16 Best Restaurants in The Monterey Bay Area, California

The menu here is mostly Mediterranean and southern French, with such dishes as osso buco and paella. The decor follows suit—stone walls and country furniture lend the restaurant the earthy feel of a European farmhouse.

South American artwork and artifacts decorate Passionfish, and Latin and Asian flavors infuse the dishes. The chef shops at local farmers' markets several times a week to find the best produce, fish, and meat available and then pairs it with creative sauces like a caper, raisin, and walnut relish.

In surf lingo, "the pocket" is a perfect riding spot within a barrel-shape wave, and this Italian–Californian restaurant is likewise a perfect (casual and unfussy) gathering spot for those who seek first-rate food, wine, and cocktails. The chefs craft seasonal menus that focus on seafood, fresh pastas, curries, steaks, and braised meats.

Patrons of this bluff-top perch sip classic cocktails, sample California fare, and watch the otters frolic on Lovers Point Beach below. The sunset discounts between 4 and 5:30 (reservations recommended) are a great value. For the best views of the beach and bay, sit on the heated outdoor patio.

A large old tavern with cathedral ceilings houses this popular bistro, where the Mediterranean--California menu changes seasonally, but regular highlights include paella, seafood puttanesca, and pepper-crusted rib-eye steak with Cabernet demi-glace.

European country cooking is the focus at this lively roadhouse, where specialties include roasted meats, seafood, pastas, and thin-crust pizzas from the wood-fired oven. It can get noisy inside; for a quieter meal, request a table outside.

This restaurant inspires European-style celebration and romance in an intimate French-country setting. Feast on authentic dishes from southern France and northern Italy—think beef tartare and escargot. Private dining is offered at Van Gogh's Table, a relic from France's Auberge Ravoux, the artist's final residence.

A festive dining room with a fireplace at the Casa Munras hotel is the setting for meals featuring modern and classic versions of empanadas, crispy Spanish octopus, flash-fried wild Gulf prawns, and five types of paella. Midweek specials abound—on Tuesday night, feast on a three-course prix-fixe paella dinner ($38 per person), bottles of wine are half off on Monday, and Wednesday wine flights are just $16 for three tastes.

Local artwork features prominently at this petite, romantic café in a tile-roof cottage. Featuring organic produce from area farms, the seasonal Italian menu might include wild-mushroom risotto; bouillabaisse; marinated chicken with apricots, currants, and olives; and roasted beet salad with wild arugula, goat cheese, and pistachios.

Chef Kurt Grasing draws from fresh Carmel Coast and Central Valley ingredients to whip up contemporary adaptations of European-provincial and American dishes. Longtime menu favorites include fresh farm-raised abalone, a savory sausage and seafood paella, and grilled steaks and chops.

Chef-owner Kericos Loutas personally sees to each plate of food served at this romantic, unpretentious French restaurant. Order the pan-roasted duck breast or the pork medallions with wild mushrooms or white wine sauce; or, if you can't decide, choose the three-course prix-fixe dinner.

Sophisticated yet unpretentious European-inspired California cooking is the order of the day at this intimate and stylish bistro, whose seasonal menu might include such items as seafood risotto or crispy duck breast in a pomegranate reduction sauce. The creative concoctions poured at the slick marble bar include whiskey mixed with apple and lemon juice or tequila with celery juice and lime.

To get to this romantic spot overlooking Soquel Creek, you can take a cable car or walk the stairs down a steep, fern-lined bank beside a running waterfall. Dining room options include the rooftop Redwood Room, the wood-paneled Wine Cellar, the creek-side, glass-enclosed Greenhouse, the Fireplace Room, and the airy Garden Room.

Fun, dressed-up American favorites—a little something for everyone—are served in this renovated early-1900s stone farmhouse several miles east of town. The kitchen cranks out everything from Cajun-spiced prawns to meat loaf with marsala-mushroom gravy to grilled ribs and steaks.

Chef and restaurateur Rich Pèpe heats up the night with this lively trattoria downstairs and swinging rooftop terrace, the Star Bar. Pèpe's elegant take on traditional Italian cuisine yields dishes such as risotto made with local seafood, spicy Calabrian sausage, and lobster reduction sauce, crab ravioli, and velvety limoncello mousse cake.

Inventive dishes—made with 100% organic and locally sourced ingredients—live music, and a friendly staff are among the reasons why this intimate, ocean-to-table eatery is packed on weekends. Everything is fresh as it gets, from fish-and-chips, Monterey Bay bouillabaisse, and whole roasted fish of the day to local greens with spicy vinaigrette.