My family and I came for brunch and it was excellent!Great staff, delicious food , busy but they are fast, awesome community feeling and clean!I’ll definitely come back to this great place!
Very cool restaurant with plenty of vegetarian options. The place may not look appealing from outside, but it's great inside with pleasant atmosphere, excellent people, and fantastic service.Food is really great with generous portions making it easy to order alacarte and share among a family.The dishes have sweetness to them in all that we tried, so had to spice them up a bit with crushed red pepper flakes.The nice lake next door makes it a great place to take a stroll right after eating. The irresponsible pet owners may ruin the stroll for you which is not on the restaurant, but I digress.
My family and I frequent the Portal Restaurant. We have never gotten a bad meal , whether it's breakfast or lunch or just for appetizers.Our favorites are the chicken wings, garbage can, burgers and Caesar salad with anchovies. All the breakfast specials are delicious.It's nice to go to a restaurant who has stayed consistent even after the pandemic. Thanks to all the staff who make it more pleasant.
Love Portal. Always have, always will. Been coming here for 2 years when we used to live close to Lake Merritt. Recently revisited after almost 4 years. My goodness - service remains warm, friendly and quick. Food is yummy as always (we shared gourmet burger and chicken Caesar salad - skip the anchovies-too salty!) and place has amazing vibes. You can either sit inside or outside in their amazing patio (now with umbrellas!). The only possible con is that they only have one bathroom, not a big deal but when crowded you need to wait sometimes, which may be tough if you're there with kids. Otherwise totally recommend this lovely place :)
I really just stumbled in there looking for a place to eat, so here's what my impression was: I really loved the look of this pub. Small and pub-y from the front but outside patio seating in the back that is dog friendly. Loved the look out there as well. I came in as the sun had gone down but can imagine the view during the day or sunset would be amazing, since its right by the waterfront.Didn't try any alcohol, but the menu I received was small. There was a little bit of several good sounding dishes. We got a salad, salmon dish, steak dish, and Brussels sprouts appetizer. Brussels sprouts were DELICIOUS. I don't know why when I make them they never come out good but when a restaurant has them on the menu I know I'll love them. Streak was okay. The salmon and salad dishes were not bad... but not good either. It was weird but they both were the blandest dishes I've ever had. Didn't taste like anything.
I don’t usually write reviews, but I just have to show love to the Portal crew. I moved to Alameda from Oakland two years ago and due to the pandemic and new mommyhood, hadn’t been back to brunch at my favorite spot until today. I was so pleased with the service and the food was just a delicious as always. With so many others changing or closing because of the times, today was a refreshing experience. Thank you, Portal. I’ll be back soon.
The fried chicken mini sliders were tasty and has a nice lemony zing! I asked for hot sauce cuz I like a bit of heat. The pan seared salmon was a nice and beautiful salmon with tasty veggies and greens. The potatoes were pretty great as well! All were great at all!
We always come for the garbage bread and Mimosas!! 30 min drive is well worth it. Burgers and fries are also really good. ?
I'm just visiting, but this gives very good vibes. I would go here as a regular. The food was fantastic and the atmosphere is relaxed and classy. I can personally vouch for the Portal burger and French Dip. The garlic fries are ??! The space can be limited so try to get a good seat before the dinner rush. 6pm worked for us. Enjoy
Beautiful little tap room with a view of Lake Merritt. The outdoor seating area has a great view of the lake. Indoor seating is pretty limited. Servers were very helpful with the menu and really responsive. 5/5Lots of beer and a few wines and a few cocktails. Their Palomas are super good and pretty unique because they use an agave wine. 5/5Food was just okay. Went for dinner/predinner and it was pretty standard stuff. Nothing to write home about, but I hear brunch is much better. 3/5