Monterey Bay Fish Grotto

Had a great dining experience here with my large group of cousins. Service was great, overall the food was satisfactory amongst the table.
A little on the pricier side, but they are generous with the fish entrée servings so I think the price evens out. Fish was just cooked perfectly and each bite was a delicate melt in your mouth experience.
Chilean sea bass had the best texture out of the other fish. But, whether you love or hate your entrée depends on the sauce. So choose wisely.
Smiles: Parmesan sauce, macadamia sauce
Frowns: Monterey style, caribbean… Also what I thought was unforgiveable was the ichiban skewers were wayyyyy toooo Salty.
But then again was forgiven with my swordfish parmesan entrée and bread pudding.

I can’t be bothered to go into detail on the food. For somebody who lives close to the fresh and simply cooked delights of the Mediterranean this was a good attempt but it seems a shame that the deliciousness of the fish was lost under a weight of poorly chosen additional flavors.
Fish is delicious on its own or with a few complimentary flavors, keep it simple, they didn’t give up their lives to be overpowered by some chef’s «creativity». Nice place, good atmosphere, average service at best. Emminently forgettable.

Amazing. I think I can die happy now. 3 words. Lobster Mac n’ Cheese… fresh macaroni, chunks of lobster, and oh-​so cheesy goodness. mmmmmm…(in Homer Simpson voice with glazed eyes). And that’s just a side dish people!

My family and another family (total of 7) lunched there after a high school graduation. We were seated at a corner round table with views of Tysons (not such a lovely view but the high glass is nice). The place is airy, a mixture of booths and free standing tables. The restaurant was very empty, unusual we thought for a Friday lunch, but the service was fine — not spectacular by any means.
The selection of seafood was plentiful, but as the lone vegetarian in the group there were no options on the menu which I could ask for the meat to be held from, something I’m used to doing and certainly don’t mind. I ordered the spinach salad without bacon and received a spinach salad swimming in dressing with raw egg. I was not the only one at the table disgusted by the look of my salad. The wait staff was not particularly happy I sent it back. We were surprised that such a restaurant wouldn’t auto-​serve the dressing on the side and would serve such an underboiled egg. The rest of the table seemed pleased with their choices, though I questioned how it touts itself as a fresh and line caught seafood restaurant.
The restaurant does have valet parking.

It’s funny that a guy from San Francisco travels to Virginia to eat at the Monterey Bay Fish Grotto. This observation didn’t make my taxi driver laugh, but it’s still funny. Who is he to judge? I’m the funny guy. I’ll tell you what’s funny. You best listen up.
I’m not much of a fish guy, but these guys are serious about it being a fish grotto. They had a few non-​aquatic entrees, but nothing that sounded interesting at all. Thankfully, every rancher needs to eat fish now and then, and when you don’t see Mrs. Paul’s on the menu, you do what I did and have the halibut. The Grotto had halibut crusted with macadamia nuts, and a quick mental check confirmed that those would not be good for me, and would therefore taste great, and so that’s what I had. And I was right. On both counts, probably.
The Grotto gets style points for classy, modern décor (look at me, I’m eating $ 40 fish but I look like I’m at an underground club!) and decent service. I imagine it was an expensive dinner, but the bill never touched my hands, so it was SEP (Somebody Else’s Problem).

Monterey Bay Fish Grotto is to seafood what Morton’s is to steak. Yes, there is always Chart House or Legal Sea Food, but then again there is always Outback (an no, Ruth’s Chris is not the right analogy.)
Put simply, it is a competently reproduced, very good while not insanely outstanding easily accessed dinner. Think Oceanaire without the snootiness.
Their fish is varied and very fresh. Their preparations are at times crazy, but you the kitchen is creative and able to adjust to your tastes.
So far the grouper, escolar, ahi, snapper, sea bass and dover sole have all been wonderful. The ahi was particularly good, although the wasabi was a bit overpowering. However, each dish has always been prepared impeccably.
While I am not in Tyson’s all that often, I will look forward to any afternoon meeting that might lead to an excuse to stick around for dinner at Monterey Bay.

This restaurant had been on my radar for a while but everytime we go to Tysons, Legal Seafoods always calls to us. Finally, I said to my husband, we just have to try this place. We’ll never know if we like it or not if we don’t try it and if we don’t like it, well, we don’t have to go back.
The day before going I gave the place a call. At 4 p.m. on a Friday it took 10 rings before Andrew answered. He was very polite and helpful. I told him we were planning to come the next day (Saturday) for dinner and wondered if a reservation was necessary. He encouraged us to make one because, he said, the place gets busy on Saturdays. I also asked him about their dress code. He said «business casual» is what they prefer — khakis, no jeans and for the men, a button-​down shirt. Next question — can we park the car at the Galleria and walk over? He didn’t recommend that because sometimes the Galleria will tow cars (I didn’t know that!) and besides, it will be easy enough to park in their garage.
So…with reservation made, we headed out in our business casual outfits. I should have asked for some more details regarding the parking situation as we got a bit confused trying to figure out where the entrance is. It turns out it is on Galleria Drive. We discovered that some of the spots in the garage are «reserved», so be sure to park in an unmarked spot. Parking done, next task — figure out how to get into the place as nothing is clearly marked noting the entrance. We figured out the entrance is beside the garage entrance.
We were 10 minutes early and expected to have to wait around because the place opens at 5 p.m. Instead a man in a chef’s jacket saw us approach and held the door open for us and said that we could go on in. After giving our name, we were seated immediately and discovered that we were the only customers!
We asked the host for a table with a view and he complied by giving us a table right by a window (not that there is much of a view…). Our server came along quickly and asked us for our drink order. I had contemplated ordering one of their speciality drinks but noticed a recurring theme to most of them — a lot of peach flavoring. Now I don’t hate peaches but would have preferred something else. So… I had an iced tea and my husband had a bottle of sparkling water.
When I had looked at their menu on their website, I was intrigued by an appetizer item — Ahi Tempura. This was seared tuna slices wrapped in nori and coated in panko served on soy mustard sauce with a side of ginger tomato relish. The server said it was really good so I ordered it. My husband ordered a shrimp cocktail. The Ahi tuna looked far different than what I had envisioned — it was tuna slices with some nori and a panko crust on one side. The tuna was good quality but there was just too much sauce. The relish was good — even though it had onions in it, they weren’t overpowering. Honestly, however, if we go again, I would take a pass on this appetizer. My husband liked his jumbo shrimp cocktail but thought the cocktail sauce was unusual in that it didn’t seem to have a horseradish flavor to it.
For our main courses, I had Mahi Mahi Cape Cod Style, which had mandarin oranges, cranberries and a vodka chambord brown sugar sauce. My husband had the Lemon Sole Meuniere (lemon-​herb brown butter sauce). We were surprised to find that the entrees came with one side and a salad. There is no mention of this on the menu. From looking at the menu, I thought it was all a la carte. The salad came with a Hawaiian passion fruit dressing and some crispy Asian noodles on top. While good, the dressing tasted more like a sesame ginger dressing. We didn’t taste any passion fruit at all. I chose pilaf for my side and my husband chose green beans for his. The green beans came with a parmesan sauce but the restaurant gladly prepared them without the sauce. The pilaf was good — not at all dried out.
I liked the Mahi Mahi — the sauce didn’t overpower the fish. My husband enjoyed his lemon sole. We both thought the serving sizes were quite reasonable.
However, while the dessert menu looked wonderful, we had no room!
Service was outstanding. Our server was attentive but not obtrusive. Twice managers came around to ask how everything was and if we needed anything. A few more customers came in while we were eating and we noticed that they, too, respected the business casual dress code.
Would we go back? We’re not sure — the verdict is still out on that one. While we enjoyed the food and the superb service, we thought it was on the pricey side. All totaled, our bill before the tip was $ 104 and change. We found ourselves comparing the place to Legal Seafoods and found that we preferred the menu offerings at Legal. Plus casual dress is fine at Legal and the prices are a bit lower. Also, we found it a bit confusing when it came to parking the car and getting there from Tysons Corner.

Last Friday I made 7:30 reservations for myself and a certain Birthday girl. We got there a little early but were shown to our table anyway, we actually were given the choice of booth or table. Being our first time we got the run down from our friendly and knowledgeable waiter. We decided on a starter of steamed clams and a bottle of Pinot Gris. Note: a somalie is on hand to help with a wine decision should you need them.
The real deal here is that they have something close to 30 fresh fish. Our waiter told us which fish came from where and was able to answer taste and texture questions about specific fish. The fish have different styles, depending on the fish you’ve selected. For instance, The grouper could come two different ways, while say the mako shark was only offered blackened, and yellow fin tuna offered 5 different ways from that, you get the idea.
I went with a special they were offering, turbot wrapped around a scallop and porcini mousse. It was delectable. During the meal we were checked on several times, including two visits from the manager, one of them to serve our wine. I ended the evening with a slice of chocolate cake, I should have asked if it was made in house, I’ll ask next time.
This place is «like» Bonefish, in that it serves fish. Beyond that we are talking the difference between dining and grabbing a bite.

I feel like this place is a fancy and overpriced Bonefish Grill. The concept is almost the same, pick a fish, pick how you would like it cooked, and then pick a sauce. Almost every fresh fish selection offered an almond crust — who knows why?
I had a mercury filled night. Started with the tuna tartare 4 ways and tuna sashimi. Two out of the four tartares were good, they both had a smokey mushroomy taste, while the other two were god awful. I also prefer my tartare to be more fine, almost paste-​like, rather than small chunks. The sashimi was too well done and was nothing special.
For my entrée, I had the, wait for it… TUNA. It was «sesame style with a lemon butter sauce». It tasted like any other tuna dish, but a little saltier. The portion was pretty big, though. I got the garlic mashed potatoes as a side which were pretty bland.
The blue lights and décor were nice and our waiter was pretty helpful although he had no wine suggestions. I wouldn’t come back for a meal, but maybe for a drink since the bar is really bright, but small and intimate. I also didn’t like how the only way out is through the main entrance of the building, which faces a garage, creating a wind tunnel. I could barely keep my dress closed and flashed the valets a few times. I’m sure they were impressed with my christmas tree underwear. Christmas in July!

Went here for our two-​year anniversary and just have a couple of comments:
1) They did a great job making us feel welcome. We ordered our champagne, it came out quickly, and the sommelier offered us strawberries to complement it.
2) The peppercorn crusting on the fish dishes are too spicy — I liked the macadamia crusting I had on another visit. It just overpowers the fish.
3) They gave us a free dessert for our anniversary with two candles to signify the year — it was a nice touch to a great evening.
We’ll be back!

I wanted this to be my favorite seafood place; and I heard that it was going to be. Well, it wasn’t… quite. The food was good… definitely above average, great quality. You get what you pay for – quality ingredients well thought out. Ok, but its just not that extraordinary. Nothing wowed me, with the exception of the service.
The manager/​wine expert helped me select a great accompaniment for my scallops and my lady’s swordfish. He talked to us for quite a while and everyone was very friendly. That reminds me, the wine list is perfect for me. Headed with a mountain of relatively affordable California Chardonnays… that holds a special place in my heart every time.
Besides that, its just what you would expect, so don’t get your hopes up as I did.

Okay, this is a beautiful built, beautifully decorated, high-​end seafood place with terrific ambience, nice wait-​staff, and food and service distinctly below expectations. We walked in at 6:30 on a Friday night and had capable but disengaged service until we left at 9:30. Highlights? The beautiful restaurant, the fantastic décor, the delicious appetizers. Disappointments? Expensive prices (especially the wine list), competent but too-​casual waiters, entrees that feel far below the standards set by the appetizers, overly-​sweet desserts, and again the prices. My swordfish was Outback-​quality, but cost $ 32.95; my partner’s salmon was Red Lobster-​quality, but cost $ 26.95 … and ours were definitely among the less costly entrée choices on the menu.
Service was friendly and well-​informed, but sporadic and too-​frequently missing. Part of the outlandish price for a Monterey Bay meal is acceptable because of the beautiful surroundings; part of it is because of the enormous fresh fish menu every day; and part of it is just wrong.
If you’re craving fresh, delicious seafood, wander down to Oceanaire in D.C. … or Kinkeads in Georgetown and Tyson’s … Monterey Bay is a beautiful restaurant striving for greatness, but falling far short on service, prices, quality, and preparation.
Roger Miller
Alexandria, VA, 14 Mar 2008

I’m going to be a jackass and reiterate the obvious 5 star rating. This place is fantastic… food, service and all that jazzes. Judging by the other reviews, the restaurant needs to reinforce a better dining establishment during lunch hours. My past few instances for dinner service was beyond exceptional, so I was a little surprised by the poor service reviews.
I have always admired the décor of this restaurant… I still think I have not fully walked around it… but I was happy to just be seated at my favorite location, outside by the windows overlooking crappy Mclean. Not much to look, but the concept would have been nice over water.
There is a gazillion options for fish, flown from all over… and they make it known that it’s fresh… we passed on dinner entrees and we still had some unbelievable dining service. I was perfectly content with just wine & dessert, but we couldn’t resist a few appetizers.
The tuna sashimi was absolutely perfect, room temperature wise, delectably buttery, seared perfectly. So pretty in presentation, I had to take a snapshot to share. The wasabi was cutely shaped little hearts drizzled in soy sauce. The strawberry salad was phenomenal … the banana bread pudding dessert, although just a little less amazing than what I am used to, nonetheless was still deliciously warm and satisfying… the ice cream on the side, served straight up in a martini glass should not have been so optional… if you know what I mean. They have an excellent listing of red wine, either by bottle or glass.
Trust me, when I say, I love Monterey Bay! Easily a favorite seafood restaurant of mine in the NOVA area.

We went back for a business lunch with a new client and it was absolutely dreadful. The waitress was nice but vacant, the food was dull and uninteresting, and I got served a salad swimming in dressing with a rotten cherry tomato. The glacial pace of the service in general here is okay if you’re enjoying yourself. But when it’s a meal this painful (and embarrassingly bad in front of a client) you just want to get out of there. On top of that the waitress didn’t warn one of us that the fish they were getting was riddled with bones so she spent the entire meal picking at her fish while trying to discuss business. It was all just awful.
I don’t know if we got lucky the first time, if this was what a lunch experience was like, or if this place has just tanked that quickly.

I was taken here for my birthday by my other half. As the past reviews have stated, décor and service are exceptional.
I had a grouper with a marsala sause that was great. My BF had the soft shell crab, which was decent. (I grew up in MD, family is from Baltimore. I am a crab snob)
I dont think this place is worth the price. I do think it would be a great, QUIET, place to go for an after work drink and appetizer before walking to the mall to see a movie.

I kinda got the feeling this was McCormick & Schmick’s on fancy steroids. All this fresh fish and you choose a preparation, blah, blah. In the end, the execution on the food was not what you would expect at that price level. It is an ‘ooh-​aah’ dining room and bar space. It’s also in a very nice office building. At the end of the evening though, you may feel like you fell into a three-​card monte. The ambiance is dazzling, the service staff is attractive, and then they slide you ‘ho-​hum’ food.
Dang! Tricked again. I’ll get that Queen of Hearts, the next time…
Too bad. Firehook downstairs was closed. I think a cookie from there would have saved the evening.

Like many others, I think this place has their décor going for them but honestly that was it.
I decided to have my birthday dinner there and I regretted it afterwards. We started with the clams sauteed monterey style and ahi tuna appetizers. Boring. I felt like I was eating food that was just boiled and had no seasoning on it. Then for our entrees my bf got the walu and I got the chilean sea bass carribean style. Two bad choices again. The food turned out so bland, I always felt like there needed to be more salt or sauces on their entrees. Was that really it? For the price of the entrees, you’d expect it to be halfway decent. And clearly it was not for me.
Go somewhere else and if you’re looking for a really good chilean sea bass go to Lima in D.C. It will knock your socks off.

Took a group of about 10 here last week. The tuna tartare sampler was spectacular but the service was so-​so and the pricing was well, pricey. They did a nice job serving the wine (right temperature, kept the glasses flowing) but overall, the service was the big downer. In addition, I didn’t like the complexity of the menu of N fishes x Y preparations.
Sleek décor, very trendy. Great place for a martini after work. Maybe go somewhere else for dinner.

Amazing to see all the great reviews I see here because I thought overall this place was nice, mostly because of the great ambiance, but didn’t find anything overly special…
Drinks are okay, fish a bit too overated for the prices they charge, but the ambiance I have to say is awesome! I’ve actually never gone for dinner but 2 times for lunch. I’ve tried the softshell crab and the catfish, not bad, but not blown away…
If you’ve shopped at the Tysons Galleria all day, try it out… but I wouldn’t go out of your way to come here…

Set in the PricewaterhouseCoopers building, this restaurant may seem a bit out of the way for patrons who are shopping inside Tysons Galleria (the buildings are connected by a parking garage, about a 3 – 5 minute walk). But the food entirely makes the trip worth it. And of course there is valet.
The service at Monterey Bay was excellent from the moment we stepped into their space. Gracious hosts, excellent busboys, and knowledgeable waiters and sommeliers made us feel welcome the entire time without being overly pretentious.
For starters, my friends and I had the calamari which was lightly fried and very flavorful. The breading was a little bit thick on some pieces but the frying technique made up for it as it did not taste too cloying or oily.
The restaurant has many different types of fish every day and a list of «styles» that they can cook it for you. I had a wonderful fish from Hawaii, the Walu (also known as Escolar) which was very thick and buttery. If you like meaty fish that isn’t «fishy» this is a good fish to start with. The style I had my fish cooked in was parmesan style with a light parmesan sauce. It was not too cheesy but instead, made for a very nice salty crust.
One companion ordered a salmon cooked Cajun style that was very nice. Light and flavorful and the Cajun spices did not overpower the natural flavor of the fish. Another companion ordered the Walu Forbidden style which involved some black rice and was Asian in nature. It was actually not so good and kind of lacked direction.
My favorite side was definitely the sun dried tomato mashed potato dish. The veggies were fine but those mashed potatoes were the perfect complement to my fish.
Dessert included crème brûlée and a mango sorbet during my visit. Crème brûlée was crème brûlée as always. It’s pretty tough to mess that one up in my opinion. The mango sorbet was DELICIOUS. It was served in a martini glass with crème fraîche and crumbled toasted macadamia nuts. On top of that, there were diced pineapple pieces that added a nice tangy zip to the course.
Overall, a very fine restaurant that is worth a trip. Warning: it is pretty expensive as a fish entrée at dinner runs about $ 30 to $ 45 on average.