Bay Cafe & Cantina

Unless your staying at the nearby lodge parking could be a little difficult. We found a spot along the street.
Place was very big and the staff was friendly. Food was good.
The orange juice was fresh squeezed lots of pulp. I like that. Too bad it’s watered down so much.
For a quick, simple breakfast it’s not a bad place.

Loved the nice café in the morning, such a great selection of coffee and tea. The Honey Vanilla Latte is a favorite!

Don’t let the outside appearance deceive you. This place has delicious food, huge serving sizes. They freshly squeeze their oranges (you can tell by the amount of pulp in the glass) their sourdough bread is homemade, the bacon is delicious. The service is quick and wonderful. The place is not very full. The chairs are painted in a variety of colors and the decorations are darling. The place has beer on tap and is a place I will be returning to in the future

We came here for the first time and was awesome. Food and service was great, looking forward to going back again.

Friendly staff. Came here for breakfast and was VERY impressed with the good food. Coffee was strong but not overwhelming. Definitely coming back to try dinner. Worth the price for all the food and even took home left overs since we had so much left.

Ill be back!
In an area that has let me down for simple consistent food i have really kinda of given up till i found this little gem. What a great view from the dining area. Decent service and good pricing. I had a simple BLT $ 6 or 7.99 with fries… what a bargain compared to places like Tico’s in Marina that wants $ 10.99 and nowhere near the display of this place. Good amount of bacon, very fresh vegetables and I really liked the seasoned fries as well… i didn’t get many but they were certainly tasty. Im looking forward to trying something more from here since i finally got a decent meal for a decent price. Thank you, and please keep doing what your doing here.

Review for breakfast:
I got the turkey avocado Benedict and it was delicious. Lemony hollandaise, perfectly poached eggs, a HUGE amount of sliced turkey with avocado and tomato. The county potatoes could have been a bit crispier, but they were well seasoned and tasty.
Ultimately: friendly service, great food and HOT coffee. I’ll be back.

My husband and I had breakfast here yesterday and the food was decent. We both ordered the bacon and eggs breakfast. My eggs and bacon were delicious. The only complaint I have is the fresh fruit cup I paid extra for was not fresh at all. Some of the fruit tasted like it was fermented. Aside from that the rest of the meal was good and the staff was friendly and attentive.

Our dinner was rather bland and lacking in flavor. Apparently the cook was having an «off night «and it really showed. We brought our concerns to the attention of our server, and asked to speak to the owner or manager, but he was not available. We were invited to return in the morning to speak to him, and we did so.
The manager, Enrique, took full responsibility for the poor quality of our dinner and assured us that the problems with the cook would be addressed in no uncertain terms. He apologized for our unpleasant experience, thanked us for bothering to return to speak to him in person, and went «above and beyond» to take care of us and make us happy.
Although our dining experience originally earned Bay Café and Cantina only one star, Enrique did what few would do to earn our return business. We will definitely return on our next trip to the area, and hope to find the flavor of the food up to par.
Based on Enrique’s generosity and heartfelt apologies, we award 4 stars and wish him and Bay Café a successful future.

Great petrale sole on special to die for!!! One of my favorite spot in town.
We had the puipo en escabeche, and the crab cakes appetizer; both were up to par with the more fancy and centrally located restaurant in and around Monterey, but in a very moderate price.
For my wife’s entrée she got the costillas oaxaquenas, tender pork ribs simmered with cactus beans and red chile sauce.
My dinner of course was the petrale sole blackened with mango papaya salsa… Great as usual.
This restaurant is overlooked mainly because their location, and is not a tourist trap; just great food, attentive service, reasonable prices; what else can we ask for?

BBQ western burger is the best! Super fresh and delicious. The portions are really big and their bbq sauce is tasty, the Puntas a La Diabla is really good too if your in the mood for flavorful Mexican food

We’ve been here a couple of times while staying at the Monterey Bay Lodge.
This past weekend, the food was great! We had dinner which was yummy… enchiladas=yum! Very fresh tasting. And kids eat free at dinner with a paying adult. Breakfast the next day was awesome, too. Great omelet — super fresh tasting. Excellent cappuccino. Even my picky 8 year old said I should give Bay Café 5 stars. I would have except for the 27 flies we counted on the window next to our table. The service is a little off, too. Not bad, just needs some tightening up and consistency.

Crab cakes benedict, skirt steak benedict & waffles ordered. Great taste, steak tender, crab cakes well prepared. Hollandaise sauce tasty and not too heavy. Hot tea presented and prepared in hot kettle. Waffles hot, crunchy on outside, moist, flavorful inside.
Presentation of plate-​satisfactory. Needs parsley and slice of fruit to enhance presentation.
Overall rating: 4 stars. Will return. Open airy atmosphere with outdoor seating available.
++womens restroom is clean!

We were looking for a place to eat and we found the Bay Café (Part of the Monterey Bay Lodge).
My wife had the Crap Cakes Caesar. salad and I had the Spaghetti and Meatballs dinner with Iced Tea. All the Food was great! You get a view of the Monterey Bay and the Lagoon at the park with the Ducks/​Geese.
Location: Camino Aguajito and 1^st. Parking for restaurant is on 1^st and in Hotel parking lot marked for restaurant parking.
Live Music-​Saturdays 6−8pm
Happy Hour: Daily 5−7PM

Staying at the Monterey Bay Lodge. My breakfast order was wrong this morning. And then when it was brought to me the crab meat looked and tasted disgusting. I scraped it all off and just ate the poached egg and english muffin. Even the breakfast potatoes tasted off. The fruit served to my mother was also overly ripe and bad.
As for the service in the evening, it is just as poor. I went at 8 to grab a glass of wine and was told it was closed. Online it says it’s open until 9. On the door, on a permenant sign, it says it’s open until 9. There were people eating inside and at the bar. Yet I was told by the bartender that they had already «closed.»
Come down to Monterey and stay at the Monterey Bay Lodge often (4 times a year) and I will never frequent this establishment again.

We has the crab cakes an they are to die for best in town. Great customer Service. Alot better Than other resturants

I’ve been over the top surprised and beyond content with both of our brunch dining experiences. First they serve a chipotle sundried tomato dip with bread on the house as an old fashioned welcoming gesture. Being allergic to wheat I kindly had them take away the bread but kept the striking red sauce. Turns out it’s killer with their roasted potatoes and one of my favorite breakfast dishes — the Eggs Benny. Here I ordered the turkey avocado and in lieu of the English muffin they were kind enough to serve it on sliced tomatoes. The Hollandaise sauce was bright and had a nice buttery flavor, the turkey and avocado were spot on and the house red sauce just brought everything together. It went well on my partner’s breakfast skillet full of roasted potatoes, bell peppers, onions, two poached eggs and more. The skillet could have easily fed two but my partner was able to finish it.
Although I don’t drink Carmel Valley Roasting Co. at home I was pleasantly surprised with their coffee. I went a few minutes before close so instead of making a new pot they brought me an Americano and it really hit the spot and made my day.
On our next visit I ordered the huevos rancheros. At first I was paranoid since the corn tortillas looked fried. Anything deep friend in a commercial kitchen will have gluten cross contamination (if they serve anything breaded or battered). So in a panic I double checked and they calmly told me that they butter and grill there corn tortillas so that it hold the over easy eggs and the sauce doesn’t tear through the delicate tortillas. I was stunned. What a great idea and I really appreciated that so much thought went into the prep. of this dish in particular.
Since they live in walking distance to my house (more like biking) I think about heading over there for their roasted potatoes, delicious house dipping sauce, and their eggs benny at least once a week!
Oh and on of the best things about this place besides it’s central location to Monterey is that they could easily seat like a hundred people so gather your extended family or host a party at this casual and welcoming spot.

We’ve been here twice for breakfast while staying at the hotel to which the restaurant is attached. The food was much better than anticipated the first time, so we’re back again today and just as satisfied as the first time.
Quality ingredients and decent portions for the price. Really good coffee.
The service isn’t exactly four star, but it’s better than what you’d get at a Denny’s. Expect to have to repeat yourself a time or two.

Great food! We love taking the kiddos here. Good, prompt service and reasonable prices. Nice to walk the bike path after dinner as well.

I’ve been living down the street from this location for almost 20 years. I’ve seen restaurants come and go here. Enrique, the restaurant manager, had a vision to create a place for the locals that would attract the tourists and he has fulfilled that vision! The food is excellent! The fruit isn’t melons that you would find at other breakfast places attached to hotels but a beautiful array of berries! Amazing coffee! And a social area for hanging out and drinking coffee… Or… The mimosas are yummy! And a big smile from Enrique when you arrive, hugs too sometimes.
Come check it out. I love the food, service, and local welcome of this place.