Island House Restaurant & Marina — Restaurant in Wachapreague

A little pricey, but what place isn't these days?!??? However, the service is good and the food is delicious. The time between ordering and getting the food always seems to take a little while, but I think that as a society we've come to set our internal timer on places that pre-cook a lot of things... and that's just not the case at the Island House. The portions seem decent and if compared to other similar style and priced restaurants, I'd say that they're on-par with most and better than the places that seem to serve "tiny food" (like in the Navy Federal Credit Union commercial on TV with the sailor taking about "my big sis, who likes to serve tiny food"). When the appetizers cost as much as entrees at most places, then they'd better not just be seafood, but delicious seafood.

Honestly, I was going to give 4-stars due to cost. I typically either give a 1- or 5-star rating because things either work or they don't. With restaurants, I rarely give a 5-star, and even more rarely do I give anything other than a 1-star.

The truth is, the quality and the quantity of the food has always been worthy of the prices currently listed on their menu; so they deserve 5-stars.

Is this a "5-Star Restaurant"? Well, that's a mythical title given by pompous and arrogant individuals seeking to assert their place in society as The Palate.

Again, the truth is, the Island House is every bit as delicious with the dishes they offer, as any place where I've eaten that's known as a "5-Star Restaurant", and there have been more than a few, both stateside and abroad, over the years.

It comes down to your palate and how you like your food prepared.

This is a clean, open restaurant with a beautiful view of the marsh out to barrier islands and open water, where seafood is the speciality, everything is cooked appropriately, and the desserts are delicious, as well; all served by hard-working folks who (willingly) eat there too.

The greatest test of any place is The Staff Test; get to know the staff outside of work and discover the truth about the kitchen and the staff. I've never known anyone around here to mince words about a place, even if that's the place that pays their bills. Folks here tend to err on the honest side when it comes to good eating, and the staff seems to enjoy any chance to taste test a special or menu item, as well as eat a meal there.

I think it's well worth trying for yourself, if you've never been there. After my first visit there, I've never turned down a single invitation to eat there and it's been one of the few places that I routinely recommend based on my personal experience, and not out of any need to promote a local eatery for the sake of tourism and the...

This was a disappointment. My wife and I ate lunch at the Island House Restaurant today. We've eaten there before. The location, due to the view, is perfect. Our server was polite and the service was good. My wife had delicious flounder tacos. I had a bad good, very overpriced ($21.99), oyster sandwich. The oysters were about the size of a small grape, very salty, and had a lot more batter than oyster. A bad meal can be tolerated, but we were mistreated, and that should never happen. Here is my complaint: when we ordered, our server said each of our meals included one side; she offered five choices and we both chose sweet potato fries. We didn't actually see the side choices on the menu, she gave us the choice. There was never a mention of an "upcharge" for the sweet potato fries. When we got the check, there was a $2.99 charge for each of the sides. We asked our server why we were charged for sides, and she said the upcharge was listed on the menu. So, we agreed we should pay. That should have been the end of the story, but as I was waiting at the reception area for my wife, I decided to check the menu to verify the wording about sides, i was surprised to find that the upcharge is actually listed on the menu for $1.99, not $2.99. I mentioned the price difference to our server and she said there was a price increase. Menu prices must be reliable, otherwise you can put any price on the check for any item. This is not about money at this point; it's about principles and honesty. The person at the Cash register reluctantly gave me $2. and criticized me for complaining about such a trivial thing. It turns out the "upcharge " is also the full price for the side, so it's really not an upcharge, which means we didn't get the side item that comes...

My husband Ron and I are not a one and done type consumer. We have made several trips to Wachapreague from NJ either on our way to our home in Gloucester, VA or just a weekend getaway. We always stop in and grab meal at the Island House Restaurant while we are staying at the Wachapreague Inn. Our service/meals in the past have been excellent. Tonight, however was very disappointing. With a craving for seafood on our minds we headed across the street desiring a delicious meal. We waited a few extra minutes for a window table (even though it was dark outside) and were very satisfied with our table. It went downhill from there. We were seated and waited for at least 15 minutes before Shirley (a passing waitress) noticed we had been waiting for awhile. She came over and offered to wait on us. We ordered our drinks and then decided on our meal choices. Shirley returned and took our order with a smile and preceded to her next table. After waiting several more minutes while munching on delicious biscuits we summoned Shirley to inquire about our drinks.(30 minutes since we were seated). Finally, our salad, appetizer and drinks arrived. At this point, my husband and I decided to analyze the service at tables around us. It was quite obvious that the locals/regulars had prompt and friendlier service. What a shame for people just passing through. Our meal....wow what a disappointment. My meal, tempora shrimp. It was served in a very heavy and greasy batter. Unlike any tempora I've ever had. My husband's meal was also less desirable. He ordered a fried seafood combo. Definitely not worth the price of $26.00. We are here at the Inn for another night and will be looking for a different restaurant for...