Skates the Bay is a great place to dine if you're looking for something fancy with a nice ambience. My family and I made reservations here on a Thursday evening. The place was neither crowded nor empty. Our waitress was very kind and helpful, though I thought it was a bit peculiar that when we ordered our entrees, she offered more sides along with our meals, failing to mention the price. For example, my dad ordered the grilled seafood trio and the waitress asked "would you like Caesar salad or soup along with that?" as if it came with the meal. I ordered the the perfect catch with Mahi Mahi and the waitress asked me "would you like to add sauce with that?" Peering over at the menu I noticed adding a sauce would cost $5-7 extra so I said "no thank you". She was adamant in me ordering a sauce that she told me "Sometimes the fish is a little dry so I would add the sauce". I ended up getting the asparagus and tomato relish sauce which she recommended, however, I found it unprofessional for her to mention that the fish they serve in their restaurant is dry without a sauce. All of the food my family ordered was alright; it definitely wasn't worth the price. There was nothing special in terms of flavor, making me believe that most people mainly come to this restaurant for the nice atmosphere. read more

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Went to Skates for my birthday. Ordered a crab sandwich. It was the worst thing I ever ate. Crab was raw, bread was soggy and it smelled like sea water. Yuck read more

This place is beautiful, the view of the city and two bridges is impeccable. However you definitely pay for it. The food itself is okay but definitely not worth the price you pay. Drinks are good and kid meal is generous. Service was relatively good, faster than expected however the waiter didn't know the menu and gave us wrong answers instead of saying that he didn't know the answer. Portions are enough but the Mac and cheese were ridiculously small for a side to share. read more

Great and fast service.out server showed that he had no problem serving all of us this afternoon. read more

Skates On The Bay - Thank you for the yummy desserts. - Seafood Near Me - Berkeley, California

The view is great, worth taking guests or a date here. However, service was extremely slow and the food was just okay. Our bill came out to about $100/person (included appetizers, a couple lobsters, and a bottle of wine so not just entrees). We waited almost 30 minutes for the appetizers and wrong entrees were put down on the table. The oysters were fresh but the sashimi grade fish had a dull color - no bad smell but not as fresh as you would get at a decent Japanese restaurant. The entrees were mostly mediocre, lobster was slightly overcooked and the accompanying veggies were either mushy or burnt. We will only go back if we are hosting guests that specifically want seafood and we don't want to travel too far. read more

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

Ok, so I have been to Skates many many times when I come to town to visit my Dad. He likes going there bc of the gorgeous views. I have asked him to stop taking me there bc the food was always sooo mediocre (at best) and it didn't justify the cost. Well, I flew in last night and he asked me to meet him there. He told me that he had heard they had a new chef, and that he had been there one time recently, and that the food was much improved. Although I was suspect, I agreed to go... Well, all I can say is, wow! What a major difference, and what a happy surprise!! We had the most beautiful meal!We had it all! We had cocktails and appetizers, we had entrées and we had dessert and across-the-board. Everything was so delicious and really quality. (The Fig Salad and the cioppino were standouts) Our waiter was amazing. I wish I could remember his name, but I know that he had a ponytail, and he was just so attentive and so friendly. It was really just a wonderful experience and I want to commend the owners for their choice in a new chef. Now this place is a contender. It should be noted that the owners try to tack on an extra charge for something that's a little murky, I don't know. Supposedly it goes to the waiters...one time they told my dad that it goes for the security that they hire down on the water, I'm not exactly sure, but all I know is, is that if the owners want to give their employees a little extra than they should do that, and write it off as the cost of business not pass on an extra charge to their clientele. We politely asked them to take the charge off, and we were not made to pay it. But that does not mean that we didn't leave a good tip. It was a matter of principle. Our service was impeccable. The food was lovely, and I can't wait to go back. read more

It's Skates... enough said. Always excellent, from the front desk, to your server and the food for the last twenty years we've been coming here has been consistently excellent read more

Been many years since I have been to this restaurant and they have done a nice job remodeling and giving it a more modern feel. The ambiance is still great sitting right on the water of the Berkeley Marina. If the fog does not wipe out the view of SF it's even better. Food is average, not amazing. I tried the calamari and the fig salad which were probably the highlights. The lobster bisque was a bit salty for my liking. The main course seafood trio (salmon, shrimp, and scallops) was a decent serving but nothing too memorable. They have a wonderful wine selection of some of the better known wines from the Napa valley so if you want to order a nice bottle you have some great choices here. Desserts are great and I recommend the Key Lime and/or the chocolate molten cake. This is a good choice for large groups as there is ample parking. read more

Amazing views, incredible warm bread with garlic butter, fabulous food and service, all are very reasonable priced. We dine here every time we're in the area. read more

Visiting Berkeley decided to find a restaurant to give it a try, this one come with many reviews, and not as many start as from other average review. We came at 11:30 got a pretty good table w very nice view. Decided order all appetizers, everything is pretty good but on the heavier side (maybe what we order all to be on the heavier side). But all pretty good. Wait staff are nice. I only noticed that they are part of the Landry's select club when they gave me the check. 4.5 for food but put 4 since it is a better establishment and should be able to do better so I mark 4 instead of 5. read more

Mother's Day reservation was made for 4:00pm and our table was ready at 4:00pm. Since it was Mother's Day, there was a special menu with an established price, which was reasonable. The special included choices of soup or salad, a choice of a main entree with sides included, and choice of dessert. I selected caesar salad, crusted prime rib (12 oz. cooked to perfection) served with mashed potatoes. For dessert I selected key lime pie. All were delicious. The service was awesome. I was very pleased with Skates and will highly recommend. read more

Went here for Mother's Day. Our server Mark was awesome! Made my grandma and mom feel special on Mother's Day.

Mark was an amazing waiter! He was personable and attentive and responsive to our party's needs. My father wanted to change his order to a vegan meal and Mark made that happen for him. Great service! read more

We had a lovely Mother's Day brunch and our server, Marc, was fantastic! He made our visit very special and the food was outstanding!

We had a great late lunch at Skates before move-in day at Berkeley. This was our first time here (coming from the east coast) and had read great reviews of this classic restaurant. We were not disappointed! We used OpenTable and had no time getting a time slot for two at short notice. Service was great. Our server was very pleasant, professional, and responsive. Our orders came out promptly and were prepared as we requested. The lunch menu had great variety and something for everyone. My vegetarian/pescatarian daughter had no problem finding something for her and greatly enjoyed her salmon BLTA. I had a great open-faced crab sandwich. They have a decent beer list, although a few of their more local brews were not available at the time. The cocktail list looked very tempting. The place appears to have a great amount of seating for various sized parties. Smaller two-tops are available along the windows with a fantastic view of the bay. We could clearly see the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge off in the distance. I'd say it's a pretty upscale venue, with pretty well-dressed customers. However, we didn't have any problems being a little more casual before dorm move-in day and it being lunch. But I'd personally say business casual or more dressy clothes would fit in. Despite it being an old-school traditional restaurant, it is appointed in a very modern style and has a creative menu with traditional options. When we come back to Berkeley, we will visit Skates again! read more

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Mark was an excellent server, who paid close attention to our needs in spite of being super busy. The view added to the atmosphere and ambiance. The food was also great! We will definitely come back when we are in the city. read more

I went to skates today with my grandpa and his cousin had lunch today the service was amazing and the food was good. The dish I had was lemon chicken with thyme on it and roasted carrots and yellow rice. read more

We had a lovely date night dinner here. We decided to go for an early dinner at 5pm. It was a gorgeous day where you could see across the bay but the one downside was that all the window seats were seated in the sun. Once we moved to a non window seat it was wonderful. The servers were very nice and the food was absolutely delicious! We started with the lobster Mac and cheese which was so flavorful!for our entrees, we ordered the grilled seafood trio and the crab and shrimp linguini. Both of these dishes hit the spot! We ended the night with crème brûlée which was topped with some berries. If you're looking for a nice dinner spot that's not TOO fancy, this is the perfect spot. read more

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Service was quite poor. It took 25 minutes for the waiter to take our order and another 30 minutes for the food to arrive. If the waiter had shown up timely, we would have ordered drinks. I ordered the prime rib hash off the brunch menu. Sliced meat + potatoes on the plate does not = hash! Plus the beef tasted 'old'. By the time the waiter found the salt shaker, my eggs were cold. I was never even offered a second cup of coffee. Others in my party were also disappointed. The fish and chips was so salty, it was almost inedible. It's a lovely location and they have a parking lot. Unfortunately,I will never go back. read more

Everything was TOP NOTCH! Linda, our server, was courteous, attentive, and provide us with EXCELLENT SERVICE! read more

Skates On The Bay - My son and I had a fantastic time! - Seafood Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Have not been here in years but have always been happy with my experience . My parents made a reservation for Sunday @ 130 and I was excited to be having my Bday lunch here. As I always do , I read the recent reviews just to see how it is these days. After reading the recent bad reviews, I was skeptical If we made the best choice to dine here. Arrived, was seated instantly even tho they were full and busy. We started out with a few shrimp cocktails and a few adult cocktails . Both were excellent! I had the open face crab sandwich and the folks both had the shrimp / salmon louie . Everything was delish and all were happy! Glad we decided on Skates! Great food, view and service! Bonus points for the cute Gal at the end of the bar enjoying a meal and cocktail . I believe she worked there and was on her day off. read more

Skates On The Bay - Delish shrimp cocktail - Seafood Near Me - Berkeley, California

I had never been to skates before and I was in Berkeley on my way back from San Francisco and it was such a beautiful afternoon I decided to take a road less traveled ha ha... After running my errand in Berkeley I went over the bridge to the other side of where the bay is off of telegraph and I followed this road down and ran into skates this restaurant sits right on the ocean and has windows all the way around it it's pretty much like sitting on a dock only it has windows. It was a Sunday it was busy I got a seat at the bar right away the bartender was helpful and I ordered a beer and then I ordered clam chowder and lobster chowder to go... The service is pretty fast a lot of people were eating brunch and everything looked great all the people looked happy it is a little loud but what are you expect it's Sunday brunch... I would go back probably for lunch to sit and enjoy the view All in all my experience was good even though it was just takeout the chowders were both fine the portions are a little small but I think a lot of places when they give to go orders now they downsize. Atmosphere is a four stars for sure... A great view of San Francisco passing through or as a destination I think it is a spot that everyone would be happy at . read more

The customer service was horrible. We went on a Tuesday afternoon with about 10 tables and we waited for 30 minutes for a server to greet us and get our drink order. She then came to the table and no smile or greeting, just, "I guess you're ready to order." a angry facial expression. The food was questionable. Please don't spend your money here. read more

Amazing as always. Proposed to my long time partner this evening and they were incredibly accommodating to me with my wishes. Can't wait to be back. read more

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My overall rating is 3.5, but we all know Yelp doesn't give us that option. The boo and I came here for a lunch date and were impressed at how beautiful the views are! Skates On The Bay has an aerial view of parts of the Bay Area: Oakland, San Francisco, Marin/ San Rafael area, Berkeley. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted and seated right away. There weren't many guests so our hostess was able to sit us near the window where we were able to see the beautiful view of the Bay Area. Unfortunately, service after that went downhill. To keep things short, we never saw our waitress after our food was delivered. Not once did she, or anyone, check up on us. The next time we saw our waitress was when it was time to pay. We did observe that this is probably what they do? Maybe during lunch hours? Because another waitress also barely checked up on their guests at the tables next to us but definitely one more than our waitress. Nonetheless, food was a little above average. We ordered the Seafood Bucatini and the Crab Stuffed Mahi Mahi. It didn't taste like a crab stuffed mahi mahi and there were very little pieces of crab. In addition, it was a bit dry and the flavor did not wow me. The Seafood Bucatini, on the other hand, was saucy, the noodles were cooked perfectly but lacked the actual seafood meats- we actually used the sauce to dip our bread and crab from the stuffed mahi mahi. Despite all of that, I will visit this place sometime in the future. read more

Skates On The Bay - Seafood Bucatini and Crab Stuffed Mahi Mahi - Seafood Near Me - Berkeley, California

Beautiful view even on a cloudy day of the Bay, with San Francisco clearly seen on one side. The food is not the specialty here, but decent enough for a scenary driven restaurant. We ordered the crab stuffed mahi mahi and lobster roll. Both are too saucy and over cooked. The orzo in the stuffing of mahi mahi is clearly overcooked and lacks structure. Best to give a squeeze of lemon juice on this one. The lobster roll was over sauced. Come for the view and don't expect too much on the food. read more

Skates On The Bay - Crab stuffed mahi mahi - orzo is overcooked - Seafood Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Came here for Mother's Day and I had a phenomenal experience. The view was incredible, especially at our window seat. The service was excellent. Our server frequently checked in with us, but at the right moments, not too pushy. The food was absolutely fantastic! My son loved the house bread. I tried their special Watermelon Blossom drink. It was okay, but very beautiful. The Crab and Artichoke Dip was delicious, great crab flavor and excellent texture. I ordered the Wagyu Steak and was initially put off over how small it was. It also seemed overcooked. Just when I was going to send it back I took a bite and found the flavor. The asparagus was perfectly cooked and the side of mushrooms were the perfect compliment. I ordered a red wine with dinner and it was excellent, I wish I remembered the winery it was from. My son ordered the Prawn Scampi and was in his happy place. I tried one prawn and it was excellent. The only other issue we had was we both ordered the Molton Chocolate Cake and was disappointed. It wasn't really what we expected and the flavor just wasn't there. Despite that, the total experience was amazing and I'll definitely be back. read more

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

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Beautiful views, excellent drinks, loved the sushi and the waiter was attentive and had good recommendations.

Pretty decent. Came here for BRW20 $40 course menu. Ahi tuna poke - portion was on the small side, but it was very flavorful and I liked how it wasn't too heavy. Great appetizer! Kung pau calamari - I like what they did here. Lots of flavor and you don't often see kung pao style calamari. Lime plus a sweet tangy sauce -- would get again since it's unique. Grilled new orleans prawns - HUGE dish. 7, juicy, giant shrimp. The fried tomatoes were different (not in a good way) Prime rib - meat was great, but the creamed kale is what makes this dish stand out Key lime pie - best thing here. I could eat 20 servings if they were in front of me! Caramel corn sundae - interesting dish, my gf liked it but I wasn't a fan of the popcorn texture mixed with ice cream Overall, I'd come here during sunset for the view, but coming late at night you may be underwhelmed if you are expecting a view on the bay. Food is great but not to die for. Overall? 4.5/5. Would recommend! read more

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Difficult to get a reservation because it was Mother's Day and I procrastinated but was able to get one a couple days before. The restaurant was full but our orders came timelier than expected and our server, Beatriz, fantastic as was the food! read more

We got three appetizer to try, the crab and artichoke dip was 4/5 it was what you would expect. The fresh mussels were the best out of all the foods we got (5/5) would recommend getting it for the table. We were really excited for the Kang pao calamari but it was 3/5 for us. The calamari itself did taste decent not chewy or anything but the sauce is on the stweeter side if I can compare it, it tasted like Panda Express sweet sesame sauce. Also be mindful that there's a lot of water chestnut battered in with the calamari. I happen to love them so I enjoy but if someone never had before might not appreciate it. Our two main was quite disappointing we just took only the fish and chips home. The open-faced sandwich was a mess and was really soggy in the middle when it got to the table and the worse might be that it tasted exactly like the crab and artichoke dip we had with cheese melted on top. The fish was fishy and the only thing that was fishy from foods we ordered. Both main course was probably a 3/5. We would comeback to try their dinner in the future. The service was ok there was no problem. read more

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We hosted a large group and the food and service were generally excellent. The view of the sun setting was very pretty. One challenge was we brought a graduation cake and were charged a $7 per person to serve the cake which was almost $100. That price seemed very steep and I had the uncomfortable position of trying to calm people down at the table when they found out. I was semi- okay with the charge but others were furious. read more

Skates On The Bay - This was the view when we entered. The second was the view when we left. The parking was easy and the setting was very cool. - Seafood Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Skates has been another "go to" place since it was Solomon Grundys. The food is generally consistent whether you are enjoying the bar area or more formal area. 5 years ago, for 50 guests, I rented the room for my husbands birthday party. They were stellar in making this a great success. The view of course is spectacular. The are continuously open which is great when it is 3pm and most restaurants are closed. read more

Jay was wonderful! The food, views and service were fantastic. Such a beautiful atmosphere.

This is my go to place when I want a nice, relaxing, great view with excellent view meal. I have never had a bad or mediocre experience with service, food or atmosphere here. Last time here, was a few elks ago where I surprised my mother for Mother's Day. She had never been. Her face was lit up during the whole process from entrance into the lobby, seeing the bar area and being seated. She was just taking i. All of the wonderful views and aromas that filled the restaurant this day. We were seated at a wonderful round table that allowed for great space but also a straight view of the bay looking into San Francisco. Like always, the food was a huge success! We all ordered from the Mother's Day brunch special and to say the food was amazing, is an understatement! What more can I say? I cannot wait to go back again! 5 stars, well deserved! read more

The ambience here is really nice, and the food is solid. Clam chowder: As you can tell, they do their own twist for an elevated version of clam chowder. While it was good, I have to say that I prefer the more classic versions. American Wagyu Sirloin: Nice cut of meat. The potatoes and asparagus were both good. read more

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Great setting! Location and views are out of this world. Food is also great..Service is also good. Four stars read more

Very nice dinner in the middle of the week. We had a beautiful view table without reservations We had clam chowder (which my wife thinks is amongst the best we have had). We also shared raw oysters and steamed mussels and clams. What a great dinner! I also tried for the first time ever a Bloody Mary oyster shooter! I would have liked more Service was great. Not an inexpensive place but if you are okay with that this is a great seafood place with a beautiful view read more

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I went for a graduation and we had a huge table. We were super early for our reservation because the ceremony ended way earlier than we thought and despite it being such a busy Saturday, they allowed us to sit before the rest of the party got there. The most gorgeous ocean view from every angle. The ambiance is great for special occasions. I got the strawberry Arnold Palmer and lemon thyme chicken and I can't stop thinking about both. The food was great from other dishes I tried. Would come again for sure read more

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

This place took my breath away at Sunset! The food was incredible. The drink selection was small but we tried several. The Sidecar was my fav! Our server Nicole really made the experience special.. her service was stellar. No better place to watch the sun go down! The vibe was sheer perfection! read more