Cibo

I stopped by this Italian restaurant while passing through. We had some appetizers, looked over the menu, enjoyed some wine and water; the service was excellent. I tried their fried artichokes, which were delicious, and the fried calamari, also very good. The food looked exquisite, everything cooked with clean oil and a perfect deep fry. Normally when I eat fried food I sometimes run into unpleasant surprises, but this place was truly spotless. Even the bathroom was very clean. The restaurant has a nice setting, everything looked super tidy and well-kept. I really liked this place and would definitely recommend it. If you ever visit Downtown Monterey, this restaurant will surely be to your liking.

Absolutely the worst place in town. First we were served somebody else’s order. Once we go that returned, I ordered the bell. The sauce was a sweet tomato syrup the veal was just store bought frozen beef. My wife ordered a clam chowder which we had to return because it was so terrible and watery. She ordered a pasta salad that was boiled pasta on a plate with nothing. The food is overpriced and the service is terrible. The plates were worn and dirty. Would not recommend.

Garrett was an attentive & proactive server. We'd previously lived here, and flew in to visit our old haunts. This was our second choice for a restaurant; thank God the Crown & Anchor was closed. Garrett made our lunch. We ordered the crab cakes, calamari, clam chowder, poké, and chicken alfredo. We ordered 2 glasses of the napa sauv blanc, and a glass of the paso chard.

This was the funniest experience I've had in a restaurant, I felt like I was in a Steve Martin movie....think past with strawberry pasta lol. Then the waiter disappears because he's afraid we will complain about the dish again. The drink was watered down, at the end of dinner rap/hip hop music was playing and we were told the place morphes into a nightclub later at night. So, bottom line: they own a Italian restaurant but can't cook bolognese meat sauce but will play rap music for you ... I felt vindicated when I brought the tea cup home as they never came back to check on us Hahahaha

We came in around 9pm and the restaurants kitchen just closed. The server was kind enough to take the time if the kitchen can accommodate and they did. Everything in the menu sounded delicious so had ravioli and a hallow string pasta. I don’t recall the names of the dish nor do I have a picture as we devoured it. The bread was also delicious, we had an olive oil/vinaigrette dip for the bread. Bread was fresh crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Ambiance was great! Live jazz music, great fresh food, and service was great. Would def come back! Prices are on the higher end but worth it!

I went during their happy hour and got a beer and the fried cheese ravioli and they were delicious! They have a great happy hour deal. Bartender was super nice and checked on me often and updated me on my food progress. Would definitely recommend.

you can find some great plates here. Tasty and delicious, almost like italian real food.

We remember this as a wonderful Italian restaurant, we we told new owners, the worst Food, Calamari was like rubber bands!!! Pasta was just as bad , we will never forget how bad the food was! Our waiter was constantly yelling at other waiters , telling them what they did wrong! It was like a side show, there was only 5 tables with guests , the restaurant was empty @6:30 , red flag

Breakfast here was great, I had the sausage bacon, and ham omelet with gruyere. One of the best omelets I have had anywhere. The service was top notch. Did not lack for anything and yet left me to eat and work in peace. Loved it!

While I was attending a conference across the street, Robin and Hank took full advantage of Monterey's charm and headed to Cibo Ristorante Italiano for lunch. Robin tried the fried artichoke hearts and tuna poke, both of which earned high praise. She loved the tangy, flavorful sauce on the artichokes and thought the poke had just the right balance of freshness and spicyness. Meanwhile, Hank happily handled the beef patty, which he deemed a five-paw experience--thick, juicy, and a great value. She enjoyed it so much that we returned for dinner the same evening. Naturally, we had to share a round of those irresistible fried artichokes. Robin ordered the Sand Dabs, perfectly cooked and complemented by a bright honey-Dijon mustard sauce, while I went with the beet salad--peppery arugula, vibrant red and orange beets, balsamic vinaigrette, and creamy goat cheese. Simple, fresh, and delicious. Hank once again enjoyed his hamburger patty (a growing tradition). For dessert, I had the Crème Brûlée cheesecake, and Robin indulged in the Passionata fruit panna cotta. Both desserts were smooth, balanced, and a great finish to the meal. Service was attentive without being intrusive, and the lively Friday-night energy from the busy street added to the experience. All in all, Cibo delivered twice in one day, and we'd happily return--Hank included. Dog friendly, Hank approved patio!

I've come here twice for two different occasions separated by 4 years. The first time wasn't memorable and the food was very meh, but the second time was actually a pretty negative experience. On Fridays and Saturdays, they claim to be open until 1:00 AM via Google, 1:30 AM via their website. What isn't specified on their hours is that they do last call at 9:00 PM, even for Saturday! Friends and I wanted a nice night out with a later-than-usual dinner time (8:45 PM), and they said if we can order by 9:00, they'll take us, which made no sense because they're open past midnight! Regardless, we made our order, and based our order from the menu. Mind you, we have a BERRY ALLERGY, and ALL INGREDIENTS ARE NOT LISTED FOR EACH DISH. Imagine how surprised we were when the salad, which sounded so phenomenal, had tomatoes (which is related to berries--don't argue; the person with the allergies literally has a reaction with tomatoes and was told it was because of the relation between berries and tomatoes), but there was no mention of tomatoes on the menu! We had to ask to switch the salad to a basic Caesar salad, and when we were served our Caesar salad, we saw olives! What is with this place adding random ingredients without warning?! Same with the chocolate cake--berries! It's not the allergy that's the issue; it's that you're adding ingredients to dishes without letting customers know. Also, maybe my standards are off for what a "short pasta tube" is, but I was just given spaghetti. (See picture) Our only highlight was our waiter! He was very charismatic and didn't let any annoyance show--even when we came in at 8:55 PM or had to send back our salad! For the ambiance, I think ... the late night portion, they have a DJ, and a Bach party came in and was partying it up at the bar in the back of the restaurant. The vibe totally flipped from wanting to be a classy, take your time to dine spot to a night club (????).

Most recent experience was very enjoyable. Went for music and appetizers. I ended up ordering the deep fried ravioli and had a slice of the margherita pizza. Both were good--the pizza crust is better than the super-thin version they used to serve. The band (a duo; Akina Miyata and Bill Spencer) was very good, and I enjoyed my red wine. Down sides--the sight line to the musicians from the bar side is very limited, and it can get rather loud in there. I hope the new ownership continues to have live jazz and some occasional rock.

The pizza was fabulous. The crust was crunchy and the cheese was gooey. We ordered the pear ravioli. It was ok. Nothing memorable about the dish.

We enjoyed Happy Hour on the Patio at Cibo's and then went into their dining room for dinner with music and dancing. We had so much fun! Our waiter, Milan, was a perfect host and even sang with the band that night! I ordered a Marinara Seafood Pasta dish with a glass of Pinot Grigio, Venezia Giulia from Italy and my husband ordered the Tuscan Salmon with a glass of Pinot Noir from Williamette Valley, Oregon. We shared the fresh Beet Salad. The food was delicious and the wine complemented our meal. According to Cibo's website, they partner with Monterey Fish for fresh, sustainable seafood and Russo's Produce for seasonal fruits and vegetables. Cibo's is a great gustatory destination for Breakfast, Lunch, Happy Hour, Dinner, or after Dinner for live music and dancing. We had a wonderful time and I'm sure that you will, too! -Susan in Santa Cruz

Beautiful restaurant with delicious food and great friendly service! It is in a great area and it had live music.

Came for a birthday lunch and we were the only party at the time since they must've just opened. We had three kids with us and it was really nice that they provided a giant box of crayons for the kids to draw on the paper table cover. Our server was great and super friendly and loved that he was making conversation. Ordered the kids food first-- pretty basic: buttered noodles, pepperoni pizza and chicken tenders with fries- yet still pretty good. My 2 year old devoured her butter noodles. We started with our apps: artichokes, calamari, beet salad and the tuna tartare. Good but nothing to rave about too much there. I had the Cibo scampi and THAT was delicious. I loved the creamy sauce and I'm just sad I got too full from the apps that I didn't finish it but definitely took that to go. Ended with one of each of their desserts but only tried the tiramisu and panna cotta, which were amazing!!

Cibo was so wonderful when our family was visiting Monterey. We tried the chef special, chicken artichoke, margarita pizza and poke salad ans everyone loved what the ordered the servers were all so kind and accommodating. It was a nice and quiet enough to talk with our table but not so quiet that our youngest loud talking or laughing was not disturbing anyone. Highly recommend if you're in Monterey!

Cibo is across the street from the Marriott giving it a nice location for an Italian dinner or a nice cocktail gathering. The bar area with lots of blue floor led strips gave it a nice appearance. The dining area is romantic on the darker side. The Marriott, across the street, has a wood apportioned lobby and in a modern feel. Cibo made their space more romantic and elegant with lower lighting and created interest with the wall structure. This is a nice place to celebrate a special occasion or have regular outings with friends. Our server was friendly and made the evening special.

Delicious place to dine. We definitely recommend, we have had great service. Food was very delicious. Worth a try ! Nice big restaurant, you can have conversations. They have a separate bar and dance area at a good distance.

Very nice experience!! Staff were polite and very efficient. I was well taken care of with recommendations and other helpful information as it was my first time here. Will be returning!!

We had the most amazing breakfast Pedro is one of kind server and it was my birthday and he wished me a happy birthday at least 10 times and I ordered the Mexican blood Mary which was AMAZING and service plus food was delicious. "You can taste the WOW" definitely going back for dinner. Thank you guys

Good food, service, and ambiance in a convenient location in Monterey. We ordered one pizza and one pasta from the vegetarian options, and both were great. The bread served as a starter was warm and decent too. We were celebrating a birthday, and the waitress got a is a pair of desserts: a tiramisu and a mango flan. The flan left a lot to be desired, but the tiramisu was excellent. In the evening, the restaurant becomes a lively jazz venue too.

Excellent food, cocktails & desserts. Tino our waiter was super friendly & professional. We will definitely be back soon.

Great Service with Yummy Italian Cuisine I havent tried before. Very accommodating of our large party and went above and beyon. Ambience is fine but loved the music. Overall a great plac.

Recently renovated and under new internship. The pace has been very tastefully renovated. Delicious food and great service. Look forward to see how the menu updates and the place continues to grow. The vibes at the bar are also great. We came on a Friday night and the live music was also a hit. Will return for sure.

Excellent food amazing atmosphere the owner and staff do an such a great job plus all the drinks taste so good!!

Wasn't bad but just didn't knock my socks off. I give it a solid...it alright. Server was great...all of the were really nice, attentive and did a great job. The food was meh-calamari to start looked microwaved and was real rubbery-came with no lemon. Our steaks were requested as medium ... they were good but slightly overcooked and reminded me of Salisbury steak. Chimichurri and au gratin potatoes were excellent as was the cheesecake for dessert. I expected better food for sure -if you're going to spend $240 on dinner just go to Osteria or Sardiine factory.

This place surprised me! The homemade ravioli and salmon grigliato were legit hits, and the jazzy vibes added just the right touch of cool. I'll be back for sure!

We came here because there weren't any other good options on short notice on Saturday night and it was quick walking distance from our hotel. The ambience was kind of cheesy with the 80's carpet, dim lighting, and overly loud bar area. The bruschetta appetizer was good but not great. My arugula salad tasted good but was overly generous like it was compensating. My campelle bolognese was average and the gnocchi was too dense. The pasta didn't taste freshly prepared as advertised. The pizzas were good but overpriced. On a positive note the servers were friendly and attentive. In a nutshell not worth the money.

Very nice experience. We were not want for anything. Service was great - friendly and attentive staff. Nice choices on the menu, but we were going light that evening so opted just for the bruschetta app and the Pizza Cibo, both very satisfying and more than enough for 2. The pre-dinner bread was very good with a nice option of oil and vinegar to dip in. Topped off with espresso and a light tiramisu for a very pleasant evening. Definitely want to return to try more dishes!

Arguably one of the best happy hours in down, at least in terms of value. They don't have the best selection of beers. Especially if you prefer something darker. They only had 3 on tap: Stella, Modelo, and 805. Their well drinks are 'okay' but, again, for the price, it leaves little room for complaining. Decent outdoor area, albeit small. But I'll definitely keep them in mind for the times I want a 'little something' that's not too fancy.

Not the Cibo we knew and loved. Wednesday night we went in for Happy Hour before a performance at the Golden State down the block. We planned to have a couple of drinks and some items off the Happy Hour menu. The room had a dive bar vibe- and not a good one. The bartender was prepping things for the night ahead- and it felt like watching sausage being made. At one point- a customer came from his seat at a booth to help her behind the bar. (the simple syrup container had the wrong lid). It was that much of a disaster. Items left out- containers hap-hazard tossed in refrig. and trash on the counters. The customer did what he could to help. The food took 45 minutes to arrive- and it was so-so. The bartender said the reason she dropped things was her carpal tunnel syndrome kicking it. Please get her a brace- and some training on health standards. I should have known the standards were relaxed when my menu was sticky. This is not the norm for Cibo- they are known for their good service and great food- I'm hoping this can be fixed with a deep cleaning, some training and a review of best practices.

Had a wonderful afternoon late lunch. Juan was an amazing server who catered to our every need. Food was delicious! Drinks were awesome. Recommend martinis! Beet salad, pizza, and salmon were awesome!

Food and drinks were absolutely delicious! I ordered a strawberry daiquiri and clam chowder; both were great. We had a party of 8 but the food didn't take very long at all.

Food was great. Service was exceptional and the ambiance was lovely. Overall it was a delightful experience

This restaurant is at one end of downtown Monterey, is huge and has lots of seating. They also have a full bar on one side of the restaurant and have live music a few nights a week. The interior is very dated but don't let this throw you off. The service is good, the portions are huge and the food is very good. Pasta is made fresh in house.

We went here with high expectations prior to myself running a marathon and really needed some fuel. We sat down and received appetizers relatively quick. It was bruschetta and it was average at best. We were ok with that. We ordered our entrees that took 45 minutes to come out. They all came out wrong except my daughter's pizza. I had ordered Campanelle Bolognese and what was delivered was a sloppy rigatoni in marinara. I promptly told my server and it was whisked away. My wife's food was next delivered, but not for 10 more minutes after mine was sent back. When her food came out, it was wrong. We sent it back and the correct dish was promptly served. They grabbed the wrong plate. Not a problem. When I asked for my entree again, because it had now been over 45 minutes since I had ordered my meal, my original dish with my fork still in it from 20 minutes prior was served to me, again. This is the busiest night of the year in Monterey. I understand that. The marathon takes over the town. But we had asked for a manager/supervisor and were told that none were working! My daughter ate half her kids pizza. My wife didn't even want to try her entree because if that's how they care of the restaurant, can the food even be trusted?? Do not go here.

Let's call this story, "Why Restaurants Lose Business." My wife and I come to Monterey once a year for the jazz festival in March, and last year we had a memorable meal at Cibo. i made a reservation through their website this year about ten days in advance for this evening, and I received an email confirmation. When I phoned them tonight an hour before our scheduled time to ask if we could show up thirty minutes later, the young woman I spoke to asked me if I had a party of 100. I said no and gave her my details. She was apologetic but said they had no record of my reservation, the restaurant was sold out (the party of 100) and that they could offer us seating at the bar or at an outside patio. Politely, I must emphasize. I told her that we weren't sure it was warm enough to eat outside, but that we would stop by, It was about fifty degrees, according to my phone, but when we stepped outside I thought that we would have needed heavier coats -- so we didn't go in. A very nice sushi place half a block away was welcoming and had a table for us. No pasta with sausage but very nice katsu and tempura. Next year, I think we will give Cibo a miss. We can't praise a restaurant that, even with technology, can't take care of the basics -- making sure reservations don't vanish. Had we just shown up with no reservation and been turned away, I would not have written this review. But to lose the evidence: not good.

Horrific and FRIGHTENING experience at this venue. Myself and my girlfriend attempted to enter this venue on 6/15/24 for their "club night". We were stopped at the entrance by 2 security guards, a tallish white guy and a woman. Fwiw, we are a queer mixed race couple. The man, completely unprompted, begins to scream at both me and my girlfriend. "Stand over there! Back away! You need to back up!" he screamed at me. It was extremely aggressive and came out of nowhere. He began to push my girlfriend to the side and attempt to scan her for weapons. We had not seen anyone else scanned for weapons. I demanded my ID back and walked away, calling him a racist as we went. We called the Monterrey police but they failed to do anything and acted in quite a disrespectful manner themselves. My recommendation is to avoid this place by any means, if you can.

Service with smile is beyond expectation.. Great bar... great bar-food. Don't miss CIBO while visiting Monterey. A real gem. Katherine was our waitress. She is amazing. 100% . we are very happy to return

How can you have pizza worse than Chuck E. Cheese. And what's with the smell? Definitely not going here again

Great breakfast! Had the huevos rancheros. Really good. This is a new thing they are trying: breakfast! And they are doing a good job. Excellent coffee and cappuccino too. I'm going back for more.

We dined there two night in a row. The pasta dishes were excellent. The Salmon and Sea Bass were also very good. Service is excellent and the ambiance warm.

I researched restaurants in the area for menu, prices, ambiance, and reviews and determined this to be the best choice for my March 2024 visit. Plans changed, so I only went for drinks. I loved how dark it was, with strange colored lighting. It made my tan shirt green, my red drink blue and I will blame the light for making my teeth look yellow. I think they may have also had a black light because my socks had a glow-in-the-dark map of the Hawaiian islands. Well, I guess the funky Italian restaurant turns into a club at 10pm because suddenly they were taking away the chairs on either side of us, security began patrol, and there was a smell of Versace Eros and desperation coming from outside.

My friend and I decided to stop by within my Service Dog for happy hour. We were all very happy. The bar tender and waitress were very attentive. The bar tender brought out water for my service animal (with out asking). Although they did not have a puppy menu they were accommodating offering up suggestions. We settled on chicken, which she happily devoured. Simple and very juicy. We ordered vodka cranberry, mini pizza, calamari, meat ball sliders and caprese. The calamari and sliders were our top two. Due to my work schedule I don't have the chance to enjoy happy hour and they made it such a great experience. Thank you.

I was traveling with 2 dogs and wanted to eat and they let us take our dogs inside the restaurant where it was warmer. Great atmosphere, great servers.

Cibo is under new ownership, so we decided to give it a shot. Everything was great! Food was very good and service was excellent. We will definitely be coming back. Milan was our server and was fantastic. Definitely recommend!

Nice restaurant, food and ambiance is great. But total services score was affected by the rude bartender. She appeared to either not like her job or like me. I've made Cibo my go to restaurant when staying in Monterey. Ca. Hopefully next the bartender has her act together.

Went into Cibo where we have been going for 25 yrs. The DJ started playing music so loud our group (8 people) left as well as approx. 10 other people!! We will NEVER come back!! What a shame!!!!!!

NEW OWNER ALERT! We are locals and sat outside and good vibe with the car show in town although tables not packed. Service is slow and food disappointing. Sand Dabs are literally covered in brown sauce and visually unappealing. Spaghetti and meatballs very salty and dark brown sauce ( not red ) and also visually unappealing. Salmon was fair but very small portion. Ordered a bottle of white wine and busser brought a wine bucket of ice but no wine! Bottle of wine finally arrived and had to put it on ice ourselves. Bread was brought to the table but no bread plates! Used our cloth napkins to spread butter on our bread! Others in my party had the Margarita pizza-a safe bet and they liked it. All in all this place needs a lot of work from service to food quality. New owners have a long way to go to make this place worth going to again.

We hosted our welcome cocktails at Cibo the night before our wedding. It was truly the EASIEST of all events to organize. Michelle and Mario were helpful and attentive to make sure they knew what we were hoping for. The drinks and apps are excellent! I would move the food table more towards the bar only because I didn't want to bother other people eating at the restaurant, but our area at the bar was perfect! It was the right size to accommodate more guests than we anticipated. The bar staff were friendly and nice as well- great customer service! We can't wait to come back.

Honestly had no idea what to expect when it's my first time out in Carmel. Let alone where to eat! Cibo came in so clutch with amazing ambiance, beautiful atmosphere, on top of INCREDIBLE service. Cibo definitely made a last impression for this newbie and can't wait to come back in the future. Juan, Jonathan and staff. Thank you for the many cherry blossom margaritas!

Everything here is so good and Juan does an amazing job of making sure that you feel welcome and taken care of! Highly recommend!

Service was slow. Took 3 hours for us to complete our meal, I looked at my phone when we finally got our first round of drink set down, it was 745 our reservation started 7... so 45 minutes to get our first round of drinks. It did not improve from there, food was ok, but potatoes came out cold on everyone's dish. My spaghetti infernoi, which comes with meatballs literally didn't have any meatballs, I'm not exaggerating they forgot meatballs completely. Guy sitting next to me ordered prawns with his steak, they forgot the prawns (once we told the wait staff about the prawns eventually they came out with some for him). The lights being on kind of kills the vibe in there. I have family in the restaurant business I hate doing this because I know how hard it is to run a restaurant, but this is truly constructive honest criticism I wouldn't make any of this up, at the end of the night the staff brought free desserts after hearing a few of our complaints. They tried to make up for the service failures, from what I observed having worked in restaurants, they could use at least 1 more floater waiter to make sure drink orders and appetizer orders go in quickly, keep people drinking and eating, especially drinking your margins are huge on alcohol. The other thing, the kitchen, needs to be looked at hard, the timing of plating the potatoes and main proteins was so blatantly off, if you're going to plate sides early they need to be under heat lamps or somewhere that's hot because that was really bad, and how do you forget meatballs in what is essentially speghetti and meatballs?! The effort was there from the waiter and young bus boys, and I'm sure from the kitchen too, but I can honestly say this was some of the worst overall service I've ever seen in a restaurant at this price point.

Amazing food, great friendly service with Milan, and a fun ambience with a DJ to keep the mood for dinner light and exciting. The Chicken Butternut squash ravioli was a standout, and desserts were the perfect ending. The atmosphere strikes a great balance between lively and comfortable, making it perfect for both date night and dinner with friends. Highly recommend -- we'll definitely be back!

Under new ownership. Have not liked it since then. The entire night bar has changed. The lights are on the whole night and workers look uncomfortable in new uniforms.

We went to dinner on 8/22/25! Ordered Soup for $12.00 and Butternut Squash Ravioli for $32.00. It came with terrible service and the food was cold and tasteless. Terrible meal and service. Management not paying attention to any of the clientel or employees which were just in the back talking with oneanother, without looking to service the patrons. When the bill came, the soup was charged at $12.00 and the Butternut Squash Ravioli was charged at $45.00. I did not leave any tip not will I ever go back to this place. A couple of years back, this place was terrific, but no more.