Monterey Bay Fish Grotto

The service was incredible, and the ambiance was so romantic. It was very cute that I got a free birthday desert and it was so delicious!!We started with crispy calamari and it was okay, it wasn't really crispy and some pieces had a weird texture but the lemon sauce was good. I ordered the she-crab bisque to start and it was really good! The brussel sprouts were very tasty as well they were like an orange chicken sauce Asian style (idk how else to explain it lol). The chicken supreme mashed potatoes were so good, and the chicken was okay, I would've preferred it without all the skin but once I took it off it was fine. Overall a great experience!

The ambience and view (if you are able to get a window seat - they aren't guaranteed even if you make a reservation) is nice and makes for an enjoyable experience. Looking at the city all lit up at night from on-top of a mountain is hard to beat.The service was less than stellar. It appears they use a swarm approach where multiple people attend to tables (at least in the lower floor/lounge area, where we sat). I've seen this approach work at other high-end restaurants but this restaurant does not have that methodology figured out - at least not the crew serving us that evening. We probably got as much help from the busboy as we did from our servers because our servers were less than proactive about drink refills and condiments for our appetizers and entrees (also no steak knife provided for a huge steak, so I sat and looked at my food for several minutes before a busboy was kind enough to get me one).The food itself was of good quality- definitely recommend the crab cakes and swordfish. The steak was good and cooked as requested but seemed to have a fair amount of tendon which made for a chewy bite here and there as well as difficulty cutting (especially since there are no tablecloths of the tables in the lounge area).I will say, I'm being fairly critical of many details because a meal here for two people easily gets into the $200 range, and for that kind of money, everything should be perfect or near perfect. Compared to the other high-end restaurants we've patronized, the only reason I would come here over some of the others we enjoy would be the view. Otherwise, the food, and certainly the service, didn't impress me enough to come back/choose this venue over some of my/our other favorites.

Monterey Bay Fish Grotto is an upscale seafood restaurant that is located on Mount Washington and offers gorgeous views of the Pittsburgh skyline. The dining room has two levels and has glass walls that allow customers to see downtown Pittsburgh's skyscrapers and rivers while they eat their meals. The menu lists foods such as oysters, calamari, shrimp, mussels, lobster, crab cakes, scallops, sea bass, flounder, salmon, swordfish, tuna, branzino, etcetera. My husband and I have eaten meals at this restaurant for over a decade. During our most recent meal, the seating hostess promptly greeted and seated us. Our waitress was prompt and courteous.Here are my reviews for our foods:Peach-Please mocktail - 5 stars. This mocktail contained peach ginger beer, ginger peach tea, blackberry syrup, and lime. Surprisingly, it tasted very sour, even after mixing it, but I really liked it. Mediterranean salad - 5 stars - I greatly enjoyed the large amount of greens, olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers, red onions, pepperoncini, chick peas, feta cheese, and red-wine vinaigrette. Caesar salad - 4 stars - This Caesar salad was fresh and tasted as expected.Seafood trio appetizer - 4.3 stars - The crab cake was very meaty and tasted very good (5 stars). Skewers contained chunks of tuna, swordfish, and salmon (4 stars). A couple of shrimp were nicely cooked and seasoned (4 stars). Jamaican king salmon - 5 stars - The salmon was cooked perfectly, and I liked its jerk seasoning, curry-butter sauce, and side of Caribbean confetti rice. Ahi big-eye tuna - 2.5 stars - My husband ate this entree, and he did NOT like the large amount of sinew or connective tissue, which gave the tuna an extremely chewy texture. Tuna is his favorite fish, and he orders it at many restaurants, and we have not seen so much sinew elsewhere. He did like the spicy sauce and the side of pesto linguini. Angel-food grilled-cheese sandwich - 5 stars - This dessert might sound unusual, but it was delicious. Caramelized angel food cake contained cream-cheese filling and was served with berry compote, vanilla ice cream, and almonds.

Took my girlfriend to MBFG for her birthday and it was a lovely evening.The place has one of the best views of the city and makes for a very romantic setting. Our server was very friendly and took great care of us throughout the evening. As far as the food, we started with the crispy calamari and it was good. I wish it was a little more crispy but was still good. I then got a Caesar salad and it was delicious. My main entre was the stuffed shrimp and it was very good. The shrimp was tasty and the veggie noddles with sauce was excellent. Concluded the evening with the desert and it was fantastic!!! 5/5 two thumbs up. Very happy with our visit and hope to be back soon.

I really really wanted to fall in love with MBFG but we all walked away with that shaking feeling that it wasn't worth it. Let start with the beginning. MBFG is a celebration destination. Birthdays, Anniversaries, Wedding proposals, Client agreements, and more. MBFG offers stunning views of downtown Pittsburgh. With the tall glass windows in the dining rooms and in the lounge area, you have a clear view of downtown Pittsburgh and the surroundings. The service is attentive and with the new menu there's now something for everyone but that's where the accolades come to a screeching halt. One diner's Linguini Pescatore had an overcooked lobster tail and overcooked shrimp. The other diners Linguini Pescatore was just okay. While I appreciate the vegan option Linguini with vegetables it lacked flavor and seasoning Full disclosure - Jen our server did check on us multiple times and we didn't discuss our issues with her. The bottom line is the views and service are outstanding but our dishes didn't meet those levels.

Another awesome place. Come for the view and stay for the food.Came here with some friends for a good non stressful time.1) Place is excellent. Extremely fancy, welcoming, and clean.2) The views are worth the price. Bring your big wallet.3) The food is excellent! Every dish was great! This place is a perfect place to bring friends, colleagues, and that special someone in your life. It is expensive but don't let that scare you. Great place! Great food! Excellent service! Amazing city view. Love it!

I've been wanting to go to Monterey Bay for awhile now because I've heard so many great reviews about the restaurant. My hubby & I decided to try it out for our 1st anniversary.First off, I was a little disappointed that they didn't place us next to the window since we were celebrating a special anniversary and specificallly noted that on the reservation. However, overall, the service was great and our waitress allowed us time to think through our decisions and didn't rush us throughout the night.For starters, my husband and I shared the lobster arancini. It's really hard to mess up arancini, so these were tasty. However, I was wanting more lobster & lobster flavoring from this dish. We also ordered the seafood sampler as an appetizer, which included crab cake, salmon, and swordfish. Everything was cooked well, but each dish was lacking in flavor.For our entrées, my husband ordered the Cioppino dish and was pleased with his choice. I chose the French onion filet. Having our waitress pour the French onion soup broth over the filet was a nice touch, but the taste left something to be desired. It just was not seasoned enough, and the filet was lacking a sauce to tie the dish together. We also got the broccolini and parsley potatoes that weren't anything special.Since it was our anniversary, we did get a dessert on the house, which was their famous angel food cake grilled cheese. This is the reason I came to this restaurant because I've heard amazing things about this dessert, which is award winning. However, once again, the flavor wasn't there. You could barely taste the marscapone filling and the berry compote wasn't strong enough to make the dish well rounded. Although this restaurant is aesthetically pleasing due to its views of Pittsburgh, I much prefer Altius and LeMont, the other infamous Mt. Washington restaurants. I'm not opposed to coming back to try some different dishes; this just may not be my first choice on Mt. Washington.

Monterey Bay is a fabulous experience from beginning to end. Pro tip - make your reservation for 30 minutes prior to sunset so you get to see the city in various lights. It is also easier to get a window table with an early seating (you can't make the request via reservation but you can when you arrive). I appreciated the valet parking and coat check, solidifying the high end experience. While I would return and pay full price, we visited during restaurant week where a three course meal cost $45. It was an absolute steal with no compromise on service. The food is fresh and thoughtful, be sure to save room for dessert. The cocktails were inventive and strong and the wine menu was great. I appreciated the menu was clearly marked with gluten free items (although risk of cross contamination) and gluten free bread was provided to start the meal. I look forward to returning!

Unmatched atmosphere with beautiful views of the 3 Rivers and the city. Service was phenomenal and paced appropriately to not feel rushed or that we were looking for the server. Food was presented beautifully and was delicious. The price matches the food experience and I would go again and again.

Great place for Valentine's Day! Started off with the calamari and green beans. I got the crab cakes and scallops and my husband got the salmon. Everything came out perfect and the timing was great between meals. Ended the night with coffee, espresso martini and their famous angle food grilled cheese! Great experience:)