Coastal Kitchen - Monterey, California

Kristine F.

We took our granddaughter (who is a golfer) on a trip for her 16th birthday to Pebble Beach. As a foodie and caterer, I did my research well in advance on where to eat. Coastal Kitchen looked like a winner, but it was totally booked each of the four nights we were in town. I put us on the “Notify me” list for Saturday night and booked a dinner reservation elsewhere. Lo and behold, I received a call the night before saying we could be seated so I enthusiastically grabbed it and cancelled our alternate reservation. Getting there and parking was easy. It’s quite the trek through the hotel to get there, but once we arrived the cutest hostess seated us. That, was the only positive experience we had all night. Our service did not meet the standard you should expect. There were plenty of empty tables and plenty of servers so we should have been well taken care of. We ordered cocktails first, which seemed to annoy our server. Too bad. Since it was a prix fix menu there wasn’t a lot to decipher. I chose to do the wine pairings, another disappointment. The food was not outstanding and after the third or fourth course, I told our server not to bring another one unless it was hot. I had read about the acclaimed chef and was excited to see him there. He wasn’t cheffing though and I felt he should have been working the room instead of just standing in the same place all night reviewing the orders. I almost felt sorry for him though because he looked sad. The two servers that were bringing the courses spoke too quietly, and even after asking them to speak up so we could hear their descriptions, they didn’t. I had read that in two of the reviews I read so maybe that’s intentional. It was obnoxious. I cannot recommend Coastal Kitchen. It’s ridiculously expensive for THAT type of dining experience.

charlotte R.

Coastal Kitchen is hands down one of the best dining experiences in the area. Their weekend coursed menu is next level—each dish was thoughtfully crafted, beautifully plated, and absolutely delicious. And the wine pairings? Spot on. Whoever is behind that selection knows exactly what they’re doing.

The staff is incredible—warm, knowledgeable, and genuinely passionate about the food and wine they’re serving. You can tell they love what they do, and it makes the experience that much better.

Honestly, I’m almost scared to leave this review because I don’t want the secret to get out! But Coastal Kitchen deserves all the praise. If you’re looking for an unforgettable meal, book a table ASAP. You won’t regret it. 🍷✨

Tristan C.

My wife and I ordered the five course tasting menu for my birthday. We were sat near a window overlooking the bay, and our hostess asked us where we were from, whose birthday it was, and so forth. Erika was the hostess, and she was very pleasant.

Multiple waiters assisted with bussing, drinks, and plate changes, but our favorite was Elijah, who presented each tasting course with excellent enthusiasm and flair.

We are non-alcoholic, and while the restaurant does not have a non-alcoholic pairing menu (they have a pairing menu for alcohol as an add-on that neighboring guests seemed very happy with) we asked to be surprised with a cocktail and recieved an excellent ginger strawberry mix that was, frankly, beyond my expectations.

The meal was excellent all around. My favorite course was was actually the amuse-bouche, a three item single bite which was oyster and pomegranate, a gooey duck bite with paprika that reminded me of my favorite street taco, and a prime-rib brioche which I would eat a dozen of as a slider if I could. My wife's favorite was the miso soup course, which had the most perfect mussels in the mix. Every course was excellent, and we were quite full at the end. We both enjoyed the duck equally (pictured).

Dessert was presented with a candle on my plate for my birthday and consisted of Earl Grey ice cream on a peach pastry that was beautiful.

All around, we had an amazing experience, and I highly recommend Coastal Kitchen as a fine dining experience for any occasion.

Reservation was at 530pm on a Friday evening. We had no wait time and left our table around 7pm.

Lasse L.

Food was great, and so was the wine selection.

Quiet and has nice views

Several tables including ours was placed under the ice cold ac, that blew straight at us, and we had to put our jackets on, other people at tables around us had to do the same

DAVE C.

Outstanding high-end Sunday brunch. Wonderful views of Monterey Bay, delicious selection of brunch options, warm and friendly service. Everything was absolutely fantastic!

Emily H.

My husband and I made a reservation here for our 10 year wedding anniversary and asked for a table with a view and they completely delivered with a wide view out of the large, panoramic windows overlooking the beach. We had amazing table service by Sarah and Eli who mainly took care of us but there were several other staff members that came by and each wished us a happy anniversary. The 5 course prefix menu was delicious and we upgraded to include the wagyu beef with the main course. We enjoyed an amazing bottle of Chianti for the experience and they provided a champagne toast as we sat down. Each course was beautifully plated and presented. The menu changes every 3 months so we look forward to coming back some time to try a new variety of course.

Amy S.

To be clear, we LOVED this experience and definitely recommend. My reason for 4/5 is we were never shown a menu, and, at our table for 10, the descriptions of what was coming out to us on the plating was sometimes not easy to hear or very thorough. Also, all of the wine pairing was fun and the sommelier was amazing. She even was very helpful when we didn’t understand what was on our plates food wise. Having said that, I wish that they had used local wines. They were very proud of the fact that their food was all locally sourced, but unfortunately, every wine pairing was European. Just would’ve been a neater experience for our… (Probably most expensive ever)… Very expensive meal if the food and wine had been locally sourced. Lastly, our table for 10 had tastings from one bottle of wine or less each time so at $95 per person to add the wine pairing, this seemed exorbitant knowing the retail value on most of the wines. However, at the end of the day the food was excellent, the view is spectacular, and everybody we encountered was very friendly.

Rhiannon P.

Been meaning to leave a review for a while - it was honestly the best meal of our lives! Unforgettable. Bill was $630 but honestly worth every penny. There were so many delicious courses, the flavors were all so divine, and the wine pairings were great too. Service was super friendly. And the dessert was the best thing I’ve ever eaten, honest to god. Pastry chef gets an 11/10 from me. They were also great about accommodating me since I don’t eat some seafood and meat (but do eat fish), they had some delicious substitutions. Plus the view was unreal. Can’t wait to dine here again in the future!