The Big Elk Restaurant — Restaurant in Sequim

Last visited: May 2024

On the way from a hiking spot — Marymere Falls — to Bainbridge Island.

Stopped by here at The Big Elk Restaurant, mainly as we heard they serve Elk here.

Came here with fam, we are visiting Seattle, WA area. Group of 10 or so.

I ordered: Chocolate Milkshake Real Elk Burger (extra 1/2 lb Elk patty) Clam Chowder as soup side

Rest of group ordered: Seafood Platter Real Elk Burger (x2) Grilled Chicken Platter Fish and Chips

Ambiance was swell. We got a separate room for our group. There was a fake mirror on the wall, rather clever.

I (along with most of others) ordered Real Elk Burger, as that is a signature dish here at Big Elk. The burger is made with real Elk meat. I ordered double patty, so a little extra. Got Clam Chowder as choice of side.

I also ordered Chocolate Shake for drink and that came first. Presentation was great and I quickly finished it. It tasted sugary and good and much needed after slight dehydration from sunny weather outside.

Real Elk Burger was pretty good, and came with bacon, tomato, and cheese. It was definitely distinct taste from beef, and tasted a little like kidney to me, but in good way. There was almost zero fat on patty and just lean meat. Since I ordered extra patty, I couldn’t finish all of it, despite starting off with empty stomach, and had to pack maybe 1/4 of it to go.

The side which was Clam Chowder was just decent. It was a little too buttery and creamy for me, but it was Ok.

All in all, food was great and I’m rating up because service was really good as well as general food like apps etc. was well prepared and also presented well.

Really like this spot for Real Elk meat, and hopefully will get a chance to visit again once I’m in the Port...

The food was absolutely one of the worse meals I have had in a long time. I had fish and calamari and the clam chowder. I immediately sent back the chowder. It had absolutely no seasoning and definitely did not taste remotely like chowder. I got a salad to replace the chowder. The salad came out dripping wet and the ranch dressing definitely tasted watered down. The 2 pieces of fish were not crispy at all and again there was no seasoning. The calamari was extremely overcooked and barely chewable. Even the garlic bread was only toasted on one side and I use the term toasted loosely. My girlfriend ordered the New York steak with mashed potatoes and gravy, a salad, onion rings, and chowder. Needless to say, she took one bite of chowder and couldn’t eat it. Her steak was overcooked and, again, no seasoning. Not to mention the huge piece of gristle in it. Her mashed potatoes were flavorless and the gravy was obviously watered down. The onion rings were soggy at best. They felt like they just came out of the microwave. It was a horrible experience. And if you’re going to serve nothing but frozen food that you just throw in a fryer or microwave, you should probably have McDonalds value meal prices. Im not saying it was expensive, but I would have had better food at a fast food restaurant for 1/4...

We arrived at 9:20, walked in there was only 3 other tables occupied, one of which already had their food. 45 minutes later after not receiving our food I asked to have ours taken as a to go because we had not expected and was not told there would be a long wait and we had not assumed with only 2 other tables waiting on their food that it would take very long. The other customers that had gotten there before us did not receive their food even after we had received our food so I can’t imagine their wait time. Then before we received our food the waiter brought out a giant takeout order which had obviously stopped all cooking for everyone eating in and by that time the diner was almost packed and the waiter was telling the newcomers to the restaurant that there was a 45-50 minute wait time due to not having served anyone that had been there for over an hour at that time and had gotten there even before us. Obviously not a well ran establishment and cooks that don’t know how to pace themselves and still put out orders for the dine in customers. Sloppy customer service and huge wait times for one takeout order that stopped all incoming orders for dine in customers. Would not recommend unless you have ample amounts of time to burn for very regular food quality and customer service...