Monte’s Downtown

Absolutely love their lobster pot pie. I can never finish the whole thing and it makes great leftovers. Nice big chunks of lobster, not the tiny specks you’d expect!

The soups in the trio were way over salted. The meatballs in the curry dish were as hard as hockey pucks. The cajun catfish and shrimp was tasty and well presented.
For a want to be white table cloth restaurant the staff performed as if they were in a local coffee shop.
You need a little work, Monte, on your food and service.

The food was very good. I had the coconut walleye and it was delicious. But my experience was ruined from the beginning by unpleasant smells:
— The waiter who received and served us smelled! Even following him to the table was awful. For God’s sake, take a shower and wash those cloths.
— This restaurant needs an air conditioner. It smells of old carpet.
— To our friendly waiter: I know your nails wouldn’t grow anymore, but please wash your hands. People can lose appetite with the sight of gray color around your nails!
BUT again, the food was really good!

Went to have lunch here at Monte’s downtown. Got the mushroom soup for starters– best mushroom soup I’ve had. Monte’s burger and boneless beef short ribs for entrees. Good portion size. Food tastes very good. Made a mistake taking the patio during lunch time. Too windy and too bright out

I’m posting this several years after we ate at this establishment, only because this has been a thorn in our saddle for several years. It was a Saturday night, my wife and I had reservations and were seated right away. We each ordered an appetizer and main course. The appetizers arrived timely. The main course took well over an hour to be served after we had finished the appetizer. The wait staff was apologetic. The manager came to the table to apologize as well and offered complimentary deserts on the house. We ordered dessert and enjoyed the dessert. The bill came, and we were charged for one dessert. We inquired why we were charged for the one desert and the manager said he meant to offer only one complimentary desert. That is not what he offered earlier. The food was good but the service from the manager in particular was so poor that we will never return.

Stopped in for Monday’s 5 Dollar martinis and walked out with a swagger. Options are on the sweeter side. Each drink was well made but the bartender really gives life to the place, as he/​she should.
Tried the meatball chef special which popped with flavor and zest. What a pleasant change.

Great spot for lunch! Quick, tasty and great atmosphere. The walleye is delicious! I would definitely come again!

Snooty bar wait staff, simple glass of wine and desert. Waited 15 minutes for desert after ordering «glass of wine and desert», I then asked about my desert, and was told by waitress that «all our deserts are made to order!» as if that is something special. She then came and put the desert in front of me and walked away and left me to enjoy my desert. She never checked with me again until 10 minutes after id signed my check. This is supposed to be the high end place in Fargo.

I came here on a date on a Saturday evening and absolutely loved Monte’s! We made reservations but it was pretty empty because NDSU was playing their bowl game that day and so I think a lot of people were out of town for that. We each ordered a martini and then split the trio of soups, the warm beet salad, and the lobster pot pie. The basket of bread with the basil infused butter along with my dirty martini was absolutely lovely and a perfect way to start the meal. I believe the trio of soups are seasonal, and so these were a mushroom bisque (extremely buttery but tasty), a split pea soup (super thick and not my favorite), and a gumbo (which had a rich and intense flavor). The warm beet salad was unique and came with a variety of extras, including greens, blue cheese, toasted pecans, etc. The lobster pot pie… oh my, I wish I could eat this every day without becoming morbidly obese. There were generous chunks of lobster and the sauce was extremely rich, but creamy and delicious. All of this was topped with a toasty and flakey puff pastry crust. Per our server’s recommendation, we split this (and our entire meal), which I was very happy about because I don’t think I could have finished the pot pie on my own since it was so indulgent. I really appreciated the fact that the kitchen was gracious and professional enough to split everything in half, so we each had our own separate plates/​dishes.
The service was lovely as well, where each course came at the perfect time and our server Dan would check in on us and made himself discretely available if we had any questions or asks. My favorite part of this dinner however, was the surprise palate cleanser that came in between the salad and the entrée. This was a small scoop of a jack fruit flavored sherbert/​icey delicious concoction that was brilliant and perfect and maybe one of my favorite things that I’ve ever eaten. And talk about faaaaancy!
To conclude, Monte’s is a classic and intimate space with A+ service and A++ food. A bit on the pricier side, but definitely more than worth it for a special occasion such as an anniversary. Looking forward to dressing up and coming here again!

Monte’s has been a downtown staple for some time, being one of the first nice places to invest in the revitalization of the downtown. Through ownership changes over the years, they still remain a favorite of mine and adding lunch hours was such a nice bonus.
Whether for lunch or dinner or drinks food, Monte’s always has a great variety of soup, salad, appetizer, entrée and dessert options. I am partial to seafood and you will find that here. Even though Monte’s is more of a «fancy» restaurant, ironically what I have had there more than anything (lunch and lounge have been more common for me) are their burgers. They are excellent.
I would suggest visiting their website to view their current menu as it changes every now and then. They do a great job on their website of sharing info on the restaurant. And to my reference of «fancy», for Fargo outsiders, know that with any local restaurant, even our fancy food joints are not stuffy and super formal, so do not feel intimidated by the menus if you are turned off by places with coat & ties & raised pinky fingers. We don’t raise our pinkies in Fargo.

Perhaps a little uppity, but, they will warm up to you over time. Great bar staff. Meatloaf! I I came for the meatloaf!

Really 4.5 stars.
Ok bread… good butter w basil.
I was a solo diner –took a long time to get food. I think my waitress forgot to put in my order and then forgot my salas.
They comped a 2^nd beer and dessert, a nice apology!
Crazy loud interior.
Horseradish crusted walleye, vinegary chutney. So much Wow!
Chocolate cheese cake w pistachio sauce –wonderful!
Food was great and menu interesting. Would have been 5 star review if not for the forgetful waitress.

Love the location and ambiance. It’s small but charming. A few of my favorite items were the watermelon and Gorgonzola salad, wild mushroom soup, and purple yam cheesecake. The complimentary tangerine sorbet (as a palette cleanser) between courses was delicious and refreshing. Although I did not partake in a libation, there appeared to be a nice selection that I will be embarking on the next time. Overall it was a good experience and I will return to explore some more of the menu.

I am visiting Fargo and came for lunch after reading all the great reviews. I ordered the Asian salmon dish, and it came out quickly during the busy lunch hour. Salmon could have been cooked a little more. During happy hour a little later the day staff was able to effectively handle our large group

What an incredible meal! Our team of three (software consultants who travel the US during projects) ate here based on reviews in the Fargo magazine and reviews on Unilocal.
I started with the trio of soups. Every restaurant in the world should do this! Moderate small bowls with an ample taste of the lobster bisque, mushroom, and butternut squash soup. I loved them all but the butternut squash was THE best. My other two colleagues had the bisque and they were both pleased.
We then got a nice sorbet to cleanse the pallet (which was both wonderful and very unexpected.
Our meals were all extraordinary! I had the swordfish on a nice orzo base with great green beans and the sauces added a very nice flavor.
Another colleague had the scallops and she said they were some of the best EVER. Our other colleague had the walleye with the sauce to the side for nice dipping. He was also very pleased.
We did not regret not having dessert, but the three of us talked about how tempting it was.
Good news is we will be back. Our waiter was very attentive, and exceptionally helpful with explaining some questions as we ordered. The restaurant is small and quaint and really capped off a great week for our team.

Monte’s is a Downtown favorite of mine! The location is in the middle of Broadway, so street parking can be a little tough, but it is worth looking for a spot!
I love the wine selection and their fun martini menu. The food is wonderful! I try to order the daily special most of the time, because the chef usually has something so unique and full of flavor. One item that is a must, lunch or dinner, the Mushroom Marsala Soup. It is fabulous!

My wife & I love going to Monte’s on special occasions or with out of town friends.
Food is well prepared and presented. While them menu is pricey we have never been disappointed. Always feel like we have had a good meal worthy of the price.
Great atmosphere. Can get a little noisy when the tables are all full, but nothing uncomfortable.
Good wine list.

I heard the restaurant was re-​opened with new management or chef when we visited last October (October 2012). Food and service was overall good but I felt the menu was a bit over priced…
— Complimentary bread: Dinner roll with two kinds of butter. It was OK but dinner roll gets cold fairly quick so eat fast.
— Fried Calamari with Marinated peppers, arugula, horseradish and whole grain mustard sauce: It usually comes with fried oyster but I asked for just calamari. Good calamari. Crispy outside and tender calamari inside.
— Shrimp and grits: Good buttery grits and shrimp. Small portion but you don’t need a lot.
— Coconut and Cashew Crusted Walleye with Garlic rice, jackfruit, lychee nuts, passion fruit glaze: A bit expensive but it was flavorful and tasty.
— Surf and Turf: Good dish although it was expensive…
We were too full to get dessert.
Ambiance was OK but didn’t feel like 5 star restaurant.

Very nice!
We hit Monte’s on a work trip in town… a Friday night and we made reservations an hour before heading down. It’s in the downtown area that is impressive and historic. We were immediately greeted and our coats whisked away and seated. Throughout the evening, the service was great… friendly and attentive waiter.
Food was a solid 4 — no «bad» dishes. Partner had an iceberg lettuce wedge salad — now I know that might sound boring and there were other great sounding salads on the menu but sometimes something simple like that hits the spot. I had a fried chicken liver appetizer… and yeah, I have a complaint — it was too danged big! I’d guess there was 6 – 8 ounces of chicken liver on the plate — they could cut it in half and charge a couple bucks less and everyone would be happy. It was delicisious though — crunchy fried… served with a little sauce… probably not good for my diet, but it’s too late now.
Partner had a stuffed chicken breast — pistachio cream sauce and served in a roulade form with a bacon laced stuffing inside. Moist and delicious. I had a halibut steak — usually served with rice, but they graciously agreed to just put more asparagus on the plate in place of the rice. A nice little orange sauce served on the side. The halibut was maybe a wee bit overcooked, but left me purring — very good.
Overall…a nice place to eat and good food. Not sure how often we’ll be back in Fargo, but we’ll be back to Monte’s if we get the chance!

Hit or miss on the menu night but always good food… just not reliable necessarily on what is on the menu that night… but always very fresh and delicious. The chef knows what they are doing.
Pricey for Fargo, but worth it.
Nice little bar too.