Domenico’s On the Wharf

Johnny, who was greeting and offering chowder samples to everyone, delivered phenomenal service! He was kind, informative, and boasted about Domenico’s chowder and seafood without being too pushy!
He mentioned the great service we’d get at the bar, the ocean view seating, and some menu items he’d recommend. We went with all of his suggestions and wound up having a lovely meal and drinks with a great view!
If it hadn’t been for Johnny, we would’ve missed out on a very memorable date! We’ll definitely be back! Thanks Johnny!

Came to eat some lunch expecting bland tourists food, expectation busted! Food was delicious, my sons had fish and chips and chicken fingers. both satisfied! Wife had Cioppino (pricey but well worth it) I had calamari steak and that was on point!.. service was great! Overall a great experience and all we’re satisfied!

We had a great experience there last weekend. Food and service were excellent. I had a reservation for two but then ran into two friends they accommodated us very quickly. we were all very satisfied with our meals had a window seat also.

Free Calamari with your check-​in! Although they honored this offer, I had to explain to the server what it was. They don’t seem to know that management offered freebies!
My calamari was kinda damp and not crispy.
The Tiger Prawns in Garlic Pasta was great though.

Ok… Brian the Bartender is the absolute best!!! Great drinks… Great conversation!!!
Give that man a raise!!!
Food was awesome to… Don’t go anywhere else!!!

The Seafood Alfredo is to die for! Don’t try their specialty, Ciapono is gross! Uncooked mussels, bland fish, and frozen crab.
Service is very attentive!

While the views are rather nice, everything else is mediocre. The food was reheated. I ordered the grilled sardines. They were not grilled, dry and reheated. The halibit tacos tasted like dry cardboard. To top it all, the service was poor. All the food arrived at once, appetizers and entrees, and the drinks were brought 20 minutes later, after several requesta.
We had to clear our own table bc there was ko room and the restaurant was not busy at all.
Don’t fall into any traps of restautants on the wharf bc they are tourists traps.

I haven’t tried the food yet and I’m already giving this place 1 star. Why… let me see where I should start…
First we got here about 30 minutes early. We figured we’d have a drink and then dinner to follow. While waiting in a rather long line (we were pointed to the line by the gentleman outside) we were mixed with ppl who who checking if the wait was long and ppl like us checking in with a reservation? We were approached by a women warning us that they had been waiting for 30 minutes and counting. When I happily said «we have reservations» her response was «we do too»
Now this was an issue I had already read about on Unilocal.I fully understand that things happen so I chose to overlook that issue when making our first year wedding anniversary reservations
Issue number 2. we finally make our way to the front of the line. We check in and let the nice young lady know we we’ll be sitting at the bar. We find 2 seats and are greeted by a bartender who takes our order. We promptly receive our drinks but immediately are cashed out? The bartender doesn’t even offer to keep a tab open. we overlook it but shortly after a couple sits down and orders a round of drinks and low and behold the bartender keeps the tab open. Now this offends my husband tremendously. He is African American and I am Caucasian and we have experienced discrimination before (note the place was predominantly occupied by Caucasians and the couple who sat down after us were Caucasian so it immediately felt very inappropriate that we were cashed out after one round of drinks? When my husband asked the bartender why was that he then said there was a glitch with the computer and they had to cash us out? It seemed very far fetched.
Issue number 3… we’re seated and by the window ! We have a seat and we’re told our waitor will be with us shortly. We sit and wait. And wait… no one takes our drinks order. no one brings us fresh bread like we notice at the other tables. Our waitor shows up and takes our order. I order filet mignon and lobster and the waitor immediately tells me the price of my order? Being offended by the bartender already I felt left to wonder was this another insult or a jesture of consideration?
We finish ordering and before I could say something the waitor was off and we had no bread or drink order placed. After what I felt to be a significant amount of time to go by without any goodies in a basket or a offer of so much as water I decided to take matters into my own hands and flag down a waitor to ask. Eventually I was noticed and our request was taken. Maybe 3 to 4 minutes AFTER we asked another waitor, our waitor came by to let us know bread would be coming out the oven shortly??? Heard we told someone else already… sounds like it.
The food was okay… the mash potatoes and the vegetables were delicious while the king crab and filet mignon were mediocre.
All in all it was a not so pleasant experience and taken into consideration how expensive of a venue it is I would have definitely expected better service.

My wife and I came here to get out of the house, and probably to celebrate something. It is the type of restaurant that seems very classy and high end, but the waitstaff might be the dressiest people there, which seems appropriate with their locations right on Fisherman’s Wharf in the middle of tourism central.
Fantastic seafood, excellent service, and even a local menu which boasts a 3 course meal (with many options) for $ 14.95 per person. You could not get Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo this good for under $ 20 alone! My wife had the Chicken Marsala. Our appetites were appeased.
A special thank you (which shouldn’t have to be mentioned, but it’s important) to the waitstaff and owners who are always so kind and respectful to us, treating us with the same care and consideration as any other heterosexual couple. We always feel most welcome.

A must read review!
I don’t even know where to start. My wife and I were looking for a place to have lunch. We ran into Dominic (owner of Café Fina and Domenico’s on the Wharf). We were trying to eat at Café FIna, but Dominic advised us that it was closed but his other restaurant «Domenico’s was open. Most people say don’t go to this place but since I was talking to the owner, I figured his word would mean something. I specifically asked Dominic if the steamed muscles, salads, and clam chowder was the same as Café Fina. He explained that everything was exactly the same. My wife and I took his word and tried out a place most people say not to.
We checked in and were seated. Our Server was Hector P. (waiter), who ended up being the only good thing about the restaurant. We ordered the steamed muscles, which were not the same as Café Fina (completely different sauce). We ordered bread that was as hard as rocks. We ordered a different salad, as there we couldn’t find the same one they serve at Café Fina. Our main dishes was a bowl of clam chowder. Our clam chowder came cold to us. I finally let Hector know that this meal was unacceptable, especially when the owner Dominic told us that this place serves the same food, which is a complete lie.
Hector, came back saying that he couldn’t find the manager and when he finally found him the manager, he approved to take off $ 23.00 dollars. I couldn’t believe that after I told them I was recommended by Dominic, this is how I was treated. Not to mention Dominic completed mislead us.
It is no wonder, everyone tells me Fisherman’s Grotto is the best place to eat on the Wharf. I didn’t want to believe all the bad reviews on Café Fina and Domenico’s but now I understand. If an owners word doesn’t mean anything, it is no surprise that these two places get so many bad reviews.
Learn from my mistake «avoid these places at all cost!» Go to Fisherman’s Grotto, their owner is true to his word. The food is great and the service is great!
When we finished with this horrible experience, we walked over to Café Fina to speak with Dominic. Roxanne advised us that he was gone. I left my contact number. We shall see if Dominic «the owner» cares enough to following up.
Story to be continued…
I figured I was pretty clear on my feedback. However, if Dominic Mercurio owner of Café Fina and Domenico’s on Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey is requesting my «TBA» story. Here it is Unilocal Nation.
Unilocal Nation, if the angry response from Dominic doesn’t confirm my story and the lack of customer service these establishments have. I ask you to do your own research and make your own judgement. Unilocal has been establish for real customer feedback, so the general population can make an informed decision about where to go. You will find that the majority of my reviews are good reviews.
Both restaurants that Dominic owns are closing on a 3-​star rating with a few hundred reviews. Need I say more? I think Unilocal Nation has spoken about how they feel regarding these two restaurants. Again, don’t take my word for it Unilocal nation, do your research and make an informed decision.
I hope this satisfies your request Dominic. I truly hope you find it in your heart to raise the level of your customer service through the feedback/​areas of opportunity to make your establishments EVEN better for your future customers.
Best Regards!

5÷1÷16: On the way back from camping in Big Sur where we cooked all our meals over open fires and camping stoves, we were all super eager to eat some nice restaurant food for a change. I’ve been to Old Fisherman’s Grotto a zillion times though, so I wanted to try something new, and so we ended up here. Well, we picked this place because it had the least number of unfavorable reviews, but alas I think Unilocal’s rating of 3.5 stars was pretty much about right.
The place was about ½ empty (due to us coming at an odd time of ~4−5pm), but despite the lack of customers service was very slow. There were very long delays between dishes. But since we were all pooped from a weekend of hiking, I guess we just didn’t care that much at the time. But anyway, just FYI.
Food was alright. Some good. Some bad…
1. Hanh, SLH Chardonnay $ 9: It was okay. A little light, somewhat bland. I don’t normally drink white wine though, so what do I know… ⁵⁄₁₀
2. Fried Calamari $ 11.95: I think this was the best thing I had of the meal. Fried perfectly. Buttery. And the calamari was soft and tender. Nice flavoring. Pretty darn good. Their tartar sauce was also quite nice with a very nice and special flavor. ⁸⁄₁₀
3. Oyster Half Shell $ 14.95 (½ dozen): So, of course the oysters tasted fresh. But alas, all the oysters had bits of broken shell in them, and it was just unavoidable to get some teeth-​grinding shell in your slurps. Also, $ 15 for a ½ dozen oysters is a bit more than typical. ⁴⁄₁₀
4. Mixed Seafood Grill «swordfish, salmon, and prawns on the grill» $ 24.95: Not bad. I did explicitly tell the waiter, «Please do not let them overcook the fish” – and I did see him make a note when I said that. Appreciated that. And sure enough, they listened – all the fish was properly cooked, moist and soft. I would say though that despite being cooked well, they were lacking a bit of flavor, though I did appreciate the char from the grilling. Was good, but I think some better seasoning would have done wonders. ⁷⁄₁₀
5. Pacific Swordfish $ 24.95: My gf got this, and I think I would make the same comments as I did for their Mixed Grill. Nicely cooked, but missing something. But they could have done far worse as the fish was quite moist, and often swordfish could easily turn to chalk. ⁷⁄₁₀
6. Dessert Shots $ 13 (mousse, cannoli, tiramisu): Can’t recommend this one. Something went wrong with the chocolate mousse as it had a grainy texture, like there was an emulsion separation. Probably shouldn’t have been served like that. The cannoli was ordinary, but not bad. The tiramisu was also a disappointment. It was mostly cream, and the cake that was in there was cold and stale. Edible, but probably should pick something else. ³⁄₁₀
I think if I had to pick between Domenico’s or Old Fisherman’s Grotto, I think I would pick Old Fisherman’s. But honestly, I think next time I really should go to The Grotto Fish Market, which based on the menu they have displayed outside appears to have a far better variety of fresh seafood.
³⁄₅
#american #seafood

Many places on the wharf claim the best ‘chowder’, so I’ll say that it is a preference based thing. Domenico’s is our favorite because of the bacon that they add. Bread bowls count as an entry and if you get two you get a free appetizer which isn’t necessary with the portions… but, hey — don’t look a gifted horse in the mouth. Service is friendly and the view of the wharf is nice. Recommend this place to visitors and locals looking for some chowder.

Nice restaurant, very clean, great views of the water. Service was excellent.
I got the seafood Alfredo which I thought was pretty good, my wife ordered the mixed grill. She did not care for it and thought all of the fish was overcooked and dry.

More like 2.5 stars really…
I so badly wanted to be impressed by this place, but at the end of the day, it was just average. We were a party of six and our entrees ranged from excellent to poor. Portion sizes were also inconsistent. One member of our party ordered the cedar planked sockeye which was displayed outside as a special. Her portion, while tasty, was literally half the size of what was displayed.
I personally was quite disappointed with the clam chowder. It tasted very bland, and had very little substance to it; it was almost paste-​like in consistency with no chunks of potato or clam.
One plus is that they had an English Ales beer on tap. Good to see local brews represented.
All in all, Monterey has too many good places to waste time on this one again.

Twilight Dinner Menu
I had the Fish And Chips on Thursday ⁴⁄₂₁. They Were Great. Lightly beer Batter Fresh Cod with French Fries. A good Portion I ws Full

Ate here this weekend with my boyfriend, I’m 18 years old and my boyfriend is 20 and we have money and like to eat well and go to nice restaurants and I understand we look young but people don’t treat us equally and that’s not cool with me and so here I am writing this review. Came in here for dinner Sunday night… First I saw a man outside giving away free samples of chowder well when we approached the restaurant he didn’t offer us any at all… All he said was «uhh are there two of you?» And pointed and told us to
Go inside. We got sat immediately in the corner where the servers bumped into me frequently and it was noisy I couldn’t even hear my date. We ordered drinks and our meals and the service was fine, except that I noticed every table around us was getting bread rolls and we weren’t so that was rude. My clam chowder was more on the cold side. We got calamari as an appetizer and that was good. My boyfriend ordered the Cioppino and I ordered crab stuffed shrimp. My boyfriend had the best meal his life and hasn’t stopped talking about how good his Cioppino was since we left this placd. However, my food was not so good. IT WAS SO SALTY. it made my stomach hurt because it was so salty. I was disappointed but my boyfriend was not. Will probably not return and try other places nearby.

This was one of four restaurants we visited on Monterey’s Fishermans Wharf, and the one with the very best breaded calamari!
We were visiting on a Friday lunch hour under rainy skies –weather kept the crowds down in early March. Every where left and right hawkers cried out for us to try their claim chowder samples, with business cards giving a free appetizer with an entrée purchase.
We checked out Domenico’s, tried their claim chowder, took their card, and walked in.
Beautiful restaurant, with white table cloth, white cloth napkins, silverware, flowers. Superb ambiance, very romantic setting.
We were seated immediately right next to the window overlooking the harbor, far enough away from a kid making car noises, playing with his toy –very considerate of the staff, fortunately for us!
Great view of the seagulls, seals, and the occasional otter floating on its back eating abalone, amid the flotilla of small boats anchored among the pier.
This restaurant is different in requiring two entrees to be purchased to get the complimentary breaded calamari appetizer. However when it arrived, it was well worth it –by far the biggest calamari appetizer that we tasted during our weekend in Monterey. Perfectly cooked with a very light breading, not overcooked, not rubbery, just right blend, with a minimal of breading.
The wife ordered the breaded oysters with spinach –not my favorite, but she loved it, and hadn’t had oysters in years.
I got the fish tacos with pico de gallo sauce –bit chunks of tomatoes in a mild sauce over two huge fish tacos –about 1.5 inches in diameter –the biggest fish tacos I ever had. Very fresh in two corn tortillas each, covered with chunky tomato sauce, with onions and raw cabbage, and spicy sauce on the side.
This was enough as is, but the waiter presented a tray of desserts that we couldn’t turn down. We shared a chocolate cheese cake covered with chocolate syrup –decadent, but delicious!
After tip and tax, $ 41.71 for a very filling lunch for two. Now if we had gotten that abalone that the otter floating on its back in front of us was eating, the bill would have been double that!
Which goes to show what even the restaurants can’t compete in freshness of food with every one!

I have dined at this restaurant many times when I have visited Monterey, and have never been disappointed. Most recently, I went there for lunch, and enjoyed a very good swordfish entrée for about $ 19.00.
The service was friendly and attentive, and the restaurant has terrific views. (There is a ledge outside the bay side windows, and brown pelicans were walking and roosting on it — one right outside my window! You also have a great view of the harbor, with boats, seals and sea lions swimming by, birds coming and going, etc.)

My family really enjoyed Domenico’s. It’s definitely a great place for groups. The location is good, especially if you are visiting the warf. There is plenty of parking in the adjacent lots. The food is fresh and the service is friendly and accommodating.
I made reservations well in advance for a table for six by the window. Four of my family members have never been to Monterey, so I thought sitting by the window would just add to their experience. We had three from Missouri, including one 12 year old and my SIL from England. They enjoyed it a lot especially my nephew.
Three of us arrived early, so we sat in the bar area and had beverages. The staff was fantastic and accommodating. When the other party arrived, we were seated right away by the window in the main dining room.
Everyone ordered different things. As for myself, I ordered the oysters Rockefeller and the Sardines, both fantastic. I knew I wanted the sardines because they are fresh in Monterey. Think about it folks, Monterey used to can sardines! Cannery Row? ;) My brother in law ordered them too and there was two different reactions at the table. He wasn’t to keen on all the little bones and having to work at removing them. I was okay with it because I grew up in a Filipino household where deboning your fish with the heads on it was 100% normal. He did like it but wasn’t sure it was what he expected.
As for the oysters Rockefeller… Yum!!! Fresh and perfect! I’ve had this dish at other places where they add so many toppings, I think it was to disguise the geriatric oysters! The OR here had the correct proportions so you could taste the oysters.
So Yay for Domenico’s and thank you for putting up with our motley crue. :)

This was my first time at the Old Fisherman’s Wharf. This was like the Vegas strip of seafood restaurants. Almost every location had someone outside trying to get you to try their version of clam chowder. The lady at Domenico’s sold us. She assured us this would be the best. Better than San Francisco. It was pretty delicious. Italian!
We were both not very hungry, so we sat at the bar. I got a bloody mary and he got a happy hour cadillac margarita ($ 5). We decided on food about halfway through our drinks. I got the crab cake sandwich and he got the open faced crab melt. The melt, for the price, was a bit steep. It was considerably smaller than what my sandwich was. He still enjoyed it. My sandwich was pretty amazing. The crab cake was not super overcooked, it was fresh and the aioli was delicious!
Our bartender was super sweet and made us feel like we were at his own house. I would definitely come back to Domenico’s.

Bom restaurante. O espaguete com lula/​polvo estava uma delícia. Muito bem servido e bom preço. Bom atendimento. A localização é excelente pois pode-​se ver a marina e os leões marinhos a partir do Pier de Monterey.