It's very sad news to find Lalime's has called it "FETA ccompli." I was making a list of places I was missing and needed to return to once the Shelter In Place Order was relaxed. One of the first farm to fork restaurants in the Berkeley tradition. It was always my casual date night spot. I have so many good memories here. Merci pour la merveilleuse expérience!
Eddy A.
Good bye Lalime's it was great knowing you. They had some really great years, followed by a slow slide into mediocrity. Now that they're closed I'd be surprised to see them re-open. Hope I'm wrong because it was once a Berkeley institution and a great family-run operation. Thanks for the memories.
Ada M.
Honestly super disappointing. The only thing delicious and flavorful was the dessert. The dessert was yummy. But the lobster squash ravioli was extremely flavorless. You couldn't even taste the lobster. They should have called it squash ravioli because you couldn't taste any lobster.
Gerald Soo
Loved their food. Today they might have been short handed so service was a bit slow but I wasn't in a hurry
Sarah A.
This is our favorite our place for special occasions and when friends are visiting from out of town. The ambience is calm, relaxing and reflects a superb quality of food and service. The host was friendly and placed us at a spacious table in the corner. The rain outside added to the intimate coziness inside. While my husband almost always orders the same dishes, a Caesar salad followed by a steak or fried chicken, I love to explore the new dishes. The food is always fresh and I love the exquisite design in texture and presentation.
Shirley P.
It's gone down hill since I was last here a few years ago (6yrs) it's too bad. It was once a great place but after ordering the halibut and pork chop my friend and I were so disappointed. Nothing exciting on the menu what seemed to be the higher priced items were just bland and ordinary dishes.
David G.
This is the second time I've come here. The first time was amazing. Every dish was great. The staff too. Oddly tonight was not the same. First off we got sat at an awkward table. I did have a reservation and the restaurant was kinda empty. A few min late the staff came and asked jf everything was good with the table as if they knew. So we moved. Ordered lobster ravioli. Sea bass. Chicken. The waiter was great. Ravioli came and it tasted like thawed frozen food. We sent it back after two Bites. Then we got the fish. It tasted frozen as well. And terribly dry. We talked to the waiter and said to cancel the chicken we were leaving. We didn't have to pay anything. And as we talked out the hostess thanked us for coming. Um Where was the apology, so rude. Hostess was terrible. Wait staff was good. Too bad. Won't be coming back. At those prices and reputation they got to do better.
Melissa M.
Some places live up to the hype, but Lalime's, unfortunately, does not. I have heard about this restaurant for years, and even thought I've lived in Berkeley for 25 years, I had never been, so decIded to try it for my birthday. It was incredibly underwhelming and disappointing. The service was not very friendly. Our server was too busy with a large party, so they sent over someone else. Everyone seemed rushed and didn't interact with us much. I use a wheelchair and was only given the option of a few tables upstairs, not in the main dining area, which is more open and airy. It's possible to enter through the exit door below, but it felt like no one wanted to give me the option. The food was just ok. The bread was not warmed at all. I had the tuna tartare, and while it was tasty, it was very small and served in an ice cream sundae glass with no presentation. I had the lamb kebab- the lamb was tasty but quite oily. The plate was way too full and made it difficult to eat between the lavash bread, the wimpy fried cauliflower, and the little sauce cups. It felt like something you would eat at a cafe for lunch, not an upscale dinner. I had my eyes and stomach set on the lobster ravioli, but was told they're really more like a starter, as there are only 2 on the plate. Then maybe put it under starters?! My mom had the rack of lamb, which was almost comically small. There were four VERY teeny tiny bones with the meat cut off and plopped our the plate medallion style - you could eat it in 2 minutes. And, four tiny potatoes. My mom was still hungry. She frequently eats rack of lamb out, and has never seen anything like this. I really wanted to have dessert given that it was my birthday, but I didn't want my mom to waste any more of her money - not even for a cup of coffee. I will say, my cocktail was excellent - I had the Corpse Reviver #2, and it was perfectly balanced, although a bit small. I also appreciated that they used St. George absinthe, a local favorite of mine. I really don't enjoy give negative reviews, and try not to, but I really had to be brutally honest here. We are blessed to live in a place with so many phenomenal restaurants, from holes in the wall to Michelin rated establishments. I recommend going elsewhere if you're looking for a special meal.
kirk adams
Amazing and a well priced place for brunch!! I had a egg white omlet with fresh mozz tomatoes and basil
Cathy L.
I wondered why we didn't need a reservation on a holiday. Probably OTHER people knew that an order of ravioli at 19.00 would be two little, lone, not tasty ravioli sitting in sauce. Two! Not even garnish to make it look bigger. Then there was the FOUL, an Ethiopian garbanzo stew that, well, deserves the word "foul" because, even though the amount was hefty and the bread delicious, there was absolutely no seasoning. No flavor. The salad sounded wonderful--leeks, beets, etc--but somehow, they managed to make that tasteless, too. Possibly the meat dishes and mixed drinks are ok here. But I will not be finding out.
Many other reviews mention a lack of flavor in the food -- hint: most of the dishes we had were not salted at all, and we had to ask for salt (it was not on the table). The portions are mostly small or tiny, which is a mismatch with the prices -- $17 for tuna tartare with literally three pieces of aji in it. There was no dressing at all on the leek salad.
Jenny L.
Came here with a large group for birthday celebration and while the service was good and some dishes were alright my entree was so disappointing I have to give them 2/5. We got a private-ish room which was nice and the waiter was very attentive. We got done appetizers; both the hummus and baba ghanoush were pretty good but not that special. Ceasar salad wasn't anything special. There are only a few vegetarian options for entrees and I got the fettuccine, as did someone else. Both of our dishes were SO BAD. The pasta was overcooked, mushy and watery and falling apart. This sad wet pasta sat on a bed of very overcooked spinach that was so bitter and soft I couldn't even finish it. The cauliflower was also very bland watery and overcooked. I really don't get this dish, it was way worse than frozen dinner pasta and also cost over $20. Had some lava cake for dessert which was alright but not enough to compensate for terrible entree. Overall everything was certainly "fine dining" priced but certainly didn't taste that way. Would NOT recommend.
Kyler M.
I came for the house made sourdough bread and was very happy with the result. I'm looking forward to when they get the bread oven they've been wanting! I've also been to a few of their special nights and they're a lot of fun since they're entirely different with a lot of new things to try. The Lebanese night was especially good!
Michal Palmon
Great flavors, combinations and atmosphere. Will be back to try more dishes
arnie-sarkar
I have been going to Lalime's Cafe for years. The food especially the lamb is awesome. Something about the lamb here. I am not sure is it the way they cook it or the meat is just high quality. Anyways, it is a great restaurant.
It's very sad news to find Lalime's has called it "FETA ccompli." I was making a list of places I was missing and needed to return to once the Shelter In Place Order was relaxed. One of the first farm to fork restaurants in the Berkeley tradition. It was always my casual date night spot. I have so many good memories here. Merci pour la merveilleuse expérience!
Good bye Lalime's it was great knowing you. They had some really great years, followed by a slow slide into mediocrity. Now that they're closed I'd be surprised to see them re-open. Hope I'm wrong because it was once a Berkeley institution and a great family-run operation. Thanks for the memories.
Honestly super disappointing. The only thing delicious and flavorful was the dessert. The dessert was yummy. But the lobster squash ravioli was extremely flavorless. You couldn't even taste the lobster. They should have called it squash ravioli because you couldn't taste any lobster.
Loved their food. Today they might have been short handed so service was a bit slow but I wasn't in a hurry
This is our favorite our place for special occasions and when friends are visiting from out of town. The ambience is calm, relaxing and reflects a superb quality of food and service. The host was friendly and placed us at a spacious table in the corner. The rain outside added to the intimate coziness inside. While my husband almost always orders the same dishes, a Caesar salad followed by a steak or fried chicken, I love to explore the new dishes. The food is always fresh and I love the exquisite design in texture and presentation.
It's gone down hill since I was last here a few years ago (6yrs) it's too bad. It was once a great place but after ordering the halibut and pork chop my friend and I were so disappointed. Nothing exciting on the menu what seemed to be the higher priced items were just bland and ordinary dishes.
This is the second time I've come here. The first time was amazing. Every dish was great. The staff too. Oddly tonight was not the same. First off we got sat at an awkward table. I did have a reservation and the restaurant was kinda empty. A few min late the staff came and asked jf everything was good with the table as if they knew. So we moved. Ordered lobster ravioli. Sea bass. Chicken. The waiter was great. Ravioli came and it tasted like thawed frozen food. We sent it back after two Bites. Then we got the fish. It tasted frozen as well. And terribly dry. We talked to the waiter and said to cancel the chicken we were leaving. We didn't have to pay anything. And as we talked out the hostess thanked us for coming. Um Where was the apology, so rude. Hostess was terrible. Wait staff was good. Too bad. Won't be coming back. At those prices and reputation they got to do better.
Some places live up to the hype, but Lalime's, unfortunately, does not. I have heard about this restaurant for years, and even thought I've lived in Berkeley for 25 years, I had never been, so decIded to try it for my birthday. It was incredibly underwhelming and disappointing. The service was not very friendly. Our server was too busy with a large party, so they sent over someone else. Everyone seemed rushed and didn't interact with us much. I use a wheelchair and was only given the option of a few tables upstairs, not in the main dining area, which is more open and airy. It's possible to enter through the exit door below, but it felt like no one wanted to give me the option. The food was just ok. The bread was not warmed at all. I had the tuna tartare, and while it was tasty, it was very small and served in an ice cream sundae glass with no presentation. I had the lamb kebab- the lamb was tasty but quite oily. The plate was way too full and made it difficult to eat between the lavash bread, the wimpy fried cauliflower, and the little sauce cups. It felt like something you would eat at a cafe for lunch, not an upscale dinner. I had my eyes and stomach set on the lobster ravioli, but was told they're really more like a starter, as there are only 2 on the plate. Then maybe put it under starters?! My mom had the rack of lamb, which was almost comically small. There were four VERY teeny tiny bones with the meat cut off and plopped our the plate medallion style - you could eat it in 2 minutes. And, four tiny potatoes. My mom was still hungry. She frequently eats rack of lamb out, and has never seen anything like this. I really wanted to have dessert given that it was my birthday, but I didn't want my mom to waste any more of her money - not even for a cup of coffee. I will say, my cocktail was excellent - I had the Corpse Reviver #2, and it was perfectly balanced, although a bit small. I also appreciated that they used St. George absinthe, a local favorite of mine. I really don't enjoy give negative reviews, and try not to, but I really had to be brutally honest here. We are blessed to live in a place with so many phenomenal restaurants, from holes in the wall to Michelin rated establishments. I recommend going elsewhere if you're looking for a special meal.
Amazing and a well priced place for brunch!! I had a egg white omlet with fresh mozz tomatoes and basil
I wondered why we didn't need a reservation on a holiday. Probably OTHER people knew that an order of ravioli at 19.00 would be two little, lone, not tasty ravioli sitting in sauce. Two! Not even garnish to make it look bigger. Then there was the FOUL, an Ethiopian garbanzo stew that, well, deserves the word "foul" because, even though the amount was hefty and the bread delicious, there was absolutely no seasoning. No flavor. The salad sounded wonderful--leeks, beets, etc--but somehow, they managed to make that tasteless, too. Possibly the meat dishes and mixed drinks are ok here. But I will not be finding out.
Restaurantji Recommends
Many other reviews mention a lack of flavor in the food -- hint: most of the dishes we had were not salted at all, and we had to ask for salt (it was not on the table). The portions are mostly small or tiny, which is a mismatch with the prices -- $17 for tuna tartare with literally three pieces of aji in it. There was no dressing at all on the leek salad.
Came here with a large group for birthday celebration and while the service was good and some dishes were alright my entree was so disappointing I have to give them 2/5. We got a private-ish room which was nice and the waiter was very attentive. We got done appetizers; both the hummus and baba ghanoush were pretty good but not that special. Ceasar salad wasn't anything special. There are only a few vegetarian options for entrees and I got the fettuccine, as did someone else. Both of our dishes were SO BAD. The pasta was overcooked, mushy and watery and falling apart. This sad wet pasta sat on a bed of very overcooked spinach that was so bitter and soft I couldn't even finish it. The cauliflower was also very bland watery and overcooked. I really don't get this dish, it was way worse than frozen dinner pasta and also cost over $20. Had some lava cake for dessert which was alright but not enough to compensate for terrible entree. Overall everything was certainly "fine dining" priced but certainly didn't taste that way. Would NOT recommend.
I came for the house made sourdough bread and was very happy with the result. I'm looking forward to when they get the bread oven they've been wanting! I've also been to a few of their special nights and they're a lot of fun since they're entirely different with a lot of new things to try. The Lebanese night was especially good!
Great flavors, combinations and atmosphere. Will be back to try more dishes
I have been going to Lalime's Cafe for years. The food especially the lamb is awesome. Something about the lamb here. I am not sure is it the way they cook it or the meat is just high quality. Anyways, it is a great restaurant.