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Monterey Bay Fish Grotto
Rating Details »
1411 Grandview Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15211
(412) 481-4414
Pittsburgh, PA 15211
(412) 481-4414
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Valet
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
20 reviews for Monterey Bay Fish Grotto
By far, probably the the best maryland style crab cakes ever. I've tried several other places including ones in Manhattan (where I live now) and no one can beat their crab cakes. The taste, texture and consistency is hands down the best I've had. It's also a good portion so you're not left hungry.
The fish is also pretty fresh and the dishes are delicious though as I recall, the fish dishes were uninspiring, offering very little creativity. The ingredients didn't jump out at me. Presentation and ambience is great for Pittsburgh, offering great views of the city. Nice place to take clients or your date. Next to the Original Fish Market in downtown, this is the only place I go for seafood in Pittsburgh because they do it right.
summary: the spectacular view will distract you from the food anyway.
The food is actually not bad. As long as the fish is fresh, it's hard to go really wrong (just forgo the over-priced desserts). The kitchen can be uneven when busy (e.g., overcooked tuna or lukewarm side dishes on separate visits). But the staff seem eager to help if you bring the problems to their attention.
The restaurant strives for an upscale dining ambiance, and their success is, in no small part, thanks to the lovely view. The service is attentive, if a bit overly scripted/rehearsed.
Good for business meals (especially when you're not sure what everyone likes, and when someone else is picking up the tabs).
3.5 stars
3 star food, 5 star view, and 1 star value. You'll pay a premium to be astounded by the view of downtown Pittsburgh while you dine at Monterey Bay. The menu consists mainly of exotic or expensive fishes prepared a variety of ways. The preparations are either boring ("blackened", "seared") or strange ("au poivre" w/ cognac sauce, "black and bleu" with gorgonzola). The sides are also uninspired, with the mashed potatoes being my least favorite.
Of note, the prices are somewhat ridiculous. A bottle of Yuengling for $6.50? Give me a break!
I've eaten here quite a few times and have never been disappointed! Great view, excellent food and friendly, attentive service. Each and every dish that I've tried has been perfectly prepared and tasted great and I loveee the lava cake dessert! I've moved to San Francisco since eating here last and even after living in a city that has really high food standards I think Monterey Bay Fish Grotto has excellent food and reasonable prices for the location and the view. This is definitely my favorite special occasion restaurant in Pittsburgh.
Went here for a business dinner tonight. The location is great - top of an apartment building at the top of Mt. Washington. View was fabulous, but would have been better if they washed the windows. My companion and I split an appetizer, each had a salad and entree with no wine and the tab came to $125. I very much enjoyed the meal, and it was way more than I could eat, even though I didn't have lunch today. I had the stuffed tuna which was very good but a bit over cooked and swimming in a heavy brown sauce and mushrooms. The fresh string beans also came with their own heavy cream sauce.
I would have given this 3-stars, but when I returned to my hotel I had to rush to the restroom several times....
ask the server for a favorite...when I went I had a "blackened" fish entree and it was like eating charcoal. Others at the table all said there food was excellent so I must have made a poor choice. Don't order anything blackened and you'll probably be happy.
Overrated and expensive.
They heavily promote the fact that they fly all this fresh in from around the world, but it is so over-prepared with sauces and spices that you cannot enjoy the actual freshness of the fish.
Portions are moderate, but the prices are high. Most wines are at least $10 a glass. They do go out of their way to work with people who are gluten intolerant, including having tapioca rolls, but everything adds up very quickly.
In my opinion, you are paying for the view. For quite a bit less money you can enjoy much better food at nearby La Tavola.
This review is somewhat curt because Firefox crashed on me before it autosaved, and I'm too lazy to retype everything.
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Simply an amazing dining experience.
Went for a dinner with my girlfriend, and we arrived around 30 minutes past our reservation time, but they were very courteous about it. Our server was knowledgeable and courteous and made the night a very enjoyable experience.
All the food was amazing, but the crab cakes were ridiculous, so much so that I feel the need to comment. Usually I avoid crab cakes at restaurants, because you get some stringy crab meat mixed with bread mixed with generic mixed vegetables (read: defrosted peas, carrots, and corn), which has been the case even in fancy upscale restaurants. In fact, I only got the crab cake because it was part of the appetizer sampler. This turned out to be very fortunate for me, because the crab cake was huge chunks of tender, juicy lump crab meat, loosely held together, with nary a defrosted frozen vegetable in sight. Truly amazing.
The Irish coffee is a tad too strong for my liking; it was more like drinking shots with a bit of coffee rather than the other way around.
The view is the best in Pittsburgh. Make sure you get the side facing Heinz Field and downtown.
I would absolutely recommend it to everyone.
This is one of the few places that has a great view of Pittsburgh AND great food. We had drinks in the bar downstairs before dinner and I was shocked at how affordable the cocktails were. A Manhattan was only $6.50! And with that view...that's a bargain. The smoked salmon appetizer was outstanding. I ordered Parmesan crusted mahi mahi and asked the server if the chef would add capers to it. They gladly accommodated my request, and I appreciated that! My Dad had the lobster. He said it was great. I rarely order rice pilaf but much to my surprise it was delicious. Service was great. I will go back. Our total tab before tip (for 2) was $132.
Yet another business dinner and yet another night of eating WAY too much food! It's a rough life, I know. Pity me...
One of THE most spectacular views of the city, bar none. Most of the dining room has great/good views through the enormous windows, but I would even recommend the little bar downstairs for a drink and some great views. Seemed to be not so well known, and a cheaper night than spending on the whole meal.
What can I say, the food was fantastic. The Seared Ahi tuna was delicious with just the right amount of wasabi flavoring. I ordered the salmon special on a cedar plank that was cooked and flavored absolutely right. Even the steak was delicious according to some of my table-mates.
Wine list was generous (a bit pricey) but well complimenting the meals. The serving staff was a touch slow, but it was nice not to feel rushed.
TIP: Try their pretzel bread rolls. They're delicious!
BIGGER TIP: Not really sure about parking here, (I think there was valet service) but if you take a taxi there like we did, be prepared. On a cold, snowy night we were waiting a good 45 minutes for a return taxi to the city. Make sure to get your cab driver's number on the way over. Give him an estimated time that you'll be done, and call him before dessert. You'll save yourself a load of trouble.
Absolutely a place to take clients/business dinners. A little pricey, but the food and atmosphere will definitely impress. It's a little out of the way, but still only a 10 minute cab ride from the Convention Center
As everyone before me mentioned this place has the best view of the skyline in the city. Prices are high, but this is considered to be one of the finer dining experiences one can have while in Pittsburgh.
I would recomend this as a great location for a business meeting or a date. While fish is the speciality on the menu, thier beef and chicken dishes are just as tasty!!
I lived 1/2 a block from this restaurant, but I only ate here a couple of times when I lived in Pittsburgh. I always felt out of place here.
It always felt like I should have my grandparents with me to fit in. My grandfather in his Sunday suit and my grandmother with a purple orchid corsage on her dress. Maybe then I might have felt more comfortable.
I remember the food was very good and the view was spectacular.
But it felt like a really good restaurant attached to a retirement community. Definitely NOT your hip joint, nor even just an upscale dining experience.
If my grandparents ever come visit me again, and we just happen to be in Pittsburgh, I will probably take them to another restaurant that is a little more lively. Even they would appreciate it.
yes the view is amazing as u definitely see the entire skyline of pittsburgh and even the fireworks every nite! we were lucky enough to get a window seat for that!
the food was good but a lil on the pricey side... i think the fish were definitley fresh! recommendations that the server gave us were good but she seemed a lil unfriendly. it showed more later on in the night.
but the reason y i give it such little stars is because the taxi service linked with the restaurant was so pourly planned. what was supposed to be a 15 minute wait according to our server was actually over an hour wait! do not come here expecting to get back to the city so easily. so after many times arguing with the restaurant they finally got us into the next cab out.
This has without a doubt the best view of the Pittsburgh skyline and it is breathtaking. My husband had the crabcakes, they were more than enough for him. The chicken was moist and tender and melted in my mouth. We had the occasion to attend for a Christmas Party for my employment. I would caution parents with young children to leave them at home, this is not the place for them. This is not a place to party either, this is considered fine dining. It is pricey, but the quality and quantity of food is well worth it.
So, I find myself spending more and more time here lately since a friend recently moved into the apartments in the same building. I've been going here for years and am definitely a a fan. The valet parking is good, however a pet peeve is that you have to pay to valet. I always think this should be complimentary with fine dining. The elevator takes a fortnight to arrive to the top floor dining room is another small annoyance, but everything else is pretty close to five stars. The main dining room is gorgeous with the best view of the burgh' or any city for that matter that you can have. The hand painted palm trees are very nice and relaxing and the furniture is adequate. They have plenty of space on the lower floor for big functions. I've had events in these big rooms for 50 to 100 folks multiple times. However, a must visit is the wine room. It is amazing. You have three oak tables in a small room with wine bottles and floor to ceiling glass all around you. Ask for Pat he is a great server and a true pro with respect to his craft. He also always remembers me even though I haven't used the room for years. They say the room seats 27 (3 tables of 9), but I don't suggest more than 24 in this space. If you use this room you need at least 8 folks' and you have to choose one of the wine tasting menus. They are $95 or $120 I believe for each 5 course wine tasting. I suggest if you are going to use this room to splurge for the $120. It's much better wine and includes a champagne toast. This obviously is not a room I'd use often, but perfect for special occassions. More and more I find myself simply sitting at the bar. It has a great lounge and bar area, with plenty of seating. If you find yourself in a bind to get a table in the dining room you can almost always find a table in the lounge with the same menu. I've probably been here almost once a week the past couple months. The bartenders are really good and definitely take care of there regulars. As an aside, this place is also like the "melrose place" of Pittsburgh with many single folks choosing to stay in this building which has the restaurant located on the top floor. The food is pretty much the best fish in Pittsburgh and less pricey than the some of the other fish joints like "original fish market". My only complaint with the menu is that I wish they offered more shellfish options like crab and lobster and not just crab cakes (which btw are probably the best in the city, which is saying a lot for a town that loves crabcakes). Some recent menu highlights have been the oysters rockefeller. I'd say skip this. It was super heavy with a thick hollandaise, too much cheese and breadcrumbs. The "ahi" tempura was really great and I found to be somewhat of a paradox in that it's close to raw great quality fish, but they find a way to put a light breading on it and deep fry it without the fish being overcooked. My new favorite menu item. The ichiban is good which is just a skewer of medium rare fish. I also found the filet to be of great quality and reasonablyu priced for a "prime": cut for $37 for 10 oz. You literally can't go wrong with any fish dish you choose, I'll just offer a couple suggestions. If you want something rich and deeply flavored try the swordfish parmasan style. It's very rich, but soooo delicious. If you prefer something lighter with a lot of flavor try the Ahi Tuna sashimi style. It's fantastic. The prices are reasonable, service is good, and it's the perfect spot for out of town guests. Definitely one of my Pgh. favs'.
An amazing view of Pittsburgh? It's true. This was my first visit to Pittsburgh and a client suggested we try Monterey Bay. Located on top of what I guest is the Mount Washington section of Pittsburgh, Monterey Bay is located in what appears to be an older high rise apartment building. At the entrance you take an elevator up to the main dining room on one floor or the bar on another floor or the wine cellar on another floor. The view of the downtown three river section of the city is really quite exceptional, particularly as the sun goes down. By the way the seafood was as good as or better than the view.
Food's decent. The view is spectacular of Pittsburgh's downtown. They have a nice bar, in case there's a wait. For some reason, it seems to attract a 70+ year old crowd. But it's still a great dining experience.
Monterey Bay Fish Grotto was a wonderful experience for my girlfriend and I. The wait staff was friendly and attentive. We got the sampler for the appetizer which came with 2 large shrimp, crab cake, and a bbq fish skewer. The app was delicious. My favorite was the crab cake which was made with nice lump crab meat and paired with a tasty hollandaise sauce. We both ordered fish for our entrees, she ordered the swordfish and I got the chilean sea bass. The fish was cooked perfectly. The neat thing about the menu are the numerous ways you can get your fish prepared. For desert we shared a creambule which was just as good as everything else we ate. Overall we had a great time and I would recomend this place to anyone who loves seafood.
I never thought I would say this, having lived in Boston for 8 years, but this is the best seafood restaurant I think have ever been to (not counting assorted clam shacks and places of that ilk). At my table we had tuna, grouper, and oysters, and all were amazing. The view is sensational, and the bar area is a cool little nook for a drink. The food is pricey, but the quality of the meal merited top dollar. I strongly recommend this place.
Wow, this place is outstanding! We felt a little under dressed, seeing as though it was a Saturday evening and everyone was fairly dressed up, but no one made us feel like we should have dressed more formally. Our waiter was great, he knew EVERYTHING about the dishes on the menu, and recited a specials menu that was so long, I lost track of the many mouthwatering specials that he described in detail. Our drinks were fantastic, and the seafood was heavenly. My party finished off the meal with Irish coffees, and they were so strong (whiskey wise) that he had to warn us as he set them down. My Irish nuts and berries ( a cream chamboard drink) was so strong it made my head spin (in a good way). Very expensive, but very much worth it.
