Came here for my birthday. I'm sorry the food was disappointing and the service from the kitchen was horrible. The lobster mac & cheese tasted like water down Mac noodles with milk with six tiny pieces of lobster. We ordered a dinner Caesar to go with My pasta dinner and I receive my pasta way before I receive my salad which was watery and had zero flavor. The table Service was just OK( took our order for appetizer and initial drinks right away, but then seem to forget while we were having dinner if we needed more beverages, which took forever to receive. We spent about $300+ there tonight and some change. Complained to management who took off the cost for a dozen oysters, which incidentally were absolutely less than the size of a quarter each. I've been coming here for years and this is the first time this restaurant has almost completely disappointed me. I might come back here for appetizers or some drinks at the bar, but I doubt very much. I'm gonna be coming back for any dinner anytime soon. P.d. I took some pictures to post, but quite honestly not even worth the effort! read more

We took a trip down to Berkeley for lunch today and made a last minute decision for Skates on the Bay. We've not been here in years but it is still a spectacular spot for lunch (or dinner) with an unforgettable view across the Bay. And the menu is just what you'd hope for. We had clam chowder, the bib lettuce wedge salad and fish and chips. Everything was perfect. The clam chowder hasn't changed in 40 years and the salad was a surprisingly nice twist on the classic wedge. The fish and chips were delicious. Perfectly crisp fries and the fish was really fresh in a crispy light batter. I was at Skates when it was a new restaurant, just about a year after it opened. I can never remember why we don't go there more often. It is a must do unless great food and a breathtaking view aren't your thing. read more

Skates On The Bay - Delicious, fresh, crispy fish and chips! - Seafood Near Me - Berkeley, California

Come here for the stunning views and the seafood! I see a wrote a scathing review in 2011 and I'm happy it didn't take more than an hour to feed my hungry family. I'd only stick to the seafood dishes as we ordered a steak which was pretty lackluster. I thoroughly enjoyed the Boubon & Smoke cocktail, the Lobster Mac & Cheese, and The Seafood Tower. This is definitely a bay area restaurant gem and I hope it sticks around forever. I am certain I will be back someday! Ten points if you actually see a skate in the bay while you're here! read more

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Fancy spot that's massive. Seemed like everyone was celebrating something here. Plenty of parking in the lot and didn't take long to get seated. Views all around so overall venue is pretty impressive. Drinks came out on the sweet side but I liked the presentation of the old fashioned. Oysters are ok. Their bread is awesome. And the swordfish was well seasoned but pretty tough. Feels like this spot is priced for the location and views, and I'd probably try something different than the seafood next time. read more

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

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Ok food, good service, and great ambiance is how I can describe Skates. Being on the water and the service makes it 3 stars. Drinks were decent. I had a Moscow mule. Appetizers, ordered the crab artichoke dip and Thai Curry mussels. The dip was ok, the mussels were small but the curry base had good flavor. Main entrée I ordered the seafood trio, scallops, shrimp, and salmon. I asked what the seasonal veggie was, I was told mixed veggies. They brought out green beans. The entire plate was completely flavorless with the exception of the mashed potatoes. This is hospital food in a fine dining setting on the water. Nothing special. read more

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The staff is always outstanding. But the food was so salty for the Mother's Day lunch/dinner special. Garlic bread had very salty butter. The lobster bisque very salty. And the halibut also very salty. Therefore I don't think the food was fresh, probably hard to achieve on the busiest day of the year. And it was $73 per person. Definitely not worth it for the quality. Brunch is generally good here, so I'll continue to probably do that and not when they're super busy. Because quality seems to go down when they are. read more

I waited so long to come here only to be disappointed Made reservations for Vday and it was just a huge disappointment Reservations where for 11:30 am. When we arrived there was hardly any customers inside . I ordered the lunch pack that comes with a salad and an entrée I never got the salad I had to ask for a refill of water I had to let them know I didn't get the salad that comes with the meal I ordered I had to WAIT on my server and to pay for a sub par meal Parking lot has tons of potholes Not impressed at all with the food and or the service read more

We popped in here after shopping on 12/21/2025. We were greeted by the friendly hostesses and we went into the bar. It was quiet when we arrived, but soon after it picked up quite a bit. The waiter was prompt and friendly and took our beverage order. We ordered the lobster and shrimp roll and a glass of red Merlot. The sandwich was excellent. I loved the dressing they made to go with it. The size was perfect too- not too small, or too big. The only thing that would have been better was that the roll was still warm. It was grilled, and that was acceptable as the sandwich was better than I expected, and the French fries were served hot. The Merlot was excellent too, although I can't recall the name. It was a very nice experience and will definitely return again! read more

Skates On The Bay - Lobster and Shrimp Roll Sandwich - Seafood Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Seriously over priced Sysco truck food. Overcooked flash frozen fish over frozen green beans. 38$ ?? Have had better clam chowder almost anywhere as well. Again guessing it was reheated from a frozen plastic bag. No thanks .. corporate America sucks. read more

I came here for dinner and WOW... this place absolutely blew me away! From the appetizers to the main course, everything was so good that I was honestly shocked at how consistently delicious each dish was. We started with the fried calamari, which was perfectly seasoned, crispy, and not oily at all. The portion was huge and it came with great dipping sauces. Then we tried the crab dip, and let me just say--SO creamy, rich, and packed with actual crab. The toasted bread it came with was fresh and buttery. For my entrée, I ordered the filet minion and a lobster tail, and it was PERFECTION. The steak was tender, juicy, and seasoned beautifully, and the lobster tail was buttery, flavorful, and cooked just right. Even the sides were on point--the asparagus was tender and the seasoned potato wedges were crispy and flavorful. The overall experience--from the quality of the food to the presentation--was way better than I expected. You can tell they really put care into what they serve. I would 100% come back and definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a great dinner. Totally worth it! read more

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Where else can you get this incredible view of the bay?! While other nearby spots have closed, Skates is still standing, switching things up with a streamlined menu and a refreshed cocktail selection to keep up with today's mixology trends. Hits & Highlights * Hand rolls, artichoke dip, calamari, sliders, and open-faced sandwiches--all solid choices! * Long Island? Super strong. If you like a well-made, boozy cocktail, this one delivers. * Carrot cake was... interesting. Not bad, just an unexpected flavor profile with fruit that I wasn't anticipating. If you want classic waterfront dining with a killer view, Skates is still holding it down. It's worth a visit, especially for drinks and small plates! read more

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First time here! Came to the bay to celebrate my mom's birthday with my sister. My sister lives in the area and recommended for us to come. We arrived just before closing and they sat us no problem. There were many other guests inside and the staff were great and attentive. Our waitress was so sweet and shared the evening specials. Her recommendations were fire - I had no left overs! It was pretty dark by the time we arrived but the views of the dark glistening water was a vibe. We really enjoyed our meals and would definitely come back. read more

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We just returned from a birthday lunch...the food and service were really below sub par. The view saves this restaurant but everything else was a big disappointment. read more

Horrible service and food over priced. They have gone down really bad. This place used to be so good. I was hesitant to come but it was for a family members bday. Was right and so disappointed. I had to go to the kitchen to ask for salt and pepper 2 times. It's sad when you have a large party and they treat you bad cause they know the gratuity is included. This is definitely my last time dining here. So disappointed. read more

The ambiance is always great - the bay views and fireplace make it cozy. Our server wasn't friendly initially but warmed up after a bit. He was wearing a boot so we thought maybe he was in pain. The food was good. We tried the shrimp & grits which were hot and flavorful. The fried green tomatoes were a bit tart but were fried perfectly. We shared an appetizer containing crab and artichokes - delicious! The clam chowder and lobster bisque soups were hot and hardy. The chowder did not have grit. Thank goodness. Overall a really good dining experience. read more

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

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I haven't been here in years and came here recently for a birthday party. Highly recommend coming during happy hour because that's when you're gonna get the best for your buck. Delicious drinks. Highly recommended service does take a little bit so make sure you order an advance or order a bulk ahead. All the food was delicious and the drinks are really good as well. Service was OK a bit hard to fly someone down to be honest, but can't complain as many places suffer at the same problem. Parking is ample there's a lot of room outside. Great time to come for sunset! read more

Loved this place, food was delicious made to perfection. Jay, our server was amazing, friendly, polite and was always there when we needed something. He made our experience that much better. The ambiance was amazing. Great first experience. Will be back. read more

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This was a mixed lunch experience. Service and restaurant were very good. Food and pricing were not good. It is positioned well on the water and the noise level was low. Salad portions were very small and the beef dip sandwich lacked meat and the bun did not hold up well. Doubtful we will return. read more

Food was soooo yummy ! Very fresh food and seasonings added for taste which I was pleasantly surprised to taste. I assumed the chowder would need a dash or salt/pepper but was I wrong ! It was AMAZING !! The blueberry lemonade was made to perfection. !! A MUST HAVE !!! (Non alcoholic drink just such a cute cup) The sushi roll was ok.... Too much crab for me but other than that it was great . Ambiance of this place was adorable from the outside / inside looking out.. please remember you are on the water dress cute but warm. ! Service was EXCELLENT !! read more

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The view is stunning, the atmosphere comfortable, but the food mediocre. I went with a group of 8 and we have some nice starters, including a great artichoke dip. But my main left a lot to be desired - very greasy and not that flavorful. Our server was wonderful though and there is ample parking. read more

Skates On The Bay - Salmon pesto pasta and clam chowder (lunch package) - Seafood Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Skates on the Bay has and will always shine as one of elite dining experiences in the bay area, the food, the service, ambiance, there is no doubt Skates on the Bay is supremely the entire package, place your reservation and enjoy being a part in The Skates Bay family. let's Dine read more

This place is so good! took my guy for his birthday and we had one of the best lobster bisque and cioppino! read more

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Celebrated a Retirement Luncheon for a longtime coworker with our Company. I had never been to there and realized I had missed out. The large window offers an expansive view of the Bay. It is simply incredible. I could see Skate being a destination place for anniversaries, birthdays, promotions, etc. Wow. Our menu was Prix Fixe, but offered enough variety to please our party. I had the clam chowder appetizer and salmon with strings and rice. Very good. I didn't take pictures of everyone's dishes because I didn't want to be THAT GUY. So, here are mine and mine alone. read more

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Wow the food was excellent! Drinks on cocktail list greatly executed. View is fantastic and happy hour menu looks good. Prices ate good for the Bay Area. The service was just ok. I felt like I knew more about serving than they did. I ordered a cold crab appetizer, soup, entree and dessert for me and my friend. They tried to serve us soup first! Server would not come by for very extensive times. Took drink orders, didn't see him forever. Then after drinks were given, took a long time to even order! Took a long time for the check. He didn't really check in when we had our food either. Good thing I wasn't in a hurry. Ended up being 3 hr dinner. I definitely would go back though. Food and ambience was totally worth it. read more

Skates On The Bay - Chilled Dungeness Crab Legs - Seafood Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Growing up, Skates was always the restaurants you took family too from out of town because of the beautiful bay views. It's a little pricey, so this was my first time visiting since now, we were the out of towners, now living out of state. The bartender was super friendly and we bonded over my Larsen baseball cap, since he said he came from there. He was quick to serve us and since it wasn't too busy because it was the later lunch hour on a weekday, he took our order. I had a blackened cod or something and it was delicious. The cup of chowder that came with it was also solid. Loved the bread service, since they slather it with hot garlic butter. The restaurant has high ceilings and gigantic plate glass windows which bring in so much light. I'd come here for lunch again. Let's of parking too. read more

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Beautiful views of the Bay while enjoying an amazing dinner with great wine. Their food is fresh and flavorful. The cioppino and sea bass are incredible. And their crab dip is perfect. read more

Appetizers: 5/5 Entrees: 3/5 Dessert: 5/5 Service: 4/5 SERVICE: scheduled reservation for 6:45pm on a busy Saturday night, didn't get sat until 7:20pm. Placed orders because we were starving maybe 10 minutes after being seated. Got bread 10 min after that. Appetizers came 20 min after that. Entrees came 15 min after the appetizers. Appetizers starts off with the garlic butter bread. Holy shnikes this was so good. I had to control myself cuz I woulda ate the whole thing. Bread was soft and the garlic in the butter was fresh. CRAB AND ARTICHOKE DIP 5/5: fresh, delicious. You can taste that the crab was fresh. Sometimes restaurants have spinach and artichoke dip that's warmed up in the microwave or oven. KUNG PAO CALAMARI (5/5) gave me a new preference for how I want to eat calamari -- WITH FLAVOR! Highly recommend. PRIME RIB 2/5: mashed potatoes were great! Prime rib was originally presented as medium rare (my ask). However, the entire cut of prime rib was cold. Felt like it was just sitting on the counter before being expedited. The server took it back to the kitchen and the chef threw it back on the grill to warm it back up? I would think of a fresh plate if I got something sent back to the kitchen. As a result, the prime rib was more medium. Crust on the prime rib was good. Probably would not order it again, though. AMERICAN WAGYU 2/5: definitely American, not Japanese lol. My dad just said it was just another steak. Nothing special about it. Didn't melt in your mouth as you'd expect a Wagyu to do SHRIMP LINGUINI 4/5: wife enjoyed it, said the shrimp was overcooked though. LOBSTER MAC & CHEESE 1/5: don't order it. Tasted as plain as it looks. Extremely underwhelming. The meal redeemed itself with the dessert. CARROT CAKE 10/5: you HAVE to try this. I don't typically eat carrot cake but this was so freaking good. Great way to end the extremely savory meal I had. I would've given Skates 3/5 stars but the dessert saved it. Still undecided on if I'd come back or not. We'll see.. read more

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Let just say I gave this restaurant a second trial given then first time I thought it was a fluke for the wait given I had reservations. The return was for quality of food. This time again with reservation, we had to wait ONE additional hour before we were seated. Took another almost 15 minutes before we actually saw our server and I'd say the defense for her was it was just too busy. Ambience is nice but for sure this is not worth an extra hour of waiting time if one came in with a reservation (not to mention that their reservation gave you a 5 minute grace). Main Hostess - I would suggest for her to do some more work with her smile and communication, the least sincere I have seen in service industry in a long time. View is nice but by the time we waited for the extra time, just wanted to eat and get out. Food wise quality good, would recommend the Cod and clam chowder. Definitely not a return or a recommendation, unfortunately. read more

A very nice place to come for an upscale date. My husband and I came at 6pm the Saturday between Christmas and New years, and there were a number of big parties, but we were able to make a reservation while we were driving on our way. To start, we had the salmon poke and crab & artichoke dip. For my entree I had the fiery ahi tuna (delish), and my husband had the 16oz prime rib. He liked it, but should have gone for the 12oz haha. For dessert, we had the key lime pie and the molten chocolate cake. A great dinner for a very nice date. read more

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Skates was already busy when we arrived for our noon reservation, but we were seated immediately. The dining areas were full before 1pm. There was set 3-course holiday menu for $72.00. We received menus, ordered drinks, then were brought garlic bread and water. The garlic bread was very garlicky and salty. Before our drinks arrived, we were served the first course! The beer was fine. I ordered a glass of Roederer champagne, but received prosecco. It was sweet and the bubbles were too large for Roederer. (I didn't say anything to our server. It wasn't critical, I knew the prosecco was cheaper and wanted to see what appeared on the bill!) The prickly pear margarita was a pretty magenta color. The person who ordered it didn't like it, but didn't want to make a fuss, she just didn't drink it. The server did not notice that her drink wasn't consumed. We started with Caesar salad and clam clowder. The salad croutons tasted stale, the romaine was chopped into 1" squares, and the dressing tasted overwhelmingly of garlic (to the point that it tasted bitter.) Having this after the garlic bread starter, our tastebuds went into "garlic overload!" The clam chowder was hot, but bland, with a few chopped clams at the bottom. Unfortunately, the entrees weren't any better. We had the Dungeness crab and shrimp linguine (garlic cream, white wine, clam broth, tomato, spinach, parmesan). The crab and pasta were ok, the rest of the dish was not great. We also had the "off the hook" grilled salmon and the swordfish (both with market vegetables and yukon gold mashed potatoes). The salmon, although a nice-sized portion, had very little flavor; the swordfish was mushy throughout (frozen and incorrectly thawed?) Both entrees came with french green beans, small, whole roasted carrots and plain Israeli couscous; not the Yukon gold mashed potatoes specifically printed on the holiday menu! The couscous had no seasoning at all, it was a flavorless carb. We had to wait until our server was in the area to ask about the couscous. He checked with the kitchen, and returned saying the chef told him that those entrees are on the regular menu and are served with couscous. He said the kitchen got confused?! [By the time we received our entrees, it was already an hour into lunch service, enough time to clear up any "confusion!"] With the answer to the menu query, our server did bring two portions of fresh, hot Yukon gold mashed potatoes with skins! (I checked their menu on the website and he was partially right; the menu states those entrees come with "herbed" couscous, which is not what we received...herbs would have definitely helped!) We ordered a side of asparagus with bernaise sauce. The roasted asparagus had bernaise dolloped over the spears and tasted predominantly of vinegar, with the faintest hint of tarragon; it congealed rapidly. The creme brûlée dessert was ok, a very thin sugar crust and overly sweet custard beneath. The key lime pie was also ok. As the restaurant filled up, our server became increasingly difficult to locate. It took about 10 minutes to clear the table after we'd finished our 1st courses, then 10 minutes to bring the entrees, another 15 minutes after finishing the entrees before they were cleared and desserts arrived; finally, another 10-15 after finishing desserts, to get the check. (When bill arrived, the drink was confirmed to be prosecco, $6 less than what I had ordered, their loss) Finally, as to why didn't we let the server know about the meal quality? It was Christmas day, the restaurant was fully booked and busy. We did question the entree couscous choice. Our numerous other complaints would have only slowed the meal down even more, and created more problems for our server. Our issues were (mostly) kitchen-related; any resolution would have been difficult during a busy holiday service. read more

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We had an outstanding experience at Skates. Although I've eaten here many times, my friend had never been here. I took him for his birthday and he enjoyed it a lot. Thank you Skates! Your excellence showed up yesterday! The food was very tasty, the service was superb. I wish I could remember our servers name as she was the best. Never had to ask for anything as she anticipated our needs in advance. read more

Me and my wife came to skates for a birthday dinner party. We were seated and the waiter served us immediately. We ordered the kung pao calamari. The calamari was very tasty and very flavorful. I also ordered the golden fields salad and spicy teriyaki beef tidbits. The salad was very fresh and delicious. The beef tidbits were cooked to perfection and very tasty/tender. The bread was soft and had a wonderful garlic flavor. The ambiance is very customer friendly and a very pleasant ambiance. This is a very nice celebration dinner restaurant. read more

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We came here on a Sunday for brunch/lunch. The restaurant is stunning and the views of the bay are spectacular. This place has so much potential to be an excellent restaurant, but it's grossly mismanaged. There were several large church groups there, 20+ people a table and not enough staff in the dining room or the kitchen to handle this many people at once. After we were seated it was 25 minutes before anyone came to our table and acknowledged us. The server was very nice but she was overwhelmed by all the tables she was trying to take off. The food took forever to come and was very much a disappointment after waiting so long to get it. I had an open face crab salad sandwich, which was horrible. There was hardly any crab in it and it was smothered in mayonnaise. I left most of it on my plate. This sandwich should be a hard pass and not worth the amount of money being charged for it. A couple of people in our group had salads that they liked. I can't recommend this restaurant and I will not be returning here again. read more

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Wow! Just left Skates for moms' birthday. Definitely ask for Jonathan. He provided excellent service, good conversation and recommendations. Been a while since we've been there but we are planning to come back already. Despite how busy it was Jonathan was able to take care of us and didn't miss a beat. The desserts are excellent I would recommend trying all of them! Compliments to the chef on the ciopinno. This seems like it'll be a regular spot for our family hopefully we can catch Jonathan when he's there. read more

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

A beautiful evening with great people at a wonderful location. Food was delicious, service was 'spot-on' . Many great food options for land and sea lovers. A kind of cloudy evening couldn't enjoy the sunset but it was a beautiful setting. read more

First of all, you cannot say that you were in the city of Berkeley and you have not been to this restaurant nor have you even heard of it. A true staple-piece in Berkeley, and it's located right on the Marina. I went there on Thursday for lunch. My guest and I walked in and were greeted by the hostess, and we were seated immediately. We were then greeted by Ernest, who by the way provided exceptional customer service! He was super attentive to myself and my guest, even offering suggestions on the menu . Our glasses stayed full with Mr. Ernest. We were seated by the window, which was a huge place for me! Now let's get to the menu items. I chose the lunch box option. This included soup or salad choice. I chose the clam chowder with an entrée choice. I chose the salmon pesto pasta. My guest had the shrimp pasta. We shared the crab roll as an appetizer. I have to say with all of the food that was presented to us that it was great portions, and the presentation was on point. The food was seasoned to perfect perfection no complaints whatsoever. I was super full after having my soup and sharing the appetizer that I barely could eat my entrée however, I did have it for dinner later. I would definitely make sure that I come back sooner than later to this restaurant. I did not take a lot of pictures because of the fact that I was too into my meal. I was almost in a trance. It was so delicious! Last I have to mention this, Ernest made sure I had the best French75 I've ever had in my entire life! read more

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

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Deserts were incredible. Entrees and mains were average. Service was great, we reserved a large room for a private event. read more

Skates On The Bay - Molten Chocolate Cake - Seafood Near Me - Berkeley, California

Staff was generally extremely rude. Reservation time was not honored. They sat us at a dirty table.

If you know the Bay Area, then you know Skates on the Bay isn't just a restaurant, it's part of your life timeline. I've been coming here since high school. That alone says everything. It's been about 20 years now, and this place still holds a spot for me. Not many places can say that. I was first introduced to it by a friend's family back in the day, and it just stuck. Over the years, it became more than just a place to eat. It's where you meet people, celebrate, catch up, and just take a moment to enjoy where you are. The location is what pulls you in. Sitting right on the water, with those full views of the bay, it never gets old. Whether it's a clear day or a cloudy one, there's something about being there that just slows everything down. It's one of those classic Bay Area spots that has stood the test of time for a reason. I've met my driver here, brought my wife here, and it's always one of those places we come back to whenever we get the chance. It carries memories. The food has always been solid. It's not trying to be something over the top, it's just done right. I still miss their peppercorn steak and that 1 lb burger. Those were staples. The kind of dishes you remember years later. But honestly, it's more than just the food. It's the feeling. The consistency. The fact that after all these years, it's still there doing its thing. Places like this don't exist everywhere anymore. This isn't just a restaurant, it's a part of the Bay Area experience. read more

Great food and excellent service by (Marc) Warm,romantic ambience with a view downtown, Golden Gate Bridge, etc read more

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