The Lake Chalet Seafood Bar and Grill Reviews

Wonderful jewel on the side of Oakland's center. The menu is tasty and the drinks are awesome. A must visit location in the Bay Area

Love eating here. Thr food is amazing as well as the view near the windows!

One of the most attractive spaces to enjoy the view of Lake Merritt - the renovation is beautiful and the service and food are both very good. Great spot for lunch or dinner around sunset.

A little pricey but service was good recommendations by staff was spot on. Overall great experience

We live right across this place, so I really wanted to like it. The ambiance is great, but the food is overpriced and the service is AWFUL. We put down our names outside for a table and were told that it was going to take forever, so instead we ordered at the bar. Then we got our table so I asked the host if we could just have our food transferred. He said yes. Then we moved all of our stuff and our 2 dogs to the table and then that waiter said that we couldn't sit there because all the food had to have been ordered through him. I offered to just tip him extra, but he refused. So then we had to move back to the bar area, where by then we had lost our seat and our food arrived and the order was incorrect! WORST PLACE EVER!!!!

Taco Tuesday over the Lake is extraordinary with gourmet Margaritas and super tacos and a beautiful lake view.

Most of my family decided to visit last Saturday August 25, 2018. My party was to arrive at 6. A couple of us were us were running late so we waited. When we waited and the last of our party arrived we were seated pretty quick. I must say that was the only pleasant thing of the evening. I was a very long time before of our drink order was even longer to get them, three of the iced teas were wrong. We sat there for another 15-20 minutes to place to put in our orders. We waited almost an hour to get our foo and that is only because I stopped her and asked to check on it. The food immediately the food came out, missing a meal. My daughters meal was wrong. by this time we were ready to walk out the service was so bad. To top it off they have these sections called boiled selections, when they bring these to you in a plastic bag and plop it on the table in front of you with a bib and rubber gloves that in no way fits all, My husbands hands went right through them the first time he tried to put them on. All of the meals were cold and the French fries were unedible They were busy I will grant them that but giving the service you wouldn't give to your dog is totally WRONG!!!!!!!!! We will never be retuning to your establishment again!

Good food,salmon OMG.
Beautiful view.

Terrible service. Food was subpar. Location is amazing.

Christmas Eve brunch was delicious! Despite no reservation, my friend and I were seated quickly and attended to by a wonderful server. The Eggs Benedict was devine, and my friend loved her pork dish. One warning: the Irish coffee is very strong! :P

The atmosphere was nice so was the vibe, but the food so so.

It was a lovely restaurant on the water. The view was great. The food is also surprisingly delicious. Waiters rarely came around but were all very nice and accommodating.

Great food great customer service great views all around great experience 5stars

I went there for the first time without a reservation after my wedding and they were able to accommodate me and my guest for my reception it was great

This place is beautiful. The light and the outside seating area is wonderful and a great place to sit during the summer. The only drag-back is during the summer and the smell from the lake ventures over and cast a smelling aroma. Other then that, a great place to dine.

Great atmosphere, great food, great drinks, great service! Heard about this place for a long time, finally went and the experience was even better than I heard. Will definitely make this a regular place for drinks, dining or just a great place to snack and relax!

I ordered two mojitos and didnt feel squat!! And im a lightweight! I guess when they see a "you know what" with "who know whats" in his hair, they tend to water down my drinks. Im jusy playing.. I think. Still a go-to spot whenever you're not afraid to spend a lil bit. Great location, one of the nicest views in Oakland, nice seating inside and out as I've always loved the ambiance of this place. Slap my mixtape

The outdoor patio is very comfy and the food was good.

food is delicious and the drinks r good da service is quick and da waitress and waiters is very respectful

Really a great place in the heart of Oakland, and they really had great service.

Food is good, drinks are fun, view is spectacular, service is either perfect or horrible.

Located in the heart of Oakland on Lake Merritt. Home of the Warriors, A s, and Raiders. Whether your looking for a Margarita on Taco Tuesday, a Happy Hour wine, or special event Lake Chalet has all you need! Best Bartenders in Bay!! Check em out!

Go back to the time of food that is too pretty to eat, restaurant is comfy, chic, outside is a party any day if the week, love this place.

The crab cakes were good, but that seafood combo I got was so bland! Its something I could've made better at home! Not worth the $30

Nice, romantic , veiw awesome. Hard to find park . Great walk from 14th, so leave car take public transportation. Worth it!

Sat outside on October 18th with a group of coworkers. It was a gorgeous day. I ordered the tacos. They were filled generously with fish and cabbage but lacked in flavor. I rarely add salt to my meals and it was much needed for these tacos. Service was excellent though!

We arrived at 3:30pm on a Friday for Happy Hour. We were told it was going to be about a 45 minute wait to be seated at a table on the dock/pier outdoor area. We weren't seated until 5!!! Then we were ignored by waitstaff for over 15 minutes. Happy Hour ends at 6pm. We finally waved down a waiter that didn't seem too pleased & he seemed to begrudgingly take our orders for drinks & food. We ordered a dozen Fanny Bay Oysters, the food runner just tossed it in the middle of the table, he didn't give us a stand for it or any plates for eating upon. We had to wave down a busboy. We also ordered a Cow Slider, a first round of Halibut Ceviche Tostadas & Caesar Salads. They all came pretty quickly but when we flagged down our waiter for a second round of Tostadas at about 5:40pm, I think he forgot us because we didn't get our second round of Tostadas until 6:15-20 after we complained 2x. By then we were ready for our check. It took another 15 minutes to get that. I don't think this establishment is ready for Summer at all. They were greatly understaffed & those booths are so UNCOMFORTABLE that no one wants to sit there!! We'll wait for a table with chairs instead. I think they really need to revisit that seating situation & make them more comfortable or replace of most altogether with more tables & chairs. We came several times last year & the service was a lot better than it was this time. I'm not sure we'll be back any time soon.

This is not my first choice for sit-down dining. But it is a great place to go, enjoy the view, and have snacks, appetizers, drinks, and socialize. Happy Hour prices are really great. I have occasionally been disappointed by the quality of the food. But that's why I usually only go for happy hour.

Nice ambiance. Great food. Excellent views. Highly recommend.

Great place for a Sunday morning brunch sitting outside next to the lake. But the food is just not that great. Had the huevos rancheros the first time which was decent, but on my second trip, the open-faced omelet was just plain bad.

Not a good place to go if you're in a hurry because the wait staff seems a bit understaffed and they have quite a distance to travel among all the tables out on the deck.

I enjoy going to Lake Merritt to walk. Although it is kind of self defeating, as every time I go, I have to stop at Lake Chalet for their fried calamari. I love the tables that stretch out over the lake, as the sun begins to set. A must go to for all your seafood cravings.

Beautiful spot for lunch or drinks on the lake in Oakland

Mediocre..my roast chicken lacked flavor. I'd give them.another shot since its in a nice location

We tried the chicken sandwich and lobster roll meals. The macaroni salad that comes with the chicken sandwich lacks flavor but the sandwich is delicious! The coleslaw and homemade chips come with the lobster roll. Slaw is good, they also include it on the lobster roll. The lobster roll is ok, I've had better, the lobster was a little tuff and the chips, I love there light, crisp but it could be more flavorful. I would definitely go for the chicken sandwich again!

The location is spectacular and some of the food is great too. Unfortunately, some of the food is not worth the price and they are chronically understaffed so service is slow. Taco Tuesday is good, as is $10 beer and burger Happy hour

Love the patio and the food is excellent. The staff is efficient and friendly. Also the calamari is the best!

First time there! Great food very nice view. Customer services could had been better! Shout out to the bartenders and cooks!!

Nice location but my meal of fish and chips and half a Caesar salad was just average and I expected much more given the steep price. Maybe another meal would have better showcased their quality. I will give it another try in a bit. The bread was very good.

Great, attentive servers, and good food. Drinks come out to your specifications. The patio atmosphere is beautiful, and so are the people.

The staff, at the bar are great,, I can t speak on the rest of the place, ,i,ve only sat at the bar,,lol

fun craft beers and tasty food in dramatic setting. but be prepared to pay. not typical oakland prices.

Oh my goodness. My very favorite thing here is the roasted brussel sprouts. You HAVE TO try them, they are incredible, like seriously. Everyone at our table kept talking about them and just wanted more. Also, it's an amazing place to get a great scene of Lake Merritt. The outdoor seating is beautiful but if it's not available, my second favorite is the upper room furthest to the left when you walk in.

A classic Oakland tradition! They have a pretty modern menu with an impossible burger and somewhat healthy appetizer options besides the traditional seafood dishes. There are booths and tables out on the dock, ir indoor seating as well. Our food actually took quite a while to be brought out, the excuse given was that the kitchen gets backed up at lunch time on nice sunny days. The restaurant wasn't even at capacity! So I'd reccommend avoiding peak hours.

Ask for the fish of the day. A little pricey but the views are just great.

The view from here is gorgeous, I grew up running around this area when I was young and it has really changed. this restaurant has stepped it up, fun yet classy. The food was amazing the main dishes are a little pricey. We ran up almost a $520 bill,$90 of that was a mandatory tip included.... great place to have drinks though, see The View and they have Gauntlet rides, it's like a scene in Venice. You can do it cheaper if you stick to the salads horderves, and sandwiches, it's doable. Would be a nice place for a date or meet up. Try the brussel sprouts here I'm not a fan of them but this place has the best brussel sprouts I've ever had my life, the fish tacos were three huge tacos and we're cheap about 15 bucks.

Food was delicious. Had to sit at the bar, but that was ok as it was a great view of the water. Unfortunately, we were seated next to an obnoxious drunk guy, but that does not speak to the restaurant itself. Just the annoyance of drunk people. If I could review the person I would. Definitely a great place to eat, and then take a beautiful walk around the lake. Get those steps in!

A follow-up visit to Lake Chalet seafood bar and grill my fiancee and I decided to go during Oakland restaurant week 2019. We opted for the special menu that they had four the Oakland restaurant week 2019. The items we ordered where are as follows along with my review of each item:

1.Roasted Beet Salad: Whipped Farmer's Cheese, Winter Citrus, Pecans, Mache, Saba. Let's just start out with that I'm not a big fan the beets. This is a dish that radiates with the vibrance of autumn with a delicious dusting of toasted candied walnuts really makes this dish sing.

2.Dungeness Crab Bisque: Brandy, Creme Fraiche, and Chives. This dish have the potential to be exciting and flavorful however it proved to be rather boring and pedantic. My one piece of advice is to season crab..


Sunchoke Puree, King Trumpet Mushrooms, Green Bean Chimichurri, Crispy Shallots. This is by far the best dish that we received during her meal. The steak was delectable and tender. seasoned to perfection with a proprietary blend of king trumpet mushrooms and chimichurri. To top it off, each steak is topped off with crispy grilled onions that makes this a tantalizing treat guaranteed to make any food lover drool.

4.Saffron Tagliatelle Pasta:
Local Dungeness Crab, Garlic, Red Chilies, Scallions, Bone Marrow Bread Crumbs

5. Milk Chocolate Pot de Creme
White Chocolate Gelato, Hazelnut Streusel. Words cannot describe how scrumptious this dessert was. It almost redeemed for the seasoned crab.

One of the best places to come on a beautiful East Bay day. The food is really good and so are the drinks. My wife and I always sit on the deck to enjoy the view and the relaxed atmosphere. Highly recommend the Jalisco Mule.

3 stars for the location and valet service. The food is just ok and service is very slow.

Well maintained and managed restaurant located by the beautiful Lake Merritt. It's a perfect place to rest and dine in after a walk along the lake.

Came here for a corporate happy hour during the weekday. Beautiful setup with the patio, beautiful weather and views of the lake. Overall a good experience.

I've been coming here for the last 3 weeks by myself and today I brought my dad. We had a sampling of Brussel sprouts (5 ) and calamari (5 ) to start. Follow by Dungeness crab melt with tots for my dad: Presentation - artistically appitzing, Flavor- fresh, authentic and flavorful. I had the ceviche sampler with chips: Presentation - as soon as it was in front of me I wanted to eat. FLAVOR - Ahi tuna wow, the fish mmmmmmmmm yummmy, the shrimp sweet spicy, the chips fresh cooked still warm at the table.

They used too have more vegan options. Not too many anymore. Last time I went the service wasn't that great either and they were not very busy or understaffed.

Well done in these pandemic times. Looking forward to going back with the kids.

The food here is quite good - fresh and flavorful. They also have Chimay, which is a plus. Don't come here if you're in a hurry though - both times my wife and I have been here, the experience has been interminably slow.

We have been living in Oakland for a couple years now but have not had a chance to stop by this place, although we always walk by it on our evening walks. First, the decor is really nice inside, and they have a great area in the back on their dock right on the water where you an lounge, grab food, enjoy happy hour and so forth. They even have a full bar out there I believe. We opted to stay inside with a nice view of the lake.

We started by ordering the Calamari and Rock Shrimp as an appetizer. When it came though, I was quite disappointed as there was only ONE piece of a small shrimp in the whole appetizer. I asked the waitress if this was a mistake and she informed me they serve the appetizer by weight, which seems a little odd for a restaurant of this style. But she asked if we wanted some extra shrimp on the side which we did get and it made up for it.

I had the burger with cheese and bacon and my wife had the tuna burger. Both were great, on my burger they add some sort of delicious jelly which made the burger over the top in a good way. It came with fries that tasted fresh.

Overall I would recommend grabbing dinner here, or coming for their happy hour which I heard is a great deal for the price.

Beautiful place on the lake to sit outside for Happy Hour.

Great view from the dining room(s) & a great happy hour from 3 to 6 @ the bar & outside deck. We had a wonderful server & the food was great. Brussel sprouts,fish tacos & fish & chips were YUMMY!

Absolutely ridiculous. Brought soup, no spoon. Had an entree to be shared between 2 people, couldn't get an extra plate. 2 steak dishes, no stake knife. One of the steaks was ordered medium, arrived well done, sent it back, only to come back very rare (borderline raw). Wait staff had no clue how to handle anything. And that wasn't even the worse part. Their food runners had world class attitude. Over all this place is a must skip!

Very nice location and interior is pretty good, perfect for weekend brunch or nice family dinner..therefore it s so pity that the food doesn t taste good and doesn t look fresh. I would suggest to focus less
on the visual side of the food and invest more in the quality, receipts and how proper it is cooked.

Great view of the lake and surrounding downtown area.

I love this restaurant! Beautiful water views of Lake Meritt. Great food (try the beef short ribs), and strong drinks.

We went to this place to get dinner on our trip to San Francisco. Very disappointing. They didn t even get our drink order right, as they gave my kids lemonade instead of virgin strawberry daiquiris. The appetizers didn t come out until the food did, and the calamari came out cold. The entrees were bland and didn t taste good, especially the fish and chips. Overall a very overpriced restaurant that has really bad food.

Let me tell you about my experience here!!!!! The view is breathtaking, our server was had good hospitality and communication skills but the kitchen is very mediocre. The management is horrible Specifically the Bar Manager Savon (an Asian American, about 5 8 height) he had unprofessional approach as well as low class restaurant guest service. He didn t introduce himself nor he had any sort of manner when he spoke to us! He lacks communication skill
(verbal & physical), he was not friendly, welcoming Or helpful when we expressed our frustration on the food and our dinning experience. My friends & I felt discriminated against our age and race which was very upsetting and intolerable because Oakland is extremely diverse and multi cultural city that being said this restaurant doesn t represent or serve US.

The hosts was rude which should have been an indication of what was to come. The food is ok but I'd rather patronize a business with better service.

Love this spot on Lake Merritt. We sit outside on the dock and feel like we're on vacation! Thanks food is super good, the service is great and the ambiance is awesome. We went for Sunday brunch and enjoyed live music as well. Highly recommend!

Inside service . . . marginal. It's all about the lake, the sunset, and the moonrise. They just provide the venue and drink.