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    Pier 29 Waterfront Restaurant

    3.0 (549 reviews)
    Open • 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

    Pier 29 Waterfront Restaurant Photos

    PIER 29 WATERFRONT RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Pier 29 Waterfront Restaurant

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    Outside Covered Patio
    Steve D.

    Do you know the way to Ballena Bay? Pier 29 Restaurant is located in Alameda's Ballena Bay. It has an extensive seafood menu, full bar, soups, salads, and some chicken and steak. It has a view of the marina on one side, and a view of San Francisco bay on the other. It's away from the busy downtown traffic, and offers lots of free parking. I was treated to lunch there recently, to celebrate my retirement. For appetizers, we had Shrimp Cocktail and Fried Calamari. All the seafood was fresh. I then ordered the "Fish and Chips Combo" featuring fish and prawns. It consisted of two pieces of fried cod, and two fried prawns. The fish was fresh, and had a nice flavor. The prawns were crispy, and not greasy. There was a generous amount of crispy fries. The coleslaw on the side was dry and bland. Service was good. There were only two servers working, and it seemed the young lady was doing most of the work. But service was attentive, and she checked on our table a few times. Pier 29 is a large restaurant, probably capable of hosting large groups and events. It also has an outdoor patio. Can't find Ballena Bay? The entrance to Ballena Bay is 1 block east of Encinal High School, along Central Ave.

    Salmon
    Con C.

    Hard to find a complete meal these days. Rich thick clam chowder, light salad and massive lamb shank with mashed potatoes. Salmon was well cooked. Green beans were a bit on the crunchy side. Private room was cozy and servers were attentive. First time here and had a solid experience

    Menu
    Pat C.

    Ample sitting outside facing the marina, huge reception room if you have a private function as it was the case today and another room. A vast menu that mixes hot sandwiches ($18) and basic entrees ($25). Service is pleasant but slow. I went for eggplant parmigiana with a side of steamed rice (you can also have mash, pilaf rice and a soup of your choice. We were served complimentary bread and butter. On paper , it should work. Maybe I chose the wrong dish. The food was not nice at all.

    Johnny R.

    Enjoyed coming here on a Sunday with my friends. Not super busy and we were seated immediately. The TV was showing the football game which was nice. Oysters were delicious and overall such great customer service.

    Patio
    Margarita G.

    This restaurant has a great location with plenty of parking and an outdoor patio area for dining. They have a nice looking bar area. We have had lunch and dinner here a few times in the past and it's always a hit and miss on the quality and taste of the food. Last night we ordered the clam chowder and my soup did not have any clams a few pieces of potatoes and large chunks of onion. I did not have one piece of clam in my soup. For my main dish, I order the ground round steak, it was OK, but I needed to add a lot of salt and pepper to give it that extra flavor that it was lacking. We ordered a few alcoholic drinks, and they were a little mild on the alcohol. They could've added a little more alcohol to the drinks. The women's restroom looks somewhat clean the stall walls really need to be clean. The stall wall has a lot of fingerprints and look dirty.

    Yummi N.

    Pretty ok food, the scenery was amazing! The service was nice! The drinks were nice and strong

    Shrimp and scallops
    Matthew L.

    Maybe on a warm summer night with sunset views over the bay, this place would be worth the price. But as it were, on a chilly mid-week spring evening, this place felt drafty and lonesome. It's clearly got its regulars, who were all on a non-name-tag first-name basis with the sole waiter/bartender. Cheers to all of them. The meal seemed like upscale theme park fare--an afterthought straight out of the freezer. With the exception of the creamy sauce served over the shrimp and scallops, the food was unremarkable. The seafood was not especially fresh, the steamed vegetables tired and dry. The place wasn't warm to outsiders. The bill was too high for what we got. I live here on the island, but I unfortunately won't be back any time soon.

    Side salad with ranch
    Super F.

    I'm sure Food here is great service is quality ambience is casual music chatter kitchen all of the above. Come here and try out and enjoy the view from San Francisco to Oakland.

    Sourdough Bread
    Mike R.

    Much, much better! I see there has been changes to the management, so we thought we'd give them another chance. At first we were to be seated in the larger dining area alone, but we asked to be on the bar side. They accommodated us without issue. To me the bar side is warmer in atmosphere and the Warriors were on the television. Thank you for that. Our server was attentive, friendly and had a great sense of humor. Our first surprise since our last visit, was the bread. Previously it was unappealing plain white bread, but now it is a very nice sourdough. It would have been even better warmed. We then ordered Clam Strips and Clam Chowder as appetizers. They were also much better than our last visit. While really good, the chowder needed more seasoning. We all hit it with S&P and it was great! One of my favorite appetizers was the crab cakes, If I have know they were that good, I would have ordered them as my entree'. We then ordered salad with our entree's. It was fresh and a nice companion to the main dish. I had the Cajun Scallop & Shrimp saute' and enjoyed every bite. My wife had the grilled prawns with garlic butter, also really good. And last, my son ordered the muscles. He said the muscles were good, but that he expected them in a cream sauce, whereas, the sauce was more of a light broth that needed to be doctored. That aside, a very nice dinner was enjoyed by us all. We will definitely be back!

    Small dinner salad

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    Ask the Community - Pier 29 Waterfront Restaurant

    Does this restaurant have high chair accommodations for infants?

    Yes all restaurants are supposed to as well as disable ramps,etc

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    Forbidden Island - Full view of the bar at opening time

    Forbidden Island

    4.2(1.6k reviews)
    1.4 mi
    •$$

    A Tiki Bar in Alameda?! Sign me up! I just moved to the area and have been missing the tiki bars…read moreback home. Super happy I found this incredible little spot not very far from my new spot! Made a reservation for a Saturday and was able to grab a seat at the bar. This was definitely a necessity. I'll always keep this in mind when planning a visit here. Upon arrival, we were met to cute tiki interior, dollars overhead (my version of heaven), and an incredible staff! It was such a warm and welcoming environment. The staff was mega nice and helped us answer all of our burning questions. The drinks were perfect! I honestly can't remember everything I had, but the menu was expansive and all the drinks were tasty. We got a bit hungry and ordered some empanadas. I loved these! A nice change from other food at tiki bars ive experienced. Awesome visit to Forbidden Island! Im looking forward to visiting again!

    Visited this place on a Sunday evening with a reservation for a party of six. The place is so cute…read moreinside, with inviting tropical-inspired bar seating and cozy booths. They also have a large outdoor seating area. As soon as you step inside, you feel like you've been transported to a tropical island--it definitely gives you that vacation vibe! The drinks weren't exactly cheap, but everything we tried was delicious and pretty strong, so we definitely enjoyed them! The service was also friendly and attentive throughout our visit. Overall, such a fun and vibrant spot to hang out and enjoy some tropical drinks!

    Photos
    Forbidden Island - Outside patio area

    Outside patio area

    Forbidden Island - The two mugs that they have available. The mug on the left is a special edition mug and $150. The mug on the right is $40.

    The two mugs that they have available. The mug on the left is a special edition mug and $150. The mug on the right is $40.

    Forbidden Island - More of the atmosphere of the forbidden island, and I love all the money hanging from the ceiling

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    More of the atmosphere of the forbidden island, and I love all the money hanging from the ceiling

    Saltbreaker - SB Burger $21,00

    Saltbreaker

    4.4(339 reviews)
    1.4 mi
    •$$$

    I actually haphazardly stumbled upon this place a few months back after hanging out at a brewery…read morenext door. After scoping out the vibes of the place and the menu, I told myself to make sure to give this a shot. The place is in a redeveloped corner of Alameda right next to the bay. Probably used to be Navy base grounds back in the day. But now there's a couple of blocks worth of hip warehouse-y type of buildings, mostly restaurants, beer spots, some lofts and a little retail commerce. Very happening even though the surrounding area is a ghost town. Dining area not too big, maybe a couple of rooms that can hold about 20-30 heads each. Think there's another room for a private party/overflow. Decor pretty minimalist and stark. Service on the upscale side but in my stay, matched the decor, very minimalist and stark. Efficient enough but a little terse with little emotion. But I know service personality can differ from time to time or person to person. Just my obsy for one out. Daily Crudo ($20/4*) I think this rotates daily. Our choices that day was hamachi or a house smoked sturgeon. The sturgeon really piqued my interest but then it really wouldn't be a 'crudo' anymore would it, since I relate crudos to something 'raw-ish'. So I chose the hamachi. Very pretty plating, I love symmetry and balance. The thin slices of hamachi were indeed fresh, sitting in a stealthy pool of yuzu and olive oil. There are some fresno pepper slices and microgreens that garnish and a delicious nori cracker to break and accompany the crudo. This went really well with my glass of Fume Blanc. Caeser ($17/4.5*) We split this salad as their version sounded super cool. A miso-tinged Caeser dressing, lots of rustic garlic croutons and feathery soft grated parm and a soft-boiled egg. I love properly made Caesers and this was one of the best and unique versions I've ever had. The umami punch and the diverse textures just hit with me. A tad salty for a salad, but the crunchy and refreshing lettuce was able to absorb the salt blast. Huge salad too, like ideal for splitting and ridiculously large if for 1. Beef Short Rib ($43/4*) This was on special that night, and since I wasn't feeling Steak Frites (their only other beef entree option) this kinda fell on my lap. Very heavy and hearty dish. The short rib part was impeccable, super tender, gotta be sous vide. Perfectly seasoned with braising elements completely penetrated into the meat. There was a coarse gravy/sauce that covered which was okay, may have been the braising liquid just pureed. Served atop a huge pile of some risotto that I didn't inquire about. This risotto is what made the dish especially heavy. I ate most of it and it put me in a heavy carb coma. Lol. But there was a nice serving of perfectly cooked broccolini which helped balanced out the rich beef and carb heavy risotto. Chocolate Bar ($13/4.5*) Shared this for dessert as I really couldn't take more than just a few bites after the filling entree. But was this impressive, like high end dessert quality. Whoever does the desserts here definitely has some pedigree. The precision cut bar consisted of 3 layers. A brownie layer; a Bailey's mousse; and a salted caramel layer. I was loving the texture of all the different layers playing on one another. And every flavor was distinct without being overly sweet, which hit the right chords with me. A thick ganache garnished off to the side, which was good but just seemed a bit overkill with the already chocolate dominant bar. I think a cream element would have been a better contrast instead of rich chocolate on rich chocolate. But very minor quip on an otherwise skillful dessert. I finished the last few sips of my glass of Rhone with this dessert, and it left me one happy camper. I would definitely return as their style with flavors hits an accord with me. A little French, a smidge of Japanese and a lot of California. Rounding to a fiver, as this place made me more happy than not.

    The food was as visually beautiful as it was a party in my mouth. Emily was a fantastic server…read morewith her welcoming smile and positive demeanor that kept just the right amount of attention on us. We had the buratta, the mixed greens salad, the duck and the pasta. We finished up with the chocolate bar dessert. This was the most incredible culinary experience I've had in a really long time and I was so happy to have it. The fresh pasta with the fresh English peas in the carbonara sauce was so light and flavorful. The duck was crispy and moist. The salad was gorgeous with edible flowers sprinkled in. It was just a treat all the way around. Thanks so much. Heather

    Photos
    Saltbreaker
    Saltbreaker - Fresh pasta carbonara, chicken sliders, steak frites

    Fresh pasta carbonara, chicken sliders, steak frites

    Saltbreaker - Burger was pretty decent. The bun really makes it awesome

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    Burger was pretty decent. The bun really makes it awesome

    The Yard at Saltbreaker - Smashburger

    The Yard at Saltbreaker

    4.0(61 reviews)
    1.4 mi

    Love everything about this spot. Great vibes. Great food. Super helpful friendly staff. Gluten free…read moreoptions. The burger was soo good. My only request, PLEASE just make your fryer totally gluten free. Came all the way here to enjoy your Gluten Free fish & chips, fries, etc. then found out they fry their croutons in the same fryer. As a celiac, my heart is so sad. I'd love to come back to get to enjoy all the fried goodness one day. And it's such an easy fix. Pretty please

    Service and Staff: - Order at the register or via the QR…read morecode on your table - Staff will bring food to your table - We ordered oysters, which never came. When we let the staff know about this, we waited because they needed to double-check that the order did not come out after all. This was confirmed (still weird because what if the staff didn't remember or said that it did go out?) - Staff seemed confused by table numbers as we had three different dishes brought to our table that weren't ours Food and Drinks: - Shrimp roll: filling and tasty - Smash burger: definitely filling - not super exciting though (mainly just tasted the cheese). The fries were very good though - Lemonade: nice and tart - Caesar Salad: good (light meal) Miscellaneous: - Good for small and medium-sized groups - Outdoor seating only (some coverage by umbrellas) - Parking available via shared parking lot with other businesses - Good for families and kids - Casual and average level of sound

    Photos
    The Yard at Saltbreaker - Main counter - love the container conversion

    Main counter - love the container conversion

    The Yard at Saltbreaker - Fish & Chips

    Fish & Chips

    The Yard at Saltbreaker - Pasta salad

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    Pasta salad

    Trabocco Kitchen & Cocktails - Spaghetti Del Trabocco*

    Trabocco Kitchen & Cocktails

    4.2(2k reviews)
    2.1 mi
    •$$

    Trabocco is hands down, one of my favorite restaurants of all time. I've been dining here for…read moreyears, many times by myself. Took a little break because my last dining experience was not that pleasant. The bartender/server had some kind of attitude and completely ruined our night out. A year later, I was craving their delicious butternut squash ravioli and I couldn't resist. We dined in on a weekday afternoon and sat at the bar. Brenda was our server and she gave top tier service. Totally made up for my previous experience. We couldn't find this pork belly appetizer that we'd always get. Turns out it's not on the lunch menu, only on the dinner menu. But Brenda knew exactly what we were talking about and placed our order right away. The beet salad never disappoints. And that ravioli dish was so good, I must've licked the plate clean. I ordered a blood orange soda which was crispy and refreshing. And my partner ordered the ferrari margarita, which never disappoints! Brenda was on top of everything and totally made our dining experience one of the best ones yet. I love how there are different sections to this restaurant. There is the main dining area, stool seats right in front of the kitchen so you can see all the action while enjoying your meal. There is an outdoor patio and a bar section, which is our go to when there is room for us. We'll definitely be back soon!

    Love this place! We always come back whenever we're in the Alameda area, and it never disappoints…read more My daughter loves Italian food, and she and I have been having Saturday lunch dates at Trabocco since she was 5 years old. She's 14 now and still craves it! We had a wonderful lunch yesterday. I enjoyed my Spaghetti De Trabocco, and my daughter loved her fettuccine bolognese. The service is always great, and the chef and owner are always so friendly and welcoming. So many great memories here over the years. We'll definitely be back soon!

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    Trabocco Kitchen & Cocktails - Setting

    Setting

    Trabocco Kitchen & Cocktails - Polipo e Patate

    Polipo e Patate

    Trabocco Kitchen & Cocktails - Duck Special

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    Duck Special

    Town Tavern - Black Manhatten

    Town Tavern

    4.3(203 reviews)
    2.5 mi
    •$$

    Our go-to cocktail spot in Alameda. We've been here many times now, and it never disappoints. Great…read moredrinks, good service, and a chill, comfortable atmosphere. My favorite part is their collection thoughtful, balanced, complex drinks. If you want a variety of delectable old fashioneds with different spirits -- you're in luck! ---- Drinks ---- The cocktails are the main reason we keep coming back! Old Fashioned menu. They actually have several varieties and I've really appreciated how they use a different spirit for each! I won't review every single one, but you can't go wrong based on what flavor profile you want. They're all relatively sophisticated, balanced, spirit-forward, and consistently well made. The rest of the cocktail menu is equally thoughtful. Complex, creative, and well executed without trying too hard or going over the top with flavors or presentation. The food is delicious as well although we're usually just here for drinks before/after a meal. More small bites than full meals, but everything we've had has been tasty and pairs well with the drinks. We really enjoyed the empanadas; great flavor and execution. ---- Environment ---- Warm, cozy, and stylish -- but not pretentious or obnoxious. Music volume is always at a level where you can actually have a conversation, which I really appreciate! It does get busy, especially on weekends, but it's never been extreme. We've been seated immediately or only with a short wait most times. ---- Service ---- Friendly, welcoming, and attentive! Always had good experiences with the staff even when busy. Most of them have good recommendations. ---- Tips ---- Make a reservation if you can! Walk-ins are definitely possible, though you may end up sharing a larger communal table. We've done it before and honestly didn't mind. The bathroom can occasionally have a bit of a wait. ---- Overall ---- Love this place. It's become our go-to spot whenever we're in the mood for great cocktails and a relaxed evening and want a reliable experience. One of my favorite cocktail bars in Alameda.

    This spot has very good cocktails. This time I tried Georgia on my Mind, it has cognac and peach…read moreliqueur. My friend has the chicken sliders with fries. Good choice. Server was helpful and attentive. Cheers!

    Photos
    Town Tavern - Toki, hazy IPA, Basil gimlet.

    Toki, hazy IPA, Basil gimlet.

    Town Tavern - Nachos

    Nachos

    Town Tavern - Pick your specials

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    Pick your specials

    Bar Shiru - Actual Proof - superb!

    Bar Shiru

    4.3(312 reviews)
    2.9 mi•Uptown
    •$$

    Have to update because I've been back since 2019 and this spot still is so classy! They also offer…read moremusic nights which is like a listening party for a specific record. You can find their schedule on their site. Very grown and sexy vibes. Cocktails are pricey but worth it. It's a great place to start date night or meet up for a first date. Staff is always prompt and friendly. Love that there are other places in walking distance too, if you're looking to bar hop or get something to eat. One of the nicer bars in the area, for sure!

    My sister and I were really excited to come here, but unfortunately, the experience was incredibly…read moredisappointing. We waited 15 minutes outside in the cold, where Taylor, the same hostess who later seated us, added us to the waitlist and then asked us to leave because there was "no standing room." After 30 more minutes, we finally received the text to come in. When we returned, Taylor didn't acknowledge us and told us to go to the back of the line. After showing her our text, she seated us. We noticed two open seats at the bar and asked if we could sit there. She said the bar was first come, first serve..yet moments later, she seated two walk-ins who had been behind us in line at those exact seats. The inconsistency and lack of hospitality made us feel completely disrespected. We were excited to finally get in, but ultimately decided to leave. Such a bummer!!

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    Bar Shiru - Negroni and mocktail

    Negroni and mocktail

    Bar Shiru - Velvet mood

    Velvet mood

    Bar Shiru - Mocktail

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    Pier 29 Waterfront Restaurant - seafood - Updated September 2026

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