Candy Nakajima

This 5 star has largely to do with our server that day who was amazing. (lost the recipe with his name!) It was a beautiful day out by the Lake and he was giving back to our vibes. We ordered a few drinks to start. The Hugo Spritz (light, bright and refreshing), and a Bloody Mary. Our server gave us two straws for the Bloody Mary and an extra stick of the picked veggies (thank you). For bites we got the bowl of Jeans Persian cucumbers, Oyako deviled eggs, and the Reuben Fries. Everything was tasty, but we both wish we should have asked for more of the Reuben sauce and sauerkraut. We also wanted the cheese slightly more melted and gooey but that didn't stop us from destroying it. It was the perfect afternoon to be visiting the Grand Lake Kitchen

Sarah Haight

Love this place!! What a vibe. We had no reservations but they tried to seat us a quickly as possible. We ended up sitting at the bar, which is always fun because bartenders have the best personalities. Which proved to be true here. We got the mimosa flight which was pretty tasty. The brunch food was great as well. The plates were thoughtful and full of flavor, there were a lot of fun choices on the menu as well - hard to pick!

Bobby Chang

The staff were very friendly and they had a great specials menu. We ordered both specials, the chicken pot pie and pork ribs and they were amazing. Everyone also really enjoyed the appetizer, especially the brussel sprouts.

Josh Funke

This place…wow amazing. Food was so incredible, so many balanced flavors…. Prices were so reasonable especially 3-6pm weekdays happy hour for drinks. Menu in my photos ⬇️⬇️⬇️ Service from everyone especially Virginia L was positive, fun and attentive. Good music at a volume you can still talk over Bathrooms clean, patio or indoor both a vibe. Best of all the food was delicious Bloody Mariah was stellar with homemade pickled toppings and a unique mix. The My bloody quarantine slushy was perfect for a hot day. Eco straws, great bartenders will definitely be coming back.

+2

Martin Reese

This place made me remember all of the things I love about Oakland. Across from the lake with outdoor seating, the weather was perfectly cooperative with our day. The service was superb, and the restaurant was clean and busy with people just enjoying the day. This was a random day, so we just opened the phone and picked a spot. Lucky for us, GLK was the designation. With lots of options, we chose brunch items. The wife: blood orange mimosa with the Hanks plate. Me: French toast made from sourdough French bread, apple sausage, and iced chi tea. The food for us was..well, scrupulously good. 👈🏾 reminded my mouth of the moves it was making at the table. But, the customer service was fenaminal. While they had some reservations, the waiter let us sit in a nice tucked away spot. As we ate and enjoyed our small view, the waiter didn't forget us and infact treated us to some fresh made mini cinnamon donuts. Completely stuffed, we crossed the street and enjoyed the lake and vendors. BTW, if anyone likes bone marrow, we spied some delicious foods.

Absolute staple in Oakland. The food is really good, but it leans a little more "bougie" than my usual vibe.\n\nI also hate that you can't really just pop in for brunch. Even though I live a 2 minu…

Coryn was the best server. server is not the proper term for what she provided. She was an anchor of grounded positive energy and love and was so happy to have this presence while catching up wit…

Always a hit with the kids who love the steak frites here and have never left anything on the plate. service was fantastic and very attentive with refilling water, checking up on us, clearing plate…

Ate dinner here on Friday before a show at the Fox. There were six of us and we had a reservation, but it appeared if you were a small party you did not need a reservation. We arrived at 5pm so h…

Known for breakfast and lunch. Across the street from lake Merritt. parking is definitely an issue as it is everywhere. We parked 2 blocks away under underpass. \n\nWe went for dinner but ordered l…

The food and service was A1 10/10 very nice and barely waited without a reservation. The ambiance was very quiet and welcoming I 100% recommend.

The food and service was A1 10/10 very nice and barely waited without a reservation. The ambiance was very quiet and welcoming I 100% recommend.

The food was amazing! We all enjoyed our dishes. The service was great too! Definitely need to come back and try the other menu options. The music was good as well.

My favorite place to stop by at lake Merritt. parking is always terrible during the weekend because of everyone walking around and enjoying the lake. But the turkey sandwich with fries is my favori…

This was a happy accident. The place we chose for dinner was a 3 hour wait so we saw GLK nearby and decided to try it. Wonderful food with an imaginative menu and delightful serving staff. The …

This was a happy accident. The place we chose for dinner was a 3 hour wait so we saw GLK nearby and decided to try it. Wonderful food with an imaginative menu and delightful serving staff. Th…

This was a happy accident. The place we chose for dinner was a 3 hour wait so we saw GLK nearby and decided to try it. Wonderful food with an imaginative menu and delightful serving staff. Th…

Loved the donuts!! Had great coffee, and our brunch meals were yummmm. Really friendly staff with knowledge about the various menu items. Will definitely be back!

Loved the donuts!! Had great coffee, and our brunch meals were yummmm. Really friendly staff with knowledge about the various menu items. Will definitely be back!

Loved the donuts!! Had great coffee, and our brunch meals were yummmm. Really friendly staff with knowledge about the various menu items. Will definitely be back!

Loved the donuts!! Had great coffee, and our brunch meals were yummmm. Really friendly staff with knowledge about the various menu items. Will definitely be back!

Loved the donuts!! Had great coffee, and our brunch meals were yummmm. Really friendly staff with knowledge about the various menu items. Will definitely be back!

Grand Lake Kitchen always comes through with quality food and drink. I love the salads, sandwiches, drinks, okay, I love everything.

M planetmike

Anytime, for breakfast, lunch or dinner, this restaurant offers excellent dishes in a casual cozy environment. Helpful wait staff. The hostess before noon on Saturday December 13 was less than helpful if not useless. She didn't know the menu or how to level a table.

Tomas Garrett

Sandwich was aight but they gave me the tiniest amount of au jus… definitely disappointed Update: ate the sandwich and there was barely enough au jus. Changed review from 3 to 4 but still would have preferred more.

Rose Thomas

Staff were very friendly and attentive. Location is convenient and has a cool vibe. Seating available inside and out. They take reservations. The coffee was good and they have oatmilk as an option for creamer. The food has fresh ingredients, well balanced and vegetarian friendly. Wish they had more vegan options like tofu, just egg, plant-based meat and cheese.

+10

Swetha Sundarraj

Sourdough French Toast? I was very skeptical but gosh it lived up to it's reputation! It had right amount of sweetness and was chewy (I was expecting it to be hard) Pork polenta was creamy and delicious. Could have had more pork on it though. The cocktails were all great! We had white linen, cypress and Bellini. Recommend all of them! They had Nosh donuts, which I didn't get to try this time, but on my list for next time. Service was good. We had asked for scrambled instead of poached eggs but ended up with poached anyway. We were hungry by the time it came so didn't bother sending it back.

Parking was relatively easy at 9:30am on a Saturday. We were sat at a table right near the door, which was poorly placed and had a lot of traffic. The outside chair was in the walkway, and the table …

parking was relatively easy at 9:30am on a Saturday. We were sat at a table right near the door, which was poorly placed and had a lot of traffic. The outside chair was in the walkway, and the tabl…

Coming here for years, mainly for brunch. Always a good vibe, nice food and prices with good sized portions. It's a mainstay!

Coming here for years, mainly for brunch. Always a good vibe, nice food and prices with good sized portions. It's a mainstay!

Coming here for years, mainly for brunch. Always a good vibe, nice food and prices with good sized portions. It's a mainstay!

Coming here for years, mainly for brunch. Always a good vibe, nice food and prices with good sized portions. It's a mainstay!

Needed a place to grab lunch before a show at the Grand Lake Theater and this was a great option.\n\nSoft Scrambled Egg: 4/5. Nice flavor with the rye bread. I ordered it with cheddar cheese and as…

Trendy place with good food and normal prices. A bit loud and a bit packed, but not bad overall!

The fried chicken was amazing! It's definitely a lot for one person. My husband took the left overs home. The Mai tai was good but a little too bitter. The service was great. The staff is very fr…

Grand Lake Kitchen charged me more on my bill versus the menu. My son ordered the "Leg of Chicken" on Labor Day 9/1/25 and the price on the menu was $26, but when the bill arrived it was $30. I brou…

Grand Lake Kitchen charged me more on my bill versus the menu. My son ordered the "Leg of chicken" on Labor Day 9/1/25 and the price on the menu was $26, but when the bill arrived it was $30. I br…

Grand Lake Kitchen charged me more on my bill versus the menu. My son ordered the "Leg of Chicken" on Labor Day 9/1/25 and the price on the menu was $26, but when the bill arrived it was $30. I br…

Swetha Mandava

Idk why hot lattes are served in a glass since we’ve solved this problem with cups

+1

This review is slightly overdue. I visited Grand Lake Kitchen - Lake Merritt in Oakland, CA [576 Grand Ave] on Sunday, 10/26/25, around 2 PM for brunch.\n\nI tried the following:\n* Matzoh ball sou…

Noise level and music was loud to hear my friends around me.\n\nService was good.\n\nI ordered the roasted chicken which was delicious, but the broccolini was awful so that the price tag was not wo…

Noise level and music was loud to hear my friends around me.\n\nService was good.\n\nI ordered the roasted chicken which was delicious, but the broccolini was awful so that the price tag was not wo…

With no apologies and only a flippant attitude, they refused my reservation for an inside table that I made on Open Table, though they agreed that I had one. They said they were too booked inside (wh…

With no apologies and only a flippant attitude, they refused my reservation for an inside table that I made on Open Table, though they agreed that I had one. They said they were too booked inside (…