The Best Thing About Summer in Monterey? The Table Waiting at Tarpy's
By the last weeks of June, summer in Monterey has settled into something easy and undeniable. The kelp beds are thick offshore. The farmers markets are at peak abundance. The evenings are long and warm enough to make you consider a second glass of wine on the patio, and then actually order it.
It's the kind of season that asks for food worth the occasion — and Tarpy's has been answering that call from locals and visitors alike for over three decades.
The Patio That Makes June Worth Lingering In
There are outdoor dining spaces in Monterey, and then there is the Tarpy's garden patio. Stone walls, mature plantings, and the particular hush of a California garden at dusk create a setting that the Cannery Row waterfront — for all its charms — simply cannot replicate. Late June evenings here are unhurried and genuinely beautiful, the kind of setting that earns a long dinner its own category.
Whether you're a Monterey local who has been eating here for years or a visitor plotting their next Peninsula trip around a good meal, the patio is reason enough to book.
The Spring Menu: Still the One to Order From
The Tarpy's spring menu has been drawing consistent praise since its May debut, and with good reason. The Rainbow Trout — French beans, blistered tomatoes, capers, garlic, shallots, toasted almonds, and citrus beurre blanc — remains the dish that generates the most conversation at the table. It's California coastal cooking executed with real precision: bright, layered, and built around an exceptional piece of fish.
Around it, the menu holds up well through the season. The Mediterranean Mussels in coconut-curry broth are the opener that shifts the mood of the meal immediately. The Blue Lump Crab Cakes with pineapple slaw and pea shoots lean into the summer without straining for it. The Maple Leaf Duck Breast — parsnip puree, huckleberry reduction, prosciutto chips — remains the bold, rich counterpoint for anyone who came in wanting something more land-forward.
And the Pan Seared Petrale Sole with basil emulsion and herb mashed potato is the kind of dish that disappears from the plate before anyone acknowledges how good it was.
The Steakhouse Anchor
Tarpy's spring menu additions haven't moved the classics aside — they've joined them. The prime steaks and slow-cooked ribs that built this restaurant's reputation remain on the menu and remain as good as they've always been. For tourists new to Tarpy's, the steak is still the first order of business. For regulars, the Rainbow Trout is the reason to look at the menu again.
Summer Drinks Done Right
California wine, craft beer, and seasonally driven cocktails. Happy hour bites available daily. Half-priced wine bottles every Wednesday. The bar at Tarpy's is built for the long June evenings that call for another round.
Michelin recognized. Diner's Choice Award winner. Best of Monterey County 2024. Over 5,700 reviews at 4.6 stars. Reservations recommended for late June weekends.
📍 2999 Monterey-Salinas Hwy, Monterey, CA | 📞 831.647.1444 | Open daily from 11:30 a.m. | Fri–Sat until 9 p.m.