Lalime's - Berkeley

While the food was outstanding we felt that for the money we did not get a fair portion. The service wa fabulous and bus boys ere spot on to clear table. Was disappointed that we could not get a bottle of wine and had to purchase by the glass.

There were five of us dining at the restaurant. Two of us found the food to be so bad that they only ate less than half of their meals, which were also small portions. I ordered halibut in a broth with vegetables, but the vegetables were overcooked and lacked texture and flavor. The halibut was also flavorless. The other two meals were mediocre. However, the lava cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert was enjoyable. Despite good service, we do not plan on returning to this restaurant due to the overall disappointing dining experience.

We returned to Lalime's after many years away. It was no fault of theirs: life, kids and distance got in the way. It remains as lovely as ever. It has a relaxing atmosphere, knowledgeable servers, delicious, flavorful and beautifully presented food. We split the osso bucco on polenta, a mushroom stuffed pepper vegan dish, a lovely winter friseé salad. They all were flavorful and delicious. They have a very interesting, varied selection of wines to pair with the Mediterranean flavors. Wine service was very accommodating. Our server wasn't expert about the flavor profiles of the two wines we were interested in so she brought us samples of both. It's so nice when they do that! It's a drive for us to go to Berkeley, but we'll be back more often. It's definitely worth the trip.

Deliciously prepared dishes using high-quality ingredients. The house-made flatbread and freshly squeezed orange juice are a must-try. Lalime's has become a favorite spot for our Saturday brunches.

The food here used to be wonderful. No more. Our meal wasn't exactly terrible, but disappointing. If my wife and I spend $40 or $50 on the same meal at a neighborhood place, we'd say the food was fine not great, not terrible. But at $200, it seems offensive. The ambience at Lamine's remains pleasant. But unless we hear there's been a significant turnaround in meal quality, we won't be back