off at the gym tomorrow. Excellent service, wonderful ambiance, very good food! read more

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The service and atmosphere was great. My paella was okay, not much flavor to it. The food was mild. Our dinner wasn't worth $200 for two people read more

Fandango Restaurant - Paella Fandango and Veal Piccata - French Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

Had a wonderful evening with excellent service from Pedro. Every dish is high on presentation. We had the calamari appetizer that has an incredible sauce. It is not your typical fried calamari, rather, it is more of a calamari steak. Enjoyed the beet salad with it's light vinaigrette. Shared the salmon pappardelle which is a huge portion, and too much for one person. We pre ordered the grand Marnier Soufflé for dessert. Yum! They have a full bar and an extensive wine list but we just ordered from the wine by the glass menu. Very cute decor...we had a table for two in front of the fireplace which was charming. Many great entrees on the menu including lots of specials which are anywhere from $68-$98. Definitely will return on our next visit to Pacific Grove. read more

If you're in or near Monterey and wish you could take a quick trip to France, Spain or Italy, plan a leisurely meal at Fandango and you'll either satisfy that wanderlust, or promptly plan a trip. Every detail of this restaurant pleases me. The ambience - soft music, various cozy rooms with quaint French décor, attentive staff, beautiful windows overlooking overgrown gardens. The food is exquisite, as is their attention to detail. The servers and the manager were all so attentive. Our salads were pleasant and light, we had a puttanesca pasta (maybe not spicy enough, yet very flavourful), tri-tip cassuelet, and crème brûlée (deliciously smooth). We enjoyed wine with our meal, glasses of port and espresso with our crème brûlée. I can't wait to go back up north again. read more

Delicious cuisine, impeccable service, wonderful ambience! Have been here many times and will always come back...

The caprice salad and the chicken piccata was amazing . This our second time we come to Fandango . Whenever we stay in Monterey we make sure to come to this gem . read more

We ate here for a birthday last night. Greeted by the smiling host was inviting and he even tossed streamers across our table, really nice. Waiter arrives, seemingly lax and not extremely cordial. We could not understand him very well, kind of quiet mumbles when responding. We ordered the Caesar salad to start, it was phenomenal. Entrées were steak frites which was ok, certainly not a $35 cut. Choice at best. The diver sea scallops special was phenomenal! Uuuh oooh...here's where it goes off the rails. When ordering soufflés restaurants ask that you do so at the same time as meal order. We said yes we'd like two Grand Marnier soufflé please. When finished with dinner you're expecting the soufflé to come shortly. Nope, it was 20-30 mins. Waiter clearly forgot to put the order in. No mention of the delay by the waiter just averted eyes when entering the room. Communication and honesty would be nice..The host/manager finally brings ONE soufflé and thank goodness it was only one. Because WOW. NO! It was basically a whipped egg. No sweet, no Grand Marnier taste. Egg.... I'm really bummed about this experience for what was supposed to be a special occasion. read more

We ate at Fandango on Christmas night because I did not want to cook and clean. Our expectations were not very high because we have eaten at other restaurants on major holidays and know that the food and service can be less than stellar. Well, we were pleasantly surprised. We sat upstairs at a cozy table. The decor is charming and rustic. We felt like we were eating at a restaurant in France. Our server was outstanding. Sadly, I can't remember his name at the moment. He was very attentive without being annoying. What my husband and I both noticed is that all of the employees were friendly and helpful. They were quick to fill our wine or water glasses, and remove empty dishes. The pre-fixe menu offered plenty of options for our table of four. I had the tomato soup, mimosa salad (spinach with bacon and vinaigrette), prime rib with green beans and mashed potatoes, and souffle' glace (it was not a traditional souffle', it was frozen and just okay). My husband had the shrimp cocktail, caesar salad, turf and surf, and profiteroles. The tomato soup was the best I have ever tasted. It was more brothy than creamy and was seasoned perfectly. The prime rib was fantastic -- cooked perfectly medium rare and served with and a delicious sauce. The sauce was so yummy that my son and husband tried recreating it the next day. We will definitely go back to Fandango. read more

Food was mediocre at best. All mains came with same sides-every one. Prices are pretty high. Wait staff was attentive but hard to understand. Desserts were terrible. A super thin slice of cheesecake for $12 and profiteroles filled with ice cream that was defrosted and refrozen so has ice crystals. Super hard and gross.besides expensive. Upon getting the bill we noticed a $10 charge for a drink we never ordered. We told them and they fixed it. Then the waiter left With our 2 cards into the back for 10 minutes before coming back to the bar to have it run. Really suspicious activity here. I would suggest you dine elsewhere and if you dine here please check your bill AND your charges on your account for the months ahead. They never asked what charge we were questioning, almost like it was a regular scam. Upon leaving there were 5 employees sitting In the area and no one said a word to us. Super disappointed since this would be a "go to" for most visitors looking for an up-scale dining experience. read more

We celebrated my parent's 60th anniversary here. We reserved the wine cellar for 12 of us. Everything was AWESOME! They treated us all like family. Jorge, our main waiter, went above and beyond. We wanted for nothing. The whole staff congratulated my parents and were sincerely happy for them. Of course, the food and drinks were wonderful! Thank you so much for making it such a spectacular evening. read more

Not only one of the finest restaurants on the Central Coast, but of the entire Pacific Coast. Puts the French Laundry to shame. Service is impeccable. Food is memorable. Atmosphere is authentic old California. Make a reservation, since they can be booked up. Im embarrassed to say what I like most: the olives the . Im not a foodie; I am impressed with the total experience of a world class restaurant. The separate beautiful dining rooms make this place a quiet and intimate setting. Also parking is a snap, unlike restaurants in downtown Monterey. Have only dined here a dozen times. read more

Fandango is a wonderful restaurant. I've always had delicious food and the service is perfect.

Came here with family (party of 9) for a celebration of life dinner for our late grandfather. We had a wonderful experience! Let me first say that I've never ever had anything this fancy or expensive at a restaurant. I feel like it was a first time experience for me, and that may be coloring my perceptions. When waiting outside, be sure to "read the directions" as my party frequently was reading the lunch menu instead of the dinner menu due to the placements of the menus on the wall. Something to look out for. We arrived for our reservation for 7pm, seated at 7:30. Waiter was excellent and we stayed until closing. The staff seemed very seasoned and had the experience down to an art. This can make them sometimes come off assertive or different from "typical" waiters and waitresses. Our party had everything from the steak & lobster (surf and turf) to the paella. Steak fries and the souffle were just simply fantastic, along with everything else, really. Can't really explain their taste - too exquisite. The wine recommendations were relevant and appropriate. If I had to choose one thing to have, I suggest getting the steak fries. You definitely get what you paid for. If we're ever in the area celebrating, we will stop by Fandango! read more

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Epitomizing outdated classic fare with prices only reasonable for those who retired after making millions on their real estate investments, this restaurant has some legitimate strengths but left me unimpressed. Pros: - friendly host, attentive service and nice ambiance with roaring fireplace. - Escargot (6 for $16.95) was uninventive although well executed and paired nicely with the warm house ciabatta bread - Caesar salad ($10.95) though visually bland, had a lovely tart dressing - salmon filet ($39.95) was cooked to perfection and was a large serving size - scallops ($58) were perfectly cooked and generous portion of four large scallops atop a bed of plain pasta Cons: - prices are insulting - food preparation was extremely slow. We were in an essentially empty restaurant and appetizers came 30 minutes after ordering and entrees came 60 minutes after ordering - there were overcooked? Canned? Mushy green beans as a side to each of the entrees that were inedible unless perhaps you were missing teeth So if you have an obscene amount of wealth this is a great place. Otherwise I would try somewhere else in Pacific Grove for more value and creativity. read more

Fandangos was one of our favs in Pacific Grove for special occasions. We especially loved their paella. But we were sorely disappointed with our recent meal. The paella while still flavor full had only one third of the ingredients that mades it special: mussels, shrimp, chicken, spicy sausage, it was mostly rice. It was also about 20% more expensive than three years ago, Next time we're looking elsewhere for one of our favorite dishes. read more

Was a little apprehensive about going as I never heard of it and to be honest wasn't sure about the name of the place. Glad we took a chance as the food was exceptional. To start I had the French onion soup and my fiancé had a Caesar salad. Both were great and had the perfect amount of seasoning. For entree I chose the sea scallops but instead of being over pasta I opted for mashed potatoes. The scallops were huge and so flavorful. My fiancé had the calamari steak which he enjoyed. Both entrees were cooked perfectly and not over cooked. Dessert we had the coffee ice cream cream puffs. They were okay. I should have gotten the soufflé as it looked amazing. Service was great and would have given five stars except for the amount of noise during our meal. A table celebrating a birthday was very loud. Of course everyone loves time to celebrate but it was done through the whole meal and nothing was said to them. Perhaps because they were ordering more than three drinks a piece but I think something should have been said. Dinner being about 75.00 a person I expected more of a romantic quiet dinner and not a bar scene. read more

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Wow! We splurged here for our anniversary, and everything was impressive. From the service, to the food, to the ambiance. Highly recommend this spot for special occasions. read more

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We visited this place for the first time tonight and we absolutely loved it. The antique building, the greenery, the little flower pots by the windows- all this took us back to France. The service was amazing, the ambiance was great and food was fresh and delicious. The soufflé was the most perfect ending to the truly magical night. This place is a gem. read more

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i really liked the ambience of the restaurant: the decor, the staff, and the rustic design of the space. the salmon pappardelle was one of the best pastas i've ever had. i myself am not much of a seafood eater but the quality of the salmon was absolutely amazing because it has NO "fishiness" taste. On top of that, the pasta was cooked well and the salmon and white wine cream sauce was well evened out. the only bad thing i have to say is the restaurant was too loud. most of the customers didn't understand how loud in volume they were talking and because I went for dinner early at 5:30/6pm, there were loud screaming children around us. read more

Fandango Restaurant - SALMON PAPPARDELLE - French Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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Been coming to Fandango for years and service is consistently excellent. Food is always amazing. Excellent wine list and cocktails.

Decided to check out Fandango after our day in Point Lobos and it was a treat! The ambience and hospitality here is unbeatable. Brought my dad out for his birthday and they had little things to make his day special. The escargot and caprese salad are must have appetizers. The paella, lamb ribs, and calamari steak were also excellent appetizers. Soufflé and the complimentary cream puff ice cream was a great finish! Thank you Fandango!!! read more

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Not much has changed. Still love this place. We had Thanksgiving 2022 dinner here and although they were extremely busy, we still had good service and the food, again, was outstanding. I'm a customer for life!!!! read more

This was my wife's & my favorite restaurant. We go there for special events in our life. 7/14 was our 33rd anniversary. My wife ordered the 7 0z filet medium for the millionth time in her life. It came medium well to well. While trying to return the steak the maitre d' tried to show it was medium & should have ordered medium rare. So when the medium rare came it was rare. I took a bite and the center was cold not cool. This chef does not know how to cook a good filet. Disappointed we spent $300 without wine. I don't mind pricey if the food is excellent. Server was excellent, chef poor. Ambiance very good. read more

Fandango Restaurant - Zoom in to see it's rare. - French Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

My mom and I went for the Christmas Eve dinner. It was a price fixed menu of $145 each. I don't mind paying that much but I expect the food and service to be excellent. The first course of the prawn cocktail was good. Meaty well cooked shrimp. After that things went downhill. The old fashion I ordered was lacking ice and looked like it had been thrown together instead of mixed. The salads we ordered were missing items and were over dressed. My mom ordered the lamb and asked for it medium but some of the chops were purple inside. I had the steak and lobster and it came without the drawn butter and the steak was blah. For dessert I ordered the soufflé and my mom got the cream puff pastry with ice cream. Instead of a soufflé I got vanilla ice cream with a raspberry sauce and the ice cream on my mom's pastry was so hard she needed a knife and fork to eat it. I would have complained to the waiter but I barely saw him. The food was dropped by runners and they left before I could ask questions. I asked the waiter about my soufflé but he just dismissed my question. The restaurant was full so I understand they were busy but they also took reservations so they knew what to expect. With tip the bill ended up being $400. If you are looking for a nice holiday meal I would recommend you go somewhere else read more

Most of the less than favorable reviews I have seen from this place seem to come from folks seeking modern cutting edge haute cuisine. That's not this place. What this place does excel at is executing fine dining old school classics perfectly. We visited this place for our 16th wedding anniversary while staying a short distance away at Seven Gables Inn. Our server was amazing, and every course was delicious. From the Tapas appetizer, to my surf and turf, to my Wife's NY Strip, and finishing off with the Grand Marinier Soufflé, execution was spot on. And because we were celebrating a special occasion, we were gifted each a glass of Port wine to enjoy with dessert, which turned out to be a marvelous pairing. read more

Spent $200 dollars and the food was awful . Drinks small and very over priced . Will not go there again . read more

This has always been one of our favorite restaurants, but tonight was not good as there were 10 of us and not only was the food extremely expensive but not one of us was happy with what we ordered. Two of us had a filet which was $50.00 and over smothered with sauce and tough to cut. No flavor. The salad was $12.00 and strictly lettuce and tons of oil. Nothing else on it. Others got soup which was cold and had to be reheated. There are many other issues as a small margarita was $20.00. Now we all understand the food is very expensive nowadays but when you are going to charge that amount of money you need to be buying good products and making sure you have a good chef who is cooking great tasting food. i'm not trying to be mean as it's always been a great restaurant in the past but our bill was almost $1000 and the quality of food was not worth it. read more

This place is so amazing. I had the paella with fish and chicken. Husband had the salmon creamy pasta. They were both amazing. Stater was a caprese salad. The wine selection is phenomenal! A must in Monterey! read more

Fandango Restaurant - French Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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I spent less money at a Michelin star restaurant in Vegas than here. And the food was way better. Came here for Valentine's Day and the pre fixe menu looked promising! Tomato soup was very good, but it just went downhill from there. Is Caesar salad supposed to be yellow? I don't think so. Wilted leaves and soggy croutons. Main course of prime rib was lackluster. Green beans weren't seasoned, mashed potatoes were bland, and the prime rib didn't strike my fancy. I'd rather stay home and make my own food. My burger from a small bar and grill had more flavor than this dish. Sigh... Disappointing for my chef boyfriend to have to go through for our valentines date. read more

Beautiful restaurant and pacific Grove California,Best food ,wonderful service best place and pacific Grove,thanks fandango. read more

Fandango Restaurant - Surf and turf so good and tasty . Thanks Fandango. - French Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

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A good restaurant, not a great restaurant. A bit too syrupy with the service and better than most place in general. I had lamb chops that were well cooked ( the chef knows medium), but the vegetables ( green beans) and the potatoes ( starchy glob), were an afterthought at best. My wife had chicken and it was adequate, but in no way special. The dessert was ho- hum. Pleasant enough but there are better places to eat in the area. read more

My parents always visit Fandango and rave about it, so I decided to try it. I found the restaurant itself to be very charming and the waitstaff was knowledgable. I ordered the calamari as an appetizer. It is a lightly breaded steak with a lemon sauce. The meat was cooked nicely. Still, I found the lemon sauce to be a bit much. I wouldn't not order this again. For dinner, I got the osso buco which is served either over saffron rice or with penne pasta, but I opted for the rice. The meat was tender and the rice was quite good. I thought the tomato-based sauce was a bit overpowering (it reminded me of just tomato paste), and I admit I had to add several dashes of salt to the dish in order to enjoy it. For dessert, I had the Grand Marnier soufflé which was delightful. Overall, I thought dinner was fine, but I would likely visit another restaurant for dinner, such as Esteban, if I wanted Spanish fare in Monterey. read more

My friend recommended we have a nice dinner at fandango while we were in Monterey and we had the best time enjoying an amazing dinner in a wonderful atmosphere. There were only 2 other sets of people in our room and it was lovely to see everyone laughing and having a great time for the first time in over a year. My steak was like butter it was so tender. The beans tasted like they had just picked them they were so fresh. I can't wait to go back and I absolutely crave their lobster!!! read more

Lovely decor. Absolutely loved the atmosphere, cozy and colorful with fresh beautiful flower arrangements throughout. We had a reservation and were escorted confusingly from the foyer to the bar area where we were placed in a holding pattern for 25" until a table was ready. They were very busy, however a wait that long with a reservation is not a great way to start a dining experience. The service was acceptable but bread (fresh warm ciabatta) was a good 15" behind the butter and (delicious kalamata) olives. Phenomenal wine and cocktail list. The Cesar salad is misnamed. No garlic, no anchovy flavor. Grape tomatoes. Skip. The hearts of palm salad with ginger sesame also a miss. Hearts of palm beg for a fresh vinaigrette, this salad with greens and hard boiled egg, was absolutely saturated with pooled dressing and conflicted flavor with the hearts of palm. We had the Osso Bucco, very disappointing. Under seasoned, had to add salt at the table (boo), no beefy tenderness as you would hope to have. Also no acid, there was a tomatoey sauce but it didn't offer much in the way of flavoring the dish. Offered to be served over saffron rice (exactly the rice in the paella btw), or pasta. The rice was good. The pasta was dry penne, not at all able to absorb sauce. Should be served with the pappardelle pasta which would have created a better composition of a dish. Up the acid, up the salt, up the beef stock. The paella is pretty darn good. Order that! The Spanish chorizo had excellent pimenton flavor. Calamari a little chewy but overall nicely portioned and good flavor. Not sure I'll return here for the miss on flavor and the prices. But they probably don't need my business, it's clearly a local favorite! read more

Service was fast and amazing, food was cooked perfectly. Ordered the rack of lambs, French onion soup, soufflé, and a cappuccino. Would highly recommend! read more

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Not good is an insult to all the "not good" restaurants. The service was poor. The food was, at best, very poor to terrible. I ordered the rack of lamb (their specialty) that was the worst I've ever had! It was cooked correctly, but it had multiple tendons running through it. It's like they deliberately bought the lowest quality they could find. That said, the price was $62.00. Quite at rip off. I returned it and got something else that was average minus. The other three at the table had significantly poor meals relative to the price paid. Needless to say, we will NEVER go back and I advise others to stay away! read more