Waterbar

Came here for a friend's birthday dinner. We reserved an eight-top and only six of us actually were able to show up, but Waterbar graciously accommodated us at our originally-reserved table anyway (which we appreciated, since the views of the Bay and the Bay Bridge right outside the window were amazing). The restaurant is beautiful, inside and outside, and the bar is spacious as well. Definitely a good place for a dressy night out with friends or a date/partner. Our server was super kind and didn't fail to check on us throughout the meal. Since it was a birthday, the restaurant even gave the celebrant a signed birthday card, and a personalized happy birthday dessert. Very cool personal touches that only added to the contentment we felt throughout the whole dining experience.Food-wise, the oyster selection is awesome, and the steak is excellent as well. The rest of the dishes we ordered (sides, pasta, and seafood filets) can best be described as just "okay."

Service was horrible. For a nice place like this, we expected way more. The food tasted excellent though. We never knew who our waiter was. Then finally we flagged someone down and asked who our waiter is but he said that he would take our order and tell our waiter but the same person ended up coming back to help us (not our waiter). We left to use the restroom and when we came back our table and they had cleaned it off and somebody else was sitting there (we hadn't paid yet). We stood around for a solid 5 mins trying to figure out how to pay since our table was taken. Waiters kept walking passed us so we got so annoyed we STARTED WALKING OUT. Then finally one of the random waiters came after us with the check. We asked him if he was our waiter and he said, "we all are" and walked away! So he got no tip obviously, we tried to look for the gentleman who mainly helped us to give him cash but we couldn't find him.Happy hour oysters - delicious, one was super briny and the other was mild and sweet. When I ordered they didn't even explain which one was the chefs pick, when they delivered no explanation eitherBrussel salad - delicious, the dressing is to die forFish and chips - super light, the fish was cooked to perfection, wish it had a little finishing salt on it but delicious and the sauce was great alsoSpritz and margarita were horrible - would never get cocktails here.I would've been happy to return for happy hour prices and food but the service really turned us off!! Next time I walk by and if we see the one person who actually helped us, I will give him a cash tip. Rich T - as stated above, we waited for a while for the check, your staff (as many as there are) just aren't great. And no, they were not bartenders, we were watching. Due to your response, I'll never dine here nor recommend. We shouldn't have to constantly flag down your staff to do their job. Basic things like take our order, tell us what the oysters are, bring us the check. We were done with a drinks a while before we got up to use the restroom. Why would your staff clean our table if we hadn't even paid yet?? Your bad!!

tldr; we came for $1.55 oysters and discounted drinks/bar bites during happy hour from 2:30 to 5pm! walk-in was easy at 2:30pm. great for dates or small groups, and appears to be dog-friendly. recs: oysters, friesprice: ~$30/personWaterbar was lively yet organized when we came for happy hour. The place was packed but it seemed like everyone was enjoying their food and getting checked in on multiple times. Our oysters took a hot minute to come out (understandably) but everything else was super quick. - Oysters: Our oysters of the day were sizeable and briny and paired well with horseradish and cocktail sauce. We had planned to get more but were stuffed after six each. - Fries: Highly recommend getting the truffle aioli -- it's perfect! Generous portion and came out piping hot. Note that there is a 6% health mandate fee. It did take several minutes for us to get our check as happy hour service ramped up. But the food was enjoyable and having a HH on a weekend is so nice!

Everything here is exceptional in every way: the service, food, views, atmosphere, etc. Even though it was fully booked from opening to close on Valentine's Day, they managed their time so efficiently! The food arrived quickly, which I didn't expect given how busy it was. The staff were incredibly accommodating, even rearranging my table to make it more comfortable. The staff were knowledgeable and attentive. The drinks were delicious, especially the Thai Garden cocktail, which was strong but smooth. The lobster roll was fantastic, and the bread was perfectly toasted. And a bit of a random note, I only ordered three raw oysters due to my fear of getting sick from them, but they were tasty and fresh!Waterbar is a clear example of what a well-run business looks like. Thank you for such a wonderful experience.

Been here a couple times now. Great place for a date night and enjoying the beautiful view of the bridge lit up. Love the ambience of this place. Shared oysters that were delectable. Perfect after running the Diplo run and partying it up.

Walked over yesterday as the line for another nearby seafood spot was way too long, set on oysters for my birthday lunch. Here they're $5 each (5 or so varieties) but they also have a daily $1.55 oyster special. We had to try 12 on special (Skookums) and 20 of the others -- 4 of each kind. Also ordered white sturgeon caviar service, french fries with added side of aioli, shrimp cocktail, a bottle of our favorite Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose, and an apple crisp with caramel sauce for dessert. Shrimp cocktail was the best I've had since the ones at Cull & Pistol. 4 large, succulent, sweet, South Vietnamese shrimp with an incredible horseradish-forward cocktail sauce. Oysters were shucked perfectly. Loved the toast bites for the caviar, was obsessed with the dessert something wiiild. They presented me with a cute birthday surprise which was unexpected but delicious; a few housemade jelly squares.The menu changes seasonally and I was a huge fan of the current seafood entrees. Our waiter from Italy was awesome as well. Super friendly and informative gentleman, unobtrusive service and top notch timing with everything. Cool food menu but none of the cocktails spoke to me // feels like the drink menu could be livened up.

Came here with my friend on a beautiful day. The restaurant is located right by the water and you can't beat the view. We had a reservation for lunch so there was no wait. Service was great, ambiance was great, what's lacking was actually the most important thing - food. We tried their oysters, which were delicious. Our waiter recommended the octopus appetizer, which is a cold salad base with cold grilled octopus. The octopus had a weird texture, kinda slimy, not my fav. The grilled fish entree was a ok. We also tried the arancini dish which was better than the octopus.Overall, an ok lunch experience. I probably won't be rushing back any time soon

This place is beautiful. There's a really cool aquarium area inside and a large beautiful string lit patio by the water. Their menu changes quite frequently, so you might not find the same menu dishes, but it's delicious. Lobster Bisque - I love the lobster + truffle flavor! Great appetizer to eat along with the meal. Although it's on the salty side.Kanpachi - BY FAR MY FAVORITE. The kanpachi was so fresh and had a good firm bite. It had fish caramel and figs which was interesting - it didn't overpower the fish at all. Not too salty. Uni & Milk bread - It's TINY. Uni wasn't that flavorful, it's very mild, I'd skip this one! Bread is toasted and tiny, not like a fluffy roll if you imagine a japanese milk bread.Grilld black cod - Cod was so buttery and grilled well. I loved the rice and mushrooms underneath! Loved the accompanied veggies - turnip, bokchoy, it's all been cooked well.

Service was great, vibes were great, views were amazing. We went for happy hour and all I can say is... you get what you pay for? They had a great deal on oysters for happy hour. However, these were some of the WORST oysters I have ever had in my life. They straight up tasted FOUL. I don't know if we just got a bad batch the day we went, but it was awful. I've actually never had oysters that tasted rotten before. We got the max you can order too (25?) so joke was on my poor husband who had to consume most of it since I refused after about the 4th bad oyster. The crab cocktail was worth the price and made the experience a little better, but I was really looking forward to some good oysters on our vacation in SF. The wine was good. But I have to give this place 3 stars for the terrible oysters.

Celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary at Waterbar tonight. Got a last-minute reservation on Open Table for 8:30 inside for 2. We ubered over the bridge and got there around 8. They sat us inside right away. Our server was Yahir. We had a wonderful experience. We love oysters and immediately ordered two of each. It wasn't cheap-- but SO worth it. Every single oyster was fantastic. So much flavor, and so fresh! We also ordered drinks-- my husband ordered an old fashioned and I was going to order a Green Mile because I love mezcal, but Yahir suggested The Queen Bee (gin) and it was a great choice. Ordered several apps -- beet and kale salad, lobster bisque, and Kampachi Crudo. Kale salad was the perfect balance -- bit salty, but the cranberries balanced it. We needed some greens. Lobster bisque could've used some lobster. My husband doesn't usually like jams, but really liked the crudo. They split the salad and the bisque into two bowls which we really appreciated. Both mains-- lamb and miso cod-- were phenomenal. We particularly enjoyed the cod. A lot of miso cods end up being flavorless or watery, but this one was salted, crispy on the outside and perfectly paired. We didn't order any desserts, but they gave us a treat for our anniversary, as well as complimentary bubbles. Our bottle of wine (Malbec) was good. Yahir asked if we had post-dinner plans and provided us with several options (one of them was where we went for our first date!). Incredible experience. Definitely coming back!