The service was great! Unfortunately, It felt like we ate at a chain restaurant for triple the price. The food was not anything special. There were flies all over too (indoors). Food not bad just not special. We also felt rushed. The food came out quickly. There was no wait and there were available tables after we paid the bill, however, the manager came over asking how everything was... usually a nice bonus when you are waiting for food or during a meal but not at the end where we felt like he wanted us to leave.
Holly
We stopped at The Fish Hopper on Cannery Row for an evening meal and enjoyed the ocean views and friendly service. My husband tried the clam chowder, which was creamy and flavorful, though not quite the “award-winning” standout the menu promised — still a solid bowl of chowder. I had the special, a macadamia-nut crusted halibut, and it was delicious — perfectly cooked, tender, and nicely balanced with the nutty crust and a tangy sauce. The presentation was beautiful, and the portions were generous. Overall, The Fish Hopper is a great spot if you're looking for fresh seafood with a view, though the chowder hype may be a touch overstated. Still, we left happy and would come back for the halibut (and that view!)
Millenia
Our server, I believe, was Hugo, he was AMAZING! That just made the fact that the food was delicious even better. My boyfriend and I got the seafood platter with steak and every single item on it was tasty.
Dana
5 Star dining by the sea! Emily was a wonderful waitress, as well as Juan. Thank you for the view we enjoyed from our window seat for Mom's 85th Birthday. She loved the chocolate cake and her Fish Bowl Punch! All our dinners were superb as well. We really appreciate all of you for a memorable evening!
Souhail H Mansour
The food was SO good. Really wonderful presentation as well. We had the clam chowder, shrimp scampi and seared ahi tuna and shrimp salad. All of it was delicious and the view of the water was so pretty. There’s a separate gluten free menu too which one of us used. Great service! Highly recommend
Ben
Great food and outstanding service. We live in Pacific Grove and Fish Hopper provide a “Local Menu “ for residents of Monterey and the Fish Hopper is one of our go-to restaurants.
Carrie
As a local, the views and food never disappoint. Always one of my favorite places to go to.
Gina C
Wonderful dinner with an amazing view of the water. We dined on surf and turf while watching otters play outside in the water. Our server was attentive and kind. Definitely a great spot for a special occasion or date night.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
ALeigah Cardoza
The food was great as well as the alcoholic beverages
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
BD Hodge
Never been to Monterey before, just looked for a restaurant with Google that was nearby. It's a really nice place, upscale, very good food. Best view that I could ever imagine we sat there and watched otters and sea lions go by. I would definitely go there again.
We shared the wedge salad and I had the sole and shrimp over truffle gnocchi, which was delicious. Cooked and plated to perfection. Service was excellent, the view gorgeous. Would highly recommend.
Colleen Nguyen
The food was absolutely delicious. We loved the clam chowder and the fish and chips. The views of the bay were also very attractive.
My issue lies with the level of aggression we were met with by front of house staff about our toddler. She’s three and generally very well behaved in restaurants unless she’s tired, which she wasn’t. I’ll be the first to admit when my child is being miserable and awful to be around, but today wasn’t it.
When we walked up, we stated we were interested in a table. The immediate reply was “park your stroller over in this direction and read these signs” which stated that if your child was being disruptive you either needed to leave the dining area until they calmed down or you would be asked to leave by staff. Ok, whatever, I read the sign. To an extent, I get why rules exist. We acknowledged the sign and we were allowed inside. Upon greeting the hostess, we were again instructed to read the same set of signs. I acknowledged that we had read them outside, but I was met with “we just ask that you read them again”. I’d like to point out that there was another family in front of us with a baby, I’ll guess roughly somewhere over 18 months and no one said anything to them about reading the signs.
We were seated, albeit followed by a few glares from staff behind the hostess desk, and my daughter was fine the entire time. Our wonderful waiter allowed her to place her own order and she felt so special because of him. But honestly, after the hostility we were met with about her being on her best behavior, we almost left. If we hadn’t been so hungry, we would’ve.
I’d understand it a little more if this was a fine-dining experience, but it isn’t. Just expensive seafood with a good view.
The service was speedy, the food was delicious, but paired with an unpleasant and inconsistent attitude towards families with kids. I’m torn on whether or not we’ll go back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Clam Chowder Bread Bowl of Soup
Darcey Beaucage
Very slow service but was good when they came by. Good food but very over priced... There are other less expensive options in town but the views were fantastic and likely what you are paying for.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
Casey McIntosh
Chelsea and Javier at the bar were very friendly and hands down provided the most amazing service. They also really went above and beyond for some of my special drink requests and also substitution of sides for one of our dinners. Also, if you are a local with local id the locals menu is great. A variety of entrees all for under 25 bucks that includes dessert and salad or soup.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salad
Nic Franz
This tries to sell itself as a high end dining experience but absolutely falls flat where it matters most, the food. It's all show and no substance.
When you first enter, they plaster accolades of supposedly being voted the best restaurant on the row, and dishes are mocked-up on a counter beside check in. The staff are dressed nicely and they are upfront that they are not family friendly, you will need to leave any stroller outside the restaurant unattended and they tell you they will ask you to leave if your kids are loud. Not unusual for certain types of restaurants, but typically they don't allow kids at all and food actually needs to be worth that compromise.
We had asked for outdoor seating and had to wait extra for that but was still given an indoor table. They will ask you if you want bread, but don't tell you it's not included before you have a chance to look through the menu and find that out for yourself. The food was presented nicely, across our two visits (I gave them the benefit of the doubt and tried them a second time) we had ordered blackened salmon, fish and chips, clam chowder, and steak (medium-rare). Astonishingly, everything was bland and so dry that I think a Denny's would have done better. There were no subtle flavors at play or stand out ingredients that were supposed to take lead, it was just disappointingly boring as could be; which may be a feat in itself for how well presented the food looked. For the price they are demanding this was unacceptable and I assume they just make their money off one time unsuspecting visits from tourists. The best thing we had was clam chowder and even that was plain, lacking flavor by coastal standards, more akin to cream soup than a chowder; every other bowl I've had in Monterey, Pismo and Morro Bay were miles better.
I'd recommend anything other than this place while in the area. If you have kids the Salty Seal is more casual, kid are welcome with no issue and has a great outdoor area. The food is also much better across the board although not as flashy if all you care about is getting a picture.
The service was great! Unfortunately, It felt like we ate at a chain restaurant for triple the price. The food was not anything special. There were flies all over too (indoors). Food not bad just not special. We also felt rushed. The food came out quickly. There was no wait and there were available tables after we paid the bill, however, the manager came over asking how everything was... usually a nice bonus when you are waiting for food or during a meal but not at the end where we felt like he wanted us to leave.
We stopped at The Fish Hopper on Cannery Row for an evening meal and enjoyed the ocean views and friendly service. My husband tried the clam chowder, which was creamy and flavorful, though not quite the “award-winning” standout the menu promised — still a solid bowl of chowder. I had the special, a macadamia-nut crusted halibut, and it was delicious — perfectly cooked, tender, and nicely balanced with the nutty crust and a tangy sauce. The presentation was beautiful, and the portions were generous. Overall, The Fish Hopper is a great spot if you're looking for fresh seafood with a view, though the chowder hype may be a touch overstated. Still, we left happy and would come back for the halibut (and that view!)
Our server, I believe, was Hugo, he was AMAZING! That just made the fact that the food was delicious even better. My boyfriend and I got the seafood platter with steak and every single item on it was tasty.
5 Star dining by the sea! Emily was a wonderful waitress, as well as Juan. Thank you for the view we enjoyed from our window seat for Mom's 85th Birthday. She loved the chocolate cake and her Fish Bowl Punch! All our dinners were superb as well. We really appreciate all of you for a memorable evening!
The food was SO good. Really wonderful presentation as well. We had the clam chowder, shrimp scampi and seared ahi tuna and shrimp salad. All of it was delicious and the view of the water was so pretty. There’s a separate gluten free menu too which one of us used. Great service! Highly recommend
Great food and outstanding service. We live in Pacific Grove and Fish Hopper provide a “Local Menu “ for residents of Monterey and the Fish Hopper is one of our go-to restaurants.
As a local, the views and food never disappoint. Always one of my favorite places to go to.
Wonderful dinner with an amazing view of the water. We dined on surf and turf while watching otters play outside in the water. Our server was attentive and kind. Definitely a great spot for a special occasion or date night.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was great as well as the alcoholic beverages
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Never been to Monterey before, just looked for a restaurant with Google that was nearby. It's a really nice place, upscale, very good food. Best view that I could ever imagine we sat there and watched otters and sea lions go by. I would definitely go there again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
We shared the wedge salad and I had the sole and shrimp over truffle gnocchi, which was delicious. Cooked and plated to perfection. Service was excellent, the view gorgeous. Would highly recommend.
The food was absolutely delicious. We loved the clam chowder and the fish and chips. The views of the bay were also very attractive.
My issue lies with the level of aggression we were met with by front of house staff about our toddler. She’s three and generally very well behaved in restaurants unless she’s tired, which she wasn’t. I’ll be the first to admit when my child is being miserable and awful to be around, but today wasn’t it.
When we walked up, we stated we were interested in a table. The immediate reply was “park your stroller over in this direction and read these signs” which stated that if your child was being disruptive you either needed to leave the dining area until they calmed down or you would be asked to leave by staff. Ok, whatever, I read the sign. To an extent, I get why rules exist. We acknowledged the sign and we were allowed inside. Upon greeting the hostess, we were again instructed to read the same set of signs. I acknowledged that we had read them outside, but I was met with “we just ask that you read them again”. I’d like to point out that there was another family in front of us with a baby, I’ll guess roughly somewhere over 18 months and no one said anything to them about reading the signs.
We were seated, albeit followed by a few glares from staff behind the hostess desk, and my daughter was fine the entire time. Our wonderful waiter allowed her to place her own order and she felt so special because of him. But honestly, after the hostility we were met with about her being on her best behavior, we almost left. If we hadn’t been so hungry, we would’ve.
I’d understand it a little more if this was a fine-dining experience, but it isn’t. Just expensive seafood with a good view.
The service was speedy, the food was delicious, but paired with an unpleasant and inconsistent attitude towards families with kids. I’m torn on whether or not we’ll go back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Clam Chowder Bread Bowl of Soup
Very slow service but was good when they came by. Good food but very over priced... There are other less expensive options in town but the views were fantastic and likely what you are paying for.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
Chelsea and Javier at the bar were very friendly and hands down provided the most amazing service. They also really went above and beyond for some of my special drink requests and also substitution of sides for one of our dinners. Also, if you are a local with local id the locals menu is great. A variety of entrees all for under 25 bucks that includes dessert and salad or soup.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salad
This tries to sell itself as a high end dining experience but absolutely falls flat where it matters most, the food. It's all show and no substance.
When you first enter, they plaster accolades of supposedly being voted the best restaurant on the row, and dishes are mocked-up on a counter beside check in. The staff are dressed nicely and they are upfront that they are not family friendly, you will need to leave any stroller outside the restaurant unattended and they tell you they will ask you to leave if your kids are loud. Not unusual for certain types of restaurants, but typically they don't allow kids at all and food actually needs to be worth that compromise.
We had asked for outdoor seating and had to wait extra for that but was still given an indoor table. They will ask you if you want bread, but don't tell you it's not included before you have a chance to look through the menu and find that out for yourself. The food was presented nicely, across our two visits (I gave them the benefit of the doubt and tried them a second time) we had ordered blackened salmon, fish and chips, clam chowder, and steak (medium-rare). Astonishingly, everything was bland and so dry that I think a Denny's would have done better. There were no subtle flavors at play or stand out ingredients that were supposed to take lead, it was just disappointingly boring as could be; which may be a feat in itself for how well presented the food looked. For the price they are demanding this was unacceptable and I assume they just make their money off one time unsuspecting visits from tourists. The best thing we had was clam chowder and even that was plain, lacking flavor by coastal standards, more akin to cream soup than a chowder; every other bowl I've had in Monterey, Pismo and Morro Bay were miles better.
I'd recommend anything other than this place while in the area. If you have kids the Salty Seal is more casual, kid are welcome with no issue and has a great outdoor area. The food is also much better across the board although not as flashy if all you care about is getting a picture.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
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