The Sardine Factory
701 Wave St., Monterey
373-3775
When The Sardine Factory first opened in 1968 it was thought to be on the wrong side of the tracks. Decades later the restaurant remains a massive engine for the area, making The Sardine Factory as much of a piece of Monterey history as Cannery Row. The restaurant’s stately dining rooms and solarium, five-star menu and world-class service are part of what has kept locals and visitors coming back for so many years: there’s the sounds of David Conley soothing the ivories most nights of the week, the selection of noshes from the affordable lounge menu and more than 30,000 bottles in the legendary cellars. Stacked end-to-end, they’d exceed the depth of Monterey Bay, which is to say the wine selection—with plenty of vintages much older than the Factory—is as deep as the lore surrounding the celebrity-studded dinners held here over the years. But don’t be intimidated. Wine Director Arvind Dutt and company have made careers of helping diners plumb the depths of the luscious list.