Monterey Bay Fish Grotto - Mt. Washington

Monterey Bay was recommended to us for a high-end birthday dinner as we are from out of town and wanted to celebrate. Very scenic views, nicely decorated with a great bar to the side with the best view of downtown Pittsburgh. As a person who suffers from an onion allergy, we were disappointed to learn the restaurant doesn't cook their side orders fresh/to order (even though they are all $17-$22/each). They are apparently cooked ahead of time for speed and kept warm. When I tracked down a manager about my desire to order their fried rice side without onion, he spent his time justifying they cannot and that it's acceptable to pre-cook the sides instead of simply asking me if I had some extra time to wait while he has a fresh one made for me without onion. My local Chinese take-out place offers me fried rice cooked to order for $3.95.

Overall our food was good, the dessert was great and the restaurant ambience was very nice. If the manager would have handled my request treating me like a 5 star customer, I would consider this restaurant a 5 star establishment.

I love this restaurant! I’ve gone here for my birthday dinner for years! The food and service are always excellent!

My wife and I have been here numerous times and have always had a positive experience. This time was no different. The food was once again great and the atmosphere was very enjoyable. The only downside this time was that the service wasn't up to the usual best in class. Our server seemed very overwhelmed (the restaurant was very busy) and seemed annoyed with us at times for not being ready to order something as soon as she arrived at our table. So our group felt rushed, which never makes for a great dinner. However, overall the experience was still good and won't stop us from coming back again.

Wonderful night out for my wife's birthday. Great service, food and environment. It was light up night, so we got to see the fireworks. Just a hint, book early if you want a table. BTW, they close off Mt. Washington at 6:30 have to talk to the police to get around the barrier.

Wonderful service as always!! We brought my six year old this time and was a bit nervous not only did they have wonderful selections for children but also specially drinks. Our waitress was very friendly and we didn’t feel rushed one bit. This was a huge sigh of relief as it was light up night!

Waitress Tracy was over the top Fabulous. So was the food, except for green beens that had an unexpected hot( spicy) something on them - perhaps white pepper ? We don't eat spicy and when it was mentioned to the waitress she kindly sent over a manager who assured us there was nothing spicy on them. Sorry, but four people at our table all agreed that there was we were offered something else regardless but had so much food on the table that we declined the offer. However, they were not removed from our large bill. This in no way effected the OUTSTANDING experience of ambiance; food, view. Helpings are H U G E . We could easily have split one order of side dishes and for seniors on a fixed income - would have been better for us. This was a light up night and a family celebration so we splurged. Thank you for an amazing experience.

We enjoyed the evening. The view is beautiful. The menu offers something for everyone. The Crab cakes were outstanding! Our waiter was friendly and attentive. Looking forward to a return visit.

Monterey Bay was a fantastic experience. The view was amazing!!! The wine was tasty and the environment is perfect for a date night with the honey or a night out with friends. Overall the food portions were small, but each bite was packed with explosive flavor! I recommend the crab cakes...they were perfect. We were celebrating our anniversary and I must say it was an experience I'll never forget.

Birthday Dinner for my Daughters and I. Staff was very attentive and made our experience extra special!

We had a group of 8 mostly family from out of town and even though we arrived a little late, they seated us promptly and with a smile and warm welcome. Lovely view, delicious food and delightful service. What a treat!

You couldn’t ask for anything better! The view, the food, the service and everything associated with the restaurant was excellent! The server- Anthony - was beyond exceptional! Great evening and outstanding choice!

Quite honestly, my visit ranks among the best, if not the best, overall fine dining experiences I have ever had, and at 64 years of age , I have had a lot. We had a window seat and the view at night was spectacular and beyond compare. The ambiance was perfect: soft music at the right volume, no loud crowd and perfect for conversation with friends. Our sever was perhaps the best that I have ever had: knowledgeable, spot on with the appropriate amount of attention, and just a very nice nice, pleasant person. Any requests were carried out promptly and exact. I think her name was Dana, but I do apologize if I got it wrong. She was working 11/11 and we had reservations at 5:00 PM. Food was excellent. I got the crab cakes as did another person in our party and they are beyond compare. I have had these before and use these as a benchmark for all restaurants I go too. Unfortunately, I have never, ever had crab cakes this good, even at supposed best crab cake locations, like Maryland and others. My she crab bisque was great and wished I was served a bit more. My only minor complaint was the salad which could have been a little more interesting and flavorful. Supposed to contain candied pecans but they must have been hidden. Passion fruit dressing was not as dominant as I would have liked. However, that was minor.
Again, if you are looking for a great dining experience with the best view, I would highly recommend.

Monterey Bay is one of my favorite restaurants, but this was not my best experience there. We were seated in the downstairs area next to the bar, and our waitress seemed very, very rushed and was not around us much at all. I suspect she had tables upstairs as well, and it was just not a great experience. My fish portion was quite small compared to the others (blackened grouper). I was glad we ordered the fat crab rice (which was quite good), or else I really wouldn't have felt like I had enough to eat.
I'll go again, and I'll recommend it, but this trip left a lot to be desired.

We received fantastic service. The food was superb and the menu selections were great. The ambiance was right in line with what friends have described. The view is wonderful and we had a very enjoyable dinner.

Great views, good food, nice atmosphere somewhat spoiled by a mediocre server

Everyone made sure to make a big deal out of my parents 50th Anniversary! It was nice that the staff showered them with so much attention. Of course the food and the service were top notch!!

The finest restaurant in Pittsburgh or anywhere else for that matter. The views are absolutely stunning from every table. Even the bar on the level below has a breathtaking view of the city. At night the view of the city and 3 rivers is stunning.
The service is always impeccable and we are happy to highly recommend our regular server, Sherrie, who is the most interesting, fun, charming, wonderful person we have ever had the pleasure to "dine with". She is outstanding and she alone deserves "6" stars in a "5" star rating system. A delight.
We look froward to many more special dinners at Monterey Bay.
Mark & Mark

We were told this was Pittsburgh’s best restaurant. I think it could be. I haven’t eaten at many restaurants here but this is one of the best I’ve eat at in the world. The crab bisque soup was awesome and that followed with my wife’s crab cakes and scallops along with my tomahawk pork chop and it was all incredible. The views are truly second to none in Pittsburgh.

Amazing food and atmosphere. Our waitress Julia (Jules) was so kind and truly added to the experience.

The filet mignon and Angel food grilled cheese made for an outstanding meal.

It was an amazing experience. Best food, view, and service I have ever had. Will definitely be back!

The most amazing food and view I've ever experienced

My fiancé and I went for our birthdays. The meal was superb and the staff was gracious and on top of things. Their goal was to please you and make you happy. The view was to die for as the night lights of the city made the atmosphere.

We will be back

I loved the waiter he was very kind and gave great recommendations. He also provided good service. The views are amazing and in my opinion the best part of the dining experience. We were lucky enough to get a window seat and watch the sunset.

A perfect date night before our baby comes. My husband and I were totally satisfied!

I cant remember our waiters name but when i Tell you he was phenomenal the best experience that we have had in a long time with any restaurant he was so attentive and kind and caring I wish we could take them with us and put them in our pocket we definitely will be back

Our server was Tracey and the food and service were both great. We were celebrating and enjoyed the evening very much.

Another great dinner at Monterrey Bay. We love the menu and our server, Lina, was great! Our server in the bar before dinner was friendly and helpful as well. Great place!

Restaurant with excellent food and outstanding view of Pittsburgh

I've been eating here, occasionally, for 20 years. The food is always outstanding and this time was no exception. Not having been here for a long time, the new renovations done about 3 years ago are beautiful. The place is now very contemporary and elegant. They have changed to an al a carte menu and the food is pricier than ever, and for as good as it is, I think they have reached their limit of raising or maintaining existing high prices because of this change. I didn't like the fact that the signature two-crabcake dinner that was $38 a few years ago, but included 2 sides, was now still $38 just for the two crabcakes and I had to spend another $8 for one "sharable" side. Since I was by myself this amounted to mostly be take-home food. So my advice is to go with at least one other person and prepare to spend around $100-$130 per person if you have cocktails, a "starter" item and any dessert. What you are paying for is the spectacular view of Pittsburgh, whether it be day or night.

Truly some of the BEST food I’ve ever had in Pittsburgh! From drinks to food, every single thing we ordered was absolutely delicious! Not to mention, the VIEWS of the city are breathtaking! This is 100% our new favorite restaurant.

Party of four Anniversary celebration. VERY expensive. One cocktail, two salads, no sides, one dessert $275.00. Service outstanding. Food surprisingly just OK. Grouper was very "fishy". Portions small for price charged. Everything a la carte. Food presentation on plates disappointing. View of Pittsburgh - spectacular.

Recommended by a friend who is from Pittsburgh. A great recommendation!!!

My husband and I celebrated our first anniversary at Montery Bay.....we came here for our wedding dinner also. We had a marvelous time....wonderful food. The restaurant was stunning, view was awesome. Our server was fantastic. We will be going back for every anniversary. We have a special envelope that we put some money in each month....that is our Montery Bay money. Thankyou for a wonderful evening.

Monterrey Bay is my 9 year old granddaughter’s favorite restaurant. We have date night and we try to got here often. The service is outstanding and the food is excellent. It is the best view in Pittsburgh. We are looking forward to our next visit.

Excellent! Our server Casey did an outstanding job.
Her knowledge of the menu items, preparations and recommendations added to our experience.
The occasion was our mother’s birthday, we especially liked the birthday dessert Casey served with the special “Happy Birthday” message. This was our third time dining at Monterey Bay. Overall a very enjoyable dinning experience!

Amazing experience with outstanding service ! Definitely worth it ! Exceeded our expectations ! Thank you !

John,

Thanks again for a great evening. The quality of the food, service and ambiance was excellent! We will be back. Have a great week.

Always enjoyed this restaurant but my lemon sole and two others that ate with me also mentioned the fish was too salty.

Service and food was amazing. Took my husband their for his big birthday.

Amazing views of downtown Pittsburgh. Elegant venue but not stuffy. Food quality was very food but not excellent. My filet was very rare when I ordered medium rare. Crab cakes had a slightly odd flavor - not the best I’ve had. Service was great. Dessert was the vest feature of the meal. You are paying for the top notch view here.