Old Fisherman's Grotto

FOOD POISONING!!!\r My husband and I ate there for the first time yesterday early afternoon for what was our Valentines Weekend celebration. He ordered the NY Steak and Crab and I ordered the Captains Plate (I believe that is what it is called. comes with crab, crab cake, grilled shrimp and scallops). I ate everything on my plate and gave him the scallop because I like the small ones not the large ones because they are to fishy for me. This was at 2:30pm. The service was great (took a little while for food to come but it was a busy 3 day weekend for most) and the food was really good. About 1:00 -2:00 am my husband is hit with gut wrenching nausea and started throwing up which followed by him having to go to the bathroom constantly (trying to keep this not too graphic). This continued all through the night and morning. We came to Monterey for the weekend and had to cut the trip short by a day and come home, mind you we live 4 hours away and have crazy hectic jobs so a ocean getaway was something we really looked forward to. Made reservations at our favorite Bed and Breakfast etc. Finally around 9:00 he seemed to have it a little under control and we decided to try and get home so he could be more comfortable. We didn't make it 20 minutes and the vomiting started again only worse. I drove him to the Hospital in Monterey because I was worried about dehydration and didn't know what to do. The Dr. said he had food poisoning. Now I know 100% it was the dinner because we ate raisin bran cereal with toast for breakfast and nothing else knowing we were going to have a big and rich dinner so we didn't want to spoil or appetites. Throughout the day we had water. The only thing it could have been was the dinner. I had some of his steak because I really didn't care for my crab cake and like I said before I gave him my scallop. We both ate the bread, crab meat cocktail, cherry cokes, augratin potatoes, and dungeons crab. The only thing we ate differently was he had the scallop. After late lunch/dinner we went back to our B&B and just relaxed and didn't eat anything else.\r \r The reason I am taking the time to write this review is when I called tonight after I got home to give them a FYI (since my day was crazy I just now had time to call). When the lady answered the phone I asked to speak the owner or manager because my husband got foo poisoning and I wanted to let them know. She said ""This is the dinner rush can it wait"" I told her no. About 5 minutes later what I assume was the manager answered the phone. I told her simply"" I just wanted to let you know my husband and I were in yesterday for late lunch/early dinner and we spent most of the day in the Hospital because he got food poisoning. We believe it was the scallop and just wanted to let someone know"". She was very snotty and said ""well no one else has called and it takes 48 hours for food poisoning to show"". She then said she could take my information down if I wanted her to. I was floored! I told her I wasn't calling for any other reason but to give them a heads up for the safety of others etc. I told her apparently that doesn't seem to matter to her. She then said ""anything else?"" \r \r I WILL NEVER EAT HERE AGAIN SIMPLY BEACAUSE THEY DON'T SEEM TO CARE ABOUT THE CUSTOMERS ONCE THEY TAKE YOUR MONEY. Again, this is a family owned and operated business and I would think someone would want to know. I am just stills shocked at their customer service today. more

CAUTION! All it takes to ruin a dining experience is one nasty exchange with an officious employee. Watch out for a short blonde hostess with an attitude. We are far from wealthy and our dinner here to celebrate our 25th Anniversary along with my sister from Wisconsin as well as a dear friend was a major extravagance for us. It was also, obviously, an important occasion for us. We had our little (15 pound) service dog with us. Only the short blonde hostess had any issue with it, and lectured us on ""the rules"" regarding a service dog in a restaurant. (We have him with us everywhere we go, and this was a first - most people recognize that a person with a service dog faces enough difficulties in life). This hostess was clearly a major hiring mistake. She no doubt would be happier serving in the military than serving customers. To be fair, the food was some of the best we've ever had, and our server, Christine, was gracious and attentive. We could have left with smiles in our faces and memories to treasure had it not been for the short blonde hostess who felt no need to be kind. more

Service was supberb. Food was excellent. Thank you. =) Thank you for a great night more

I had swordfish and it was the best I have had in years! The calimari appetizer was excellent as usual and my boyfriend had the Petrole Sole with risotto and said it was excellent as well, and the dessert was as beautiful as it was delicious. more

We mentioned that we were celebrating our 25th anniversary and they went out of their way to make it a memorable evening. The food was great, we had a wonderful window table and they comped us an appitizer and dessert. They really know how to please their customers. more

The food was great :) Treated well & a great view of the ocean. more

We have eaten at Old Fisherman's Grotto three times now. Every dinner was delicious and prepared perfectly! We do not live in Monterey, but will come to eat there whenever we are in town. more

The food here is excellent! The service is top notch. The views are incredible. This is a true icon of Monterey, well known for the great food. It is not cheap, but it is reasonable. We always get full, they portions are large, just the way we like it. more

Great food. great service! Will definitely return. more

We stumbled upon this gem while shopping along the wharf. With all the handing awards saying ' Best clam chowder' - it wasn't difficult to decide. We weren't disappointed! We had the best oysters there, the seafood was fresh and not to mention the chowder - we would come back again! It's our no.1 rated restaurant for our entire US roadtrip! more

Having checked out the restaurant on Tripadviser, we specifically made a reservation for dinner at the Grotto. The waitress attended to our every need and the meal was as wonderful as had been recommened on Tripadviser. The manager- owner was very welcoming to all guests and spent some time chatting to us about our travels. He was glad to hear that we had made a special effort to dine at his restaurant. We really enjoyed the seafood, the ambience and service. more

Exceptional service, nice atmosphere and kid friendly. Wasn't sure at first but after we were seated, the waiter was gracious and on top of things. No wait, and food came pretty quickly. We all enjoyed our meal. Especially the organic items for our side dishes. A bit pricey but it's more because of location and tourists. If it was cheaper, we would probably eat there all the time. more

The Macadamia Nut Halibut dish was fantastic and our table on the second floor by the window made for a great romantic evening. A nice way to wrap up a quick get away trip for my wife and I. We will definitely be back when we head to Monterey again. more

Awesome food and very friendly service. Will be back again. It is a little pricey but you have to consider the location, the amount of food you receive, and the quality of food. No Budlite on here but Millerlite was a great substitute. more

So friendly and accommodating to our time restriction. more

Great service. Great food. Best clam chowder in the world! Would defiantly come again! more

The food was nicely presented, the service was great, the local menu was super! more

Excellent experience as usual - Our servers were very attentive. Meal was awesome!! more

I loved my clam chowder sourdough bowl. It was delicious. more

Relaxed, gratious ,friendly service complimented with excellent food and atmosphere. I will be back with my friends. more