Best Restaurants Open Sunday in Monterey 2026

The Monterey Peninsula is a tourism region first, which changes the Sunday math. Carmel-by-the-Sea, Pacific Grove and Cannery Row run on weekend visitors, so the better kitchens treat Sunday as a working night rather than a day off. The fine-dining rooms are the ones to watch, because a few of them close on the quieter Monday and Tuesday instead. Six tables across the Peninsula confirm Sunday hours below, from the two-star tasting room in Carmel to the steak-and-seafood institution on Cannery Row, ranked by what each is for, with prices per head before wine. The region eats earlier than a big city, so Sunday dinner means a five or six o'clock booking.

How Sunday dining works on the Peninsula

There is no citywide Sunday-Monday shutdown on the Monterey Peninsula the way there is in a European capital, because the region lives on weekend tourism. Sunday is one of the busier nights, especially in Carmel-by-the-Sea, and the marquee rooms stay open for it. What does close is the slower start of the week: Aubergine rests Monday and Tuesday, Chez Noir takes Tuesday and Wednesday off, and Cultura is dark on Monday. So the trick here is the reverse of a big city. Sunday is a strong night to eat well, and the harder nights to plan are early in the week.

The list below spans the three towns that make up the Peninsula's dining. Carmel holds the Michelin rooms, Monterey's Cannery Row holds the grand classics, and Pacific Grove holds the value. It leads with the most decorated kitchen and runs through to the all-day brunch option. Hours are checked against each restaurant's current published schedule. For the full ranking, start with the Monterey dining guide.

The Sunday list

Aubergine

Californian tasting menu · Carmel-by-the-Sea · $295 tasting

Sunday hours: Sunday, 17:00–20:00

Chef Justin Cogley's nine-table room inside L'Auberge Carmel, at Monte Verde Street and 7th Avenue, holds two Michelin stars and is the most decorated table on the Central Coast. The daily-changing eight-course tasting leans hard on Monterey Bay seafood and Carmel Valley produce, and the set menu runs about $295 a head before pairings. It serves Sunday from five to eight. The room seats so few that a Sunday booking wants a month's notice, so reserve through Tock the moment your dates are fixed.

Chez Noir

French-Californian seafood · Carmel-by-the-Sea · $150–200 per head

Sunday hours: Sunday, 17:00–20:30

Jonny and Monique Black's small Carmel room on 5th Avenue between San Carlos and Dolores earned a Michelin star within a year of opening, cooking a refined French-Californian menu built on local seafood. A dinner runs $150 to $200 a head. Sunday is one of the nights it does open, alongside Monday, with the kitchen resting Tuesday and Wednesday instead. The room is tiny and runs a single seating, so book ahead and confirm through their channels, since the schedule shifts with the season.

The Sardine Factory

Steak and seafood · Cannery Row, Monterey · $60–110 per head

Sunday hours: Sunday, 16:30–21:00

The Sardine Factory has anchored Cannery Row at 701 Wave Street since 1968, a grand old room of red booths, abalone bisque and dry-aged steaks that has fed presidents and appeared in a Clint Eastwood film. A meal runs $60 to $110 a head. It opens Sunday from half past four to nine, one of the longest Sunday services in Monterey proper. Ask for the conservatory room under the glass dome, and order the abalone bisque that has been on the menu for half a century.

Passionfish

Sustainable seafood · Pacific Grove · $45–80 per head

Sunday hours: Sunday, 17:00–21:00

Ted and Cindy Walter's Passionfish on Lighthouse Avenue in Pacific Grove is the Peninsula's sustainability standard-bearer, sourcing line-caught local fish and pricing its long wine list close to retail rather than the usual markup. A dinner runs $45 to $80 a head, which makes it the smartest value on this list. It opens Sunday from five to nine. The wine policy alone is reason to come on a Sunday, when a bottle that would cost triple elsewhere arrives at a fair price.

Montrio

New American · Downtown Monterey · $45–80 per head

Sunday hours: Sunday, 17:00–21:00

Montrio fills a converted 1910 firehouse at 414 Calle Principal in downtown Monterey, a few blocks back from the water, with a New American bistro menu of small plates, wood-grilled meats and local fish. A meal runs $45 to $80 a head. It opens Sunday from five to nine. The central downtown location makes it the easy Sunday choice if you are staying in Monterey rather than driving to Carmel, and the bar takes walk-ins when the dining room is booked.

Cultura

Oaxacan Mexican · Carmel-by-the-Sea · $45–80 per head

Sunday hours: Sunday, brunch 10:30–15:30 and dinner 17:00–20:45

Cultura, tucked in the Su Vecino Courtyard off Dolores Street between 5th and 6th in Carmel, cooks the food of Oaxaca with a serious mezcal program and house-made moles. A meal runs $45 to $80 a head. It is the only room on this list to run a full Sunday brunch, half past ten to half past three, before reopening for dinner at five. For a daytime Sunday on the Peninsula that is not a hotel breakfast, the courtyard brunch here is the move.

How to book a Sunday table on the Peninsula

The Peninsula runs on Tock, Resy and OpenTable, and the booking pressure is highest in Carmel. Aubergine is the one to plan around: nine tables and a single Sunday seating mean a month's notice in summer, booked through Tock. Chez Noir is nearly as tight, with a small room and a shifting schedule, so confirm Sunday directly before counting on it. The Sardine Factory has the capacity to take a Sunday booking with a day or two's notice, and its bar seats walk-ins. Passionfish and Montrio reward a couple of days' lead. Cultura's Sunday brunch fills the courtyard fast, so reserve for a late-morning table. For a solo Sunday, the bar at Montrio and the counter at Passionfish are the easiest seats, a comfortable solo dining at the counter option. Hosting a client on the coast? Aubergine's tasting room is the table to impress a client on the Monterey Peninsula.

Frequently asked questions

Are restaurants in Monterey open on Sunday?

Yes, more than you might expect, because the Monterey Peninsula lives on weekend tourism and treats Sunday as a busy night. Aubergine and Chez Noir in Carmel, The Sardine Factory on Cannery Row, Passionfish in Pacific Grove, Montrio in downtown Monterey and Cultura in Carmel all serve Sunday. The quieter nights here are Monday and Tuesday, when several of the fine-dining rooms take their weekly break instead.

Is Aubergine open on Sunday in Carmel?

Yes. Aubergine at L'Auberge Carmel serves Sunday from five to eight, as part of a Wednesday-to-Sunday week, resting Monday and Tuesday. It holds two Michelin stars and serves a daily-changing eight-course tasting around $295 a head. The room seats only nine tables, so a Sunday booking needs about a month's notice in the summer season and is made through Tock. Last-minute Sunday seats are rare.

What is the best Sunday dinner on the Monterey Peninsula?

For a special occasion, Aubergine's two-star tasting menu in Carmel is the top Sunday dinner in the region. For a one-star room at a lower price, Chez Noir opens Sunday with a refined seafood menu. For a grand classic, The Sardine Factory on Cannery Row runs a long Sunday service. For value, Passionfish in Pacific Grove pairs local fish with a near-retail wine list.

Where can I get Sunday brunch in Monterey or Carmel?

Cultura in Carmel-by-the-Sea is the standout, serving an Oaxacan-leaning Sunday brunch from half past ten to half past three in its courtyard off Dolores Street, before reopening for dinner. It is the only room on this list with a dedicated Sunday daytime service, which makes it the answer for a Peninsula Sunday that is not a hotel breakfast. Reserve ahead, as the courtyard fills quickly.

What is the best-value restaurant open Sunday on the Peninsula?

Passionfish in Pacific Grove. It serves sustainable, line-caught local seafood for around $45 to $80 a head and, unusually, prices its long wine list close to retail rather than the standard restaurant markup. That wine policy makes a Sunday dinner here a genuine bargain for anyone ordering a bottle. It opens Sunday from five to nine on Lighthouse Avenue, and a counter seat is the easy walk-in.

Hours verified against each restaurant's published schedule as of June 2026; Carmel kitchens shift their days seasonally, so confirm directly before travelling. Restaurants for Kings is editorial, not sponsored. Some reservation links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a ranking or a score.