The Lake Chalet Seafood Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Oakland

Backstory:

I came here in 2017 for my birthday wanting to try it after years of jogging around the lake. I came in March near St. Patrick's day. We were seated promptly and the nice waitress took our order. We ordered two drinks, the deviled eggs, the raw oysters, a burger, and the salmon. Our drinks came out pronto. No problem there. 25 minutes later our deviled eggs came out. We were so hungry that we demolished it in minutes. Another 25 minutes passed by and not a single other food item came out. I asked the waitress about it and she apologized. She explained the kitchen staff had recently all quit and the new staff was having trouble getting on track. Now if you look at the menu it's not even that extensive. But the fact that entire kitchen staff had quit was a sign of terrible management. I asked for the check and wanted to leave at that point. The waitress told me to just go and comped everything. I never wanted to come back after that. I ended up going to another place that evening; I got my oysters, my burger, and even got to play a board game while waiting for my food.

Now fast forward to May 16, 2022.

Customer Service:

Our waitress, didn't catch her name nor did she mention it upon greeting us, was friendly enough. During our order my girlfriend mentioned she couldn't have dairy and asked if the brussel sprouts or the crab/shrimp cakes had any dairy in them. The waitress said she would check with the kitchen and let us know. The brussel sprouts came out with my raw oysters so we assumed that was our answer. She never came back to let us know. We didn't see here again and she only checked on us once after our main entrees came out. We asked for cocktail sauce and vinegar for my gf's fish and chips. She came back with the vinegar but never came back with the cocktail sauce. Later she only checked on us after we had finished our meal. So not terrible service, but definitely not the most attentive either. It should be noted she was the only one in the indoor dining room aside from the busser so I can understand why she forgot some things.

Food:

My raw oysters were good and fresh, but on the super small side. Each oyster meat itself was about the size of a quarter. I got the half dozen for $21. Definitely not worth it. The brussel sprouts were actually very good; nice and crisp with this amazing pepper sauce. My lobster roll was okay. The butter roll was the best part, but the lobster meat was a little mealy and you could tell it was not fresh. The tarragon aioli it came with was great. My girlfriend's fish and chips were good but were extremely greasy. The fish was fresh and the batter was nice and crisp. Unfortunately the batter flavoring on the fish was extremely bland. Her included tartar sauce was basically just mayo. Even store bought Kraft would have been better. Our coleslaws were completely different. I got more green cabbage with some purple, while my girlfriend got almost all purple with barely any green cabbage. Her coleslaw was vinegar-y and seasoned. My coleslaw was just bland and lacked any distinct flavor. I don't understand how that happens when it's from the same kitchen.

Overall: food and customer service is a 3 across the board. I only came here because I had a gift card. I do not recommend coming here if you want good food or service. Find a better place to spend...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

OK, let me start by saying this...This is a review I WISH I read before visiting this place.

I regret to say our much-anticipated date night was marred by a disappointing visit to this restaurant. Here’s how the evening unfolded:

Initial Welcome: We were greeted by a hostess who seemed indifferent to our arrival. Her vague comment, "There's no telling when we can seat you," set a disheartening tone, yet we decided to wait, hoping the night would turn around.

Long Wait: After more than an hour, we were finally seated. The dining room was lively, but we felt isolated as service staff bustled around us, seemingly oblivious to our presence.

Service Oversight: It took a significant effort and patience from my wife to catch the attention of a waitress. Once she came over, she admitted that she hadn’t been informed we were waiting.

Food Quality: The dishes we ordered lacked flavor, which was surprising given the appealing menu descriptions. Even as someone who typically avoids adding salt, I found myself reaching for the shaker, trying to salvage an otherwise bland meal.

Neglected Requests: Initially, we were told our water would be right out, but it never arrived. After a lengthy wait, we had to ask a passing busboy, who kindly brought us some water.

Lack of Empathy: Expressing our disappointment to the waitress elicited a lukewarm apology at best. Her response, "Sorry, can I take your plates?" felt dismissive, especially since our food was largely untouched.

Unhelpful Management: In search of some resolution, we approached the manager. Although polite, she offered only excuses, citing her newness and the restaurant’s busyness as reasons for our poor experience.

This was supposed to be a special evening, but it ended with us feeling overlooked and undervalued. For those looking for a memorable dining experience, I would recommend considering...