Ivar's Mukilteo Landing — Restaurant in Mukilteo

Stopped by Ivar’s Mukilteo Landing for happy hour on a sunny Sunday afternoon and snagged a seat on the patio—which, let me tell you, is the real MVP of the whole experience. The view? Absolutely stunning. Waterfront, ferries coming and going, people fishing and crabbing off the dock, salty breeze—10/10 ambiance. Just don’t wear a hat you actually like, because the wind will try to claim it. And don't let the sun fool you into forgetting this is still NW Washington...bring a jacket.

Now the food… oh dear. Let’s start with the Clam Chowder and Caesar Salad Combo. The chowder arrived lukewarm, and once the sea breeze hit it, it transformed into a cold soup shooter in record time. The salad was decent, but the “blackened” prawns? Not so much blackened as lightly coated in Cajun seasoning. And they were overcooked— maybe the cook was going for shrimp jerky?

We also tried the Fried Brussels Sprouts, which unexpectedly arrived on a bed of French fries like some sort of pub-style surprise party. The smoked onion aioli was so rich and heavy, the whole thing felt like poutine’s second cousin who doesn't know when to stop adding sauce. This was a one and done for me.

The Coconut Shrimp? Mediocre at best. For a seafood joint, you'd hope they’d treat their shrimp better. Sadly, these were also overcooked and a little rubbery, like they were being punished for something.

We had high hopes for the Grilled Sockeye Salmon Sandwich, but it turned out to be drier than a saltine in the Sahara. The salmon was overcooked, and the chipotle-lime aioli was so scarce that I questioned whether it ever existed. We even had to request extra sauce just to give the sandwich the will to live.

The Honey-Garlic Steak Bites had potential; they were saucy and flavorful. However, the steak was so overcooked that it felt like we were chewing through a contract negotiation. Every bite required serious commitment and might lead to a possible dental co-pay. If you don’t have dental insurance, proceed with caution!

That said, the service was fantastic. Our waiter was prompt, friendly, and seemed to genuinely care, which makes it even harder to be mad about the food. I wanted to like it. I really did. But if I had paid full price instead of happy hour prices, I might’ve staged a polite but firm seafood intervention.

So here’s the summary: Service: 10/10 View: 10/10 Food: 3/10 (and that’s being kind because the fries were fine)

Come for the view, tip your server well, and maybe just stick with water (or a beer if that's your...

My wife and I were content with ordering some seafood from the walk-up fish bar window out front, until she pointed out the swanky restaurant attached to it, accessible from a door just a bit further down. As it was nearly freezing outside, we opted for the latter, and were not disappointed with what we found within.

Despite arriving around 30 minutes before the restaurant was to be closed (early) for a private event, we were seated without complaint, and attended to immediately. We settled on some fried calamari, which my wife had been craving and seeking (to no avail, up to this point) all weekend, as well as a cup of the lobster bisque, and some Dungeness crab and artichoke dip, to split between us. To accompany our appetizer array, my wife paired the Shellfish wine flight, and for myself, a Blood Orange Old Fashioned.

Nothing about the experience disappointed in any way. The chipotle lime aioli for the perfectly crispy fried calamari gave it a kick, while simultaneously taking the edge off the typically pungent and slightly off-putting aroma of cuttlefish. The crab and artichoke dip was equal parts land and sea, and coated with cheese - who could complain about that? And the lobster bisque? Creamy, comforting, savory, and with an aroma and flavor that delicately balances and captures the essence of lobster without overpowering or overwhelming it. I've never had better.

Service was friendly, welcoming, efficient, and most importantly, unobtrusive - our server was there exactly when she needed to be, and left us to ourselves when she wasn't. And despite the looming deadline for the private event, we were never once felt pressured or rushed to end our dining experience.

From tip to tail, everything about our visit to Ivar's was exactly what one should expect from a competent restaurant: an enchanting ambiance, diligent staff, and incredible cuisine. If you're an out-of-towner who finds themselves in Mukilteo, even while waiting for, or after disembarking from the ferry, you'd be wise to take to heart the advice of the restaurant's namesake, Ivar Haglund, and "KEEP CLAM", slow down, and stop in for a meal here. Even if it's just from the take-out window out front. You won't be...

After 50 years of dining at various Ivar's, what a disappointment. We had a reservation and asked for an outdoor table. The hostess said she didn't know if there were any available but would check. We said if none were available, we'd be fine with an indoor table. We waited for ages while countless people arriving after us who didn't have reservations were seated. I finally approached the desk and asked about this. The hostess said "You asked for an outdoor table." I said "And we said if none were available, we'd be fine with indoors." Sigh. OF COURSE she had either forgotten this or hadn't been listening, as there's an epidemic of not paying attention/not listening/not remembering. We were given a table indoors next to a baby who never, not once, ever stopped making noise -- not crying, not upset, just never stopped making noise. The chair at our table was dirty and the bread plate had crumbs on it and was greasy. We could clearly see SEVERAL outdoor tables were available, including a table for two as we had requested. That table remained empty throughout our meal, which is why, along with the other things that were poorly done, I wrote this review. In addition to the outdoor tables that were available, several window tables were available and remained so throughout our meal.

Our waitperson was nice although not very competent. My friend had to repeat a question several times. Our waitperson did not ask us if we wanted bread -- I had to ask. She never asked us if we wanted more drinks, did not refill our water glasses, did not ask how things were tasting, brought our check without asking if we wanted anything else.

Nobody, including our waitperson or the guy at the ice cream counter outside from whom we bought ice cream, said thank you to any customer. Just ... wow. :-(

Appallingly bad customer service at every turn, with the hostess who didn't listen and then lied about there not being available outdoor tables, taking the prize as the worst. We won't give Ivar's our...