Sand Dollar Steak and Spirits — Restaurant in Hoquiam

It’s taken us a few days to decide how to write this review. The SandDollaris in a beautiful building outside of town. The allure is there. We went for dinner at 6:00. We were seated quickly, given menus and left to sit. About 15 minutes later we were given water, no ice, and left to sit. 15 minutes after that we were approached for a drink order and decided, based on lack of service we had better order our dinner also. I wasn’t long, we saw our drinks being delivered to the table behind us. The people at the table knew those drinks were not theirs and told the waitress. The waitress left those drinks at their table anyway and eventually retrieved the drinks they ordered. We are now over 45 minutes into this and we still do not have our drinks. When they were brought, they were not what we ordered. Waitress said, bartender said, those were our drinks and she delivers what the bartender tells her to and left us drinks that were not ours. Our food comes out, our water glasses are empty, we ask for water. We never saw wait staff again. Do we think this was the waitresses fault? No. It appears it was failure by management to have enough staff to accommodate the customers in their seating area. There was a failure of communication between staff, as we watched the bartender take certain items out of full orders due to be delivered to a table, and serve them to her customers. The waitress would come to get her order and it would be incomplete. We watched multiple orders come out where the customer said it was not right and the food had to go back to the kitchen. As for the food, the steak bites, which we had read good reviews about, were dry. The salad was good. And we cannot review their spirits because we were never served the drink we ordered. Overall there are better places in Westport to eat and get a drink. You may not get the ambiance the Sand Dollar has, but being accommodated while paying to dine out, goes a long ways...

This is a solid new addition to the Grays Harbor Food Scene. We showed up there tonight because we heard about them while playing bingo at The Local Bar last night. They donated a $25 gift certificate as a prize!

There are a lot of things here to really like with a few cringeworthy parts, too. Near as I can tell, this was opened late in 2023 so it seems they’re still getting their feet under them. The building and finished space is done quite nicely though there seems to be a bit of an identity crisis. Is it farmhouse? Roadhouse? Bistro? The decor and music choice is kind of all over the place. Three things that bothered us… the fast food drink machine and ice dispenser. Looks terrible and the sound of the ice machine rattled throughout the dining room our entire visit. Do us all a favor and just use an ice well. While I’m speaking of noises, PLEASE change the battery of that smoke detector in the bathroom hall. Shouldn’t even have to say that. Finally, the bathrooms need to be clearly marked. They’re off in a corner and I heard virtually every guest ask where they were. Just put up a sign.

Now that my gripes are off the table on to the rest. Our server was quite pleasant. Despite our obvious newness and my joviality, she got us through our order and took good care of us. Order was entered properly and came out properly. The food itself was absolutely top notch. Rib steak was perfectly medium rare and the mashed Yukon gold potatoes were amazing. My wife had the seafood pasta that she really loved. They held the oysters for her but it still was more good than she could eat. Shrimp and scallops were super tender and the clams and crab rounded out the dish. Sauce was light and creamy with just a hint of garlic.

Prices are higher than diner fare but the quality and value is there to make it worthwhile. Definitely a place to come back to, just so long as they tweak the things that...

** Just a friendly helpful tip, Most of the restaurants in westport close super early. So don't be like me and wait until 7 to find a restaurant. Go & eat around 5, because the restaurants are small & fill up fast. This restaurant doesn't look like much from outside, But the inside is really nice they have a couches by a fireplace. We showed up kind of late and they only serve small plates the last hour or so. .. No soup or salad. But they were super friendly even though we showed up 35 mins before close. The employees were all welcoming and there was plenty of seating. Nice place to eat in at. Would recommend the steak bites that come medium rare , which is perfect. They were served with 2 different kinds of aolis. The steak nachos were excellent served with salsa verde. Nice thick chips. Tomatoes & green onions on top. The fries are thick cut.The cajun fries were a tad bit over salted. And the garlic fries were kind of soggy. The garlic fries had parm on top. We camped at Twim Harbors State Park. It was nice to have hot food while camping & this place was open later than most other restaurants. They do have full drink bar, beer and wine. The food was upscale in feel, and most sauces were house made. Def recommend, beautiful atmosphere with...