The Lake Chalet Seafood Bar & GrillDining at Lake Chalet in OaklandThe setting at Lake Chalet is spectacular! Beautiful views over Lake Merritt and a lovely outdoor deck to sit on and have drinks.
However, the pricing on the food is high and while generally good it does not boast a "wow" factor. Given the "foodie culture" of the Bay Area a destination restaurant of this caliber should have food to talk about. Also, on my latest visit the service was fine but I have been disappointed with the inattentiveness of servers on prior visits. So, in sum, there needs to be a little more training of staff, and perhaps a more creative chef at the helm. That being said it is hard to find a more beautiful spot at which to dine in Oakland.5/19/2013 12:00:00 AMThe hostess was very welcomingThe hostess was very welcoming as soon as i walked in the door, very friendly.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food, service and viewWe had a great meal and the service was excellent. The restaurant overlooks Lake Merritt and is a very relaxing place.5/8/2013 12:00:00 AMNeighborhood GemWonderful lake front restaurant. Was very surprised to find such a high quality location in downtown Oakland. The area has lots of potential. The bartenders could use some help being more attentive. Even when not terribly busy, the bartenders appear to be often distracted.5/7/2013 12:00:00 AMgreat marmalade cocktail andgreat marmalade cocktail and tuna poke starter! the view is the best in all of the east bay!5/7/2013 12:00:00 AMOakland GemI love taking visitors to Oakland here. Lovely views of Lake Merritt, warm and friendly service and excellent food. I've taken my tween kids here for Christmas Eve dinner and been here many times for a fun night out with friends. Most recently came with two friends. We ordered the Boathouse punch on our server's recommendation but they ran out so we got Old Cubans, which were great. They comped us a drink because they ran out of punch. We got Kumumoto oysters, Ahi Tuna Poke, Seafood Linguini, Tonno Panzanella salad-all excellent.5/5/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent for wheel chair boundThe staff was very attentive We wanted to give my friend ezwho is wheel chair bound a nice time
We had a good view of the Lake and received help with the transition from wheel chair to chair
Thank you We will be back5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat view!Beautiful view of Lake Merritt. Great for outdoor eating and drinking. I highly recommend for happy hour.5/3/2013 12:00:00 AMOut of town guestsI made reservations because we had guests from Detroit visiting. I requested a table by the window, and were seated at a beautiful table with a view. Our guests were late, and the waiter was very accomodating and did not rush us at all. It was a great evening for six and we enjoyed the food as well!!! No one was disappointed. The appetizer ribs were excellent. I had salmon, which was scrumptious. Highly recommend.4/29/2013 12:00:00 AMlovely, quiet for a saturdaylovely, quiet for a saturday brunch and excellent food,4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMThe view and the old buildingThe view and the old building over;ooking the lake were worth the prices. The food was very good but not fabulous still I would go again.4/26/2013 12:00:00 AMMarissa was our wait personMarissa was our wait person and she did a grand job..........maria Falkner4/25/2013 12:00:00 AMSitting outside on the backSitting outside on the back pier at the Lake Chalet Seafood Bar & Grill has got to be one of the best places to sit in Oakland. How quickly one forgets one is in the city. The food here for brunch is delicious. Marissa, our waitress, was high energy and very nice. I recommend the sweet potato fries and the wild mushroom and goat cheese omelette. A friend had the bananas foster French toast and while she enjoyed the flavor she said the middle of the thick slices of toast were a little gummy so if this is your desire, maybe ask for it well done. Good coffee too.4/21/2013 12:00:00 AMFirst trip to the Lake Chalet,First trip to the Lake Chalet, and we will be back. the food was outstanding, with some interesting items on the menu (the deviled egg appetizer with caviar was great). service was very attentive. beautiful building, and outdoor seating on the dock looked to be a nice treat. its a little pricey, but, the quality of the food and service made it appropriate. we will be back. for those wanting to test things, they have a great happy hour with their starters at half-price!4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMSpecial occasion's perfect settingThis restaurant has it all. Great food & service in a spotless dining area overlooking the gem of Oakland, Lake Merritt with its necklace of lights. There's a quiet bar at one end and a hopping bar with band on the dock below, adding an upbeat to a pleasant dining setting for couples or groups. You get what you pay for here.4/16/2013 12:00:00 AMMy husband and I normallyMy husband and I normally love the place, my food was excellent (carbonara) but he thought his fried fish sticks were just ok. Everything else was great as usual.4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMI chose Lake Chalet as theI chose Lake Chalet as the surprise meeting place for our 50th anniversary brunch. The staff were in on it, and my husband was indeed amazed by finding guests waiting for us at the best table in the house. Thank you for a lovely beginning to our second half-century!4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMBring out of TownersThe dinner was very tasty although the food took some time to come out. I wasn't too impressed with the dessert selection and wish the creme brulee top weren't so thick. Overall though, i'd definitely come again because it's a beautiful spot and the ambiance is great for inviting guests.4/3/2013 12:00:00 AMLove the building, love theLove the building, love the view.
But the eggs where cold, and my husband meat was dry. We usually have a better meal, off day.3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMPerfect experience!We went for Easter Brunch and was pleasantly surprised how wonderful everything was considering it was a busy holiday.
The staff was excellent and never made us feel rushed. The food was delicious and even though there was a fixed menu for Easter brunch, there were many options to choose from. It was also a treat to have a sit down brunch as opposed to other typical brunches where you have a buffet.
It made the brunch elegant and special. AND again, the service AND food was excellent!!!! We also had a toddler and infant in our group and the staff was great catering to them.3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food is solid, but nothingThe food is solid, but nothing exciting. But the atmosphere cannot be beat. It is the perfect Oakland experience.3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMI really like the restaurantI really like the restaurant and the service is excellent. I felt that the menu could have been more distinctive. Although it represents itself as a seafood bar and grill, I didn't think that there were very many seafood options.3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMI was there on Easter SundayI was there on Easter Sunday - so it was very crowded.3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMall was good except had toall was good except had to wait too long to get the check.3/29/2013 12:00:00 AMThe poached eggs with crabThe poached eggs with crab cakes was divine. Perfectly done. Service was on point and the view of the lake was pristine. A great spot for brunch, lunch or dinner!3/24/2013 12:00:00 AMVery enjoyable dinner withVery enjoyable dinner with gorgeous views of the lake and mountains.3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMYou can't beat the atmosphereYou can't beat the atmosphere on the dock at The Lake Chalet on a sunny Friday for Happy Hour!3/22/2013 12:00:00 AMWe enjoyed a wonderful brunchWe enjoyed a wonderful brunch with one or two caveats. The first is that we had requested a dessert in our reservation since we were celebrating a birthday but neither the hostess nor the waiter knew so that was disappointing. The second is that one of us ordered the ricotta lemon pancakes, new on the menu. Although they were tasty the portion size was very, very small (4 dollar size pancakes). For the price they were very expensive. Other than that we had a great view, nice wait staff and very quiet atmosphere.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMBeautiful spot and very goodBeautiful spot and very good food. Also very pleasant service, though it felt a bit slow at times. We'll definately return.3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food, service, atmosphereGreat food, service, atmosphere and view, a hidden gem in Oakland.3/12/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat for an impromptu dateRight on the lake at sunset, what else can you ask for? The best feature of this place is that the view is away from the sunset so all of the white buildings across the lake reflect the sunset onto the water's surface. On a clear night, it is really beautiful. The menu seems pricey for some items and on this trip we just went with an assortment of apps. The ribs were the best deal, a plate full of delicious ribs for the price of one scoop of ceviche. Speaking of which, the prawn ceviche was too thick and came out very tough. If you're walking around the lake, this is a great watering hole but I wouldn't plan a whole dinner here.2/16/2013 12:00:00 AM