Ivar's Fish Bar — Restaurant in Seattle

My friend and I had the most amazing trip to Seattle, until we got to this place, the final stop for our trip. When we arrived, we walked up to the host stand. The two hostesses completely ignored us for 2 minutes while they continued their conversation. Finally a manager came over, and then all 3 proceeded to stare at us, still without a single word spoken. We stared back awkwardly until I said “uh, hi? We’d like a table for 2?” There was a 10 minute wait, and then we were sat. The hostess still didn’t speak a word to us. It took a long time for someone to come take our order, though when he finally did, our server was very friendly and accommodating. The food was very bland. For the price point at this restaurant, we expected amazing food. The fries were mushy and cold. The mussels were fine. The caesar salad tasted grocery-store bought, with giant chunks of cheese bigger than the lettuce. Then it took forever to pay. I also noticed there weren’t any women on staff except the hostesses, which felt odd. When I asked if they have any female servers, the manager said they’re all moms? So they work days? So do they not hire young women?

As two young women ourselves, we couldn’t help but wonder if this place didn’t treat us better because of our age, or because we weren’t dressed well (we were on the road, travelling home). Or maybe they give everyone this kind of service equally. Or maybe they were all having a bad day?

As someone who has worked in restaurants for over a decade, I don’t...

Hello!!! It is on the waterfront people! What more can a Seattleite ask for?! And it has 2 outdoor seating areas and 2 restaurants. Option number 1: fine dining (awesome native decor and embellishments, super large bathrooms, friendly staff in abundance, expensive AF (as f%ck) menu!) They recently updated their menu and unfortunately it got more expensive and less tasty. However, it's a classic Seattle dinner spot to win over your visitors from out-of-state and keeps the kids attention going with the decor. Outdoor patio with happy hour menu Monday- Friday. Worth it! Still too expensive! Only Option number 2: (unless it's raining) Ivar's has a walk up window which has been there for years. Menu is very limited to basic fishy chippy chowder scenarios, but it's quick. It's affordable! It's quick. Did I mention quick and cheap (every pun/typo intended). Plus here's the kicker.... you have access to a large patio with no staff to bother your meal. You come and go as you please.... you can even pull your boats right up to the duck dock and tie it off for a quick bite. The view is to die for and its very hard to find anywhere else for that matter. Unless your sitting across the water in Portage bay in the grass. And even still, you don't get the full view of the entire city from both sides. Lake union at it's finest! Go enjoy!...

It's a cozy streetside shack attached to the more formal-setting restaurant. The main items they serve are fish and chips and chowders (red, white, and salmon). Of course, they sell other seafare. I ordered a clam chowder bowl (there is also a cup size, a "tanker" size that is 32 oz. and meant for multiple people, and a bread bowl for the chowder). The chowder was delicious, especially on a cold, rainy Seattle day. It was a bit pricey, coming in at over $6 for this size (an additional dollar and change for the salmon version), but I would consider ordering the same thing again. It had a very nice "homemade" feel to it, with the potatoes and carrots being perfectly soft bite-sized pieces and the taste being somewhat typical for a chowder like this (so no surprises). It was creamy but not heavy and it was served right away (actually, the wait time from ordering to getting the food is very short, even with other people in line). Finally, the fish bar also has typical condiments like malt vinegar, ketchup, and tartar sauce. All utensils are compostable, as are the soup cup and lid, as expected of Seattle. Given its proximity to some work areas and fast service, I would come again and invite coworkers for a...