Old Monterey District Blog

The Old Monterey Business Association would like to congratulate the 29 Old Monterey businesses and organizations that won Monterey County Weekly’s Best of Monterey County 2021. Click the links to read what the Weekly’s writers and editors had to say about each business.

Alta Bakery and Cafe
Best Coffee Shop
Best Cappuccino / Latte

Alvarado Street Brewery
Best Local Beer / Brewery
Best Bar for Gen X'ers
Best Place to See and Be Seen

Ambrosia India Bistro
Best Indian Restaurant

Bagel Bakery
Best Bagel

Britannia Arms
Best Place for Karaoke

Crown and Anchor
Best Pub / Best Late Night Hangout

Easy Street Billiards
Best Place to Shoot Pool

Euphoria Salon and Spa
Best Salon - Women

Federico's Shoe Service
Best Shoe Repair...Read More

Slowfiber is happy to announce we now carry Daruma embroidery thread and sashiko needles from Japan that are perfect for mending. You can find them both on the Slowfiber website and in the shop at 517A Hartnell Street in Downtown Old Monterey.

Daruma thread can be used for its original intent, sashiko stitching, or, like me, you can use it for boro-style patching. (Your jeans will love you for it!) Designed for mending and repairing clothing, this thread is stronger than typical embroidery floss, and the colors are fabulous.

Calling all local authors! Old Capitol Books invites you to participate in our Holiday Season Lit Expo on Friday, December 3 at 6pm. To sign up, please e-mail us. Our shop is located at 482 Alvarado Street in Downtown Old Monterey.

The Foolish Times and a host of volunteers worked with Save Our Shores' annual Coastal Cleanup event to clean up Downtown Old Monterey on September 18. Together, we collected 104 lbs. of trash in two hours! The incentive? An after party featuring comedy by Richard Stockton and beer tasting by Alvarado St Brewery and Peter B's.

We extend a special thanks for all the support we received that day. Don't worry if you missed it...we will do it again.

Stay 'tooned!

Did you know that Cha-ya Japanese Tea & Things serves a variety of high-quality matcha teas? You can enjoy our matcha in-store with our ceramic cups or take a cup to-go. Visit us at 118 Webster Street in Downtown Old Monterey - we're open Monday - Saturday, 11am-4pm.

Cha-ya now offers a loyalty program for our tea drinkers: buy 10 cups of tea and get your 11th cup free.

Calling all local artists! Peter B’s Brewpub is looking for an artist to create a painted mural for our patio, located at 2 Portola Plaza in Downtown Old Monterey. This will be an exciting opportunity to showcase your work at one of Monterey’s most popular sports bars and craft breweries.

The space for Peter B's new mural is located outside the Brewpub’s front entrance and measures 89.5” W x 107.5” H. (View a photo.) If you have a great idea for this space, please send us a complete proposal including:

1) Your Contact Information

2) Your Concept
A brief description of the concept with a sketch included, and a statement regarding why you would like to partner with Peter B’s Brewpub.

3) Your Portolio
2-3 pictures of recently completed work, or a link to your website portfolio.

4) Your Budget
Your projected budget and a list of materials. (Please keep in mind we are an eco-friendly busines, and will not be accepting proposals with materials that are harmful to the environment.)

Please e-mail us your complete proposal with the subject line of "Proposal for Peter B's Artist Call" by October 31, 2021. The selected artist will be notified by November 8, 2021, and may begin working on the mural at that time with a completion date of December 22, 2021.

*

Spa on the Plaza, located at 201 Alvarado Street in Downtown Old Monterey, is offering two special autumn services now through November 29, 2021. To make an appointment, please phone us at 831-647-9000.

Autumn Highlights

Leaf Me Be - Aromatherapy Bath & Facial
$190 for 1.5 hours
Begin with a 30-minute hydrating cinnamon aromatherapy bath surrounded by fall leaves, and then enjoy our ultra-concentrated herbal recovery facial, bringing a renewed radiance to your complexion.

Scents of Autumn - Aromatherapy Massage & Facial
$330 for 2.2 hours
Fall into sweater weather with an 80-minute warm aromatherapy massage featuring a detoxifying herbal back treatment. You'll also enjoy a 60-minute ultra-concentrated herbal recovery facial, bringing a renewed radiance to your complexion.

Rosine's Restaurant invites you to celebrate the beginning of fall with us! We have new Special Drink Menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner featuring our Apple Cider Mimosa (sparkling wine with apple cider), our unique Cinnamon Roll Cocktail (RumChata and Kahlua on the rocks), and an Apple Cider Mule.

Rosine's opens at 8am daily for indoor and outdoor dining at 434 Alvarado Street in Monterey.

Paris Bakery is now seeking early morning drivers, 3:30am-8:30am. Part-time or full-time shifts available now! We'll provide the van. Please apply with a printout of your DMV record at either of our two locations: 271 Bonifacio Place in Monterey or 1234 Broadway Avenue in Seaside.

Alta Bakery and Cafe is happy to announce our October drink of the month, a maple bourbon latte with nutmeg. Come and try it - we're located at 502 Munras Avenue in Downtown Old Monterey.

Whether you're going back to school or have an appreciation for fun art supplies and organizers, Haute Beauty Guide has some great new items for you! This cozy store now offers rainbow sparkle glitter markers, POP pencil boxes, sherbert ombre journals, work-life balance planning pads, and a selection of stylish pens and cards. Available online and in the shop at 71 Pearl Street in Downtown Old Monterey.

Rainbow Sparkle Glitter Markers
Perfect for kids or adults who like to keep things colorful, these markers are fun for all ages. The shimmering set of 15 markers includes 10 classic colors and 5 pastel colors.

POP Pencil Case
These fun and retro pencil boxes (in pink or teal) are perfect for school time...and they're so cute! Each box has a magnetic closure and comes with 10 pencils. Pink pencils and box embossed with: "Never pass up cotton candy." Teal pencils and box embossed with: "Don't be afraid of adventure."

Sherbert Ombre Journals
Minimal and functional, you can take these journals with you anytime you need to jot down quick notes, reminders, or memos. Each journal comes with 45 pages of blank, colored paper and a unique ombre paper cover design.

Work-Life Balance Planning Pad
More than just a to-do list, this holistic 52-week tear-off desk pad helps you to improve your work-life balance. Each sheet has space for self-care, to-dos, habits, goals, gratitude, and affirmations. Stay productive and focused throughout the week while focusing on what matters to you most.

It's so important to protect your lips from ultraviolet rays and keep them moisturized. The Shelley Bennett Skincare SPF 15 Lip Conditioner not only protects your lips from damaging rays but also softens them with certified organic sunflower oil, extra virgin olive oil, and vitamin E.

Shelley Bennett Skincare also offers Tinted Lip Balm in “SB Red” (for a pop of color) and “SB Nude” (for a more subtle look). Both colors are ultra-moisturizing and have amazing buildable color so you can achieve your desired look.

When you buy any of these products, you're supporting a small skincare business located in Downtown Old Monterey. Both the lip conditioner ($3) and the lip tints ($10) are available at Shelley Bennett Skincare's online store for shipping or pickup at her studio at 588 Houston Street.

Classic Sushi Fly t-shirts are back in stock! Come and get yours and show your Sushi Fly pride. We're located at 413 Alvarado Street in the heart of Downtown Old Monterey.

Sushi Fly has great food. But more than that, it's fun. We pride ourselves on the quality of our ingredients, which we use in unique ways. Expect our chefs to be innovative with the selection of sashimi, nigiri, classic makis, chicken teriyaki, and other staples.

Photo by Jem San Pedro.

Alvarado Street Brewery is so proud of our Monterey team for earning the award for Monterey Peninsula’s Best Food & Beverage Company at the 34th Annual Business Excellence Awards! Thanks to the Monterey Chamber of Commerce for the recognition, and congratulations to all the finalists - we’re incredibly honored to receive this.

Our staff works diligently every day to make Alvarado Street a welcoming space with great beer, food, and cocktails. We'd like to give a shoutout to our kitchen team, our servers, our bartenders, our support staff, our brewers, and our amazing management team for this achievement. We love you, Monterey!

Alvarado Street Brewery and Grill is located at 426 Alvarado Street in Downtown Old Monterey.