Meritage

My wife and I did the Sunday Brunch for Valentines’ Day on our recent stay at the Claremont to celebrate our anniversary.
I had made the reservation before reading a lot of the bad Unilocal reviews and almost cancelled it, but we were so glad that we didn’t because it was amazing!
It starts with a great view overlooking the bay bridge and SF sky line and unlimited champagne (Piper Sonoma) or Mimosas, both constantly refilled by the attentive staff.
Next, the food stations:
#1 Salad/​Smoked Fish Station-​I usually skip salad on a buffet, but the quality of the ingredients they had made it irresistible.
Fresh mixed greens, spinach, romaine, quinoa and cous cous salads, matchstick beets, broccolini and other various veggies, Burrata quenelles and crumbled cheeses.
Hard smoked fish selection of trout and salmon, cold smoke Lox w/​condiments of capers/​onions/​cream cheese, country pâté and miniature Spanish chorizo sticks and salami accompanied the salads.
#2 Chilled Seafood/​Dim Sum Station: Crab claws and nice sized peeled shrimp on ice, gigantic Dim Sum steamer basket filled with tasty pork buns, Shaomai and Har Gow (pork and shrimp dumplings), pot stickers accompanied with assortment of dipping sauces (chili sauce was awesome and smokin’ hot!).
#3 Breakfast Station-​Crusted Salmon, Eggs Benedict, chicken/​apple sausages, potatoes, bacon etc…
#4 Carving Station: Beef Roast and Glazed Ham
#5 Charcuturie and Cheeses: Nice selection of gourmet salumis, antipasto and cheeses accompanied with baguette slices, cream cheese, bagels
#6 Made to order Omelette Station: Great selection of ingredients
#7 Dessert Station: One of the nicest selection of mini desserts I’ve seen at any buffet, which includes Vegas.
The service was impeccable even with the restaurant packed-​I mentioned to the waiter we were running late for a wine tasting and he immediately brought the check.
The only negative for some people will be the price. At $ 65 it is one of the more expensive buffets I’ve been to, which includes the one at SF Hilton’s City Scape back in the day.
But if you’ve been, you know what a quality buffet should be like and it’s well worth the price.

I got seated near the window. had a beautiful view. the menu was simple. I had a burger with the garlic fries. it was not bad for hotel food. pretty pricey though

I made a reservation weeks in advance, got childcare arranged and everything. Got so excited for our Valentine’s dinner out. Just got a phone message call 4 hours before our reservation, that they are only offering a $ 110 per person prix fix menu not including gratuity tax or drinks. Which really means walking out spending at least $ 300 for two people. She continued to say if we’d like to cancel, please give them a call. (Almost like she expected we would. Was she trying to open some tables up or something?)
When I called to talk to someone and she answers, «hello?. Who is this?» She didn’t even answer «hello Meritage, how can I help you?»
Absolutely appalled and I haven’t even eaten there.

A friend of mine treated me to this fine establishment for Sunday brunch. It was absolutely fantastic and I was awestruck by the food selection and service. Everything was gourmet, and it came with unlimited mimosas and a view.
Notables: carving station with sirloin and ham, custom omelette station, gourmet cheese station, seafood station (with crab legs and shrimp cocktail), dim sum items, and a table full of mini cakes!
Everything was constantly replenished, and I felt as if everything was fresh and delicious! I was pleased to be able to have belgium waffles and fruit with bacon for one plate, then a sirloin for the next plate!
The service was exceptional and probably one of the best I’ve ever had at any restaurant. They asked what we wanted to drink. Offered us mimosas. Came back and asked if we wanted coffee and water too! We sat at a booth facing the view outside and had to slide out. One of the servers actually came by to move the entire table out so we’d have an easier time coming in and out! They were so nice and seemed to be very happy to be there.
It was more than a brunch service, it was an experience. Thank you Meritage for a wonderful time!

I was extremely disappointed with this place. I came here on 12÷18÷15 to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday. So I was expecting to spend a good amount of money and therefore I was expecting to be taken better care of.
I made an open table reservation and they sat us rather quickly in a cozy booth overlooking the Windows. We were off to a great start.
My boyfriend and I both ordered separate drinks and they arrived at the table in a timely fashion. My boyfriend loved his. But they completely screwed up my order and brought me something completely different then I ordered. I didn’t want to make a scene so I drank it. Alcohol is alcohol. What are you going to do.
We ordered the salmon tartare next. Delicious. A def must order.
The boyfriend got the 44 $ steak. Probably the smallest meal you’ll ever lay eyes on. But the boyfriend was happy and he ate every last drop. And I got the 20 $ burger with garlic fries. Except I never got the garlic that was suppose to come on the fries. And my burger was so over cooked that I didn’t even eat any of it. It was the most expensive and disappointing burger I have ever ordered. At that point I was completely done with the place but it being the boyfriends birthday. I kept my mouth shut and made a mental note to tell everyone I know about how disappointed I am at this supposedly prestiges restaurant.
The service was appalling. Our waiter was so rude and paid little to no attention to us. Another reason I felt like I couldn’t say anything about the food… Id probably find spit somewhere in there to be passed off as flavor.
We got a complimentary scoop of ice cream for the birthday and we ordered a lemon dessert. Boyfriend loved both.
Will not be going back here but I think he had a good time. My meal sucked. And I got to pay for it all. Yay me.

Mucho expensivo. As guests at the hotel, we came in for lunch and paid 90.00 for a salad and a main. The views were delightful and really the reason you come dine here. The food was nothing special but there is something old school and classy about the dining room that I really liked. Service needs a lot of work to live up to the price point– they were a little too relaxed but if they took it up a notch, it really would add another level to the experience. All in all, it was an ok meal in a beautiful location and I’m hoping when the hotel renovations are completed, the service will improve and the experience will be better.

Preface by saying the resort is still under construction, but it’s walking distance from our house and my husband wanted to take me there to check out the improvements. Check in at the restaurant was not smooth. Hostess was nice, but disorganized and didn’t have our reservation, despite the fact that my husband went IN person while on his way to buy a very expensive gift certificate. When she finally seated us it was practically the worst table, in the middle or the room, with a draft and next to an elderly table (no offense) with some breathing machine that made a very loud beeping noise every second or two, even though they had many (3 at least) booths and window seats open (counted 4). Mind you it’s 8 pm so were most likely the last seating. Not impressed at all. First impression me are everything and I’m already ready to leave. Service was slow and underwhelming. The male waiter was not very friendly and when we asked to move after we waited almost 30 min just to get bread and drinks, we were relocated, but not without him letting us know we were «those people». Second waiter was same caliber. Not that friendly or attentive with stale demeanor. Food was pretty mediocre, sorry to say. Pork belly app was the best thing we ordered for sure. We liked it a lot and Brussels were delicious. Not very unique I have to say I see it in every menu, and had expected to be blown away here, since it’s a fairmont now, but can’t say I was. The Pork entrée we ordered was not that great. It had no sauce at all, and meat was not that tender or really that delicious. It tasted like they just put mustard on it and baked it till tender. No sides to make it interesting, no veggies, but a few dark red big beans, which was an odd pairing because it added to the dryness. Burger was fine, not the highest quality meat or cheese, (just like at paragon), but fries were decent and bun was nice. Good bread selection though, and water refilled upon request. Overall we had higher expectations for the new fairmont brand to come in and take charge, seeing that the old version was in desperate need. We had found the other restaurant «paragon» to be about same caliber, so not sure if it’s going to get better or what, but wouldn’t go back unless it someone else’s dying wish or I get news it’s improved (greatly). Renovations look very nice, but color scheme is not my cup of tea. It looks like it’s going to look outdated before the due date. No one offered to validate parking, so we had to go get valet to do it, so was also not smooth seeing that now we had to tip a valet, even though we self parked because the lot was fairly empty. Glad we decided not to actually join here, b/​c I would have to keep telling myself it was nicer than it actually is to be paying those prices!!! Good job in the new sign though!

Loud. Over-​priced. Under construction makes it awkward, but even without this hassle there are major flaws. There is a bar at the entrance with a TV tuned to sports games. This makes conversation in the Meritage impossible with people screaming like they are in a stadium. The valet parking was 12 bucks even with validation from the restaurant where the two of us dropped $ 145+ Really? For what? A pasta dish and a scrawny chicken.

Very disappointed! Our family came 3 Christmas’s ago and had such a great experience enjoying the holiday decorations (what happened to the gingerbread house??) With so many establishments already displaying the holiday spirit, the Meritage lacked spirit as well as service and food. We were table of 9. Service was spotty at best. Soup was barely warm and a rolled turkey (rolled???) for our $ 69 Prix fix 2 entrée choice (turkey or salmon) dinner? Wow. Portions were on the skimpy side. We had to ask numerous times for our desserts. It really wasn’t worth it.

beautiful restaurant with genuinely nice service and extremely well-​prepared food. we got the salmon and the chicken which were both delightful.

The Best description is…
” The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.“
The Good…
I liked the view, our waiter… both very nice.
The Bad…
The Hostess, not very aware. We waited to check in, then we waited some more, and then continued to wait. (Hey…make some eye contact, move your lips and mouth «I will be right with you»)… then a waiter came up and asked to help us, but he could not help us, since the hostess was still talking on the phone and utilizing the computer screen. Then said waiter went back into the restaurant to see what table he could get for us. I think this is called opening day jitters for a «NEW» restaurant… this is not a new restaurant. In fact the hotel (The Claremont) appears to now be part of the Fairmont group.
The Ugly…
That would continue to be the Hostess. Not ugly, just not proficient at her job. Maybe she is a good daughter of BFF.
So at $ 65 cost per person for Brunch (Fairmont type of pricing), most of us would expect more.
A 2.5 Star Brunch at a 5 Star Price.

Don’t know how brunch is like here, but dinner for sure was NOT worth it. Food wasn’t all that great (their garlic fries tasted better than everything else). Service was horrible. Bartender only cared for the older looking customers, pretended not to see nor wanted to help us for the longest time. When we finally got our drinks (Old Fashion & Berkeley Mule), it sucked. All we paid for ($ 800+) was for the view we barely got to see. AND we still had to pay for parking!

Great food, fancy atmosphere, great service, great view. My only complaint about this place is that there always seem to be several I’ll behaved youngins jumping across a table knocking over water glasses and belting out Taylor swift. Come on rich folk, learn how to set some limits with your snot machine!

We started with a half dozen oysters, I had the Dungeness Crab Salad while my boyfriend had the steak. We loved it. Have to say though, if you skip ordering the side of «Sweet Corn Succotash» you are missing out BIG time.
PS/​NotPS: Amazing views. :)

Over the years, the brunch buffet at Meritage has continuously gone down hill. For $ 65 a person plus tax and tip, where champagne is included but not bloody mary’s, you expect a lot more than what’s on the menu (
). Maybe it’s the renovations so the buffet area is smaller, or if it’s a cost cutting thing that they made the selections more limited. The carving station has some sort of beef and ham. There’s a few premade items in the hot steamers. There’s a few dim sum options (none of which were good). And a very small tray of chilled seafood (shrimp, crawfish, crab claws). The desserts are beautiful but don’t taste very good. I don’t plan on coming back anymore.

This is my «to go» Sunday brunch place. I bring out of town guests and celebrate girlfriends birthdays here. Today was the first time that I was disappointed with the service. The food was excellent, the host was excellent, but unfortunately the service from our waiter Mahmood was bad. We sat in the booth next to the beverage kiosk. The waiter did not speak a single word to us during the entire meal, NOT ONE WORD. I had to flag him down every time to refill water and coffee. And no, he did not say a word even after thanking him for refilling beverages. Maybe he was having an off day. It just made the whole meal kind of awkward and we left early. :-/
I believe today’s experience was an exception rather than the rule, however it tainted from previous dining experiences. I knew what could have been.

Granted, I wouldn’t normally eat here if I didn’t stay at the hotel but since we had a little stay-​cation urban getaway we didn’t have too many options for brunch.
I got the beef short rib hash and it was excellent. Not the biggest portions but a decent amount of food well-​executed. The lady got eggs benedict and my sampling of that came with approval as well.
Then again, when you’re paying $ 18 for brunch items, it better be good.
The service was solid and I think they had free refills on the orange juice.
We also had a great view of the bay right next to the window so that was also a plus.
Just be prepared to pay some exorbitant prices but it wasn’t a bad dining experience at all.

This place is amazing, with great views of San Francisco and the hotel itself is stunning!
The food is near endless and the petite fours were a highlight for me both in luxury and in flavor.
Thumbs up!

Perched on a hill, you can see the San Francisco Bay Bridge from the window as well as the radiance of Berkeley’s sunrise/​sunset. Priced exclusively for the rich with deep pockets. For instance: Farm stand donuts with chocolate drizzle at breakfast are $ 18, but if there was ever a time for elegant artisan donuts, now is the time (you get four magnum size ones). For dinner — $ 25 plates and up — Filet Mignon with leek bread pudding or Scallop with Corn Succotash with a Fig and Fennel Salad starter. At the Claremont Hotel. #classiceats

The husband and I were supposed to be in Vegas for our 6^th anniversary, but due to unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances, we had to postpone our trip.
Given that we were going to be buffeting it up, we made a reservation via OpenTable to have what used to be a glorious Sunday brunch at the Claremont– a hotel that is splendid. We came on our actual anniversary and were told upon arriving they did not have a 2 top available near a window (it was a cloudy day). That was fine, but what we were given was an awkward booth facing other diners and to the left of the dessert buffet.
Sadly, Meritage (as it is called now) is just a shadow of what this glorious Sunday brunch once was. The booth was hard to slide in and out of (not a bad thing if you don’t want to make many trips), the service was plain old lame. Had to request coffee several times, no refills offered, plates not taken away promptly, etc. The food itself ranged from ok to meh. Nothing was spectacular and the offerings were a lot less inviting than I had previously experienced (banquet salmon, chicken and overcooked prime rib). I am still baffled that they do not have bagels-​even small ones to go with the lox and cream cheese my husband enjoys, just baguette slices and croissants as plain bread offerings.
For the price and the service we both felt a bit ripped off. This was my husband’s first trip to the Claremont and will be the last to this restaurant. I will keep my memories of times past here with «my» Toni and Dad and will likely just frequent Paragon if I feel the need to come back here.

Uck. Beautiful setting, but that’s about it. I attended an alumni dinner here in a private room, and the sunset and view were beautiful. However, the music coming from the bar area was way too loud and every time the server opened the door (often), it would be really distracting and noisy.
Service was super slow, and the server didn’t bring water until someone asked for it an hour in. Then, the kitchen «ran out of» sea bass, which several people at our table ordered, so one person had to switch to something else. That is of course all ok, until those of us who received the sea bass got small portions that were very dry and tough. Probably won’t be going back.

We came here for the Sunday brunch. We got the table by the window which had a really nice view. The service was good & the food overall was very good. Very good selection & variety of things to try.
I would have given this place 5 stars but unfortunately I have been to the Sunday brunch at Bellagio in Las Vegas. That brunch was like a Rolls Royce & ultra luxury, exceptional quality & great views. This place is like a S class Mercedes which by no means is a bad thing & thus the 4 stars.

The Meritage restaurant is located inside the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley. They host a Sunday brunch every Sunday for $ 60 per person. I was invited by a cousin for her birthday. $ 60 for a brunch is not something I want to spend, but she said she’ll pay since she invited us to such a fancy place. I was warned not to park in the hotel parking lot, cause they will charge you $ 2.00 for the first 2 hrs and $ 7.00 for the next hours. Just park out side on the street and you’ll save $ 9.00 if you stay over 2 hrs. Since this is such a fancy place I figured I better dress up, I think you probably get better service in a place like this if you do. There were 4 of us in our party and we got a nice seat by the window. But that wasn’t with out my cousin saying we didn’t want the table in the middle of the room, as we requested a window table in our reservation. I think the stupid hostess was wanting a tip like a $ 10 bill or something to get a good seat. Yeah, this is one of those kind of places! Just so you know! Bring cash to toss around and you’ll be like a rock star!
Once we finally got seated, one can admire the nice view from the dining room. You get a view of the city below and on a clear day the SF Bay. Our servers were actually a lot less snooty and entitled, than our hostess at the front. Champagne and all non– alcoholic drinks are included with the price. The champagne being poured was not the cheap stuff either like one might think at an all you can drink meal. Yeah, you can really get toasted here! Just don’t drive afterwards! The champagne was Piper Sonoma Brut. That’s a pretty good mid priced sparking wine, going for around $ 15 per bottle normal retail. Besides the champagne I also had the fresh squeezed orange juice. Yes, that really was fresh OJ, not stuff from a can. Before going up to the buffet, I was looking around the room just doing some people watching. I think we might be the youngest people in the room! The average customer here was mostly over 50 I’d say. There were quite a few Asian people as well, more than one would expect, being that this wasn’t a place you’d think to see a lot of Asian people. My BF is Asian, so I notice stuff like that now. He said they all looked rich. Maybe that’s why there was Dim Sum and Sushi on the buffet. All the servers were older Hispanic guys, speaking perfect English and the cooks tending the various food stations were mostly Asian … didn’t see many white peeps working here. No judgements intended, its just what I observed. The service by the servers was quite accommodating and they really did well. The whole affair is very elegant in a pinky and nose in the air sort of way. I just don’t normally come to places like this.
So, on to the food! There are various food stations where you can be served, fresh carved meats (pork loin and prime rib today), made custom omelets and crepes. In the middle of the room was a big table with a steamer tray full of dim sum (pork baos, sieu mai, pot stickers, har gow and others), as well as chilled large prawns, and cracked and trimmed crab claws. Another row of steam trays offered normal breakfast items, like eggs Beni, bacon, sausages and potatoes. There were salads as well and trays of smoked meats. The custom omelet station offered all sorts of fillings for you omelet. The guy behind the stove will cook it there right in front of you. Desserts were quite nice. The big tray was bread pudding, not really one of my faves, but there were small servings of chocolate mousse cake that was divine. One of the best things here were the Belgian waffles! OMG! Those were the best waffles I have ever had in my life! Mostly, I don’t think too much about waffles, but wow, these were just so light and sweet at the same time. Served with fresh berries and real heated maple syrup, yes I loved them. As we continued dining, the servers never let our champagne glasses get less than half empty. I lost track of how many glasses I had, but I was feeling no pain!!! We stayed for over 2 hrs, eating, talking and drinking. Near the end, we were all just on dessert, our servers were going off shift as the place was near closing, and our nice server does one last fill on the champagne and then leaves a full WHOLE bottle on the table! Now, how’s that for service! At the end we all did the el stuffo waddle outta there. My cousin grabbed the check and paid the bill. She tipped well for such attentive service. Then we had to walk off the food touring about the fancy grounds of the Claremont Hotel. This whole scene seems like quite the contrast of old money wealth, plopped right in the middle of Berkeley.
Overall, I guess it’s 4 stars for me, as I did have a nice time. The food quality alone was not enough to make me come back, it’s still a buffet. And the price is higher than I’d want to spend on a brunch for sure. The experience is worth it if you have the money to spend on this sort of entertainment, but if you are a foodie, you might go elsewhere.

5 stars and hands down the BEST Sunday Brunch in the Bay!
The minute we arrived we were immediately guided and greeted by an amazing staff, mind you that the waitstaff that is assigned to tables is not limited to only one, we had three! The champagne is there barely before you get to your chair!
The views are breathtaking see if you can get a spot by the window you can see the golden gate bridge Mount Tamialpais and the bay it is stunning! As for the food oh my God! I only managed to take pictures of the desserts because I ate everything so fast. Their crab legs are number one and I love their dim sum!
The array of what is served here is presentable, beautiful, and delicious … a perfect reflection of what the bay area is all about… Diversity!
Well done Claremont the Meritage is our favorite now, and we will be returning over and over again!