Monterey Bay Fish Grotto

Recommends

upitt87

Joined 2 years ago

Great food , great view. Crab cakes are to die for and the atmosphere is fabulous.

Recommends

stingray64

Joined 2 years ago

Hit the mark! Again!. Visited a year and a half ago with two friends and Enjoyed it very much. The waitress at that time was Elizabeth and she was a doll. Despite the negative reviews posted in the past year, through caution to the wind and visited again with my wife and two other friends just before Easter. Ate in the lounge since it is more informal with the same great view. We were seated immediately, everyone thoroughly enjoyed thier entrees and the waitress, Heather, could not have been more pleasant or attentive. I feel sorry for those that experienced an unpleasant visit, but for me, they are "2 for 2". I will be sure to visit again the next time I am in Pittsburgh.

Doesn't Recommend

Snowberry1

Joined 3 years ago

Nice View, eat somewhere else. Extremely disappointed! It has been a few years since my last visit to your restaurant. In the past, I routinely brought out of town clients and co workers to the restaurant for the view and the great food. Tonight my dinner was awful. I ordered Grouper Monterey style. No recipe anywhere would smother any fish with at leat 16 oz of artichoke hearts, olives, tomatoes and mushrooms. When my plate arrived, I thought I had been given a cassarole by mistake. If you are really trying to be a seafood restaurant you should look to the Fish Market or SteelHead Grille for guidance. Don't think I will ever return to Monterey Bay except for cocktails and the view. I can have better meals at many other establishments. Maybe you need a real chef to prepare meals. Wasn't impressed with the catfish my Mother had, nor was my husband impressed with the New York Strip. We ate at the Capital Grille on Sunday and the food was sooooo much better! You need to have more than a view to keep customers returning...or maybe that doesn't matter!

Doesn't Recommend

JakeAtl

Joined 3 years ago

Definitely Missed the Mark. If it weren't for the glitz of the main dining room the Monterey Bay Fish Grotto wouldn't rate the one star. How this place stays in business is beyond me. Well, there is the awesome view. Outside of that this visitor was UNIMPRESSED at best.

As a journalist, my travels take me all around the country and to every type of restaurant. Monterey Bay Fish Grotto is situated atop Grandview Avenue overlooking the river and Heinz Field but its attention to customers is sliding uncontrollably off that perch. In all my dining experiences, I have never come across such deplorable customer service.

The waitress was as absent minded as she was untrained, often forgetting simple things like a place setting. To be honest, I believe she actually forgot about our 4-person group all together. It took us over 2 hours for what should have been a 50-75 minute meal. Since the most complicated meal ordered at the table was a simple broiled trout, there was no reason for the extended wait.

if you think our wait was long, think again. A couple at an adjacent table ordered the Special (and highly priced) 5-course meal at the same time our table ordered. They were still waiting on their second or third course as we were leaving.

Lastly, what could be said about the manager on duty except he's sorry. He has absolutely no idea how to run a restaurant. After the food arrived, he made his appearance. I'm still trying to figure out why since the service failed to improve. This staff should take a few courses at McDonald's University where customer service is job #1. If there was ever a reason to shun high-priced fare and stick to the bustling pubs operating throughout the Steel City this horrid excuse for an upscale restaurant is it. Just say no to Monterey Bay Fish Grotto and save yourself a headache and plenty of coin.

Doesn't Recommend

Shay17

Joined 3 years ago

Very Disappointed visit from Atlanta!. After a long day of travel from Atlanta to Pittsburgh about 2 weeks ago, this restaurant came highly recommended. While the view was excellent, the service was terrible. We waited a very long time for menus, then drinks and it took a couple of hours before our food arrived. Part of our order was wrong and the food was not good. Management was called to our table and he offered us desert which at that point we had no interest in. The manager took our valet ticket and had our car brought to the door but we still had to pay for parking. Do not go there hungry. Or just go check out the view from Mt Washington across the street.

Doesn't Recommend

Tom Samuels

Joined 3 years ago

Dinner last night 7-10-2010. I have eaten here in the past and is was always a pleasant experience. However last night was a complete disapointment. Food was not good, wait staff unprofessional, Cocktail smalll and watered down, Lemon sole (overcooked) could not have been more than 2 ounces with nothing else on the plate. When we left, we imediatly proceeded to a real restraunt. If convenient parking is the only requirement for dinning out, then this is your place.

Doesn't Recommend

15222

Joined 3 years ago

Not Good but the Grand Concourse is Loving This!!!. I used to LOVE this restaurant but it is not what it used to be and there are much better restaurants in Pittsburgh.

Pro: The main course (fish / crabcakes) are still good as is the view.

Cons: The current chef is the main issue as three of the dishes we had were awful:

1. The clam chowder soup used to be my favorite. I hadn't been at the restaurant in a while so I was craving my old favorite (which is what you are accustomed to getting in restaurants). I ate one bite of their new version of the soup and set it aside to be taken away. It is disgusting and easily the worst I have ever had!!! It was extremely thick but not rich thick, it was like they put in a pound of flour.

2. Shrimp Fried Rice: Odd choice on the menu but I had to get it as I like shrimp fried rice. My mistake. It was not good. This guy needs to go to China Palace to get a better idea on the dish as I could have made what he made at home (and I am not a good cook).

3. Grilled Brocolli side: Best way to describe this is eating a dead pine tree branch. Yuck!

4. Still no lobster on the menu which is just silly for a seafood place.

Bottom line, if you are going to spend $150 on dinner you would be better off going to Ruth's Chris, Grand Concourse, Capital Grille or the Fish Market. I know this sounds crazy from someone that used to love this place but I couldn't believe how bad my experience turned out to be. :(

Anyway, I rarely write reviews but had to take a few minutes out of my schedule to keep others from making the same mistake that I did.

Trust me on this one...

Recommends

J Moschetta

Joined 3 years ago

One of my top 5 Favorites. I love to eat here. The food has always been perfect. The service is excellent. The view is amazing.

Recommends

PatnKim

Joined 4 years ago

Food, view and service excellent - watch out for valet. We have dined here a few times. We find the service impeccable, and the food has been great every time we have been here. Often, we will just have hors d'oeuvres in the lounge and enjoy the view. However, we have seen valet at times be quite aggressive with the vehicles, and are often less than patient. We did complain, and the manager was very apologetic and advised it would be handled. I was very impressed with how this manager, Tom Mielo, handled the situation. Hopefully future such issues will not occur. All and all, the food is excellent, the service is great, and the view is unbeatable. If they reign in their valet staff, it will be a completely well-rounded affair.

Recommends

psenevir

Joined 5 years ago

not so hot. put all the glitz and glamor and this is place just boils down to an overpriced restaurant that serves average tasting food. the view from the restaurant is nice but I would not consider the dining experience romantic.