Doc's Marina Grill — Restaurant in Bainbridge Island

I’ve been on the quest for a great Crab Louie salad for a few years. Sadly, this classic crab salad is hard to find even in states like Washington. I suspect it has to do with most people not wanting to pay a lot of money for a salad, but if you’ve ever had a great one, you know this one is worth it. After doing a lot of research, I made a point to try the one at Doc’s Marina Grill on Bainbridge Island, Washington. There’s also a location in Port Townsend, Washington.

For starters, I ordered a cup of Doc’s House Made Clam Chowder ($8) - famous because it’s “oh-so-good!” It needed a sprinkle of salt, but it was very good.

For my entrée, I ordered Doc’s Dungeness Crab Louie ($38) - mixed greens topped with tender crab, seasonal vegetables, heirloom tomatoes and Doc’s house-made Louie dressing. I was impressed! I would rate Doc’s Crab Louie a 4/5. It was beautifully presented, had a generous portion of crab, and the house made Louie dressing was excellent! I would give this salad a perfect rating if they removed the red onion, and added a few black olives and asparagus spears. Even so, I was very happy with my salad and would rank it among one the best Crab Louie’s I’ve ever had. It is certainly the best I’ve had in Washington state.

In addition to serving great food, I really enjoyed the ambience of Doc’s, and the service was excellent! I look forward to visiting again and try and some new menu items.

*The upstairs level and bathrooms are wheelchair accessible.

There is an opening above the urinal that is a giant periscope. It provides a panoramic view of Eagle Harbor. It was designed by Lee Scott, a Carnegie Mellon graduate student. If you don’t use a urinal, but are interested in seeing the periscope, staff will clear the room so you can check it out too. I didn’t know about this until after my visit. Next time, I will be sure to check it out. 😊

Highly...

I’m a Bainbridge Island local and have taken my kids to Doc’s many times. The food has always been underwhelming for adults—bland, overpriced, and forgettable—but my kids love the smoked salmon mac & cheese, so we’ve kept coming back as a treat for them.

Tonight, after spending over $150 on dinner, my daughter asked our server for two more of the fun blue straws they’d been playing with. The server responded, “Two more straws? Those are like twenty-five cents each,” with a sarcastic tone that was completely unnecessary.

I replied, “I think my meal of over $150 covers it.” She smirked, didn’t apologize, and when I calmly told her the comment was inappropriate, she shut down. I asked for her name, and she said she didn’t “want to deal with it” before walking off.

I turned to a bartender for help—she initially gave me one name, then changed it to another, which only added to the confusion. How do you not know the name of someone you work with? Is she Ella or Natalie? Meanwhile, a busser stood nearby watching the whole interaction and laughed. It was bizarre and inappropriate from all angles.

Doc’s puts a lot of effort into promoting a progressive, inclusive image, which I don’t inherently take issue with—but it felt performative when the actual guest experience lacked any real sense of kindness, professionalism, or accountability. You can’t advertise a culture of welcome and then treat your guests like they’re the problem.

This wasn’t a misunderstanding—it was rude, condescending, and unprofessional, especially aimed at a child’s simple request (my daughter’s three). The only reason we’ve tolerated the forgettable adult food is because of how much they love the mac & cheese. But even that’s not worth it anymore.

We won’t...

I am always excited to go to Doc's (mostly because, although I am a Washington girl, I live in Oregon, and any trip to Doc's always takes place immediately prior to enjoying a play in one of Bainbridge Island's many live theatres). However, I find it takes an interminable amount of time to decide on what to order, since my choice always boils down to "what would I not mind eating?" Not a rousing recommendation, I'll grant you, but the menu is jam-packed with entrees which sound wonderful... until I read the description. It always seems to me that the first three or four ingredients sound mouth-watering, but are most often followed by two to five superfluous ingredients which not only are unnecessary, but simply don't seem to "belong." (Example: Does one really NEED parsnip puree, charred snow peas, AND crispy parsnips -- two different kinds of parsnips?? -- with their seared scallops with huckleberry-ginger-red wine sauce??) It's almost as if they're presenting you with a challenge: "One (or more) of these things is not like the others... can you guess which one/s??" I long ago resigned myself to the fact that I'll never be considered a gourmand -- I'm pretty certain that's because I'm less concerned with what's trendy in the food world, and more interested in what tastes good. Simply put, the food is just too TOO for me, but the staff is really nice, and the...