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The Sardine Factory Monterey Tripadvisor Reviews
Latest Reviews On Tripadvisor
29 Reviews
0 Replys |
Miserable service, weak food quality
Pretty miserable from start to finish. I had read the reviews, felt positive. My bartender at our nearby resort told me it’d been “hit or miss there lately.” I was feeling lucky. Silly me. From the moment we walked into this place, we felt like we were bothering the bartender, our server, Kris. He approached us, face masked and totally covered with sweat, mumbling through his polyester shield after getting berated by another customer at the bar regarding his food / service. We ordered wine. Took 10 minutes. Fine. We ordered a $40 crab & cheese appetizer and half bottle of wine- $110 order right there- for starters. Crab dip came out with 3 crostini (the dish needs about 10 realistically to eat it- and for $40, it should come with at least that much. Flavor was overly salty, bland. We mentioned to Kris we could use more bread, then that we would like more wine - because he kept it out of our reach behind bar - and he acted like we were bothering him each time we tried to speak to him. When we told him - at 8pm- that we’d plan on ordering multiple items and wines - he Immediately looked at his watch as though he preferred we just order food elsewhere (they close at 9:30pm.) So we did. The food was mediocre at best. But the bartender pushed us over the line of staying or leaving. He could’ve made our experience better or worse. He failed, because he made it clear he really didn’t give a s—-… and he clearly isn’t trained or managed by the owners to pretend he does. That is why we gave the place 1 star. The ambience was very old school and had a great potential vibe. The live piano player / singer was great. But weak food and dismal service and attitude killed this evening for us here.
Be the first to ReplyNot worth a date night
Let’s start this off with the staff, the staff were amazing! Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. That is probably the only good thing I have to say about it. The food is overpriced, and lacks really anything that makes me want to go back. It was not bad, it was just okay.. and definitely not worth the price. I had a $45 dollar pasta that tasted like a $25 dollar pasta. The prosciutto salad was eh nothing special but yet priced as If it was going to be this amazing dish. There was another review that mentions tourist prices and I think that is a great way to describe it. Also the seating..horrible for a couple! We got taken back to the big room with the glass ceiling, very beautiful but very packed For no reason! We got sat between two tables of 4 people, I mean we were close! I could have reached over and grabbed some of their food..could have scooted over the 2 feet and just joined their party. It just makes no sense why the tables are that close together when there was plenty of smaller tables in the middle room. Overall, there is very few good things I could say about this place but the staff is very friendly, and the bread was delicious.
Be the first to ReplyFishy
I love these old school type restaurants! We made an unexpected trip through town and looked up reservations. None available at the Sardine Factory so we thought we’d try our luck at the bar. When we arrived we were delighted to find plenty of seats at the bar and pretty much an empty restaurant. I’m sure guests were seated in the other rooms but perplexed by how they manage their opentable. They seem to be doing well either way. The wine list is impressive and the mark up is at a “tourist town” high. The food was good, but this place is all about the ambiance. I’d go again just for the dramatic bon-bons!
Be the first to ReplyHighly recommend
We booked the Sardine Factory because we had seen it on one of Rick Stein’s TV shows. It didn’t disappoint! Great food and staff who were friendly and happy to tell us about the history of the place. The owner took the time to come out and meet us too. Well worth a visit.
Be the first to ReplyBucket list and didn’t disappoint
We had a wonderful experience at the Sardine Factory, Rick Stein is rarely wrong and got this place spot on. Starter were the Sardines of course and then mains of the fish of the day which was Sole and excellent. Wine advice great too, we had a wonderful experience, thanks and we will be back when we next visit from the UK
Be the first to ReplyAmbiance and Incredible Food - Seafood or Steaks
It is a dream to walk thru the doorway and into a piece of heaven. The bar off to the left is where we love to eat as it is cozy and comfortable and always great service. "Kris" was right there with everything we wanted and before we asked. I had the Lobster Ravioli that was like no other I have ever had. So moist, full of flavor and incredibly tender large chunks of Maine lobster.My wife had the Salmon that had a crispy coating but so moist and tender in the center, it melted in your mouth. Great conversation too with Kris. What a great evening.
Be the first to ReplyTop Notch Service
Everything you would expect for a restaurant of this caliber. The food did not blow me away by creativity but it was excellent quality. Staff was on point. Atrium was lovely on a summer evening. Oysters for an appetizer were fresh and perfectly dressed. Wine list is extensive and offers a lot for all price points and interests. Tried to amazing wines which were reasonable priced. I was a little disappointed by the lemon tart for dessert. It was good but I was hoping for decadent. All and all a lovely evening.
Be the first to Replyheads up on the happy hour
Make sure you stay on the happy hour items menu and don't foolishly ask "What do you recommend here" with the Happy Hour menu in hand As they will sneakily recommend items that are "here" but not on the Happy Hour menu and about 2x the cost. Thats a sly curveball. So heads up on that scheme. And no, its actually a poor inferior recommendation @ 2X the cost. This place is a total Tourist Trap that has been known in years past to try and compete with other businesses in Carmel / Pebble / Carmel Valley by making their offerings / service / setting actually rather nice. That is once upon a time. It was nice, once upon a time. As of now it is true to form a bit of a tourist trap.
Be the first to ReplyA Very Happy, Happy Hour
My husband and I went for Happy Hour on a Wednesday at 5:00 pm. We received a cordial greetings upon entering. There was lots of seating by the bar and lounge for HH. We selected a lovely table by the fireplace . (Yes, it was one of those cool and gray Monterey evenings.) The Margherita pizza was delicious and so big that we took half home. The meatballs were also delicious and the red sauce was outstanding. The house red wine was fantastic too. Our server, Laurence, was professional and friendly. The ambience is lovely too. I would definitely return.
Be the first to ReplyMost memorable evening
The most memorable evening in this beautiful restaurant. Sommelier and waiters were exceptional; food was incredible; surroundings beautiful. The children were well-catered for too. Thank you Sardine Factory!
Be the first to ReplyOverpriced for mediocre food
Old charm restaurant near Cannery Row. We didn't expect it to be a white table cloth kind of place, given the proximity to high tourist traffic. The service was good. The best dish was the escargot but for us, the bread overwhelmed the escargot in size. The sauce was really good but heavy. Another dish we liked was the sardines. It's canned but the flavor was good with all the toppings. Disappointments were the abalone medallion (couldn't tell it was abalone- too thin and breaded) and baked garlic prawns (very greasy and salty; chorizo overwhelmed the flavor). We had 4 appetizers and a salad with no drinks and the bill was $170!
Be the first to ReplyOver rated
For the price point, I was underwhelmed. We first were sat in a conservatory area that was inherently loud but well lit. A table near us had a little boy who was entertaining himself on a tablet (which does't bother me) except his parents allowed his device at a level that was bothersome to other guests. I asked to be moved. The service was excellent, but the food was pretty bland...I didn't eat 75% of it. That is a lot of money to not eat it, but it wasn't like I could take it home and doctor it up...I'm in a hotel.
Be the first to ReplyGreat Sardines and Tuna
I was amazed that this same restaurant ("Play Misty for Me " starring Clint Eastwood 1971 filmed several scenes at the Sardine Factory) was still there and looks pretty much the same! Staff was great. Food was amazing. First class.
Be the first to ReplyExtremely disappointing!!!
We visited from South Florida and this restaurant was recommended to us. We were seated in the Greenhouse room which was tired looking and lacked any type of atmosphere. The waiter was nice however, we did not see him for long stretches of time. I had to ask for another glass of wine after sitting with an empty glass for about 20 minutes. We were told they were out of prime rib (it was 6:30 PM…reading other reviews this is a common occurrence). I ordered the roasted chicken which had zero flavor. My husband’s dinner was “eh”. I do not recommend this restaurant. Blah food, even blah-er atmosphere and an expensive bill.
Be the first to ReplyThe one place you HAVE to dine at in Monterey!
We had the most incredible time at this restaurant. Our concierge at the hotel suggested we go there for dinner. When we walked up, we had NO IDEA what a fun, interesting, cool place we were about to dine in! When we walked up to the host stand, the bar and front dining was empty and we were slightly concerned and the host said, "It is deceiving!!" . Dave, the Sommelier, came up and greeted us and asked if would like a tour. Well....WOW is really all I can say. We walked into the most beautiful dining room that reminded us of the Homestead. Then he showed us the Observatory room which was beyond gorgeous and was replicated from NY's Tavern On The Green. Then Dave took us down about 5 flights of hand dug out stairs to the wine cellar. Down there were the tons and tons Honeycombs with $7,000 bottles of old, dusty, beyond cool to see wines. The lockers of many famous people to house their personal stash of alcohol when they dine here, and an incredible dining room with a table that could seat at least 20!! Our server, Jen, was truly lovely. She was the perfect combo of down-to-earth, funny, knowledgeable, sweet, and polite. Our meal was perfect and the time extraordinary. I am SO thankful we had this experience here and this will be the first place I tell anyone about when they come to Monterey!!
Be the first to ReplyLacked hospitality and service.
I am a local healthcare provider and received a 50% off coupon from the sardine factory to have dinner there. My elderly neighbor and I had planned on this outing and I’m not sure why we got the treatment we did. Upon arrival we approached the desk and asked for a table for two. They asked if we had reservations. We said no. I said I received an appreciation coupon for being a nurse and we’re here to celebrate. This was 5 PM right as the restaurant was opening. The restaurant was not busy. The person at the front desk waved to the lounge area and said sit anywhere. I asked if we could go to the back and they said oh no you sit up here. We were not escorted to a table just waved to the lounge area to seat ourselves. We chose the bistro table next to the fireplace. When I was an educator 34 years ago I remember this being a pretty place when we booked it for my eighth graders class graduation. We sat down and our waiter was not very attentive. We had to have the other waiter help us twice; once to state how my neighbor wanted her steak cooked, and another time to just ask for more water. She was not pleased by our inconveniencing her. The meal was OK but nothing spectacular. I had the filet mignon and my neighbor had the sirloin. The Three desert medley of cannoli, Tiramisu and spumoni was the highlight of the meal. After we finished eating I asked my friend if she’d like to tour the restaurant and see what the rest of it looked like. She agreed and we began to walk towards the back of the restaurant and was immediately tailed by a man named Stephen. As we approached the back of the restaurant it opened up into a beautiful glass atrium. There were many, many empty tables. I turned back and looked at Stephen and he said. “ We are expecting a large group.” I glared at Stephen and said , “yeah right, I can see that! “ I felt like he was a bouncer kicking us out of an exclusive club. This happened on Thursday, June 2, 2022 and it’s now Sunday, June 5 and I still feel sick to my stomach thinking about how we paid them over $100 to be treated like second class citizens. I live and work in this community and eat out in our nice restaurants once to twice a week. I was invited to come to this restaurant by the restaurant to be honored as a nurse and I got anything but honor. I felt completely dishonored. If not having a reservation was an issue they should’ve told me. If not having a reservation automatically sits you in the lounge at a tiny bistro table then put that information on the 50% off coupon you give it to us. If mentioning the coupon as you walk in puts you in a negative category then I suggest that my fellow healthcare workers not mention the coupon until they’re ready to pay the check. We didn’t even use the coupon because what what we wanted to eat was on a different menu.
Be the first to ReplyDinner
Very disappointed. $100 dish like fastfood quality. The waiter explain that is enough for 2 people, but it was no so big.
Be the first to ReplySo disappointed
We were in monterey for a short holiday and ate at this restaurant twice. The first visit we were seated in the bar area which was very busy and had an excellent live musician. So whilst noisy it had a good atmosphere. Food was good and we had a super helpful waitress (Jennifer?) Based on this we booked to return on our last night. Also we wanted to try their prime rib which is a special on Friday and Saturday. We made a point of this when we booked and a note was made on our reservation. What a different experience! We were in the greenhouse section, which is pretty but lacking in atmosphere. Service was patchy to say the least. Waiters seemed distracted although pleasant enough. Told us they were out of prime rib!! We were disappointed as it was one of the reasons we'd returned there. They then found just one portion of it. My husband had it and my son and I had fillet steak. Prime rib looked so so and my husband confirmed it tasted so so! Our steaks were decidedly average. We took the sommelier's advice for a (very expensive!) bottle of wine. As we were halfway through our meal a group of 3 people were seated at the next table, which was surprising as the restaurant had plenty of other tables available rather than seat them cheek by jowl with us. The tables were close together, no social distancing here! They were clearly regulars who were fawned on by the wait staff with various staff members, managers etc, coming out to chat to them whilst we were basically ignored and had to jump up and down to get attention whilst being made to feel rather inferior! We paid our very very high bill and sat for a little longer to finish our wine and were shocked to find a large amount of sediment in our glasses. A wine of that type and price point should have been decanted. By then the sommelier was long gone so we just had to leave it. No other staff was interested in us so we just left feeling rather sad. A very disappointing end to our vacation. I certainly couldn't recommend this restaurant, it's very expensive, food is average and not great service. Maybe they should have Jennifer train the other staff!
Be the first to ReplyAbsolutely
So good! Pricey but worth every penny. I had the surf and Turf and cheese had Prawns, calamari and scallops. Absolutely nothing to complain about. $147 sans tip but would pay it again:-)
Be the first to ReplyFood quality was disappointing.
The Sardines Factory is an interesting restaurant in Monterey, California. I would give 5 stars to Spencer (the manager), the ambient and service. Steve was so kind to show me the special dinning room in the basement and shared some of the interesting history of the restaurant. However, I am willing to give only 3 stars because of the food. The Escargot tasted fine but the bread base was a bit too much. The Center-Cut Wild Abalone Medallion was poor. It had no favor and the texture was poor. The favor of the Rack of USDA Prime Colorado Lamb was a bit too complicated for me. The mustard sauce on top was a bit heavy. I would enjoy a glass of wine in the bar but not for the food.
Be the first to ReplyAmazing atmosphere and food
Sardine Factory is amazing. There was a complimentary valet which was super nice. The drinks were great and the food was 10/10. The sorbet served on an ice swan was my favorite. Definitely recommend coming here when you're in Monterey.
Be the first to ReplyWonderful dinner
Had dinner the night before New Year’s Eve. They were busy, but the food was amazing and service was phenomenal. We really appreciated our server and the sommelier. Abalone appetizer was probably the best single dish of food I’ve had in forever! Thank you for having us, we can’t wait to come back.
Be the first to ReplyOne of the best recommendations we have ever had!
We were referred here by the man who checked us in at our hotel. At first we were worried he may have been embellishing but he may have been understating! What a breathtaking place! Our food was top notch, I could not have asked for a better steak. Amazing cocktails. I felt like a movie star!
Thank you Matthew!
Great experience
Beautiful restaurant with great food and excellent service. Our initial positive experience was in the beautiful round glass room. Unfortunately, a loud party of 10 were seated next to us and we lost our ability to talk to each other in normal tones. Luckily, the staff quickly found us a quiet space in an elegant room (probably too stuffy for the younger crown, but perfect for the grey haired set).
The rest of the experience was positive and we will definitely return and even drive from Santa Cruz, where we visit relatives often.
Good food
Had dinner here and food was very good. GF had the lamb chops and they were delicious and I had the Calamari Steak and excellent as well.
Nice interior. We were originally seated in the back in a crowded room, but I asked the maître d if we could move and he did so gladly so all remedied.
Tiramisu was great and our waitress was super nice. I would consider going here again for the lamb chops.