We have been there three times and we love this place. They knew us after the second time! The Castroville scramble was incredible; delectable coffee cake. The food and coffee have always been excellent. Service is friendly and fast, and very accommodating. My bad reviews of other restaurants seem a lot longer... but what else is there to say? We have yet to try it for lunch, we're always stuck on breakfast. We'll get to lunch one of these days. This is by far one of our favorite places in Monterey. read more

I've often passed by this place and wondered if the "Voted best breakfast in Monterey" sign was deserved--I'm sorry to say that the cafe did not live up to my expectations. We walked in on a late morning on Tuesday and experienced less-than-friendly servers. Ours said not a word, but pointed to us, and then pointed to a booth that was open to indicate he wanted us to sit there. I ordered a coffee, which was promptly brought, but our request for water was forgotten twice. We ordered a simple breakfast for eggs, corned beef hash and hash browns and a traditional benedict. The corned beef was clearly from the can, and had large chunks of potato mixed in that seemed to act as a cheap filler. The eggs and hash browns were suitable, as was the benedict. We also ordered what I would consider to be some of the worst biscuits and gravy I've had around here. The biscuits were almost raw and the gravy, though it had a good flavor, was pretty disappointing. It was watery, causing the limp biscuits to lose any palatability that they might have had to begin with (which wasn't much). Also, I found it sad that my empty coffee mug was ignored for a straight 40 minutes. I would have called over a server, but they did not make themselves accessible. Service was more of a one star, but I left two in hopes that this I just came on an exceptionally bad day. read more

Absolutely one of the best breakfast places in Monterey; good food, good service, and reasonable prices. Keep it up !

The average food was overshadowed by the extremely slow and poor service. Unfortunately nobody around here has common sense anymore. Frustrating and disappointed. read more

Great food and very​ generous​ portions​. staff​ very friendly​ and fast service​.

This is a second visit and we were very satisfied again. It is two short blocks from the Portola Hotel and an old fashioned restaurant with professional wait staff and table service staff who really hustle to take care of their customers. Busy every morning...good food, good value. The pancakes are large, light, and tasty...a short stack was enough for my wife. I had the two fried eggs sunny side up with country sausage patty and hash brown potatoes...the sausage was excellent as were the hash browns. I was able share one egg with my wife and I got some of her pancakes for a sausage sandwich. Coffee is always filled. Our order came out fast, even with a full house. I was impressed by the hustle, speed, and efficiency of the staff. Excellent workers, serving great food at reasonable prices. Great combination for continued success. read more

The Old Monterey Cafe is absolutely wonderful! It's a small little place in downtown, but what it lacks in size, it makes up in taste. We were greeted promptly and the wait staff was on top of everything! They are willing to make half orders, which is a nice bonus! Overall, we will come next time we are in town. read more

We went to Monterey for Breakfast, used yelp and this was close, so we walked from the warf and on a busy Sunday walked right in and were seated. Excellent service coffee was poured immediately! many choices from the menu, we ordered the California omelette, and the cilantro scramble,the place was packed and a line was starting to form out the door, and it was 11:15 by now, best hash browns and breakfast was excellent!. Very friendly and hard working staff , now I have found a new breakfast spot! read more

I have eaten breakfast here several times and the quality has always been consistently good. The eggs benedict comes with a great homemade hollandaise sauce. I will continue to come here for the great food and energetic service. read more

Really enjoyed the food. Came to visit from Los Angeles. It's a small location but overall felt like home.

Average food, really overpriced. They charge for refills on drinks too. I had my coffee refilled a few times at breakfast by the waiter, ended up getting charged $15 that I didn't expect read more

Excellent breakfast place! The Calif omelette with jalapenos was huge. My husband had a spinach omelette with feta and it was tasty too. I only gave 4 stars due to omelette order being incorrect the first time. Little pricey for breakfast ($15 person), but portions are large! read more

Been a regular several times. Until today, I was a frequent customer. The owner or whoever was "managing" the parking lot in back of their building basically harassed me into parking on the street. He claimed that the whole parking lot was old monterey cafe's, and even though two of the spots were not marked like all of the other spots that they have or other businesses, the owner or someone representing the company was so disrespectful I couldn't believe it. Most of the time I park on Alvarado since that's where the front of the restaurant is, and again, being a frequent customer, I always come back for the quality and tastiness of the food, but good food deserves good service. After this experience, I'm definitely going to be talking to my other friends and family about the audacity of this owner. My next call is going to the property management company they have and complain about this harassment over unmarked parking spots. read more

Per another yelper, I had the almost same experience, "In town for a conference and went here because it had been voted Best Breakfast. It was OK, but disappointing. I had a spinach and mushroom omlette with tomato, artichoke and avocado on top (and I added cheddar cheese). The mushrooms tasted canned," I didn't mind, but thought for the price without cheese, there should be more artichoke heart and avocade. The cheese I paid $1for was a slice that looked like cheese food laid on top along with the sliver of avocado and two artichoke hearts. The service was excellent - but there are plenty of better breakfasts to be had in Monterey. Service was excellent, my boyfriends meal looked pretty good, but I still thought kind of pricey for diner. Seemed to be the average in the area, but when you are voted best breakfast and you are paying 10 bucks a plate, you gotta bring it. And who has to pay extra for cheese on their omelette???? Not a bad review, but not a great review, glad we went, but I don't think I'd go back. Again, service was excellent. read more

After waiting in line for 30 minutes, we sat down and ordered tea. After another 20 minutes with no tea, the experience was soured. Worse, the food was horrible. Charred omelettes, chewy bacon, and burnt coffee. So...gross. read more

All I could say about this place is WOW. The food is delicious and the service is excellent. Chano and Jasmine get 5 stars for their customer service. A MUST GO TO FOR BREAKFAST :) read more

i have read a few yelp reviews AFTER eating at this place and have come to set the record straight! the good: prompt attention big menu fresh juices (3) family oriented (although small place) interesting ambience I walked up to Old Mont. and noticed a line. Being starving and by myself i walked past the line to the rail and was promptly asked if i would like a drink :D was brought a menu, ordered the french toast combo whatever (8.50) and then ordered some fresh squeezed apple juice. Although poured from a cheap safeway plastic jug that looked as though it was used multiple times it tasted fresh. It was busy but not too loud, the line still trailed out the door and the only downfall about the place itself that i could find is that i think that you have to walk through the service area/kitchen to get to the bathroom. the bad; recieved; bacon egg 2 pieces of bread covered with powdered sugar that have been halved. eggs were OK bacon was in spots too tough to chew and they are lucky i was FAMISHED because i ate most of the 'french toast' i asked for the check before finishing- and noticed that i was charged 3.75 for " L-juice" thinking my glass was a little small after seeing soda and waters go out in mugs i mentioned on my way out that the glass was a little small and the head waitress said "oh no, this is a small glass" and rummages around behind a bunch of other mismatched glasses for a dirty little glass not much bigger than a shot glass! i smile and tell her that the 'french toast' was floppy, undercooked and small. and that i wont be back. to all who say that the locals come to this spot, i dont believe them, they aren't locals and if they are they must be too lazy to walk down the block. or drive to PG for some FA or Holly's. and to all who say OMC make a mean eggs benedict that may or may not be true, i will never find out :D read more

Thanks to our wonderful server, Daniela for such great service and for being so nice at 6:59 am! You might want to go over and train the staff at Layer's. Seriously, we had a delicious breakfast of giant, fluffy pancakes, papas abuelos, fresh fruit and coffee. Love this restaurant and will go back soon! read more

After a morning walk, I was looking for an open breakfast spot around 0645 hrs. I saw this place was open so I decided to check it out....I'm glad that I did! Great service and food. I had the Portland omelette with tomatoes and cottage cheese. It was tasty and filling! I would definitely come here again when I'm in town. read more

I don't think this place is worth visiting. Came on a Friday morning at 9 AM, was about 80% full but the service was very slow and waited too long for our food, which was mediocre at best. Nothing special, certainly not worth going out of your way for it, probably no better than Denny's--pancakes were weirdly spongy and my scrambled eggs were dry - - and slower, too. read more

This place has that old small town feel to it, very warm and cozy. We ate here just a little bit before noon on a Sunday morning. The place was full but the wait wasn't that long since we opted to sit at the counter. I ordered the Castroville scramble which was eggs scrambled with garlic and artichoke hearts topped with a spanish sauce ($7.95). It also included a warm coffee cake muffin, bowl of fresh fruit and hash browns. I was a little worried about the spanish sauce since I forgot to ask the waitress what it was. My worries went away once I took the first bite. It was a very light sauce with tomatoes and jalapenos which tasted like its been simmering for a very long time. It was a little spicy but just right and it blended well with the garlic in the eggs. They have a pretty extensive menu and the prices are very reasonable. They also serve fresh squeezed orange juice and I think that's what ran our tab up at $3.50 a glass. FYI, they accept American Express. read more

We stopped by to eat breakfast before visiting the aquarium. We were greeted immediately upon entering while a bunch of old folk diners flashed us a knowing look, like they knew were out-of-towners. The establishment tries to give a vintage feel but I got "dirty and old". The food we ordered (Denver omelets) was actually decent, give it a little salt. However, the persistent fly that buzzed around us, ruined our attempt to savor the meal. What was worse was waiting for the bill. Even after being acknowledged that we wanted the check and sitting smack dab in the middle of the cafe, they (waiter/waitresses) kept walking past us on all sides. Our two kids were getting restless and conversation over the wannabe relics on the wall was wearing thin. It was a good 25 minutes before we were able to pay and dart. The food has potential to keep this place alive, but the decor and ventilation screams for some kind of makeover. read more

Love coming here! My boyfriend and I come quite frequently and one of the servers knows our order now. Quick, good pricing and good food! Its our go to spot almost once a week!! read more

My favorite breakfast place on our vacation. Typical breakfast fare. I got the papas abuelo and it had all the goods without being greasy. Got a table quick but a line formed soon after. Service was quick and cheerful. read more

We tried this cafe on recommendation from our hotel. We were disappointed. Food was bland & cold, YUCK! A no meat omelette was cooked in bacon grease and only tasted like bacon. Butter was frozen and waffle served Luke warm. The restaurant was not very clean. Staff was kind and attentive but food took a loooooong time to come out. And we were over-charged (the staff did fix the bill when we asked). Sorry to say we will not be back. read more

Best Breakfast in Monterey Over 10 years ... ago. I'm pretty sure they're resting on old "Best of Monterey" rankings and the constant influx of tourists to stay open. The food was bland, to put it nicely. I ordered a sausage and cheese omelette with hashbrowns and sourdough toast. I got a tasteless sausage omelette with two slices of cheese on top. I guess that's nice if you want to eat the cheese separate; just peel it off. Instead of toast I was brought an English muffin. The hashbrown ... oh the hashbrowns ... prepare yourself for these. Nowhere is it stated on the menu, and the waitstaff don't bother telling you, but they put onions in the hashbrowns. The onions are somewhere between raw and sauteed, a really odd taste. It brings to mind stinky feet. Our waitress was in charge of one area plus our table, somewhat nearby; very pleasant but unattentive. I give it 2 stars but one star is a pity star. If this is your only option for breakfast I suggest you go hungry and wait for lunchtime places to open. read more

My friend and I were craving breakfast food. We were in town visiting and saw that this place was voted Best Breakfast, so we gave it a shot. My friend ordered a Belgium Waffle with eggs and bacon. I ordered a veggie omelet that included artichoke hearts, spinach, avocado, and tomatoes. The omelet also came with a side of hash browns and toast. The Belgium waffles were amazingly good. The veggie omelet was good. I wish they would have added more avocado since it only had to small slices. I ordered freshly squeezed orange juice which was really sweet and refreshing. We enjoyed the food so much that we decided to go back the next day. I had the California eggs benedict which were served on a buttery croissant, two poached eggs, tomato, and avocado. I really enjoyed it because the eggs were poached perfectly and this time they included what seams like a whole avocado in the dish. Overall, great breakfast food. read more

great food, short wait, reasonably priced. i would totally go back next time im in town

Great little cafe on historic Alvarado Street in Monterey. Finding little treasures like this is why Yelp exists! Good prices, great food, excellent service....nice place to start your day when in Monterey.... read more

My wife and I both enjoyed our breakfast here. The food was very good and service was excellent. Recommended.

Great place to have brunch. Very very small setting - you may have to wait. But the food is good, and the qualities are pretty large. I would recommend at a good brunch stop. read more

What a cute place with awesome food! Blink and you miss it while driving down Alvarado, but inside it's old-fashioned and cozy. Fabulous food- and a wide variety! Also love that you can choose breakfast or lunch all day. Food tasted fresh, meats were mean and drinks were constantly filled. Service was on top of their game. Will definitely be steering others this direction! read more

Love this place. Food is awesome and cheap will definitely come back. Atmosphere is really nice and we got seated really fast

Enjoyed a tasty breakfast in a casual, downtown atmosphere. Omelets are great, coffee is good, service is above average. Recommended.

This place sticks out from the rest of the diners in downtown Monterrey in a good way

the BEST-EST breakfast place in monterey. the staff is great but be weary of the LINES that form to get in.

Good spot for breakfast. It opens earlier than the surrounding breakfast joints and has a good selection for adults and kids. I had the Spanish Omlette with onions and green chile sauce. Thought I was in New Mexico there for a second. Nice work. read more

Great home town feeling. There was no wait (it was Thursday around noon so that may be why). The service was great and food was amazing. I suggest the banana muffin. They serve breakfast all day which is always a plus. This is our new breakfast spot when we visit Monterey. read more

Good coffee and food. Place is very small so if you don't mind other people standing around waiting for you to leave it's worth the visit. Very good country potatoes and the pancakes are VERY FILLING. If i am in the area I would visit again! As for people who complain about the price, look around you, The whole town caters to the upper class. With that said I thought the prices were OK read more

Husband & I have become regulars here! The service is outstanding. We have not really tried alot of options on the menu, because we usually split a sandwich, but with awesome service and they NEVER drinks get low, they keep us coming back!!! read more