il vecchio

For me Italian food is difficult to rate as everyone has their own "bar" as to what they prefer and each chef their own recipes. All the dishes were tasty in their own way. The servings were more than ample. Great prices. The wine list (by the bottle) is quite nice. Clam chowder - I would rate this a excellent! We've tasted clam chowder many places & this one is not too thick or soupy with plenty of delicious flavor!! YUM!! Food - Spaghetti & meat balls. The pasta was fresh & perfectly prepared, the meatballs were tasty & good size, the sauce was hearty - tasted a bit like tomato paste, good though. Our guest approved! Lasagna - a huge portion loaded with cheese of different types. Same sauce as the spaghetti. Our guest approved. Chicken & with noodles -fresh, tasty pasta loaded with nicely seasoned chicken breast & white sauce. Our guest enjoyed the dish but mentioned it needed vegetables to give it more desirability. Oso Bucco Gnocchi - I ordered & didn't realize I was ordering Gnocchi :| I have had Gnocchi only once, years ago. I do not know what it's to be, the Gnocchi was soft & laid in a Oso Bucco "gravy" with some pieces of shredded meat. It tasted just like Oso Bucco :) Service - the service was friendly, not rushed, with good suggestions. One suggestion was the cheesy garlic bread :) Ambiance - comfortable, Old world casual. Noise level - was like a busy restaurant - fun, vibrant, happy! Yes, you can hear your friends conversation:) A nice compliment was the combo band which was soft background ambiance. During the summer tourist season I'd recommend making a reservation!

An Authentic Italian Experience by the Sea – il vecchio, Pacific Grove Dinner at il vecchio felt like being transported to a cozy trattoria in Italy, with every dish crafted to showcase honest, time-honored recipes and quality ingredients. We started with the bread service and a bowl of marinated olives—simple, but full of flavor. The olives were bright and briny, and the fresh bread was perfect for nibbling while we looked over the menu. The fried artichokes and burrata plate were delightful—expertly cooked, tender with a light batter, and paired with a citrusy finish that made it shine. Our table sampled a variety of pasta dishes, and each one stood out in its own way. The Carbonara was creamy and comforting without being overly rich. The Saffron Seafood Pasta had a delicate balance—fragrant saffron, al dente pasta, and fresh seafood in every bite. The Squid Ink Shrimp Pasta Diablo brought a touch of heat that was just right, and the Spaghetti and Meatballs was classic, hearty, and satisfying. We also tried the Clam Chowder, which was unexpectedly impressive—velvety texture, generous clams, and layered flavor that held its own among the pastas. The ambiance was welcoming and refined without being stuffy. Tables were spotless, the lighting warm, and the staff attentive but never intrusive. It’s clear the team here takes pride in every detail. If you’re looking for genuine Italian food made with care, il vecchio is a must-visit in Pacific Grove. We left full, happy, and already planning our return. A well-earned five stars.

We used to love this place. We live up the street and it was our go to place. We do not know why we had the recent experience. There was not enough wait help and service. The service was very slow. No coffee refills. Coffee was Luke warm and old. Burger was above average, the artichoke appetizer was marginal. The room is still cute but the happiness is gone. You can feel the stress of the over worked servers. This is the first negative review I have posted. I do not like to post the dark side, I am hoping they have the ability to learn from others customers.

The worst meal of my life. I went over Valentine’s Day weekend. We had an 8 pm reservation. When we got there, many other groups with reservations had been waiting for 30+ minutes. We weren’t seated until 30 minutes after our reservation. Host did not warn us there would be a wait and did not apologize. Once we sat down, we weren’t served WATER for at least another 30 minutes. We asked 3 times before we finally got any water. It took even longer for us to order our meal. One table near us waited an hour before they could order. We ordered the bread as a starter. They were out. We also ordered a salad which was missing an ingredient from the menu. I ordered the carbonara. Genuinely the worst pasta dish of my life. Inedible. The guanciale was soft and uncooked. The sauce was watery. The poached egg on top was just weird but at least it was cooked. Our server didn’t ask us how our meal was once and we couldn’t flag them down. If we had been able to, we would have complained. This was an absolutely overall unacceptable experience, especially considering the price. There must have been no manager because the place was complete chaos. I will never recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Had a good dinner here. Love the chill vibes this town has to offer. Ordered Lamb Pappardelle, Osso Bucco, Chicken Masala and Grilled Octopus. All of them was so good but the Chicken Marsala was our favourite! Staffs were very friendly.

Had amazing service and delicious food on our first night of visiting Monterey. It was within walking distance of the Jabberwock Inn and recommended by the innkeeper, so we knew we had to stop by. The ragú (swapped out with parpadelle) and cacio e pepe pastas were as good as they looked. We’ll def be back!

We had an absolutely lovely time dining here! The real highlight of the evening was our server, Lisa. She was very friendly and naturally conversational, and she was incredibly accommodating with my dietary restrictions. She truly made the experience special! The food was also quite good. We shared the cheesy garlic bread as an appetizer, I had the apple gorgonzola gnocchi, and my husband had the chicken cacio e pepe. All were very good, and we left very full! We would 100% return!

We’ve had chicken cacio e pepe and con maiale ragu with parpadelle (wide pasta). They were both very delicious and very fulfilling. And also without tip this was 56$ in total - pretty good price for this amount of food with this quality! You might want to get a reservation before coming though it’s pretty busy. A great experience overall definitely recommend it!

The service was amazing! The waiters and hostess were the sweetest ever and made sure we were well taken care of. My sister and I got the burnt grapes & feta to share as an appetizer. That is a must get!! It was sooo good. For the mains, I had gotten the saffron pasta and it was okay, to me. I would personally rate it a 7.8/10. My sister on the otherhand didn't necessarily love her osso gnocchi, but maybe that was on our part of wanting to try something different. It was also jazz night so the vibes were great! Loved hearing live jazz in addition to our meal. Overall a great place to eat if you're in town.

We had a rat run through the restaurant while we were eating in February, and the employees did not care at all. I am a local and I have been to this restaurant over the years and loved it, as it has always been a locals favorite. The original owners sold the business about a year ago and we thought we would have the same experience we have always had when dining there. The host was pretty rude to everyone that walked in - we had a 45 minute wait and observed her behavior over that time. The service was really slow, but ok with us. It was busy so we assumed they were understaffed. Other patrons in the restaurant were quite upset by this and you could tell they were not pleased. The food tasted fine, and they were giving out large portions of cake for dessert - likely in response to the slow service. Before we get the cake (and the check) we saw a large rat run out of the kitchen, into the dining area, over and up the wall that divides the entry from the dining area, down a beam, and then and back behind the bar. The bartender, host, and waiter saw it. All of us in the restaurant saw it. guests watched that rat run with disgust and concern. Now again, I live in the area and rats are not an "uncommon" problem to have. We all get them once in a while.... But when we DO get the stray rodent that makes it's way inside - whether in our house, our workplaces, or our garages - we instantly react. Usually we are grossed out, immediately try to get it out, and double check that there wasn't an opening that they could have made their way through. Here however, the employees has absolutely no reaction. The rat went behind the bar where the bartender was and he kept working as usual, even after seeing it. The host looked at the waiter she was speaking to and actually sat down at the bar, completely ignoring the situation. One of the servers looked behind the bar and went back to work. A family that saw it got up to look behind the bar to see if they could find it, and pointed it out to the staff incase they did not see it. Again, no reaction. We were so grossed out by that that we left immediately after paying and could not have been paid to touch that cake. The lack of reaction from the staff told us much more than the owners, or employees ever could; it's a common occurance in the restaurant and they simply do not care. We contacted the Monterey County Health Department on this matter the very next day. At our last check of the website, the county has not yet inspected the restaurant. We wanted to share our story so visitors can be informed on the conditions of where they are eating, as this is a major health code violation.

Grabbed a last minute reservation here showed up half an hour early and they still sat us! So major props to the staff for that. We got the bread service which was a great way to start the meal. The olives were beautifully brined, sour and salty, and the oil they were in was great with the bread too! All the ingredients just tasted high quality, especially the olive oil. I got the spicy squid ink scampi which was such a treat. The sauce was creamy and flavorful and the noodles were firm and salty. The portion size made it well worth the price, tons of noodles and six HUGE shrimp. Felt like I got my money's worth. Also grabbed the fortuna (peach mule) and that was so yummy yummy yummy. Bartender's rent was DUE Servers were very attentive and cheerful, they were happy to have a chat and lots of smiles. Made for very good vibes!

Traditional Italian cooking methods in the carbonara and cacio e pepe. I like that they didn't use cream bc my lactose intolerant ass would die (cheese is ok). Big portions!! Tiramisu was also the best ive ever had. When we come back to Monterey in the future this is def a place we'd stop by at again.

I had read online that this was one of the more popular spots in Carmel, but had gone downhill in recent years. Whenever I've read stuff like that, in my experience, the place is usually still very good. We found il vecchio to just be "ok", though. The service was great, and the drinks were pretty good, but the food we found to be pretty average. Starting with the bread service, the whole table agreed the oil/balsamic mixture had way too much balsamic and not enough oil. Then the pastas, out of 6 of us we ended up with several of the carbonara and rigatoni (as pictured). We found them to be pretty average. The carbonara seemed to have mostly crispy prosciutto and minimal guanciale, if any, which was a huge disappointment. It almost felt like bacon in the dish rather than thick, distinctly flavored/textured guanciale. The poached egg we found unnecessary in an already egg-based sauce. For the rigatoni, it was fine but nothing out of this world. It also didn't help that our food got cold quickly because we were sitting near the kitchen, and they kept opening the back door probably because it's hot in the kitchen, but it made our table and food cold quite quickly. Anyway, we had a good time and our server was great. Just disappointing in comparison to other Italian in the north east where we're from, and minimal seafood options which was surprising for Carmel. I think 3 stars is appropriate -- pretty average.

What a wonderful evening at this cozy neighborhood gem. Not my neighborhood, mind you, but a lovely neighborhood. A neighborhood I could easily live in but for the multimillions necessary. Back to the food, Il Vecchio knows what it's doing. The entrées were exceptionally detailed in their descriptions and the food wowed. Even spaghetti and meatballs was surprisingly elevated. I had the mushroom and sausage Orecchiette and it was sublime, smooth and enormously satisfying. The surprise of the night was the Botticelli cocktail and the burrata appetizer with micro basil, grilled tomatoes and balsamic pearls. There was confusion among the wait staff when our original waiter said he was released due to it being slow. It suddenly got busy. But we were assigned a new waiter. If he had been just slightly more attentive, this review would be five stars.

Overall, great Italian food and lovely ambiance. We had a reservation and they were busy even on a weekday night, so make a reservation if you can. We enjoyed all our dishes including the lamb pappardelle, the orange and beet salad, the caprese burrata, and the osso buco gnocchi. Everything tasted great and was a decent portion size for the price. They even offered more bread for the burrata when they noticed we had finished the pieces but still had most of the dish left. The cocktails were pretty good as well, though we had some confusion with the server about one of the drinks (supposedly the menu changed recently so they were confused) that required back and forth three times. Once we finally got the right drink, it was a lovely cocktail. Now, we ordered a gelato creation as a dessert to share for the table, and that was the biggest disappointment of the meal. This "creation" is pre-made and stored in the fridge. The gelato was hard (almost frozen) and flavors that were written on the description were misleading and not at all what we expected. We expected pistachio gelato and instead got vanilla gelato with pistachios (which is fine if this was clearly described). Especially for $12, we were expecting fresh scoops of gelato and not a frozen sundae. Definitely a bummer to end our meal. All in all, food and beverages were great, would definitely come back for those. I'd skip the dessert options though. Parking can be tricky but we nabbed a spot on the street right in front. You may need to walk a bit if there are no nearby spots.

Just saw from another patron that the owners sold last year. When I looked at the menu I saw my favorites were no longer on the menu. There are few seafood dihes offered, I always ordered the rock cod and it was no longer on the menu. I ordered the osso buco and expected succulent meat but it was stringy. We will probably find another favorite restaurant when we come to town.

This place was great!!! It's cute and has a nice cozy ambiance. We came here on a whim on Mother's Day for lunch. For apps we ordered the crab arancini (delish) and the Italian Caesar salad to share. Grandma got the lamb pappardelle, which she loved (I don't like lamb but still thought it was good) and mom got the truffle risotto, which she loved too! I got off the dinner menu their salmon with balsamic glaze, it was delish!! I will definitely be coming back for the salmon and to try their poached pear salad! We didn't have any room for dessert, since dinner the portions were big and I brought mom and grandma choc covered strawberries. But next time we will try and save room for dessert! The chef came out to the table and said hello, which was nice! And the waitress was good. But the parking you need to be careful about, there is street parking, but it's hard to come by. I found a parking lot next to the restaurant, but it was for another restaurant and there were signs warning me not to park there. But it was Sunday and Mother's Day, so I figured I would be fine. But I was wrong, I had a $50 ticket waiting for me from the city-which was my fault. And they actually do have their own parking lot, so make sure you find that or do the street parking, because you will likely get a ticket if you do what I did!lol

4.5 Stars. The food is really excellent (but dense). The interior of the restaurant is nicely appointed and the staff is very friendly - the only reason for 4.5 stars and not 5: the room that we sat in smelled very strange - almost like mildew. I think it's the wooden walls. Other than that, I'll return!

Absolutely delicious. I was in Monterrey for a two week trip and we ate here 3 times. The pasta was so yummy, the meatballs were great, and there is a peak-a-boo view to the ocean

I came here with a party of 7 for dinner on a Sunday night. It was really busy. Thankfully we made a reservation ahead of time. Our table was ready for us upon arrival. Our waitress was very busy but not very attentive to our table. There were several moments we tried to get her attention and she wouldn't look our direction or come see if we needed anything. At one point, a member of my party had to get up and find someone to help us. Perhaps they need more servers working? We ordered bread for the table and it took a very long time for this to arrive. Our meals ended up taking an hour. The menu had several great options. I opted for the gnocchi osso bucco and it was so good. The gnocchi were fresh and I devoured every bite! I paired this with the garlic roasted broccoli, which was so good. They have an extensive wine selection and a full bar, if you want cocktails.

What a sumptuous meal! What a memorable meal! This restaurant has an amazing bar scene, a cozy dining room and such warm and hospitable staff! But we came for the food and I now have found my black squid ink pasta! The shrimps were jumbo and cooked to perfection! The spicy cream sauce was tangy and so tasty! The dish could have been shared! Hands down one of the best cooked aldente pasta! The lasagna came in 3rd place - it has enough layers, cheese and sauce but could have used a bit more meat in it. The second place was their Tiramisu! Oh the rum soaked layers and cream got us to other side! Cold, easy to scoop and true deliciousness in a bowl!

We are on our anniversary trip and craved some Italian food. The reviews on here lead us to come on a Wednesday night. When we walked in the host was seating a larger party. When she came back, she took time to answer a text on her phone that was hidden on the podium before taking us back to the table. Along with this, she only gave us one menu so sharing it to look at was a bit difficult. We waited about 5 minutes before one of the runner's brought us a large glass bottle of water and our waitress Lisa greeted us. By this time we knew what we wanted and asked if the bread was complimentary (saw posts on here about it). She hooked us up with one on the house, and this did help lighten my mood that was a bit soured by the first impressions at the host stand. We started off with the butternut squash appetizer: the flavors paired well with each other, the fried sage adding a bit of heat that coats the tongue. My boyfriend ordered the rigatoni and you could taste the meat on the noodle itself. This was an extraordinary dish, very rich and filling. I ordered the spaghetti and meatballs: one of the best meatballs I've had with a great balance between meat and spices, the pasta tasted house made and had a bite to it but you know it was properly cooked. Lisa let us know they had a special going on that if you tag them on Instagram, you get a free dessert. We chose the tiramisu and it is very creamy, rich and indulgent. It took a couple bites before getting to the ladyfingers with how whipped the filling was. We asked for ours without the cocoa powder and there was no issue with it. Overall, the food and Lisa's kindness and overall wonderful personality would be the reason we would come back.

I like the ambience here and the art throughout the restaurant! The service was great and the dishes were tasty! My favorite was the salad and artichoke dish, and really cool how they offered the incentive that if we post our meal we get a free dessert! Although the Chocolate Mascarpone tasted like regular chocolate cake and not the traditional mascarpone. We also ordered salmon which was good but I could tell it was farm raised. And the salad was super fresh!

We had a party of 6 including my two children. Hidden gem tucked away on the Monterey Peninsula -- warm, inviting, and delightfully authentic. Cozy atmosphere - Simply outstanding: friendly, attentive, and always ready with an expert recommendation. Everything we tried was fresh and delicious and creative. Even our grandkids loved this place. Highly recommended for anyone craving top-tier pasta and hospitality in Pacific Grove! Five stars, easily. We'll be back!

Absolutely the best Italian food I have had in a long time! Celebrated my daughter's graduation from CSUMB here. Our service was excellent! Get reservations as it gets packed. Wine list and drinks superior and the place was cute too! The private space in the back had views of the water.

Il vecchio's had a last min reservation for a table of 7 and I was shocked I think we just got lucky because it was packed! The restaurant was eclectically decorated with all different types of wooden chairs! It was a very comforting environment to eat in too! The restaurant was super accommodating since we had a little one in our party. And all the food was so delicious!! Fresh pasta that tasted like it was made in house! Loved all the sauces!! I'm so happy we did family style so we could try all the things!

Food is Delicious, the service is great and it had a great vibe for casual or date night.

Amazing food, great ambiance, outstanding service. Each and every dish we ordered was tasty and fresh. We loved the inside of the restaurant, very unique! We would certainly dine in here again.

After seeing reviews, always driving this place and looking at pics on yelp; I was super excited to try this place. Came in host was super nice we got a table right away. Nice ambiance super cool place I love all the decorations and just how this place looks in general. The place wasn't too loud and I realize they have jazz on Tuesday which it was amazing!! But now to the food We decided to share a Caesar salad and I chose the chicken Marsala while my partner ordered the pasta carbonara. Salad was okay a little bland but it was a good starter. My partners carbonara was delicious, creamy with a hint of the nice saltiness from the guanciale. Unfortunately my dish was not great at all chicken had barely any sauce and it was really really bland. The mashed potatoes seem bland as well and unfortunately the chicken was really dried and overcooked, almost felt a little old. I wasn't expecting the chicken to be drowned in sauce but usually this dish comes with a bit more sauce, and the sauce it did had was super thick almost like a thick gravy. Only reason why I'm giving this place 3 stars it's because our server, carbonara pasta and the availability to sit us down immediately. I'll probably come back and have something different next time but definitely stay away from the chicken.

My pasta (rigatoni) was incredible and I also got a side of seasonal vegetables that were very satisfying (well cooked and well-seasoned). The affogato was much bigger than expected and delicious! Unfortunately the seafood pasta was not good, the scallops were tough and the clams were sandy. We still had a lovely time though and our server was great! Fast service even though they were very busy.

The food was excellent. Loved the wine list! Unfortunately we had sub par service and the cocktails were wrong/uninspy. There is a cool vibe inside the restaurant. It feels rustic and cozy, but still modern and clean. The Carbonara was delicious but definitely not traditional. Really enjoyed the beet salad. Parking in the rear.

We were seated inside for dinner and the ambiance was nice and calming. Our server was pretty attentive and everything came out so well. We tried the risotto, chicken marsala and seafood pasta. Everything tasted great. I also had the mango margarita and it was just perfect. The crab aranchini was my personal favorite, so crispy on the outside and flavorful on the inside.

Great service and food. The menu offered a nice variety and the Moscato was a great compliment. Butternut squash with pecans was different and scrumptious!

So, my wife and I had a short window to eat before heading off to a concert in Pacific Grove so we did a quick Yelp scan and il vecchio looked promising. We only had time for appetizers and a side. As we walked into the restaurant, I was immediately impressed with the decor and overall vibe. The place felt like a rustic Italian place with full bar, warm fire and some interesting fixtures. My wife had the Black Garlic Pork Ribs with pickled granny smith apple slaw. I had the Grilled Octopus. We decided to share the Garlic Roasted Broccoli. So here goes. The Black Garlic Pork Ribs were cooked perfectly but lacked flavor and, in particular, garlic. She thought it was pretty bland, given the description. The pickled slaw was uneventful - I had a bite and was not thrilled with the taste. My Grilled Octopus was not like what other Yelp reviewers raved about. I get octopus is a hard protein but I have had amazing octopus that was tasty and very easy to eat in other restaurants. This dish was chewy to say the least. The cauliflower was cooked well but the romanesco had sort of a bitterish taste. The garlic roasted broccoli was just okay. Service was great and again, the ambiance was wonderful. One nice touch is that they deliver the check in an old Italian book. Very cool. So, the meal was just ok - hence the rating. Like any restaurant experience, we only had 3 dishes so there may be some gems on the menu we missed.

ROAD TRIP: I initially intended to award il vecchio a five-star rating. However, during dinner, my mother and I were subjected to employees engaging in inappropriate conversations between coworkers. STARTERS BREAD SERVICE (V) roasted peppers, aged balsamic, palermo ciabatta The culinary experience was exceptional: the ARTICHOKE FRITTO (V) and SAFFRON SEAFOOD PASTA showcased impeccable flavors, with the pasta cooked to perfection. We concluded our meal with a delightful Tiramisu treat. NOTE our server was very respectful and cordial.

More like 3-1/2 stars. The ambiance is wonderful, with a neighborhood feel, and you see a wide range of ages. I can't say the service blew me away: I often felt like we were forgotten--it took a long while to get water, like, after we'd gotten our drinks--and the orders came out a bit sporadically. Since this was a Monday night, I can't say that the service was due to being slammed. The artichoke appetizer was delicious, though: nicely fried without being oil, and you could taste the artichoke. The cheesy garlic bread makes it clear that the bread is not a quality one, since the appetizer is drenched in cheese. I didn't taste much garlic. My zoodles sounded appetizing, but the amount of oil was like, yowza. In an area with a lot of produce, it's ok to let the vegetables shine. My salmon that accompanied it was fine--also a lot of oil. It seems like one of their tricks is to use a heavy hand to cover up ingredients that might not be as impressive.

On a busy Friday night, my father and I walked in to this cute restaurant and managed to sit at the bar for dinner. I liked the interior design and ambiance. Even though we sat at the bar, our waiter was still very friendly and attentive throughout our meal. We ordered the lasagna and spaghetti with meatballs for dinner. The complimentary bread was delicious with the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and red bell peppers. I loved my lasagna! The tomato sauce was very fresh and sweet. Definitely homemade! There was a generous amount of cheese and ricotta, making the dish very filling. My dad enjoyed his spaghetti and meatballs too. The pasta was well cooked and the meatballs were well seasoned. Our waiter also gave us a free tiramisu for waiting a little longer for our food to come out, even though we had hardly noticed any lag in our food coming out. I'd definitely recommend getting a reservation here and ordering the lasagna!

Came on a Thursday evening with reservation, though, I do bot think it was needed as it was not too busy. We were seated right away. Our AMAZING waitress, Lisa, came and brought to our attention that if we got our shit together and ordered our appetizers/starters and/or cocktail within the next 3 mins (ie. Before 6pm), it would qualify for 1/2 off. That was very nice of her to tell us. Next, my partner was having a difficult time choosing wine, so Lisa recommended Argiolas Costamolino Vermentino di Sardegna, which actually turned out to be a very nice wine that complimented our meal perfectly. 1. Caprese Burrata (5/5) Tomatoes were very soft and fresh with the creaminess of the burrata, olive oil and balasamic vinegar, it's a beautiful combination of flavors in your mouth. The sourdough crisps that came with it p perfectly crispy on the outside and yet soft on the inside. 2. Grilled Octopus (5/5) It's an Octopus-lovers heaven. The octopus was super tender and melts in your mouth. The Cauliflowers that came with it were perfectly cooked; not too mushy and not too crunchy. The capers added tartness and savoriness. Lastly the romanesco sauce added slight nuttiness. 3. Burata Salad (5/5) A well-balanced salad. The creaminess of the burrata and squash puree balanced the acidity/tartness of the balsamic vinaigrette and pomegranate seeds. The candied pecan added crunch and extra sweetness to it. 4. Osso Bucco Gnocchi (5/5) The ragu style sauce is a slow cooked-braised beef shank (per our waitress for at least 4 hours) in red wine and grana padano. You can definitely tell it was stewed for a long time as the beef was extremely tender and deliciously savory, jam-packed with flavor. The melt-in-your mouth potato-based gnocchi paired with this rich sauce is a ratatouille rat dream foodie paradise with firework explosions going on in your mouth. 6. Lobster Ravioli (5/5) Very good presentation for a ravioli dish. The Lobster ravioli was topped off with 8oz of lobster tail, which was slightly overcooked, but honestly, it was still very enjoyable. Plus, one cannot complain about it too much since normally, lobster ravioli is not served with an actual chunk of lobster, so it was a happy surprise. The ravioli dough was perfectly cooked - not too soft or al dente. The saffron sauce and tomato garlic confit was creamy and lobstery. 7. Orecchiette Bosacaiola (5/5) Ear shaped pasta noodles served with creamy wine sauce. The molinari sausage gave it a very nice porky flavor. It's served with mushrooms and green peas as well. Savory and satisfying. Overall, very very impressed and satisfied with this place and our waitress, Lisa who's a knowledgeable and down-to-earth lady. We will definitely be returning!

GO. HERE. In town for a week. We have been here twice. Great drinks, food (pasta), wait staff and ambience. Here on a Thursday with live music in the background and an amazing wine selection and cocktails. Don't miss this place.

Ambiance was incredibly cozy, service was very friendly, and I was pleased to have a unique and flavorful vegan option! (My pumpkin risotto with mushrooms was nut allergy and dairy allergy friendly, too). Both my friend and I found the food a bit too salty, but the drinks were great and the kind waitress put the olives on the house. Perfectly close to the beach for a stroll after :-) I recommend!

I have not been since the ownership change, but had lunch with mom at Il vecchio in Pacific Grove recently. Our server, Regina, was a hoot. Very friendly and cemented our choices. I decided to try the Carbonara. This is something I rarely like out which is why I chose it. My mom chose the Zoodle al Limone. The Carbonara claimed to be traditional style; eggs, guanciale, black pepper, pecorino, grana padano, poached egg, and crispy prosciutto. While not exactly a traditional preparation, it was quite delicious. The poached egg was cooked perfectly and the yolk added a lovely creaminess to the dish. What I could not eat, my mom did. The guanciale and prosciutto added the perfect amount of salt. Delicious! Mom's Zoodle al Limone was so fresh. Between the basil pesto, tomatoes, mushrooms and grilled lemon, there was quite a bit of flavor. A touch of parmigiana and it was the perfect lunch. Service was on point and friendly, the atmosphere is still quite cozy and they are once again offering a lunch specials menu. I can't wait to take my husband back for jazz night on Thursday.

In a town with so many Italian seafood restaurants, we stumbled across this hidden gem! Attracted the authenticity & fresh seafood, this place doesn't disappoint! The restaurant is decorated gorgeously with maybe some outdated Christmas lights but we loved the atmosphere. Going on a Thursday, there was also live jazz which made the entire experience so lovely! The staff was nice, so helpful that they took our photo for us when they us struggling to take a group selfie! Staff was very responsive & quick with our food! We got the bread service, cesar salad, Orecchiette, & the saffron seafood pasta. Cesar salad was delicious, the dressing has a big stronger anchovy taste & a little zestier than some other cesar dressings ive had but I thought that made it unique & delicious! The Orecchiette was amazing, the sauce was so creamy & paired well with the sausage. The pasta was cooked perfectly and wasnt mushy & the mushroom tied everything together. The Saffron seafood pasta really blew us away. The sauce was creamy, HUGE shrimps & were perfectly cooked. The other seafood included was also very good & the pasta itself was also exceptional. A must have if you're craving seafood pasta!!! We didn't get dessert because we were stuffed, but seeing it on other peoples table almost convinced us to squeeze in a little more.

we were seated immediately with a saturday lunchtime reservation, and don't get me wrong, the service and ambiance were quick and rustic - no complaints there! we opted for the soup of the day ($10), which was a home-made clam chowder bowl, as well as the bread service ($6). the soup itself was solid. the toppings were overloaded with potatoes rather than actual seafood, however. the bread itself was quite tough, but the balsamic vinegar + tomatoes was a nice touch. now, the pasta. we entered feeling ready to eat some pasta, and unfortunately left feeling pretty full - and not in the ideal way. the pesto gnocchi was quite doughy, and the pesto sauce itself lacked flavor. it had a very healthy flavor, almost as if the sauce consisted of just blended spinach. the meat itself was quite delicious, but there's only so much meat we can ration to go per gnocchi to rely to bring the flavor. the orecchiette with white wine sauce was better. the toppings were nice, however the sauce was quite forgettable. compared to the pesto, this was better - but i wouldn't order this again either. we did go in with the intention of ordering the truffle pasta, however this must be a seasonal item as it wasn't on the lunch menu when we went.

Casual Italian, friendly staff, great food! I had a Ceasar salad and chicken cacio pepe, both very good. My bartender was very friendly, offering me a taste of a different wine just because he thought I'd like it even after I had ordered a glass of something else. It's always the small things that make a difference.

It's a nice Italian restaurant with a cozy and nicely decorated interior. I was quite impressed by everything we ordered here. My favorite was the charred octopus. It was perfectly charred, very crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It was served either capers, corn, and potatoes which went perfectly together. The pesto gnocchi and mussels were also excellent. The only downside to the experience was that the bread was served cold, but aside from that everything was great. Overall I was really impressed by the experience almost ended up coming back the very next day.

The food was delicious! The service was impeccable and the ambiance was romantic. We brought our babies and they slept through the entire candle lit dinner. Lots of locals here and very sweet ones at that. My steak was cooked medium and the gelato was wonderful. We will be back again.

What an amazing meal! Wow! The food was delicious and you could tell the pasta was made fresh there. The restaurant itself is also very nice inside. Try to make reservations if you can as it does get busy.

Wow, this place is 10/10. I ordered the cheesy bread + lasagna and nothing disappointed. The service was great too! They checked in and always made sure we had drinks. I came for a weekend but it was the start to annual trip. I'll be sure to stop here every time.

Came here on a Saturday night and the restaurant was packed. We waited 30 minutes for a table for 2, so we had pretty high expectations for the food. Plus, the reviews online were all pretty positive. After sitting down, it took an abnormally long amount of time for our server to come take our order. He stopped by our table twice to tell us that he'd be "right with us" and that some other table had arrived first before us, so he was going to take their order first. We'd never been to a restaurant that prioritized what order customers arrived in like this (usually whoever is ready just gets helped, right?), and the table he went to help first wasn't even ready yet so he ended up coming back to us to finally take our order. It felt inefficient and like our time wasn't being valued. We waited a while for the food to finally come out. I ordered the rigatoni ragú and my husband ordered the spaghetti. For dishes that costed $24 and $21, they definitely did not taste like it. The pasta sauce was mediocre and their pasta was just cooked De Cecco (saw it in their kitchen). I had a few bites of pasta in there that weren't fully cooked and tasted chalky still. When I finished my plate, I wasn't even full. For reference, I'm 5'3" and normally a size small for clothes. I don't usually eat a lot. We also ordered their garlic whipped potatoes as a side for $8 and that was perhaps the most unfortunate part of our whole experience. The first bowl we got was literally cold. We told our server and he brought out a new one, so clearly they just heat up their potatoes. That's not the worst thing, but when we actually finally tried the dish, the potatoes were bland, we couldn't really taste the garlic, and there was no texture to the potatoes. It just tasted like bland mush, all for an overpriced $8. For how mediocre that side dish was, it is extremely bold of them to be charging $8. Waiting for the check took a while, and so did waiting for them to take our card. Every single little step just took way too much time and after a long day of whale watching and exploring Monterey, I almost wanted to put my head down on the table and just take a nap while I waited. We arrived at 6:45 PM and left the restaurant at 8:15 PM. Spent 1.5 hours there, of which we were only actually eating for about 15 minutes. The employees were all nice but how long we had to wait for every step was incredibly disappointing. The food also just wasn't worth the price tags. For $24 pasta, I expected something unique and fancy, but ended up with De Cecco that I really could have made at home and mediocre red sauce. And the potatoes? Won't be back anytime soon and would rather just spend my money on something that's better and more delicious if I'm going to spend that much money anyway. Please hire more people on busy days like Saturdays and at least improve on the quality of food you're offering for the prices you're asking.

I've been coming to Pacific Grove for decades and have somehow managed to miss this wonderful gem of a restaurant...until today! From the warm greeting on arrival, the excellent service (thank you to Rich and his fellow staff), and every delicious bite, I was transported to the best meals I've had in Italy. The food is true to la madrepatria and you can taste the freshness, skill, and love that went into preparing it. I started with the Dungeness crab arancini as my appetizer (more like little balled crab cakes set atop a lovely cream sauce), then had the spicy squid ink scampi as the main course (incredible mix of wonderful flavors all complimenting and enhancing each other...be sure to squeeze the grilled lemon onto your meal to brighten it all up and if you enjoy a little extra spiciness, ask for some red pepper flakes to kick it all up even more!), and topped it all off with the lemon tart for dessert (the accompanying raspberry sauce was the perfect complement to the sweet zingy "lemoniness" of the tart). It was all delicious! I can't wait to come back!

Our part of 4 had a reservation for 5:45pm on the Friday after 4th of July, and were seated immediately even though we arrived 15 minutes early. The restaurant wasn't busy at the time but by 6:30pm there was a bit of a wait at the front. Our server Rich was very friendly and checked in throughout the menu. The decor is very charming, with cute mismatching wooden chairs, warm lighting and farmhouse vibes throughout. We ordered everything to share for the table; - orecchiette boscaiola ($24): Rich said this was his favorite, and I really enjoyed the light white wine sauce, flavorful sausage and freshness from the peas. - carbonara ($24): super creamy and well seasoned with black pepper with thin and light crisp prosciutto, though I'm not really sure if I actually noticed any guanciale, and the poached egg was quite overcooked. - lamb pappardelle ($26): my favorite pasta of the night, with al dente wide noodle that gave it the perfect bite. The tomato sauce was fresh and just the right amount of tartness to cut through the richness of the lamb. - foresta gelato creation ($12): this was a very tall glass of gelato and we shared it between the 4 of us; the whipped cream on top was excellent and not sweet, and the gelato was creamy and went very well with the tart frozen berry layered throughout. My friend also got an affogato (not on the menu) which was the perfect pick me up! Overall il vecchio had great atmosphere, service and food for a reasonable price, and I'd love to come back again.

We came up after a long drive from LA and were starving. We waited about 15 min to get seated on the patio as the indoor wait was 1.5 hours. They split our servers sections between the back of the inside and then just our one table outside, so service was weird. The chicken cacio Pepe was so good as was the carbonara. We could have used an additional heater on the outside patio as well.

Went here for a special occasion and asked for them to setup something in OpenTable but they did not see that request. That said, the dinner was very good and we both enjoyed it. The $$ seems like more like $$$ as we had 2 glasses of simple red wine, split a salad and two entrees ($5 for bread service, NEVER been charged for a few slices of bread and you can pay $5 for olive) out the door was $150. The seafood pasta was excellent, would highly recommend that as for $35 it had a great deal of quality seafood (shrimp, scallops and sorta small clams) and excellent pasta that felt homemade. Server was sort of confused at times and they were out of Chianti, have you ever been to an Italian restaurant out of house Chianti. Recommended, we'd go back for sure if we came back down to visit the area.

We had a wonderful birthday dinner here! Service was wonderful! $25 cordage fee to bring your own bottle which was totally reasonable. Food was very good. We didn't have a reservation on a Tuesday night and were seated immediately with no issue. Lovely spot. Pasta was super yum!

We went tonight for the first time. It was pretty obvious that the place was short staffed but the food was worth the wait! Crab Arancini 9/10. They were perfectly fried with a lemon aioli and microgreens. Caesar salad 4/10 bland and nothing to write home about. Lacked flavor. Would skip. Cacio e Pepe with chicken 8/10 solid dish but could've used more pepper Lamb Pappardelle 9/10 really unique flavor and the texture of the lamb was perfect The restaurant itself was very cute inside and had nice music playing the entire time. Richie our waiter was really sweet and accommodating given the busy status of the restaurant for a Sunday night during MLK weekend!

I've been told Il Vecchio is under new management. I went with a group of 7 recently and had a good experience on a busy night. We were served by a tall blond young guy whose name I regrettably forget, but his service was excellent. I noticed several new menu items. We tried 2 that were very good - burnt grapes + feta, fried artichokes. The pesto that came with the chokes was divine. I always get the orecchiette, it's consistently delicious. This time, however, I tried something new - chicken cacio e pepe. It was pretty generic, nothing special, but still satisfying. The hibiscus lavender mocktail was delightful. I had to chuckle when I saw that another reviewer got some messy to-go tiramisu. Why not just get clear plastic cups with lids and serve it the same way as in-house? Theirs was an improvement from mine, so I guess they're headed in the right direction. I am still an Il Vecchio fan and looking forward to eating there even more now with the new management.

Il Vecchio is one of the most highly rated Italian restaurants in Pacific Grove, which is why I chose it for dinner. We were seated promptly in a nice corner, which was a bit less noisy -- but it is a very noisy place. Ordered bread -- five thin slices of Ciabbata with a bowl of olive oil, vinegar and peppers for $6. I asked about the Scampi shrimp listed under protein for $12 and if it was just shrimp. Server said it came on a bed of pasta that could be very spicy hot or not. I asked for the not and got a plate of dark pasta with six shrimp. One bite of the pasta and I was gulping water. It wasn't edible it was so hot. I only ate the shrimp and when the bill came found it was a $34 dish. Had I realized they were going to charge $22 on top of the shrimp for pasta so spicy it was mouth burning, I'd have sent it back. Also server didn't say there was an additional charge for the pasta. Had I known, I'd have ordered something different. My husband had Osso Bucco Gnocchi $28. The meat was beef, not veal, and wonderfully succulent and tasty. A great dish and one almost worth going back for. We had a bottle of Maddalena Pinot Grigio -- $48 here, $13 at a liquor store. Once our server took our order we didn't see much of him. Food, wine, a glass of ice and box for bread were all brought by other people who were all very nice. Had my pasta been edible, I'd recommend this place and eat here again. But I felt blind-sided by the combination of too spicy when I told him I didn't want anything spicy and the $34 cost. I also felt charging $6 for bread and getting five thin slices was a little much. You can get whole loaves of ciabatta for less than that at Trader Joe's and Sprouts and here you're getting thin slices costing you more than $1 each. Honestly, this wasn't an experience worth the final $152 we paid.