Top Lunch restaurants in Monterey, United States

Alvarado is a great place for drinks and dinner. The food is always great and I’ve been told the beer is good (but I don’t think beer). However, the cocktails are great too! The place definitely gets crowded really quick so prepare for a wait if you wanted a table or else I recommend just eating at the tabletops.

I came here with my family this last weekend and wanted to make sure I completed this review based off the fantastic experience I had at this location. Desiree was extremely nice and helpful. Desiree even accommodated us by taking me to look at the table that was available to ensure that worked for my family and let me know there was another option if it did not work for us. I have to say I have never had a restaurant employee treat me that good. I really felt welcomed and taken care of.
When we sat down we were assisted by waitress Autumn who was wonderful herself. Autumn was very friendly, attentive and had good knowledge of the menu. Exactly how you would like your server to be. She took very good care of us our whole visit. Overall the food, service and atmosphere were awesome. I would definitely recommend coming here when you're in Monterey. I for sure will be coming back very soon.

Great stop on my beer bucket list but $26USD for a flight of six sample beers was ridiculous. I’ve checked in 12,000 beers on Untapped and have traveled from Copenhagen to Vancouver chasing great beers. This place has the beers but I could have had three pints for the cost of this flight. Staff were great, but I think this was by far the most expensive flight I’ve ever had.

Great place to eat and have some great beers! Had the cheeseburger an it was excelent and drunk a lot of fantastic beers.

FOOD: Hamburger... patty is 4oz before cooking, which is why they offer a double patty for extra $$. Burgers come with "vege fixins'" and fries add $ for garlic fries that really have little to no garlic. The cost was $22 with 2 patties which were probably 1/3 patty once cooked. I had no sauce on the burger. Burger was good with a great, soft, airy bun.
PIZZA: Kid pizza is the same size as regular. Borrow someone's kid while ordering and save $$$:)) Just joking...
Pizza crust is thin and made, I believe, with Parmesain cheese. We had the pepperoni for $16. Pizza is the size of a small 10" dinner plate. Had good flavor, loaded with cheese & pepperoni. Not the meal if you want low calorie or low saturated fat.
"RAINBOW BOWL":
$22 to include an ample size chicken breast. This dish was flavor-filled and textured; not mushy. Always good, friendly service from Britrany and a festive atmosphere.
I added a tasting flight of 4 different IPA beer(s) @ $3.75 each. I really could not tell much difference between them.

We sat out on the back patio, and it was a beautiful experience from start to finish. Amongst the other bartenders out there, Rachel took incredible care of us. She was so personable, making suggestions of items on the menu we might enjoy and she was right about everything. Top tier hospitality! I can’t recommend this place enough. Incredible food, excellent beer, and a warm and inviting atmosphere create the perfect night out. We came in from out of town and it was just what we needed. Thank you! We will be back!

Great brewery in Monterrey. Great location with a 5 min walk to fisherman’s wharf. Excellent beer options, Hazy and IPA choice’s were great. Had the Jamaican jerk chicken sandwich, well cooked but did lack a level of spice I would expect. Fish and chips that our guests had were excellent. Place was busy but service was quick. Highly recommend.

They had fantastic beers on tap and the food was amazing. Their shrimp & pesto pizza was ridiculously tasty. For sure scope this place out if looking for a good beer

Talk about pride of ownership. This cozy restaurant bakes it’s delicious bread and pastries on daily basis which are must tries. The menu offers a great selection of breakfast options. Loved their coffee. Friendly service and would highly recommend you to visit on your next trip to Monterey. Love seeing restaurant owners implementing their wonderful business ideas and creativity in their business, no matter the size or location. We will definitely revisit this wonderful restaurant again. So glad we tried it.

In town for Rennsport 7 and staying across the street, we were just thrilled to find this spot for breakfast. I had the potato skillet with roasted tofu and a chocolate muffin. The skillet was delicious, perfect potatoes with crispy edges, a great section of vegetables and a thick slice of bread. The coffee was good, the muffin was decadent, moist and still warm. We also had the multi-grain waffle with berry compote and that was delicious as well. What a perfect breakfast spot!

There is a long wait on a Saturday morning, but it's worth it. The process is to sign up on a clipboard and wait outside. They call the parties out loud verbally.

The drip coffee was okay but the latte was humongous and more tasty. The latte is served in a cereal bowl so be prepared for a huge serving.

Food wise, you can't go wrong with anything but I had a blackberry apple pancake on special and it was amazing.

UPDATE.....I happened to hit this restaurant on an off day..I mean we all have them right? The avocado toast is delicious and the ingredients super fresh, and as a bread maker myself I wish I could bake bread half as good as theirs. The place is a tad loud though (part due to popularity, part due to hard ceilings) but my original post below was based on a day that was just not in the cards for them....I would visit again nonetheless.
Orig review:
An efficiency expert is in need here. My family received their food 10 mins before I did. I didn't order poached eggs which are marked as taking longer. We didn't have utensils for a party of 3. There were two. A table next to us remained uncleaned for 10 mins while people outside were waiting for a table. So many things are so good with the Wild Plum but so many things need help. Not sure if it was an off day and someone didn't show up for work so they were short staffed, but the 10 min wait for my food after my family was half done with theirs didn't even come with an apology. I felt like the server was just annoyed the whole time. The place is also extremely loud. Some ceiling sound proofing would be amazing. The bread was delicious, the food tasty and not over salted. The latte was a little too watered down though coming in that huge soup bowl. The place was super busy so they have something going right
But service was not one of them.

Great breakfast and lunch food. But come hungry because portions are big. Service was awesome. Definitely will be back!

We love having breakfast at the Wave Street Cafe when visiting Monterey. This time was with the mother in law and she loved it as we did. My wife had the Norwegian omelette with salmon, mom had a denver omelette and I had the chorizo scramble and all were great. The table next to us had their “little” puppy with them and he was so mellow! As you can figure, they’re dog friendly as are a lot of the area restaurants

Really delicious breakfast with lots of vegan and vegetarian options. Refreshing when most brunch places are heavy on eggs and the only other option is sweet. Breakfast tacos were good and made better by the salsa. As a Southern girl, I had to try the biscuits and gravy and they did a great take on it. The fresh baked goods also look delicious. Overall a wonderful breakfast spot.

Great sandwiches, salads, and baked goods! Our first visit here for lunch was a great choice. Located close to Casa Munras Hotel & Spa.

We went here for Benedict, and we were satisfied. I got the heirloom tomato and wife got the portabella. I added Canadian bacon to mine (I think all Benedict should have ham and tomato). Both of them were outstanding, with the heirloom Benedict being the best of the two.
We would go back if we were here longer. I'm sure the rest of the food is amazing.

Delicious food with a huge menu to choose from. Ordered BLAT bowl and it was fantastic—they did not skimp on the avo! Also tried the maple bacon biscuit and it was to die for. Service was excellent. Ambiance is laid back. Definitely will be going back and highly recommend for sandwich/salad/burger!

Wow!!! What a wonderful little place. Quiet, peaceful, excellent service and food. From the beautifully crafted hot chocolates to the delicious and artfully presented breakfast dishes. Glad we stumbled on this gem during a much-to-brief stop in Monterey.

Brunch with a view of the beach. The customer service was great. The food was somewhat of a miss. The first time we visited the flavors were a bit better. But the outdoor seating area is nice & mellow.

We loved this place so much, we ate here 4 days in a row on our 5 day visit! Being vegan and finding vegan options can be tough, but we had no issues here. The homemade bread is to die for- and the bowl of Latte was a fun surprise. Great staff, lovely owner, amazing food, and atmosphere. I just wish I lived closer! Definitely on my "will always go back" list.

Wow what a gem, we were lucky enough to spot it on our afternoon walk the day before. The next morning we were looking for a good sit down breakfast spot with a wait staff and good kids options. Wave Cafe' was GREAT we were seated pretty quickly and were tended to right away. the sound level was acceptable and they had many kids options.

The Wave Street Cafe is a cute restaurant that has reasonable prices for a lunch in Monterey. The best thing about this place is the ocean view! But their food was delicious too. I ordered the fish tacos. I love how it came with a big salad and home made garlic croutons. The fish tacos were fine but could have used a bit more flavor. My friend had the fish and chips. She was worried it would be fishy but it was not. She also had the choice of three different kids of fish. She thought the fish needed more flavor in the breading, but the chips part of this dish were super delicious! They were perfectly crunchy on the outside and soft with a light texture on the inside. We definitely recommend this place!

We keep coming back day after day. The food is so amazing! The menu is huge and we have yet to order anything that wasn't yummy! The view of the ocean is awesome, and the staff is so helpful and polite. On colder mornings, they'll have heaters outside for you. They have lots of drink selections, alcoholic and non-alcoholic.