I dined there August 2021 and had an all around horrible experience there. I was really excited to try the place based on reviews and atmosphere. It was an hour+ wait, server didn't care about experience at all and his first words were if we are ready to order, became exasperated and threw his hands in the air when we asked him a question about the menu, left our table while we were talking to him mid sentence, brought us the wrong order (probably because he was so exasperated with us for some reason off the bat and didn't take our actual order), brought all our food out at once, didn't check in, we couldn't get our bill, etc.. We were really shocked. I know sometimes flukes happen, so I reached out to management privately to let them know of our experience. They did not respond. I reached out again, no response. I can see Lalla works to sponsor and pay for reviews on many different platforms, but privately they won't address real customer issues? This is really disappointing...
Jane M
Unfortunately, Cannery Row has become like many other towns with terrible shops and terrible chain restaurants so we had to look a bit and found Lalla's and it was wonderful. They have a great view of the beach/bay and the food is lovely! We were even entertained by a sea lion who was enjoying him/herself in the water right out front while we ate. I had good fish tacos and the others had great sandwiches and a salad (it was lunchtime). Definitely worth a visit, particularly as a great option on an otherwise uninspiring area foodwise.
Robert N
My wife and I were looking for a light dinner at a restaurant with a view of the bay. We selected Lalla Oceanside Grill based on the menu and were not disappointed. Service was great. We were seated at the last window table. We chose crab cakes, clam soup, and salad for dinner. The clam chowder was very tasty and filled with large pieces of clam and vegetables. Crab cakes were cooked perfectly, not greasy and very well seasoned. I opted for the Beet and Pear salad and everything in the salad was fresh. My wife tried the Unsalad (salad without the greens) and enjoyed the variety of vegetables and fruit. We would definitely return to this restaurant.
kindtraveler2016
First, the water views are to die for! The menu had so many yummy sounding combinations that we couldn’t decide what to order. The waitstaff were exceedingly kind and bragged about all of the goods including the freshly baked on site bread. We thoroughly enjoyed the Large Coconut Shrimp with two delicious sauces. The fish Tacos were excellent with 5 possible toppings. For dessert we devoured the Raspberry Cheesecake with Oreo Crust. The cheesecake was light, flavorful and seemed to be homemade with care rather than being mass produced. We had a delightful meal and would absolutely return!
B1154NOnathanb
High quality food, cool vibe, great service. What more can you ask for… highly recommend the lobster nachos, they are legit.
Vince Martel
Great service, terrific cocktails and good sparkling wine! Staff were friendly, attentive and QUICK, considering how crowded it was. If you come here, try the Grateful Dead cocktail!
Angela C
The food was excellent as were the cocktails. Highly recommend the crab cakes. We also had the cheesy bread which was good. All 5 of us were happy with the entrees and the sweet potato fries side dish were some of the best we have tasted. So why not 5 stars? The service! While cheerful and polite, the pacing of the food was off. As an example our appetizers arrived and we had to wait for small plates. No sooner had we started on those, our entrees arrived and we were shuffling plates around to make everything fit. For a restaurant of this caliber, that was not acceptable. Getting our waiter's attention was also difficult. However, still would recommend it because of the food and those views.
xtremernmom
Our granddaughters were with us and typically are picky eaters. Not at this place. They ate everything they ordered from the cheese flatbread to chicken tenders. When we walked past the restaurant the next day, they wanted to go back. Service from Ceasar was great! Would definitely make this our go to place when visiting Monterey in teh future.
Raediant36
Wandered into this spot along the waterfront for a bite to eat. We arrived late afternoon. Service was a tad bit slow but man we didn't care when the lobster nachos arrived!!! We are lobster fanatics and these were simply the best thing we'd eaten in Monterey! We went back for dinner one evening and the place was packed. Sat at the bar. Service again was a tad slow but our food was very good...just nothing can compare to those nachos. You have to try them if you are here!!
Ann S
My husband had the squid and octopus appetizer which was sautéed, not breaded and it was excellent. Our entrees were great as well.
Decided to eat here while in the area. Had a long wait time even though it didn’t seem that busy. We were seated and then waited another long time before anyone acknowledged us. Our server wasn’t supposed to be our server but apologies were made and she did a good job after that. Sounded like they have issues with help or training new workers? The food was decent. The garlic bread was delicious. We were by the window so makes a nice view. It was an okay meal. Would probably try something else next time but would recommend to others to try it out bc it might’ve just been an off night. There’s potential.
casey k
Lots of choices, the salads are fabulous, appetizers sooo yummy! Neat drink selections. Beautiful view! LOVE this restaurant
Ashley Glauser
I've been coming to Monterey for years have never been able to find this place! Feelings its not a real bar so disappointing ? ?
NathanRWise
On this visit to Lalla we stopped in for a drink and the server recommended a delicious Guavatini shooter! Yummy! The views from Lalla's are fantastic as well. They have an amazing selection of drinks at the bar and they staff is very friendly and helpful. I have eaten here in the past and the food was great. I have not had to wait since I was okay with not sitting at the windows since you can enjoy the view from pretty much everywhere in the restaurant.
lauriegU8388FF
Appetizers Steak bites and nachos were excellent. Outside table by the firepit was a great space to people watch. Signature drinks were crafty and delicious.
I dined there August 2021 and had an all around horrible experience there. I was really excited to try the place based on reviews and atmosphere. It was an hour+ wait, server didn't care about experience at all and his first words were if we are ready to order, became exasperated and threw his hands in the air when we asked him a question about the menu, left our table while we were talking to him mid sentence, brought us the wrong order (probably because he was so exasperated with us for some reason off the bat and didn't take our actual order), brought all our food out at once, didn't check in, we couldn't get our bill, etc.. We were really shocked. I know sometimes flukes happen, so I reached out to management privately to let them know of our experience. They did not respond. I reached out again, no response. I can see Lalla works to sponsor and pay for reviews on many different platforms, but privately they won't address real customer issues? This is really disappointing...
Unfortunately, Cannery Row has become like many other towns with terrible shops and terrible chain restaurants so we had to look a bit and found Lalla's and it was wonderful. They have a great view of the beach/bay and the food is lovely! We were even entertained by a sea lion who was enjoying him/herself in the water right out front while we ate. I had good fish tacos and the others had great sandwiches and a salad (it was lunchtime). Definitely worth a visit, particularly as a great option on an otherwise uninspiring area foodwise.
My wife and I were looking for a light dinner at a restaurant with a view of the bay. We selected Lalla Oceanside Grill based on the menu and were not disappointed. Service was great. We were seated at the last window table. We chose crab cakes, clam soup, and salad for dinner. The clam chowder was very tasty and filled with large pieces of clam and vegetables. Crab cakes were cooked perfectly, not greasy and very well seasoned. I opted for the Beet and Pear salad and everything in the salad was fresh. My wife tried the Unsalad (salad without the greens) and enjoyed the variety of vegetables and fruit. We would definitely return to this restaurant.
First, the water views are to die for! The menu had so many yummy sounding combinations that we couldn’t decide what to order. The waitstaff were exceedingly kind and bragged about all of the goods including the freshly baked on site bread. We thoroughly enjoyed the Large Coconut Shrimp with two delicious sauces. The fish Tacos were excellent with 5 possible toppings. For dessert we devoured the Raspberry Cheesecake with Oreo Crust. The cheesecake was light, flavorful and seemed to be homemade with care rather than being mass produced. We had a delightful meal and would absolutely return!
High quality food, cool vibe, great service. What more can you ask for… highly recommend the lobster nachos, they are legit.
Great service, terrific cocktails and good sparkling wine! Staff were friendly, attentive and QUICK, considering how crowded it was. If you come here, try the Grateful Dead cocktail!
The food was excellent as were the cocktails. Highly recommend the crab cakes. We also had the cheesy bread which was good. All 5 of us were happy with the entrees and the sweet potato fries side dish were some of the best we have tasted. So why not 5 stars? The service! While cheerful and polite, the pacing of the food was off. As an example our appetizers arrived and we had to wait for small plates. No sooner had we started on those, our entrees arrived and we were shuffling plates around to make everything fit. For a restaurant of this caliber, that was not acceptable. Getting our waiter's attention was also difficult. However, still would recommend it because of the food and those views.
Our granddaughters were with us and typically are picky eaters. Not at this place. They ate everything they ordered from the cheese flatbread to chicken tenders. When we walked past the restaurant the next day, they wanted to go back. Service from Ceasar was great! Would definitely make this our go to place when visiting Monterey in teh future.
Wandered into this spot along the waterfront for a bite to eat. We arrived late afternoon. Service was a tad bit slow but man we didn't care when the lobster nachos arrived!!! We are lobster fanatics and these were simply the best thing we'd eaten in Monterey! We went back for dinner one evening and the place was packed. Sat at the bar. Service again was a tad slow but our food was very good...just nothing can compare to those nachos. You have to try them if you are here!!
My husband had the squid and octopus appetizer which was sautéed, not breaded and it was excellent. Our entrees were great as well.
Restaurantji Recommends
Decided to eat here while in the area. Had a long wait time even though it didn’t seem that busy. We were seated and then waited another long time before anyone acknowledged us. Our server wasn’t supposed to be our server but apologies were made and she did a good job after that. Sounded like they have issues with help or training new workers? The food was decent. The garlic bread was delicious. We were by the window so makes a nice view. It was an okay meal. Would probably try something else next time but would recommend to others to try it out bc it might’ve just been an off night. There’s potential.
Lots of choices, the salads are fabulous, appetizers sooo yummy! Neat drink selections. Beautiful view! LOVE this restaurant
I've been coming to Monterey for years have never been able to find this place! Feelings its not a real bar so disappointing ? ?
On this visit to Lalla we stopped in for a drink and the server recommended a delicious Guavatini shooter! Yummy! The views from Lalla's are fantastic as well. They have an amazing selection of drinks at the bar and they staff is very friendly and helpful. I have eaten here in the past and the food was great. I have not had to wait since I was okay with not sitting at the windows since you can enjoy the view from pretty much everywhere in the restaurant.
Appetizers Steak bites and nachos were excellent. Outside table by the firepit was a great space to people watch. Signature drinks were crafty and delicious.