Ivar's Seafood Bar — Restaurant in Issaquah

It is great to have Ivar's in Issaquah. The true cod fish and chips is wonderful. The staff is very friendly.

Update: I have eaten here a number of times since my review. We shop at Fred Meyer and finally have our own neighborhood Ivar's. I have enjoyed Ivar's since the 50's (I'm old). The true cod is still to die for and worth the slight extra price over the regular cod. Ivar's tartar sauce is the best on the planet (I use it on my fries too). Gobs of tasty fries and they allow three substitutes rather than fries if you like. I enjoy the Caesar salad substitute. I love the creamy clam chowder versus the watery soupy chowder at other places with lots of clam sand grit thrown in, no charge.

My wife was so happy when she saw the Ivar's construction sign. She likes the ultra clean store and friendly staff plus the delicious food of course She is from Japan since the late 90's and very nit-picky about the restaurants and foods she likes. Thanks Mr. Haglund, a wonderful and witty man for coming East to Issaquah!

Not to beat a dead clam, but we love Ivars'!

UPDATE #2: We continue going to our local Issaquah Ivar's now many times per month. The food is great and the staff is very friendly. It seems that since opening here in Issaquah Ivar's business has grown logarithmically (that's real fast for you who didn't major in science or never used a slide rule). In fact, so fast that Ivar's now has their clams delivered by dump truck once a week! The staff sorts thru the clams and discards any less than perfect clams straight into the dumpster.

This is the honest to Ivar Haglund truth! (See photos below for proof.)

Clam and True...

Being from the other half of the country and only my second time in Seattle, I had time to sample some local cuisine. Started with the smoked salmon chowder, and was it ever great! The Caesar Salad was pretty decent too, though you could tell it had been made for a while in bulk. Still tasty and relatively fresh, and the lemon on the plate was a nice touch. I was impressed, so I decided to try the salmon and chips. I've THOUGHT of frying salmon before but have only ever had it grilled, smoked or sauteed. I always thought it would be too oily to fry, but was I wrong! It blew my mind. The salmon and chips obviously comes with "chips" or fries as we like to call them in the USA, but they could have done me a solid and cooked a few to order. I was obvious they had been sitting around for a bit. They were in that in-between area where they're not fresh enough to wow you but not old enough to complain about. However, they weren't oil-logged and actually tasted like potatoes with the skins left on. I would have given five stars if it hadn't been for the salad and fries being a bit on the elderly side, along with the dining room and condiment bar needing some cleanup attention. Overall, I liked the food and would give them a second chance if I'm ever in...

Eastside Ivars! I love that there is now an Ivar's on the Eastside. Honestly, I wish the space were a bit larger as I feel like the entrance and ordering area are not well laid out and are too small. It gets very congested with people who are waiting for their take out and the people who are waiting to order. They just did not account for having a line with more than a few people in it. The menus are shifted slightly to the left while the line comes in on the right. One lady came in to join the line by going through the dining area (which put her at the front of the line) and said that's how the line is supposed to flow. So, I'm guessing that is how they handle a longer line in inclement (always) Seattle weather? So, while I do enjoy havening my Ivar's fix, the line/ordering experience at this location is not a good one.

The employees are friendly there - the man who brought our food out was downright cheerful and made me smile. His great attitude...