The Madrona Bar & Grill, Orcas Island — Restaurant in Orcas Island

Fantastic location right on the water with lots of windows to enjoy the incredible views that Orcas Island has to offer. We walked in at peak dinner time and were seated without delay. Our server was great, very friendly and on top of things. Despite a bit of a crowd, the noise level was more than tolerable and we rather enjoyed music selection, which was easily audible of the general restaurant noises. Being the end of a busy holiday weekend, they were out of a few things but still had plenty to choose from and made sure we knew up front what wasn't available. They have a nice selection of signature cocktails and an ok wine selection. We started with an order of clamari, which was some of the best I've had (of the battered deep-fried variety). Crispy flavorful crust with tender, perfectly cooked meat, served with a lemon wedge and a light, tangy aioli dipping sauce. For an entree, she had the flat iron steak, which demonstrated that when it comes to meat and potatoes, this place has it down. Cooked perfectly to the requested medium rare and topped with bleu cheese crumbles and balsamic vinegar, but not so much as to overpower the flavor of the quality cut of beef. Accompanied by crisp broccoli rabe and killer garlic roasted potatoes. My meal was the only misstep for the night - Caesar salad, ordered with prawns but served with scallops subbed in due to ingredient availability (our server confirmed the substitution as soon as she found out they were out of prawns). The portion of lettuce was sufficient, but it was unfortunately grossly overdressed with a creamy yet bland dressing (and I love my dressings, so too much for me means a lot). My protein turned out to be 2.5 (three technically, but the third was at most half the size of the others) slightly overcooked scallops. Not great, but it's a bar and grill, not a salad bar. The overall experience was very enjoyable and I would absolutely recommend this place, especially for an early dinner so you can enjoy the view with some daylight left, just leave the salad for a side and head for the next page...

I recently landed at Orcas Island Airport and was told this was the restaurant to visit. I was excited to go but was completely disappointed by the lack of service. Upon entering, we were not greeted at all—no “hello” or even an acknowledgment that someone would be with us shortly, despite multiple open tables. While waiting, I called to check if there was a wait. The person who answered said, “No, come on in.” I mentioned that our group was already sitting up front, ready to be seated, only for her to casually respond that they were "super busy."

Ten minutes passed after the phone call, and still, not a single word was said to us, even though we had been waiting for so long after making the call. The way we were treated was beyond disappointing, especially after we had been so excited to visit. It’s truly frustrating to have such a lack of professionalism and basic courtesy when we were looking forward to a great experience. Overall terrible experience, truly disappointing.

I appreciate the response, but let’s be clear about what actually happened. We waited at the front for 20 minutes without being acknowledged, despite the fact that the restaurant was busy. No greeting, no update—just ignored. When I finally called from the host stand, I was told there were seats for two and to come right in, yet when we tried to get seated, we were met with attitude and excuses. I understand being short-staffed, but basic customer service—acknowledging guests and providing clear communication—shouldn’t be optional. Instead of taking responsibility, your response is dismissive and condescending. A simple ‘We’re sorry for the experience, and we’ll work on improving our communication’ would have gone much further than trying to belittle a valid complaint. Hopefully, you take this as an opportunity to improve instead...

The food and drinks were good; the service was 2 stars. After we spent had spent an hour enjoying the sunset and over 100 dollars on food and drink, our server asked us if we would move for another incoming table. We mistakenly said yes. We had just been served ice cream - and our check before the ice cream came (without asking). We were moved to the bar area, and our old table with a great view was given to a party of 3. We had assumed that our table was going to be needed for a large group, but there were other tables that the 3 top could have sat at with a similar view. So, we were asked to move for no reason. Then our check was left at the register for 15 minutes, while we had finished our drinks and ice cream. We took action and snatched our own check which was clearly in view so we could pay them. The bartender gave the check and card to our server, who then printed out our check again and kept the card. We flagged them down to pay once more.

There were other strange interactions that happened, such as the hostess slowly pacing around and asking us if we wanted our check while our server was getting our second round of drinks. And then later making us bring our own drinks over to the new table but not bringing our waters, or new waters. Did we want to keep our unfinished ice cream? (Yes...)

All this happened with 1/3rd of the restaurant full on a Tuesday night. We really came away with a...