Ivar's Salmon House

Prices up, food quality down. I hesitate to give this a low review because this has been our #1 favorite restaurant for many years with its great food, good service, and awesome views. As a reviewer noted some of their prices recently increased by $3/entree (I only noticed because I received the old menu while the rest of my table had the higher prices). The last two times, at least one person in the group has had undercooked meat or fish. Some dishes are still excellent, but you have to cross your fingers when you order the food. We'll have to think heavily before we come back again. Maybe their Sunday brunch is still good - we might give that a second chance.…

Good food marred by no service.. Stopped by for lunch on my birthday. The hostess said something as she rushed us to a table, and there we were. We had one menu and another with the insides missing. After reading the whole wine list twice, with no service people in sight, I got up and walked back to the hostess area and got myself a menu. It was another 10 minutes before a waiter came by and asked if we' like a drink. We asked for water without ice and I asked for coffee. He brought us water a few minutes later and took our orders for lunch. During a long wait, I would have asked for coffee but there was no one around. The two other parties were enjoying some kind of free birthday lunch - not offered to me even though this was the first thing my wife told the hostess when we arrived. It seemed like a very long time and we were finally served. I asked for coffee and the waiter finally brought me some. I wiped the spilled coffee from the saucer with my knapkin. (Can you tell I was getting iritated?) I noticed that two of the three plates on our table were chipped; not something Ivar would have tolerated.

The fish was fresh and fine. The tarter sauce seemed fresh and made in-house but it was bland and not special. After serving our meals, our waiter disappeared again. I would have liked a second cup of coffee but I could not find ANYone. After waiting another 10 minutes, we got up and walked to the hostess station to pay. The hostess tracked down our waiter and he showed up with our check. He made a big deal of looking at my ID before allowing me to use a credit card, and told me what fine service that is to safeguard my credit card. He told me some of his life story. I wondered what service is like in Texas, his home State.

I will probably not go back. I might go again alone, but I certainly would not take friends there. I did not ever get upset but I was (really) astonished that such a well known, iconic, restaurant would prove to be so dismal.

We left and drove to a little cafe where I bought a cup of coffee to go. (grin)…

Happy Hour Drinks, I’m there!. A recent impromptu date night led me to Happy Hour at Ivar’s Salmon House. Right off the bat, I was pumped to go-I had only been to an Ivar’s once to pick up a bowl of chowder. We got there around 6:30, just in time for happy hour drinks and food. Seating was a breeze, the waitress was really friendly and most of all the happy hour menu made me so “whoa, good thing we came here!”

After ordering a couple beers, we moved onto fish & chips, clam chowder, and calamari. The beer was delicious…the food was disappointing. I remember the bowl of chowder I had a while ago was so good! Of the three food items, the calamari was what I ended up finishing off because I was so hungry. I guess the morale of this story: just because happy hour goes until 7 doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat a little something beforehand.

I will go again but I think only to have drinks with friends before heading to dinner somewhere else. Perhaps I’ll try the food again in the next couple of months…or I’ll just stick with the other chowder places in Seattle that I know I’ll enjoy.…