Sardine Factory

4.5
2694 reviews
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$31 to $50
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Seafood
Top Tags:
  • Special Occasion
  • Good for Anniversaries
  • Good for a Date
Every city has that one can’t miss restaurant, where celebrities feel at home and every other guest feels like a celebrity. Since October 2, 1968, The Sardine Factory’s cachet has made dining in our historic Cannery Row setting a tradition for world leaders, sports heroes and entertainment icons. Our award-winning chefs prepare delectable creations of fresh, sustainable seafood and USDA Prime Dry Aged Beef; winner of Restaurant Hospitality Magazine’s "Best Wine List in America" award. The Lounge’s live entertainment, Happy Hour and affordable menu are a casual alternative to our other dining rooms. Celebrating over 49 years under the same ownership and management! Voted "Best Restaurant in Monterey" by Monterey County Herald and Carmel Pine Cone readers.
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Delivery or takeout
Order online
Dining Style
Fine Dining
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Cuisines
Seafood, Steak
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Hours of operation
Dinner: Sunday 5 PM to 10 PM Friday & Saturday 5 PM to 11 PM Monday through Thursday 5 PM to 10:30 PM.
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Phone number
(831) 373-3775
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Website
http://www.sardinefactory.com/
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Payment options
AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, JCB, MasterCard, Visa
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Dress code
Business Casual
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Private party facilities
For over 49 years the Sardine Factory restaurant has been creating distinctive and memorable private events for discriminating customers. Whether a family gathering or corporate event, our professional and warmly attentive staff assists in coordinating each detail, eliminating stress and ensuring that the planning is as enjoyable as the event itself. The Sardine Factory offers three unique and elegant dining rooms, which provide a choice of ambiance for groups of 12 to 220 guests. Personalizing an event to your group's particular needs is our specialty. Call our Private Events Manager at 831-373-3775 to discuss how The Sardine Factory can help you to create an unequaled memory for your private party. http://sardinefactory.com/private-events/
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Private party contact
Dawn Rodriguez: (831) 373-6625
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701 Wave Street Monterey, CA 93940
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Neighborhood
Monterey
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Cross street
Prescott
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Parking details
Enter off of Wave Street ascending the driveway. Self park Sunday through Thursday with self park or valet service available Fridays and Saturdays.
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Public transit
MST stop less than 2 blocks away on the corner of Wave St. & David.
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Entertainment
David Conley at the Piano Tuesday through Saturday.

David has been a professional musician since the age of 17. He has played in numerous bands, opening for various acts such as Steppenwolf, Black Oak Arkansas, Rick Derringer, Crash Test Dummies and more. Versatile and accommodating David takes and plays requests from Led Zeppelin to Elvis Presley to the Everly Brothers.
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Entertainment, Fireplace, Full Bar, Gluten-free Menu, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Menu

What 2694 People Are Saying
Overall ratings and reviews
Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant
4.5based on recent ratings
4.4
food
4.6
service
4.6
ambience
4.0
value
Noise · Moderate
89% of people would recommend it to a friend
5
4
3
2
1
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OT
5.0Dined 2 days ago

Service was impeccable. The meal was delicious!

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TA
5.0Dined 2 days ago

We brought our 4 month old baby and stroller to the Sardine Factory and the staff was happy to accommodate us. We sat in the Conservatory which was beautiful! Service was attentive, friendly, and knowledgable and the food was delicious! I highly recommend the scallops!

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OT
5.0Dined 2 days ago

Every single staff member was noticeably friendly. The food was great. The wine list was ridiculous! We had a great meal. We will be back

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OT
1.0Dined 3 days ago

Reservation wasn’t really a reservation. They didn’t have a table for us until 30 minutes later. Service was nonexistent. Took 2 hrs to get food! Loud and chaos, overwhelming piano bar scene. This is a night club, not a restaurant. Food was cold and marginal quality.

There are many fine choices in Monterey, avoid Sardine Factory!

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S
5.0Dined 4 days ago

Dan was a wonderful server, we really enjoyed the food. Every time that we come there it is lovely.

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D
4.0Dined 6 days ago

I had a good time at the Sardine Factory! Staff and service were excellent, food was very good, decor and arboretum charming. Famous abalone soup was worth it and mussels were delectable. Steak was fine. I worried in advance that it could be just a tourist trap but it appears to be a solid institution that provides a reliably good experience. I look forward to going again when I'm in town, delightful.

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BF
5.0Dined 6 days ago

Abalone is the best in California. Great dinner and excellent service.

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FB
5.0Dined on July 11, 2018

Great evening - good, ambience, service all excellent.

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BF
5.0Dined on July 11, 2018

My wife and I especially loved the World Famous Flaming Sardine coffee drink. Fantastic.

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OT
5.0Dined on July 10, 2018

My wife’s favorite spot-her dish was outstanding-I ordered one of the specials it was ok

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TO
5.0Dined on July 10, 2018

We came for a special occasion, and the staff made it a very memorable experience. We were treated to a special “palate-cleanser” as well as a dessert, and the seafood was some of the best we’ve eaten. The dining room was elegant and the service was outstanding. Very appreciative of the effort they gave us to commemorate our night.

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K
5.0Dined on July 9, 2018

Firstly I was greeted by Riva who took me to my table. He was very pleasant and asked if I had a preference in table and I did not. I was sat in an intimate table by the fireplace and it was perfect.

My server was mark and he did a phenomenal job recommending menu items and when I asked about wine he forwarded the information to the Sommelier Stephen who was quite pleasant and chatted with me about wine and the Somm process.

Rigo the manager also touched base at my table. So it’s safe to say that overall service was outstanding and you really get treated as though you are the only table there.

My dinner did not disappoint I had the burrata and I highly recommend it. The portion was generous.

For my main course I had the petite filet w/ bone marrow and I substituted truffle butter. It was a perfect medium with a nice charr to the outside yet still moist and tender. As a side I had the asparagus and hollandaise. I should also mention that along with bread at the beginning of your meal you get a house made hummus, butter, and marinated olives that my server assistant was kind enough to box up for me at the end of my meal.

I finished my dinner and was given a detailed tour of the wine area aka the catacombs by Stephen. After the tour I finished up my wine in the bar area with Angelo where the staff continued to give warm service and even made sure I had a mode of transportation back to the hotel. (Lyft) overall a wonderful, relaxing, professional and delicious experience. I highly recommend.

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DI
5.0Dined on July 9, 2018

IT WAS OUR ANNIVERSARY AND THE GUYS TREATED US TO A NICE DESSERT. VERY IMPRESSED

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OT
5.0Dined on July 8, 2018

Exceptional experience. Food was superb, service exceptional.

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M
4.0Dined on July 8, 2018

The conservatory is beautiful, the food very good, the service good, and the price high. For a special occasion, this is great. The swordfish was fantastic.

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NM
5.0Dined on July 8, 2018

Nice place, a little bit expensive, huge vine list, excellent clam chowder.

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OT
5.0Dined on July 8, 2018

Had a belated birthday dinner with mom and our attendant was most pleasant and warm. We felt so at home we were relaxed and enjoyed our auspicious function.

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OT
5.0Dined on July 7, 2018

One of the best things we had for dinner was the Shrimp Scampi Rogatoni. It was phenomena!!!

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OT
5.0Dined on July 7, 2018

Amazing. Can’t wait to go back. Food and service were both exquisite.

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OT
5.0Dined on July 7, 2018

So delicious... service was attentive but not obtrusive...best escargot ever!

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KP
3.0Dined on July 5, 2018

We saw a feature on the restaurant in a Rick Stein program on the BBC which prompted us to try out the restaurant- the staff are lovely, the restaurant is nicely decorated the only slight disappointment was the food - it was edible and slightly above average quality but compared to other restaurants in a similar price bracket (circa 300 dollars for starter, main, wine, coffee and 2 drinks incl tax and tips for 2 people) we felt the quality just wasn’t there.

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MF
5.0Dined on July 4, 2018

Phenomenal food. We were treated incredibly well and had a wonderful birthday dinner.

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t
5.0Dined on July 3, 2018

Such a great place if you like things done the right way instead of what's right at the moment. Food is always outstanding and service top drawer. Great place for a truly memorable meal.

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PT
5.0Dined on July 3, 2018

Great service , knowledge of wine, fish was great. Hasn’t changed in 40 years.

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S
5.0Dined on July 3, 2018

we had a very pleasant dinner at the Sardine Factory, our waiter Mark was attentive and professional. I highly recommend the Sardine Factory for that special occasion,

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k
4.0Dined on July 2, 2018

Our server was very attentive. The sommelier was great. He gave us a tour of the wine room/cellar downstairs and gave history of it to my son and daughter-in-law who had never been to the Sardine Factory before. A fun dessert was the sorbet in a swan ice sculpture. They also gave us a special dessert for our anniversary. I will say our food was a bit better the last time we dined there.

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JC
3.0Dined on July 2, 2018

The staff was courteous and professional. I ordered the octopus appetizer but it had only a few pieces of octopus, mostly lettuce, and I had to search for any octopus. From the menu description it appeared there would be more octopus. Ordered the bone marrow appetizer but it had hardly no marrow, it was almost totally bread filling. Again, the menu description made one believe you were getting bone marrow but it was not so. This customer felt cheated because the menu described 1. Octopus and 2. Bone marrow. I got neither except for traces of the food I thought I ordered.

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RM
5.0Dined on July 2, 2018

The service provided by Rachel was excellent and the food and ambience made for a very memorable anniversary.

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OT
5.0Dined on July 1, 2018

Great food and service. A wonderful experience and must try!!

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OT
5.0Dined on July 1, 2018

The filet mignon was flavorful, juicy and smooth like butter. I ordered the 10 oz filet medium well. The filet was so thick, it did take extra time to cook, but our waiter warned us of this when ordering. My only complaint was that the middle of the steak was not as “medium well” as I would’ve liked. There was some bloody juices. I paired my steak with a lobster tail. The lobster was a good size, fresh and cooked perfectly. My friend ordered the salmon, which she truly enjoyed. The twice baked potato is the best I’ve ever had. Service was great. This place is definitely pricey, but you get what you paid for. I will definitely be coming back in the future!!

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JG
5.0Dined on June 30, 2018

Birthday and anniversary great food and service thank you enjoy ever moment

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B
5.0Dined on June 29, 2018

As usual, excellent food, good service, lovely atmosphere just a great experience! Expensive, Yes! But great for a special occasion.Our group had the pork chop, sand dabs, salmon special, and the filet mignon medallions. All were excellent. The only negative, besides the expense, is that it does tend to be a little noise.

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F
5.0Dined on June 28, 2018

Wonderful food, staff and ambience. Excellent value for a memorable evening.

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S
5.0Dined on June 28, 2018

Our dinners were delicious and the service was very good. We always enjoy going to the Sardine Factory. We have been going to the Sardine Factory for 49 years! We have enjoyed many special times there!

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TN
2.0Dined on June 28, 2018

Portions were stingy; Ahi quality was good, "Sea-bass" special did not seem to be sea bass; skin was too crusty/over-cooked - had an ammonia overtone. Wine by the glass was not poured from a bottle. Wine was OK but for $14, the bottle should be presented.

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SS
5.0Dined on June 27, 2018

We enjoyed our meals and cocktails at the Sardine Factory. The ambiance and service is excellent, and the quality of the food goes without saying! Fabulous!

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OT
5.0Dined on June 26, 2018

Mark was amazing as our server. 5 Star service

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KO
5.0Dined on June 25, 2018

I really, really enjoyed this restaurant which, despite being in the heart of a very touristy district, was very, very good and did not feel like it was in the heart of a tourist district. It felt like my favorite local spot.

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TM
5.0Dined on June 24, 2018

Very classy with that old style restaurant sense of service. Very attentive staff and good menu, including excellent desserts. Place to go for a special meal!

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OT
5.0Dined on June 23, 2018

Great food. The conservatory was beautiful!

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