Several factors for this review. First of all we booked a table by the window. We mentioned a birthday celebration we were having. When we arrived there, we were told our table was being cleaned and we hear another birthday celebration going on. Everyone was singing. When they finally took us to our table, it wasn't a window seat at all. We mentioned it to our hostess and she said she was sorry they were all booked up. When our waitress arrived, she was very kind and asked are we celebrating anything today? We told her yes we're celebrating a birthday. I don't think she was even listening because she didn't respond with a happy birthday or whose birthday is it. She just said can I get you some drinks. So we ordered some clam chowder for two. We also ordered calamari which was great. For our entrées, we ordered the Wagyu sirloin for two of us and my wife had the salmon. Even though the steaks came out perfectly cooked, I don't believe they were wagyu at all. They were way too tough and tasted just like a normal sirloin does. The potato wedges were dry and hard to swallow. I had to ask for some sour cream to choke them down. My wife enjoyed her salmon. When we were finished, our waitress brought us our check and then left the table. When going over our bill we noticed we had charges for appetizers we never ordered. When we brought this to her attention, she acted surprised like she didn't know how those got there. We just didn't feel that it happened by accident. She corrected the bill and we paid and left. Never once mentioned about our celebration happy birthday or anything. The sad thing is that my wife has been trying to get me to go here for years. She's been there several times and has always raved about it. We drove from Sacramento just to celebrate my birthday here. Very sad to have this experience. read more

We went there because we had a rough day and wanted some relief. What we got was anything but. Service was poor and trying to find someone to help you was impossible. Food service was rushed, got our next course when we hadn't even finished our appetizer. We asked for a particular type of wine but what they offered wasn't that. For the price we paid, everything should have been a lot better. We called for reservations but they said we didn't need one even though we wanted a window seat. After some discussions, we found a window seat in the bar. You can't beat the view and the ambience was great. read more

The view was amazing despite of the weather. Service was a bit slow. Everything we ordered was good but not great. What is disappointing, the server assigned to our table asked for increase in her tip in spite of getting a tip on top of the service charge (for a party of 7). She was playing it dumb by asking if there was something wrong with her service for just receiving a certain percentage. The service was just okay. Our friend was forced to increase her tip as she was embarrassed by what the server did. read more

See all

It was disappointment during the check in with Receptionist. It was a special day that I made reservation online and requested table next to window. Confirmation was received by email. But when we arrived and checked with Receptionist she said that it's not guarantee. She was very rude and bossy. She gives us table choices that was "not reserved ". We can show up with no reservation for that tables... Food was good( not really trained staff, but it's OK)...But we will not coming back . It was feeling- not welcome! read more

Food A-, B+, Service on par, Ambiance to DIE FOR!!!!! Like eating on a ship. Skates is constructed on a dock of the bay. Rain or shine its THE experience unmatched in the bay area. Get offline, chill out, bring cash cause it's worth the trip back in time to when there was no Bitcoin or Iphones!!! read more

Came here on a Sunday night for my anniversary dinner at 8:30 pm. The restaurant was pretty empty. The service was okay.... After we gave our order, 20 minutes later, our server tells us there was a mishap and we had to regive our orders. It took us about 40 minutes for our food to come as we were waiting for nothing apparently. The server also told us they would bring us bread to enjoy (at least 3 times) but we never got it so we asked for it at the end after we got our main course already. Since it was our anniversary, we got the key lime pie which was so delicious! This meant a lot to us so we are very grateful. I ordered the baked salmon with heirloom tomatoes which was so delicious! It was savory and the corn and sauce was a great touch to elevate the salmon. It was pretty fulfilling and the garlic bread definitely added to the taste. We got to watch the sunset through the huge windows that are all over the restaurant which was absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. Overall, it was a good experience and I recommend for a romantic sunset dinner, but the service definitely could've been improved considering how expensive the restaurant is. read more

Skates On The Bay - Salmon with Heirloom Tomatoes - Seafood Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

Aside from the lovely view and beautiful location. The food was amazing, plates a little small but worth the delicious flavor. The swordfish was very tasty and the salsa that came with it made it a perfect combo. The filet mignon was also very good. I recommend lobster Mac! Perfect for two, and the salmon poke was a little sweet but the salmon was so good. Service was not the best but that's alright. We came here for our anniversary and did not get the service we thought we deserved, compared to other places we've celebrated at. Would return! read more

See all

Loved our birthday celebration for my husband. We came for the first time due to a friend's recommendation for the view. We love the bourbon st. carrot cake and the creme brulee. I had the lobster bisque and my husband had the clam chowder. We both had the salmon from New Zealand. Our server, Mark, was so hospitalable and gracious. Will gladly return. read more

See all

Went in Sat night to the bar side. The host said to sit where we wanted. Well, the servers were all mad about that, and didnt even acknowledge us for an hour. No water, drinks, nothing. Felt bad seeing the servers unhappy. Finally ordered and had to send one plate back. Not good at all. Its too bad, because the view is outstanding. Service def needs improvement. They could have comped a drink or dessert to make up for it, but nope. Many guests were unhappy, some got up and left. read more

Spectacular ambiance. The restaurant sits on it's own pier cantilevered over the bay. You see nothing but water all around you. We fortunately were seated just before sunset so we had the added bonus of watching a beautiful suset. We were greeted warmly by the hostess and other staff. Our waiter Antonio was amazing. He went out of his way to please us. It was super busy being that it was Thanksgiving. He really hustled but constantly checked in on us to make sure all of our needs were met. He even brought out a second piece of key lime pie for my husband when we told him that it was his birthday. The key lime pie was so delicious he needed a larger piece. Finally, the food was fabulous. I had the traditional Thanksgiving dinner and my husband had the seafood linguine. The portions were so large we had a second dinner the next day and we have enough for one more day. Overall, a great experience i highly recommend. We already booked a another dinner for New Years eve. read more

Visited the location for my mother in laws birthday and being a first timer here I must say it did not disappoint . The food was delicious and the drink I ordered was delicious! Everything was delicious and was topped off with other the view! Service was very friendly and very pleasant to everyone read more

2nd time coming out for dinner with my wife and it was just as perfect as the 1st time. Our waiter Jay was super attentive. Book ahead of time to get yourself a table by the window for an amazing view of the Golden Gate bridge and San Francisco skyline. read more

See all

Everything I have tried is delicious, the team is very helpful and friendly , their ambiance is unique ! Ocean view to the Golden Gate Park and Bay Bridge . read more

See all

Another visit another 5 stars! We continue to be impressed by their tasty food and great service even when every table is taken! Just be sure to make reservations and they'll take care of the rest. Such a lively atmosphere on this Sunday for dinner time at sunset. Can't beat it here. read more

See all

Well don't come here for the service because it sucks.... No personality. Our server couldn't wait to get away from our table.... Never checked back on us just asked what else he could get us before running away again. Your totally judge on what you wear. It's so sad. This restaurant is so beautiful with a beautiful view of the bay .... But the service just ruins it ruins everything. My shrimp in my shrimp trio were well over cooked, the salmon was dry potatoes had no flavor. If I'm going to spend $200 on a damn meal I expect way better service than that so annoying you want a good meal you pay an arm and leg to have rushed service, no personality, no check backs. He asks me after we're finished with the meal if I wanted another glass of wine .... No. Not now that my meal is finished not to mention he practically threw the boxes at me or tossed them rather aggressively in my direction We will never come back. There's a thousand more restaurants with great views and way better service .... Two stars because the food was alright read more

Skates On The Bay - Half dozen oysters - Seafood Near Me - Berkeley, California

Mark was incredible ! Not only was he patient and understanding, he shared his opinion and was very well informed about everything on the menu. I've been coming here for years, and this is by far the best experience I've had. No regrets! read more

Skates On The Bay - Seafood Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

My family came here for a small occasion~ Skates is a gorgeous waterfront restaurant with a lovely sunset view. That being said, the food is questionable af LMAO We arrived on time for a weekend afternoon reservation, only to wait another 40 mins because it was understaffed. Half the tables were empty, but servers were clearly stressed and rushing about. When we were seated, water was barely refilled, orders took 30-40 mins to come out. TOGARASHI SESAMI SEARED AHI: Mushy...? Shredded watermelon radish on top did nothing for the dish. Weak, flavorless aioli. STEAMED FRESH CLAMS: Y'all need some quality control bc a third of these clams didn't have any meat in it. Would have been delicious... If there was food? LOL CRISPY WALNUT PRAWNS: BABY the walnuts are supposed to be candied!!! There was some goopy sweetness in the sauce, but the walnuts seemed like an afterthought. The batter is so heavy-handed and obscured the shrimp. Is this supposed to be Americanized to appeal to milder palates? KUNG PAO CALAMARI: Salty... Just salty. Maybe don't come here if you've had and enjoy actual Asian food? And there was a hair in my food. I know that's not mine because it was brown :') (I have jet-black Asian hair). RIP. Great historical location and all (they've been open since the 80's!!!!!), but I wouldn't be back. At least the view was nice. read more

See all

Came here for my birthday dinner. Reservations were made to insure a window seat around sunset time and the table we got was tucked away in the corner (probably the worst window seat). I would suggest if you a window seat either make your reservations for an earlier time or be specific where you would like. Other than the bad table, everything else was amazing. Service was great and attentive. Cocktails and food were delicious! What we ordered: Drinks, Botanical Berry Mule and Butterfly Effect. Appetizer, half dozen oysters and shrimp ceviche. Dinner, Alaskan halibut, filet mignon and side of lobster Mac and cheese. The bread with garlic butter on top is soooo good. Garlic butter is easy to make but their recipe takes the bread to the next level. Ended the night with watching the sunset after dinner!!!! read more

See all

Came here for dinner at 5:00pm for my dad's bday, waitress seemed like she wanted to do something else rather than serve us as she wasn't to pleasant. Clam chowder was pretty good, but for 15 bucks go somewhere else, I also messed up because I ordered a steak here but for wagyu that was over cooked, sheeesh. Finished my drink but wanted a refill due to my steak being over cooked and almost as dry as a Popeyes biscuit, a different lady came over and asked if I wanted a refill I gladly said yes and thank you. I watched her go over and fill my glass up but another table flagged her down and she forgot about me....now I'm thirsty.....but she is on the other side now helping another table I figured she'll grab it once she grabs their drinks....nope. She moves it out of the way, all while our waitress was nowhere to be found. Probably around 20-25 minutes go by and I am super thirsty now, finally our waitress comes back and asks if we want desert, I told her no thank you but I would like my refill that the other lady was grabbing but forgot, and at this point of the interaction is where I wanted to leave a review, this lady rolled her eyes at me like I was the inconvenience, wtf.....I asked nicely and wasn't even complaining. Maybe she was having a bad day but don't bring that to me. Over priced, crap workers in my book. Never coming back. Great view of the bay tho. read more

Skates On The Bay - This place has horrible servers, stay away from this lady. - Seafood Near Me - Berkeley, California

Haven't been skates in years. Ambience and atmosphere spot on .food was delicious ,views spectacular, a wonderful evening. read more

Skates On The Bay - Salad Bibb & Point Reyes Farmstead Blue Cheese - Seafood Near Me - Berkeley, California

We came for a family brunch right when it opened. There is ample parking and the service was good. The restaurant had amazing views of the bay. There was plenty of space for our party of 10. Overall everything was average. We did order the French toast and the egg was not cooked all the way through. read more

Skates On The Bay - Lobster Omelette - Seafood Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

I hadn't been here in probably 30 years but decided to go for Mother's Day brunch. There was the regular brunch menu and a special 3 course prix fixe menu. We all chose the prix fixe menu. I had the prime rib and wife and son had Salmon. Everything was very good. The servers were attentive but not over bearing. We sat at a window and the views across the bay were picturesque. The regular brunch looks good too so we'll come back for that someday. read more

See all

Went to Skates after not having gone for many years. I am sad to say it is not the same experience it used to be. The views are still beautiful but the food and service were lacking. Food: Crab artichoke dip - the dip itself was tasty, but the crackers it came with were stale. We couldn't tell if they were meant to be hard or chewy because they were both. Clam chowder - really lacked flavor. It tasted like something that came out of a can. Not to mention we ordered it with extra crab for $12 and got one small spoon of crab (as seen in the before picture). After consulting pictures on Yelp, we realized that the portion was not correct and asked for more (see after picture). Our waiter was very nice to take it back and ask for more and we did receive it. However, the crab was dry. Bread - Growing up I remembered Skates having complimentary bread, but when we got in, we sat for 30 mins and hadn't been offered any. It turns out that it is offered by request which is fine, but that is not stated anywhere on the menu, nor by the waiter. Had I not been to Skates before, I wouldn't have known about it at all. Cioppino - the soup was rich and tasty, but the crab in it was extremely salty! To the point that we couldn't eat it. Also, some of the shellfish had sand and grit in it. Service - I guess that they may be understaffed because the service was not there. When we first got in, we asked the host for the wifi password and they said they would write it down. We didn't hear from them again until hours later after we had gotten it from our waiter who just told us what it was directly. We would ask for something like water or ice and then wait for 15-20 mins for it. Or a waiter forgot about it and needed to be reminded. There were multiple dropped plates, including one right by our table that we are lucky no one got hurt by. Due to the service mishaps, what I think should have been a dinner over a few hours, ended up taking 3.5 hours, much of the time spent with us waiting. I would give one star, but our waiter was very nice and I am sure they were trying their best so I'll give another for them. Still, overall the experience was disappointing. read more

See all

Man, I REALLY wanted to like this place. I took my husband here for his birthday because he wanted good seafood and we live in Napa (firstly, how does Napa not have a high end seafood restaurant - and I'm not talking sushi). We could have gone to SF or somewhere over in Sausalito, but we didn't want to drive that far, and Skates seemed to fit the bill. In paper, it looked great! Let's start with the one good thing: we ordered the MacMurray Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley). It has been years since I picked up this bottle from Safeway for $20 (it's $40 at Skates ), but it reminded me that it was a good Tuesday night wine. Definitely not a special occasion wine. We usually bring our own bottle from a good winery up in Napa or in RRV, but we forgot it. We were going to do some apps, but he wanted the Skates Ocean Tower (see pic - Lobster, oysters, cocktail shrimp, ahi poke, ocean salad) and that was a lot of food, so he just ordered that and I ordered Grilled Seafood Trio (salmon, shrimp & scallops). To say I was excited was an understatement. I also knew I was going to get some of that tower he was having. But that was to be quickly dashed... The trio were all overcooked. The scallops were rubbery, the shrimp tough and the salmon extremely dry. I ate it all anyway, but it was severely disappointing. Then the tower: he said the oysters were great and I tried the ahi poke which was good. But again here, the lobster and shrimp were overcooked. Rubbery lobster and tough shrimp? No thanks. Presentation though? Beautiful. Also, the clarified butter for the lobster turned into gelatin no more than 5 minutes after it was brought to the table. Not sure why that happened. In all my years having lobster, I've never seen that. But there was still hope: dessert! I'm a dessert whore and key lime pie was on the menu and I'm even more a whore for key lime pie than anything else in the world. So we ordered that for me and the Crème Brûlée for him. He said his was good, so at least the dinner wasn't a total bust! The key lime pie was salvageable. Let me tell you about key lime pie: It's supposed to be tart, sweet (but not overly so) and dense, like a very dense custard (cuz it is custard). The flavor should smack you in the face. Like you take a bite, and then slap the person next to you and exclaim "damn, that's pie!" What you DON'T do is pile an equal amount of whipped cream on top of it, effectively muting the flavor. Why why why did you do this Skates by the Bay?! I took one bite and knew what needed to be done. So I scraped off all the whipped cream abortion and took another bite. And it was pretty good. I wasn't going to get a restraining order for slapping another patron, but the taste was spot on. It could have been a bit more dense (maybe not enough egg yolks?), but I enjoyed it. I'm not opposed to spending $250+ on dinner for a birthday or something special, but I do expect something special when spending that amount. We were originally planning to go to Michael Warring, but he wanted seafood, so we opted for Skates. I just can't recommend it and I won't be back unless I'm dragged. read more

Skates On The Bay - Seafood Near Me - Berkeley, California

Very impressed that all 8 dinners arrived together on warmed plates. My black cod was excellent and prepared to perfection. Very lovely location. read more

To walk up the pathway and see that the restaurant is ACTUALLY on/ in the ocean was breathtaking. We were immediately seated and our server was fantastic. The crab and artichoke dip was too die for. Their garlic butter bread was so mouthwatering that I almost asked for more to take home. I had the Grilled trio dish - Scallops, shrimp, salmon, Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, beurre blanc, capers, lemon. Like an orgasm in my mouth. My friend had macaroni and cheese and I got to taste that. It was delicioso. I am for sure going to visit this place again. read more

See all

Food was a 4 Service was a 2 Ambiance is a 5 Cleanliness is a 0 The bathrooms were disgusting.. no TP, No soap, one stall.. it was nastier than Bart bathroom. read more

Food: 5/5 Seafood linguini was delicious. Nice balance of all components, and the flavor was there. Service: 3/5 Although the host was friendly, our waitress did not know the drink menu (I usually always get the absinthe drink here but ended up just getting an old fashioned). We almost got the order for a different table placed on our table. Also had to ask for bread about 5-10 min after having been seated. Again, maybe this was just someone new training, because usually the service is excellent. Ambiance: Beautiful view of the water and inside felt warm and cozy. read more

See all

The food was good Thomas the server was great .Make sure you ask before reservation if they have banquets or events this will make food service longer waited 45 min for food,My reservation was at 12:15 didn't receive food till 1:20 pm.Waiter explained situation but it was birthday celebration.Its a beautiful restaurant but be open and upfront about banquets scheduled. read more

Skates On The Bay - Window view - Seafood Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

Had a wonderful lunch! Food was delicious, view was amazing and service was five star. Ernest was very attentive and had a great sense of humor! read more

See all

I was highly disappointed with the food. service was good but the food was mediocre the French toast was childish .. but something you don't want your kid to watch because it's too sweet the crab cakes did not have a good flavor, especially for the price. they tasted like a frozen food crab cake l. open face crab salad was a very small portion. it was literally 1/4 of a sandwich but served as an entree. the pomegranates mimosa was the best thing read more

See all

The ambiance is elegant and the view is amazing! The walls were windows from end to end with a view of the ocean. The service was very good. Our waitress was polite, friendly, and had helpful suggestions. We shared the delicious claims. I had the Skates Cioppino and my husband had the Grilled Seafood Trio. The Cioppino had fresh seafood and a very savory sauce. The grilled seafood trio had shrimp, scallops, salmon. As much as I liked the Cioppino the seafood trio was slightly better. We topped it off with crème brûlée for a birthday dessert. Highly recommended this restaurant for any occasion but be prepared it is $$$ restaurant. We spent $147 without gratuity. But well worth it. read more

See all

Great lunch yesterday at Skates on the Bay. Food was delicious and view of the bay was amazing. read more

See all

The review reflects the servers attitude, not necessarily the food. When we were being seated, it did not start off right. Our server Edward approached the Mater D, who was sitting us and literally bitched him out about Why did he sit us in his section , when he has two large parties already and we are only a party of four. He was pissed off about it. The problem was he was not more than 8 inches away from the table so we heard everything. While he was doing it, I made direct eye contact to hopefully let him know I could hear him, but it did not stop him. The service throughout the night felt rushed. He kept trying to rush, pushing us out . someone in the party told him, "hey let's pretend we're in Europe. This is gonna take a few hours". He was immediately bothered by that! he then told us he's been working since 1130... when I checked my watch it was only 1700 ..dude barely 6 hours pull it together, Jesus, why do I have to be at the receiving end of your own unhappiness. Quit the job if it doesn't fit in with your"schedule". Outside of continually being pestered by Edward if we wanted to place our main course outside of ordering appetizers, we told him take a chill pill, we will call him when we need him. He kept lingering around the table. It was almost uncomfortable, but I just decided to make it into a comedy. We finished our appetizers, had a bottle of wine and decided to order another bottle of wine, which was a Merlot . What's funny / frustrating was he brought a Cabernet and said this was a better wine because it was a 2022 instead of the 2020 that we had ordered. We had to explain to him wine doesn't work that way, he said, hey if you guys ever been to Napa? Jesus Christ, dude it's only 45 minutes up the road of course we've been to Napa in the past. The food was delicious never disappoints unfortunately Edward just made it uncomfortably difficult to have a good time. When we paid our bill, he said thank you, shook our hands and then immediately disappeared never to be seen again. Maybe for the best. read more

Skates On The Bay - Enjoying ourselves while Edward, the server was having a conniption fit that he didn't want the table in the first place lol - Seafood Near Me - Berkeley, California

My wife and I had lunch at Skates for Valentine's. While the ocean view was lovely, and we enjoyed our crab dip, torched fig salad, Cioppino and french dip sandwich, and our server was great, the restaurant needs to fixed those damn pot holes in the road in front and especially the entrance to the parking lot. I was driving our German marque sports car for the occasion, and the front bumper sustained major scratches when it dipped into one of the gigantic pot holes. The road surfaces around the restaurant are horrible and the bad experience took away from the nice meal we had at the restaurant, and made me not wanting to come back to celebrate more special occasions. They need to fix those potholes soon, and in the meantime put up some warning cones or tape strips. read more

See all

Stopped here on a girls trip. I was the odd one out not liking ANY seafood. One of the best lunches I've had in a long while. read more

See all

Great spot to impress friends and family who are visiting or on date night. Beautiful of the bay. read more

See all

You can't get a better location with a better view, but sadly it feels like Skates is leaning on that rather than great food anymore. The food just isn't really consistently reliable anymore. The crab sandwich was mushy/soggy/inedible. The togarashi seared ahi was thready, and lacked flavor. The Bibb salad with bleu cheese was wilted/drowned in dressing and a mess. I don't know if it is just cost cutting/sourcing poor ingredients or a kitchen that's slipping in its skill set but our meals were all quietly disappointing, where you come hungry and realize you don't want to eat any of it after the first bite or so. The only thing that was as good as ever was the clam chowder! It is outstanding and a good gamble since it's not an expensive entree. Exactly like they serve it at their sister restaurant, Horatio's, which has many of the same items yet nicely done. read more

Great views, greasy mega overpriced food. Service messed up my four ingredient salad (apples were missing). I really would not recommend unless you are just here for drinks and maybe appetizers. read more

Recommended by a friend for his birthday, we stopped in here for lunch and the view was stunning. Was a little leery walking in and the front smelling like the ocean but that quickly dissipated as it was the shore outside. We sat at the window on a clear day. The service was amazing and plentiful. We got a crème brûlée for birthday dessert complimentary. I would love to come back here again. I thought the lunch menu looked more appealing than dinner but wouldn't be opposed to dinner. Parking ample and wait staff quick and efficient. read more

See all