Paluca Trattoria

Visited on a Friday night. It wasn't too busy when we arrived, but as the night went on, it was packed! We were kindly welcomed by the hostess and while she worked on getting us a table inside, two guys, a waiter and another staff member, asked if we'd been helped and also pitched in to set the table and lead the way. Within minutes of arriving, the staff made sure we were taken care of and for that we are so thankful and impressed! The waiter was also friendly, informative and quick. We ordered the lobster pasta special with catch of the day cod and the cod fish and chips. Lobster dish was rich and decadent. Fish and chips were thick breaded, crispy, and the tarter sauce was the best I've ever had. Our waiter was also attentive with providing water extra sauces and simply checking in. Would highly recommend this quaint and charming location for any special or spontaneous occasion.

They have a great view here, and it’s a quiet little spot tucked right inside a busy area. I ordered a cappuccino and a tiramisu—both were decent—but my husband totally won the dessert lottery with his dish (it’s the one in the second picture… I forgot the name, sorry!). If you dine here, I highly recommend trying that one. You won’t regret it!

Every other place on the dock seems touristy and gross. Boyfriend found this place as a last resort and it was cute and delicious! An underrated gem. Jenny and Lina were so sweet, attentive and thoughtful. They even came and put the umbrellas over us when the sun came out. You should eat lunch here!

We decided to try Paluca Trattoria in Monterey and unfortunately, it was not a good experience. The food itself was just okay—nothing that stood out or made me want to come back. For the price and location, I expected more flavor and quality, but it was very average. The biggest disappointment was the service. From the moment we sat down, things felt disorganized. People who arrived after us received their food before we did, which was frustrating and hard to overlook. On top of that, I had to ask my waiter three separate times for bread, and each time he either forgot or didn’t bring it until much later. Something that simple should not be so difficult, and it set the tone for the whole meal. Normally, I’m a very generous tipper because I understand how hard restaurant work can be. But in this case, I didn’t feel the service deserved one at all. Being ignored and forgotten multiple times is not acceptable, especially when we were polite and patient. The only reason this review is 2 stars instead of 1 is because of the host. She was welcoming, kind, and friendly when we walked in, and that was the one bright spot in an otherwise disappointing evening. Sadly, the rest of the experience did not match her level of hospitality. Overall, Paluca Trattoria just didn’t deliver. Between the mediocre food, the long waits, and the inattentive service, it’s not a place I’d return to. There are too many great restaurants in Monterey to waste time and money on one that can’t get the basics right.

The starters — calamari and clam chowder — were excellent. Unfortunately, the main courses were a huge disappointment. The salmon linguine and the lobster ravioli were both very poorly prepared. One went straight to the garbage, the other sent me straight to the bathroom. Really unfortunate experience. Based on the food quality, I won’t be returning.

Food was absolutely delicious, huge variety of flavors. Service was very helpful, kind and fairly quick for being as busy as they were. Had the option for outdoor or indoor seating which is always a plus. Sitting outside during sunset hours was very beautiful (beware of the sea lions sun bathing). Overall a great dinner experience and a will definitely be returning and recommending to others.

Food in tourist areas is usually bad but it was delicious. 6 happy bellies

Very nice place! We were outside and had lunch watching the seals! It was unexpected! The only recommendation: bring a jacket. In addition to the fact that this is a good place for watching fur seals, it is also a very tasty restaurant! Highly recommend! All the dishes were delicious, especially the lobster! We will definitely come back again!

Nice casual place with outdoor sitting on the wharf. Recommended by a local friend for dinner as we normally avoid this touristy spot. Good: Calabrian prawns as a starter was good, and so were the Seafood pasta (linguini) and freshly-made meatballs with linguini which we had for entrees. Fun: A seal was playing and splashing nearby! Just a few feet away in the water. Nice interaction with the owner's sons - Paul (waiter) and Luca (who kept trying to light our patio heater . Chef owner came over and determined it was out of propane- fixed!) Recommended: Get a reservation as they may stop seating for dinner after 7pm for walk-ins as they get busy or may have large parties.

We decided to try Paluca Trattoria in Monterey and unfortunately, it was not a good experience. The food itself was just okay--nothing that stood out or made me want to come back. For the price and location, I expected more flavor and quality, but it was very average. The biggest disappointment was the service. From the moment we sat down, things felt disorganized. People who arrived after us received their food before we did, which was frustrating and hard to overlook. On top of that, I had to ask my waiter three separate times for bread, and each time he either forgot or didn't bring it until much later. Something that simple should not be so difficult, and it set the tone for the whole meal. Normally, I'm a very generous tipper because I understand how hard restaurant work can be. But in this case, I didn't feel the service deserved one at all. Being ignored and forgotten multiple times is not acceptable, especially when we were polite and patient. The only reason this review is 2 stars instead of 1 is because of the host. She was welcoming, kind, and friendly when we walked in, and that was the one bright spot in an otherwise disappointing evening. Sadly, the rest of the experience did not match her level of hospitality. Overall, Paluca Trattoria just didn't deliver. Between the mediocre food, the long waits, and the inattentive service, it's not a place I'd return to. There are too many great restaurants in Monterey to waste time and money on one that can't get the basics right. I would highly reccomend going to canary row they have way better restaurant its worth the extra walk.

It was a colder Friday evening and we needed a place to eat that had outdoor seating as we had our dogs with us from our day of adventure. We were able to be seated right away in the outdoor patio. Our server was able to take our orders and gave us the specials of the evening, which was the seafood pasta. It sounded good with what was is in entree. We also ordered the calamari as appetizers and the clam chowder. We asked the waiter about the portions and he said that the portions are pretty big so my husband and I decided to share the entree since we didnt want to bring back seafood to the hotel. Calamari was good. The clam chowder was really hardy and creamy, perfect for the cold winter weather. Hit the spot with the bread that it came out with. The special seafood pasta, which just had clams, shrimp, and a piece of cod was ok. The sauce and flavor was lacking esp after the clam chowder. And the portion was decent but definitely was NOT Special enough for the $45 price tag. We should've just ordered another pasta dish or the meatball sandwich that my husband wanted. It wouldve been enough and not with that hefty price tag. They definitely should tell you the price of a dish if its a special...

The bruschetta was the best I have ever had ! Super fresh and flavorful! I also had the shrimp over spicy red sauce !! Omg ! I am going back to Monterey next month and will be back for more ! Thank you

I agree with the overall 4 star rating. It's a nice place, little pricey. It's hard to find gnocchi even around the Italian areas but this place has it so I tried it out after a whale watch. The gnocchi itself is pretty good, pesto sauce was excellent and the potato dumplings were alright. Great view as well.

The food is very good and we like their service. We have gone there multiple times. We enjoy the view of the bay from their restaurant .

Was craving pasta during Monterey Car week and I called up the restaurant if they do all day pasta since the previous place we went to didn't have it around brunch time. This place was very nice, delicious and we were sat right on the dock next to the water. There were umbrella shades so it wasn't too hot. I did think the calamari could've had more flavoring, but it was still good (just expected a bit more) Waitresses were very accommodating and attentive, so we do plan on coming back!

1 star for food, 1 for staff. Had reservations and it was chaos at this restaurant. Checked in and they said they dont know when they can seat us......with reservations. Took them about 20 mins AFTER our reservation time to get seated. Staff was hustling with the poor organization they had so I felt bad for them. There were other groups with earlier reservations that had to wait like us. Will not be coming again with this chaos the day before our half marathon. Management: Plan better and dont accept walkins or waitlist if you are already fully booked. Depletes the purpose of reservations!

Food was not good at all, the pasta was really bland and their wine is overpriced for such a small poor . The service was also really slow. The only good thing is that it was nice for being outdoors and pet friendly, but the ambience was not that great for it being at a location overlooking in the water. The vibe was just weird, I would not come here again.

We were able to dine outside on the deck on a beautiful day, so that was a great start! We ordered the starter of Calabrian Prawns, which were fantastic - and had just the right amount of heat. My husband had the Gamberoni and I had the salmon pasta. Service was exceptional. It was a good night!

Wonderful food and service. We sat inside and found it to be quaint. I had a cocktail, but would recommend sticking to wine. Delicious pasta! And cool to be in the restaurant where Big little lies was filmed.

The food was exceptional. We ordered the lobster ravioli, the short rib ravioli and the fried calamari. All of them were so good we had to order the ravioli again! Best one I've had. The staff was super nice and accommodating. We had to sit outside because we had our furry baby with us but they were super nice and turned on the heaters. The views are beautiful, overall it's one of the best restaurants I've been in Monterey Bay. Definitely coming back!

Keep Points: - delicious food - Accommodates young children - Kids meals had generous portions - Back Drop of HBO's "Big Little Lies" We visited Paluca Trattoria for a nice lunch with friends and all of our kids during our last day in Monterey. We were looking for a spot on Old Fisherman's Wharf and were intrigued by the good Yelp ratings--and the fact that this place served as the backdrop for Big Little Lies on HBO! Our large party, full of fidgety kids who couldn't sit still was accommodated pretty well by the staff. I honestly felt they were exceptionally patient, opting to take orders for appetizers and kids' entrees first before returning again for the adults' orders. The Mrs. and I were relatively full from our previous latte and breakfast so we opted to share an entree and a clam chowder. The Lobster Ravioli came in a beautiful orange-pink-ish sauce. So essentially a salmon color? It was creamy, rich, and delicious. While not necessarily the best ravioli we've ever had, it definitely hit the spot. The table shared two plates of calamari. It was definitely better than the version we had at Sandbar the night before, and was fairly decent, but still lacked some degree of crispness. The kids all had variations of linguini. Our Little One got the buttered version with meatballs, while the other kids had theirs with red marinara sauce. The portions were surprisingly large for a kids' meal. It actually reminded us of that episode of Peppa Pig when everyone ordered spaghetti at the fancy restaurant and it was the biggest dish at the table! The base price was $6, which was exceptional, but I did think the extra $8 for meatballs was a bit steep, but overall, evened out to $14 for the plate, which felt reasonable given the portion size. We were too full to try dessert, but the view of the Wharf was absolutely stunning! All in all, a great experience and a wonderful place that can accommodate families.

Party of 6, some picky eaters. We were seated immediately (had a reservation), immediately greeted by our server, brought menus and water, informed of specials. Lots of choices, reasonable prices. The food was delicious from everyone's perspective. Best of all, it was quiet and we had a great view of the Monterey Bay. Highly recommend!

Clam chowder is delicious , and the seafood pasta too. View is also fantastic! I waitress is nice and helpful . will come back again

We're a party of 6. Requested an order of bread for the table. Bread was cold and sliced ever so thin that it felt apart as I tried to spread the COLD butter! Got 2 appetizers I specifically requested the calamari to be extra crispy, came out SOFT and so bland. We did come here on the 4th of July and after waking all day we were HUNGRY, wish I could've walked the boardwalk and try another place. Food was just OK. There was only 2 other parties besides us, so not sure why the service and food were mediocre at best!

OMG! Where to start? The weather...FABULOUS!! We sat outside and went for a walk on the wharf after and I didn't need a jacket. The service...BEST EVER!! Jakob was a great server. He knew what he was talking about and was very attentive. Besides us he has a few other tables and a large party, but we never felt ignored. The food...TO DIE FOR!! We had the clam chowder and calamari and they were both incredible!! The special seafood pasta was some of the best I've ever had. The crème brûlée cheesecake was a dream come true. Sal the owner came out to talk to us and had some great stories. Just a great overall experience!! We will for sure come here again and again!!

We found Paluca Trattoria on Yelp. It is a gorgeous setting, tucked away at the beginning of the wharf. It boasts a pretty view both outdoors and indoors. There were a few things that colored our experience a bit negatively here. The service staff was kind and helpful, but the person who served our calamari spilled a few pieces onto the table. I was a bit disappointed that there were no croutons in the Caesar salad - I've never had one without croutons. The pasta was solid with generous portions. It was probably the best dish we had.

The food was delicious, especially the Caprese salad. Our service was average. We were seated immediately, drink orders taken quickly, and food orders placed in an appropriate amount of time. However, it took forever to get our check and then even longer to have someone take our payment. The ambiance was nice. We sat outside and it was chilly. But the restaurant had the outdoor propane heaters on which helps take the chill out of the air. I liked how this place was tucked away in a corner. My only complaint was that we were not allowed to get four or even two separate checks.

Took some out of town clients here for lunch today. My first time here and it was fabulous! Paul and Luca are the best ! The Sicilian food is amazing! Fresh and delicious! Service was excellent! The limoncello spritzer was a hit !! I will definitely be back soon! Patio dining was so nice on the water , very relaxing!

Pasta is delicious and so order your favorites. The bologna parpadelle was my favorite but there were tons of options.

Meh. It was alright. Service was slow and part of our order came out wrong. The hostess took a long time to notice we were waiting to be sat while 2 other employees kept looking at us waiting and didn't do or say anything. The food was way over priced for what you got. I was upsold the fish special which included mussels, clams, prawns, and black cod over linguine in a wine butter garlic sauce. The regular linguine with clams cost $26. This special cost $45 using cheaper mussels as the majority of the shellfish. Two prawns. I don't know. Seemed like an outrageous price increase. Flavor was okay, but lacking salt and needing some citrus. Hubby got the same dish, only with prawns only as the only protein. Same meh experience. We shared a side Ceasars salad. It was sad. Reminded me of those salad kits from Costco. Cheese didn't even appear to be freshly shredded; seemed like the kind from a plastic tub. Overdressed with dressing that was underwhelming in flavor. Kid ordered plain linguine with the side breast of chicken. It arrived swimming in butter. They fixed it, but her chicken breast was dry. Won't be back.

perfect mind --blowing location at the end of the wharf at the bay. The hostess was both stellar and amicabl. the succulent chick marsaaA truly "moveable feast" as Papa would say.

This is the honestly the worst food you can get. I can hop in the kitchen and make better fish and pasta. Pasta just covered in cheap olive oil and chili flakes from little Cesar's. Fish of the day tasted worse than frozen cod from TJ. Kids chicken came out raw, nice. And took the server 20 mins to come say hello. $130 wasted. Avoid at all cost.

We did really enjoy our lunch at Paluca Trattoria! The location is excellent - right on the water and isolated from the pier. Outdoor and indoor seating. Food was tasty but some small things gave the restaurant a 4/5 - pasta was a bit underdone. Waiter was very nice and got our order correctly, was attentive. Pretty casual but a bit nicer than most of the restaurants along the pier that seem to be much more touristy.

As a local, I've had everyone's clam chowder, but Paluca's is the best. It's always fresh and we always get great service.

Overrated and overpriced. Mussels in our seafood pasta were undercooked. Bruschettas are fine

Tucked away at head of wharf past the candy shop. Park close to fisherman's wharf. There's only a very small understated sign. Good views. Mainly patio seating. Dog friendly. That's why we came and for the food. We split a meatball sandwhich with fig green salad instead of fries. Very good. After drink and tips about 37$ On prior occasions we had the lobster ravioli which was very good. We were first introduced to this place on a food tour. Not sure if they're still in business. Friendly service. Not too crowded at 11:45 am Wednesday for lunch.

The atmosphere is quaint and offers views of the ships in the harbor. It wasn't crowded and the service was quite quick, but not the most friendly. We enjoyed the clam chowder and lobster ravioli, both of which were tasty.

We stopped by Paluca Trattoria for a last-minute dinner after finding wait times elsewhere a bit too long -- glad we did. The upstairs seating was surprisingly cozy and quiet, which gave us a peaceful, tucked-away spot to enjoy our meal. Our waitress was incredibly kind and welcoming, and she gave us some great recommendations for places to check out in Carmel by-the-sea, Big Sur, and Monterey. We started with bread and butter (simple, nothing fancy), and the water served was clearly tap -- not a dealbreaker, but something to note. For appetizers, we had clam chowder cups and calamari. The chowder was solid -- creamy, flavorful, and a decent portion for a starter (8.2/10). The calamari was a standout -- crispy, well-seasoned, and not rubbery at all. Would definitely order again (8.6/10). For entrées, I went with the fish and chips. The cod itself had decent flavor, but the batter was way too salty and overly deep-fried for my taste. It leaned heavy and took away from the overall balance. I'd rate it a 7.6/10 -- not bad, just not memorable. My wife had the Sicilian meatballs with linguine, and that was easily one of the better dishes of the night. Great texture on the meatballs, and the pasta was cooked just right with rich flavor throughout (8.6/10). All in all, Paluca Trattoria delivered a pretty good experience with a couple hits and a couple misses. Not a must-visit spot, but if you're nearby and looking for a relaxed sit-down meal with solid food, it's worth considering.

I went here knowing Big Little Lies was filmed here, which was pretty exciting. The service was awesome! Our waiter was very welcoming and quick. We loved all of the food we ordered. I highly recommend the Short Rib Ravioli. The cups for water were a bit dirty since they were outside just sitting upside down on the table, so that is my only complaint. The seafood pasta is a bit on the pricier side since I'm guessing it was market price ($43). They market it as the special, but I think they should add it to their menu. The food was good and the views were beautiful. We saw some sea lions and seals chilling as we were dining. I would come back!

Food was sooo tasty, felt like we were in Italy having dinner, staff we polite (except that our server was obviously not born & raised here in America... he was a little rigid but very direct so it was all good). The place looks small but they actually have a decent sized seating area and patio seating... I recommend trying the Carbonara!

Dog was allowed on patio Super nice wine We got a glass of self made limoncello Will go back

Mediocre food. Great spot. Friendly service. Too bad it's not great Italian food. Artichoke fritters are all batter which is light and crispy but the artichokes had no flavor. Try grilling them.

Found a hair in my french fries. The owner was quite shameless, saying "well, we didn't put it in there" and implying that the customer did. The dark, short hair was literally fried into the fry, y'all. The owner couldn't even look me in the eye while saying it. He eventually took that item off the bill, but the lack of accountability or apology was appalling. Blame the customer all you want, but it doesn't change the quality of your food.

This place was amazing. The food was absolutely unbelievable and delicious. We will definitely be back here again.

Very good ambiance with great service and the food was excellent. We were a little skeptical about dining right on the warf but the Paluca Trattoria is far from a warf dive. Very fancy

Stopped by while visiting the Warf, friendly staff and tasty food. It wasn't anything to write home about, but we cleared our plates. Best part was the view for sure!

Finally getting around to writing this review! Visited for the first time a few weeks ago after a trip to the Monterey aquarium. Due to the location, the majority of tables are on the outdoor patio overlooking the water, with very few tables inside . But heaters are available for every table, our server helpfully moved the heater closer to our table. Good location at the start of the pier, and less touristy than locations further down the pier. Overall the service was very attentive, and food came out quickly after we ordered. The only downside was gnats were attracted to our wine The pasta was good! We got the Seafood special (calms, mussels, cod, with butter sauce) and Clam Linguine. Next time we're in the area, we'll probably be coming back.

Ridiculously overpriced! $150 for two people. We had 1 appetizer and 2 entrees. The taste certainly did not make up for the price. If it's considered good Italian food then I could open my own restaurant. The chefs special was a fish pasta that was so terribly bland. If you want sh*t pasta then come here.

Food --my husband and I give it a 10 Service was great 9 Ambiance on the patio a 10 We took our fur baby and they were very accommodating. The cannolis were great .. I had the sea food pasta And my husband had the Cesar salad and meat balls... Everything was soooooo good!

Paluca was a hit! Such a cute spot with quality Italian cuisine. I will definitely return the next time I'm in Monterey. Great location, as it's centrally located near downtown at the pier.

Waitress spilled wine...Didn't replace glass, simply wiped off the table and the bottom of the glass. Then, she served my salad and entree before I finished my clam chowder. The lobster ravioli that 2 of us ordered was so salty that it was inedible. She game a shoulder raise in response. Not a good experience.

Amazing restaurant! Highly recommend if you're ever in the Carmel/Monterey area!! Food is always delicious, and the service is great!

I visited this restaurant with my husband in high hopes based on how the menu looked on paper. Also with it being on the Wharf I figured It must be pretty good, to be in such a popular area. From the start the young man who seated us was rather kind and got us a nice spot. We sat for about 5-7 minutes before a waitress said she will be with us shortly. ARTICHOKE & MASCARPONE RAVIOLI This dish was rather good. It was one of their many vegetarian options. I feel as if I had a decent proportion based off the price. The artichoke flavor was hardly there unfortunately and the sauce took all credit for flavor. LOBSTER RAVIOLI This particular dish was pretty disappointing. The proportions were very small for the price and it was more cheese than lobster. We were questioning if we even got any lobster. For a meal, being able to count on your fingers how many bites it took to finish was definitely a let down. Honestly, the bread was the most filling thing we ate out of both the dishes. The water also was terrible. For one it was already there when we got seated, it was warm, with no cover on the bottle, we even had some grass of some kind that happened to get in it, and it wasn't filtered. When we asked for iced cold water we got a cup of ice. It was gross. There was a gentleman who I believe was the owner. He was swarming the tables constantly like a shark. I felt pretty uncomfortable as if I was going to get called on. Another customer happened to ask him where the restroom was and all he did in answer was point. I thought it was rather rude, instead of using words, just pointing and turning away. The feeling of the restaurant was pretty nice. We had a good seat and we could hear the sea lions and seagulls, definitely knew we were near the ocean. I loved it. Sadly, where we sat there was a lot of foot traffic near us, and the disappointing part of that was we hardly got checked in on. I sat for a while with an empty glass waiting for someone to stop and ask. I believe we only got checked in on, maybe, twice in the hour and a half we were there. One was right when we were about to leave.

Came here for our anniversary. The pasta was absolutely delicious and we loved watching the sea lions during our dinner. We started off with the bruschetta, but it was definitely sub-par. It lacked flavor and the tomatoes didn't taste that fresh. Still, our main entrees were amazing! The shrimp tasted fresh. The sauce was delicious. I would recommend any of the entrees. The service was subpar as well. We waited about 20 minutes to even get drinks started. The food came out quickly though. Being next to the water definitely adds to the ambiance. It can get chilly and a bit smelly, so I would suggest getting seating inside if you care about that. Overall, I would come again but definitely pass on the bruschetta and I would be ready to wait a bit for for your order to be taken.

Delicious food and wonderful staff. It was cold out but the owner did his best to block the wind and keep us warm on the patio. I loved it, definitely will return when in Monterey.

No longer would recommend this place. The food has changed. Maybe they've changed owners? The food is bland.

The food was authentic and delicious. The service was excellent and the owner is there making sure everything is perfect.