If you're searching for restaurants in Monterey, start on Alvarado Street. Most of downtown Monterey's best-known kitchens sit within a few blocks of each other, and if you're staying at The Monterey Hotel, you can walk to dinner. Here's where locals send out-of-town guests, and why each spot earns its place on the list.
Where should you eat on Alvarado Street?
The Monterey Hotel sits right on Alvarado Street in the heart of downtown Monterey. Three kitchens anchor the block, and each one does something different. Sur Burger, at 409 Alvarado Street, grinds out burgers built around bold, unusual flavor combinations, and it's been a local favorite long enough that regulars already know their order before they sit down. A few doors over, Rosine's Restaurant has served Monterey families comfort food since 1980, now in its third generation, the kind of place where the server remembers how you take your coffee by your second visit. And Alvarado Street Brewery & Grill, right in the middle of the block, pours its own craft beer alongside a full dinner menu, open seven days a week from late morning into the night.
What's the pick for a nicer dinner out?
Montrio Bistro, two blocks over at 414 Calle Principal, is the one worth booking ahead for. It's set inside a 1910 firehouse that still shows its bones in the exposed brick and the tall ceilings, and the kitchen has built its name on locally sourced ingredients, a Michelin rating, and a standing spot on Monterey's own list of its greenest restaurants. Dinner runs Sunday through Thursday from 4:30-9pm, and Friday and Saturday until 10pm. If you want a white-tablecloth night without the drive down to Carmel, this is it.
Is it worth the walk to Cannery Row for dinner?
Cannery Row is close enough that plenty of guests still make the walk, especially with a stop at the aquarium along the way, and far enough that a short rideshare is the easier call if you'd rather save your legs. Once you're there, Chart House, at 444 Cannery Row, is the restaurant guests ask about most. Think steaks, slow-roasted prime rib, and a dining room that looks straight out over Monterey Bay. It's touristy in the best sense, the kind of view worth waiting for a table.
What about Old Fisherman's Wharf?
Old Fisherman's Wharf is the other classic Monterey dining stop, a working harbor turned into a row of seafood restaurants, shops, and whale-watching boats that leave right from the docks. It's a flatter, more direct walk from the hotel than Cannery Row, past the Alvarado Street shops and down toward the water. Expect chowder served in sourdough bowls, fresh catch boards, and a view of the resident sea lions that doesn't cost anything extra.
Any other restaurants in Monterey worth knowing about?
Two more worth keeping in your back pocket. Monterey's Fish House, a rustic seafood spot on Del Monte Avenue, has picked up Monterey County's Best Seafood Restaurant title more years than not. And if Rosine's didn't make it onto your dinner list the first time, its weekend brunch is enough of a reason to come back the next morning.
If you want to keep the evening going once you're back at the hotel, The Monterey Hotel's Wine & Stay Package comes with a $40 gift certificate to Comanche Cellars Wine Room, right next door, worth asking about when you book your room.
Where should you stay to make all of this walkable?
The Monterey Hotel's 69 rooms sit inside a Victorian building right on Alvarado Street, in the middle of everything above and a short walk from the Monterey Conference Center and the weekly Tuesday Farmers Market. Rooms split into two wings: historic rooms with hand-carved furniture, antique details, and plantation shutters, and deluxe rooms with more modern finishes and a gas fireplace in select units. The hotel's dining page features great local spots you can dine at. For more of what's nearby beyond dinner, the hotel's guide to local attractions covers Cannery Row, the aquarium, and the rest of downtown.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the best area near The Monterey Hotel for restaurants?
Alvarado Street. It's the block the hotel sits on, and it covers casual burgers, craft beer with a full dinner menu, and sit-down comfort food within a two-minute walk of each other.
Does The Monterey Hotel have its own restaurant?
No. The hotel doesn't serve breakfast or operate a restaurant on-site, but is surrounded by great options no matter your taste.
How far is Cannery Row from The Monterey Hotel?
Far enough that most guests drive or take a short rideshare rather than walk the whole way, though the route is flat and scenic for anyone who wants to make it on foot.
Do you need a reservation at Montrio Bistro?
It's worth booking ahead, especially on weekends. It's one of the smaller, more in-demand dining rooms downtown, and walk-in tables aren't guaranteed.
Can you walk to Old Fisherman's Wharf from the hotel?
Yes. It's one of the easier walks on this list, flatter and more direct than the route out to Cannery Row.
However you spend the evening, staying on Alvarado Street means dinner is never the thing you have to plan your day around. Pick a place, walk over, and spend the rest of the trip on everything else Monterey does well, the aquarium, the bay, and the stretch of coastline just past the Row.