Skates on the Bay

Service errors and food choices made in past visits were not as good when tasted this time.

Service was slow- but efficient- food was good but not outstanding. Atmosphere is perfect

We were well received, seated quickly at out table by the window, with beautiful bay views. Orders were taken quickly and efficiently, and the food was excellent!
A very nice experience.

A let down. The only reason it got two stars was the view. The food was worse that forgettable.

Felt abandoned by our server. I had the cioppino. The mussels were extremely fishy, clams were chewy and the tomato base was way too acidic. My husband had the short rib.. he said it was stringy. Total bummer..

Food was overpriced and the service was mediocre. The calamares did taste good, although half the serving consisted of batter. The ahi tuna looked veiny and tasted bland. The service seemed completely out of sync and the waiter seemed focused on getting us out as soon as possible.

It was my first time coming to Skates and I must admit I really loved the atmosphere and the beauty of the dining area with view. I just wished it wasn't so overly priced especially for the small amount of portion that was given.. I was expecting a fuller dish for the amount of money spent. What probably could of avoided that was if the waiter/server was more attentive.. He hardly came by to ask if we needed anything. Didn't place extra napkins.. asked about straws.. no water.. no refills.. and I had ordered a dessert that never came nor did he add to the order but it was fine in the end due to being too full. I would go back just next time ill just make sure to bring more money and with a big sea food craving.

For a foggy and blustery day on the Bay, we had a great time and food was fine.

Delicious food, beautiful surroundings. We had a great evening there.

The service was not so great. The food was overdone.
The worst part.., I see the notice in the parking lot... to be aware of break in of cars.
So I park in a well lite area...my window gets smashed even though I have nothing to steal. My recommendation to Skates on the Bay is to have their own security for their patrons. I will not go back or recommend this restaurant

Excellent service.

Was very disappointed. We had reservations but was seated in the bar area. Has to request water twice. Waited way too long for our meal. Was underwhelmed by the Thanksgiving dinner for $32.00. My husband’s lobster was very small and my meal was lukewarm with just a tiny container of cranberry sauce. We ordered a scallops dinner to go and the order was never placed. I have been here numerous times and was pleased. Won’t be back and wouldn’t recommend this place.

Family orders varied and some were good and some were disappointing. The chioppino was skimpy and strange with a fried softshell crab instead of dungeness crab and void of mussels and on 2 shrimp. That was very disappointing for the price.

Great views of the bay.
Wagyu sirloin was tough and very sparsely seasoned.
Sea bass was very sashimi style. We wee told it would be cooked on the rare side.
The furniture and carpet is starting to feel a bit dated and worn.

The best/only great thing about Skates is the view. That is the only reason I'd recommend this restaurant. While I have had very good meals at Skates in the past, the Thanksgiving 2019 experience was dismal. The meal didn't even include dessert (what? No pie at Thanksgiving?) and the food pretty much all tasted the same and was so bland. I wonder if there has been a change in Chef or .............
Back around 2012 when the interior was remodeled, it looked so nice! But now, the very small bathroom looked so shabby and evidence of wear & tear was depressing.
Besides my meal being so bland, I found a short, thin string in my turkey - it was so off-putting. The martini was a whopping $16! what? I didn't think to look at pricing for that ahead of time. With tip, my meal was $65 and really lacking. Learned my lesson on this one!

Our visit to Skates was fantastic. Our waiter Moises was professional With a great personality. The food was delicious and the scenery was spectacular. We were seated at the table right in front of the fireplace so that made it even extra special. We were there on Thanksgiving day and we would absolutely come again.

We love going here for Thanksgiving.
The view is fabulous, the staff and service is excellent. They truly make you feel welcome and special!

The service was excellent. We all raved about the food. The setting, of course, is beautiful. We'll come again. Thank you

Very good food. Very good service. What more can I say?

Beautiful setting on the Berkeley marina. It was Thanksgiving and we had a traditional turkey dinner which was good but not exceptional. The service was very good.

Overall, everything was very good. We enjoyed our meal very much. Only two minor complaints:
1) at the end, we felt rushed. Waiter started removing all plates before one of our party was finished. And the place wasn’t crowded. No reason to rush us out.
2) Coffee was really mediocre, like it had been left on the burner too long. And the cappuccino was just terrible. Nothing like a real cappuccino. If you don’t have the facilities to make one properly, you shouldn’t serve it.

Wow, probably some of the worst clam chowder I've ever tasted - must have had 3 full table spoons of bacon bits in a small cup of soup. My friend had Mussels and it too was overwhelmed by the bacon flavors in it. The crab salad was inedible; so mushy and barely a hint of crab. Oh well, at least the fries were ok.
Although the food was dreadful, our waitress was terrific, the view spectacular and the atmosphere quite nice and comfortable on a blustery day by the bay.
I do recommend you pay them a visit, but do yourself a favor and just have a drink by the nice roaring fire and enjoy the view - skip the food.

Met a friend for lunch right before Thanksgiving. Food was solid, service was excellent and the view was absolutely fabulous. I had a special, my friend had the sushi.

Dinner and service were great as usual. BUT when we got back to our car in the parking lot found that someone smashed the small rear window on driver’s side. Forced to look in the trunk which was empty. An SUV parked next to us was damaged as well. The rear window of that SUV was smashed, and two of three suitcases were stolen. Skates used to have security guard in the parking lot, but alas that service was no more. We have been frequent customers at Skates, but unless something is done to address we are not going back. City of Berkeley Police was not responsive and we reported the incident on an internet site.We were told the police was not going to come to the site for over an hour. We recommend that Open Table customers be made aware of this problem.

The waiter was amazing and attentive to our table's needs, he answered our questions and made great suggestions. We were given a round table in the corner (as I requested) with a gorgeous panoramic view of the Bay and all three bridges. Food was delicious, and so was the bloody Mary. We will be back!

Late afternoon snacks and a drink in the bar. Great view, excellent service and. Nice calamari!

Great food, drinks and ambiance

We arrived early and were seated within minutes. Our waiter was very attentive, never had us feeling like we were waiting long for anything we needed. The food was delicious, the drinks were perfect (best mojito I’ve ever tasted!) and the music was lovely. I hope to make it back there again soon, at an earlier time to catch the sunset since we arrived past that. It was my fiancée’s birthday and everyone was on top of making her big day very special.

We went for my son’s birthday. Great place, great food, great atmosphere. The service was excellent. There was also a jazz band which just topped off our night. Absolutely loved it!

Good food and good service. Great view of the bay. Oysters shooters started us off. Seafood Paella special was fantastic.

Great seafood selection. The seared scallops were exceptional. Fantastic service to go with the food. The sunsets from the bar or dining room are beautiful with the GG Bridge in the foreground. My favorite restaurant in the East Bay area.

We loved the view and the restaurant itself. However, for the seafood, i have had much better ones. The special on Sunday was seabass, it looked and tasted not as fresh. The calamare were ok. The Ahi poke was delicious but the very small in portion.
The waffle & the Omelette were great.

This was our first time there. We're in Marin and we took a friend who was in town for the Cal game. My monk fish was very dry. Loved the appetizers. I think that for us, it's not our type of restaurant. It reminded us of Spengler's.

Also there was no toilet paper in the ladies rest rooms.

It’s a pretty good restaurant and the food is good but…BUT the noise level has gotten outta hand! It’s so noisy, you hafta practically shout to be heard. They would do well to put in some sound-absorbing materials.

There is nothing like the view from Skates! However, their Caesar salad is very irregular and not good—grilled lettuce, dressing not resembling Caesar. They do have very good clam chowder and seafood Louie. We did not get the window table requested two weeks ahead and were disappointed about that part.

First impressions count. The hostess was completely unwelcoming. No smile. No expression. Barely any eye contact. The waitress was a bit better but lacked personality and interest in our table. The food was in general, OK, but definitely nothing you would tell your friends about. My impression is that this restaurant is only focused on getting diners in and out, and assumes they will never see any of them again.

Our service was terribly slow, especially from the bar. Food was very hit or miss. The prices are much too high for a poor experience.

Of course, the ambience can’t be beat. Unfortunately, the quality of the food has declined over the years. My food came lukewarm 😕 and the quality was just OK at best. The Friday night jazz I’m sure is an attempt to draw a larger crowd. The jazz was delightful, but not enough to make me want to return anytime soon. Better quality food at a lower price point may draw the crowds it once did. I hope so.

The food is really good. Our server was fantastic. Great suggestions, that really worked out well. The lobster was the best and a great presentation. Wine selection very good. Parking not so much. Needs more handicapped closer by, or valet parking, lot very uneven. Would go back again, wort lt.

I booked a table for my boyfriend birthday and wrote in a request for table by the window. But I never got it. We were seated in the middle. An overall ambience was nice, we got there around 5ish, the sun goes down nicely. I read some reviews about what to order. The main dishes that we had are LOBSTER BISQUE and GRILLED NEW ORLEANS BBQ PRAWNS. The bisque was alright. But for the prawns, I was so surprised with how small prawns are. It'd be better if you call them "shrimp" and everything that come with it (Creamy cheddar grits, BBQ beurre blanc, bacon, fried green tomatoes) just HORRIBLE and heavy. It's def not a good idea for dinner plate. After the meal, my boyfriend felt so uncomfortable while we drove back to SF. He opened the door and thrown up. And that night, he thrown up 3 times. I felt so sorry to take him to this restaurant for his birthday.