Simran Dhillon

Was greeted at the front by one of the owners to go over the menu who helped answer questions about vegetarian options and was very welcoming. The server Joe was amazing at going over options as well as gave us a rundown of the specials. The bloody Mary was amazing. The pizza was crispy and had great amount of toppings. The clam chowder bowl was filling and tasted great! Overall a place you need to experience!

Joe Joe H

After our abysmal experience at the Old Fisherman's Grotto, we were pleasantly surprised how Abalonetti was the total opposite (see pictures). They were very friendly and welcoming. The atmosphere was more pleasant and relaxing with better views. We got our food faster than I thought we would. The calamari was tender and not rubbery. The clam chowder was perfect, and it's probably the best one I've tasted on the wharf. The Lobster Ravioli was probably my favorite! Our hostess was very pleasant. She even interacted with our toddler and gave him an oyster shell for him to play with. He held onto it the entire trip home. This was, overall, a wonderful experience and we would definitely come back when we visit Monterey!

+4

Anthony Elisarraras

Nestled along the beautiful Embarcadero of Monterey, Abalonetti offers an inviting dining experience that blends remarkable ambiance with unforgettable flavors. The moment you step inside, the atmosphere envelops you, setting the stage for a truly relaxing meal. This is not your typical coastal spot vying for attention—there’s no need for someone outside beckoning you in. The tasteful decor and welcoming vibe speak for themselves, making it clear that Abalonetti is a standout among the area’s many dining options. During our visit, we were treated to a perfectly timed lunch while savoring cocktails at the bar. The hand-made clam chowder, served in a warm, crusty bread bowl, was as rich and hearty as you’d expect from a scratch kitchen. Alongside, the shrimp sandwich and crisp, fresh salad rounded out the meal beautifully. Abalonetti takes pride in crafting each dish, down to most of their condiments, which elevates the flavors and gives a personalized touch that’s rare to find. The kitchen’s dedication to quality and the team's seamless coordination add to the restaurant's charm. Abalonetti is the kind of place that doesn’t need to call out to diners on the street—the quality speaks volumes. If more people knew how thoughtfully each plate is crafted, they'd understand why Abalonetti has no trouble filling tables on its own. This gem is more than just a restaurant; it’s an experience worth savoring with each visit.

+4

Steven Tringali

Wonderful experience. The lobster ravioli with pesto and prawns was delicious, as was grilled chicken fettuccine and pizza. One entree didn't come out to our liking and they were professional and took good care of us.

Libby Wales

Absolutely delicious salmon tacos. Highly recommended! My friend had the calamari sandwich which was good but not amazing. The fries were great though. My other friend is vegan and they only had plain bread 😂 so review is purely based on my tacos so order those! Our server I think she’s called Odie was so sweet and helpful too!

A great restaurant spot in the Old Wharf. We sat at the bar, where the service was friendly and quick. We enjoyed the calamari plate that was perfectly tender served with fresh lemons, tartar sauce, and cocktail sauce.

Richard Kanazawa

We have been to this place on several to Monterey and enjoyed the experiences. However our last visit was extremely disappointing because our entrees were poorly prepared. My wife had a grilled fish special that included three items which were all overcooked. I had the cioppino which is the specialty entree and it had seafood which was not fresh nor flavorful and in small quantities. The supposedly Dungeness crab was obviously previously cooked and the other shellfish was bland clams. There was no fish and no mussels. We go to restaurants that provide consistently good food and once we have a poor meal we move on. It’s sad to say about Abalonetti’s but we have the memories of the past experiences that we enjoyed.

Cassandra Benavidez

The restaurant is clean and servers are friendly. We ordered calamari as an appetizer and received complimentary sourdough bread and butter. Not a lot of places have crab sandwiches but this one did. I just wish they would have added more crab and used a sandwich bread instead of hamburger buns

Susan Ng

Went there mainly for abalone. Didn’t like how they made it. But the clam linguine and the ciopino are great.

Located at Old Fisherman’s Wharf, this restaurant is one of the more affordable spots in the area and it’s pet-friendly, which is why we decided to try it. The restaurant isn’t very big but has a nice view of the water, and there’s outdoor seating for guests with pets. They have a small pet menu with only two choices: chicken or beef. We ordered the grilled beef for our Pomeranian, but it seemed a bit oily. Complimentary bread and butter were served. The chowder soup was just okay. The Abalonetti Original had soft, flavorful calamari, and the Linguine Alfredo was decent with pasta cooked al dente. Overall, a reasonable place to eat if you’re visiting the Wharf with a pet, though the service at the door could be more welcoming.

Erika Gardner

We arrived for our Open Table reservation- the proprietress had difficulty with the reservation. We had requested a window table. There was one set up but it was for a larger party. After some pleading on our part, we got the table and the larger setup was moved (that party never showed up). The place was pretty empty, so I don't understand why we were given hard time fulfilling our request. We started with a shared cup of chowder which was hot and tasty. The rest of the food was just okay. My boyfriend had fish & chips which were fine, except that the kitchen used a panko breading instead of the traditional batter. (Traditional is far better) I had the salmon salad. The salad was very lackluster and the salmon was over seasoned. Our waiter started off great but faded away after we received our dishes. He did show us a fun trick with our wine cork (see photo). Since there were so few patrons, the dining room was quiet. Not a horrible experience, but I would not go back.

Sarah Cordial

Needed a reprieve from walking so stopped in for a quick bite; we were seated right away. Unfortunately, our table wasn’t completely in the shade and it got hot very quickly. We loved the outdoor area, but dining furniture clearly needed a refresh. The service was friendly enough, but slow and disorganized. We ordered a side of fries, calamari appetizer and a California shrimp cocktail. The fries were crispy and well seasoned. The calamari was tender, crispy and also well seasoned. The shrimp cocktail wasn’t what we expected; it was more a Mexican style shrimp cocktail versus the traditional poached & chilled shrimp served with cocktail sauce. It didn’t matter to us either way as we like both ways. The cocktail however, needed more heat. We thought the shrimp were too small; it got lost in all the other flavors and it ate a little slimy. For our beverages, we ordered a soda, old fashioned & an IPA. The old fashioned tasted fine but not the best. We paid $81.45 (with tip) which seemed reasonable, but definitely will check out other places next time we are in the area.

Camila Chirinos

This is the first bad review I’ve ever felt compelled to leave in my entire life. Just moved to California, showing my dad around, we chose this establishment because of the dog menu as we have our dog with us. First, my dad is a tourist, not from this country nor lives here, just visiting me, English is not his first language. He was trying to understand the types of beers and what was included in Happy Hour, the waitress told us the two options for HH, left, came back, offered a Lager she hadn’t before, what my dad wanted, but said it’s not included in HH, so he chose something else. A minute goes by and a man comes along, the bartender we presume, saying the waitress didn’t understand. He was very rude to my father who was just trying to understand the beer differences as we are not familiar with American beers (as we are tourists!), he ended up telling us he doesn’t drink beer so he doesn’t know anything, this was informed very rudely. I understand not knowing, but I don’t feel like it’s outlandish to ask an establishment about the beers they serve. We ended up getting something my father didn’t like just out of pressure of how rude this man was being. I got wine, fine, nothing to comment on it. And calamari to share with my dad and go with it. I have had fried calamari all my life, I come from a coastal city. I didn’t even finish it. I spent all the rest of the afternoon/night with a stomach ache and couldn’t hold down anything else after that. The service overall was bad, like we were inconveniencing the waitress by being there. I should’ve tipped nothing but I tipped 20% because I am a believer people can have bad days and it doesn’t define them, maybe they were having a bad day (again, first bad review in my 25 years on earth). But the cherry on top, I got the beef dog menu for my dog, he ate all of it, supposedly just a beef patty chopped up from what I saw. My dog is not picky, nor fancy, he eats anything and everything and never gets sick. As soon as we got to the hotel he vomited, which later turned worse as he got severe diarrhoea, and consequently dehydration and fever, I thought he was dying for a second there. We’ve been at the vet for hours, been up since the middle of the night. He has refused to eat or drink anything after it so I know it’s this. My bill was around $40-50, but after a beer untouched, calamari barely eaten, the dog meal, and the $$$ vet bill, plans cancelled from today’s itinerary, etc, this is officially the most expensive glass of wine I have had the whim to sit down and have. I regret stopping here. Do better.

Mike

HORRIBLE ESTABLISHMENT, the waiter came only 20 minutes after we sat down at the table. She took the order for drinks and left with such a disdainful expression on her face, after 10 minutes of talking with the bartender she returned to take the order, after some time she brought a plate with lemon for 2 pastas, something similar to a quarter of a lemon, but the problem is not only this but also that it was lying on a DIRTY plate, after another 20 minutes they brought the order. and just as we were about to start eating, I noticed that I didn't have any utensils, and I politely asked the waitress to bring me a fork, to which she left with a displeased expression and brought me a dirty fork not wrapped in a serving napkin, just in her hands holding the part that I was supposed to eat, unfortunately I didn't have time to examine the others, because my family was hungry and started eating, after which I asked the kitchen assistant to bring me a new fork, he brought a fork that was already wrapped, it wasn't very clean at the time, but I had already resigned myself to it, because I wanted to eat faster and go home to rest, but then the next surprise awaited us, my wife found metal shavings in her seafood pasta. to which I asked to call the manager, they told me I had to wait, after which after some time the bartender came, listened and asked “how can I compensate for this incident”, immediately after this question the waitress came and he immediately ran away, she collected the plates and left with such an expression on her face as if it wasn’t them who had ruined my evening, but I who wanted to feed her something dirty and it’s not clear what to feed her

+1