The Olympic Peninsula and Washington Coast Restaurants

Port Townsend reigns as the foodie capital of the Olympic Peninsula, where Pacific Northwest coastal cuisine prevails. For a small town, it features an impressive collection of casual yet upscale dining options, some with sweeping bay views. Influences include Mediterranean, Latin, and Southern American cooking. Many restaurants and pubs offer straight-from-the-farm organic herbs and vegetables as well as locally crafted artisanal breads and cheeses and, of course, shellfish and salmon from local waters.

The entire Olympic Culinary Loop—from Port Townsend, Sequim, Port Angeles, and Forks to the Long Beach Peninsula(www.olympicculinaryloop.com)—is best known for its seafood, fresh from local bays and inlets or wild caught in the Pacific Ocean by local fishermen. Many restaurants along the route feature fish-and-chips, chowders, oyster or salmon burgers, crab cakes, cioppino, clams, and mussels. The peninsula also offers many family-friendly and down-home eateries, from hearty burger and breakfast joints to authentic Thai, Japanese, and Mexican restaurants.

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  • 1. 42nd Street Cafe and Bistro

    $$

    Since the early '90s, this cheerful art-filled spot has been a go-to on the peninsula for celebrating special occasions and simply enjoying stellar comfort food with locally sourced ingredients. Consider kicking off your meal with goat cheese fondue or a half pound of Willapa Bay clams steamed in white wine, before graduating to flash-fried razor clams with seasonal vegetables, or ravioli stuffed with wild mushrooms and topped with tomato sauce. Rich chocolate rum truffle cheesecake is a popular dessert.

    4201 Pacific Hwy., Seaview, Washington, 98644, USA
    360-642–2323

    Known For

    • New Orleans–style beignets at breakfast
    • Exceptional Pacific Northwest wine list
    • House-made ice-cream flavors change monthly

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
  • 2. Fountain Café

    $$

    Local artwork lines the walls of this cozy, eclectic bistro inside a historic clapboard building a block off the main drag, near the foot of the Taylor Street staircase. The delicious seafood- and pasta-intensive menu reveals Mediterranean and Pacific Northwest influences—think cioppino with local shellfish in a tomato-saffron broth, and roasted walnut and gorgonzola penne with wild boar. There's a notable list of regional and Italian wines, and several imported ports and sherries to accompany any of the rich desserts.

    920 Washington St., Washington, 98368, USA
    360-385–1364

    Known For

    • Friendly, unpretentious service
    • Fresh-baked baguette with herbed butter
    • Warm gingerbread with vanilla custard

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Reservations not accepted
  • 3. Hama Hama Oyster Saloon

    $$

    You'll find Hama Hama oysters, which are harvested from this Hood Canal shellfish operation that's been going strong since 1922, at some of the top restaurants in the Pacific Northwest. Here at the farm store and in the open-air (dress warmly on cool days) saloon, you can enjoy these fresh-shucked bivalves—along with clams and mussels raw or wood-roasted with chipotle-bourbon butter—and other tasty pub fare at lunch. Save room for the warm-chocolate fudge brownie.

    35846 U.S. 101, Lilliwaup, Washington, 98555, USA
    360-877–5811

    Known For

    • Local wines, ciders, and craft beers
    • Clams steamed in halibut–yellow curry bone broth
    • Expansive patio with water views

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon.–Thurs. in winter. No dinner
  • 4. Sabai Thai

    $$

    Local seafood—including prawns, scallops, crab, clams, and mussels—features prominently in the brightly flavored and fragrantly seasoned food at this relaxing Thai bistro on the quiet west side of town. Other delicious house specialties are spicy eggplant with red curry, and crispy half duck with bok choy and a smoky soy glaze.

    903 W. 8th St., Port Angeles, Washington, 98363, USA
    360-452–4505

    Known For

    • Warm and thoughtful service
    • Dungeness crab–fried rice
    • Very good wine list

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch
  • 5. Salty Girls Seafood

    $$

    This hip, counter-service seafood bar with a mod-industrial vibe serves Puget Sound oysters and clams on the half shell—either raw or baked with seasonal compound butters—and several beers and ciders on tap to wash them down. Oyster shooters are another favorite, and there's a short menu of other fish-centric dishes, from steamed Dungeness crab with clarified butter to chowder made with local clams, but nothing fried.

    210 W. Washington St., Sequim, Washington, 98382, USA
    360-775–3787

    Known For

    • "grown-up" grilled cheese with bacon and shrimp
    • Exceptional craft cocktails
    • Sea-salt chocolate-chip cookies

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Wed. No dinner Sun.
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  • 6. Shelburne Pub

    $$

    The dark-wood-paneled walls, floor-to-ceiling stained-glass windows, and marble café tables inside this venerable spot attest to its history of feeding locals and visitors for more than a century. Although it calls itself a pub, the Shelburne has a casually sophisticated look and vibe, and stellar yet reasonably priced Pacific Northwest fare to go with it—consider the miso-cured sablefish with bok choy and pickled shiitakes, or crispy braised pork with polenta and a blackberry gastrique (a sauce that's sweet and sour). Brunch is a popular affair on weekends. The restaurant is inside a small boutique hotel with comfy rooms.

    4415 Pacific Way, Seaview, Washington, 98644, USA
    360-642–2442

    Known For

    • Popular weekend brunch
    • Outstanding craft cocktail list
    • Locally sourced seafood and meats
  • 7. Waterline Pub

    $$

    With tall windows overlooking Ilwaco's marina, a high timber-beam ceiling, and a friendly crowd of locals and visitors, this upbeat gastropub in At the Helm Hotel is perfect for a bite to eat before or after hiking and beachcombing at nearby Cape Disappointment State Park. Highlights from the seafood-intensive menu are a platter of house-pickled fish, rich Dungeness crab bisque, lingcod fish tacos, and a Reuben with pastrami-spiced albacore steak and beer-braised sauerkraut. 

    203 Howerton Ave., Ilwaco, Washington, 98624, USA
    360-777–3824

    Known For

    • Patio with great views of Baker Bay
    • Shareable "seafood nosh" boards
    • Nice selection of Pacific Northwest wines

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon.–Wed.
  • 8. Chestnut Cottage

    $$

    There can be a wait for a table at this homey country cottage–inspired restaurant, especially on weekend mornings when hikers and families pile in for sustenance before visiting Olympic National Park. Favorites include bacon-and-Brie egg scrambles, crème brûlée French toast, and—for lunch—barbecue chicken pizzas. 

    929 E. Front St., Port Angeles, Washington, 98362, USA
    360-452–8344

    Known For

    • Pleasant patio
    • Decadent pastries
    • Pomegranate mimosas

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner
  • 9. Frontager's Pizza

    $$

    One of the most popular restaurants in the beach community of Seabrook, this cosmopolitan bistro with white brick walls, a pressed-tin counter bar, and big windows produces tantalizing pies with blistered crusts and top-notch toppings. Consider the truffle bianca with locally foraged mushrooms and fresh oregano and sage, or the pineapple-bacon pie with red onion, mozzarella, and Parmesan.

    21 Seabrook Ave., Pacific Beach, Washington, 98550, USA
    360-276–0297

    Known For

    • Great selection of creative salads and appetizers
    • Thin-crust New York–style pizzas
    • Small but thoughtful wine list
  • 10. Koko's

    $$

    A contemporary, upbeat Mexican restaurant and tequila bar that's perfect for post-beach sipping and noshing, this airy, high-ceilinged space with reclaimed-wood walls offers plenty of classics, from chicken flautas to prawn tacos. But it's the fusion-y twists, including ahi-chipotle poke bowls, chorizo burgers, and seafood pasta, that really stand out, along with an extensive list of premium tequilas and mezcal. 

    5 W. Myrtle La., Pacific Beach, Washington, 98571, USA
    360-276–1090

    Known For

    • Blueberry mezcal martinis
    • Salvadorean-style fried plantains
    • Cheerful patio
  • 11. Next Door Gastropub

    $$

    Chatter-filled and nearly always packed, this downtown neighborhood tavern with TVs airing Seattle sports games and ample sidewalk seating is popular for casual but creative comfort fare. Best bets include the citrus-crab salad with feta and avocado and the mac-and-cheese with buffalo chicken, plus an extensive list of beef and elk burgers.

    113 W. 1st St., Port Angeles, Washington, 98362, USA
    360-504–2613

    Known For

    • Well-curated craft beer list
    • Good people-watching from the patio
    • Locally line-caught albacore tuna melts

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
  • 12. Owl Sprit Cafe

    $$

    Cozy and eclectic, this little gem tucked away on a downtown side street uses locally sourced, organic ingredients in its flavorful portobello banh mi sandwiches, lamb kofta kebabs, pork belly burritos, and dinner salads. A colorful owl mural on the back wall watches over a dining room decorated with plants, patterned tablecloths, and local works of art.

    218 Polk St., Port Townsend, Washington, 98368, USA
    360-385–5275

    Known For

    • Fresh-squeezed juices and smoothies
    • Good selection of local beers and ciders
    • Vegan caramel brownies

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Wed. and Thurs. No dinner spring–fall
  • 13. Union City Market

    $$

    Operated in partnership with the nearby Alderbrook Resort, this restored market at the Hood Canal Marina is open most days for gourmet snacks and to-go items, local beer and wine, and nicely curated nautical souvenirs, and its Hook & Fork waterfront eatery serves afternoon appetizers on Friday and leisurely brunches on weekends. A juice bar doles out freshly squeezed concoctions, and the rotating brunch menu features baked oysters, smoked-trout toast, and crab BLTs and Benedicts.

    5101 Hwy. 106, Union, Washington, 98592, USA
    360-898–3500

    Known For

    • Locally caught clams, oysters, and crab
    • Casual waterfront seating
    • Monthly seafood cookouts

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed. No dinner

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