Lalime's

Birthday celebration was delightful.

I have been going to Lalime's for many years and it serves consistently good food, has excellent service and atmosphere. The price point is excellent given quality of food and presentation.

Our salad came without dressing and the Brussels sprouts were cold. Both had to be sent back.

The perfect venue for our business dinner. Five stars on all aspects - will return.

Good food and great location

Wait staff attentive, food arrived in good time and our server was very good and friendly. Great birthday celebration location. Nice decor.

My boyfriend and I were very disappointed in the food. The Cesar salad leaves were very large and difficult to cut in the bowl they were served in and the dressing did not taste homemade. The leek and beet salad was ok not very flavorful. The lamb chop was supposed to be cooked medium and was well done and poorly seasoned. The Egyptian bean stew was ok, nothing to write home about. The apple gallette was boring with poor presentation where the crust was folded over the apples too much , low flavor and the lava cake again not very flavorful. All food seemed to lack seasoning and because my boyfriend has been coming for maybe 20 years he could not believe that everything was either average or poor tasting. The service was good and the atmosphere was nice and sound level nice so you could hear your table mate. Doubtful we will return and will not recommend to any friends. Not sure if it was a bad night or the quality has just gone downhill overall. What a shame.

Lalimes's rules. Great place to go with people you love.

Excellent food. Lettuce cups with fresh crab were unexpectedly delicious! Amazing dessert. Wait staff was attentive and fast.

We have been going to Lalime's since it opened and seen many staff come and go, but right now they are at an all time high for excellent menu choices and delicious food. I am reluctant to be too complimentary in case it's hard to get a reservation in the future. I love Lalimes!

The food was very uneven. I was enthusiastic about the middle eastern focus, but most of the food lacked flavor - even extra salt couldn’t help. My fettuccine dish was bland and mushy, even the pasta itself was poor quality. My husband ordered the lamb kebabs and was shocked to receive two small lamb patties on flatbread with unremarkable sauces for $29- way overpriced. The cesar salad had no flavor, even after requesting extra dressing. babaganoush and butternut squash were good. We also enjoyed the desserts- especially poached pears with lemon pudding. It left us wondering what was going on in the kitchen. Too bad!

Lalimes was not disappointing! The food was great, the atmosphere was on point. A great place.

Food was tasteless and frozen fish
Terrible experience. Won’t return

Incredibly disappointing because I remember when LaLime's was a great restaurant, in the 80s. I had a rack of lamb and my wife had sea bass and in both cases, the portions were skimpy. Which might have been a blessing because my lamb was a poor cut, about 1/3 fat, served as a series of six one-bite medallions accompanied by a charred rack with almost no meat to gnaw on. My wife had a just-OK sea bass in a sloppy bed of badly overcooked carrots. Dessert was an apple galette that tasted ok, but had sat on a plate too long; the crust was soggy. The wine was good, the one bright (or at least, not dim) moment in the meal. Our waitress was earnest but unaware the basic tenants of the job, such as taking the lady's order first. All this, plus an OK caesar salad to start, came to $140, including tip. All in all, a sad night. Goodbye, LaLime's, that's it for us.

Delightful food in a very nice casual atmosphere with charming service.

While the food was outstanding we felt that for the money we did not get a fair portion. The service wa fabulous and bus boys ere spot on to clear table. Was disappointed that we could not get a bottle of wine and had to purchase by the glass.

There were five of us. For two people the food was so bad they ate less than half of it - And the portions were small. My meal was halibut in a broth with vegetables. The vegetables were so overcooked and soft that they had no texture and absolutely no flavor at all. I can’t remember having such a flavorless meal in my life. The halibut was also flavorless. The other two meals were just so so. For dessert the lava cake with vanilla ice cream was good. I also ordered ice cream with raspberries but there were no raspberries just an overly sweet syrup. We plan to never go back there again even though the service was good.

We returned to Lalime's after many years away. It was no fault of theirs: life, kids and distance got in the way. It remains as lovely as ever. It has a relaxing atmosphere, knowledgeable servers, delicious, flavorful and beautifully presented food.
We split the osso bucco on polenta, a mushroom stuffed pepper vegan dish, a lovely winter friseé salad. They all were flavorful and delicious.
They have a very interesting, varied selection of wines to pair with the Mediterranean flavors. Wine service was very accommodating. Our server wasn't expert about the flavor profiles of the two wines we were interested in so she brought us samples of both. It's so nice when they do that!
It's a drive for us to go to Berkeley, but we'll be back more often. It's definitely worth the trip.

The gentleman hosting was very abrasive and unfriendly

Expertly cooked food. High-quality ingredients. Delicious house-made flatbread and freshly squeezed orange juice. Our Saturday brunches have been such a pleasure at Lalime’s.

The food here used to be wonderful. No more. Our meal wasn't exactly terrible, but disappointing. If my wife and I spend $40 or $50 on the same meal at a neighborhood place, we'd say the food was fine -- not great, not terrible. But at $200, it seems offensive. The ambience at Lamine's remains pleasant. But unless we hear there's been a significant turnaround in meal quality, we won't be back

My partner and I, along with another couple, opted tor Lalime's special (and very festive) Valentine's pris fixe dinner. It turned out to be a very special treat for the four of us, even at the higher than usual price of $75 per person for amuse bouche, a starter, a salad a main, and a VERY LARGE shared dessert (1 per couple). The amuse bouche was a nicely seasoned Middle Eastern vegetarian frittata that we never got the name for. All 4 of us chose the lobster ravioli in bisque sauce instead of the cauliflower-brussel sprouts-lent koufté; really well-crafted! On the mains, we split on the sea bass (highly rated by those who selected it) and the grilled rib-eye, which I opted for. I seldom eat meat but this was grilled to perfection with a nice mushroom, garlic, and thyme reduction). Dessert was--are you ready--an almond chocolate tart with poached pear, lemon pudding, berry coulis, and quince sauce. Almost a smorgasbord in itself and more than enough for two to share. We found a great Rutherford (Napa County) Cabernet blend (Quantum Vineyard) with lots of oomph to round out a delightful gastronomic Valentine's dinner. Can't wait till next year! Once again, Lalime's proves it is among the best of the East Bay restaurants.

Always enjoy Lalime's
Long time special occasion favorite

An off night at Lalime’s for fixed price Valentines dinner

Excellent food and a creative menu. Saffron and mussel soup was especially good; a fettuccini with cauliflower was not so great. The space is unique and endearing.

I've been to Lalime's a number of times over the years, for quiet, intimate dinners and for large parties of ~10 people. Always, it has been excellent. Lalime's has always been the place I recommend to people who will be in Berkeley.

No longer. This was an entirely disappointing meal. One pasta dish seemed be simply boiled pasta with boiled cauliflower and some boiled green. It was flavorless and so unappetizing we sent it back. The other two dishes were treated as open-faced wraps. Which is fine, except I'd like to feel like I'm not overpaying for something I could find at a takeout cart.

Additionally, we ordered a cauliflower appetizer. It was good. Except, the very same cauliflower was the included garnish/side on both of the main 'wraps' that two of our three people ordered. A good waiter would have noted this, just in case we wanted to order a different appetizer.

Altogether, this trip to Lalime's was a waste, and I won't be venturing back anytime soon.

The cocktails, appetizers, entrees and desserts were delicious. (I had the chicken -- it was cooked to perfection and the dipping sauces were all different and flavorful.) The chocolate lava cake might be the very best I've ever had. It was lighter than many, and crunchy on the outside and soft and very chocolaty on the inside. The servers were nice and helpful, and the dining room is warm and intimate. The only reason for my lower rating on the service was that it was slow, and it was a bit difficult to get the server's attention. We weren't in a rush, so all in all, it was an excellent experience and I would highly recommend Lalime's.

Food was great! Price was amazing for how nice the food was. Service was a little slow, but worth the wait. Super busy when we got there...they turned away people because they didnt have reservations. Went there for an anniversary dinner and had a GREAT time.

Excellent food, but service was spotty. We waited too long before any waiter came to the table. Then once we ordered food, things came timely but waiter never brought us the bread we said yes we wanted? And, oops, a maitre 'd took my card off the table a 2nd time before I had a chance to sign the check already delivered by the waiter. All that said, I would eat here again in a heartbeat.

It was our first time there and we all really enjoyed it!

I appreciate the lack of pressure to eat and run. Our waitress was extremely competent and let us take our time to enjoy the food and the company.

Sunday brunch omelette was really good - I go now & then and usually the omelettes are serviceable, but this was quite good. Only wish they had gluten free bread.

We went for brunch and received excellent service - we needed a table with no steps. All the dishes were delicious. Service was reasonably quick and unobtrusive. Lalime's is a neighborhood restaurant, and one we particularly enjoy. We liked the variety of items offered for brunch.

I used to love this restaurant years ago but it has gone WAY downhill and I will never go back. The service was poor and the food was awful. I literally sent some food back for being inedible. The food that was edible was just OK - certainly not worth the money. Nothing special - I cook better food at home.
I dine out often and don’t mind paying for great food but this was dismal (I mean, there wasn’t even salt on the food which the waitress said they did on purpose?!)
The place was full and I can’t imagine why. There are so many wonderful places to eat in the Bay Area - I’m not sure how they stay open. Save your money and pick anywhere else.

Used to love this place and have gone there for many years. It’s really gone downhill. Bad service, ok food but overpriced.

Our server Adrian was personable and knowledgeable, fantastic!

It was so noisy that we couldnt hear each other and the service was only average.

Our waiter was attentive without hovering or being intrusive, and his advice about selections was welcome and accurate. The food was delicious, although the portions were a bit on the small side. The area of our table was a little crowded, making conversation difficult when the other tables in that area were occupied, and we had to move the table in order to be seated.

This little hidden gem in the neighborhood is a very pleasant surprise. From the upstairs entrance to the cozy bar and the downstairs tables, it speaks of romance. The smells are wonderful, the noise level minimal, and the service excellent. We had a nice variety from the menu that included lobster ravioli with a too die for sauce and just the right size for a rich dish. We quizzed our waiter about the round perfectly cooked whole Brussels about how they get it fully cooked but not burnt on the outside or mushy on the inside. Ask them.

I have been a steady customer since Lalime's first opened on Solano Avenue some 40 years ago.
It was excellent then and has improved ever since .
The menu varied and changes periodically. I am a happy vegetarian and my wife an most guests are definitely not vegetarians and just as pleased as I am. Every dish is apparently prepared from scratch
judging from its freshness and quality.
In addition, pricing compared to that of the few EB of comparative quality is astoundingly modest.