KettleFish Silverdale — Restaurant in Washington

Today was a rare occasion, deciding to eat fried food, I can't say we avoid it altogether, but we usually try and avoid eating anything fried most of the time. On a whim today, my husband brought up having lunch there; that was fine by me; loving seafood. The first thing I noticed walking in was the lack of seating, two booths, and a handful of counter seating, so chances are when you experience this restaurant, you'll be experiencing it to go. We, on the other hand, were able to get a booth. The second thing I noticed was how sanitary and spotless everything looked. A clean restaurant to me usually means the owners and workers take pride in what they cook and serve up, whether the food is tasty or not, most of the time one can be reassured that you'll probably get fresh food. I believe the gentleman who took our order was Paddy O'Brien, which I think is one of the owners; either way, he appeared to be friendly and courteous. Onward to what we ordered. I ordered the clam strips and chips; my husband ordered the clam chowder, cod, and chips; it took no time at all for the gentleman to make it and bring it to us, we were the only ones there, but we eat earlier than most people who eat lunch. Kettlefishes in-house clam chowder was great, it certainly shined, and we felt it was in close comparison to Ivars clam chowder. Aside from the clam chowder, we enjoyed the clam strips the most; maybe it's because we haven't had clam strips in so long, but there were plenty decent size clam strips for the taking, a healthy portion of french fries, that were good. Still, when I go out on a limb and eat french fries, I prefer crispy, and their seafood sauce was perfect in taste. The cod, although fresh and not to bad in taste, isn't something we'd order again like we would the clam strips; the breading on the fish threw us off, which happens to be more along the lines of bread crumbs. The cod was joined with a healthy dose of french fries as well and tartar sauce. I am not a tarter sauce fan, but my husband, who does enjoy tartar sauce, said this one was just ok in taste and agreed that their seafood sauce ranked supreme. One thing that was great about this place was not dealing with greasy food; there have been many times in the past where we have eaten fish and chips, and the fish was engulfed in grease, which made it soggy; this was not one of those times. For those who are not aware of Kettlefish location, they're located off Byron street in old town Silverdale. Kettlefish happens to share the same parking lot with Silverdale Dental, and depending on how busy Silverdale Dental is will depend on where you park; you may have to park on the street and do a little bit of walking. My take away is: This place is a decent little establishment, with enormous potentials, and I will return eventually (remember we try and avoid a lot of deep-fried foods) and try something else, prawns and chips are sounding good! Their menu isn't overwhelming; the time it took to get our food was more than acceptable; even if your a lucky one that scores seating, you don't have to worry about loud crowds. They offer beer and wine, a happy hour, and mobile ordering! Supporting small local businesses means an improvement in our local economy, and small businesses often have a lesser or smaller...

READ THE LOW SCORE REVIEWS BEFORE WASTING YOUR MONEY.

Went after work for a quick bite. At 5pm I was the only customer. Kettle(FISH) is the name, but of the 12 items on the menu only one had fish... The cod option. A few crab mixed in options and shrimp options .. But the majority of the menu items were clams and mussels. Strike one. After looking at the menu I decided on the Mac and Cheese with crab, but I was informed they were out of the sauce to make it. When you have 12 menu items it's not a good sign that you are out of one of the options that isn't mussels. So instead I ordered two pieces of cod and one order of oysters without fries (chips). $30

Cod is the blandest of all fish but with the right batter, ala Long John Silvers, it can be delicious.. This cods batter, as far as I could tell had absolutely zero seasoning and fell off completely when trying to eat it. The cod wasn't horrible but at the same time had no flavor and was extremely bland. Strike two. The oysters in the same batter had a little better flavor due to the taste of the oysters themselves but I would still classify the order as bland. Yes, they served everything with the obligatory tarter sauce but I've never been a fan and was expecting tasty food without having to add condiments for flavor. $7 per piece for a sliver of bland cod I felt was too expensive but to each their own. Lastly and for the final strike, an hour after eating the food my stomach was upset and I had to make a run for the bathroom. It was definitely the oysters. I don't believe they were fresh at all.

Would I go back here again.. Nope. Not impressed.

After reading other reviews, I'm not the only one who thinks the food is bland, overpriced and caused sickness.. Whenever they get a poor review, they address it by saying they will fix the issue.. But some of these one star reviews go back up to five years! So they obviously aren't fixing anything.. Even the three star reviews for the place say it's overpriced and bland. They really aren't gonna change anything until they fold due to zero customer retention.

I should have read the other reviews first before wasting my money.

Cheap quality food marked up too much to...

Clean restaurant, professional staff, and great food. It isn't inexpensive, but the flavor is what should be expected for the price.

Clam Chowder: excellent flavor, although i personally prefer that the chunks of clam be smaller. Fish & Chips: Only Cod available; not greasy, cooked perfectly, breading had appropriately subtle flavor and didn't overwhelm the fish; the French fries were somewhat generic, but tasted just fine - overall, it tasted great, and i have high standards for seafood, especially Fish & Chips.

i would say i prefer Kettlefish Fish & Chips to Ivar's, but Ivar's (the restaurant, not the fast food option in Seattle) also serves halibut and a has a wider menu. Ivar's, of course, is also a bit more expensive, albeit with a more upscale environment and presentation. Kettlefish is certainly better than the Ivar's fast food option, on all counts, except the personal preference of mine with regard to the clam chowder.

The Kettlefish staff was friendly and professional. They clearly know what they're doing. They only opened earlier this last Summer (2019), so all the equipment, appliances, and technology are shiny and new. Being fairly familiar with the technology, i think they made some great decisions.

i appreciated the selection of locally-brewed beverages, including a few options i had not previously seen.

If you decide to stop by, make sure you sign up for their loyalty program: you'll want...