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Fishwife Seafood Restaurant At Asilomar Beach
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11 am - 9 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
155 reviews for Fishwife Seafood Restaurant At Asilomar Beach
Review Highlights
"The key lime pie was delicious and expertly presented."
(in 10 reviews)
"Creme Fraiche can't make stewed Black Beans high class."
(in 27 reviews)
"...night was the Hawaiian Fisherman's Bowl (Mahi Mahi with..."
(in 10 reviews)
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155 reviews in English
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Review from DUC P.
Saratoga, CA
1/1/2012
Went here last night for dinner. This is one of my local seafood favorites. not touristy, always crowded, has good and reasonably priced food. It is close to the Asilomar beach that i actually went jogging there then grab a bite at the restaurant.
The portofino pasta is very good, with assorted sea food including fish, octopus, small shrimp, scallops, baby clams, etc. around $16, the mariana sauce is tasty but a bit salty.
The Mazatlan bowl has excellent grilled larger shrimp, with black beans, vegetable, salsa.
The key lime pie is excellent and only $5. -
Review from astrid s.
West Covina, CA
12/27/2011
The good are five stars, it's just the bad was reallly bad. So therefore, the three stars. But I would come back and order something else in a heartbeat.
The good: local seabass with mushroom served with rice and steamed vegetables with passionfruit vinaigrette, the calamari appetizer (they serve THICK steaks of calamari, not those chintzy rings from small squids), and the creme brulee.
The bad: the filet of sole. It looked bad, like massacred when cooked. And most importantly, it was fishy. Bleh..
My hubby and I switch entrees halfway, and I was like.. gross! Hunny, are you gonna return it?
Being the peaceful soul, he says.. ahh.. it's ok.
I was like.. whatever, I got my seabass, I'm happy. Don't cry to me when you get sick.
But the service was good, the place was cute and busy and quaint. The patrons are older with money. They were well behaved and non-annoying.
I really enjoyed it. My hubby hated his filet of sole.. poor thing. -
Review from Christina D.
Orange, CA
Sea Scallops Cancun!! I rarely order seafood, however I decided to give the sea scallops a whirl and I was impressed.
I was afraid the scallops would be chewey but they were not. My scallops were nice and tender, grilled with achiote paste, served with cilantro aioli, wild rice and green beans- all for $20! What a bargain- fresh seafood and yummy!
The service was good, no room in my tummy for dessert- I ate all my scallops and if you know me, you know that means it was tasty! -
Review from Jim H.
Pebble Beach, CA
2/5/2012
They have the best calamari steaks anywhere!! Anyone of the types is a great choice. Service is also 1st rate. Make reservations, because they are always busy.
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Review from Ryan P.
Elk Grove, CA
11/23/2011
Whats better then being in Monterey, viewing the beautiful coastlines, sealife, crustaceans and more in the breeze? Doing all those things at a candle lit table in the Fishwife behind a steaming bowl of their house made clam chowder.
I miss working in Pebble Beach, and this restaurant is one reason for that. If only they had delievery to Sacramento! -
Review from Tenacious T.
Winchester Center, CT
12/9/2011
The food was soo good. Dishes have unique flavors, I had the salmon which was made with an avocado puree -- really delish. The calamari were large long pieces (practically miniature steaks) they were less about the crispy fried exterior and more about the actual meat. Also very delish.
What blew me away more than the excellent food was the good fortune we had in getting the server we did. We were seated adjacent to the bar and the gentleman whose primary job appeared to be bartender came over and waited on us (the receipt gave his name as "Richard"). I would have expected his primary competency to be in mixology but I may never have had as good of service anywhere as he provided us that night. I would think anyone in the service industry would kill for this guy. It was the 10,000 little things he did. He wasn't staring at us or watching us as we ate but out of the corner of his eye he saw me grab the lemon from my drink and apply it to the calamari. Instead of asking if we needed more lemon, he immediately stopped what he was doing, grabbed a handful of lemon, plated it and delivered it to us.
I ordered a local beer and before I finished it I ordered my second drink, deciding to try another type. Seeing me switch to something else, he was very concerned that I might not have liked my first drink. He was incredibly genuine and appeared willing to "make it right" -- I assured him it was excellent and I was just excited to sample other tastes.
He always had a smile or laugh. We also watched him interacting with the other servers (he took on the role of quizz-show host and they the contestants in an idle moment). They clearly appreciate his charm and charisma as well.
After wishing us a good night, when he saw us get up to leave he actually ran over and held the door for us. Wow... Even if the food wasn't as excellent as it is, I'd go back to be seated in his section again. If I ever open a restaurant I am going to beg this guy to come work for it. Well done sir. -
Review from Ace V.
San Francisco, CA
12/21/2011
Terrific place! George waited on us and provided great service. The food is excellent and it isn't over priced. We are sure to have at least one meal here every year we visit Pacific Grove.
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Review from Mandy K.
Petaluma, CA
10/9/2011
First found this place back in the late 80s... took my husband recently when we were in town to visit the Aquarium. The service was amazingly quick and attentive, and the food was very good. I'm glad we'd made reservations; at 6:30 on a Sat night, the wait for walk-ins was an hour.
We had the mussels appetizer, and I'd have been happy with just that and some bread for dipping in the amazing cream sauce... My husband had (and enjoyed) the Fisherman's bowl, and I had the calamari steak Provencal. Everything was fresh and tasty, and not too heavy or rich. We'd have liked to try the molten chocolate cake, but being stuffed, we enjoyed watching our neighbors enjoying theirs.
Most dishes offered on the menu have a tropical/Carribean flavor, and dinners come with black beans and mushroom rice as sides. The decor is nothing to write home about, but there were cloth napkins and they have a full bar offering tropical cocktails. The whole place feels about 10 years behind the times, but comfortable and solid. -
Review from Kristin L.
San Jose, CA
12/4/2011
Pluses: Good dessert (creme brulee), homemade fettucini, and tender calamari appetizer.
Minuses: They put the same tomato and onion on everything, which doesn't yield tons of distinct flavors, service,
Meh: Prawns Belize, Chowder, Grilled Calamari
Won't be back. -
Review from Kevin L.
5/5/2011 2 photos
We biked up from Cannery Row, along Asilomar Beach and ended up at Fishwife - about four miles away, along the bike route and beautiful coast.
I can still remember coming here as a child, especially for Sunday brunch. There was this particular dish with egg benedict that was my favorite, but since we stopped by for lunch, I tried the golden fried calamari with mushroom rice, black beans, and chilled fresh vegetable - incredible! The rest of the dishes my friends had were excellent and the seafood tasted fresh, but definitely not the best in the area.
Seating is difficult, especially on a busy Saturday afternoon. We waited for about 30 minutes (because we had a party of 12), but I would imagine no problems for smaller groups. Service is excellent and prompt. -
Review from M E.
Cupertino, CA
10/26/2011
Three stars for service, one star for food. I got the calamari meal and couldn't eat it because it had no taste. The fries that came with it were very cold and soggy. The only thing I enjoyed was my diet pepsi.........
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Review from linh d.
Dublin, CA
4/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
Price: reasonable
Service: good
Ambiance: casual seaside, no view
Food:
Calamari- big & well seasoned; a must try!
Crab cakes- delicious & well seasoned but wish they made the exterior more crispy since it was more on the soggy side
Grilled tilapia Lafayette: bland, nothing special; will not order again
Fried sole entree: good but nothing special
Key lime pie: crust was delicious, filling was good but the topping was not meringue
Molten chocolate cake: very good; tasted like dark chocolate!
Overall, their appetizers and desserts were delicious and worth trying, however their entrees were just decent, nothing special (therefore averaged to 3 stars). I don't understand why they serve black beans, boiled broccoli & rice for every entree. I would only come back here for some late night snacks: calamari, crab cakes, molten chocolate cake & drinks. -
Review from rose h.
Woodland, CA
10/16/2011
i had read a few reviews, and decided to have lunch here (the parents in-law have spoken highly of this place as well, i think perhaps they meant the one in monterey because they have never steered us wrong in the past). i was disappointed with my food.
both my husband and i had a cup of clam chowder (they put a little bit of pico de gallo on top, which i thought was interesting) this i thought was good, but not really super great. we had mussels marinara, not bad, but not very impressive. for our meal, i had linguini portofino... the noodles were way over done, as well as the seafood, i picked my way through it and did not finish. my husband got abalone style calamari steak which was cooked perfectly (very tender and soft), but i dont really feel like that was enough to make up for the mediocrity of the rest of the meal.
the service was prompt and friendly. i really wanted to like this place more, it was the last meal of our vacation and i was hoping for a nice ending to a lovely time. -
Review from Lindsey J.
Brooklyn, NY
4/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
This. Place. Was. So. Good.
Calamari- Dreamy!
Crab tostadas- Yum!
Halibut with angel hair pasta- I wish they could ship me a dish back to New York!
Molten lava cake- I'm salivating...
The sole with black beans and rice was bland though in comparison to everything else. But it's something that I would cook at home for myself. No but seriously... I wish I was back in Pacific grove right now... -
Review from Gin K.
Novato, CA
4/29/2011
Went for a late lunch midweek and used a coupon to get a free calamari appetizer. WOW amazingly good! It wasn't tentacles and rings like elsewhere, but instead calamari steak cut into strips that were expertly seasoned and pan seared (not breaded). Absolutely delicious, especially with lots of lemon juice. By far the BEST calamari I have had in ages.
The rest of the meal was quite good as well: The tilapia was good but a tad dry - a drizzle of a sauce would have made it even better in terms of texture. The barramundi was delicious and the tortilla crisp under it was a great complement to it. I nixed the beans and rice it comes with for just side veggies but it was weak - simply broccoli. (Was hoping for a mixture of different veggies with some seasoning, not plain broccoli.)
Sadly, the iced tea was weirdly watered down and tasted artificial (both flavors) - I don't recommend it.
Service was a bit slow and considering it was only half full seemed a little annoying. Overall a good dining experience foodwise, though. Get your food to go or relax and enjoy a leisurely dining experience. -
Review from Melissa O.
Grapevine, TX
10/27/2010 5 photos
This was the first restaurant we ate at on our very first visit to the Central Coast in 2005. We also ate here once more in 2006. However... our tastes were a bit different that far back and I just knew we would be disappointed returning here this year. But nostalgia prevailed, so we came and, well... yeah. I mean, it's okay, but not great. Not like what we thought it was years ago.
Still, crab cakes are some of our favorite we've ever had. I don't know how they do it, but the balance of flavors and texture is nearly perfect and the spicy sauce is to die for. I must attempt to recreate this condiment at home as no other place has a sauce that even comes close.
Clam chowder is just okay. Forgettable, which, in this area, is a shame. The lobster bisque tastes like slightly lobster-flavored tomato soup. No heft to it, no meat, no richness. Not cool.
My husband ordered the seafood marinara - we ordered it a couple of times those many years ago and it was as good as ever. Very consistent. Nothing to jump up and down about, but the fish was fresh and it had a bit of a kick in the sauce.
I had the fish, rice and vegetable plates in the past, and they were fine, but I could make that at home just as well now, so I skipped those in favor of the Ensenada bowl. What a weird combination of flavors that was. Tomato salsa, fruit salsa, ginger sesame vinaigrette slaw, black beans, white rice and the fish. The fish was cooked fine, and every element separately was okay, but that is just too damn much going on in one bowl, don't you think? And every "bowl" meal is like this. The only difference is the fish you choose. I wanted to try one all these years and now I'm kind of sad I did.
Even worse? The dessert we took back to the hotel. Worst cheesecake I have ever had. Seriously disgusting. We threw it away after two bites.
Atmosphere is okay, a bit loud. A funny note about the service: we hadn't been in 4 years and yet the waiter remembered us. Extra points for that because really, wow. And everyone who has waited on us throughout the years has been really friendly and attentive.
Prices are okay, I suppose, but given the fact that I now know I can get a much better meal for the same price elsewhere in Pacific Grove and Monterey, the money I shelled out here bothers me a bit more. Oh well. Live and learn!
2.5 to 3 stars, but I'll leave it at 3 for the long gone Fishwife anniversary memories. -
Review from Derek S.
San Francisco, CA
9/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
Mediocre at best, but one of the few restaurants open at 4pm...
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Review from Anne and Mike M.
Mountain View, CA
8/6/2011
Good atmosphere, great food, and a reasonable price!
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Review from Debi B.
Pine Grove, CA
9/2/2011
Great atmosphere - super friendly staff -
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Review from Shane M.
Buda, TX
12/30/2010
We thought we'd gotten away from most of the crowds, but this place was packed. At first we thought this would be a good thing, (heavy traffic = good food). Eh, not so much. Clam chowder was decent, halibut was bland and boring over a pilaf of bland and boring white rice. I cant say for sure, but if i had to guess, the halibut was frozen.
Not the worst meal we've ever had, but far from good. -
Review from Vickie W.
San Jose, CA
4/14/2011
What is there to say of a place that is a block from the ocean, backs up to Pebble Beach golf course and is next to the Asilomar conference center. I can say the magic of the area continues inside the restaurant. We were staying with friends that live a 10 minute walk from here. We walked by about 12 deer in the evening light to arrive on a Thursday night.
No waiting, seated right away. Good wine and draft beer for dinner. Clam chowder was the best I have had. Other appetizers were fried calamari, tender and lightly breaded, and crab cakes that were too spicy for my tender palate.
I had the Belize seafood dish, which was way too big to finish, but I tried my best and ate too much.
I will come here anytime I am invited. -
Review from Nick I.
San Jose, CA
9/10/2011
We were many times here. The seafood was always fresh and the taste was really good. Well, we went again on Labor Day with a friend, but unfortunately nothing was the same. We tried the golden fried calamari, oysters and mussels. Everything was covered with a very thick bread crumb layer and so was the taste. The green lip mussels were also not better and the clam chowder was more a potato soup than anything else. So we decided to skip the main course.
I don't know if the chef took time off exactly that day or this was the special Labor Day menu, but it was very disappointing. -
Review from Joce M.
Los Gatos, CA
2/6/2011
Fishwife has been my favorite seafood restaurant ever since I was a little girl. I am a HUGE fan of their breaded sole and clam chowder. After coming here for over 10 years, I've noticed that their chowder bowl sizes have become smaller, but other than that, the food quality and overall menu has stayed the same. I love the atmosphere of the restaurant, but the food of course is what keeps me coming back.
The clam chowder is just great. I have been to other locations along the coast known for their clam chowder (Splash Cafe in Pismo, and the Old Fisherman's Grotto in Monterey), but none are quite like the chowder you'll get at Fish Wife. The chowder here is very light compared to other chowders, and comes with tomatoes on top. It's creamy and satisfying, not as rich as the chowder at Splash Cafe.
The breaded fish here are also amazing. I highly recommend the sole. Best fish and chips plate you will ever have.
Warning: the vegetables are organic and sometimes have little worms. I have found worms on my broccoli 5 of the last 7 times I have visited Fish Wife in both of their locations. -
Review from Tom N.
East Bay, CA
11/13/2011
My party of six went here on the recommendation of a friend and I wasn't disappointed. We started with the fried calamari, which, to my surprise wasn't the rings and tentacles brand of squid. It was a calamari steak, which was very good. We had the talapia special which had a nice flavor and texture... very unique that it was served with black beans and rice. We also had the sea bass which was very moist and flavorful. The shrimp bowl was unique and very tasty. Overall, a nice meal and fairly reasonably priced for the Monterey area....
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Review from Eme L.
Mountain View, CA
7/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
We haven't been here for a number of years. The menu has certainly changed quite a bit. Nothing horrible, but nothing crave-able enough that I would go out of my way for another visit. We shared a bowl of clam chowder - just ok, but not enough clams. What clams that we found were a bit chewy. Husband had the sand dabs. Ok, but boring. I had the fisherman's bowl with seafood. Ok, but just not memorable.
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Review from Charlie B.
Denham Springs, LA
8/26/2011
What a great meal and a great atmosphere. The wait was going to be about 45 minutes so we went to the bar and got the best bottle of wine we may have ever had. The bartender told us to go ahead and sit, he would serve us. The Calamari dish was amazing! And can I just mention the desert special of the night sticky toffee cake was to die for! Great atmosphere, great staff, amazing flavor. Worth the wait!
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Review from Lisa M.
Pacific Grove, CA
8/24/2011
My favorite restaurant in PG for sure. The fish and seafood are fresh. The sauces, beans, and rice are fabulous.
I don't recommend the house salad. It's ok, but overpriced for what it is. That is not true of the entree salads. They're great.
Other people seem to enjoy the bowls and sandwiches. Me, I have my favorites, among them the crab salad, calamari salad, salmon, halibut, seafood Alfredo, and Portofino..
The service is also good. -
Review from Matt D.
Porterville, CA
8/7/2010 3 photos
Checked this place out after running across it in Pacific Grove and giving yelp a check on it. Upon entering we noticed the place was a bit "divey", at least by Monterey standards, however we were pleasantly surprised by the food.
I was happy to see they had a full bar and even happier after receiving my first drink, prepared to perfection by the bartender. The misses and I both started our dinner with appetizers; clam chowder for her and crab cakes for myself. The chowder had a terrific butter and cream flavor, however the clam flavor was weak and the chowder was lacking in the salt and pepper department. On the other hand, the crab cakes were terrific, if presented a bit sloppy. Scalding hot with a distinct carmalized crunch complimented by a delicious spicey, yet balanced creamy habanero sauce. The main shrimp course was great, however rice and beans as the sides? Creme Fraiche can't make stewed Black Beans high class. I finished with a well prepared creme brulee and a cappucino. A good dining experience, however replacing the sad rice and beans could do wonders. -
Review from Kenny P.
7/10/2010
We literally walked the coastal suburbs for what seemed to be two miles just to get here from the inn. The girl who worked at the front desk of our inn told us it was a mile away... but hey that's her fault and not the restaurants. This place is a finer dining restaurant and is located away from the main pacific grove downtown area. The place was on recommendation from most everyone in town. The place gets easily packed and really isn't all that big.
Our service was alright but it took quite a while, which is typical of most nicer restaurants. I'd have to say that the salmon and wild rice dish sounded so delicious so I quickly decided on it. After tasting it, I knew that it was extremely healthy with not a lot of savory flavor. The way they cooked and prepared the "Wild Alaskan Salmon" turned out just the way it was meant to be. I've had tastier Salmon, but maybe it wasn't environmentally sustainable and wild. Key lime pie for dessert was somehow extremely sweet, not a good balance of flavors there.
I think for what you pay you expect something a level of preparation and cooking that would be higher than what was served here. Well maybe I'm just being too damn critical. -
Review from Destiny F.
Martinez, CA
4/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
Saw this place passing by while looking for a place to watch the sunset. Food should get 5 stars, service 2. The waitress was not very friendly. Dirty silverware and when we asked for new she took it and never brought and back!
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Review from Raul N.
Updated - 5/22/2010 1 Check-in Here
My office came here for a birthday party last week and I'm sorry to report we all left sorely disappointed. First and foremost, our server was clearly overwhelmed with two large parties in the restaurant. We went long periods of time without seeing him--most of the time we were left waiting to order, waiting for food, waiting for him to clear plates, waiting for the check, we spent most of our meal just waiting, waiting, waiting.
But how was the food? Well certainly not worth the wait! I ordered the crab "burger," expecting a nice, thick crab cake on a toasted bun with some lettuce, roasted onions and aioli, with a side of crispy fries. Instead, what came out was a cold, store-bought bun with a thin crab cake and a large helping of tartar sauce inside, paired with thick, mushy French fries. The crab cake *by itself* was nice with a spicy kick to it, but pity you couldn't really taste the crab. When consumed as a "burger," with bun and all, you really lost what little crab flavor this dish had--I just got a gummy bite of tartar sauce with the slightest hint of crab. It was a definite disappointment and I wasn't alone in this assessment--three of my fellow coworkers also ordered the crab burger and were less than impressed.
This is the second time I've come to Fishwife and left disappointed. There are several seafood restaurants on the Monterey Peninsula--but take my advice and skip this one!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/24/2009
My friends had some out-of-town guests visiting for the weekend, so we decided to head out for a… Read more »
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Review from Cynthia F.
Yuba City, CA
8/6/2011
Great food, small, so make reservations. Second time there and will go again.
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Review from Michelle W.
Los Altos, CA
5/21/2010
So I've been going to Asilomar once a year for over 20 years. For just as long people have been telling me that I have to eat at Fishwife, but the meals at Asilomar come with the room so...
This year I arrived a little too late for lunch so the 6 year old and I stopped here for lunch on the way to check in. Should have done it 20 years ago!
The menu was a little heavy on the fried side, but there was anote that anything that was fried could also be made grilled. Their children's menu was decent. Daughter got fried shrimp and french fries that came with a vegetable. I forget what type of fish I had, but it was served over a crispy fresh-made tortilla, rice, & black beans with an amazing sauce and a side of yummy cole slaw. It was SO yummy and felt decently healthy.
The service was that great old-fashioned attentive kind of service I associate with old timey seafood restaurants.
The table across from us were other conferencers who had gotten tired of the Asilomar cafeteria food.
The price was alittle steep- about $14-20 per entree for lunch, but kid's menu price was decent. -
Review from Lindsay Z.
San Francisco, CA
4/28/2010
Our first night in Pacific Grove, my friend and I came here for dinner, hoping for a good seafood dinner at a place with a view. Being on Sunset Drive, it sounded like we'd be able to see the sun set, no?
Well, on hope #1, we were disappointed. The restaurant is a few blocks in from the water, so no views. There also was quite a wait for a table, but the friendly host seated us near the bar pretty quickly, so that was a definite plus!
On our hope #2, the food was good but definitely not mind-blowing, and I probably won't come back here. I had a craving for fettuccine alfredo (which I rarely crave) and ordered it here with crab. I believe shrimp or chicken were the other options. The crab had obviously come out of a can, which was pretty disappointing. Seconding my disappointment, the alfredo sauce was much too watery and flavorless. If I'm going to eat those carb and fat-laden calories, they better be worth it!!
My friend had the Tilapia Cancun, which, given it's prominence on the menu, one would assume is a pretty amazing dish. I did not try it, but she said it was pretty blah. Decent, but nothing amazing.
It was a decent and not expensive meal, but not worth a repeat visit in my opinion. -
Review from Barry S.
San Jose, CA
6/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
This a very enjoyable restaurant that has been in Pacific Grove a long time. It is isn't inexpensive, but the food is very good. It is a nice stop while visiting the local beaches. It can get very busy at times, and the street parking is limited. Yu can usually find street parking across the street.
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Review from Richard T.
Carlsbad, CA
Hands Down My Absolute FAVORITE casual Place for lunch in the Monterey area!!! My associates and clients who live in the area all LOVE The Fishwife because the food here ROCKS and so do the Staff!!!
The "Lady Of The House" is a beautifully diminutive and gracious woman who reminds me of the 1940's movie actress Silvia Sidney. She warmly greets everyone with a kiss or hug and instantly lights up the room by making people feel wholeheartedly welcome! She is a rare diamond that brings so much wealth of hospitality to a restaurant! The first time she seated us a few years ago she handed me the wine list and asked if I was of "legal age" to drink, which makes her a TOTALLY royal keeper in my book!!!
The Fishwife serves the freshest catch and has a pretty impressive menu for such a small place! The chef brings a refreshing level of excellence to seafood! Some of our favorite things to order here are:
Clam Chowder- Having tried ALL, and I do mean ALL of the clam chowders in the area over the years, I personally like The Fishwife's the best. Maybe because it has a hint of bacon flavor or maybe because its creamy quality doesn't leave you feeling like you have eaten warm ice cream, or maybe it's the splash of tomato pulp garnishment, or maybe it's because it just tastes so darn GREAT!!!
Calamari- I really am not a big fan of squid prepared in thickly cut strips but The Fishwife's is so tender that you can cut it with a fork!!! Add to that, it is perfectly seasoned and not overly salty!
Salads- Offered with a variety of seafood toppings and are totally YUMMY and healthy!
Salmon- Prepared several different ways and ALL are GREAT!
Shrimp Diablo-Woof, tail wag, begs for more!!!
Seafood Fettuccine Alfredo- My VERY favorite!!! Richly filled with succulent shrimp and scallops and I have never been able to finish the plate!
Totally Awesome food in a dining environment filled with Lotsa LOVE!!! Rock On Fishwife!!! -
Review from B B.
Bay Area
8/13/2009
Had reservations at 7:30 the other night. We walked up & our party of 6 were seated within 5 min.
Most of the staff was nice but our server seemed like he was having a bad day OR had no sense of humor whatsoever when our group tried to lighten his mood & joke with him. No smile, nothing. Moving on...
The food was outstanding! Seafood pastas, clam chowder, salad, calamari, shrimp platter, salmon...mmm, mmm, good!!!! My only complaint was the dessert menu (there wasn't much of one), a little disappointing...oh well. Definitely will go back though :) ! -
Review from Anthony A.
Monterey, CA
7/18/2011
This place was almost horrendous.
I'm a Chef and a foodie and let me tell you this place sucked me in with its location and exotic menu items. Lets just say they where not as exotic as you would think
Me and my Girlfriend made a reservation for 8 pm on a Saturday, and let me tell you the place was packed. we waited 45 Minutes!!!! with a reservation to get our table i went through half a pack of Marlboro's before they remembered we where there and said they would send us a free beverage for the inconvenience.... they sent me water. we received our menu es and some obviously store bought bread that had started to oxidize and go stale , once it had cooled down it was a rock almost like it had been microwaved. We both ordered entrees and decided to give it one chance, I saw Moroccan salmon and my Girlfriend order coconut shrimp. I was super psyched to taste Moroccan salmon the description listed salsa and exotic flavors and a lemon sauce with mash potatoes. Sadly what made it to the table was lack luster . Think of a piece of poached salmon fellow chefs. not just poached salmon but Grey water poached salmon, grandmas bland mash potatoes and what looked like pace salsa from a jar. And baby bok choy which was not on the list for sides. as my suspicion became reality i realized that i had no desire to finish my food and decided just to order desert and a cocktail. my Girlfriends shrimp was not salted when it was removed from the fryer and slightly soggy. other than that shrimp is shrimp.
The cocktails where great a Hot Irish cream Coffey for both of us with a hot piece of lava cake for each of us . That was enjoyable , then the bill came. Much to my supp rise i was charged in full for everything, keeping in mined i sent my food back two bites in, i was charged for my food both cocktails (even though they said i could have a comped drink for the wait)
145$! and then gratuity Lil I'm sorry this left me pissed i payed the bill and decided not to return for obvious reasons -
Review from decoux m.
Alameda, CA
1/23/2009
THIS IS FOR THE FOOD!
The restaurant itself is kinda kitchy and I doubted all of the yelpers (my apologies) when we first walked in. But this food was so good. We both ordered the specials. This was just one more memorable dining experience from our weekend in Monterrey. The service and staff was perfect. Needless to say, we left fat and happy!
Also, this beach at sunset is a great walk from the restaurant on a nice night! -
Review from A. Claire C.
Walnut Creek, CA
12/28/2008
When coming to California, people always talk about the fresh seafood. So when my relatives from New York (aka Steakhouse city) gave word that they would be visiting, of course we had to treat them to a seafood dinner. My dad had raved about the food here a few times, and had always wanted to share his experience with the rest of the family, so, we all decide to throw the line down at Pacific Grove - about an hour's drive from San Jose.
Knowing that this place attracts hoards of people, locals and tourist alike, we called the day before to see if we could reserve a spot for our group of 9, 6 adults and 3 kids. They had told us that they did not accept reservations, but there would probably be a one to one and a half hour wait if we arrived at the restaurant around 6:30. Undaunted by this piece of information, we decided to try our luck.
Off the beaten path, its a bit tricky to find - windy roads, zero parking, nothing really to mark its existence to the world except for the line of cars on either side of the road and the crowd of people huddling around the entrance.
Once we arrived at the venue we put down our name and waited. We waited. Tick tock tick tock... to loosely quote one of my favorite songs, Unchained Melody, "...time rolled by, so slowly, I hungered...." Finally about an hour and a half into our one hour wait, the hostess had told us it would be about 20 more minutes. So, we waited some more, luckily the kids we were with were quite entertaining, although I don't think the other parties appreciated them as much as we did.
Finally we were seated in a cozy corner of the restaurant surrounded by only 3-4 other parties of people. Once, seated, our waitress popped her head in and quickly took our drink orders. (I ordered an Arnie which was excellent! They also serve a locally brewed Root Beer, which I heard was pretty good. You gotta give props to locals supporting locals...) 5 minutes later our drinks were served.
One good thing about a long waiting period is you get to study the menu so you know exactly what to order once you are seated. Once we received our drinks, we ordered. 15 minutes after ordering, our appetizers arrived, 30 seconds after that, the bread arrived. For appetizers we ordered the Crab Cakes and the Calamari. Both were quite yummy.
The Crab Cakes: 2 CD sized patties containing flaky fresh crab meat breaded and seasoned with spices drenched with an amazing habanero cream sauce. Anyone who knows me knows I'm definitely not into anything spicy. So, this sauce was killer for me in more ways than one. My mouth suffered 3rd degree burns, but it was totally worth it. (Told you I have no tolerance for heat.)
The Calamari: not your typical rings, but the steak calamari was tender and perfectly breaded, not rubbery and soggy like some places.
I ordered the Prawns Veneto. Others in my party ordered the tilipia, catfish, salmon, the prime rib/lobster and so on. My dish consisted of about 7-9 good sized prawns cooked scampi style with a flavorful cream sauce. The prawns were served with a good helping of rice and black beans. The rice was satisfactory, but the real surprise, the beans. It seemed as if the beans were cooked with a bit of cheese because they were creamy. You could actually tell they were beans, not like the mushy substance that many restaurants serve. I also tried a bit of the tilapia which was perfectly cooked, tender flaky white fish, delicately seasoned and topped with a fresh salsa that matched the fish exquisitely.
My party must have been really hungry or the food must have been extremely appetizing because most of us cleaned our plates. But I am never too full for something sweet. I ordered the key lime pie and a coffee. The key lime pie was delicious and expertly presented. The pie was light and fluffy, mouth-wateringly tart and slightly sweet at the same time. My aunt and uncle ordered the Caffe Real - both thoroughly enjoyed the after dinner liquid decadence.
All in all this place was not bad. I would come back here just for the appetizers and dessert. The service was friendly and quick, though a bit forgetful (we had to ask her for a few things more once). The prices were normal seafood dinner prices and the ambiance was warm, simple and homey.
A few notes:
- They charge a mandatory 17% gratuity to large parties (I guess a 9 person party is considered a large party for this restaurant.)
- BE PREPARED TO WAIT
- Don't trust the person on the phone that tells you they don't accept reservations - because they do take reservations. You just have to call an hour ( or maybe even the day of) or so before you want to be seated. But still...BE PREPARED TO WAIT.
- There isn't much of a waiting area, so if you are waiting - BE PREPARED TO STAND.
- Their bathrooms are tiny, but clean. It kind makes you fell like you are on a boat. Just chalk it up to ambiance.
