Not sure what's happened to my review in the past as we've been here a handful of times, and have always had a positive experience. We do suggest to sit inside if you can because it can get very loud from the seals barking. We ordered the Bruschetta Clam Chowder, Fish and Chips and Fig & Greens Salad. Everything was pretty good, the only suggestion would be to add some balsamic glaze or vinegar to the bruschetta, which seem to lack a bit of flavor. Next time we look forward to ordering the meat balls. Seemed to be a popular order with our neighbors who ordered 2 of them . Also every team member we interacted with where super friendly and provided excellent service. read more

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Awesome food and ambience. Loved sitting on the patio watching the seals. I got the carbonara with prawns, and it was perfect! Reasonable prices for Monterey too. It gets chilly in the evening so bring a jacket if you're sitting outside. Overall, highly recommend this place! read more

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Decided to try something different on the wharf. I was pleasantly surprised on how great this little hidden gem was. A very clean environment, friendly staff. Fantastic offerings and quick service. I would definitely dine here again. The fish and chips were outstanding! read more

We stumbled upon this spot for a Sunday lunch while walking the waterfront. I was impressed by how many vegetarian options were offered! For the price per dish, the food wasn't particularly fantastic (my ravioli, for instance, was inconsistently lukewarm throughout), but the highlight of the experience was sitting by the water and being entertained by the sea lions. read more

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Came here for our anniversary. The pasta was absolutely delicious and we loved watching the sea lions during our dinner. We started off with the bruschetta, but it was definitely sub-par. It lacked flavor and the tomatoes didn't taste that fresh. Still, our main entrees were amazing! The shrimp tasted fresh. The sauce was delicious. I would recommend any of the entrees. The service was subpar as well. We waited about 20 minutes to even get drinks started. The food came out quickly though. Being next to the water definitely adds to the ambiance. It can get chilly and a bit smelly, so I would suggest getting seating inside if you care about that. Overall, I would come again but definitely pass on the bruschetta and I would be ready to wait a bit for for your order to be taken. read more

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Found a hair in my french fries. The owner was quite shameless, saying "well, we didn't put it in there" and implying that the customer did. The dark, short hair was literally fried into the fry, y'all. The owner couldn't even look me in the eye while saying it. He eventually took that item off the bill, but the lack of accountability or apology was appalling. Blame the customer all you want, but it doesn't change the quality of your food. read more

This great romantic restaurant is located on the pier overlooking the water and boats. We could see fireworks going up from our seat overlooking the bay. The food here is over the top good snd they carry lots of great wine and coffees. Its pricy but worth the money. Service is super friendly and professional. read more

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Had dinner reservations to celebrate our anniversary and was met by a lukewarm hostess; not even a welcome or have you dined with us before, just stared at us and showed us to our table. It took awhile for our server to come and introduce herself, once again, lukewarm, made us feel like we weren't welcome. Our drink orders were finally taken, we did have to flag her down to place an order for appetizers. Meanwhile, other servers, not ours, she was nowhere to be seen, were checking on us to see how we were doing. Also, we were overhearing other servers explain to other guest the specials of the night. So that piqued my interest. Finally our server came by with our appetizers and she quickly darted off. My husband had to get her attention so we can place our entree order.There was no mention of any specials. I was dumbstruck that I couldn't bring it upon myself to ask her. She obviously didn't want to sell us what they had to offer. The food was okay, better than the service. What made our experience here worthwhile was the other servers who cared enough to check on us and of course, the entertaining sea-life. read more

This place was amazing. The food was absolutely unbelievable and delicious. We will definitely be back here again.

Very good ambiance with great service and the food was excellent. We were a little skeptical about dining right on the warf but the Paluca Trattoria is far from a warf dive. Very fancy read more

While at a conference in Monterey, my colleagues and I were treated to dinner at Paluca Trattoria by one of our vendors. Reservations were made ahead of time and we were seated promptly. We were placed in a quaint little corner that fit all 8 of us perfectly. It was surprisingly quiet and we could all converse with ease. Large windows gave us plenty of surrounding marina views. Everyone selected their drinks and we ordered two of the smoked salmon bruschetta and two of the Sicilian meatballs. We were also provided with extra bread. The meatballs were cooked perfectly and served in a delicious marinara with crostini. The salmon bruschetta was equally appetizing. In addition to the smoked salmon, the goat cheese, fig balsamic, and caramelized onion on crostini made this appetizer well rounded and pleasing on the palate. When dining near the ocean, trying the clam chowder is a must. Of course, the clam chowder at Paluca's did not disappoint. It was warm, creamy, and the perfect consistency. For the main entree, I ordered the lobster ravioli. Each bite melted in my mouth. The ravioli, which I assume is made fresh on site, is stuffed with langostino lobster and fontina cheese and served in tomato cream sauce. It is by far, one of the best ravioli I have ever enjoyed. We had the crème brûlée cheesecake for dessert and it was the perfect sweet (but not too sweet) bite to end our meal. We tried to return over the next couple of days but an equipment failure forced them to close unexpectedly. To top it off, one of the restaurants namesakes, Paul was our server. He was a sweet, kind young man who took care of our large party with heart and soul. I will be adding Paluca Trattoria to my recommendation list for colleagues and friends that visit Monterey. I will come back to visit on my next trip. Che buono! read more

Amazing restaurant! Highly recommend if you're ever in the Carmel/Monterey area!! Food is always delicious, and the service is great!

This quaint waterfront italian treasure is one of my new faves when visiting monterey fishermans wharf area. The service was excellent and we ordered some shrimp with Calabria peppers, some white wine garlic sauce class, and Sicilian style meatballs with zesty sauce. A surprising dish was a stuffed gnocchi with creamy pesto type sauce , it was like inhaling tiny pillows of love. The special of the day was seafood with garlic wine and linguini, fresh and perfectly seasoned. The papparadelle bolognese was also full of flavor and cooked aldente.. Perfect seaside meal! read more

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WOW!! On a recent trip this was the only "must" that my daughter requested. Thankfully she did otherwise we would have definitely missed out on this amazing lunch. I highly recommend making reservations through Yelp. Every bit of the food was spectacular!! This is not cheap so be prepared but it IS worth the price!! The service was spectacular and there are no denying the incredible views. If you are a fan of Big Little Lies OR a fan of incredible food then this is a must stop for you when in Monterey. read more

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Yum! Went there for lunch while vacationing and staying at the Portola. Excellent option and walking distance from our hotel. Took my girls there for lunch (4,6) and at first they were hesitant of the dish I ordered for them (not pictured) but they ended up loving it! Staff was wonderful and very understanding of my girls, who at one point told the gal they were freezing and the staff promptly turned a heater on for them! The carbonara was my dish and it was absolutely fantastic, I'll dream about it for a while until I return! read more

Paluca Trattoria - Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Monterey, California

Solid food with great views plus fun to eat somewhere that was used as a tv show set (big little lies). We came on a Sunday night and I was able to book a reservation online easily. Service was very quick for us. I enjoyed my small appetizer fig and greens salad and the ashelina pomodoro pasta. The hubby got the clam chowder and lobster ravioli and I think he liked them both. I would definitely be happy to eat here any time we're in town. read more

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The Bolognese main plate was mediocre. You can definitely make a tastier one at home! The proportion size was small, tasted just ok, and not enough considering their price. Service wise, we felt that the staff was not very friendly. Additionally bread that is served with main plates were charged on our receipt. I would consider looking elsewhere for a nice dinner in Monterey read more

Paluca Trattoria - Italian Near Me - Monterey, California

Waitress spilled wine...Didn't replace glass, simply wiped off the table and the bottom of the glass. Then, she served my salad and entree before I finished my clam chowder. The lobster ravioli that 2 of us ordered was so salty that it was inedible. She game a shoulder raise in response. Not a good experience. read more

We had a reservation here for 8 at 6:30 on a Saturday for a birthday celebration. The restaurant is small and intimate but the reservation was made weeks (maybe over a month) in advance. We got there and there was no seating available. They kept trying to "encourage" us to take an outside table but it was cold!! Finally, over a half hour later, we got our table. It was all really nice after that. The service was quick, the food was delicious and the setting was enjoyable and intimate as they put us upstairs. I split the fig and green salad and then the gnocchi with a friend. Both were delicious. We got 2 orders of bruschetta for the table to share and that was good too. They also brought the most delicious complimentary dessert for a birthday treat. It was fun to have all watched big little lies and be where some of it was filmed. read more

Came here about 6:45 on a Sunday. There were empty tables inside and outside, but it still took a half hour to be seated. The hostess said all their inside dining had been reserved and people would be coming in any minute. Unless they have a special back entrance for VIPs that were out of view, that mad rush never came. They claim bread is available upon request, but when we asked for it, they said they were out. You're telling me that an Italian place is going to allow itself to run out of bread in the middle of an alleged fully booked dinner service? Well they ended up bringing out the bread when my meal was halfway eaten, and it was extremely disappointing. Very cold (like it had been refrigerated) and definitely not worth the wait. Speaking of the main course, I got the linguine with meatballs so my kid could share my meatballs. I got a plate of linguine that to me seemed a fairly small portion (I would equate it to a lunch portion) and three meatballs. The meatballs were so dry that it felt like they accidentally dumped an ash tray into the meatball mixture as they were making them. The sauce was nothing to write home about. I would have been just as happy with a jar of Rao's. To have a small portion of subpar food for the price of $30 is completely outrageous. My kid's Alfredo had more pasta than my dish (I'm not exaggerating). This was one of the worst Italian places I've been to, and I've been to some pretty shabby establishments. Olive Garden and Sbarro are Michelin star restaurants compared to here. And I'm not the only person who thinks this. The table next to me was complaining about the high cost of the food compared to the obviously low cost for the restaurant to prepare it. And the table diagonally to me was complaining about being seated for a very long time without being able to place a food or drink order. Terrible service, even worse food, and a bill that was three times what it should have been is a trifecta that no business owner should be proud to have achieved. I don't give two craps if a TV show I've never heard of has filmed here. Maybe spend less time bragging about that and more time teaching your staff how to provide a good experience, cook decent food (and enough of it), and give people their money's worth. read more

The food and service was great! This was my first time in Monterey and Paluca Trattoria is a must try! read more

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Perfect meal. Will be memorable as one of the best meals I've had . We arrived before the dinner rush. They offered a lovely seat outside and they were so kind to set up the heaters for us. Their kindness made everything feel very special. We had salad and clam chowder as starters and then went for two pasta dishes They were so delicious that we are thinking about returning tomorrow night again! Our server was great. So pleased with this place. Thanks for such a memorable meal. read more

My partner made reservations here last night to celebrate 5 1/2 years together. It was a beautiful surprise. We are both in school and don't get to go out a ton so this restaurant was the perfect out-of-town boujie dinner. I'm not sure if our server told us his name but he was a sweet blonde boy with some piercings. He was on top of everything and was clearly very good at his job. We felt pampered. The food came out quickly and was carefully prepared, some of the best seafood we've had in a while. We laughed and cried over our wine, chatting about our growth together. Definitely a special memory we will never forget (mainly because the seals were yelling at us from the rocks below lol). 10/10. read more

Paluca Trattoria - My beautiful hubby in front of the water - Italian Near Me - Monterey, California

The food was authentic and delicious. The service was excellent and the owner is there making sure everything is perfect.

Excellent food and service!! The local favorite. We often visit this restaurant was strongly recommended to anyone. Great view great price, great traditional Italian food love the Italian meatballs and the fried artichokes. read more

Server Paul and his father were very helpful and provided excellent service and recommendations! The food is amazing and worth every penny. We had the rock cod special and the artichoke raviolis -both were delicious. We will definitely be back! read more

Enjoyed the ambiance of the restaurant. It was a beautiful night out and we sat outside. Our server was quite busy throughout the night, however, did come over when asked. I thought the food was good but nothing that would capture a "wow," our salad was a bit on the sweet side, the dressing was overly empowering, and the chicken breast was very dried. We had two of their specialty that night, the creamy pasta sauce was delicious, the other sauce was again on the sweet side. We had clams as our starters, great taste, however the clams were extremely small and not many of the clams had meat in there. Overall, it was a good experience. read more

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A very hidden spot on crazy wharf, but easy to find if you're a local! Loved the ambiance right by the water and can escape from tourists for a little which is nice since food is always delicious on the wharf. We loved our food and I especially loved my pesto because it was light and so flavorful- also let me have a lot of Parmesan cheese! My bf always orders calamari everywhere we go and theirs here is good and would expect nothing less since the ocean is right next to and all around! Will be back soon (: read more

Paluca Trattoria - Calamari - Italian Near Me - Monterey, California

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The food was good and the location is excellent. The service was sub-par. Our waiter was not very welcoming and didn't check on our table much. We ordered the lobster ravioli and the special sea food pasta. Both were good but definitely not the best I've had. We had some mussels inside that tasted very funky and told our waiter. He just walked away for several minutes and came back to tell us it was supposed to taste like that. I've harvest many mussels before and am quite the sea food chef myself... I can tell you that it shouldn't taste that way. I should've tipped the guy 5% instead of 18%. But he stood there in front of me while I was paying. I believe tips should be earned not expected, especially in this case. Don't get me wrong, I love tipping but would like a good experience in return. read more

The minestrone soup was really good! It is a tough find but they knocked it out of the park. The pizza was good, cooked well and had a great crust, it was more like a traditional cheese pie than margarita but would still get it. The artichokes and Bolognese pasta were both good, but definitely a safe order. If you're looking for safe (you know it's going to be good), easy and comfort food then yes I recommend for sure! Our server was really nice and attentive, he did a great job. It was quiet when we arrived the busier it got the louder the restaurant got, they do have a cute outdoor patio as well. read more

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Came here with my family and all the food was top notch. The shrimp was absolutely delicious (we had it in 3 dishes and they were all fantastic). The short rib ravioli was a standout. Would highly recommend this place as a nice dinner out!! read more

Went here with my sister and her large dog. We sat outside and the view of the marina was awesome. The food....OMG! Soooo good and the service was outstanding! I highly recommend!! read more

One of the best Italian restaurants on the wharf. The location is excellent, particularly on hot Days. On normal days they have heaters and indoors seating. read more

I echo the other reviews that are on here. The location is cute, convenient and quaint. However, the service seemed cold and aggressive at times, for no good reason, since it wasn't even crowded on a Friday night. Note that the waiter told us that it closes at 9pm. We were the last party there at 8:30. They rushed us out, even SHUTTING THE LIGHTS OFF 30 minutes before closing time. The waiter barked at someone upstairs, who turned the lights back on. There are so many good options in Monterey. Go enjoy yourself somewhere better with quality food. read more

Food was delicious! Had the prawn appetizer, lobster ravioli, and chicken pesto sandwich. Everything was 10/10. Crème brûlée cheesecake was the best 1000/10 recommend! Staff was very welcoming and kind. Minus one star bc we made reservations and they sat us upstairs where it was pretty cramped and isolated. read more

Made reservations online since we needed outdoor seating for 6 people (5 adults and 1 toddler). We got reservations on a Saturday night which was perfect. PARKING - we parked in a nearby parking lot near Wharf #2 and paid about $1.50/hour. The closer lot was $2.00/hour ($1.00/30 min) so it depends how much you are willing to pay. It was about a 7 minute walk from the farther parking lot. ATMOSPHERE: It's located right on Old Fisherman's Wharf so it feels kind of touristy. They have a great waterfront outdoor area with umbrellas. There were tons of sea lions that day (not sure if that's normal) so you get a great view of them. I will have to admit the sound of them was a little distracting in the beginning but after a while it got better. One bad thing was they apparently only have 1 high chair and another kid was using it so we had to wait. My almost 2 year old is a very distracted eater (likes to climb the chair) so it was hard to keep him seated in an adult chair when eating his food. Luckily about 5 minutes after we got our food the high chair freed up and we got it. FOOD: Their food is seafood and italian with mostly pastas. Everyone liked the dishes they got. My sister and mom got the seasonal fish on top of aglio e olio pasta. My dad got the vongole, husband got the arriabata pasta and I got the carbonara. CARBONARA - not too rich, very tasty, fresh pasta and good. AGLIO E OLIO - very smooth, not overly garlicky either and the pasta was also fresh. Overall, everyone enjoyed their food. The high chair issue was the only annoying thing. read more

Fantastic small Italian seafood and pasta spot. Had one of the best cioppino I have had in years. Seafood was fresh and delicious. Sauce had a nice spicy bite and lots of depth of flavor. We'll be back!! read more

The fish and chips! The fish was so incredibly fresh right from the adjacent bay. We ate alfresco on fisherman's wharf.

Food was super delicious. They were willing and able to accommodate my cranky toddler outside on the patio with the best view of all the seal lions. The soft lighting and heaters outside provided a very comfortable experience. But our amazing server Loretta was the cherry on top. She provided great service. Her recommendations were amazing and her warm soft spirit was very inviting and comforting. read more

Paluca Trattoria - View from the restaurant. - Italian Near Me - Monterey, California

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Fine food, decent portions, great location on the water, but touristy. Customer service was fine. Not a full bar- just beer and wine. The shrimp bruschetta was really really good. read more

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