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    Vivolo's Chowder House

    4.0 (2.4k reviews)
    Closed 11:30 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated 3 weeks ago

    Vivolo's Chowder House Photos

    VIVOLO'S CHOWDER HOUSE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Vivolo's Chowder House

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    Soup sandwich lunch special
    Daniel S.

    $28+tt crab sandwich, clam chowder, side salad. Chowder is absolutely worth hunting down. I think the chef adds mushrooms to add depth. Crab sandwich was a top tier "crabby-melt". Salad side was as expected. No complaints. I would definitely eat here again if I was in a slightly higher tax bracket.

    Bay Shrimp Sandwich
    Bunny -.

    Th chowder here is amazing, and the portions here are huge! And the service here is fast as well. Would totally come back when we're in town!

    Oysters.
    Sonya E.

    When in the area, one should experience neighborhood staples that people near a far rave about. On a recent trip to Monterey, curiosity landed me at Vivolo's -- a favorite of the locals for nearly four decades. Highly recommend their signature calm chowder - it's everything you expect in a chowder that has been slow cooking for hours. Rich, savory, creamy -- and with hints of celery (?) and potatoes. Not sure of their secret sauce but it was certainly a hit for me! Add some black pepper and tobasco to make it an even bigger hit. The oysters on a half shell were good but not my favorite -- probably not the right type of oysters to serve raw. Other than that, service was great. The restaurant is spacious and inviting. Would definitely return!

    Sole fish tacos
    Shalan D.

    Visiting Monterey, checked yelp reviews on suggestions of good dinner choices for Pacific Grove where our hotel was located. The Chowder House had amazing reviews and lot of rave for the clan chowder. I was with my daughter and fiance. Daughter ordered the fish and chips. She said they were so good! You know it good when she ate everything on the plate and only left 2 lettuce leaves that were garnished. Fries and fish were hot and crispy. There is a kids menu as well lots of kid option meal for picky eaters like kids. She order the adult portion fish and chips but there is also a kids fish meal. I ordered the fish tacos with sole fish. That was the fish of the season. The taco were plentiful with cabbage avocado and special dressing or sauce that made they these tacos oh so good! This place was small but had plenty room for drop ins. There was no wait on a Friday night around 630. There is also seating outside front if you prefer. The wait of food was quick! The server and everyone in the establishment had great customer service. Always asking if we needed more water or drinks. It's seems they really care about taking care of you making sure everything is great. I'd highly recommend coming here lunch or dinner. They have a variety of dinner options. Check out there menu and make sure when you are in Monterey or Pacific Grove and go here. You won't be disappointed. But be thankful you did go!

    Shrimp Scampi
    Justin H.

    Visited this spot in Monterey due to the many reviews they had. Sat outside their restaurant since we had our dog with us. We ordered the shrimp scampi, clam chowder, calamari, and their special pasta. I enjoyed their shrimp scampi; perfectly seasoned for my taste. As for the clam chowder, taste was okay, but I prefer my clam chowder to be on the thicker side. The calamari wasn't seasoned properly, and wasn't exactly crispy...and also, there was a piece of hair embedded with the breading of the calamari, which threw me off. My wife enjoyed her pasta though. Overall, it was nice to try, but unsure if I'll be back for a second visit.

    Aidan K.

    Vivolo's was a godsend! We made the mistake of going to the heart of Cannery Row for brunch and it was slammed. Every dog friendly restaurant was packed and those we thought were dog friendly weren't. Enter Vivolo's, who only has 3 patio tables but saw us super quickly. Huge shoutout to our server Andrew A who was extremely attentive and went above and beyond. I ordered the pan roast which was delicious -- get it with the garlic lid. My husband had the fish and chips, which I loved as someone who doesn't like fish and chips. Can't wait to come back!

    Emma B.

    Came for the sand dab tacos and was pretty disappointed. I'd really wanted sand dabs while in CA. They seemed to had fried the fish with some of the skin on, which I'm not sure was on purpose but biting into your taco and seeing black, not great! Plus the weird artichoke salsa didn't work, was like a sautéed veg sauce. The spicy sauce had a weird consistency, and was too spicy and I enjoy spicy. If they had just made them typical baja style they could have been great. Got the clam chowder and that was good. Restaurant was fairly empty for a weekday lunch during Spring break season.

    Decor
    Annie W.

    It had been a number of years since I'd been to Vivolo's Chowder House and I remembered it was really good back then, but this recent visit was a bit of a disapointment. There were four of us and we decided to dine family style. We ordered the fried calamari, a bowl of clam chowder, the pan seared rock cod with lemon butter sauce, and the linguine pescatori. The clam chowder was really good and the rock cod was pretty good, but the calamari was a bit too chewy and the linguine pescatori lacked flavor; just didn't seem to have the richness in the marinara sauce to give it that good homemade taste. In fact, the marinara seemed watered down. While half the meal was a disappointment, the service was still really good. Extra lemon was brought to the table quickly when I requested it and our water glasses were refilled when necessary. I would definitely return for a bowl of chowder if I was in the area, but I'm not sure I would order a complete meal again. When we left, there was a long line waiting for tables, so maybe they were just having an off night!

    Fettuccine Alfredo with Shrimp
    SU C.

    Amazing service! Food was good! Large portions! Cute little spot. Very cozy and family friendly. We also had clam chowder but forgot to get a photo of that. Tasty clam chowder. We should have gotten the bread bowl. Next time! Will come back again when we're back in town!

    Quick bite salad and bread
    Tanita J.

    Super good food! Came in on a Monday after golf - the restaurant was pretty empty and smelled a little fishy so we were concerned. We got sat at a table really close to the other people in the restaurant the the host seemed concerned when we asked for some space since the whole restaurant was empty. We were worried we chose the wrong place but the food literally blew us away. The clam chowder in a bowl was soo good. I got the small bite special with chowder, salad and bread. My husband got the seafood Rueben which was deceivingly good. We also super enjoyed the calamari (note that it's rings only, no tentacles) Service and ambiance were nothing to write home about but food was fantastic!

    Linguine
    Diana H.

    Road trip to Monterey and wanted clam chowder. Stopped by Vivolo's to get some warm chowder. There are plenty of street parking right in front. Ordered calamari, fries, clam chowder and the linguine with claims in garlic butter sauce. Everything was really good and service was friendly. Will come back again soon.

    Garlic cheese bread
    Wayne T.

    Was in town. As we were leaving we decided to get some food. I felt like some clam chowder. I found this place on Yelp, and the reviews looked good. They only have street parking. We were able to find a spot down the street. We had to wait for outside seating,we had the dogs. We ended up just ordering appetizers. Clam chowder, garlic cheese bread, and calamari. The waiter was very helpful. He let us know that a half order would be plenty of bread. He also suggested that we get the calamari first,it tastes better hot and it would cool down quickly outside He even brought out a bowl of water for my dogs The food was good,not anything I would make a special trip to get again. But for me personally, good customer service gets my repeat business.

    Raw oysters
    Amber N.

    We wanted the best clam chowder bowl in town and when we looked up online where to eat this place was recommended. We walked from the aquarium and it was only a 7 min walk. When we got there we had to wait in small line for seating. Surprisingly we got a table for two of us 5 mins later. They weren't that busy for a Saturday afternoon. The place is a little small but had plenty of seating. The restaurant was cutely decorated with all the ocean and beach vibes. We ordered the clam chowder bread bowl ($21), the local rock cod ($21) and 6 raw oysters ($19). The service here was amazing. I got my raw oysters first and after I was done they clear the table and served our entrees all the same time. They offered black pepper and salt. They even sprinkled the pepper for you. Food was really yummy. The bread bowl was huge. The clam and fish tasted good even the vegetables on the side. Pasta and bread were super soft. We ate all of our food and left no crumbs. They also came around and filled our waters like three times. I really enjoyed eating here and would definitely come back.

    Outdoor dining area, 9/13/25

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    The food was tasty but nothing memorable. The interior was clean and staff were friendly.

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    4 days ago

    Clam chowder was good. Quick service, friendly waitress. Inside was clean. Would recommend.

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    Vivolo's Chowder House Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Vivolo's Chowder House

    What's the difference with Boston Pan roasted chowder from the regular white one?

    The Boston Chowder has tomato in it, so it's pink a little thicker and a different recipe from the regular chowder. It's delicious!

    Is the chowder house made?

    Yes it is made in house

    Are you open for indoor dining during Covid19?

    Yes. Here on 7/4/20 and sat inside. They adhered to social distancing when seating inside

    View All 6 Questions

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    3.8
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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 Spotted Duck

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    Very nice meal. Nothing bad to say. Wine as great, food was good, service was good. If I had to…read morechange one thing it would be the lighting, it was very bright in here for dinner, felt like a lunch spot. We ordered the duck confit fries and the octopus, both were very nice. For entrées we shared the scallops and the braised lamb shoulder. Both were cooked perfectly. The best thing I ate here were the Brussels sprouts as a side and it was perfect. I don't know if I'd come back, but I had a nice time and the service was speedy.

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    Beach House Restaurant + Bar @ Lovers Point

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    3.7
    (1.1k reviews)
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    First time eating here and all 4 were f us really enjoyed our meals. I ordered the ranch steak…read moresubstituted fries with mashed potatoes. All 4 of us voted my plate was the best. We would definitely come back. Also, I highly recommend trying the fire cracker shrimp appetizer. Nice view! My only suggestion is the waitress could have been more attentive but it was pretty busy so I wouldn't mark the rating down for that. She was nice and smiled just could be a little more attentive is all.

    We went here because it was convenient, right next to the beach and Stillwell Pool…read more They have a kids menu with a bunch of options. My daughter had the marinara pasta with Parmesan and she loved it, finished every bite. It's a good portion too, and it was only $9! In fact, she liked it so much we had to come back our second night so she could have it again. To me, the highlight was the warm bread. It's served with softened butter, and coming in from the chilly outdoors to it was heavenly. I also had their Beach House salad--the candied pecans and the tangy sweet vinaigrette were very good. The second night I tried their Filet Mignon Beef Stroganoff, and it was way too rich for me. I barely ate many and it unsettled my stomach. Should have just stuck with the salad again! Service inconsistent. First night our server was an older woman with a ponytail, didn't see her name. She was super unfriendly. Felt like we were inconveniencing her every time I asked her something. Second night our server was a Latino man, and he was fantastic. So friendly and helpful.

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    Fire & Ice Wedge: 
wedge of iceberg lettuce, applewood smoked bacon, grape tomatoes, bleu cheese dressing, FireCracker shrimp
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    Red House Cafe

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    Recently traveled back to Pacific Grove and ate at Red House Cafe twice......back to back days…read more Service and Staff: - All staff members were kind and accommodating - Our server from the first day recognized us the second day and even said he'll see us the next day (haha) Food and Drinks: - Bloody Mary: tasty and refreshing - Lemonade: fresh, refreshing, homemade, tart. And a free refill! - Smoked salmon Benedict: I love how they make this on a croissant instead of an English muffin. This was delicious. With the side of potatoes, I was able to share this with another person - Crab cake Benedict: someone in my group got this both days because it was good - Chilaquiles: this dish was one of the specials. While flavorful, it was quite spicy and a bit overwhelming to have that spice and flavor for the whole dish - Chorizo and eggs: always a classic. Delicious, filling, and comes with a choice of corn or flour tortillas Miscellaneous: - Indoor and outdoor seating available - Stairs leading up to the indoor seating - Unisex bathroom - Good for small groups up to about 6 - Casual and average volume for how loud it is - They also have a case of pies and cakes!

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    Photos
    Cute washroom, wish it could be kept clean (not by one of the servers or any kitchen workers for sure lol) throughout the day.
    Cute washroom, wish it could be kept clean (not by one of the servers or any kitchen workers for sure lol) throughout the day.
    Classic country breakfast
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    Vivolo's Chowder House - seafood - Updated July 2026

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