Level Two Restaurant - Oakland Marriot City Center

We were short on time and couldn't find a reservation downtown Oakland anywhere. We noticed that Level 2 got 4 stars...and I saw that it was a "steakhouse" in the Marriott. "Hmm..maybe it won't be so bad." We get there, and the actual dining room looked as if it was closed for the evening. So I ask the bartender in the adjacent bar area, "Is the restaurant open? We have a reservation." He looks at me as if I'm speaking a foreign language, and says "Reser...Oh, just sit anywhere over here" as he points to the bar area. When our (very nice btw) waitress comes over, we ask if there is a dinner menu, which she brings us. My husband at this point was not interested in eating a $40 steak. The food was mediocre. The waitress was great, though

When I travel for pleasure then I eat wherever I'd like but when I'm on business then I need to stay within my food per diem. This usually rules out hotel restaurants because they're very expensive. This restaurant is no exception (it's in the Marriott Oakland City Center, right by the Conference Ctr and City Center BART station) but I will say that the food was surprisingly good. At the recommendation of James, who is THE best server that I've ever had, I ordered the organic boneless half chicken (very tasty once you get over the fact that it's pounded flat so it looks like the chicken was run over by a truck) and roasted asparagus spears. Yummy and when all was said and done, the pre-tip bill was about $35. Try it, you'll like it!

Our group has often eaten here as we get excellent service and the food is good. They put us off to one side of the dining room so that we don't bother others and it is quiet enough we can hear everyone. The staff is very friendly and remembers details about most of us like who likes extra dressing and so on. I know we will be back.

I visited the restaurant with my supervisor for lunch for Professional Assistants Day. The restaurant is very nice. The food selections could be better not a lot to choose from. The menu selections need improvements.

My unit & I were attending a conference on Saturday & I want to treat them to a nice lunch. I made reservations for 10 & get an email confirmation & think I'm good too good. I get there with my reservation confirmation in hand & was told "oh sorry we didn't take reservations". NOT OK! REMOVE YOUR ESTABLISHMENT FROM OPEN TABLE! We ended up eating cold lunches in the hotel lobby. :(

We booked this restaurant to try it during Oakland Restaurant Week, as I'd love to find a good and nice steak house in Oakland. We got to the hotel and took the escalator up to discover that this restaurant is more of an open area on the 2nd floor of the Oakland Marriott than a proper restaurant. For example, there's no real door, no decor, and no ambiance. It's attached to the Oakland Convention Center, and that night there was a girls' volleyball tournament being held in the convention center, so there were scores of running, screaming teenage girls and overwhelmed parents. There was no hostess or host, and only one waiter. The bartender was trying to help, but was useless. We waited 15 minutes to get anyone's attention, then left.

From the moment we walked into the restaurent we were warmly welcomed and service was exceptional till the end. We started with Manhattan Clam Chowder which did not lack in succulent clams. This was followed by very fresh green salads in healthy portions. I had the Filet Mignon and my husband the Ribeye both which were cooked to perfection. The atmosphere was comfortable and relaxed. We were in town for a special night but would certainly return just to eat at this restaurant again.