Paradiso Trattoria

I think this place is highly overpriced and just for the view of the oceans. Certainly it has bad chef. Food sucks out here. You are better off eating from any food cart or any hole in the wall place.

I have been here twice. Food is always great. You can’t beat the view Of the bay. I go early for dinner and bring the Kids. They are very kid friendly. Salmon is amazing. Calamari is a must order. All pastas are house made. Yummy!

This place is owned by the Whaling Station steak house guys and is well run with great food and service. Better location than the Whaling a Station but perhaps more of a wait when busy. We have been there perhaps 8 times. Enjoy.

we came in here because they handed sample and I’m too embarrassed not to go in.well.
the food was good. nothing special. The risotto was good but small

My husband, our one year old son (at the time) and myself, visited Paradiso a year ago. I was asked to step outside with my «fussing baby» which, by the way, he has never been a «fussy baby». He probably made a sound twice at their «upscale» restaurant and the management started looking at us. The patrons beside us were actually smiling at him and talking to him. Couldn’t have been their complaints! We had been here many times before with him, by the way. Never had any problems before this. What really upset us is the manager came right as our food arrived and he asked me to take our boy outside. Gee thanks, couldn’t have come before or waited? We asked to take our food to go and our $ 80 meal (good, yet overpriced) it was THROWN into to-​go boxes along with plastic spoons. Gee thanks… We were pissed needless to say. I’ve seen other reviews also saying they are not family friendly. My review from a year ago was deleted and I had said the same thing. But maybe not so nicely because we were SO upset. ATTENTION PARADISO: IF YOU DON’T LIKE CHILDREN PLEASE SAY SO AT THE ENTRANCE. We would’ve rather gone somewhere else and had a wonderful time and a warm meal than have been embarrassed and eaten a cold, overpriced meal in our hotel room. Thanks a lot.
Bottom line: Children are only welcome if they don’t make a peep… You pay for the views, not the food… The management sucks!

The greater outside was very nice and welcoming. We had to wait for a window seat at the bar. The bartender was very friendly. Drinks weren’t the best but for the cost you can’t complain. The waiter was extremely sweaty.
The food was wonderful. We had fried calamari and the half dozen oysters. My husband had the seafood risotto which was amazing. I had a steak that was cooked to perfection. We loved the food.
We were out for our anniversary and has no children but what I did notice was children in the restaurant and the staff being very friendly. One waiter took a screaming child in a stroller for a walk around the restaurant and it pleased the parents as well as the baby. Another child was laughing very loudly and no one seemed bothered by it. I will be taking my family here the next time.

Definitely a touristy spot with a nice view. Went for drinks and apps today before we headed to the aquarium.
Beers were decently priced, bottles so can’t complain about those.
We got the clam chowder bowl, calamari and shrimp cocktail. The clam chowder was great … Add a little tapatio and oyster crackers and you’re good. The calamari was okay but a little soggy. The shrimp cocktail I definitely would not recommend … It’s like precooked little shrimps with celery.
But, they do have an all day happy hour so if you just wanna grab something really quick it’s not bad.

Got lured into Paradiso Trattoria from its delicious Clam Chowder tasting that the man at the door was handing out… AND the Happy Hour all day sign that was set outdoors.
I love Happy Hour and I love it more when it’s all day. Although I didn’t get to enjoy it all day since we were taking a lunch break from the Aquarium, I did get to enjoy it for an hour. We sat at the bar and ordered the Margherita Pizza ($ 5), Shrimp Cocktail ($ 3), and the Fried Calamari ($ 5), three appetizers were perfectly enough for two to share. The Margherita PIzza was flavorful and had a nice crust to it. The Shrimp Cocktail was of small shrimps… I was imagining that it would be 3 larger shrimps but no… It was a cup of chilled baby shrimps on a bed of lettuce topped with cocktail sauce. It wasn’t bad, but it was more on the soggy side. The Calamari we also enjoyed. Calamari was in larger pieces, light on the batter, and very meaty.
Of course to top off the Happy Hour happiness of mine was the drink specials which were $ 5. I had the Margarita on the rocks which was pretty tasty… and the boy had a delicious Rum and Coke. I was really pleased with my meal here and would definitely come back! Don’t forget to try to get the coupons at the door for the free appetizer… they only work though if you order an entrée… but keep that in mind!

Worst pizza ever, Lack of service, the manager care more about texting and speaking spanish to the busgirl than taking time to greet and seat our party.
drinks took forever, the menu states that the pizza comes with salad, we never got ours; we will never return.

In my experience, quality of food gets worse as the view gets better. Paradiso has great food for a place with a fantastic view.
Our server as well as the supervisor and host came by and checked on our table and asked us how we were enjoying our meal. Service is friendly and attentive. Our server was also very knowledgeable about the dishes.
We got a coupon at the door for a free appy, so we got the calamari. It was perfect!
We also ordered;
— A small clam chowder: delicious, but lacking in clam meat.
— Seafood linguine — perfectly seasoned, lots of seafood, red cream sauce was just right.
— Prawn Scampi — the prawns were a bit tough and the sauce was a bit too rich for me. I could not finish this, ended up taking it home and still throwing it out.
Regardless, we had a great time there and may be back while visiting Monterey in the future.

Another fantastic meal as usual in a quiet, relaxed setting away from the hustle and bustle of Cannery Row. I never thought I’d be in a place enough times to have the staff recognize me, but it’s a nice feeling when they give a sweet smile and wave after remembering the many times they’ve waited on you.
I like coming here for the view and the bright clean dining room. The menu hadn’t changed in over a year and contrary to Loan L.‘s review, there’s no lobster roll here. I love a good New England lobster roll but have yet to see one on the menu here.
Seeing as how we were celebrating graduation, the trio of merry diners indulged on oysters on the half shell, calamari, and drinks all around. We ordered shrimp scampi, cioppino, and halibut with sauteed zucchini in garlic. For one of us, it was the first time trying oysters on the half shell and it was a riotous good time watching him figure out the cocktail sauce, Tabasco and lemon. There is no way I could attach a price to the joy of watching first experiences like that.
Everyone agreed dinner was absolutely ridiculously delicious. One person was an underfed butter and sauce fanatic so the scampi was just right for him. The other enjoys his share of seafood and classic San Francisco fare and I like eating items off menu so halibut with mashed potatoes and veggies was right up my alley.
The coconut crème brûlée was a great way to finish off the meal and it was large enough to split amongst a large group or a very hungry small one. I’m sorely gonna miss this place but I’ll hold onto the fond memories.

The bf and I were lured in by a gentleman advertising all day happy hour at the bar. It just so happens we were in search of a good drink special, so we moseyed on in and sat ourselves down.
Interior of the restaurant is nice with great ocean views, but the bar is small and it fills up easily. We had other parties being pushed up against us trying to squeeze into a tiny table. Not the most relaxing happy hour.
Most drinks are $ 5 as are appetizers. We ordered a small Margarita pizza and a couple of drinks. Both were just ok. Nothing to really write home about.
I would recommend if you’re on a budget but looking for ocean views (of which Paradiso had spectacualr views).
3.5 stars overall.

It all starts with the fabulous view from our table, though all tables would have a good view of the bay. We started with a great crusty bread, they bring to your table. I ordered the garden salad to start, & a perfect pasta dish, of ravioli with spinach & fennel cream, and of course a Pelligrino. We’ve been here a few times for both dinner & lunch and it has never disappointed. I would highly recommend this place if your in the Monterey, Cannery Row area.

We were heading back to our car from the aquarium when we found this place. It looks nice on the outside and what caught me was the Lobster Roll special. I was like. Cool, I lived in New England for a few years and my husband was born and raised in Rhode Island, i can’t wait for a lobster roll.
We walked in and waited for sometime to be seated even though a lot of people that worked that just walked passed us.
We ordered the calamari, fish sand which and of course, the lobster roll (which the server asked if I wanted warm or cold???)
We got some nice warm fresh bread with a side of some garlic pesto sauce to start out with. It took quite some time for our calamari to arrive and when it did, it was a little warm. So you know that it’s been sitting out for a while. The calamari was a bit too bready for my taste. Since the appetizers too so long to come out, our food came out within minutes.
The lobster roll was a shocker. It didn’t even look like a lobster roll. Normally, you would be able to see the bright red meat of the lobster, all I saw was crust and white. Yes crust. why you ask? Because they fried the lobster before putting it in the roll. Who does that? It was so nasty. Lobster rolls are not supposed to be fried first. Also, it had no flavor what so ever. I was so disappointed in the roll because being from New England, I knew what a lobster roll was supposed to taste like.
That said, my husband’s fish sandwich was just as bad. Remember the garlic pesto sauce used for the bread… well, it was also the main sauce used for the fish sandwich.
To add salt to our wounded bellies, the bill was $ 50.00. If I am going to pay $ 50 for lunch, I would expect decent food that isn’t left sitting out for 15 minutes.
I do not recommend this place.

We passed by this place while we were walking to the Aquarium. There was a sign outside that said «Happy Hour All Day» so naturally, we walked right in.
Drinks were good and cheap, service was slow. The food actually looked good, but we were just there for drinks.

Really good find on Cannery Row. This was near the water and as we were hungry after looking at fish at the aquarium, we thought ‘why not eat some seafood?’ The irony! A young man was passing out coupons for free calamari (we got two!) so we were pretty much sold.
PLUSES:
— prices weren’t too bad given the touristy area
— bread sticks and sourdough bread were very good
— efficient service
— lots of space
— paella had huge portions of seafood and saffron rice
— cioppino was thick, a little spicy and filled with fish, lobster and shellfish. SO GOOD! The sauce was flavorful, there was a lot of seafood and it all went well with the sourdough bread. This was prob my favorite dish from the whole trip to Monterrey.
CONS
— clam chowder was ok
— side of broccoli/​asparagus was $ 5
— calamari was complimentary and super small size. I guess we should have known.
Next time, I’ll try the sand dabs!

Super friendly staff, tasty Italian and not too busy on MOTOGP weekend on a Saturday night with the motorcycle crowds taking over Cannery Row. We waited for about 15 – 20 mins.
The food was pretty good. Check into Unilocal and get an appetizer for half off. The pasta dish I got (spaghetti and Italian sausage) was super yummy. My friends ordered the prime rib and it looked so good. I should of just ordered the prime rib also. Overall a good choice for dinner. A place where you could actually take a date and enjoy the bay.

Don’t be fooled by their cheap $ 2 Cocktail shrimp appetizer at happy hour (which was what lured us into the restaurant in the first place). It was super dinky baby shrimps, slathered in cocktail sauce on a salad in a little cup. We mentioned we were interested in the cocktail shrimp, and the hostess sat us down at the bar and brought us TWO orders of the cocktail shrimp (without asking us whether or not we wanted both — we really only wanted one). I would’ve much rather seat in the main dining room (with the awesome ocean view) and skip bar seating for the dinky appetizer.
Anyways! We were able to sneak in around 3:30pm after a day at the aquarium, just in time for lunch prices (until 4pm). I was super craving salmon, so I ordered their King Salmon Grilled. It satisfied my craving, but I could tell that the fish wasn’t very fresh because they slathered so much sauce on it, masking the natural flavors of the salmon.
Our bartender/​server was super friendly though! He accommodated each of our requests with a smile, throwing in a few stories.
Noticed that after 4pm, someone from the restaurant started handed out flyers outside for a free appetizer…

With beautiful weather on the Peninsula, Sunday called for a lunch with an ocean view. And Paradiso’s delivered in every aspect!
Ambiance…check
Quality service… check
Restaurant cleanliness… check
Quality food options… check
Reasonable prices… check
We feasted on the cheeseburger and fries ($ 10.95), the pesto pasta ($ 13) and drank in the delicious refreshments (lemonade and cocktails) and breath-​taking ocean views. Even received a coupon at the door for a FREE fried calamari appetizer. Everything was delicious with loads of flavor! The cheeseburger was fantastic– juicy, plump and served on a seasoned, grilled bun. The penne pasta is tossed with fresh pesto sauce, parmesan cheese and cream sauce. The pesto pasta was a perfect lunch option for me – not too heavy but very filling. So filling that I didn’t adhere to my game plan, which was to finish lunch off with a Ghiradelli sundae from the Ghiradelli shop next door.
We had such a pleasant lunch perched above the Pacific with stellar service and will most certainly be back again!

Still four stars, but as others have mentioned the quality seems to be trending south as the years go by. This is not to say that Paradiso is still not a great lunch place. It is, but chef Pisto needs to fix these things.
— Bitter pesto butter. I’ve had their lovely pesto in the past and it was great, this go around it was very bitter and uneatable.
— The Spagetti sauce was missing the umph of previous years.
— They still have a great burger, but when I ordered the spicy cheeseburger all that was included was one Jelapeno pepper on the side that had been grilled… ($ 1 extra). See Picture.
On the positive, the Sand Dabs were excellent.
The guy outside is still giving away free calamari coupons.