The Sardine Factory

We came here to celebrate a birthday during our vacation. It was exactly what we were looking for. The food was fantastic, and the ambience is excellent. The restaurant has a lot of history. Don’t let the outside fool you. This place is very nice inside! Our party especially enjoyed the steak, salmon, and crème brûlée! The service was also very good.

We recently spent several nights on Cannery Row and this was one of the highlights of our visit.
We had made reservations but arrived a little early. This was no problem for the staff and they immediately seated us in the Captains Room right in front of the fire place. Apparently they have several different dining rooms. We loved the Captain’s Room.
We were the only people in this room for the entire meal. Boy did we feel spoiled!
The waiter was excellent and checked in with us periodically to make sure everything was okay.
The food was incredible.
Next time we’re in Monterey we’ll be sure to visit this place again.

Quite surprised with the place, first time here and def returning. The 1.5 lb lobster, abalone soup and house salads are bomb. Get the boat platter and add clam chowder, it will knock your socks off!

Since we were in Monterey for my friends birthday, we were looking for a good place to have dinner and were recommended this place. It was a really great experience but a little on the pricey side. I had the bisque (apparently it was served in a presidents inauguration) and it was delicious. I also got an appetizer which had cheese filled pasta and lobster. Food was a little salty so I was super thirsty afterwards. Other than that, it was a lovely experience. Ambiance and lighting were very romantic and they played live music too. :) it’s definitely a place to check out if you’re visiting Monterey!

We made reservations for this fine dining and when we arrived 5 minutes early to check in we were promptly seated. We didn’t know what to expect other than reading other people’s reviews on Unilocal.However, our wonderful waitress, Laksana, recommended some of her personal favorites without leaving out any descriptions! She was so attentive, professional, and polite. The service was amazing as well as the food! You will not be disappointed visiting this establishment. Make sure you ask to be seated in Laksana’s section!

Nice ambience but mediocre yet expensive seafood. There’s parking adjacent to the restaurant. I would only go for the cheese bread and desserts with dry ice. The salmon was undercooked while the abalone medallion was so rubbery and tough that it tasted like dry chicken. Quite a disappointing meal.

I wanted to experience this Monterey institution during a recent visit, and really didn’t know what to expect. My significant other and I came after the Aquarium closed for a 7:30 pm dinner and were seated immediately in a Victorian themed room with a fireplace; there were many tables still open throughout the restaurant. We noticed how dated the restaurant is, but hoped it wouldn’t pervade the food too much.
However, our meal definitely fell short of our expectations and left us wondering how they get such good reviews. To start we had bowls of the abalone bisque and clam chowder. The clam chowder was fairly tasty and rich, but the abalone bisque was plain salty and tasted like bacon and uncooked wine without any abalone flavor. It was so unpalatable I actually had to send it back, which I rarely do; they offered me a replacement and I chose the clam chowder instead. For entrees, he had the lobster pasta that was presented beautifully, but had an off-​putting vanilla taste to the noodles. I had the scallops on risotto that were grilled perfectly, but the risotto was watery and too salty. To finish, we decided on vanilla ice cream bonbons dipped in chocolate and presented on a bed of dry ice. The wow factor was there but the overall dessert was pretty unremarkable and seemed a little cheap and gimmicky.
On the plus side, service was impeccable and polite! The hostess’s and the waiters’ mannerisms hearken back to the days this place probably first opened — definitely refreshing nowadays. My water was always refilled and we were appropriately attended to.
Value was pretty poor at $ 120 for two — I did not feel the quality of food was justifiable. We snuck a peek at the famed conservatory room and wish we had requested to sit there as it really was gorgeous! On the way out we noticed they had a prix fixe menu. why didn’t anyone offer that to us?! There are a lot of other restaurants on Cannery Row I’d try before coming back, but if I did, it’d be to sit in the conservatory and eat a prix fixe meal.

We went to the Sardine Factory to celebrate a birthday. I ordered salmon and Dungeness crab. I know there hasn’t been any local Dungeness this season because of the domoic acid, so I asked if they were getting the crab from Oregon or Washington and the waiter said it was actually lump crab from the east coast. I was puzzled why this wasn’t made clear on the menu, or at least from the waiter after I ordered it. I decided I didn’t need to spend $ 46 for lump crab from the east coast (probably frozen, right?). I ordered the sandabs instead. The fish was good, but the veggies were this really weird gray, rubbery cauliflower. Nothing was even warm except the fish. $ 30! Also, we started out with the oysters Rockefeller, $ 16 for 3 of them. They were the worst oysters Rockefeller I’ve ever had! All I could taste were the bread crumbs. Never going there again and don’t think you should either.

The Sardine Factory
The Sardine Factory remains a cornerstone of regional cuisine, attracting wine aficionados, celebrities, foodies, and locals alike. Dress up for the occasion for any of the main dining rooms or go more casual in the lounge to enjoy the live entertainment and affordable, flexible menu. The Sardine Factory offers a variety of Prix Fixe menus that are offered throughout the year. (The Early Dinner Menu is $ 33 and Tuesday and Wednesday are lobster night after 5:00 pm)
They have the «Best Wine List in the World» award from Wine Spectator for 21 years running. $ 30 ~ $ 10,000. Giovanni Sercia sommelier (wine steward).
My favorites include «Hog Island» Oysters from Tomales Bay, Grilled Abalone Medallions with Ginger Scallion Sauce, marrow bones, and oysters Rockefeller. Oh my gosh, I am salivating.
I save room for the New York cheesecake.
Reservations are an absolute must weeks in advances. Of the four dining rooms my favorite is the garden (The Conservatory). Try this if you want to feel like royalty.
They have valet parking but due to popularity, it can slow down so try to avoid peak dinning hours. The place is on a hill and parking can otherwise be a trek.

Long, overdue review from last year’s Valentine’s Day date with my now fiancé…
I reserved a table for me and my girlfriend-​now fiancé via
weeks in advance after reading reviews and seeing amazing pictures of their Conservatory. After being seated in the Captain’s Room, I was actually a bit disappointed, secretly hoping to have been seated in the Conservatory and knowing how elegant and romantic it would’ve made the evening. At my request, our server kindly called over an older gentleman, Martin who I think was the restaurant manager. He saw us «dressed to the nines» and we informed him we were celebrating an annivesary too. He personally escorted us to the Conservatory and seated us at the same table he and his wife traditionally dine at.
The food was amazing! We ordered from both the prix fixe menu and the regular dinner one. Their Love Struck Salad is so delicious, as is their filet mignon. We also wanted to try their Abalone Bisque and Crab cakes, which weren’t on the prix fixe menu. Sooo good! Really worth it, as both offer high degree of flavors. Best crab cake I’ve ever eaten! We also tried their crème brule, and that was sublime!
Ambience. Just take a look at some of their rooms and you’ll see how surreal this place is. It’s easy to have low expectations with a name like Sardine Factory, but don’t be fooled. And dining under the night sky inside the Conservatory really takes the cake!
Our service was superb. While Martin easily established the tone, Sunny our dinner server made our evening even more enjoyable. He was incredibly knowledgable about the menu and what was good. His recommendations were spot. I’d highly recommend this place to anyone. I’ve already made my reservation to return to this fine establishment next month for Valentine’s Day!

I was very impressed with our visit to the Sardine Factory. From the moment we walked in, the service was outstanding. We arrived a bit early for our reservation time and were seated immediately. Our table was in the glass conservatory portion of the building. It was a perfect location for the rainy, stormy night. The building has a few different dining areas, each with their own character. This really makes the restaurant unique and fun.
Laksana was our server. She was friendly, attentive and on-​point. This wasn’t just for us, I observed this for the other tables in our area.
I started with the clam chowder. For $ 10, I think it was a bit expensive. It was good, but didn’t blow me away. I would probably skip this next time. I then had the Caesar salad. I enjoyed this a lot. The dressing was rich, tangy and the romaine was crisp and cold. It was $ 12 and could be easily shared between 2 people. When the salad arrived, the fork was brought in a chilled bucket of ice. It may not be necessary, but I loved the old school service aspect of it.
I decided to make the lobster ravioli appetizer my entrée in conjunction with the parmesan truffle tater tots. The ravioli were cheesy, creamy and cooked well. There were chunks of lobster all on top that you mixed with the bites of ravioli. I really enjoyed it. The tater tots were perfectly crispy with truffle flavor and parmesan sprinkled on them.
The menu is large and they have some cool mid-​week specials. The service is outstanding. I highly recommend the Sardine Factory and will come back to try other items.

This place was amazing! lots of people on weekends, but totally worth the wait. Every thing was good about the place from drinks appetizers and entrées.

The Sardine Factory has been touted as one of Monterey’s best restaurants for years and has been around since the late 60’s. I remember the first time I dined here. We had out of town visitors, my parents were treating them to dinner and they let me choose the restaurant. Never mind that I was only about 10 years old and had no idea about prices or menu. Even at that tender age, I apparently wanted «the best». While my parents eventually got over the sticker shock of treating 4 visitors plus our family of 3 to a fine dining experience, it was awhile before I was allowed to choose the restaurant again.
On this last visit home, we choose to revisit The Sardine Factory on New Year’s Eve (first time in years). Not only did they have a reasonably priced Prix Fixe menu, but also offered an a la carte menu for those who preferred to not have 4 courses. Our group of 4 arrived about ½ hour early for our 6:30 reservation, but were able to be seated immediately. This restaurant still makes a grand first impression from the professional, friendly greeting upon entering to the décor of the different dining rooms. I had wanted to dine in the conservatory, but our table was in a smaller room with a large crackling fire. The room was beautiful and made me feel as if we were dining in a grand dining room from years past.
Upon being seated, we were presented with menus and the wine list. The wine list was extensive. I was pleased to see some of my local favorites on the menu. However, since mom insisted on treating and doesn’t enjoy wine, we decided on a glass. I will say the house red was a surprise in that it was a nice blend that paired well with our menu selection that evening.
My husband and I both decided to stick with the Prix Fixe menu while my mom and our friend decided to order a la carte. They ordered the 6 ounce filet which was served with béarnaise, crispy onions and bone marrow. Both ordered their steak more well done than I would, but both came out slightly undercooked. This was not enough to warrant sending the meal back, but since they both get a bit squeamish seeing pink or red in their meat, I felt bad even though they declared their meal delicious. They also ordered a side of Monterey Jack potatoes which I really enjoyed tasting. However our friend found them too cheesy.
The Prix Fixe meal consisted of soup, salad, choice of entrée from four selections and a dessert. We started with a wild prawn bisque with puff pastry. I enjoyed the soup, but would have liked a bit less salt and a few more bits of prawn. The Sardine Factory artisan salad was fresh and I loved the topping of the crispy root vegetables. The black truffle vinaigrette was simply oily with not a lot of vinaigrette at all.
For an entrée, I chose the filet mignon with demi-​glacé on Yukon potato hash served with pan seared foie gras, sautéed kale and port wine poached Bosc pear. While the pear was tasty, it was cold and somewhat hard when served. I didn’t feel that it complimented the beef. I was planning to share a bit of my foie gras with my husband, but I mistook it for a mushroom slice and popped the whole bit in too my mouth before realizing it was not a mushroom. My steak was a perfect medium rare with a warm red center. I loved the flavor of the beef with the demi-​glacé. I did not care for the potato hash which reminded me of a small square of overcooked hash brown.
My husband made the best choice in my opinion. The veal chop à la Périgourdine was simply divine. The sauce imparted a savory, earthy flavor to the perfectly cooked veal. This was served with duchess potatoes, sautéed Salinas Valley spinach and roasted cipollini onions. I had never had cipollini onions before, but you can bet I will have them again. Again the potato served with fell flat — my husband described the duchess potatoes as very bland.
I barely had room for dessert, but was looking forward to my cherries jubilee: rich vanilla bean ice cream, flamed warm black cherries, cinnamon, Kirshwasser and almond tuile. I found the dessert just ok, but absolutely loved the espresso drinks we ordered with dessert.
On this visit, service suffered a bit. We waited for probably ½ hour before even being asked whether we had questions about the menu. While we were not in a rush, it would have been nice to have a bit more attentive service. To be honest, our server seemed a bit distracted. My mom had to ask for her second cup of coffee several times before the busser finally brought her a pot. I’ll chalk this up to dining in on a one of the busiest holiday evenings of the year. I expect dining on any other night would result in stellar service.

We heard about the revamped menu and had to try it out. Everything we had was prepared very nicely. Beautiful fresh oysters, succulent escargot (served in a piece of toasted bread diagonally sliced; a bit odd, but made for a nice presentation) for appetizers. Then we had the diver scallops for one entrée and a combo plate (scallops, prawns, and calimari steak) for another entrée. Everything was presented beautifully, cooked perfectly, and nicely seasoned.
WIll be back to try more of the menu!

Come here to get away from the «typical tourist experience». I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical when I made the reservations. And I was still doubting my choice when the cab dropped us off outside. I have to admit, my worries quickly faded as I walked in and received a warm welcome by the M’aitre D. We arrived a bit early for our 7pm dinner reservation but it was not a problem; without hesitation, we were escorted to our table in the beautiful atrium room. Before I could sit down, the server who was there to greet us noticed I was wearing a black dress and quickly switched the white napkin from my place setting with a black napkin so I would not get the white linen lint on my dress. This definitely set the stage for the rest of our dinning experience.
For starters, we began the evening with two traditional cocktails: a dirty martini and a gin and tonic. Both were well executed and they came shortly before a basket filled with warm bread and a side of whipped butter, a dish of olives and another dish of a house spread which I believe was made with beans.
Our meal began with a cup of the BEST clam chowder I have ever had in California. We also had the wedge salad.
For entrees we enjoyed the Filet which was accompanied with bone marrow. The steak was cooked to perfection; melted in my mouth. It was the perfect pairing for the rich red wine we selected with our meal.
My dining companion ordered the lobster ravioli which at first did not look like much but turned out to be the perfect portion as it was rich and decadent.
The meal was topped off with a beautiful chocolate dessert and a dish of vanilla ice cream, however, this was anything but a vanilla experience… the ice cream was served inside a bowl that was surrounded by a SWAN ICE SCULPTURE!!! Wow! talk about the pièce de résistance!!!
From start to finish, it was a truly enjoyable and wonderful experience. Our server was attentive (without being overly obnoxious); in one word, impeccable. The pace of the meal was perfect. The food was delicious, the cocktails were solid and I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking to celebrate a special occasion or anyone who just wants to enjoy a beautiful meal. This was not what I expected to find in a town that attracts much of its business from tourism. It is the furthest thing from the tourist experience.

You HAVE to try their sardine appetizer! Lightly smoked, served with capers and chopped egg, it’s how a live one would taste if you grab it out of the aquarium’s sardine tank.
Live music and 80’s ambiance, great way to end a trip to Monterey!

There was a crumb on my plate, i noticed it when I was first seated at our table, I didn’t make a big deal about it. Remember, even in the nicest resturant the shrimp still probably comes in a 5 gallon bucket. Stressing out that my place setting isn’t clean is not a big deal, it was in fact just a crumb of something.
The host and the guy who seated us were nice but I felt that they were both slightly disingenuous in some ways. Being nice is one thing but being overly nice is so transparent. In reality though who knows, he could have was been having a bad day and had to fake nice so he wasn’t preoccupied be something tragic like his dog being run over.
The light jazz music playing calmly in the background was nice, it helped set a chill mood. The music with the low lightning was nice, it’s just to bad the room we were in was so cold.
After we were seated I was totally prepared to have a nice slow meal. That went absolutely to plan. Our actual waiter was great, super knowledgeable, didn’t rush and was genuinely an all around nice guy.
I had the salmon and King crab, it was delicious, the artichoke that came with it was awesome. We also got some calamari, it was also pretty good.
The beer selection is horrible. I think the crowd here is older. That could explain a few things. The price is a bit high for the food, I suppose you’re paying for the ambiance, the disingenuous greeting and a bit extra perhaps for clean dishes.

Came here for my birthday with my family during a short vacation in Monterey, and I could not have asked for a better birthday dinner. We reserved a table in the beautiful Conservatory Room and I had the ribeye medium rare. It was ridiculously good. Our server, Orlando, took care of us from beginning to end. This was the best meal we had in Monterey hands down.

Incredible food with even better service. Our server, Sunny (Sunjeev) was exceptional. He was friendly and knowledgeable, present but never hovering. He is what every server should aspire to be.
We started with calamari — fresh, crisp, and delicately seasoned. I had the braised short ribs and the hubby had the Friday night special prime rib. The short ribs were melt in my mouth tender with an intense beef flavor. The prime rib was succulent and perfectly prepared. All in all, The Sardine Factory provided an excellent dining experience.

My friends and I sought out The Sardine Factory to try Abalone for the first time. We had the Abalone appetizer. It was delicious. The way its cooked and seasoned was perfect. The Sardine Factory also wins major points for their gluten free pasta. I had the Scampi Rigatone. Solid dish. My friend had the Sole and it was excellent.
I can’t however give Sardine Factory 5 stars. Never have I been to an upscale restaurant where Hypnotiq is a mixer in a majority of the drinks. Why not just add processed candy sugar to the drinks instead? Having Hypnotiq instead of fresh squeezed fruits like Grapefruit was a bummer.

Fried Calamari — 4 stars
Abalone Bisque — 4 stars
Filet Mignon — 4 stars
Grilled Sand Dabs — 3 stars
Service — 5 stars