Rudolfo's Cafe

Fried chicken Sundays are something that I’m adopting. Bloody amazing sandwiches, phenomenal service! Have also got desert here a few times and everything is delicious. Such a great establishment!!

Ernesto Hernandez

My family and I loved our experience here recently. All the food was fantastic. The dough on the pizza might be the best I’ve ever had. I would love to return and try the pastas in the future. Our Brussels Sprouts with pancetta were delicious. The Cesar tasted fresh and savory at the same time and the house made croutons gave the salad a delicate and not super hard crunch like store bought. We sat out on the sidewalk on a beautiful day and look forward to being back.

Caroline Mehls

I had such an incredible experience at Rudolfo’s. Even though I was dining solo, the team made me feel so welcomed and taken care of — truly some of the best hospitality I’ve had anywhere. The food was outstanding. The spicy rigatoni was perfection, the Caesar salad completely blew me away, and the dessert is absolutely not to be skipped. Everything was flavorful, comforting, and beautifully done. As someone who used to live here and comes back often, Rudolfo’s is my forever favorite spot. It’s the place I look forward to visiting every single time I’m in town, and once again it did not disappoint. An all-around amazing dinner. I couldn’t recommend more!

Stephanie Johnson

Amazing food I had the Pepperoni Pizza, which was amazing. The meatballs with the fresh focaccia bread was really tasty, the Brisket sandwich was amazing and the Burger was delicious. Fast and friendly service. Will definitely go back here.

Michael Ali

We came up to Pacific Grove for the Motorcycle Races at WeatherTech raceway. And where staying in Pacific Grove for the weekend. My partner in crime was looking for something different for dinner and found this little cafe on Yelp. Omg this place was amazing. Outside dining and Italian dining dishes that were out of this world. We managed to get in without having to book a reservation on short notice the staff there were very polite very helpful. I trade the lasagna and oh my God the portions they serve there were amazing so filling so good. My girl had a pear and apple salad with also some handmade lemon raviolis. They were delicious and for dessert she tried their dark chocolate Italian gelato hit the spot dinner for 2 this quaint little intimate little restaurant. I highly recommend if you’re staying in Monterey or in Pacific Grove it’s Fairly priced for what you’re getting in the service is amazing. We also found out that if you order a head special order, they do serve a very, very nice Tomahawk steak.! 🤓👍 we will definitely make this a regular spot every time we visit Pacific Grove and when we’re traveling the Bay Area

Sarah Mumper

DIED AND WENT TO HEAVEN! We started with apps: onion rings (normally a side), cheesy garlic focaccia, and pancetta balsamic Brussels sprouts Entrees included: spicy rigatoni with burrata (burrata was extra and 10/10 worth it), butternut squash ravioli with ricotta (ricotta was extra and worth it), organic beef lasagna, and parmesan crusted chicken. Desserts: s’mores cookie, birthday cake cookie and tuxedo cake. Didn’t have a bad thing and wish we could’ve eaten more! Rudolfo and his team run an efficient and great restaurant. Though it seems small in size, the portion sizes were hearty and every bite packs in so much flavor and we are SO excited to come back in the next couple months. This for sure will be a staple any time we visit Monterey.

Aveya Carter

Any meal here is great really however recently we really try to make it to their brunch . We have had so many of their items on the brunch menu and we never had a miss but we always order the breakfast burrito it’s one of our favorite breakfast items anywhere. If you can’t make it for brunch they have great pasta dishes and pizzas . On Sundays they have a pop up and we always get fried chicken sandwiches and Mac n cheese to go when we are on family outings to the beach or park . I wish I had got some better photos because this does it no justice. It’s a great restaurant for families or date night in a cozy location.

Marlene Ac

The apple bacon smoked half chicken and butternut squash risotto was absolutely amazing! Our server was the nicest ever! Great experience and food!

Fiona

We are locals and love Rudulfo’s. It is a hidden gem. We enjoy going on the weekends for breakfast. They have a wonderful brunch menu Friday and Saturday and a Heatwaves menu on Sunday with chicken sandwiches that are to die for. The breakfast burrito on Sunday is one of the best in the area and has an awesome cheese crust and sauce and it’s so good I forgot to take a picture before devouring half of it. They also have great cocktails. The atmosphere is very relaxed and they have outdoor seating as well.

Larissa Orison

Service was outstanding. They picked up my knife when I dropped it on the floor, brought out a side of marinara when I asked, replaced a dirty napkin on the table without even being asked and made sure water was full the entire time. Also, the carbonara noodles are some of the most unique and delicious noodles I’ve ever had! Live music was so beautiful. We got cheesy bread and fettuccine also as well.

Joshua Hutapea

My wife and I were visiting Pacific Grove for the first time and were looking for a good place to eat for dinner. Rudolfo’s knocked it out of the park! Our server was incredibly attentive, thoughtful with her recommendations, and a true delight with every interaction we had with her. We ordered the soup of the day, which lucky for us was an artichoke bisque- the best we’ve ever had. We also ordered the pesto tagliatelle, which was incredible. We took home a piece of chocolate cake that we have yet to try, but I’m here to say that if you find yourself in the area and want a lovely dining experience, please try Rudolfo’s. We will definitely be back. Hopefully sooner than later!

Ella

Fried chicken Sundays are something that I’m adopting. Bloody amazing sandwiches, phenomenal service! Have also got desert here a few times and everything is delicious. Such a great establishment!!

My friends will tell you how much I love to cook. Apparently, I'm quite good at it. My friends will also tell you I am a food snob. I was too tired to cook this evening and decided to get take-out from Rudolfo's for the first time. Apprehensive that the chicken in the Chicken Alfredo might be dry or overcooked (as it is in too many restaurants), I was delighted to find that it was (just about) perfect (a bit dry). The Alfredo sauce was absolutely creamy and perfectly balanced - no need for extra parmesan! I live for brussel sprouts on my plate. I have had them at several restaurants. I can tell you that Rudolfo's brussel sprouts are THE BEST I have ever eaten! Just enough balsamic, perfectly roasted and seasoned. Thank you

We were excited about dinner after some local friends recommended; seems like a popular spot for good reason; didn’t make reservations ahead so opted for takeout vs waiting an hour for patio table; food was ready quietly and delicious; wagyu burger on house bun was fresh and delish but the bees knees pizza - spicy pepperoni & honey with rosemary - stole the show. Amazing. Mouth watering. Will book a trip just to rerun again.

Not often that I write reviews, but the food here is very very good and I feel like I’ve had this kind of meal many many many times sort of bistro bar food, American food, Italian food and this was among the best, nothing super flashy just really tasty. Done a lot of Michelin Star dining and it’s nice to see restaurants do simple very well. The oxtail Bolognese was delicious and the ricotta was super high-quality. You can tell that the quality of ingredients here are very high. The jalapeño burger was absolutely enormous, and the quality of the beef was very very high and I ordered my burger, medium rare. I couldn’t help but eat all of it even though I was stuffed. The service is friendly and the sage Paloma was tasty and tart and not sweet at all which was nice. I will say the one thing about entering. The restaurant immediately is at the bright kitchen lights from the back or a little disturbing cause they’re like white fluorescent lights and it distracts you from the mood lighting, which is nice from the tables. Another customer did leave a bit of their tiramisu on the table outside on the patio and I couldn’t help myself but grab a spoon and take a bite myself cause I’d hate to seafood good to waste and I have to report. The tiramisu is good but not great. That said it was a rainy evening and the cake was probably sitting in the rain for a good 30 minutes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Theresa Houseman

My friends will tell you how much I love to cook. Apparently, I'm quite good at it. My friends will also tell you I am a food snob. I was too tired to cook this evening and decided to get take-out from Rudolfo's for the first time. Apprehensive that the chicken in the Chicken Alfredo might be dry or overcooked (as it is in too many restaurants), I was delighted to find that it was (just about) perfect (a bit dry). The Alfredo sauce was absolutely creamy and perfectly balanced - no need for extra parmesan! I live for brussel sprouts on my plate. I have had them at several restaurants. I can tell you that Rudolfo's brussel sprouts are THE BEST I have ever eaten! Just enough balsamic, perfectly roasted and seasoned. Thank you

Daniel Rowe

We were excited about dinner after some local friends recommended; seems like a popular spot for good reason; didn’t make reservations ahead so opted for takeout vs waiting an hour for patio table; food was ready quietly and delicious; wagyu burger on house bun was fresh and delish but the bees knees pizza - spicy pepperoni & honey with rosemary - stole the show. Amazing. Mouth watering. Will book a trip just to rerun again.

Overall I liked this place a lot! I took off 1 star because the service was quite slow. (Waited over 45 minutes for a refill of water.) Went here on a Saturday night and was busy, but was able to get a table. There is also a beautiful seating area outside available. Ordered the bread appetizer, pizza for my friend, a burger for myself, and the pumpkin cheesecake. Everything looked amazing and tasted wonderful. Also met the owner and he was extremely welcoming and kind. Military discount not offered here.

Very cute cafe with indoor and outdoor seating. Service was really friendly. Food took a while to come out of the kitchen even with just three tables dining (total of 7 diners). Pasta and burger were delicious. Chicken sandwich could have been amazing if it was a grilled chicken breast - unfortunately the breading and oil on the chicken took over the entire taste of the meal and it just tasted liked fried breadcrumbs. For the high price of the pasta, it should come with a small salad and garlic bread or something like that. The chips were too salty to eat.

Super cute spot for dinner on a Saturday night - esp seated outside where there's live jazz and a host of buzz across a number of restaurants with outdoor seating side by side. Rudolfo's is dog friendly, too! The brussel sprouts are to die for - so so so good! The penne arrabiata was good, but not special enough to be worth breaking my normal no-pasta rules. I ordered a margarita pizza to-go and, out of everything, that was truly disappointing - and not because it had to be eaten later. The crust is decent and thin, but not chewy. The tomato sauce didn't work for me - too much tomato-paste flavor - and there wasn't nearly enough cheese. I'd definitely go back for the Brussels alone - and the service was fantastic!!! Also, they had a great list of wines by the glass and many other things I'd like to try.

Matt Evans

Overall I liked this place a lot! I took off 1 star because the service was quite slow. (Waited over 45 minutes for a refill of water.) Went here on a Saturday night and was busy, but was able to get a table. There is also a beautiful seating area outside available. Ordered the bread appetizer, pizza for my friend, a burger for myself, and the pumpkin cheesecake. Everything looked amazing and tasted wonderful. Also met the owner and he was extremely welcoming and kind. Military discount not offered here.

RES RES

Very cute cafe with indoor and outdoor seating. Service was really friendly. Food took a while to come out of the kitchen even with just three tables dining (total of 7 diners). Pasta and burger were delicious. Chicken sandwich could have been amazing if it was a grilled chicken breast - unfortunately the breading and oil on the chicken took over the entire taste of the meal and it just tasted liked fried breadcrumbs. For the high price of the pasta, it should come with a small salad and garlic bread or something like that. The chips were too salty to eat.

Suzanne Frey

Super cute spot for dinner on a Saturday night - esp seated outside where there's live jazz and a host of buzz across a number of restaurants with outdoor seating side by side. Rudolfo's is dog friendly, too! The brussel sprouts are to die for - so so so good! The penne arrabiata was good, but not special enough to be worth breaking my normal no-pasta rules. I ordered a margarita pizza to-go and, out of everything, that was truly disappointing - and not because it had to be eaten later. The crust is decent and thin, but not chewy. The tomato sauce didn't work for me - too much tomato-paste flavor - and there wasn't nearly enough cheese. I'd definitely go back for the Brussels alone - and the service was fantastic!!! Also, they had a great list of wines by the glass and many other things I'd like to try.

First time here, we ate for brunch this morning. Pancakes were delicious but not enough berry compote for three huge pancakes. The eggs were so under the whites were see through (I ate them anyway because I was too shy to ask for them cooked more) the avocado side is half a avocado for four dollars and it wasn’t seasoned at all. My partner got the breakfast burrito I tried it, was delicious but needed a lot of salt. We def want to come back for dinner though!

Catherine O

First time here, we ate for brunch this morning. Pancakes were delicious but not enough berry compote for three huge pancakes. The eggs were so under the whites were see through (I ate them anyway because I was too shy to ask for them cooked more) the avocado side is half a avocado for four dollars and it wasn’t seasoned at all. My partner got the breakfast burrito I tried it, was delicious but needed a lot of salt. We def want to come back for dinner though!

Minerva Ong

Went for brunch. They seemed understaffed. Saw only one host, one server. It was perhaps a busier morning than they anticipated because of the PG Light House 5k. Breakfast Burger - wagyu beef cooked medium rare (without me having to say and without the server asking, yay!) and the maple bacon jam was so good. They gave me bacon instead of the avocado I asked for, but I was too hungry to wait for a correction so I didn’t bother to let them know about the error. I would have preferred more lettuce and tomatoes (there was only one slice of tomato and a folded leaf of lettuce). I set the bacon to the side to keep it crispy rather than letting it get soggy in the burger. Fried Potatoes (side) that comes with the Breakfast Burger was cold and some of the bigger pieces seemed to be almost undercooked (too hard). We were seated outside in the shade, so it was a relatively chilly morning, but I ate a couple different pieces of potatoes as soon as the plate arrived and all the pieces were definitely cold. Glad the burger was warm and cooked properly. I can air fry the leftover potatoes at home, anyway. Chicken & Waffles - chicken is good and not dry, but it is not as seasoned/flavorful as Winston’s. Single French Press (Brazil) - It’s OK but I wouldn’t order it again. It got cold fast. It arrived with the food instead of before the food and I’m the type to not drink anything until after I’m done eating. Or in this case, I would have drank the coffee prior to eating. But since food and coffee arrived at the same time, I decided to eat before my food gets cold. He gave two large paper cups even though I ordered a French press for one, so I let him know one cup is enough. I also expected a mug, not a paper cup, for my coffee. It was also weird to receive a dipping cup of what looked and tasted like milk—which they brought as a standard side of the coffee. Weird because I’d think cream is standard. Also weird because they could have asked if I needed milk/cream/sugar. Took my coffee to go but couldn’t finish it because it got too cold and tasted bad and I saw a bit of coffee grinds in my cup. It was hard to get their attention when we wanted to request hot sauce. This was another reason why I didn’t want to bother them about how I ordered avocado but got bacon instead. They didn’t really check on us at any point—which wouldn’t have been so bad if they also didn’t run away when we were yelling “excuse me!” and raising our hands to get their attention, even walking towards them at one point. They were nice when we *did* have their attention, though. The habanero hot sauce is really good though! Very spicy and seems made in-house. I’d want it as a staple in my home. Despite all the hiccups, I’d still be willing to give this place another try in the future.

Don't order coffee. It's about the worst coffee I have ever tasted. Don't order the burrito unless you don't mind greasy tortillas. The menu has no prices. Actually, I didn't see a price listed anywhere. We ordered 1 burrito, 2 chicken tenders and 1 carnitas sandwich. The total, including the nasty coffee, but not including tip was $100. We were served on take-out containers though we had not ordered take-out. On the other hand, taking the food home was a good idea and we did leave. The food WAS tasty and it the portions were generous. The seasoning is on the heavy side, but in general the food tastes good though a bit too spicy. Lastly, would we go back? The answer is no, except that I might go back to taste their gelato ice cream. The main warning is check the price of the items unless you don't mind a surprise at checkout and whatever you do don't order coffee.

Charles Pappa

Don't order coffee. It's about the worst coffee I have ever tasted. Don't order the burrito unless you don't mind greasy tortillas. The menu has no prices. Actually, I didn't see a price listed anywhere. We ordered 1 burrito, 2 chicken tenders and 1 carnitas sandwich. The total, including the nasty coffee, but not including tip was $100. We were served on take-out containers though we had not ordered take-out. On the other hand, taking the food home was a good idea and we did leave. The food WAS tasty and it the portions were generous. The seasoning is on the heavy side, but in general the food tastes good though a bit too spicy. Lastly, would we go back? The answer is no, except that I might go back to taste their gelato ice cream. The main warning is check the price of the items unless you don't mind a surprise at checkout and whatever you do don't order coffee.

I have tried Rudolphos three times, and after my last trip to the restaurant I regret to say I will likely not return unless changes are made. Not because of the food, which I think is good, but because of the attitude of the staff and the owner and lack of consideration for the needs of their guests. The first complaint I have is that my boyfriend and I were kicked out of the restaurant after only being there for one hour and fifteen minutes. We were in the middle of dessert and I wasn't finished with my wine when we were asked to leave at 7:00 because of an incoming reservation in fifteen minutes. One hour and fifteen minutes is not a long time, and there were plenty of empty tables in the room. If we needed to hurry up, I would have appreciated knowing when we booked our reservation or when we were seated, but we dine out frequently and find that most restaurants wouldn't be so impolite as to rush us out after only one hour and fifteen minutes at our table. My second complaint is the trip to the restaurant before the last one, around one month ago. I ordered the lasagna and found it to be lacking in noodles. It was mostly meat and cheese with two pieces of noodle: it felt unbalanced and I only had a few bites before I asked for something else, and when the owner brought back another dish it was a reduced portion size. He didn't seem happy that I raised the issue, and I felt uncomfortable pointing out the reduced portion size because he seemed irritated and disgruntled. My third issue is the owner's response to some of the reviews for the restaurant. When I went to consider making a review I read through the ones that already existed, looking for a pattern. One alarming thing I noticed is an unprofessional attitude from the owner when responding to complaints. I see a fragile ego, entitlement, and a lack of hospitality and courtesy shown towards people who had a less than positive experience. My advice, if you are wise enough to consider it, would be to treat your guests with consideration and care. Be hospitable and welcoming, because you rely on your customers to keep your business successful. Don't overbook reservations too close together so people will feel welcome and valued. Not just like numbers who are lucky to be there. Listen to complaints with warmth and understanding, and don't take them personally. Restaurants are easily replaceable but loyal clientele is not. I regret that this review had to be made, but I felt like after being treated so inappropriately this was warranted and necessary.

R G

I have tried Rudolphos three times, and after my last trip to the restaurant I regret to say I will likely not return unless changes are made. Not because of the food, which I think is good, but because of the attitude of the staff and the owner and lack of consideration for the needs of their guests. The first complaint I have is that my boyfriend and I were kicked out of the restaurant after only being there for one hour and fifteen minutes. We were in the middle of dessert and I wasn't finished with my wine when we were asked to leave at 7:00 because of an incoming reservation in fifteen minutes. One hour and fifteen minutes is not a long time, and there were plenty of empty tables in the room. If we needed to hurry up, I would have appreciated knowing when we booked our reservation or when we were seated, but we dine out frequently and find that most restaurants wouldn't be so impolite as to rush us out after only one hour and fifteen minutes at our table. My second complaint is the trip to the restaurant before the last one, around one month ago. I ordered the lasagna and found it to be lacking in noodles. It was mostly meat and cheese with two pieces of noodle: it felt unbalanced and I only had a few bites before I asked for something else, and when the owner brought back another dish it was a reduced portion size. He didn't seem happy that I raised the issue, and I felt uncomfortable pointing out the reduced portion size because he seemed irritated and disgruntled. My third issue is the owner's response to some of the reviews for the restaurant. When I went to consider making a review I read through the ones that already existed, looking for a pattern. One alarming thing I noticed is an unprofessional attitude from the owner when responding to complaints. I see a fragile ego, entitlement, and a lack of hospitality and courtesy shown towards people who had a less than positive experience. My advice, if you are wise enough to consider it, would be to treat your guests with consideration and care. Be hospitable and welcoming, because you rely on your customers to keep your business successful. Don't overbook reservations too close together so people will feel welcome and valued. Not just like numbers who are lucky to be there. Listen to complaints with warmth and understanding, and don't take them personally. Restaurants are easily replaceable but loyal clientele is not. I regret that this review had to be made, but I felt like after being treated so inappropriately this was warranted and necessary.