The Garage Gastropub & Social — Restaurant in Ocean Shores

Pretty solid restaurant in Ocean Shores. I remember when they were building it when I first moved to the region and the building was an old ugly red. They finished and opened in September but I did not finally get out and try the place until today when I took my mother for her birthday. The restaurant does not have the best parking situation but there is a decent amount of parking all around the area if needed.

The restaurant is a little on the small side, strikes more as a bar before a restaurant especially as the bar is front and center. I found it pretty cool how they use glass garage doors along the side of the building and I think there were 3 total. I can see how this really opens it up for the night scene and to the patio area and it brought back memories of an upscale bar and grill I worked the kitchen at in California many years ago. There is not a ton of seating but for the space they have several small tables plus the outside area if its not too chilly outside. They also have a wall mounted smart jukebox that allows you to download an app and play music. I did not test this or check if it cost.

Now for the food, we both opted to buy a cup of the clam chowder to try. While this was not the best clam chowder I have had.... it is one of the best for Washington, im also not a fan of how many other restaurants out there do the slab of melted butter on top so I was happy to see The Garage does not do that. I liked that the clam chowder had a good amount of pepper spice to it. I do wish it had more clam meat and for it to be just a little thicker. I worked on the wharf in San Francisco, I got spoiled by their chowder. The chowder also comes with 3 pieces of toasted baguette that had a nice flavor to it and I wish I had more of that for the chowder. My mother decided to try the fish and chips. They use cod and lightly bread them in a corn meal, they are nice and light and not too heavy on the fried like many places. My mother raved about the fish the entire time and even into the evening and said she would eat it again and that it was so flaky. I did not try their slaw but she liked it. I decided to try the chicken parm sandwich. I liked the bun and I liked the way it was toasted. Overall it had a decent flavor but to me it was pretty generic when it came to the seasoning and the sauce. it was good, I just do not think it lived to its price.

The service was pretty decent, the server is very friendly and the place was very clean looking. I find the prices to be a bit high for some things, a can soda for example is $3. I do not drink so I cannot tell you how decent the drinks are but they do have a full bar, the prices are a bit high too looking at the menu. I do wish they would have a website and also list their menu along with daily specials online. I would be willing to come back to try some of the specials. Only a couple of restaurants so far in Ocean Shores I will even consider going back to...

Much needed new addition to this small little beach town. We normally visit Ocean Shores several times a year, however, it's been almost a year since our last trip here. We were surprised to see a new option for dining in the area, something very much needed. We were a little hesitant about trying it because, I'll admit we judged a book by its cover, it looked a little cramped and more like a club/bar than somewhere we would normally go. Eventually we decided to stop in for a late lunch before the football game crowds got there. And boy were we pleasantly surprised at the classy yet very fresh and hip energy of this place! The menu exceeds the usual pub food. I.E. The steamer clams, THE BEST we've ever had! Whoever thought to add the bacon to this already spectacular dish, BRILLIANT! The baked macaroni and cheese was creamy and flavorful!! The drinks were creative and delicious! We were greeted with a smile right when walking in, and told we could choose a table and were immediately brought menus. Our waitress name was Steffanie I believe. She was AWESOME! She gave great recommendations, and always made sure we were enjoying everything, she kept a smile and funny banter throughout!! We really felt welcome and taken care of. I didn't see any other employees until we were leaving and they were just arriving on shift, but she also smiled and greeted us! The atmosphere has potential for sure!!! Looks like if you were there at the right time, with the right crowd, it would be fabulous!! There's a dog-friendly outdoor dining patio, a large bar, several big screen TVs, and a jukebox! Unfortunately when we were there, it was a much older crowd that were negative and entitled, complained about the temperature, and the volume in the bar and how they could hear other patrons conversations louder than their own. They treated the place as if it were a library. That was kind of a mood killer, but regardless, we LOVED our experience here! And the staff handled it with grace and professionalism. We are heading back tonight again for some drinks and to check out their dinner menu. Can't wait! Bravo...

We were visiting Ocean Shores for just one night, and decided to give this place a try and everything was phenomenal. The salmon with clam chowder was some of the best I've had! The burger was amazing as well. Perfectly flavored and cooked. Compliments to the chef! Our waitress/bartender Stephanie gave great service and made some fun delicious cocktails. Im not sure if she was the owner or not but thats what it seemed by the way she cared and really tried to make sure we enjoyed our experience from start to finish (Good luck with your business, you've created a wonderful little establishment that im sure will be a great success and thank you for taking care of us 🙂) The vibe inside was beautiful, it is a small place but its got an outdoor dining area, a jukebox where you can choose the music playing over the sound system, multiple big TVs that were playing the Mariners game and other sporting events, a giant jenga game along with table trivia cards and other games, and everything was very clean and inviting. Even some of the employees that worked there were visiting as paying customers on their off days with the fun locals and regulars. Which is a tell if how great this place is!! It was such a delightful experience compared to other places in the area. It was so good we planned on going in for breakfast this morning on our way out of town, but I had mistaken their business hours with another place and they unfortunately were not open yet and we missed them. Now we have to plan another trip to Ocean Shores sooner than expected and we look forward to it. Treat this place right ocean shores, we hope they stick around for a very long time. Give them a try if you're in the area, you won't be...