We went here as we love "local" hangouts and the Portal fit the bill. The beer menu was nicely curated with something for everyone. The breweries selected were diverse and upper tier. Food was really quite good - we had calamari (excellent), pan seared salmon...(good), 1/2 burger (excellent), and Cesar salad (ok). Service was friendly but the timing of delivery of food was a bit off - but I am not terribly concerned about that as it was just me and my husband and I had ordered my entree a few minutes after the initial order - I just figured they would wait a bit on his burger and serve them together. Instead they served his burger first followed by the calamari appetizer and then my entree. The atmosphere is funky and fun - limited indoor seating and large view patio of the lake. It was soooo cold in there, we had to wear our jackets. I saw 2 small space heaters but they were not at all adequate. I almost wondered if sitting outside under the heat lamps would have been a warmer choice. Unisex bathroom was clean, but had the graffiti vibe on the mirrors. You could probably have kids with you on the patio - not sure. Overall - would recommend - just bring a warm coat and hat if it's winter!More

There is always a line but it's worth it. Eat on patio if not raining; it get get quite loud inside.

A fun place to visit with what looks like a very interesting menu. We just had drinks and an appetizer. We stopped at the Lake Merritt Bart stop and walked over after attending an A's game. It is worth the easy walk and a fun...side trip. The Lake view and vibe is great. The restaurant is a block or so from the Lake. The restaurant has a good beer list and an awesome patio. We had a great time listening to DO spin tunes.More

The food in the restaurant is amazing! We had waited for about 1/2 hr that Sunday morning but it was all worth it. Entering the bar which is at front, you can feel the fun vibe with salsa music in the background. Looking around at...served plates that customers were enjoying I was already dreaming of what to eat. I ordered the two sliders, chicken and stuffed turkey meat, they were both delicious! The ambiance and the food was great, I would love go back. It was definitely memorable.More

Went here with our son for lunch and ate on the patio overlooking Lake Merrit, which is a block away. Kinda hard to find, but well worth the effort. Highly recommend the Quinoa and Beet salad and “Garbage Bread” (Calzone)!

If you’re crazy hungry, this will be a real good stop for you. Everything comes in very generous portions, the service is everything it should be and most importantly it’s all delicious and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg. We had mini...burgers (they come in pairs and they’re all but mini) with pulled pork, fried chicken, and another with turkey. Along with that with roasted curry cauliflower with aioli and a gigantic plate of fabulous herbed garlic fries. Nice atmosphere overall with a great patio area, a real friendly place.More

Really love to have Portal as an option that's literally 10min walk from where we live. I love coming here, seating on the community tables outside by the patio with a great view of the lake and exchanging sweet moments with your loved one and...getting to know your neighbours! Portal is exactly that, bringing people together. Love their indoors variety of seating by the tall tables, low tables and the lovely bar. Outside is great too with long community tables that easily accommodate 8-10 people and a lovely view of Lake Merritt :) Prices are well balanced tho some dishes tend to get expensive like the carb loaded garbage bread priced at 18$, tho you get 4 big slices. I think the best way to go here is share the food since portions are quite generous. Love the choices on the menu. Impressed there were quite a few veg starters, salads and couple entres too. We came on a Friday night at about 7ish and were quickly accommodated outside. Between the two of us we shared plate of [6] hot spicy chicken wings and hot pastrami. Love the hot spicy sauce, it has the right amount of kick without being too spicy. The pastrami on rye was delicious, no mayo and whole grain mustard? YES!!! And love me their house made pickles. I make homemade pickles all the time so I can attest these were delicious! All in all, we really had a great time and the bill only came to about 30 something $ for 2 plates and 2 beers which ain't bad I think. Service was on point and very friendly and efficient. I haven't come yet for brunch here but dying to try :)More

So glad we stumbled into this place after walking around Lake Merritt with our grown up kids yesterday. What a great spot! It would have been plenty enough to sit on their protected lake view patio with some great beer choices, but we were surprised...at the great food, too. We sampled the brussels sprouts, the mini fried chicken burgers, fish and chips, and mac and cheese. Everyone like what they ordered. Especially like the mini buyers........two for something and easy to mix, match, share! Good job!More

I came here for brunch on Labor Day weekend. It was packed so be ready to wait. Trust me it's worth it. I was riding solo so I sat at the bar, which shortened my wait time considerably. I elected to get the Eggs Benedict,...it comes vegetarian with an additional charge to add ham, bacon or avocado. I added avocado. It also comes on a polenta cake instead of the traditional bread. It. Was. So. Good. Hollandaise on point. Egg cook on point. I also elected to get a Bloody Mary. Spicy and delicious, with a gorgeous garnish. I would absolutely come back and would highly recommend.More

Seen so many reviews and being literally a 10 min walk from home, we finally gave this place a try. My husband and I came here with one of our NY friends who was visiting so we thought to take her out to Portal. We...were pretty stuffed from lunch so we missed on trying the garbage bread :( and we came a little too late as well in the evening past 9pm so there was no place to sit outside which seemed pretty cool, but ended up seating inside and having beers and chicken wings which were superb :). Great service and crowd. We will surely be back for brunch!More

I've been here a couple of times. Every time, we are greeted by the most wonderful loving staff in any restaurant I have ever visited. The food was marvelous. We had burgers and fries and it was scrumptious. Decent price for some tasty food. I...also had the brussell sprouts (fried) and let me tell you, I could make a meal out of those and for $9.00 that is a steal. The restaurant has tv for all the sports events that are going on during the year. The bar has a great selection of beers, wine and a super duper root beer. I recommend for any and all. You won't be disappointed. :)More

Fun food and great service in a trendy location - we really had a great time. Excellent staff! The menu is full of fun dishes and a great range of beers.