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Why Old Fisherman's Grotto Is on Our Top 50 Seafood Worldwide
Old Fisherman's Grotto, under Shake family's direction, is ranked #38 on our Top 50 Seafood Restaurants Worldwide. The seafood style: Monterey Pacific seafood.
The signature catch: Monterey Bay clam chowder, calamari, the Pacific catch. The sourcing: Monterey Bay sourcing; Day Boat fishermen at Fisherman's Wharf.
The oyster program: Limited oyster program; Pacific catch focus. The raw bar / grill technique: Wharf-side preparation; Monterey Bay tradition.
The award lineage: Monterey institution since 1950.
How to Order at Old Fisherman's Grotto
The booking lead time: Walk-in. Reserve through OpenTable, Resy, or the restaurant's own booking line where applicable; institutional walk-in oyster bars accept no reservations and run a queue from opening.
Order what came in that morning. The kitchen's strongest expression at Old Fisherman's Grotto is the Monterey Bay clam chowder in sourdough bowl. The Monterey Pacific seafood register is structural; the sourcing and the technique are what reward the booking effort.
The dress code: Smart casual; wharf register. The dinner spend: 60 to 110 USD per person at dinner. The kitchen at Old Fisherman's Grotto is rated 9/10 for food and 10/10 for ambience in our editorial scoring.
Why Old Fisherman's Grotto Is Worth the Pilgrimage
"The Shake family's Fisherman's Wharf Monterey institution since 1950. The most consistently photographed Cannery Row-era seafood restaurant; the Monterey Bay catch and the famous clam chowder anchor the menu."
Our editorial scoring places the food at 9/10, ambience at 10/10, and value at 8/10. The Monterey Pacific seafood register is structural; the sourcing standard and the regional seafood tradition produce the meal that rewards the pilgrimage.
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Related Reading
- Top 50 Seafood Restaurants Worldwide. The full editorial ranking, of which Old Fisherman's Grotto is #38.
- Browse all 24 Top 50 Rankings · Top 50 Sushi Outside Japan · Top 50 Anniversary Dinners
- Monterey restaurant guide. The full city directory with all occasions.
- Passionfish. Our deep dive on the closest seafood peer in the city.