Lalime’s

I love this place! We’ve been coming here for special occasions for over 10 years, and it’s always been consistently excellent!

Great place to eat and drink and relax. The ambience is casual/​dressy. Enjoyed the service and food. Will be back!

Super nice wait staff who were exceptionally tolerant of my dinner guests who could not make up their minds. Food was fantastic. Didn’t feel rushed and completely enjoyed the evening. Thank you!

Love chef Anthony’s food! everything was delicious. :)

really loved this place in Berkeley. it’s very unassuming on the outside, but nicely decorated inside and somehow much larger than it appears. the dining areas are split up in different rooms and seating arrangements which make each area more intimate
service is outstanding. we brought our own wine (I think the corkage was $ 15 which is very reasonable) and even though we were meeting another couple and arrived early they seated us while we waited for the other couple. one of my restaurant peeves is when they make you wait until everyone is there before seating you, even if you have a reservation.
the menu changes seasonally and is printed daily depending on what fresh food is available. love that.
we took the waitress’s advice on a few small plates to share. beets, chilled bonita and a cold seafood salad were all fantastic. we had a mushroom «dirty» rice, kinda like a risotto which was excellent.
so great food + great service add up to a memorable experience. looking forward to my next visit here!

10÷8÷2015
Good stuff first: beautiful décor and lighting; very simple and could be considered romantic. Cocktails made well and there’s a very good specialty cocktail list and wine list.
Now for the down side…
«Greeted» with, «Do you have a reservation?» and when we said no, he said, «Do you expect to have dinner tonight?». We treated it like a joke, and were seated, but at least half the tables remained empty the entire time we were there.
And for the food: salty salty salty. Bland olive bowl — every single olive tasted the same, regardless of type and size. We sent it back less than half eaten.
Cooked beet greens: one more minute in the pan would have brought out natural flavors, and the presence of way too much coarsely grated cheese on top was completely unnecessary. Some pepper and balsamic would have been better.
Port chop: salty. My first thought was «sodium, on a pork chop?» So many other imaginative spices can be used to flatter this dish. It was advertised as coming with fennel and when my plate arrived I could not see the fennel (one of my fave veggies)…Oh, look, there it is, UNDER the port chop. And it had zero flavor. And the chop was covered in part by some apple sauce that frankly seemed to come from a baby food jar.
My husband’s pear soup was bland except for the presence of… yep, salt. The cheese platter fared better, with three types of cheese, including water buffalo. However, one fig, cut in half… a few chunks of apples, a few scattered nuts… those things could have been a bit more present, and better presented.
Maybe we’re spoiled, being innovative and creative cooks in our own kitchen, but overall we agreed that this could have been a much more creative meal, and the kitchen staff perhaps needs to be upgraded to, well, professionals who know how to bring out the best in local flavors.
A word on the waitress, new in town and very pleasant demeanor, but we got the impression she knows the food is mediocre. Get thee to a better place so you can make better tips!
Will not return except to have a drink.

Classically inspired dishes, artfully prepared from fresh ingredients and served by hardworking cheerful people.
I’ve driven by here dozens of times and never noticed it. Now, I’m coming back and bringing my friends.

We are apparently not the only former fans who have become disillusioned with Lalime’s erratic food and on/​off — mostly off — front & back coordination. On a Thursday evening you could have fired the proverbial cannon and not hit anyone. By 8p half the seats were still empty.
— Duck liver. Overcooked, despite waitress’ assurance it would be medium-​rare. Between the chewy tough bread, the overcooking, and the clumsy braised alliums with its super-​abundance of unneeded chopped walnuts, this creation had no chance for success. Both of us thought this a terrible dish.
— Sand dabs. Greasy separated butter sauce — guess no one in the kitchen knows how to make a proper beurre blanc or variants thereof. Unboned tiny whole fishies minus heads; when was the last time you received unboned fish? Yeah, us too. A surprise, not a good one.
— White corn soup. Unlike La Folie’s superlative version, this one was just corn, pureed in a processor. It might take you five min. in your kitchen, blindfolded. No herbs, no additions, no interest.
— King salmon. Great flavor, perfectly cooked, crisp skin. But «kitchen sink-​itis» ran rampant here. A lovely cauliflower purée and tasty chopped asparagus were drowned out by an oversalted Kalamata olive tapenade plus unnecessary chopped walnuts (again?!?) and fresh orange dice, muddling all the flavors. Half the dish was divine, but the other half was clumsy and unbalanced, serving no purpose except to crowd a plate with one from Column B and one from Column D and one from Column G… ad infinitum ad nauseum. I call it cooking by Food Network, and that is NOT a compliment.
The sole winner of the night was good enough to come back for… although it was the ONLY dish that qualified as such:
— Pastrami Reuben, listed separately on the menu as «After 8». If the kitchen is not busy, they may agree to make it early in the evening, as they did for us. The pastrami is house-​cured, and Spouse called it the best pastrami he’s had since the original (not the current deli of name) Max’s Diner back in the mid-1980’s. The rye is tasty, and if they’d rinsed the sauerkraut it would have been perfect!
Note that the fries are tolerable — not great, but housemade and very crispy. They’re thin, irregular batons with the skins still on, and the crispness makes them acceptable. The ketchup is housemade and a little too salty, however. We’d suggest telling the kitchen to not salt the fries, if you’re like Spouse and use a lot of ketchup with them. Even being a salt lover, he thought the fries and ketchup had too much salt in total.
Dessert: Meyer lemon cake with lemon curd and strawberries. What came was a classic Italian polenta poundcake, flavored with lemon with a very good lemon curd and the season’s outstanding berries. I asked for a cappuccino, which as usual was a latte in disguise. Both were adequate, not exciting.
Save for the Reuben, there is no reason to come here when there are now so many other, better restaurants in the EBay. Lalime has stood still and even regressed over the last decade, and they are no longer standing alone in this area.

Came in here 30 minutes before closing, and the staff didn’t miss a beat. The peppers were awesome, I appreciated the separate dish of flaky salt. The lamb rib was perfect. Very glad to have found this neighborhood gem with big city class.

This is our favorite neighborhood gem. But last night, it was a home run!!! We decided to share the Cesar Salad — fantastic; just the right amount of dressing; lovely lettuce. They even brought it in two bowls. But the frosting on the cake was the burger (which we also shared; and came on two plates). Amazing with the bacon jam (bacon bits and carmelized onions… to die for!!). We have tried many burgers at restaurants and this was the best, by far!!! Crispy fries, too. Can’t wait to go back and try it again… we sat at the bar and chatted with the bartender, Jeanette (we are usually there when Stacy is there). She was lovely and efficient.

Awesome restaurant. The food is delicious. Cindy is a charming Amphitryon. I highly recommended if you want to spend a tasteful time.

It was a very long wait for food that wasn’t very good. I love salt but I finally met a dish that was so salty I had to send it back (I advise against the pork chop!) Our friends had the $ 40 ribeye steak and said it was fatty (at that price I thought it was fairly outrageous to have a less than superior cut of beef!) The server was very sweet but it took almost an hour to get our entrée! This place has gone downhill!

Ended up at Lalime’s for a family birthday. Right off the bat, the location is extremely small. Everything feels crammed. Additionally there is a large lack of parking. While not in the target demographic, my sister did bring her baby which the staff tolerated.
Food was great. Ordered the Caesar Salad and the New York Strip Steak. The salad was light and refreshing. Very fresh and flavorful. Perfect amount of dressing not overpowering the palate. New York Strip Steak was cooked to the perfectly rare ‘blue’ and was full of flavor. Tender and juicy.
Service was acceptable, nothing special, and the quality/​price ratio was marginally high but neither were in any way shape or form a deal breaker.
Great cozy North Berkeley restaurant hidden away at the top of Gilman.

Been there yesterday evening for the first time.
The service was excellent: our waitress was extremely kind and professional, discreet, perfect.
My friend had a cauliflower soup with the Local halibut (served with fennel, kale and couscous grains) plus fries. I only had Lamb chops (3 pieces) served with lentils and colourful carrots. My dish was perfect, mid-​rare as asked.
For my friend, it has been slightly different: when he started his cube of halibut, he noticed it was rare (he never asked for that). The waitress bring it back to the kitchen and after less than 10 minutes, the plate was back in front of him: this time the fish was, let’s say «mid-​rare» and the couscous/​vegetables perfectly cold.
Well… a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ that doesn’t sound very encouraging for a first time.
We asked for a take home and then, the young waiter forget it.
I choose a 3 stars quote because the 2 stars sounds too harsh.
I’m sure it’s a respectable restaurant, opens for more than 30 years from what I’ve read but, in the same category we’ve found «Rivoli» (Solano ave.) or «Bay Wolf» (Piedmont ave) much better.

A group of us came in last night for a special birthday dinner and had a fabulous time! The menu on Tuesday night is apparently different than other nights, it features an array of smaller dishes, changing weekly. We decided to eat family style and ordered almost everything on the menu. I also have many dietary restrictions and felt in good hands as they specially arranged my plates.
Great atmosphere, friendly staff, delicious food!

I really enjoy this cozy North Berkeley stand by — love the comfortable but classy décor, the friendly neighborhood vibe (the bartender is a doll), the excellent service without any attitude, and of course the wonderfully prepared food.
The menu is primarily based on local seasonal ingredients, with classic influences and a California twist. On different occasions have had seafood, fowl, lamb and beef all on point with well considered accompaniments. Most recently the apple and savory stuffed quail was a nice example served on a bed of wild rice. My appetizer was a very nice smoked herring accompanied by crostini, mustard, and house made pickle assortment. Dessert was a wonderful apple/​pear tart with vanilla gelato. Service as always is attentive without being overbearing, and the staff know the menu very well and are happy to advise if requested.
This has become my go to spot for entertaining out of town business guests and friends who only have a day or two in the area, it’s a Berkeley classic and will stay on my list of spots for such occasions.

We LOVED it!
Good food & exceptional service!
The service was so good that when we asked for suggestions on a good Bourbon drink, one of the owners called the bartender over from behind the bar to our table to discuss. I was impressed :)
An all round GREAT experience!
My only complaint is that it is a little pricey. definitely a date restaurant :)
We ordered:
The oysters — super fresh & deelish
The octopus — yummy but the serving size was kind of tiny
The Roasted beet salad– so yum, the beets were nice & sweet.
The New York Strip– cooked perfectly and I loved the vinegary Swiss chard it came with.
The chocolate bread pudding with a scoop of vanilla gelato– the bread pudding was so good. Crisp on the outside and creamy inside but not too chocolately & it comes with this super tasty toffee chocolate sauce.
The gelato wasn’t as good though. It had a grainy texture :(
I’ll definitely be back!

Enjoyed a lovely evening here recently with a party of four. Quiet neighborhood location, easy street parking and charming, homey, wood– paneled atmosphere. It’s actually quiet enough to have a conversation – how novel!
We had good service, understated, not obtrusive. Appetizers, wine, entrees and desserts were all very good. High marks for the halibut and the raspberry sorbet, particularly. If you’re on a Paleo-​type diet, this is a great choice, as they specialize in grilled fish/​meats and vegetables and the menu is not big on starches.
Moderately expensive, but worth the price.

The highlights were the cheese plate at the end of the meal and that we were able to get a 7 pm seating last minute.
Unfortunately the cauliflower, though it tasted alright, presented like sawdust. Crumbly. The chicken main tasted like it had hot dog seasoning rubbed on it (and not in a good way) and the filet was okay but the greens accompanying it were sludge.
I’ll stop there.

This is everything you should expect from a new american cuisine place in Berkeley — fresh ingredients, good service, a lovely atmosphere, a well stocked bar (Italian brandy, yum), and reasonably tasty food. The food is not OMFG blow your mind creative, but is the perfect place to take conservative eaters. We saw a fair number of Berkeley grad students taking the parents out for dinner here.
We shared a selection of starters with a few side dishes for carbs. Standout dishes were the squid with merguez sausages, and the pulled pork. The bobolino dessert was a much improved beignet 2.0 with just the right level of sweetness.
We also had an active toddler attempting to escape through the whole meal, and the staff were very gracious in keeping them busy, fed, and entertained during dining. It probably helped that we came in right at opening when it was pretty dead, but the staff went above and beyond nonetheless.