Paluca Trattoria

Stopped here for lunch after a whale watching trip. The best thing about it was the location, a nice table in the sun overlooking the harbor behind it. Fish and chips was just ok, fries were good. Husband had a couple of beers, I was driving, so stuck to iced tea.
It was just plain iced tea, nothing fancy or flavored, not bottled or anything. The glass my iced tea came in was full of ice, so I finished it in a few sips, and asked for a refill. The same glass was refilled. I was surprised to see two charges for iced tea on the bill. Honestly don’t think I’ve ever paid for that before, and it was only $8, but it just didn’t leave a good taste in my mouth.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 2

D
Won’t go back again.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 2

Service: 3

Great marina side venue.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Sicilian Meatballs

Love this place. Recently had a latte made by a super nice waiter with a legit Italian accent. In a glass coffee "mug" with biscotti on the side. Views are amazing. Atmosphere is nice.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Fantastic food!

Review is based on Service, not the food, due to misleading labels & unclear online times and information.

I went to grab us a nice Late Father's Day Dinner for my wife & I, thinking it was open & available for takeout due to what was online. Have in my mind we waited all day to go after the beach. We called, but nobody answered so we just went off the information given online. Come to find out when I get there at 4:30pm, the lady tells me it opens at 5:30pm, but online it said Open. When we come back for takeout at 5:30 after putting our baby to sleep, we were told it was by reservation only. Although Online It Says Takeout Available. We wish we would've known, but since it was not marked online and due to nobody answering the phone we waisted our time. Not Just Once, But Twice! And they were rude to my wife & she had to walk 2 blocks back to where we parked. What a tragedy... wish they were on top of their customer service because it really drives people away to want to try your guy's restaurant, with no disrespect. My wife and I are still looking for somewhere to eat & it's 6:14pm.

Keep Points:
- delicious food
- Accommodates young children
- Kids meals had generous portions
- Back Drop of HBO's "Big Little Lies"

We visited Paluca Trattoria for a nice lunch with friends and all of our kids during our last day in Monterey. We were looking for a spot on Old Fisherman's Wharf and were intrigued by the fact that this place served as the backdrop for Big Little Lies on HBO!

Our large party, full of fidgety kids who couldn't sit still was accommodated pretty well by the staff. I honestly felt they were exceptionally patient, opting to take orders for appetizers and kids' entrees first before returning again for the adults' orders.

The Mrs. and I were relatively full from our previous latte and breakfast so we opted to share an entree and a clam chowder. The Lobster Ravioli came in a beautiful orange-pink-ish sauce. So essentially a salmon color? It was creamy, rich, and delicious. While not necessarily the best ravioli we've ever had, it definitely hit the spot.

The table shared two plates of calamari. It was definitely better than the version we had at Sandbar the night before, and was fairly decent, but still lacked some degree of crispness.

The kids all had variations of linguini. Our Little One got the buttered version with meatballs, while the other kids had theirs with red marinara sauce. The portions were surprisingly large for a kids' meal. It actually reminded us of that episode of Peppa Pig when everyone ordered spaghetti at the fancy restaurant and it was the biggest dish at the table! The base price was $6, which was exceptional, but I did think the extra $8 for meatballs was a bit steep, but overall, evened out to $14 for the plate, which felt reasonable given the portion size.

We were too full to try dessert, but the view of the Wharf was absolutely stunning! All in all, a great experience and a wonderful place that can accommodate families.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Lobster Ravioli, Clam Chowder

Are we in Italy?

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 4

Food was absolutely delicious, huge variety of flavors.
Service was very helpful, kind and fairly quick for being as busy as they were. Had the option for outdoor or indoor seating which is always a plus. Sitting outside during sunset hours was very beautiful (beware of the sea lions sun bathing). Overall a great dinner experience and a will definitely be returning and recommending to others.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Such good food, and such a cute place. We came on a weeknight and it was almost dreary outside, but it was perfect! We saw so many seals in the water outside, it was amazing. Our pasta was perfect and so was dessert.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Tourists Trap save your money!! Pasta was terrible, lacked flavour. Clam chowder tasted like chunky Campbell soup.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 4

Excellent food and superb 5* service from Michael. This place has delicious food in a great location with option for indoor of outdoor seating..

Wheelchair accessibility: It was easily accessible to restaurant and restroom no hassle.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Fish

2nd time with the server Gabriela. It was as abysmal service as before. Support staff quite helpful as well as other server picking up her slack. For reference they had 20 guests between them.
Anyway, you might as well do a walk up window without the $$, as soon as have that server.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 4

Service: 1

It was a fantastic experience!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Clam Chowder, Calamari

The best food and amazing atmosphere! Feels more like a local place rather then typical tourist places around

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Bruschetta, Linguini Vongole