Best Restaurants Open on Monday in Monterey 2026

Why a Monday list matters in Monterey

Monterey draws visitors every week of the year, so unlike a ski town its top seafood houses do not take Monday off. The catch is the handful of chef-driven rooms that do: Cella Restaurant and Bar runs Tuesday to Saturday and goes dark Monday, and Coastal Kitchen at the Monterey Plaza Hotel skips Monday entirely. A traveller who plans an evening around one of those and lands on a Monday will be turned away, then left to guess which of the wharf and Cannery Row rooms are worth the walk. This list settles that.

The order leads with Montrio, the one downtown kitchen cooking at a fine-dining level on a Monday, then runs through the Cannery Row institutions and the Fisherman's Wharf seafood houses, closing with the over-the-water rooms built for a long lunch. Each pick is a confirmed Monday open with a named neighbourhood, the dishes to order and a price per head. For the rest of the week, start with the Monterey dining guide, and for a different night read the picks for restaurants open Sunday in Monterey.

The Monday list

Montrio

New American · Calle Principal, Downtown · $55–100 per head

Monday hours: Dinner 17:00–21:00

Montrio at 414 Calle Principal is downtown Monterey's most ambitious room, set in a 1910 firehouse where chef Tony Baker cooks European-leaning New American off the Salinas Valley farms. The grilled artichoke, the cioppino and the Liberty Farms duck are the orders, with a meal around $55 to $100 a head and a deep California list. It opens Monday for dinner from 5:00pm to 9:00pm, one of the few serious kitchens in town that does. This is the Monday table for a proper sit-down dinner rather than a wharf lunch. Book the main room; ask for a corner banquette away from the bar.

The Sardine Factory

Steak & seafood · Cannery Row · $60–130 per head

Monday hours: Dinner 16:30–21:00

The Sardine Factory at 701 Wave Street has anchored the top of Cannery Row since 1968, the white-tablecloth institution behind the bar scene in the film Play Misty for Me. The abalone bisque, the dry-aged steaks and the namesake sardines are the orders, with a meal around $60 to $130 a head and one of California's most-awarded wine cellars. It opens Monday for dinner from 4:30pm to 9:00pm. This is the Monday booking for an old-school celebration with white linen and tableside service. Reserve the Conservatory room for the room itself.

Chart House

Seafood & steak · Cannery Row · $55–100 per head

Monday hours: Dinner 16:00–21:30

Chart House at 444 Cannery Row sits on the rocks above the water, the Monterey link in the steak-and-seafood chain with the best ocean view of any table on this list. The slow-roasted prime rib, the macadamia-crusted mahi and the hot chocolate lava cake are the orders, with a meal around $55 to $100 a head. It opens Monday for dinner from 4:00pm to 9:30pm, the earliest start on the list, which makes it the move for a sunset seating over Monterey Bay. Book a window table 45 minutes before sundown and time the order to the light.

Schooners Coastal Kitchen

Coastal seafood · Cannery Row · $45–90 per head

Monday hours: All day 07:00–21:00

Schooners Coastal Kitchen and Bar at 400 Cannery Row is the waterfront restaurant of the Monterey Plaza Hotel, a wide bayfront deck where otters drift past below the rail. The cioppino, the local sand dabs and the raw-bar towers are the orders, with a meal around $45 to $90 a head. It keeps the widest Monday hours here, 7:00am to 9:00pm, so it is the only full-service upscale option for a Monday breakfast or lunch as well as dinner. The heated deck is the seat in any season; come at golden hour for the view.

Old Fisherman's Grotto

Seafood · Fisherman's Wharf · $40–80 per head

Monday hours: 11:00–21:00

Old Fisherman's Grotto at 39 Fisherman's Wharf is the wharf's founding seafood house, open since 1950 and famous for the chowder that draws a line down the pier. The award-winning clam chowder, the sand dabs and the whole Dungeness crab are the orders, with a meal around $40 to $80 a head. It opens Monday from 11:00am to 9:00pm, all day, with a no-stroller, no-flip-flop policy that keeps the dining room calmer than the wharf outside. Book a window booth over the harbour and start with the chowder in a bread bowl.

Fish Hopper

Seafood · Cannery Row · $45–85 per head

Monday hours: 11:00–21:00

The Fish Hopper at 700 Cannery Row is built out over the water on the old cannery pilings, a glass-walled seafood room where the bay is the whole point. The Dungeness crab cakes, the cioppino and the macadamia-crusted halibut are the orders, with a meal around $45 to $85 a head. It opens Monday from 11:00am to 9:00pm. This is the Monday pick for a long lunch with the tide under the floor, a calmer alternative to the wharf crush a few blocks east. Ask for a table on the lower deck closest to the glass.

How to book a Monday table in Monterey

The first rule of a Monterey Monday is that the wharf and Cannery Row seafood houses stay open, so the choice is about view and occasion rather than scarcity. Montrio is the table to book ahead for a proper dinner, on OpenTable or by phone, especially on a weekend-adjacent Monday. The Sardine Factory rewards an early call for the Conservatory room, and Chart House for a window seat timed to sunset. The Fish Hopper, Schooners Coastal Kitchen and Old Fisherman's Grotto take walk-ins more readily but a reservation locks a table over the water. For a quiet solo seat, the bars at Montrio and the Sardine Factory are the easy solo-dining move. For the bigger picture by cuisine, see the best seafood restaurants worldwide, the best steakhouses worldwide and the best Italian restaurants worldwide.

Frequently asked questions

Are Monterey restaurants open on Monday?

Yes, most of them. Unlike a resort town where the top kitchens close early in the week, Monterey is a year-round visitor city and its destination seafood and steak rooms run seven days. Montrio, the Sardine Factory, Chart House, Schooners, Old Fisherman's Grotto and the Fish Hopper all confirm Monday service for 2026. A couple of chef-driven rooms do rest, so the list below is the confirmed set. See the Monterey dining guide for the full week.

Which Monterey restaurants are closed on Monday?

A few of the smaller chef-led rooms take Monday off. Cella Restaurant and Bar on Polk Street serves Tuesday to Saturday and is dark Monday, and Coastal Kitchen at the Monterey Plaza Hotel closes Monday as well. In nearby Carmel, the Michelin-starred rooms keep their own reduced weeks, so check before driving over. Within Monterey itself the six tables on this list are the reliable Monday bookings.

Is the Sardine Factory open on Monday?

Yes. The Sardine Factory at 701 Wave Street opens Monday for dinner from 4:30pm to 9:00pm. The abalone bisque, the dry-aged steaks and the award-winning wine cellar are the reasons to go, with a meal around $60 to $130 a head. It is the most formal Monday table in Monterey and the one to book for a celebration. Reserve the Conservatory room and ask the sommelier to open the list.

What is the best restaurant on Cannery Row open Monday?

For a view, Chart House at 444 Cannery Row sits right on the rocks and opens Monday from 4:00pm, timed for sunset over the bay. For a special-occasion dinner, the Sardine Factory at the top of the Row is the institution. For an all-day option, Schooners at the Monterey Plaza Hotel runs 7:00am to 9:00pm on Monday. All three confirm Monday service for 2026 and sit within a short walk of each other.

Do I need a reservation for a Monday dinner in Monterey?

On a quiet Monday outside summer you can often walk into the wharf seafood houses, but the better tables fill fast in season and on holiday weekends. Montrio and the Sardine Factory are worth booking a few days ahead for a weekend-adjacent Monday; the Fish Hopper, Schooners and Old Fisherman's Grotto take walk-ins more readily but reward a reservation at a window. Booking is also the only way to lock a sunset table at Chart House.

Hours verified against each restaurant's published schedule in June 2026; confirm directly before travelling, especially on holiday weekends. Restaurants for Kings is editorial, not sponsored. Some reservation links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a ranking or a score.