This place was nice. It isn't a top recommendation for the area, but I wouldn't tell friends to stay away and think many folks would enjoy it. I wouldn't be opposed to returning myself either. First, this restaurant is in a hotel lobby. You have seating within a more defined restaurant area and out in the lobby space. I think the restaurant and lobby look really cool. It's a nice space to hangout. However, their set up doesn't really allow for much privacy. If you want an intimate dining experience, this place can't offer it. That being said, I reiterate the coolness of the space. The service was very good. They're friendly and attentive without being intrusive. I never ran out of water, and each time we were ready to order something or had a question, someone was available to help. They're also generous. They accidentally brought two single servings of the clam chowder instead of one, and without hesitation apologized for the mistake and insisted on leaving it for us free of charge. A small gesture, but one that evidences a client-centered attitude. They're also generous with their portions. My partner had the popular salmon dish ($19) showcased in many pics. It was not only delicious, but big enough for about 2.5-3 people. I had the halibut ($29), which was also delicious. While not as large as the salmon dish, it was enough for my dinner and the next day's lunch (supplemented with some of the leftover salmon dish). I felt both dishes had a kind of Thai influence in terms of flavor profile. The clam chowder with which we started was really good. I think it maybe had some bacon in it, as well as a decent amount of clams. I'm not sure how to describe it... It's clam chowder, which is similar across restaurants... It's just that this one was better than most. Unfortunately, neither one of us cared for the crab cake we got as an appetizer. The vinaigrette on the accompanying salad had too much vinegar, and the crab cake itself was a bit bland and had shredded instead of lump crab. I would be willing to go there again. We'd definitely consider getting the clam chowder again and sharing the salmon, though there were other dishes I might wanna try instead. If we don't overstuff ourselves on the huge entree portions, I may be able to try the creme brulee next time! read more

Kevin, our server, was awesome so he gets 5 stars. The food was just okay though. We ordered calamari, chowder which arrived cold, ravioli, steak which was small, burger which was dry. All of it was just bland and uninspiring. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't worth the money. Also, we hate their potato puree. Why mess up a good thing with horseradish? read more

Had the opportunity to eat at Jack's on a Monday evening of a three day holiday weekend. Only one other couple at a table. The service was excellent, and the appetizers we have in the bar were fine. But then there was dinner. A bowl of the chowder for her, was good. Lot's of good tasting chowder. $9 well spent. But the New York steak? Oh no no no. A large plate of French fries from a package, and a smallish steak with fake grill marks and a hunk of gristle down the side. Ordered rare, but got rare and cold. I have paid a lot less for a lot more. $30 badly spent. read more

Happy Accident! An uncommon heat wave here on the Monterey Peninsula recently had me looking for a lunch spot with air conditioning. We ended up here, at Jacks Monterey. I have to say, as a local I can find myself wanting to avoid the area because it is more tourist heavy at times than I always want to deal with. BUT, I will brave crowds of tourists for those gnocchi again! So very delicious! Loads of flavorful, fresh, local (when possible) ingredients, and the tender little potato pasta dumplings are made by a local company. My mom and I also shared the mixed greens and strawberry salad as well. It had a goat cheese croquet that was delicious but not as creamy as others I've had- more crumbly. Plenty to share. Good flavor profile with lots of great textures. My son loved the Macaroni and cheese on the kids menu. I that it was a great price and there was plenty, even for a ten year old. My dad had the seasonal pizza with fennel and sausage and other seasonal veggies, which he enjoyed as well. I LOVE supporting local business owners, local farmers, and foragers- and all while enjoying an open breezy atrium, pleasant service, and walking distance to the ocean trail: in case you indulge a little too much. I'll have to go back in and see what dinner feels like. I also had a friend tell me it's a wonderful spot for an impressive all inclusive brunch. Mimosas! So I'll have to try that out, too. Bravo Jacks! Happy to add you to the rotation. read more

Best all you can eat breakfast and bottom less mimosa. Fresh omelets and order fresh French toast or pan cakes. Amazing service by Plu and Jaime read more

When we dine at Jacks we always ask for the best waiter on the Monterey Peninsula! His name is Kevin! He's awesome. He's kind and he always make sure we are happy with our food. It's the best! Bring your family and friends. Recommend to all. read more

Kids (adults) came out feom Maine, we checked them in for easy arrival, and had dinner. Love the atrium, seating, great service and the food was phenomenal (which I do not say lighty. Ever). Give it a shot just for the meal in Portola Hotel Monterey between wharf and cannery row. read more

Nothing but good things. The remodel of Jacks is beautiful. Although my friend and I asked to sit outside I really loved the look of the bar and seating area inside. The fireplace and seating around it was just stunning. The decor was elegant yet comfortable. Great mixture of materials and colors. It seems odd but I loved that our food came out on different plate, different color and style. The food was amazing. I've never had fried green tomatoes and they were delicious. The tempura calamari was interesting and very good. I had the swordfish blt - so good!! They are a Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch partner so I didn't have to worry about the seafood I was eating. The drink I had (the Jackberry) was strong and good. They also use paper straws!!! Our waitress, Cynthia, was perfect. Very friendly, checked on us the perfect amount of times and split our check without batting a eye. Can't wait to go back! read more

Jacks Monterey - Bars Near Me - Monterey, California

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We had 3 meals here during our vacation and each meal was better than the last. Our server, Michael, was absolutely amazing. The filet, the skillet rolls and the Brussels were my favorite! read more

Kelsey our bartender was such an engaging and sweetheart of a person. Drop in to have a drink and chat with her. Gil

I would say this is going to be one of those places that you either really like or you think it's just ok.. and not because the food isn't good, because it is, but because some of the more modern twists on their food might throw people off. When you read the details of the entrees you aren't exactly sure what the presentation is going to be like or what exactly you are getting if that makes sense. We ordered the iron skillet rolls & calamari for dinner and by far the calamari was the better of the two. We thought the rolls were going to be smaller, more like a pretzel bite or donut hole size and not a full dinner role size.. and we thought there would be more artichokes and that the cheese would be more like melted cheese instead of a soft cream cheese texture. Dont get me wrong, it was good and the rolls were melt in your mouth soft... but the calamari was way better! The red sauce they serve with it is amazing! I had the prawn scampi entree and it was delicious!! Highly recommend it! The two desserts our table ordered with the brownie sundae for two, which was really good, and the strawberry shortcut, which was just ok.. the biscuit they used to make the shortcake was sooo dry! I would even say inedible.. i use the same type of biscuits and they aren't supposed to be overly soft or moist but these were way too dry. The service was good but a little slow. Our server was very nice and so were all the other servers that waited on us by refilling our drinks and water.. but i ordered a glass of wine before my dinner came out and it didn't make its way to the table until i was almost done with my meal. I actually had to ask someone else to check on it for me since i could not find our waiter. He did come back and apologize.. so like i said, not bad service by any means but you can tell some of the wait staff is young and learning. They have a great wine, beer and cocktail selection to chose from! This would be a great spot to catch a game in their bar area and eat some appetizers. Overall, it was a pleasant experience and we might be back, at least for the calamari and some cocktails! read more

This place did such a great job revamping! I've been twice since they reopened and have had an excellent experience both times. The food is phenomenal and the service is on point. They have creative options for sharing both dishes and drinks, and I love the emphasis on craft cocktails and the wide selection range (something kind of limited in the area)! Keep it up! Highly recommended. read more

The all new Jacks in the Portola Hotel is spot on. Classy decor with shimmering blue subway tiles behind the bar, gorgeous curved wood ceilings, a new fireplace, and tables that flow to the atrium seating - easy casual fine dining. Nothing stuffy. New menu and some old favorites. We were a table of six, everyone loved the appetizers Calamari, Yellow Tail tuna and the Veal Cheeks were over the top. Entree favorites were Shrimp linguine, Asian style Salmon, Halibut in parchment, Petite Filet Mignon. Rolls with a generous artichoke dip center are very filling, served hot in a cast iron skillet. Save room for dessert and don't miss The Bomb! Raspberry sherbet dome covered in chocolate ganache. The perfect topper. read more

Where to start? The Group Effort was delicious and dare I say packed a punch...but in all seriousness both the food and service was excellent. The veal cheek is must do, the carrots, and seasonal pizza were all fantastic! Our server was conscientious and attentive. The atmosphere was lovely and we are excited to come back to try more of the excellent eats at Jacks! read more

The place is beautiful but the food is not the best at all. The calamari was delicious but it did not come with merinera sauce like it was suppose to we had to ask for the sauce a few times before we got it. I got the salmon which was ok but a bit dry. My boyfriend got a burger which was ok until he bit into something that tasted like mold.. they were nice to take it off the bill. Oh and the wait was supper long and there weren't that many people there. read more

I miss the old Jacks. I salad bar anymore. Eating out in the lobby is cold and noisy. The service is sooooo slow. Not sure why. There weren't that many customers. Bring my old Jacks back!!!! read more

We ordered the Calamari ($12) which was really good. Not a fan of the sauces so we ordered cocktail sauce. We had the chicken ($19.00) which was juicy and good. We had Osso Bucco that had so much meat that we took 1/2 of it with us. The pork was a huge portion and really good. Not the normal Osso Bucco cooked in the rich sauce but we would order it again. We also had the Filet sandwich ($18.00) that was big enough to share. We don't like sitting in the lobby of the hotel to eat. There is a great restaurant that they only use for breakfast that is more fitting for the Portola Hotel. Having guests sitting in the lobby is crazy. Our server Colleen did a great job. read more

The salmon was good but the noodles was too salty. It is super convienent though bc we are staying in the hotel right above. read more

Jacks Monterey - Salmon was good but the noodles was very salty - Bars Near Me - Monterey, California

One of my favorite places to eat for brunch! Bottomless mimosas were included in the brunch buffet. An omelette bar was a great addition to the buffet brunch allowing our customized option to eat! Will definitely return! read more

Great food great service. Thank you Lauren and Osselis. Portola hotel is our little get away from our LA life and Jacks is one of our places to go to. read more

The star was for the super friendly and attentive waitstaff lets start with parking there is none its in a super busy hotel that already has the smallest two story parking garage ive seen in my life that isnt free. The restaurant is literally in the middle of the lobby table everywhere members walking past dogs walking past yes i saw three non registered dogs in one dinner setting wtf and loud as could possibly be i could literally see the front desk from my table weirdest set up hands down, if they wanted to they could have taken up the closed up club members only swanky breakfast lounge for the restaurant but its obvious the restaurant is last and incomplete thought of the hotel and its new....macaroni-and cheese dish for my son tasted like milked down velveta and the sauce had little lumps of un blended cheese the pot of bread said it came with artichokes and romano um thats a lie it was a sloppy huge pile of cream cheese with little tiny overly cooked artichokes and tasted non exsistent i dont like pepper and i had to pepper it to even eat it for flavor the huge pile came slopped over 4 small humhah rolls what a joke The sauce that came with the brick chicken had a tang that only uncooked alcohol could provide absolutely nasty and my turkey pot pie? 16 for an entre and it was about 5 inches wide 2 inches tall(super small like appetizer) the pastry literally had separated egg yolk on top wtf i picked off a piece to show my mom SOLID OVERCOOKED YOLK like boiled eggs a complete joke the inside had barely anything in the thick small cup hardly any veggies if u could say veggie it was a few peas and celery one small cube of carrot a few oddly shaped turkey pieces and bland soupy sauce. The Riesling was overly acidic and the wine glasses where not tall enough or full enough at the bottom to do a correct tasting- if it wasnt for us coming out of town to stop by after the bistro we wanted was booked up as soon as we walked past what i thought was the bar in the lobby that was actually this restaurant we would have walked right on out- not fine dining and a true technical disaster oh and the beautiful trees that grow around almost every table with drop leaves all over you while you eat- goodbye!!!!!!!!!! read more

Great drinks, service was non-existent. Bartenders were more concerned about conversation between one-another than assisting customers.

If you are wanting a good cocktail, then this would be a 5 Star review. But if you want even decent food or decent service, then it would be a zero star review. My lemon drop may have been the best I've ever had. And the patrons at the bar also seemed happy. But the food...room temperature and bland and greasy. The salad dressing was definitely not house made-it had that corn syrup, thick sweet taste. The calamari-kinda cold when it arrived. And SO greasy! Gross. I've never worked in food service, so someone else may understand, but when would food that is cooked and named "skillet" be served barely at room temp? The server kept disappearing. For a long time. When she first brought me a lemon drop the glass was cracked. Not her fault, but I was waiting for a long time, looking around for her so I could get a new glass. Finally after at least 7 minutes I got up and went to the bar. The bartender didn't come right away, and I felt bad, so I went and sat down again and waited. She eventually arrived and took care of the glass right away. Then disappeared again. I say YUCK to this restaurant. read more

Love this place! The food is amazing and don't get me started on these crafty cocktails made by Kelsey their awesome bartender! All of their staff is friendly and well worth the stay! read more

Heads up if you plan to get something to eat you need to be there by 945 pm that's where they have last call for their full food menu. If not welcome to a hand full of bar choices. Also expect to be rushed out @ 1030 as they make you feel as tho they want to go home. The wait staff minus the host we're very polite thus receiving a 3 star. Chowder was decent, the burger was terrible. It had cold meat with a dry bun. Keep it simple! As for the strawberry field salad with a side of salmon it was plain. Salmon had no taste and needed extra dressing. The bill was definitely NOT worth the experience. Nearly $80 with a house glass of wine and a draft beer. NEXT! read more

Bar: Best cocktail in town! Food: Creative, organic and nice garnish Atmosphere: mix of modern and classic, casual and romantic Service: absolutely great read more

Was here last night and it was pretty dismal food and service. The restaurant wasn't too busy but we waited close to 40 minutes before our server took our order (only after taking another table's order-and they had just been seated 5 minutes prior) The food was okay, nothing really worth noting. Took a while for them to bring out our check and it was overall a very shoddy experience. I usually would never wait 40 minutes for someone to take my order, but my friend and I decided to give it a chance, and we were really disappointed. read more

This my family's favorite place for Sunday Brunch and unlimited Mimosas. The price is very reasonable about $22 per person. The omelette station is great and so are the servers. read more

We thought this would be the perfect place to have dinner on Christmas Day but we were extremely disappointed by the service. We ordered drinks and didn't get it till our entree was served. We had to ask for water after our entree was served. We had to wait for 15 minutes before I went to the hostess to let her know that we hadn't yet been served Desert. Overall, first and last time eating here. They told us because they were busy but there weren't too many people dining at 3pm... read more

I spent 70 something dollars here. Had the calamari appetizer. NOT worth the money at all. Though it was crispy and super delicate, it was cooked well, but it was just way too oily. And it had no flavor at all, you have to make an effort to taste the salt. The dip wasn't good. Sooo, it was a waste of money. Anyways, we had four mixed drinks as well. All I can say is, I've had better... Almost all the drinks had a weird herby taste to them, which did not go well together. I tried the highly rated "Elixir" don't remember what the full name was. That was the only one that tasted okay. read more

I loved every minute of my meal at Jacks at Portola Hotel! We visited on a quiet, off-season night and were seated promptly. There is a variety of different seating available (from stools to booths to a lounge area). The overall aesthetic of this restaurant is beautiful -- from the seating area to the ornate bar to the cleanliness. All around, this place is awesome! We were staying at the hotel so it made sense to come here. We were definitely pleased with our choice! We ordered the halibut (delicious) and prawn scampi (equally great). Our server, Brook, was attentive, friendly, and helpful. He gave us plenty of time in deciding/didn't rush, offered suggestions, and was an overall pleasant waiter! The bartenders served up some awesome drinks too! For the sports lovers, there are a few large screen TVs playing multiple games. For those wanting to have a good time (raises hand), there is plenty of fun to be had at Jacks! Overall, we loved our stay at Portola Hotel which was accentuated by a wonderful meal at Jacks. Both the hotel stay AND meal were very memorable! read more

The food in this place lacks taste and is way overpriced. We ordered the gnochi, scampi and the halibut and they were all below average. Although the staff was friendly and the atmosphere was interesting the quality of the food ruined the whole experience. Really hoped for a good meal as the hotel looks high class. read more

Stopped in for lunch based on the good reviews from yelp. Definitely was not disappointed. This by far is the best clam chowder I've ate. It was creamy and full of flavor due to the fact that it was loaded with corn, crab, clams, potato, and red pepper. Calamari was tender and light. Dipping sauce was sweet. Will definitely eat here again. It is a little hard to find because there is no signs on the outside, it is in the back of the Portola Plaza hotel lobby. read more

Very disappointed....on the whole Valentine experience. The hostess sat us in a crowded area. When asked if she was going to sit someone else next to us, she responded: "not for a while" then she sat another couple literally next to us in a short while. The food mediocre for the price. No choice of desserts just a dried up cake that most likely sat out for most of the day with a raspberry sauce so hard you couldn't scrape of the plate. Not going back. read more

Food was really good, we had Jacks Chowder, Strawberry Salad and Shrimp Scampi. Chowder was my favorite but the issue was the service. Although the server was nice it took us an hour and half to get our food. It seemed a little unorganized and no apologies were said which rubbed ya the wrong way. read more

The manager Dylan Wolcott is awesome!!! Great food!!!! We were here for a conference and Dylan was the best. Highly recommend

The food was not good at all. The cocktails were pretty solid. The waitstaff was nice. I will not come back.

We have been dining at Jacks for years and loved the food and the service. Today, dinner at Jacks is in the hotel lobby with people checking in/out walking by with dogs and children - very noisy. The food was great and the service was good also. We are sad that a once fine dining restaurant is now too casual. Last night was our last time there until such time they resume serving inside. read more

Love it, used to be a cool place to go hide and have a quiet convo, now it's the opposite but in a great way. Love the new redo.

Loooong drive up the coast, room secured, late hour bar/restaurant. GREAT food - hotel prices, lovely fireplace bar setting. Splurge and enjoy beet salad, halibut, scallops. read more