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    The Caledonian

    3.8 (44 reviews)
    Open 8:00 am - 2:00 pm, 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM
    Updated 2 months ago

    The Caledonian Photos

    THE CALEDONIAN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Upscale
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - The Caledonian

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    High prices, lousy service.
    G R.

    I eagerly watched the Kimpton Hotel be built near a church I attend. A welcome boost to downtown PG. My dad and I went for Sunday brunch and a gracious hostess sat us. The place was busy and having worked in Carmel restaurants growing up I know how hard the work is. Five minutes went by. Then ten. No coffee. No "I'll be right with you" from a server. At fifteen minutes we walked out and went to the Victorian Corner a block away for a tasty brunch well served. The website states "At The Caledonian locals and guests alike gather in our convivial dining room." This one local won't be back. PG has many other options with more reasonable prices and better service.

    Burger
    Javi L.

    The Caledonian was an awesome spot to grab a bite! The burger was incredibly juicy, flavorful, and cooked to perfection--every bite was delicious. The chicken wings were just as impressive, perfectly cooked with a great balance of crispiness and flavor. Combined with the welcoming atmosphere and great service, it made for an excellent dining experience. Great mimosas as well, If you're looking for a place that serves outstanding pub food, The Caledonian is definitely worth checking out. I'll definitely be back!

    Oysters
    Lucia L.

    I was lucky enough to be staying in the newly opened Kimpton, and even luckier to snag a walk-in dinner on a busy Friday night! Despite being newly opened as well, this spot is already bustling - with a 45 minute to 1 hour wait for walk-in's like me. We ended up ordering some cocktails at the bar and sitting outside in the courtyard, where there's plenty of couches, tables and fire pits to wait by. The Caledonian offers a menu of elevated, American cuisine crafted from fresh, local ingredients by a bustling open-concept kitchen where you can watch the chefs (if you're lucky to get a table nearby). My favorite items were the whole fish branzino (although I wish they took out all the bones), the Hokkaido scallops, and their sticky toffee pudding (which we literally came back the next night for). Every dish was well-thought out and cooked to culinary precision, with the exception of the yellowtail crudo, which arrived warm and not very fresh. Overall, I was very impressed with this beautiful, new spot, and I highly recommend stopping by if you're looking to celebrate a special occasion or have a memorable date!

    Broccoli

    Amazing! The food was incredible, the staff was so nice. Everything was so delicious! Can't wait to go back!

    Drinks

    Excellent service from Rigo. Very friendly and polite when explaining the dishes. Delicious drinks and the food was 100% . Atmosphere was great and the place looks very well kept.

    Eggs Mirador Benedict and breakfast essentials
    M W.

    Our server was quick to greet us and super friendly. Both our eggs benedict and breakfast essentials were great!

    Mirador martini service and carmelized onion dip
    April L.

    Visited shortly after they opened with a couple of friends for happy hour. The food and drinks were yummy! Service was a bit wonky but that's to be expected for a new place. Music was overly loud for the setting but I appreciate the live music. Perhaps a different location or set up for the band would work better. I'll give it a little more time and will be excited to return and see how things have evolved! Love that we have this new classy spot in town.

    Daily Oyster
    Denise S.

    We loved this new restaurant, the ambiance felt like you were on vacation ( we are locals) very attentive service and amazing food !

    Hostess area
    Rob D.

    We were so excited to have a new local high-end restaurant where we can take guests from out of town. But sadly, the Caledonian didn't live up to our expectations. Firstly, the hostess wasn't what you would expect at a high-end restaurant. She didn't exactly have front of house experience. I've attached a picture of her wearing an oversized flannel shirt and baggy pants. She looked like she worked at a grunge bar in Seattle. Next came our waitress who was clearly inexperienced, didn't ask us any questions then when she took our orders messed up one of them and then brought our bill before we were even finished eating. This place needs a lot more training for its staff. Now the food was hit or miss. My husband's dish of salmon was delicious. The Caesar salad was excellent, but the pasta dish was inedible and we had to send it back. I mean, how hard is it to mess up pasta? We will give it another try and hope this was a one off because we really want this place to succeed. The interior is beautiful and it could be a fantastic restaurant. Please work on training staff and improving the menu!!!

    Crab dip and rosemary focaccia bread
    Pravina K.

    This place was amazing! Food was great and their service was even better! Everyone is so nice here. I would definitely recommend and will return when I come back to Monterey.

    Bar
    Jonathan M.

    The Caledonian at Mirador is aiming squarely at the top of the local market--and in some ways it gets there--but a few early warning signs keep it from sticking the landing. We visited during happy hour and sat at a table in the bar area. The room was comfortably humming: good energy, attractive space, the kind of ambiance that makes you want to settle in for a drink. That part works. The problem is execution. They've only been open a few weeks, and it shows in the service. Server orchestration felt clumsy--not disastrous, but not dialed. The kind of thing you forgive early on, but only briefly. The oysters were fresh and well-shucked, clean and cold--but oddly missing a spoon for the mignonette. A small detail, yet at this price point it matters. The Hokkaido scallops were genuinely good: fresh, nicely handled, finished with a bright citrus oil that respected the product rather than burying it. That dish suggested the kitchen can do things right. Then there was the baked pretzel. At $21, it was a stale, undersized abomination--clearly old, paired with a cheese sauce that was just as bad. It didn't feel like a miss so much as a red flag. Sysco-adjacent execution at a luxury price is not a great look, and it raises questions about consistency elsewhere on the menu. Cocktails, however, are a strength. The bar is above average for the area, and I'd happily return just for drinks. The Vesper martini was solid and confident--exactly what you want in this setting. The tension here is value. The Caledonian is priced to be top-of-market, but for the same money you can eat better locally--just without the ambiance. If they tighten service and fix the basics, this could become a reliable coastal bar-and-bites destination. Until then, it's a place I'd recommend for cocktails and atmosphere, with caution around the food. Strong room. Good energy. Drinks worth ordering. But at these prices, the pretzel shouldn't be a warning label. I'll head back for dinner and give it another go and another review.

    Roasted Chicken
    Merina V.

    We recently visited and overall had an enjoyable experience. The chicken was good, the salmon was well prepared, and the chips and dip were a great start to the meal. The wine selection was lovely, and the ambiance is beautiful. The sticky toffee pudding was the standout of the night and absolutely worth ordering. The reason for the 3 stars comes down to how an issue with one entrée was handled. One person in our party ordered the pork chop, and when it arrived, it was noticeably pink in the center. We brought it to the server's attention, and he acknowledged that he could see what we were referring to and offered to have it remade. However, by that point, the guest had lost their appetite and was understandably concerned about the dish being undercooked, so it was taken back. What was disappointing was what happened afterward. When the check arrived, the pork chop was still fully included. We were told it would not be removed because the chef believed it was cooked properly. This led to an uncomfortable back-and-forth discussion with the sever. From our perspective, we were worried about the possibility of getting sick from undercooked pork, while at the same time having to debate whether it should be taken off the bill. While half the charge was eventually removed, it felt inappropriate given that the dish was taken away and the concern had been acknowledged. Additionally, the steak we ordered was good quality, though for a $50+ entrée, the amount of sauce felt excessive almost like a dressed-up A1. At that price point, the steak should stand on its own. This is a newer restaurant, and we truly hope they continue refining both their food execution and how situations like this are handled.

    Roasted chicken (left), pork chop (right)

    We had the best meal tonight at The Caledonian. I ordered the roasted chicken - the skin was perfectly seasoned and crispy to complement the tender and moist meat beneath. The broccoli, beans and orzo balanced out this dish - broccoli and orzo were perfectly al dente and beans just the right softness. My son had the pork chop to share. It was cooked perfectly - tender and well seasoned. We are not pork chops eaters yet loved this dish! Some may balk at the prices but we think it's a fair price for the portion size, quality, amazing service and gorgeous ambiance. Highly recommended. One note: the dining experience is elevated when the restaurant is not manic busy (which was the case when they first opened.)

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    5 months ago

    Lovely ambience, warm and professional service from Connor, truly memorable cuisine. highly recommend.

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - The Caledonian

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    I have been here 3 times in the past in the several times I've visited pacific grove. Firstly, I…read morelove the Asilomar Beach area. It's so peaceful and beautiful. Then after a day of hiking and relaxing by the coast, you can shimmy up a few ways to Fishwife for lunch or dinner. The first two times I came I sat in the patio area with my dogs. They have like 4-5 picnic tables with umbrellas. They also have fire pits that are iffy as some reliably work and others maybe not. Inside there is also plenty of seating in the dining area as well as the bar too. It's got that rusting seaside charm and wide windows. I started with the clam chowder which is always good here. Then I ordered the surf and turf -medium rare which was juicy. They give you a big whopper of a steak topped with a rich mushroom sauce and like 5 or 6 prawns. It comes with a baseball sized amount of yummy mashed potatoes and a few veggies. I tried the Schied white wine from Monterey but it tasted a bit stale like it's been sitting around for a long time already. No problems with Service as it is prompt. Glad to know over the past few years, overall its quality is maintained. This is a great little continent spot near the Asilomar beach area to get in some good grub

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    The restaurant was about 80% full on a Friday night, yet it still felt intimate and comfortable…read more With a capacity of only 49 people, there isn't a bad seat in the house. The fun artwork and paintings throughout the restaurant added so much personality and made the space even more enjoyable. We started with the duck pâté and bread. The pâté was silky smooth with just a hint of sweetness, paired perfectly with the toasted bread. It literally melted in your mouth. The octopus with bean and honey sauce was another standout. The sauce complemented the octopus beautifully. The octopus itself was incredibly tender and soft -- not chewy at all -- and honestly reminded me of some amazing octopus I had while visiting Portugal. The mussels came in a very generous portion, and the tomato sauce was so good you could drink it by itself. For our mains, we had the sea scallops and the seared tuna, and both dishes were excellent. Everything tasted fresh, thoughtful, and well executed. The coffee and tea cups were the Bodum brand, great quality, double-lined, and they kept the drinks warm while still being comfortable to hold. Definitely a memorable dinner in Pacific Grove, and I'd gladly come back again.

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    The Caledonian - seafood - Updated July 2026

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