Great food with enormous portions(be prepared to take some home with you). I have never seen such an enormous wine list either. Great service although you may have to wait for the initial course if it's very busy. Would definitely recommend.
JaniceP
We had a large party of 11. Our server Jennifer seem to be annoyed with us. We expected our dining experience to be fun, lively, and pleasant. But instead, we experienced a server with an attitude. Overall, the servers attitude made our dining experience at the sardine factory, less enjoyable.
Nice ambiance, food and drinks were excellent. A little noisy in the conservatory dining room, though. That's probably because of some loud people talking across tables without regard for other diners. Our waiter, Antonio, was quite professional. The Sardine Factory has always been the place to go for excellence in dining. Highly recommended. It's obvious that the owners and employees take pride in their service.
Tessa Tripp
A++ All the way around !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Calamari Steak with Scallops and Prawns over Risotto
Excellent service, friendly staff and food was amazing. We sat in the atrium so it was a little noisy, but that is to be expected in an open area like that. Look forward to going again.
Date night! The Sardine Factory NEVER disappoints! Perfect food and amazing service. (Bonus points for the Prom couples having dinner around us!) This is always a go to for a special night out as we know we will have a fantastic time with great food!
Great service and ambiance in the Atrium. Was visiting with my girlfriend for the weekend and this was the highlight. We really enjoyed the Marina Seafood pasta ??????!!
EricL
Great restaurant and great food. If you want semi quiet do not sit in the atrium section. While beautiful area you won't be able to hear yourself think. Switched tables to back inside the main restaurant and it was very pleasant.
bdaf
The Sardine Factory did not disappoint even though we asked for the Captains Room and we were told it was hosting a party that night. Mary and Teddy were able to seat us in a nice area between the bar and said room. Don our waiter was attentive and punctual. We have been coming here for 40 years so it would take a lot to disappoint. Keep up the good work!
William Henderson
We had the greatest experience dining at the Sardine Factory of Monterey on our 22nd wedding anniversary. We enjoyed mango sorbet, served on beautifully lit ice swans, before our main courses, which simply added to our fantastic evening under the sky in the all glass Conservatory Room. Our waitress Marissa was happy, professional and knowledgeable. The sommelier Dave was so very kind and quite knowledgeable in wines and the Monterey region. We had a wonderful surprise visit from Sunjeev, who is an honored and award winning waiter that's been providing the greatest of service there for near 46 years now. Thank you Sardine Factory, owners and staff. You truly filled our evening with wonderful memories and opulence. Much love, Bill and Sara
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Freshly-Shucked Oysters on the Half Shell, Seafood, Medallions of Filet Mignon Périgourdine, Sardine Factory's Sorbet on Ice Swan
My time spent here was during COVID, so we had Donne In the parking lot in a tent. So this review is limited on scope, but for what it was at the time, it all was amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Miller Oberlin
You couldn’t ask for a more iconic symbol of old school Monterey. But, oh how the times have changed. Gloriously used as a location in the directorial debut of Clint Eastwoods film Play Misty for Me. Its exterior is quite picturesque. Then once you walk through the door you realize that somewhere along the line a few architects must have gotten into a bar brawl over whether it should be an old lodge, a French chateau styled dining room or a bad take on a western version of Tavern on the Green. The food was mediocre at best with prices fit for a Michelin rated restaurant. What would one expect in a touristy place like Monterey? For those prices, I would at the bare minimum expect to walk out of the place, pleasantly full… Not the case. I wasn’t willing to order any of the steak off the menu as it was so incredibly overpriced, 8oz Filet for $69? How about the ribeye at $73? Ridiculous, even for most steak houses. We went “cheap”and ordered the Castroville angel hair pasta at $34 and the Zinfandel braised short rib and pappardelle pasta at $48. The pasta for both dishes was overcooked and falling apart. The Castroville had next to no flavor, as in not even salted. The short rib was poorly cooked and only the exterior was fall apart, with the remainder being tough. Our daughter’s sliders were well done hockey pucks, however the shoe string fries were excellent. The only stand out aside from the fries was the $14 cup of chowder, great flavor and good ingredients. I have no issue paying a large sum for a meal, but I do expect the prices to be commensurate with the quality of food. The food is fit for Disneyland vendor stalls. What makes it even more confounding is that the service is totally excellent. Very friendly staff and quick to take care of everything. Sadly Monterey is as much a tourist trap as any main drag in a resort town; shops that say nothing of or about the local people, culture or history. I wish I could write a great review for this old school, used to be locals favorite Monterey icon, but I can’t.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 5
Tracy Evatt
Still good after all these years, been going there since 1981.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Classic Caesar Salad, Seafood
Wonderful, as always. Love the ambiance and the service is top notch. Brandon and Ignacio made sure we had everything we needed and paced our meal perfectly. First time to try the Seafood Pasta Marina. Jam packed with seafood and the sauce was so good, I wanted to turn up the bowl and drink it!
Leonard Hinzo
Extraordinary wine list! It's definitely a wine connoisseurs restaurant. The food was exquisite. We took several of the servers' suggested items, and the sommeliers recommend sparkling and still wine. Seared Ahi in a special Japonese sauce served over udon noodles was delicious. The Sand Dab special fish was lightly breaded and perfectly cooked. The prime rib was served with julienne steamed carrots and aspergus as well as the traditional whipped potatoes. Fresh horseradish sauce complemented the dish completely. We started with a baked brie with honey and berries. It went perfectly with the Rose Champagne. We wrapped up the evening at the bar listening to classic soft rock songs played very well by a pianist. I can't wait to return.
Great food with enormous portions(be prepared to take some home with you). I have never seen such an enormous wine list either. Great service although you may have to wait for the initial course if it's very busy. Would definitely recommend.
We had a large party of 11. Our server Jennifer seem to be annoyed with us. We expected our dining experience to be fun, lively, and pleasant. But instead, we experienced a server with an attitude. Overall, the servers attitude made our dining experience at the sardine factory, less enjoyable.
Nice ambiance, food and drinks were excellent. A little noisy in the conservatory dining room, though. That's probably because of some loud people talking across tables without regard for other diners. Our waiter, Antonio, was quite professional. The Sardine Factory has always been the place to go for excellence in dining. Highly recommended. It's obvious that the owners and employees take pride in their service.
A++ All the way around !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Calamari Steak with Scallops and Prawns over Risotto
Excellent service, friendly staff and food was amazing. We sat in the atrium so it was a little noisy, but that is to be expected in an open area like that. Look forward to going again.
Date night! The Sardine Factory NEVER disappoints! Perfect food and amazing service. (Bonus points for the Prom couples having dinner around us!) This is always a go to for a special night out as we know we will have a fantastic time with great food!
Great service and ambiance in the Atrium. Was visiting with my girlfriend for the weekend and this was the highlight. We really enjoyed the Marina Seafood pasta ??????!!
Great restaurant and great food. If you want semi quiet do not sit in the atrium section. While beautiful area you won't be able to hear yourself think. Switched tables to back inside the main restaurant and it was very pleasant.
The Sardine Factory did not disappoint even though we asked for the Captains Room and we were told it was hosting a party that night. Mary and Teddy were able to seat us in a nice area between the bar and said room. Don our waiter was attentive and punctual. We have been coming here for 40 years so it would take a lot to disappoint. Keep up the good work!
We had the greatest experience dining at the Sardine Factory of Monterey on our 22nd wedding anniversary. We enjoyed mango sorbet, served on beautifully lit ice swans, before our main courses, which simply added to our fantastic evening under the sky in the all glass Conservatory Room. Our waitress Marissa was happy, professional and knowledgeable. The sommelier Dave was so very kind and quite knowledgeable in wines and the Monterey region. We had a wonderful surprise visit from Sunjeev, who is an honored and award winning waiter that's been providing the greatest of service there for near 46 years now. Thank you Sardine Factory, owners and staff. You truly filled our evening with wonderful memories and opulence. Much love, Bill and Sara
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Freshly-Shucked Oysters on the Half Shell, Seafood, Medallions of Filet Mignon Périgourdine, Sardine Factory's Sorbet on Ice Swan
Restaurantji Recommends
My time spent here was during COVID, so we had Donne In the parking lot in a tent. So this review is limited on scope, but for what it was at the time, it all was amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
You couldn’t ask for a more iconic symbol of old school Monterey. But, oh how the times have changed. Gloriously used as a location in the directorial debut of Clint Eastwoods film Play Misty for Me. Its exterior is quite picturesque. Then once you walk through the door you realize that somewhere along the line a few architects must have gotten into a bar brawl over whether it should be an old lodge, a French chateau styled dining room or a bad take on a western version of Tavern on the Green. The food was mediocre at best with prices fit for a Michelin rated restaurant. What would one expect in a touristy place like Monterey? For those prices, I would at the bare minimum expect to walk out of the place, pleasantly full… Not the case. I wasn’t willing to order any of the steak off the menu as it was so incredibly overpriced, 8oz Filet for $69? How about the ribeye at $73? Ridiculous, even for most steak houses. We went “cheap”and ordered the Castroville angel hair pasta at $34 and the Zinfandel braised short rib and pappardelle pasta at $48. The pasta for both dishes was overcooked and falling apart. The Castroville had next to no flavor, as in not even salted. The short rib was poorly cooked and only the exterior was fall apart, with the remainder being tough. Our daughter’s sliders were well done hockey pucks, however the shoe string fries were excellent. The only stand out aside from the fries was the $14 cup of chowder, great flavor and good ingredients. I have no issue paying a large sum for a meal, but I do expect the prices to be commensurate with the quality of food. The food is fit for Disneyland vendor stalls. What makes it even more confounding is that the service is totally excellent. Very friendly staff and quick to take care of everything. Sadly Monterey is as much a tourist trap as any main drag in a resort town; shops that say nothing of or about the local people, culture or history. I wish I could write a great review for this old school, used to be locals favorite Monterey icon, but I can’t.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 5
Still good after all these years, been going there since 1981.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Classic Caesar Salad, Seafood
Wonderful, as always. Love the ambiance and the service is top notch. Brandon and Ignacio made sure we had everything we needed and paced our meal perfectly. First time to try the Seafood Pasta Marina. Jam packed with seafood and the sauce was so good, I wanted to turn up the bowl and drink it!
Extraordinary wine list! It's definitely a wine connoisseurs restaurant. The food was exquisite. We took several of the servers' suggested items, and the sommeliers recommend sparkling and still wine. Seared Ahi in a special Japonese sauce served over udon noodles was delicious. The Sand Dab special fish was lightly breaded and perfectly cooked. The prime rib was served with julienne steamed carrots and aspergus as well as the traditional whipped potatoes. Fresh horseradish sauce complemented the dish completely. We started with a baked brie with honey and berries. It went perfectly with the Rose Champagne. We wrapped up the evening at the bar listening to classic soft rock songs played very well by a pianist. I can't wait to return.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5