Skates On The Bay

Our Waiter Jonathan was absolutely amazing. The General Manager El was a blast and made sure our experience was way above average. Definitely a frequent hangout for us!!! Thanks to the both of you… will try to come when they are both working.

Beautiful restaurant and excellent food. We came here for an anniversary dinner and we couldn’t have gone to a better place. Host got us a table next to a window so we were able to look out and enjoy the view. We started with the calamari which was delicious! Fried but not heavy. We also had the California roll with real crab and that was delicious as well. We really could have stopped at that but since it was a special occasion we went all in. We had the prime rib and the Alaskan salmon with the most delicious risotto cakes. We were also treated to the key lime pie with lime sorbet. Very refreshing after our meal. Our server was very attentive without ever being overbearing. Will absolutely be returning not just to celebrate special occasions but whenever in the mood for great food with a view.

This place was fun but the service and taste was subpar. I went in with my beau for Berkeley Restaurant Week, lunch. I made reservations and asked for a table with a view. Upon getting in, I realized how awesome this location was; right on the water with a perfect view of the San Francisco Bay. We were seated within minutes at a table with a really great view. It took a while for our server to attend to us. When she came I asked her for oysters, as well as our three course meals.
First, the oysters were absolutely awesome they tasted fresh and came out with the perfect dressings. They were also giving off/​emitting clouds of ice. Wonderment points! Next was our first course, my beau got sashimi and I got a salad, it was good but nothing to be too excited about. Next we got the fish and chips as well as the crispy pork with grits. The fish and chips were awesome the fish was nicely battered and had a light crisp around it, very tasty. My crispy pork and grits were not that great. The grits were really good, they had some cheese in them and also some flavoring to top off. But the pork had an entire layer of fat and was not seasoned well at all. Unfortunately, it tasted just like the fat. I didn’t eat it.
Finally, ask for the third course, when we arrived we were told that out of our two choices of: key lime pie and burnt cream, that they only had the burnt cream… but when it came to serving desert, they ended up giving us a 3 piece dessert sampler. This would have been okay if management would have come over to us and said that they were out of both the restaurant week desserts and that we could pick from a dessert that they did have. But not so much okay because they literally brought the plate out and said here we’re out of everything — but we’re going to give you this. It was awkward because the samplers seemed like they were older or not so fresh.
The thing I disliked the most about the desert is the way that they brought it out… they brought it out while we were still finishing our main entrees. A big no no in service, in my opinion, it seemed like they were pushing us out and getting ready for the next patrons! On a final note, our service or our server in particular was slow. I had to ask for water and spoons. This all pretty much tells me that if I was paying full price for any of this I would have been pretty disappointed. I will say however that some of the food we had was really good and the view was awesome so I would consider coming back for a few things (the view of course). But a word to the wise: if your paying full price and expecting five star service this is not your spot.

Best Berkeley Restaurant week find !!
Easy parking. Win.
20 $ for a legitimate 3 course meal. As in beyond measely pieces of lettuce and maybe a cookie for desert. There were lots of options too.
Bonus pre-​course of bread.
Seared sashimi was sooo good, topped with a tad of orange sauce and greens. I would order this again and again.
(Coworker’s goat cheese salad looked good as well.)
Fish & Chips was one of the best I”ve had, super crunchy outside with smoked lemon and dill sauce on the side. The beer batter gave it another depth of subtle flavor.
(Coworker finished their entire pork belly and cheesy grits meal before I went through half of mine… so they must have really liked theirs.)
Key Lime Pie was HUGE. Firm graham crust, equal parts key lime and cream, with lime zest sugared on top. Side of sorbet.
(Coworker raved about his Crem Brulee.)
Reservations for lunch was so easy, and the service was great, lots of refills on water.
Its a gorgeous location with glass walls overlooking the bay. After stuffing yourself, you can walk along the pier to destress and soak up some Vitamin D.
Definitely bringing the boyfriend here for our next date — would love to see this view at night.

Overall: 3.5 stars
Food: 4 stars
Price: 3 stars
Service: 3.5 stars
We came here for Berkeley Restaurant Week ($ 35 for 3 course dinner) but arrived too late to see the sunset (it was completely dark already). Nonetheless, we were able to get a table by the window, so we could see the dark waves rolling in while we ate, which was still nice.
With regard to food — we both ordered the Hamachi Sashimi for the appetizer, which was 3 very delicious pieces of yellowtail tuna drizzled with sweetened miso sauce and some green onions as garnish. I definitely recommend this dish!
For the entrée, my sister got the Fresh Grilled Salmon, which came with a «potato cake» that tasted kind of like hash browns on top, with a softer underside. The salmon was crunchy on the outside, but soft on the inside. I got the Rock Salt Prime Rib (just the 8oz, which was plenty for me), medium rare, which came with creamed spinach and mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes were just regular mashed potatoes, but the creamed spinach was pretty good, creamy but not overly so — a great complement to the prime rib. The meat was cooked to exactly «medium-​rare», which I give them props for, because many restaurants don’t do a good job of this, but there was a bit too much fat on this piece, which was too bad. The spicy horseradish had a definite kick to it and was good when paired with the prime rib. I enjoyed this dish.
Now, for the best part, dessert! My sister got the burnt cream (which I did not realize was crème brûlée until it showed up: P) and I got the key lime pie. Both were very good desserts as the burnt cream came with a few strawberries and the key lime pie came with some lemon sorbet. The key lime pie itself had a strong key lime flavor, but the pie crust could have had a bit more crunch to it and there was a bit too much cream to pie ratio, but overall, I enjoyed it.
Pricing-​wise, I thought Skates was a bit on the pricier end as I’ve dined at other restaurants that gave similar menus for Restaurant Week for $ 25 instead of $ 35, and a quick glance at their regular menu confirmed my suspicion that most items here are quite expensive.
Service-​wise, it took a while for our waiter to come around initially, but he was really nice throughout the night, albeit just a tad awkward — in that he would linger a bit too long. But anyhow, I still enjoyed the meal and the hostess was really helpful. Another one of the waiters even joked about where the bathroom was (under the restaurant, in the water).
Overall, a pretty decent meal for Restaurant Week. I walked away feeling quite full and pretty happy about the quality and quantity. Too bad I couldn’t enjoy the view — the trip all the way out here would have been better had we made it over earlier — but alas, perhaps that will happen on a future trip.

This is a fantastic restaurant with wonderful seafood dishes. The service staff is amazing, and really treat you like you are at an upscale restaurant. My fiancé and I go here regularly and its always a wonderful eating experience.
They update the menu often, and always have a second seasonal menu that gets updated even more frequently.
All their fish is fresh and delicious. I highly recommend their Caesar Salad and Lobster Bisque.

I have been coming to this restaurant for over 10 years. It has a beautiful view that is just priceless and great food. I love their oysters! The service is great! However the service I received during my last visit was so memorable. I believe his name was Michael Steed. Michael was such a treat. He was so funny and charming every time he stopped by our table. He gave great recommendations and new everything about every dish. He also filled up our water and wine, when we were low, without us even noticing. I hate being left thirsty, but my glasses were always full. I have had great service before here, but I am going to request to sit in Michael’s section from now on.
My only complaint is that the bathrooms have gone downhill. For such a beautiful place I wish the thinking thrones were kept up to par. A little graffiti, trash, and just dirty walls. slightly icky.

Overall a fantastic experience. I wasn’t sure what to expect other than it was close to our hotel but we had a wonderful dinner. First off the service and the ambiance far exceeded expectations based on the exterior appearance. The service was absolutely spot on! This might have been one of the most well run restaurants I’ve been to, zero complaints!
The food, outstanding! We started with a dozen oysters from British Columbia and wow! So clean and fresh and served with the usual cocktail sauce as well as a very nice pickle sort of sauce with a sweet heat, and seaweed salad. Loved it! Or entrees were no less pleasing. We had the scallops and the ahi tuna and all I can say it they were very very fresh and perfectly prepared. The English pea mashed potatoes with broccoli rob was a very nice add to the scallops I should add.
Overall I very much recommend it if you are in the area. Nice, but distant view of the Golden Gate was a bonus as well.

First time coming to this place! We came 15 minutes late but they were nice enough to keep our reservation. It was great customer service, our serve was very friendly! The décor was really nice however it gets super dark in there when it’s night time.
As for the food, everything was delicious but very over priced which is understandable! My boyfriend and I recommend their clam chowder, it tasted so authentic and home made. Didn’t taste like if it came in a packaged or what so ever!

Excellent ambience and experience. However order seafood, that’s what they are known for. We had a party of 23 which included seniors and babies for our annual New Years family gathering. The children were very satisfied with their meal and they all received ice cream after our meal. I wish I could show your their expressions as they ate their ice cream. We did order allot food being that we have a big party, however they did not bring out the Calamari appetizer we ordered and yes I was a bit disappointed especially after having calamari that melts in your mouth in Monterey. We spent more than $ 1,500 for dinner and outside of them not being prepared to seat our group and missing the Calamari it was worth every dime. I suggest going for dinner and sitting by the window, the view is spectacular. If you enjoy fine dining, please give this place a try.

Amazing food drink and service!!! And Bloody Mary Bar! We had a great water view even with the fog and rain.

Been here a few times and good times were had every time. Food is good and servers are on point. The menu reminded me of Horatio’s in San Leandro, but definitely different dishes. Nobody seems to know about this place because it’s so close to the water front and away from busy Berkeley.

This place is B-​E-​A-​utiful, the place itself is right next to the water. On a nice day you can see everything, from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Bay Bridge with sail boats just cruising right on by. The inside is very classy and chic you can tell that its going to be a very expensive meal. This place is great for special occasions and romantic dinners. I spent my birthday lunch here and between 4 people paid about $ 250 on meals, alcoholic beverages, appetizers, and side soups. I had the White Christmas drink which was a special they were having for the Holidays, basically it was a candy cane with alcohol which was yummy. The best thing to get would be the Crab and Artichoke Apps, BOMB. The Clam Chowder was sooooooooo yummazing. I got to try the Lobster Bisque too and it was good but too creamy for my liking, maybe if I had some bread with it. OH yeah you can request for FREE Bread. I believe its a focaccia which was nice and toasty. I had the prime rib lunch which was good, wish the meat would have been softer and the sauce for it was too salt but the potatoes were good. The spinach I was wasn’t a fan of. Our server was really nice as well but i believe thats a given if you going to dish out that cash for this place.
Overall place is pretty with some good food. Perfect for something fancy :)

Not sure why Skates doesn’t have a better rating. I’ve been here twice, once for brunch and most recently for NYE dinner. We walked in without a reservation on NYE and were seated promptly in the lounge, next to the fireplace.
The mussels for our appetizer were delish! We then ate scallops and the filet for dinner, which were also very good.
4 stars for the food being a little over salted and the calamari being just okay (wasn’t a huge fan of the water chestnuts in the calamari dish)
I’ll def be back!

This place has a GREAT happy hour, but unfortunately, I did not get to experience it on my most recent visit.
I had called ahead on a Friday night to ask if there were any happy hour options that day. The person who answered the phone answered enthusiastically, «yes! there is, after 9pm!» So the boyfriend and I made the 30 minute drive.
Upon entering, I told the host/​hostess that we were here for happy hour. They said it was in the bar area, and we proceeded to self-​seat ourselves.
After ordering a happy hour cocktail (or what I thought was a happy hour cocktail) from one waiter, the next waiter who took our order informed us that it was not happy hour… because there is no happy hour on Friday nights. So we traveled all the way to Berkeley, confirmed at least twice with the employees, and it turned out not to be happy hour.
We weren’t going to leave after having ordered a few drinks, but our bill was at least 3x than what it would have been had it been happy hour. That annoyance aside, the service was great and the food fantastic. I just would not come back unless it was happy hour.

My experience. SMH!
I Planned moms 60^th dinner here (There was about 26 of us and the web site says they can host groups up to 60, so I thought we would be well taken care of) and it didn’t quite happen the way it should have. We visited 6 hours prior to our 7pm reservation because we wanted to see how and where we would be sitting. Trina was not available to show us the table/​area so a hostess showed us the area explaining that we would be seated at one long table asking if it was ok. I told the hostess it was perfect because mom could sit in the middle of the table and everyone could see her and feel part of the event. I told everyone there would be one table, and had one centerpiece for the one table. We showed up at 715 pm and there was 5 separate tables that looked like 5 individual parties instead of one. It made no sense to bring in the one center piece when there was so many tables now. Not everyone knew one another and because there were 5 different tables no one was sure we were all together at first. Having 5 tables changed everything for the event. Myself, mom, and my brother all had to sit at different tables to make the event more cohesive. My brother flew in from New York for the dinner so it’s unfortunate that we couldn’t all be seated together. I was speechless seeing as how I knew we would be spending the almost 2,000 that we did, and the events planner didn’t understand at all why I was bothered by the change. Trina explained to me that she was surprised that I was upset because we had the whole area to our self. I explained to her again that it was my moms 60^th and that I didn’t want my mom jumping from table to table. Trina told me that the tables were changed so that we could have the area to our self… but there was a party of 5 people that were already in the area that we did not know so I’m not sure how the change from 1 table to 5 tables was so we had our own area… it was all stressful especially since the events coordinator genuinely didn’t understand why the change was so bothersome. I kept in touch for almost a month and had I gotten a call about the change I would have told them I’d like the one table layout that I was shown 6 hrs prior. Showing up to a crowded restaurant and seeing my dinner party all over the place was shocking.
I can’t say this restaurant is able to handle large parties when there is one person being celebrated. The 2 stars are because the dinner was a surprise for my mom and she thoroughly enjoyed herself and had no idea what stress I was dealing with. I was back and forth between tables all night trying to bring all the people and tables together. 1 hr and 19 minutes after we are seated one of my guest at my table asked one of our servers where the bread was and then they brought bread to our table. I had to ask the server to bring bread for the other two tables after he brought bread to ours. I asked the server if there was an additional charge for the bread to which he replied no. I asked him why they brought the bread out an hr after we were seated, and why when one table asked for bread they just didn’t bring bread for all the tables.
The whole experience was overwhelming and I tried my best to let go of all the changes to my event I was unaware of. When it was time for our dessert to come out everyone got their desserts accept for 6 of us that had to ask for the dessert. My burnt crème was thrown into a to go box that I didn’t open until I left… as you can see in my picture it looks a mess and had to be literally thrown in there to look the way it does.
I advised Trina there would be about 4 in the party that wanted appetizers and there was no menu for appetizers provided. I talked to the server explaining that people were asking me about appetizers and wanted to order them. The host began to verbally provide me with the appetizers and I asked him if I was supposed to go to each table and tell people what their options were, and then asked him if we could just get a menu with the appetizers. The host had to go get Trina who explained to me that I told her there would only be a few in the party that wanted appetizers to which I asked «do they have to pull up the appetizer menu on their phones» before I was offered an appetizer menu. An entrée that I requested be placed on our dinner menu over a week before was not included on our specialized menu. I order the BBQ prawns and cheesy grits which I couldn’t finish because I was trying to be a perfect host to multiple tables. I won’t discuss the food in this review as it was overshadowed by the underwhelming experience. To have spent almost $ 2,000 on an event I planned on enjoying but ended up doing damage control was overly frustrating. The servers were great, but the service was horrible for my large party of about 26. I won’t be back anytime soon and if asked I will share my poor experience with as much truth as I have written here.
No cheers! Just disappointment.

So I’ve come to the Berkley Marina so many times over the years to walk the Pier and go sailing but I’d never eaten at any of the Restaurants until last evening.
Last evening my brother and I had a surprised birthday dinner for my mother here. We’d scheduled/​planned this at least a month in advance with the restaurant so they could prepare settings.
The location is waterfront at the Berkley Marina and sits over the water with views of San Francisco across the water. Awesome views of the city during the day but equally awesome if not better views at night with the lights from the city guiding your eyes. The interior has been redesigned within the last 3 – 5 years and looks awesome. Being that this place is located over the water there are windows surrounding the peremeter to give everyone some kind of view wherever they are seated. The ambiance is nice and geared towards a more upscale crowd. The dinners average about $ 50 for a three course meal.
Since it was a birthday dinner we stopped by hours before the dinner to get an idea of the setup and liked the idea that they have a long table in place so that the approximately thirty of us could sit together in one area. When we arrived that evening our group was split up between three tables in the same area and the original setup was not honored. We personalized menus for the event and the menus were incomplete once we received them. It was fairly chaotic trying to host a party where three different tables are involved and we’re now trying to figure the menu out. After over an hour bread was finally brought out to the tables for everyone. I’m not sure if it was complimentary or if we paid for it but it didn’t come fast. Thankfully my brother talked to the staff and brought some kind of organization the the gathering. I ordered the Mixed green salad, Sirloin steak and Crème Brulee. I was very satisfied with my meal though the portions are definitely small for what you pay. The Crème Brulee was actually pretty big and even though I ate mine alone could have been shared.
My main disappointment comes from it being my Moms 60^th birthday and wanting to focus solely on her enjoyment. Instead we spent the first almost two hours trying to organize things. Overall the event was successful and everyone enjoyed themselves despite things not going according to plans. I’m giving them two stars for the poor planning of this gathering while noting the food, environment and service was great. After realizing they’d made mistakes they were very attentive to the group and my brother and I got a complimentary drink. While I appreciate the gesture I think we should have gotten at least two free appetizers per table since we ended up spending about $ 2000 between everyone. I would come here again for a nice dinner but would never try having a function here again.

Wow first off I must say the view here is unbelievably stunning and the food is absolutely amazing.
A customer invited me to lunch today, I’m from San Diego so I’m used to restaurants with a nice view but I was blown away by this one, and it was even very gloomy out.
Jacob was our server today, he was extremely pleasant, recommended several options, specials, drinks and even offered to take our photo as he saw me taking one of the view.
I enjoyed the pepper corn roasted salmon which came with shaved Brussels sprouts, a delicious sauce, raisins and I believe pine nuts. My customer enjoyed the grilled salmon that seemed to have an applesauce type of dressing over the veggies, we both thoroughly enjoyed our choices. With it being lunchtime we didn’t indulge in any of the desserts or fabulous cocktails, but the selection of both look like a great option for when I’m back for dinner or on a weekend.
Overall, amazing view, delicious food and great service, I’ll definitely be back!

I came to Skates on the Bay with my boyfriend for our two year anniversary. We bought a groupon for $ 40 for $ 50 worth of food, made a reservation over the phone, and we were set for our Saturday night dinner! When we arrived, the location really wow’ed us. The restaurant is directly above the water, and the windows are floor to ceiling so there are great views of the bay.
I ordered a special, salmon topped with apple butter, with balsamic carrots and salmon potato cakes, and my boyfriend ordered the grilled sirloin steak with wild roasted mushrooms. We also ordered the grilled romaine heart salad and a side of crab cakes to share.
Focaccia bread came out first while we were waiting for our entrees. I had no idea there was free bread, but I was happy about it, lol! The focaccia was warm and buttery, and was able to hold our hunger down until our appetizer came 10 minutes later.
Surprisingly, we liked the salad! We ended up ordering it from a recommendation that our waiter made, so we weren’t sure what to expect. I’d never had romaine hearts that were grilled and warm, and it was kinda cool that we had to cut the hearts into smaller, more edible pieces… Kinda… (i’d actually prefer not to do the work, ha ha ha)
Entrees came out around 15 minutes after that. Unfortunately, our waiter got my boyfriend’s order wrong, and he brought us two salmon dishes… However we decided not to say anything because we’d already waited a bit for our food, and we were hungry. On the bright side, the salmon was delicious! It was cooked perfectly, and had a char on the outside, though the inside was flaky and pink. I really liked the potato salmon cakes too. They were crunchy on the outside, with a filling of a potato/​salmon mixture. We both enjoyed the entrée, although we wish we could’ve tried something else too.
The side of crab cakes were a bit disappointing. It was not a «cake» at all in my opinion. Instead, they were small mounds of crab meat. While I love crab, I wanted a crab cake, and not just a pile of crab meat!
At the end of the meal when we wanted to pay, we told our waiter we had a groupon and he processed it, only deducting $ 40 from our check when it was supposed to be $ 50. We went up to the front desk to fix this and it took 15 minutes for someone else to charge us the correct amount. We ended up waiting around for 15 minutes… Just sitting… Waiting… Lol
I would’ve given Skates On The Bay 4 stars for the superb food and view, but there was just one too many mishaps in the evening. /:

Amazing ambience: the servers were very courteous and patient.
Amazing views: SF downtown, and GG bridge views. It’s on the waters and it’s plain romantic!
Amazing food: lobster bisque and shrimp+crab pasta.
One of my favorites (now!)