Sandbar & Grill

Excellent food, lively atmosphere, very nice people. Wife and I stumbled on this place and will make it a regular stop now anytime we are Monterey. I never had sand dab before and I loved it. Wife absolutely enjoyed her calamari steak. It is a don’t miss for sure.

We dropped by on a rainy and cold Saturday. We wanted a taste of the local food. This place was small and almost hidden. Amanda was our server and was great. We tried a few appetizers that came quickly. Everyone was very friendly and the locals there were telling stories. A great experience for us.

Pretty weak overall. Got the rec from my landlady when I moved in, and I wish I had stuck with my initial impulses. Diner-​like atmosphere with mediocre food (fish especially weak) and poor service.

I was in Monterey for just over a week while escaping an east coast blizzard and attending a conference. I was looking for a place with a comfortable bar and decent food that I would be at ease while eating alone… luckily I stopped into the Sandbar & Grill on my first night. The place felt like a neighborhood pub, and became my local watering hole for the week.
You might not notice it at first glance, but the place has a great location looking over the marina. It’s not new and modern, but it’s not old, dark and tired either, and it’s actually larger than it seems. Although the bar is towards the back of the building, the huge windows, looking out over the water bring plenty of light and scenery in. The bar staff is friendly as are the local customers who all seemed to know each other, even if they didn’t. My first order was a fine, Dungeness crab cocktail that would be hard to beat anywhere. Added to that was the halibut special, in a sherry tomato sauce and a side of scalloped potatoes… SOOOOO good… I wondered why I hadn’t had scalloped potatoes in years, and the generous piece of halibut was perfectly cooked in a sauce that had me wanting to lick the plate.
I made my way back a couple of times during the week, and was never disappointed. The happy hour menu was reasonable and everything I tried was good… try the Sand Dabs… but I have to mention the one dish that drew me back there on my last night in town.
The cioppino, was the best I’ve ever had, and I had to have it twice in a week. The balance of spice, and the depth of flavor in the broth is not a quick or easy thing to achieve, the chef at Sandbar & Grill has it mastered.

Wow! Sign me up for a season pass! This place is awesome. The staff is a little odd and not socially up to par. But the food by far out ways the service. Every time I come to Monterey this is my first stop! Keep up the good work cooks! You guys rock!

A favorite for years, local, relaxed, love the sand dabs. The views are great and most tourists are on the other wharf. Stick to beer or a cocktail, the wine list is limited.

Totally overpriced and mediocre. Poor service and no handicap access. Went there for lunch and I had the prawns and rice. Prawns were tasty but the rice was tasteless. It actually tasted like rice a roni. The chowder was thin and had more potatoes in in than clam bits. The lunch plate itself was tiny and everything was piled on to make it look like you were getting a huge plate of food. They didn’t even offer or bring bread. When we went to pay we had a $ 25.00 gift card we wanted to use and the waitress said no way they could accept it because it couldn’t include the tip. What? Would not go back and would not reccommend.

Very good chow here tonight. I’m having curry shrimp, scallops. Had apple crisp dessert as app. Also app of crab cakes. Other 2 guys had special of halibut. Everything really good, same for service. Would sure return. At waters edge. Very cool.

What a great place for lunch or dinner. They are ALWAYS packed so don’t expect food to come ASAP. Everything is fresh and service is excellent (especially Amanda — she hustles and does a great job). Call in your reservation and get a table next to the water. Best Calamari in Monterey/​anywhere (IMO).

What a fantastic location! At the heart of the commercial wharf, this is a terrific intersection of locals and tourists. The views of the harbor are spectacular, the food is delicious, and the drinks are respectable. This is a solid place and one that we return to time and again. I had the Salmon Benedict washed down with one of the best Mai Tai’s in Monterey. Thanks Michael the bartender for a wonderful experience.
Don’t waste your time on Alvarardo Street or on the tourist wharf. Come here!
p. s. For a great breakfast experience, try the Griddle in the Middle which is just above the Sandbar on the wharf.

We had finished a long day of golf at Bayonet and decided on an early dinner. My husband and I and the couple we were with were very hungry as we had skipped lunch because we were on the course. I had the calamari steak plate, the guys both had the fish and chips and my friend had the clam chowder. We also ordered the sand dab appetizer since this is a specialty of theirs. Everything was very good and we all left stuffed.
The restaurant is cute and very casual which worked for us since we were too hungry to go back to our hotel to change out of our golf attire.
The service was good… friendly atmosphere. I will be back!

Love this place! By far my favorite restaurant on the wharf. Very friendly staff, fast service, great food, and an amazing view. What more can you ask for? 5 stars, love going here when I’m back in the city.

This little restaurant is located right on the water, and is a small eclectic little place. To be honest, it feels a little bit older and run down and has funky decorations.
We ordered bloody Mary’s, and were carded both when we ordered them as well as when we got them. It was a little bit weird… our waiter didn’t even say anything to the man that brought them to us. He kind of chuckled… which was rude.
The Bloody Mary itself was really peppery and had a lot of horseradish. My friend didn’t even want to finish hers.
I ordered the fish tacos, and hoped that they would be good since Monterey is supposed to be known for their seafood. The ahi was a little bit on the tougher side, but the portion of ahi in my tacos was decent.
I would skip this joint and hop over to Lou Lou’s…

Updating since I went back yesterday. It really is as good or better than I remembered. Pablo is the best!

I truly wanted to like this place. It had 4 stars. The photos showed seating looking out to the bay with beautiful fishing boats and sail boats.
It was just that beautiful. So one would assume that since I am in a seafood restaurant situated in Monterey Bay that the seafood would be local. My bad, I assumed. I was surprised to see Crab on the menu since there is a ban on crab fishing due to a toxic algae bloom. I asked where the crab came from and I was told Washington. Ok that’s good to know. I asked where the shrimp was from and I was told yet another part of the country. Where are the clams from and yet another part of the country. Anything local? Nope.
I had the Sand Dabs and the breading was wet and falling off. The fish itself tasted fine. I had the steamed clams and the broth was delicious but filled with lots of sand.
My daughter had the clam chowder which she did enjoy.
Her friend had the Prawns Scampi. She said they were very good. When I tasted the broth from the Scampi it was amazing. I ended up transferring my clams into her broth when she was done. Made a huge difference. More flavor and no sand.
A new experience but I wouldn’t go back.

If Elvis were around he might rewrite «All Shook up» and change the lyrics to «All washed up,» after dining at Sandbar.
This was our last night in Monterey and we had high hopes after reading reviews — but after the hostess neglected to call/​text us and notify us as she had noted was protocol that our table was ready, we sat in the lobby and waited until she noticed we were there.
Only to be grated by a server who was far from professional, brashly taking our order and neglecting follow up formalities.
A basket of the most plain jane bread greeted is– I think it was supposed to be sourdough, but man, it was no Boudins. But we didn’t come here for the bread, so initially I let that slide from judgement.
I ordered the Sand Dabs — they are a local fish selection and were pretty good.
But the scalloped potatoes paired with the dish tasted like yesterday’s lunch line casserole leftovers and the green beans while fresh tasting were bland as could be.
I had much higher expectations an was disappointed in the entire experience.

While I was in Monterey last week, I was lucky enough to find this gem on Unilocal.Even though I was only in town for two days, I had dinner at Sandbar & Grill on both nights. I usually make it a rule to never go to the same restaurant twice while I’m on vacation, but for the calamari steak parm here, I made the exception. NOM CITY!
But before I get ahead of myself… The restaurant is located on Municipal Wharf, just a stone’s throw from the Marriott where I was staying. I’m a bit unsure how to describe it — it’s either a boat that’s permanently docked, or a structure disguised as a boat built along the dock. Either way, the place definitely has some charm.
While both dining experiences were great, I’ll speak only to my first evening here. Came around 7pm, just as the sun was about to set, and was seated along the windows with a view of the water. As I sit down, suddenly, an otter swims into view. Apparently this is a normal thing for locals, because when I yelled out «Otter!» most of the other patrons just looked at me like I was insane.
On to the food… Ordered the sand dabs to start and calamari steak parm for my entrée. I believe sand dabs are more of a West Coast delicacy; they were served lightly battered and fried. The crust wasn’t nearly as thick if you’re thinking ‘fish and chips’. The batter was really light, the fish was sweet and buttery, and overall the dish was delicious — a great way to start the meal. When the waiter brought over the calamari steak parm I was initially a bit underwhelmed by the presentation. I take a bite… DAAAMN…looks can be deceiving. This may have been one of the best, if not the best, squid dish I’ve ever had. The steak itself is the body of a squid split and rolled flat (a preparation I’ve never had before). The calamari was cooked to absolute perfection and was just the right amount of tender. And the marinara and the parmesan cheese served on top were the perfect complement. Bonkers x 100. Of all the dishes I had during my 10 days on the West Coast, this was probably the best. Who would have guessed that? From this unassuming, somewhat gimmicky restaurant along the wharf, that I randomly Unilocal-​ed. For me, those are the best kinds of surprises.

The restaurant has a nice view of the port in any part of the restaurant but for the best view, you can request for a table next to a window! Wait time on a Monday afternoon for a window table was about 15 minutes.
I got the dungeoned crab, prawn, and avocado melt and it was so delicious I wanted to order another plate. There was plenty of crab in mine and the prawns were decently large. The fries included were also cooked very crispy and nicely (no oil essence at all) and the coleslaw tasted very fresh!
Service was alright– not the best but not bad either.
I recommend this place!

Sandstone is located off the pier of Monterey. This location is hidden away from the busy area of cannery row but it does have a nice view. The restaurant has limited seating so come early if you want to grab good seats next to the window for an amazing view of the beach, yachts, and ocean!
Service and the food is 4 stars. The venue can be improved but I’m all about the freshness and this place delivers 5 stars with fish coming straight from the marina!!!
Gotta order the calamari steak! Its the best calamari I have ever had. You get more calamari than the batter. So it doesn’t have the rich, oily, and heavy taste. They give you a good serving size and you can just taste the freshness with each bite.
Second must order is the crab sandwich. It’s the best way to have crab without having to hassle with the shells. They give you a lot of meat and you can taste the sweetness instead of salt! That just shows me they serve fresh crab and sandwich was just amazing.
If you are looking for freshness and good food, here is the place to come! Enjoy!!!

What a local hidden gem!
My son’s paddling group practices at Del Monte Beach, the beach located right next to the wharf. Game 1 of the NBA Finals had me stressing, I didn’t want to be at the beach and miss out on all the action! I’m a LeBron James hater so I was ready for the Warriors to make him cry (again!) so when my friends asked if I wanted to join them for drinks I was like «Sure, I don’t mind 3 wheelin today!» I needed to find a bar with a TV asap!
My friend suggested we go here. Being a local, I was surprised I had never been to this spot. Its by the area where people fish on the «municipal wharf» side and is away from the touristy «fisherman’s wharf» side. There is one sign that leads you to the restaurant and is easy to miss. This spot is literally right on the water with a great view of the boats and sea otters. You have to take stairs to the entrance, so keep that in mind if you have trouble walking. The restaurant itself is pretty small so I’m sure on the weekends it would be best to make reservations.
There was space at the bar to stand, but we decided to just sit at a table and get comfortable. There was no wait. We ordered a bowl of clam chowder, sand dabs appetizer, and calamari to share while we had some beer and watch the game.
The clam chowder here is pretty amazing, not as rich as Old Fisherman’s Grotto (where they are known for having the best clam chowder) and full of flavor with chunks of clams and potato. Sometimes rich can be a bad thing! Calamari was not the typical rings & tentacles, but instead little calamari steaks. It was tender, fresh, lightly breaded and not oily at all. Sand dabs were pan fried and just a little oily, but delicious. Bread is also given before the meal.
Overall, great service, great food (even tho we only had apps!) great location and a great time with friends. I cant wait to come back (their crab and prawn sandwich looked hella good!) I’ll definitely be back!