The Crown and Anchor

great classic british pub much more authentic than brittania arms 3 blocks east. crowded on weekends parking at public bldg structure 2 blocks east. popular with defense institute students. many great restaurants close by.

This pub is great. It’s in close walking distance of the Marriott hotel in downtown Monterey. The service is great, and the food is delicious. We had the calamari, featuring homemade tartar and homemade cocktail sauce. The calamari was fried to perfection, and the sauces were tasty. We also ordered the divine potato wedges, served with chili, salsa, sour cream, and chives. Our server was cheerful, helpful, and attentive. The owner of the bar circled the tables and spoke with us on several occasions. Prices were reasonable. I’d highly recommend this place for anyone wanting to relax in a casual atmosphere, have a few drinks, and taste some great pub food.

My roommate has been begging me to come here for months, so I finally gave in and went downtown with her. I am SO glad i did. When we got here I was surprised that it is a below street level bar. That was really different but I was into it. The décor is pretty heavy but you definitely get an England vibe.
Our server was a super friendly guy who made sure we were receiving the best service. I wish I could remember his name, I want to say it was Kevin, or Steven or something like that hahaha. We both got draft beers and we spilt an order of curry fries. TRY THE CURRY FRIES EVERYONE SO GOOD! then we ended up splitting everything else for the evening including pasta with prawns and bailey’s cheesecake type dessert. This place is so fun and so good!

*THIS* is It ! Our Go-​To place when we come to Monterey for the Jazz Bash.
So convenient to the Convention Center, and our lodging ! For several years now, we’ve
made it our first stop after a day’s travel; checking in at our (nearby) hotel, then enjoying the friendly environment at Crown & Anchor. which comes/​has come before… with excellent service… and the food ! As good as we’ve had in any such «genuine-​pub» establishment.
What can we say, except… we’ll be back while we’re here… and again, next year.

Good service good beer. Plymouth platter and fish and chips were decent. What appeared to be house made cocktail sauce was really good. Nice beer selection. JP waited on us and did a really nice job. He was attentive but not annoying.

I moved to Monterey years ago and every time I drove by here I thought «That place looks amazing, I have to try their food!»
I’m so glad I did. I tried the Friday night special of Prime Rib and even though it was overcooked it had good taste. I just prefer my meat to be pretty rare so it was a bummer. Timing the cooking of meat is difficult and you can’t always get it right. Not wanting to risk another piece of Prime Rib I ordered their Bangers and Mash. They were so good. The sausages were very mild, tender and had amazing flavor. The mashed potatoes were very good. Not being a fan of salt I was happy that the food wasn’t full of it, either.
My Dad enjoyed his meatloaf immensely. Their prices are pretty hard to beat for the amount of food, quality of food, service and their location. I can’t wait to come back.
Our server last night was Adrienne or Adrianne. I can’t remember the proper spelling of her name and she was super cool about the switching of the food and helping me get just what I was looking for and I got my replacement meal quickly. Hopefully when I return I have her again as my server.
Be aware that this place is a pub and it is pretty loud and the intimate ambiance you may be looking for can’t be found here but it is pretty cool.
I highly recommend this place.

Food is OK. Curry fries are definitly unique and tasty. Plus they have a GF menu which is super helpful for those of us with an intolerance. The one star review is based on service.
The multiple times I went during my two year stay in Monterey, I can say that only two waiters were friendly and just plain awesome — usually the guys who take care of the people on the patio. Inside service was hit or miss, and bouncers were consistantly rude. Maybe you don’t like latinos, maybe you had a shitty day, maybe this isn’t what you thought you’d be doing with your life… whatever the reason, eventually it gets old and not worth going.

DH and I seek out British pubs when we can … and we found The Crown and Anchor to be a winner.
British décor, good service, and best of all delicious food, generous portions, and very reasonable prices.
DH is always happy to find Guiness on tap. I opted for a very smooth Blackthorn hard cider.
DH was pleased with his bangers and mash and cleaned his plate. I had the chicken pie with a flaky pastry. The pastry was not all that flaky, but I was impressed with the amount of chicken in the pie. More than generous. The mashed potatoes and gravy tasted «homemade.» The vegetables which accompanied both entrees were prepared perfectly and included carrots, green greens, yellow wax beans, broccoli, and cauliflower.
Every restaurant we visited in Monterey seems to have a dessert tray. All too often the desserts don’t hold up too well and unless I knew what sticky toffee pudding was, I would have passed. But when the sticky toffee pudding is heated the topping melts. Delicious. A side of soft whipped cream and vanilla ice cream were perfect additions as we ended our meal with one of my favorite British desserts.
If we return to the area, we will definitely visit The Crown and Anchor again. More dishes we want to try.

Been coming here on and off for years. It remains consistently good. I love the burger. It’s hand made and huge.
Great lunch stop if you’re at training or a conference nearby. Just make sure and let them know your time is limited if you have a timed break.
Oh, and lots of great beers. Solid pub fare.

On a return visit and a desire to reorder the stellar corned beef platter that I had last time, I am sorry to report that the current recipe (updated?) is really no better than run of the mill sliced deli corned beef. Disappointed. In addition the cabbage was way undercook, as were the veggies (think hot raw) and completely tasteless. I suspect the corned beef was not cooked on site, hence the lack of that flavor on the cabbage. I smothered it with mayo just to give it flavor and moisture to make it palatable.
So why do I give it three stars? The atmosphere, the beer and the service. The draft list is still great and the underground location is cozy and authentic to a pub in the UK. The service was still friendly and attentive. We will still check in for a brew when in town but will dine somewhere else.

Good thing that stupid hipster place next door (Café Lumier) stopped serving food at 3pm because we found this gem!
Amazing décor and awesome food.
We got the Ruben and the artichoke … SOO good.

My husband & I enjoyed our New Year’s Day dinner at the Crown & Anchor. We’ve been here before but this is my first review. I wanted a fish & chip dinner that I could enjoy & we were not disappointed. 2 large serving of fish plus chips and a side green salad with a delicious ranch dressing made my evening. This was truly an improvement over the fish & chip meal I had for lunch the day before at Fishermen’s Wharf. My husband had a delicious serving of corn beef. And the price of our meal was less than our lunch from the day before!
The C&A is quaint and English memorabilia galore. It can be a little dark & tight due to the number of guests, but the food & service will make up for it. Will definitely return! Thank you C&A!

Cool little place in Monterey. …check it out when you are in town

It’s a nice, cozy British pub with a great beer selection and an outdoor patio for the warmer nights. I haven’t tried their food, but I feel like I’m in a small tavern or inn when I set foot in here.
Highly recommended.

Crown and Anchor is such a fun spot for delicious comfort food and wonderful service. I especially like to visit the restaurant during any holiday, such as St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween because the staff goes all out with decorating the dining room, bar and wearing costumes. They are known for their British Pub type entrees and have many delicious sandwiches to choose from. I highly recommend any of their daily specials which also includes their special quesadilla of the day and yummy homemade soups.
I have come here many times either for drinks or dinner with my husband and friends and we have always had a great experience. The décor of the entire place is unique and reminds me of being on a ship. This is definitely a spot to visit when you are in Monterey!

Came here for a big group dinner. They were able to accommodate our large group by putting us at one big table and another few tables nearby since they did not have one single table to fit all over us (15+ people). Place is casual and food is average.
Highlights were the curry fries, which were thick wedges with curry on top. Yunny. Curry was the thin type and sweet. Also the sticky toffee pudding is really good, and it comes with vanilla ice cream. Key lime pie was so-​so — best I’ve had so far was at Morton’s. The Cornish Pastie was pretty large and decent tasting — a bit salty for me (it’s a baked turnover with beef and potatoes inside). They have a drink menu, but the cocktails were average. Also tried the buffalo wings, which were very vinegary and spicy (normal) and clam chowder, which wasn’t as good as other clam chowder we had. However, the ambiance is relaxed and good for groups. Also, the waiter gave everyone a separate bill, which I liked. I noticed a lot of places in Monterey are much more accommodating about giving ppl separate bills, probably because they’re used to the high volume of tourists who come through.

My husband and I chose to come here for our anniversary a few weeks back, not knowing what to expect. We love pubs and British/​Irish food so these seemed like the perfect spot. We walked in and the place was packed! A waiter quickly sat us down, but unfortunately it was practically underneath a pub table with three guys there to watch the game. That put a damper on the evening out with my husband.
My husband ordered clam chowder — I am not a fan at all, but sampled his when it arrived and found that I actually liked it! That is a first, and I have tried a lot of clam chowder at the coastal towns we have visited.
For dinner I ordered the bangers and mash; they were amazing! The bangers had great flavor and the gravy was the perfect touch. My husband and I barely spoke over dinner, we were too busy enjoying our food and checking out the scenery.
The delicious food gained back the star I should have taken for the terrible seating that night… next time we visit I will make sure to ask for a different place to sit.

Auf unserem 3-​wöchigen USA Trip haben wir wirklich viele Restaurants besucht und dieses gehört zu den beiden die absolut empfehlenswert sind. Dieses süße, liebevoll eingerichtete Restaurant hat Charme und vor allem sehr gutes Essen zu günstigen Preisen. Das Preis-​Leistungsverhältnis ist super! Absolut zu empfehlen.

We have been to this place a few times while in Monterey and love it! We came once on St. Patricks Day when it was VERY busy and once when it was very slow and we loved it both times!
This last time we visited The Crown and Anchor we came for lunch and ordered the French Dip and I had an order of Pub Fries. Both were very good! The French Dip was huge my husband couldn’t even finish it!
I think the reason we keep coming back to this bar while we’re in Monterey is because of the great beer selection AND more importantly the service. Our server was on point with everything and she was very friendly!
Five stars Crown and Anchor great job!

I came here one night to have a few drinks with my boyfriend and kickback. I don’t know what I was expecting as I descended the stairs into the main bar area that night… but WOW.
Every nook and cranny of this place was FULL with people and nautical memorabilia. The antique décor was as welcoming as it was interesting, and the same could be said about the wait staff! Very friendly folks despite the overwhelming crowd that was demanding their attention.
The drink prices are reasonable as are the entrees and appetizers. Though our meal was mainly liquid in nature, the smells that delighted the room that night were very intoxicating. I look forward to going back and trying out some their delicious foods!
Staff is knowledgeable, accommodating, and fun to chat with. Though crowded, the place was clean and yielded an «organized chaos» feel to it. My only complaint is the size of their restrooms. No stalls, just one loo in a closet like space. Be forewarned, and see you soon!

Having celiac disease and a dairy allergy it is often hard to find a pub of any sort that can offer you safe food. I found The Crown and Anchor simply because my friend really wanted to go there and I decided I would check online to see if they possibly offer some sort of gluten free menu. On their website very clearly it does state they offer a gluten free menu and even a vegan menu so I knew that meant they would be aware of the ingredients used in their food.
Upon arrival I asked for the gluten free menu and explained to our server my situation with having celiac disease and a dairy allergy. He was very helpful and able to help me pick a meal out. I ended up with the blackened cod with steamed veggies. I opted for the two piece order which was $ 14 dollars. He entered into the system my allergies so that the cooks would know to keep everything safe. Our meal came out and mine looked delicious. The blackened cod had Cajun seasoning all over the outside which was so yummy. Our waiter was very light and fun about everything and made me feel confident he knew what I was getting. We enjoyed out meal and my friend is a longtime fan so 5 stars is a must.