Taste Cafe & Bistro

The food and service here are always good! Very friendly, welcoming staff. Very creative food presentations. Family owned. We will be back!

Always friendly fresh and fantastic flavors. We are big fans. Come every weekend after work. We love to support locally owned businesses and this place is top of charts great. Plus full bar. Thank you taste.

We entered this modest little establishment at 10 pm Texas time, exhausted and starving after a day of travel. They have a comfortable family atmosphere and the delightful waitress recommended the Sand Dob special. We were absolutely blown away by the quality of our meal. The presentation was perfect and all the flavors just danced together. I hope we can go back!

Delicious food, excellent and friendly service, pleasant ambiance. We thoroughly enjoyed our Friday evening dinner here. What a nice way to usher in the weekend! If you can save some space, try the butterscotch pudding. Rich and delicious! We go to a lot of restaurants in the Monterey area and this is one of the best!

Located near Asilomar beach ((which is an amazing place to watch the sun set!) is this absolute gem of a restaurant. It’s a little bit out of the way of the bustling hubbub of the downtown Monterey area but this place is definitely awesome enough to warrant a trip out here specifically for that, and it’s definitely better than anything I’ve had downtown or on the wharf
The service was second to none. They seated me pretty much as soon as I got in and fumbled to take my gloves off. What I didn’t notice was that the hostess was patiently waiting for me to finish to actually hand me my menu and converse as a human being instead of dropping the menu off and walking off like I didn’t matter. I mentioned that I had a long drive up to San Francisco and was immediately offered a cup of coffee after dinner as well (and that was some darn good coffee as well, especially considering it was a Sunday night right before closing so they must have made it fresh just for me!)
To the quality of the food: It was amazing! As a guy who normally hates mushrooms, I found myself happily chomping away at the many mushrooms that came with my grilled rabbit (this was my first time having Rabbit as well, but I’m pretty sure that I’ve already been spoiled for life because it was absolutely amazing).
I’m not sure you could ask for more of a place. I’ll definitely be returning when I can get back down to the area!

Another fine meal at Taste. I have been dining here for over 20 years — very soon after they first opened. I have never been disappointed with either the superb hospitality of the Kataki family
or with the excellent cuisine that has been prepared. This time was no exception. The rabbit was so delicious I mistook it for my grandmothers! The pasta was wonderful. I’ve been coming to the peninsula for 60 years since my parents brought me here as a child. I look forward to the consistency that I’ve come to expect at Taste Bistro. It’s now a family tradition.

We didn’t want to eat at another mediocre, overpriced Cannery or Wharf restaurant, so based on the Unilocal reviews we gave Taste Café & Bistro a try. It was wonderful! It doesn’t look like much from the outside, so maybe that’s why it wasn’t busy on a Friday night, but we loved the food, the friendly staff, and the ambiance.
I had the Pork Medallions, which came beautifully presented with sauteed Napa cabbage, celery, and apples, topped with mashed potatoes. The pork was perfectly tender with a nice jus, and the vegetables were delicious. The mashed potatoes were very light and tasty as well.
My wife’s salmon was baked in parchment with squash and spinach, and she commented that the vegetables were really good. The piece of salmon was huge so she couldn’t finish it.
For dessert we tried the crème brûlée and apple galette. I’m not a huge crème brûlée fan but Taste’s is really, really good. Likewise, the apple galette was dessert perfection. The pastry was textbook crispy, and the caramel sauce was perfect. I haven’t had a dessert that good in a long time.
As I mentioned before the staff were all really friendly and accomodating. Next time we visit Monterey or Carmel we will most definitely be back. The price rating is «$$» but you get better food and service than most «$$$» in the area.
I really can’t say enough good things about Taste. Even the bread they give you while you wait is perfectly crusty, but not chewy at all. If I had to pick a nit, the service can feel a little slow, but I think they make everything by hand, to order, so that naturally takes a little longer than assembly-​line cooking… but it’s 100% worth the wait.

My husband is pretty demanding and tonight’s dinner was perfection, service was a delight, flavors were fantastic, presentation lovely !
We will be back soon ! Thank you Susan and William ! Love this place !

We arrived a little before 6 on a Friday. The place wasn’t very busy (maybe three other tables taken) and were immediately seated. They take reservations but not being a big holiday weekend we figured we’d be fine… we were. The décor was nice and the place was clean and well kept. Our order was taken very quickly (which was great, I hate waiting there to order) and we decided on the Halibut special and their grilled rabbit.
We were sitting relatively close to the kitchen/​grill so were able to smell everything as it cooked. The smells coming as the other orders were being filled definitely made me think good things and set some high expectations. When our food arrived I was very pleased with what I saw. The Halibut looked perfect and the rabbit smelled amazing and looked even better. The flavor lived up to the smells and appearance. The portions were more than generous for the price and our waitress was attentive.
We saw several other excellent looking/​smelling dishes while we were there so we will definitely be back to try some other options!

My fiancé and I are fairly new to Pacific Grove and kept hearing really good things about Taste so we decided to drop in for dinner. We were not disappointed! The service was excellent, the food was amazing and the atmosphere was cozy and inviting. We will definitely be back for a visit!

I was disappointed based on the reviews. I had the rabbit which was well cooked but lacked flavor– it really didn’t have any seasoning. My wife had the filet with a peppercorn sauce. Again, the fillet was nicely cooked, but lacked flavor. Also, we’ve never seen a peppercorn sauce with diced tomatoes. It was reasonably priced, but would not return.
Bill– thanks for taking the time to comment. You did stop by, and I do appreciate it.

Wonderful wonderful little place. Food is always good and it is family run for over 25 years. The whole family will bend over backwards to give you a wonderful dining experience. Very gracious hosts and husband is a really good chef. Wife is do sweet and a lovely person. A hidden gem!

If you’re in the Monterey or Carmel area, this is a must try! Wonderful family owned restaurant, from the great service to the amazing food.
On the first night of our vacation, my boyfriend and I made a trip to the Safeway across the street to stock up on some water and snacks. Boy, am I glad we did. We even made it a point to go back before the end of our trip.
On our first dinner my boyfriend had the special of the day, the sand dab, that also came with a soup. The soup was flavorful with a nice texture. The sand dab was definitely the star. Moist, buttery, and flavorful. I had the pork medallions. It was a little dry for my liking, but it paired well with the sauce and veggies on the side — I like how they give you a generous portion. :D Second dinner, we both had the halibut special. Again made very well and was delicious. All 3 of our entrees (not that all of their entrees do) came with mashed potatoes, green beans, fresh tomatoes, and onions that were caramelized in some sort of vinaigrette I’m guessing. Mmm, we finished every last bite.
Desserts! The desserts were what attracted me to Taste in the first place upon browsing Unilocal.They did not disappoint! My favorite was the warm brioche bread pudding that was paired with an apricot sauce, heaven. The crème brûlée was also really good. I could taste real vanilla beans instead of the typical vanilla extract. So good!
Service: We could tell the family prided on great customer service and created a welcoming atmosphere. We were checked on several times for both our meals. The chef also comes by every table, which not much places do it seems.
If I’m ever in the area, I’ll definitely go again!

Lovely family owned business, food is unique and wonderful and got me in the mood to try something different. We had the chefs special sand dabs with a buttery cream sauce and it was spectacular and beautiful presentation and my husband had the rabbit which was spectacular as
the perfect little bistro run by a wonderful family who are sonkind… this is a real hidden gem

What a wonderful find! This is a great unpretentious family owned restaurant with really great food and decent prices. We started with the mussels. The mussels were plump, plentiful and flavorful. For entrees, I had the sand dabs and hubby had the New York steak. We were both very happy with our meals. The sand dabs were lightly breaded and crisped on one side. The fish was flakey, moist and flavorful. The steak was cooked perfectly and seasoned nicely. The interior of the restaurant was cute, the tables were far enough apart to hold private conversations, the service was prompt, friendly and courteous, and the prices were great. I am a fan! I will definitely visit again when I am in Pacific Grove.

We have been driving by this place when coming through Pacific Grove from Carmel or when we drive up from down south and have always been curious about it. Husband and I finally had the chance to eat here last weekend, and we’re kicking ourselves for not trying it sooner – it’s that good.
It’s a family run business and the whole clan couldn’t be more gracious or accommodating if they tried. This, in my opinion, always adds to the overall enjoyment of a meal.
The menu is replete with all kinds of options for every palate. We had the mussels to start, then I had the chicken salad while husband had the fish special. All were delicious, with balanced and subtle flavors coming through each bite. The portions are generous and everything on the menu is very reasonably priced.
My mom and I drove back up here today so we could see my daughter in the school play, and I took my mom here for dinner beforehand. Again, the food was outrageous. We each had a salad and shared the roasted chicken. Here’s the thing, people: it is very easy to screw up a roasted chicken, but really difficult to get it EXACTLY right. This chicken was exactly right – tender, juicy and so flavorful. We finished the meal with the dark/​white chocolate mousse, and, as expected, fantastic!
Treat yourselves to this little gem in cozy, quaint, scenic Pacific Grove, but promise me not to tell too many people about it. I want to be able to get in the next time we come up!

Taste is an all-​around fabulous place to dine. Not only is the food delicious, the atmosphere and staff is superb. You are always greeted with the warmest welcome and smiling faces. I have been to this restaurant many times, and my most favorite dishes are: crab cakes, mussels, tortellini, chicken Dijon, sand dabs, and you can’t ever go without having the bread pudding!

This was my first time dining at Taste. We came in on a cold evening to a warm and charming venue that was immediately more charming when we were greeted by the owner. We shared an appetizer, the Grilled Eggplant Napoleon. Layers of eggplant, roasted peppers and cheese over a brioche, dressed with kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes and greens. It looked gorgeous and was delicious. I had the lamb medallions served with au gratin potatoes and spinach in a wine reduction sauce. It was excellent as was the Malbec wine I paired with it. The other diners had the rabbit in juniper berry sauce and the grilled NY steak with pomes fritte. All were pleased. Our only regret was that we had no room for dessert.
The food, the setting, and the service were all superior and the prices are quite fair.

I happened upon Taste during a stay in Monterey. Despite my casual wear, I was greeted warmly and I chose to sit at a hightop in the bar nook. I wasn’t rushed or pressured, and decided upon the Mushroom Bourguignonne, the Butternut Squash Agnolotti, and the
Country Apple Galette. The mushrooms were cooked well, came out sizzling hot, but were a tad tasteless, which is the only reason I can’t award the full 5 stars. The agnolotti was absolutely amazing; the uncommon pairing of pickled red onions and butternut squash was delightful. Add a bit of pepper, and it was perfect. The galette was heavenly; the texture was just right and the caramel sauce was to-​die-​for. All portions were more than enough, and I left satisfied and grateful I had stumbled upon such a delicious meal with such attentive, friendly owners and staff.

Every time my family visits Monterey County, we must eat at Taste Café. I think we’ve been coming here for over 10 years. You have to order the bread pudding. After I ate it years and years ago, I found out how to make bread pudding and a cream sauce. Though not the same, it reminded me of my experience here.