I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the food in Monterey. It doesn’t have the *range* of San Francisco but in some key areas it hits hard.
Great pizza (Pizza My Heart). Fantastic clam chowder (Vivolo’s). Excellent Mediterranean (Petra). Good homey Japanese (Ocean Sushi Deli). Good and simple fresh seafood (Sea Harvest). Vegan baklava (Paprika). Good bakeries (Ad Adstra and Alta).
I haven’t even branched out to Seaside and Carmel yet