HS Lordships

Came for a business luncheon meeting/​seminar and can’t complain about the buffet food or the service. Salad was crisp and fresh, veggies not over cooked, very good sliced sourdough, tender roast beef and decent salmon. All pretty standard but done well. Wait staff was hustling to keep water glasses filled and bringing tea and coffee. But I will say the place is in need of a serious renovation. It was pretty clean but looks like it has not been touched since the 80’s-ancient restrooms, nicked walls, old carpet…

I came here for Berkeley restaurant week. I made a reservation for 5pm b/​c I wanted to catch the sunset with my boyfriend. We were seated promptly and the restaurant was relatively empty.
Other than the restaurant week and regular menu, they also have a menu called Sunset prix fixe that they offer from 5−6pm.
Since my intent was restaurant week, I went with the restaurant week menu with the $ 15 wine pairing. I got the clam chowder (delicious and filling!), salmon (very fishy.), and the upside down apple pie (I really liked the pie but for some reason the ice cream was very average to me).
Overall, my experience was quite average. The service is great, but the food could be a lot better. Lastly, they give a lot of food. The portions are a lot larger than any other restaurant week portions I’ve ever encountered.
The view however, is breathtaking. It’s definitely worth a visit just to be there at sunset and see the sun slowly disappear over the horizon.

In November, we inquired about making a reservation for a large party for a Saturday morning brunch in January. My sister-​in-​law spoke to Manu, and he quoted her a price of $ 38.71 per person, inclusive of tax and tip. When I made the reservation with the hostess, she confirmed the same price to me, $ 38.71. I was never offered any written contract for the event. Unfortunately, I did not ask for one either.
Come January, we have the brunch and I pay the bill. It charges us $ 43.88 per person inclusive of tax and tip. After I realize this is not consistent with the price Manu promised my sister-​in-​law and the hostess told me, I call Manu to ask for a refund of the difference. Manu said that it would not have been possible that he quoted $ 38.71 in the fall because the restaurant has never charged that price. He said I was welcome to talk to the hostess to see if she can remember quoting that price.
Therefore, I called the hostess the next day and it turns she knew exactly what I was talking about. She suggested that I speak to the other manager, Kris, to see if he would approve a refund, and she said she would tell him that I was indeed quoted $ 38.71.
When I speak to Kris, he doesn’t dispute that I was quoted $ 38.71. He admits that’s the price the restaurant charged last fall. Yet he refuses to refund me the difference in cash. He offers the difference in the form of a gift certificate. At first he claims there was some disclaimer that the price would he subject to change. I respond that I never received any contract in writing and was orally promised $ 38.71 for the event, and we clearly specified the date for the event. Kris offered no response to this point, only tried to assure me that I would enjoy using the gift certificate at HS Lordships or one of its sister restaurants and went on and on about how good they are. I told him I don’t live near any of them and have two young kids so I don’t travel much. He wouldn’t budge.
There’s nothing unclear here: I was promised a specific price for an event on a specific date, and then the restaurant wouldn’t honor it. This is an example of awful customer service, a business just being greedy and taking advantage of the fact that I had paid the bill already. Very disappointing.

Eh. It’s too bad the steak and potato weren’t good especially given the great view and location. The hubbie makes a better one at home on the grill. There was a big holiday party scheduled to come when we went so they told us they were only serving beer and wine. What the what?! Mind you we got there at 5:15 pm on a Sat. That’s super early and it wasn’t even crowded yet. I’m pretty sure we were one of only a few tables there at that time. I’m thinking they could’ve done better.

Came here for my moms 50^th bday before I had to leave town and had an amazing time. The selection for the brunch was insane including your normal choices such as eggs & bacon but then they also had Lobster. Recommend this place to anyone looking for a wonderful view while enjoying some great food

Been going here for decades, the foods not bad, but the building itself is old like it was 20 yrs ago with no changes what-​so-​ever … building had seen better days and needed repairs/​upgrade.

The best thing HS Lordships has going is their Saturday and Sunday brunch!
If you go for anything else, it seems according to reviews that no one is happy.
The food is delicious, the staff is always happy to help, busy, but that’s better than the alternative.
They have made to order omelettes, a prime rib station, fresh fruits, a great salad bar, the taco bar!!! So much food! Go, and be ready to wait, and to dine. I prefer going around 11 a.m., because after that, the church folk get there, and it gets stuffy, and the perfume and cologne is too much.
Enjoy the beautiful views from any seat in the restaurant. Smile, and be thankful!
I’d like to add that I think kids brunch should only be about $ 12.00 — no way should we be forced to pay full price for kids who don’t eat much.

What a dump. Dinner reservation for a birthday, they have no bartender because he got pulled away for a banquet. It took 2 hours for the salads to arrive. four parties at tables. The ribeye steak has gravy over it??? The tables are folding tables like the kiddie table at thanksgiving. There are trash bags taped to the ceiling to catch rain leaks. There are exposed broken electric outlet covers and the «crab cake» tastes like «horses vagina» to quote someone at the next table.
There’s a pretty view, woo. Completely ruined by the fact that the place blows a squirrel. This place was likely the bees knees when «I like Ike!» was the slogan to beat Adlai Stevenson. When it falls in the ocean and you’re left clinging to chunks of asbestos to float to shore (but now you have mesothelioma) don’t say I didn’t warn you.

First off, I want to say the view is spectacular! Gorgeous views of the bay and San Francisco while you dine.
Came here on the weekend for the holiday buffet and was seated promptly by the window. There was a huge selection including waffles, omelette/​pasta station, turkey and roast beef for the carving station, salmon, ribs, potatoes, teriyaki chicken, fresh cut fruits, crab legs, shrimp, sushi, Mexican food! And much more…
The baked salmon was cooked perfectly. It was very juicy and tasty. The white sauce along with it is delightful. I also had the potatoes sautéed with bell peppers and onions which was seasoned very well. The ribs were also delish, the barbecue sauce was not too sweet, it was just right.
For the sushi I was honestly surprised because most buffets with sushi isn’t that great, but I loved it here. I had the salmon sashimi and California rolls. Both tasted fresh and delicious. The salmon just melts in your mouth. That’s how fresh it was.
And of course I had to grab some TAMALES! These tamales were wonderful! Great filling and flavor, had authentic seasoning with green tomato salsa.
For dessert I had the perfectly cut pineapples and cantaloupe. They were pleasantly sweet and fresh.
Our server was also very nice and attentive. I forget her name. But she constantly checked on us and made sure our glasses were always filled.
Great food and great service with breathtaking views. What more can I ask for? This place is truly a hidden gem! Wish I knew of you sooner Hs Lordships! Will be returning soon!

One of my favorite places for a classy brunch! Beautiful views and wonderful buffet of food.

Good news is that service was quick and attentive. Rib eyes were cooked perfectly. Bad news is that the steak was sinewy and unseasoned, and the décor here is terrible. I posted three photos. One is of the plastic bag hanging from the ceiling to catch the water from the leaky roof. Another is of the duct tape used to seal the window. The third one is of my steak and scalloped potatoes. BTW they are not traditional scalloped potatoes. The have long stringy grilled onions in there, and I’m not sure the sauce was cream based. Maybe sour cream? They were definitely different. Food was okay; I wouldn’t go out of my way to return, especially since the prices are high for unspectacular food. Anywho, maybe we should have waited the two hours for a table at Skates, ha ha, rather than coming here because we didn’t want to wait for a table there. Oh well…

The. Service. Is. So. Ssssssssllllllllooooooooowwwwwww. Lots of private events here, tonight, my sons are so young that they don’t realize what an awful restaurant this place has been, for decades, and still continues to be. Five of us in our party, they brought three of our drinks, and told us the bar is very busy and we’ll have to wait for the rest. Huh? Who brings half an order to a table?
So far, we’ve gotten bread. Getting sugar for some lemonade required five reminders, finally had to ask another waiter. One son got his Caesar salad, no appetizers yet, and my daughter asked if we have some cards or dominoes so we can play some games while we wait. Really? Games at dinner? Yes, if the waiter tells you the kitchen is backed up.
Oh, the table next to us, seated 20 minutes after us, just got their entrees. I’ve asked to speak to the manager to explain this shit, and I guess I’m going to have to wait for that, too. We’ve been here an hour. The food was totally forgettable, service was slow, décor old and dated. Why is this place still open? It looks like they haven’t painted, vacuumed or replaced the carpet since the last time I came here, nearly 20 years ago.
They should just put this place out of its misery and shut it down. Berkeley deserves better.

Always a nice time when i visit for Sunday brunch. A wide variety of choices including omelet bar, pasta bar, fruits, vegetables, cocktail shrimp, crab and carving station. Also been for several award ceremonies and although very busy, the service is always adequate. The views are spectacular. Yet the décor looks to be crumbling. if we fall into the Bay, as long as I’ve had 3^rd’s, I’ll be a happy man.

What incredible views! Yes, this place is a bit dated but to me that only adds to its charm. See, I grew up going to brunches like this with my parents. So HS Lordships warms my heart with good memories.
Here’s my take on this restaurant and special event institution:
A while back I was in «wine country» with my GF’s (including two cougars, ha!) and we quickly became bored with the wine tasting thing. Sooo, we started exploring! I remembered this place from back in the day when I loved in Moraga so I dragged my friends there for Sunday brunch.
The views make this place. The food is just fine for an all you can eat Sunday brunch. It’s almost up there with most hotel and country club brunch buffets. The staff was super nice and friendly and didnt’ judge us on our over the top lust for more and more mimosas!
I think they have had some water damage because I did smell some mustiness. Lots of brass going on here too. That’s OK with me. The whole new minimal is more decorating craze in city resties is not my thing.
So if you are in the bay area and want an honest to goodness old school brunch with incredibile views, I recommend HS Lordships. Seriously though, who named this place!!!

My family, wedding party, and myself dined her for my sister’s wedding reception the other day. First off, I must say that the view from this restaurant is spectacular! I loved being able to watch the waves and kayakers while I stuffed my face.
The food here is delicious! I’m not quite sure the name of the pasta we had, but it was the perfect blend of spices. It had just enough «kick» to make it spicy, but it wasn’t overwhelming. The portion sizes were great as well. They definitely were not stingy with the shrimp, salmon, or mussels!
We had a very pleasant dining experience here. The service was great. The waiters were very friendly, attentive, and helpful as well. One of them helped to cut, distribute, and box my sister’s wedding cake, which was very nice of him.
I wouldn’t mind dining here again.

So l went for Saturday Brunch with a friend today, it was $ 65 for two people and it includes a drink.
The place is really old and smells really musky. There’s very obvious water damage on the ceiling tiles. Many were stained and cracked. Might be why the whole place smells like mildew. Carpet needs to be completely replaced. Décor was definitely dated. But the view is pretty spectacular.
The food was just ok. (2 – 3 Stars) There was an omelet/​pasta bar. You can get some fresh waffles (like the ones at a hotel continental breakfast). There was the hot pans that had the typical bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes and french toast (really dry). There was some Salmon with cream sauce that was good, fried chicken (soggy) and bbq ribs (really dry and flavorless). On the other side of the room was some crab legs, shrimp (that were not deveined or peeled), a salad and fruit bar. There was also a dessert section that I completely skipped.
Now the reason why I gave this review 1 star. While I was in the women’s bathroom washing my hands. I saw the hostess (an older lady who was wearing glasses and had her hair back in a long ponytail) walk out of one of the stalls, wiped her hands on her legs and walked out of the bathroom. She didn’t even turn or look at the sink! Later on I saw her walking around the dining room and occasionally wiping her hands on her pants while interacting with guests.
Also while I was in the buffet area, I saw one of the chefs carrying an armful of table linen. He set them on a chair and a couple of them fell on the floor. He just picked it up and set it on top of the pile. Same thing with the red table napkin linens, they dropped on the floor and he just set them on the chair. Another staff member then uses that pile and started folding them neatly for service.
We’re not coming back here again. Thanks but no thanks.

Came here for a wedding reception. The view is stellar. From the banquet room on the second floor, you can see the golden gate bridge from their floor-​to-​ceiling glass windows. Gorgeous.
Food: salad was meh. Entrée was Chicken Jerusalem which was essentially a piece of relatively well cooked chicken (wasn’t dry) covered in cream of mushroom. it was fine, but i expected more from a place like that. basic is the best word i can think of.
The bar downstairs served drinks which were good and standard. at 8 $ a pop on a saturday afternoon it seems pretty fair.
The brunch spread they had downstairs looked really good though. Passed the eye test at least.

The restaurant that’s falling into the bay with food and service following. We had been warned about the quality of the food and the décor («designed by the person fired from Motel 6).
There are no vegan entrees, maybe the salad without cheese. The waitress generally seemed out of it, and didn’t have a clue what vegan meant. One of the water glasses came with lipstick. The supposedly steamed vegetables were in fact a huge piece of broccoli and a tiny sliver of bell pepper drenched in oil. The vegan standby of fries — undercooked.
The best part of the meal? The fresh bread with pesto. The cocktails were OK, but not amazing.
I’m told that they’re tearing this place down — indeed if you windsurfing past (which I have many times) you can see the supports are leaning.
Go to Skates for the same view and far better food and service. This place is iconic, but only from the outside. I won’t miss it much after this visit.

Came here for a graduation dinner. Plenty of open tables, unlike Skates down the street.
The food was pretty decent. Our party was given a limited menu — I guess for parties of 8 or more, they wanted to make it easier to order, so there would be no mix-​ups.
Strangely enough, I ordered the scampi because I really wanted some rice pilaf — but when the food came, I had mashed potatoes. Not a big deal, I thought, but I wanted to ask anyways, because if we’re paying this much for dinner, I wanted my order to be right. I asked the waiter, and mentioned that the scampi wasn’t supposed to come with potato — to which he responded, «You must be wrong, sir. That’s what you’re supposed to get.»
Well — it’s a good thing I took a photo of the menu. Clearly states — rice pilaf. So I showed the photo to the waiter, and he proceeds to bring out a side of the rice pilaf.
It wasn’t just a mistake on one plate — three other people in our party had gotten the scampi, and all the plates had mashed potatoes.
But you know what? I really don’t care about whether it’s potatoes or rice pilaf. I just don’t like being told curtly by the staff that I was wrong. You’d think for a place like this, they’d hire more courteous staff.

If you want to step in a time machine and go back to the 1990’s, come here. This place will bring you back with their outdated décor and VERY SLOW SERVICE (it felt like it was taking 20 years to get our food).
The restaurant’s decorations are very dated. Think pastel, floral designs, stain glass, etc. Some parts of the restaurant are rusty and broken down. They need to remodel and update their look.
Our service took FOREVER. We were a larger group (~10), and were at the restaurant for 2.5 hours. The waiting time was insane– order food, 15 minutes to get our appetizers, eat, wait 30 minutes to get our main, eat, wait 20 minutes to get our dessert, eat, and then sit around for about 15 minutes for a bill. It was ridiculous.
The food is standard American food that is overpriced. Nothing special. They have a special that runs from 5−6pm– where you can get an appetizer, main, and dessert for $ 19.95.
Two redeeming qualities of this place– Nice view and a lot of parking.
Otherwise, stay away from this place. I use to come here in the 1990’s and I liked in then as a kid. But it’s still trapped in that decade so I won’t come back on my own will.