Passionfish

Name: Passionfish
Address: 701 Lighthouse Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA, United States, 93950
Telephone: (831) 655-3311
Price range: $31 to $50
Rating: 4.7

4.7

6771 Reviews

$31 to $50

Seafood

Top Tags:

Passionfish offers a unique California dining experience with serious food and realistically priced wine in a fun and casual atmosphere. The ever-changing menu features the freshest, sustainable seafood, slow-cooked meats, organic greens and delectable desserts, all complemented by an award winning wine list priced nearly retail. Passionfish is owned and operated by Chef Ted Walter and his wife Cindy Walter. They are vocal advocates for sustainable seafood education and were the first officially certified 'Green' restaurant in Monterey County.

Make a reservation

Party Size

2 people

DateTime

Sep 23, 2023

7:00 PM

Booked 44 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Cuisines
Seafood, American
Hours of operation
Dinner Daily 5:00 pm–8:45 pm
Phone number
(831) 655-3311
Website
http://www.passionfish.net/
Payment options
AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Ted Walter
Private party facilities
Passionfish offers two rooms available for private dining. One room seats up to 30 persons and another up to 60 persons.
Private party contact
Cindy Walter: (831) 655-3311

Location
701 Lighthouse Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA 93950
Neighborhood
Pacific Grove
Cross street
Congress Ave
Parking details
Street Parking
Additional
Banquet, Beer, BYO Wine, Corkage Fee, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Featured in

68 Monterey Area Restaurants to Love This Valentine's Day

Popular dishes

What 6,771 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7

4.7 based on recent ratings

4.6Food
4.7Service
4.4Ambience
4.4Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

California Central Coast
Innovative
California Central Coast
Seafood
Monterey / Carmel
Best Value
Monterey / Carmel
Innovative
Monterey / Carmel
Healthy
Monterey / Carmel
Great for fine wines
Monterey / Carmel
Seafood
Monterey / Carmel
Most Booked

6,771 Reviews

n
normk
San Diego
21 reviews
vip
3.0
21 reviews
Dined 3 days ago
overall3food3service4ambience4
Fish selection was small (3 choices). Both entrees ordered were just average in taste.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Sacramento
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 3 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience4
Wonderful meal! Service was excellent. Provided isolated seating as requested. Best biscuit I have ever had. Bought two to go.
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MV
MarkV
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 7 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
It was awesome as usual it was another outstanding experience
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d
donnal
Greater Boston
14 reviews
vip
5.0
14 reviews
Dined 7 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
Passionfish exceeded my expectations, which were high! Outstanding food and wine pairings. A truly memorable meal, at a very reasonable price too.
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PW
PeterW
Sacramento
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined 7 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
Great tasting food (biscuit!). Very pleasant feel. Efficient service. Some nice touches(superb hot tea).
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L
Linda
San Joaquin
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined 7 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
Very quiet place to eat a gourmet meal. Don’t live in the area but love to come and visit when I am in town.
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V
Visitors
San Francisco
10 reviews
vip
5.0
10 reviews
Dined 7 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
This is our go to restaurant when visiting Monterey. Food is always outstanding. Duck. Confit was excellent. Halibut with Red Curry sauce, apple slaw, Sugar peas was great.
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RD
RubenD
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 15, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Great service and great food! Enjoyed the duck and scallops. Highly recommend both dishes. Great selection of wines!
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MM
MarianneM
San Francisco
9 reviews
5.0
9 reviews
Dined on September 15, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
100%. Service, ambience, scallops, halibut, wine. Loved the absence of loud music so we could actually hear each other without raising our voices. Classy yet casual resto.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Central Coast
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on September 15, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
I ordered a shrimp dish- delicious! It was accompanied by white beans. They had a great flavor and a bit spicy which I was fine with. My husband ordered the scallops, roasted radishes and a rice custard. Also very delicious! The experience is totally worth it. Best bus person we have ever had! He was excellent! He knew his job and was on top of things always. Waiter was OK. This was our second visit and we would go again if we are in the area. Last suggestion- must order the biscuits, don’t share, one each!
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DR
DocRB
San Francisco
28 reviews
vip
4.0
28 reviews
Dined on September 15, 2023
overall4food4service5ambience4
Very innovative menu. It all seems to work. Would be 5 star if my mussels on pasta with butter sauce had more flavor in the sauce. (suggestion: add some Pernod) The mussels themselves were excellent, could not be fresher nor better. The wine list is outstanding and the prices very fair. Try the Rare Wine Co Madeira Malmsey with the bread pudding is not to be missed. White wines were served too cold, as they have served for years. I have been enjoying this restaurant for years. Previous visits rate 5 stars even with the too cold wine.
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L
Lovegoodfood
San Diego
18 reviews
vip
5.0
18 reviews
Dined on September 14, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
We always make a point of having dinner here when we are visiting the area. Food is always excellent and creative. Wait staff is very knowledgeable about the dishes, and can be relied upon to offer good suggestions. The restaurant is not to be missed.
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KK
KenK
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 12, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
Passionfish was a great choice for our 30th anniversary dinner. We loved the mixed field greens salad, the sea scallops, and the duck confit. And the service was outstanding, including accommodating my wife's scooter.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Toronto
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on September 11, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Beautiful place, lovely service, fresh and delicious food.
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KL
KatLL
San Francisco
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on September 7, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Lovely birthday dinner. Friendly, attentive, respectful service. Delicious food. Quiet, relaxed atmosphere.
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JS
JSA1
New York Area
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on September 5, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Pitch Perfect. If you are looking for a low-key fish restaurant with superb food and a killer wine-list, Passionfish is pitch perfect. Beautifully conceived, innovative menu with a deeply thoughtful and not expensive wine list. Lovely decorations and vibe. Will be a regular for sure.
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SO
StanOnMars
Palm Springs
20 reviews
3.0
20 reviews
Dined on September 4, 2023
overall3food2service4ambience4
Wonderful service, but the food was not quite up to the expected quality. Let’s start with the beet salad which was oily and had an odd curry flavor which was very unpleasant- perhaps the chef has a vastly different palate than other chefs? Then there was the duck…overcooked and mushy. We sent the beets back but ate the duck. Oddly enough, the house salad was the best - maybe because it was the least touched. We left hungry and would have ordered more but decided to cut our losses.
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CP
ColemanP
San Francisco
3 reviews
4.0
3 reviews
Dined on September 4, 2023
overall4food4service3ambience3
We selected the following options on 9/3/2023: -scallop appetizer -smoked trout appetizer -trout entree -halibut entree (prepared with the method/seasonings of the scallop entree because the original preparation was said to be quite spicy) Everything was very well prepared and the balance of flavors were well done. Definitely a place to visit for well-executed seafood.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 4, 2023
overall5food4service4ambience4
Passion fish is always consistent. The food is fresh and tasty. We can’t recommended enough.
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m
mogilenski
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 4, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
My second experience here, as delightful as the first. Staff are friendly, not scripted, food well crafted and great wine selection
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H
Huda
San Francisco
45 reviews
vip
5.0
45 reviews
Dined on September 4, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience3
The service provided by Adam was outstanding!! The only thing we were disappointed in was the noise level - way too high. We felt like we were inside a steel drum.
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NC
NorCalGal
Las Vegas
19 reviews
vip
5.0
19 reviews
Dined on September 3, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
Big, busy restaurant but still à friendly feel. Waiter very nice and attentive. I had the Vegetable Tagine which was delicious and had many layers of flavors to keep it interesting! My husband had Crab Salad and the Smoked Trout Tostaditos. Crab Salad had sesame, ginger, citrus dressing. Very good. Smoked trout was very flavorful, spicy and vinegary. We very glad we tried it and will definitely go again.
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SR
SusanR
San Francisco
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on September 3, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
We always love passion fish. Our favorite restaurant.
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TR
ToriR
San Diego
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on August 31, 2023
overall5food3service5ambience5
Service was wonderful. Loved our server. Very attentive. The biscuits seriously were to die for. Next time that’s all I am going to eat. Big time addiction waiting to happen! I loved my scallops but for the price should have gotten more.
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RB
RuthanneB
Exclusive
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on August 30, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
Food was excellent. Our scallop/rissotto/artichoke cake was really tasty. The scallops were perfect. Biscuit is a steal for $3! Just like homemade. Chocolate sorbeto was superb. Wine and beer list very good, Highly recommend the Japanese stout,
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TR
TimR
Central Coast
6 reviews
4.0
6 reviews
Dined on August 29, 2023
overall4food5service5ambience4
The food was fabulous, good prices, service was perfect. Noise level made it hard to hear the persons at our table.
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M
Mmvb
San Francisco
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on August 29, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Prompt and attentive service, though not overbearing. The food was spot on. Wanted to try everything.
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SB
SouthBeachResident
Dallas
59 reviews
vip
5.0
59 reviews
Dined on August 28, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4
We thoroughly enjoyed our meal. My suggestion would be to occasionally change the menu choices.
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SS
ScottS
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on August 27, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Fantastic food and wait staff, the bread pudding was incredible so save room for dessert.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Sacramento
4 reviews
vip
3.0
4 reviews
Dined on August 27, 2023
overall3food3service3ambience3
The sauces, spices and flavoring are just way too odd for me. Nothing here is “classic.” Not a place to go for a well cooked piece of fish in a lemon butter sauce. Fish is well cooked but everything else is trying too hard to be “unique” or whatever. Nothing here is safe. My favorite part of the entire meal was the simply cooked snap peas without bizarre spices. But if you’re looking to be challenged, this might be a good fit for you. Won’t be back.
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DH
DianaH
Central Coast
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on August 26, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
What a delightful experience. This was not our first time dining at Passion Fish abcs we were not disappointed as usual. The food was delicious ,the staff was very knowledgeable about the sourcing of the food and It’s preparation as well as the helping us choose a wine. Overall excellent. We will be back soon!
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DM
DanM
Orange County
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on August 25, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
We had been to Passionfish a few years ago and were looking forward to going back to celebrate my husband's birthday. We have an excellent meal starting with the dungeness crab salad which was really unique and flavorful. We each had the scallops which were cooked perfectly. We would definitely go back again.
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G
philippeG
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on August 23, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience4

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LL
LauraL
San Francisco
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on August 23, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
We both were celebrating birthdays and couldn't have picked a better place. Wonderful food, friendly and knowledgeable service, a nice open floor plan, understated decor, really it was all perfect. We didn't find the prices unreasonable for what we got in appetizers, entrees, and dessert. All were wonderful. Looking forward to eating here again.
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G
Gigi
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on August 23, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
They brought me out a scoop of ice cream with a candle for my birthday even though we didn’t order dessert.
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AP
AgeProf
San Francisco
13 reviews
5.0
13 reviews
Dined on August 23, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Wonderful, as always. The only true fine dining experience in Pacific Grove. Only wish there were 1 or 2 other fresh fish options on the menu.
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RB
RobertB
San Francisco
29 reviews
vip
5.0
29 reviews
Dined on August 23, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
My wife and I love this restaurant. We live 4 hours away but always dine at Passionfish when in Pacific Grove. We shared the beat salad. Many flavors. Good choice. My wife ordered the scallops and said the dish was delicious. I had the halibut entree. Excellent presentation and tasty dish. Spicy sauce on the side to control the heat. Mud Pie dessert was oh so good. We will return.
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m
melena
Detroit
17 reviews
5.0
17 reviews
Dined on August 21, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience5
Was great dinner. I chose vegetarian options with lentils and curry fish and an appetizer.Adam was excellent server. Thank you for a great dinner!
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JM
JudyM
San Francisco
32 reviews
vip
4.0
32 reviews
Dined on August 21, 2023
overall4food3service5ambience4
Our waiter was wonderful. The salads & starters were very tasty. I was with my husband & another couple. We all commented that it’s nice when a restaurant isn’t afraid of spice & flavor. Then the entrees arrived. My duck confit was dry & overcooked as was my friend’s scallops. My squash was too soft & watery - not pleasant. We all agreed the entrees were meh. Desserts however were excellent. I thought the prices were reasonable for food & wine but I don’t think I’d return. Update: I was impressed that the restaurant reached out to us in an effort to make the experience better. It may be a while before we’re back in the area but we’re willing to give it another shot.
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MT
MikeT
Minneapolis
165 reviews
vip
5.0
165 reviews
Dined on August 20, 2023
overall5food5service5ambience3
We started with ceviche that was exceptional. Also a beet salad that was equally good. The halibut was also terrific. The duck too. The meal was all-around excellent. And our table was ready at our reservation time.
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Safety precautions

Cleaning & sanitizing
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Common areas deep-cleaned daily
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers

Protective equipment
- Waitstaff wear masks
Screening
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
- Staff is vaccinated

FAQs

Passionfish offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (831) 655-3311.

Passionfish is rated 4.7 stars by 6771 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

Party Size

2 people

DateTime

Sep 23, 2023

7:00 PM

Booked 44 times today

Order delivery or takeout

701 Lighthouse Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA 93950

Additional information

Cross street
Congress Ave
Neighborhood
Pacific Grove
Hours of operation
Dinner Daily 5:00 pm–8:45 pm
Cuisines
Seafood, American
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Street Parking
Payment options
AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Ted Walter
Additional
Banquet, Beer, BYO Wine, Corkage Fee, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.passionfish.net/
Phone number
(831) 655-3311
Private party facilities
Passionfish offers two rooms available for private dining. One room seats up to 30 persons and another up to 60 persons.
Private party contact
Cindy Walter: (831) 655-3311

Featured in

68 Monterey Area Restaurants to Love This Valentine's Day

Passionfish

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Featured in

68 Monterey Area Restaurants to Love This Valentine's Day

Popular dishes

Sea Scallops

Duck Confit

Beet Salad

Menu

What 6,771 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Safety precautions

Cleaning & sanitizing

Protective equipment

Screening

FAQs

Does Passionfish offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Passionfish restaurant rated?

Is Passionfish currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Featured in

68 Monterey Area Restaurants to Love This Valentine's Day