Bay 223

I love this place! My mom lives right around the corner so we come here almost every weekend for brunch or lunch — the guys working the door even know us by name. The brunch is awesome — amazing buffet with everything you can imagine, including unlimited champs :) My favorite part of the brunch is the seafood — crab legs, prawn cocktail, oysters… yum! My husband and I also had our engagement party here last year in one of the private rooms over brunch and everyone raved about it. Another huge plus to this place is the service — one server in particular, Aimee, goes above and beyond every single time. She is so sweet, accommodating, and friendly — we actually have become friends! On Mother’s Day, my family was supposed to have brunch there but my mom ended up in the hospital with pneumonia so we had to cancel last minute. The next time we came, Aimee surprised my mom and me with a belated Mother’s Day gift and birthday present for me. She is a rock star! Be sure to request her if she’s working :) Anyway, as you can see, nothing but positive experiences here for my family and me. Bön appetit!

Our entire family all had a great time at the Sofitel Redwood City’s Sunday Mother’s Day Brunch. Tables were well spaced, decorated in a lovely manner, and with fresh flowers. A small group provided live music in the main food area. Food stations were well organized, and always replenished! There was even a food station for kids. Food quality was excellent. Champagne and Mimosa provided. Coffee station in each sitting area. The only negative, was a lack of attention of the service staff to clear tables of used plates (which accumulates quickly in a buffet situation).

my review is for the Mother’s day brunch, $ 79 per person. First when we got
seated, and someone came pour our mimosa. We continue to sit there without anyone come tell us what are we suppose to do now, so we just got up, and went help ourself for food. Our server finally showed up and say hi after we were there for like 20 minutes. The selection of food is pretty good, but most of them don’t taste that good.
— Sear tuna with spicy carrot salad — Seared tuna has no seasoning, and super plain
— Duck salad — duck is pretty good
— Rack of lamp — no enough seasoning, some of the lamp is so much fat, and needs to trim off
— oyster — alot of oyster is not cleaning well, inside has dirt, and broken shell
— crab craw — not fresh, seems like been freeze for a long time
— coffee — there are no sugar there, when I flagged down a server to get some sugar, she got me all kinds of sugar but no the regular one, so i have ask again
— dessert bar — the chocolate fountain is the big hit for the kids, but all the pastry is just ok
The whole meal we have keep asking for refill for our drinks, even when the server came by and saw our glass is empty, none of them will stop and check on us.
Overall, food is ok, server is little unorganized, services is terrible, will not come back again.

Really, one of the best parts of the Sofitel hotel. The hotel messed up our transport (although later paid for our cab, after we found out they did the same for another guest who had the same experience). So it took us two hours to get to the hotel from SFO. We were grumpy and tired. The staff at Bay 223 arranged a table for us (without reservations) within 5 minutes. They apologized for our experience with the shuttle, got is bread and beverages right away, and our orders started. Very grateful for that.
We had reservations for the following night after a the opening ceremony of a conference, scheduled to take place 6:30 — 7:30pm. I timed it all perfectly — Friday night reservations at Bay 223, for 9 people at 7:45pm. A Trump rally caused so much traffic that the speaker for the opening ceremony was delayed an hour! I, and my colleagues, really didn’t want to eat so late, nor had we purchased the hotel dinner that was to take place after the ceremony. So I ran back to the host at Bay 223 and asked if they could accommodate us… «Right now». Oh, and no longer for 9 people, but 10! She already knew what had happened, and took us straight to our table!
Okay, enough staff accolades. Now the food. I had the French onion soup and the 3 cheese board the night we arrived. Very filling, and delicious. I would have liked to see a little more substance to the cheese board — just water crackers that seem store bought — toasted bread slices give a nice variety — but overall, very nice — 3 different cheeses, grapes, cranberries, walnuts, honey. The soup was hearty and a wonderful portion.
The bomb was the next day: the sea scallops in lobster sauce over gnocchi and bits of lobster with spinach. Perfectly seasoned scallops, tender bits of lobster, nice sautéed spinach. Delish!
They also have an amazing wine flight that my colleague enjoyed. Three very generous «sampling» of wine for $ 25! She paid $ 30 for one glass the night before at the bar! She said the wine options were much better at the restaurant than at the bar.
The pesto that they bring out with the bread is also fabulous. Not too garlicky. Really enjoyable. And the view of the bay in the back room is just perfect after our 6 hour presentation that day. Perfect end to a hard day.
Bay 223, the chef the staff and the environment really made a difficult first couple of days at the Sofitel much more enjoyable. The check in desk could learn a thing or two from them.

Stopped in last night for dinner on my way out of San Fran to Chicago — might just have to fly back for that Hangar Steak — one of the best I’ve had. Make sure you request Aimee as your server — her service was as good as their menu — 5 star service, 5 star steak!

This place is a hidden gem. I was looking for a bottomless brunch place that had good food for Valentine’s Day. Other options was the Cliffhouse and the Ritz but their prices were overpriced. Here is a perfect middle ground, $ 50. Closest you can find for bottomless mimosas charges an upwards of $ 20 and a purchase of an entrée. Its not too crowded and has a good selection of food. They have crab claws, shrimps, mussels, oysters, selection of brunch entrees, salad bar, cheese and meat selection, custom egg and crêpe, and French desserts. I like that the mimosas is not pre mix, you can just have champaign if you like. Parking is waived. Only downside is the layout/​ambiance could be better, it feels like an airport lounge. The food is served right in front of the window which overlooks the water but there is no outdoor seating due to the outside pool to the far right.

Went today for Valentines Day brunch. We had reservations, and were seated fairly quickly, but waited and waited to be acknowledged, and to order glasses of Champagne. The buffet brunch was fine, food was good, but TERRIBLE service. When we wanted a refill of Champagne we had to flag down and actually call to our server, and even then it was forever before we were served. She never stopped by to ask if we needed anything or to offer a refill. After we ate we wanted a cup of coffee (never offered) and had to wait and wait for an opportunity to ASK for coffee. When it was delivered, it was COLD. After another long wait, we were finally able to catch the server to tell her the coffee was cold. Her comment was «Oh yeah, someone else said that, too» and with that she walked away not to be seen again until we had to ask for our bill. Third time we have been there for a meal, poor service each time. Will not go back.

Been here twice. Both times the food was very bland and sub-​par. Not worth the money at all. $ 26 for four curled chicken breast pieces with no flavor with cabbage? Thumbs down!

(This review is for their Christmas Day prix fixe menu)
Yikes.
Here’s how the evening unfolded…
We get seated in the lounge area outside the restaurant because it is full (despite having a reservation). We’re sitting for ~20 minutes before I finally get up to ask a hostess for our waiter so we can get water and order. My mother in the meantime goes to the bar to get her own water. Waiter finally arrives, we ask for water and order wine. Wine comes, still no water at 40 minutes in. FINALLY get water after asking a third time.
Now, we’re all waiting for the first of many courses to arrive still, and finally the waiter comes over and asks if we’re ready to order… Huh? My family collectively looks at each other, very confused, and I ask him to clarify since they are only doing the prix fixe menu tonight, and literally the only option is to add wine pairings. He looks confused, but something eventually clicks, and he starts the food coming.
I had to ask several different waiters multiple times for water refills throughout the night. I realize we’re in a drought guys, but this is ridiculous.
Food is just OK… best courses were the bread, the pesto that came with it, and the dessert. My mom’s monkfish was undercooked, but at that point she didn’t want to bother sending it back so just ate around it.
Finally left our 6:30 reservation at 9:30. 17% minimum gratuity regardless of party size which leads me to guess that they brought on crappy, untrained last minute holiday help and put that there to make sure they at least got some sort of tip.
Having stayed and dined at other Sofitel locations, I frankly expect more from them, especially at that increased holiday price. If it weren’t Christmas when nothing else is open or available, we likely would have walked out – absolutely not worth it.

Was not sure what to expect but not disappointed by my choice to dine here 3 evenings in a row
From the wonderful attentive, but not intrusive a staff in the dining and bar area to the wonderful food being served not much to say other than you will not be disappointed in the bar or dining area. It is incredible to find a place To dine or relax while traveling where you feel Pampered and special.
I enjoyed a unique special entrée each night and everyone was delightful and perfectly prepared. If you want to experience food prepared incredibly well — stop in. Yes it is expensive but it is amazingly well done

This place is the best thing about the beautiful Sofitel property. Chef Alejandro brings a bit of Iberian flair to the California menu, and we were impressed with the effortless way the menu caters to vegetarians and others without compromising the experience (i.e. No steamed veggies here)
The fish dishes are winners — particularly the Atlantic salmon
Desserts are wonderful and several cocktails are on a par
With the hipster joints in the city — our fave was the Pear Martini

The setting is very restful, except for a very loud foursome who left after about ½ hour. Even though their table was about 30 feet away, it was noisy
Upscale restaurant with prices to match. The gentleman who greeted us asked if we were celebrating our anniversary. Guess we look like old local hoi polloi trespassing into Silicon Valley mogul territory.
Food was good. Menu changes frequently so I think ingredients might be local. Service was very good. I loved the bus boy coming by with the selection of breads and rolls.
However food seemed a little over priced and is probably meant for expense account meals. We met friends staying at the hotel, who wanted to eat there.
$ 300 tab for 4 people (1 bottle of wine) makes me expect very good food. We had 2 appetizers, four mains and one dessert.
Not rushing back here

I LOVE Bay 223. The atmosphere and ambience are fabulous with great views and spacious, comfy seating. Our server, Aimee, was amazing. Very attentive but not obtrusive. Gave us plenty of time to decide what we wanted. Checked on us every now and then to see if we needed anything. Paced our food well. I’m super picky about service and Aimee was idea … friendly, conversational, sensitive to our needs and always there.
And, the food was delectable. So many interesting flavors mixed together in the watermelon salad with feta, mint and arugula and the outstanding ceviche. Bread was fresh, varied and delish. Entrees were delicately flavored and a feast for the senses.

Great service from Audrey today!
We came here for AYCE brunch, whose price has risen from 40 to 49 dollars but received inattentive waitress service. We were constantly asking for more hot water for our teapot, mimosas, juice, and removal of used plates. In the end, we didn’t bother asking for more coffee, we just added more hot water to our cups.
On our way out, we went into the pastry shop and the woman there asked how was our brunch and my friend complained about the service. Well, right then and there she gave us each a small dessert to take home to make up for the bad service! Now that is what is called creating goodwill!

The food was excellent! My husband enjoyed the Squid-​Ink Risotto and I had the Hangar Steak with Fingerling Potatoes and Veggies. Both plates were delicious!
For dessert we enjoyed the Molten Lava Cake with Ice Cream and the Crème Brule, as delicious!
Our server, Kenny, was fantastic as well! Very attentive, informative and funny! He had great dinner and drink recommendations, which made it very easy to order. We had a blast and will definitely be back for more.

We have always loved breakfast/​lunch here although it’s a long haul for us, so we usually combine it with our regular Monterey trips. But now the staff has changed — not as well trained, although the great hotel service ethic remains intact (which more restaurants should copy) — and sadly, the food has gone well downhill.
Carpaccio was innocuous altho drowned in arugula salad. If there were «foie gras shavings» as claimed, we certainly saw nor tasted any evidence of them. Had two ‘mocktails’ and one was overly strong, needing another ¹⁄₃ amt of water before being palatable. The other was fine.
Bread was mediocre compared to before, and the croissants too have slipped. The latter were the reason why we came; we love tender, high quality Parisian croissants… but these no longer qualify. They are bready, starchy, and barely tolerable.
Lavender Honey Chicken was breast meat in a roulade with a spinach-​ricotta stuffing; it was tasteless. A special of salmon patty and grilled salmon, with a ratatouille pressed into a cake. It wasn’t anything remarkable, but it was good and decently executed. The ratatouille itself was barely acceptable. Using cheap supermarket Romas instead of end-​of-​summer-​ripe tomatoes never works.
Cappuccinos were adequately executed but the coffee blend did not taste high quality.
Overall, a fail compared to previous years. We will not be returning.

Celebrated our 12 year anniversary here. Not only did the staff go out of their way to make it extra special for us — with a special dessert, champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries in our suite — the service was also impeccable. Audrey, Aimee, and Dawn rock! HIGHLY recommend!

Garage parking only for hotel guests. Spent 5 – 10 minutes driving around the place looking for a parking spot. Found out the hard way no separate place to park for restaurant.

We had an impromptu dinner here last night and we thought it was great. The hotel has very high ceilings and a great open feeling. We made our way over to the restaurant and sat in a booth, a fancy, semicircle booth. We ordered the tuna tartare appetizer to start. It was great! Delicate tuna was served over sushi rice. The dish was accompanied by a wasabi purée. Yummy! We loved it!
For main dishes my husband ordered the NY steak with truffle fries and I ordered the lamb chops. My husband’s dish looked like a sophisticated bento box. The steak came with a small salad and fries. The truffle fries were amazing! They had just the right amount of flavoring. The only criticism was that my husband asked for a medium well steak and we felt it came out on the medium to medium rare side. He still really enjoyed it, but didn’t eat the center of the steak. The portion was really big so he probably wouldn’t have finished it anyway.
My lamb chops were cooked to perfection. The baby potatoes were crispy on the outside, perfect! The dish came with peppers stuffed with eggplant. Overall a great dish!
For dessert we got the Café Gourmand, a sample plate of mini desserts. It included crème brûlée, macaroons, eclairs, and a shot of espresso. The macaroons and crème brûlée were good. The eclairs were really small so I don’t think much cream was in there.
Overall it was a fantastic meal! Everyone on the staff was really friendly. I’m so glad to have a nice restaurant on Redwood Shores. I hear they have a great Sunday brunch that includes everything you can imagine. We’ll be back one day to try it.

I had lunch here with my two young sons while DH was at a legal conference in San Jose. The French host was very warm and welcoming.
I requested a booth and for all the wine glasses to be taken away. The table setting down to the salt and pepper shakers were beautiful.
I loved how the ice tea was served with white sugar cubes, turbinado sugar, raw stevia. Splenda or sweet and low was also available. A kind waitstaff brought out a highchair and a pillow for my younger son. They brought out a plate of house made bread sticks and homemade pesto and butter for the table and a server came around with a basket of assorted breads. It reminded me of Charlie Palmer’s in Bloomingdale’s at the South Coast Plaza. I picked an olive bread and a baby baguette for my son.
The kids menu includes a drink (apple juice) but the kids cheeseburger was $ 15. When it came out, I was surprised that the patty was the size of a slider but the bread was the size of a full burger. With tip and tax, this kids meal was $ 20. I thought it was weird that it had red onion, tomato, and lettuce that I had to pick off. He barely touched the burger but ate a lot of the french fries and bread and butter.
I ordered the San Francisco Bento versus the Parisian Bento. There was a spa menu: very low calorie and very HIGH price: P I really liked the mushroom soup, beet goat cheese salad, and tiramisu dessert made with VERY strong expresso. In fact, it was one of the best tiramisu I have ever had! I didn’t want the seafood ciopinno and was able to swap another entrée from the Parisian bento with more mushrooms. I really liked the little portions of the Bento. My waitress noticed that my son liked my dessert and brought him a extra one.
I requested for my son’s food to take back to the room. The server absentmindedly threw it away and had a new one made but only gave him back HALF, they cut the burger in half ! I am not one to complain but this was pretty tacky and this is a luxurious hotel…