My husband and I had a very disappointing experience for our Valentine's Day date at Dockside. My review was reported so this is an edited version without commentary on our subpar service. The food was delicious, an easy 5 stars, despite being served cold. My husbands ribeye was delicious and cooked exactly as he asked. The elk was AMAZING, melt in the mouth. I really wish it had been brought warm because it would've been so much better. They had roses on our table, which was very nice. The service on the other hand was incredibly disappointing. We arrived 5-10 minutes before our reservation and it was immediately evident that they were understaffed. The staffer who sat us was very kind and offered us a space heater due to the cold and being sat so close to the door. We agreed, but he did not come back with said heater. Our waitress was unprofessional (subjective experience bas been removed). We asked for the space heater because it was very cold inside, and she did bring one. Once the menus were given to us she came back 20 minutes after our reservation time to take our orders. Then we waited 90 minutes for the food to arrive. Between that time we had the wrong food brought to us on 2 separate occasions. She did the same thing with the tables near us. (Unprofessional conduct removed). She did say that a staffer had dropped out at 3 pm so they were shorthanded. But irrespective of the cause, it really soured our evening. I wanted to provide a full review of my experience but after my review was reported I will just say, this was only our experience. I've been to dockside before with much better service. But we will NEVER go again after this experience. I was looking forward to going to Dockside Bistro after not going for a few years and was so embarrassed having planned this special night. I talked it up to my husband and was very much let down. read more

Dockside Bistro & Wine Bar - New American Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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Came the day before Mother's Day because everything was booked out for pretty much every restaurant this weekend. Why do we always forget to make reservations ahead of time? Anyway my party cam in three different cars and I thought they would give away our table because of that, but our server was nice and showed me to my table anyway. Maybe it was because it was a bigger table and they knew it would be hard to get us another one like that because most of the tables are two tops. Service took a long time(we even waited for our bread for a long time), but he food was solid. The bread was served with a sun dried tomato chimichurri type sauce and my 10 year old niece liked it so much she ate half of it. Three of us got the scallops and everyone liked it. Mom got the Ahi appetizer and she liked it. The calamari was great- nice and salty and mixed with a couple of potato straws and onion sticks, which was a nice surprise. I had the cod, which was nice, but I've had better. We were a little far from the window,so we didn't get to enjoy the view, but at least we were in our own little seating area where we had a lot of space. Dinner was fine, but not great. Nothing stood out food wise, the food came super slow even though when we were there,it wasn't really busy and those things matter. Our server was great and the ambiance nice, but the dinner was super pricey for just okay food. read more

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I attempted to make a next-day reservation yesterday and was unsuccessful. Your website directed me to OpenTable and the OpenTable website directed me to contact the restaurant directly. No big. Happens. I called at 8:15p last night. I figured since you close at 8 I might be able to catch you before you leave. Again, unsuccessful. I also sent an email to the email address you have listed on your website (sent about 9p). I wouldn't expect a response until the morning at the earliest so, I went to bed. Today, I've checked my email account regularly. As of this posting at 2:35p, no reply. And you were open from 11a-2p per your website. Maybe I'm expecting WAY TOO MUCH from a small business but I don't think so. Please do better. read more

Drinks were great, food was great, staff were amazing!! The presentation was amazing and the very best part was the calamari. Of course also a beautiful view. read more

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WARNING! VERY SLOW SERVICE. DO NOT COME DURING LUNCH IF YOUR TIME IS LIMITED. We had a reservation for a party of 8. We arrived at 11:30 am and were seated promptly. The server took drink orders but didn't return for another 30-40 minutes. When she brought back our drinks, we immediately ordered appetizers and asked for bread to get us started. She did not return again until the food was ready, which took another 30-40 minutes. We had to continuously wait to request drink orders. The bread was not served first; it came out with the appetizers. Before we could order lunch, she disappeared and didn't come back until the appetizers were done. We finally ordered lunch and after an hour had passed, I realized I had somewhere I needed to be. I'm not sure if they were short staffed or if they just forgot about us since we were seated in the back. When we arrived, I looked at the front and only two people were seated. But when I went to check on our food, I noticed the front had filled up and nearly every single person had food in front of them OR WERE PAYING FOR THE MEALS THEY FINISHED, and they were seated after we arrived. I asked our server what the status had been because we've already been there for two hours and hadn't been served lunch. Her response was, "well you didn't order two hours ago." I thought that was a bold statement coming from a server who checked on us twice in a two hour period. She said our meals were currently being plated. I asked her to have mine boxed up because I had to leave. She rolled her eyes at me when she turned her head and said sure. I walked back to my table to let them know I was leaving. I was told that they weren't served for another 30 minutes after I had left, and were offered a discount for the slow service. From start to finish, lunch was a total of three hours. That's unacceptable, especially during the work week. Our party was celebrating admin day, and unfortunately, I wasn't able to participate due to the length of time it took to be served. I didn't appreciate the snarky attitude from the server and would much rather spend my money at an establishment that appreciates their customers and can serve food in a timely manner. Notes on the food: the raspberry lemonades were good. A bit sour from the fresh squeezed lemon juice, but still good. The shareable appetizers seemed good; everyone ate it all up. I had some slices of bread because I'm not a fan of seafood. I wasn't able to eat my meal, had it boxed up, warmed it up later and of course it was terrible. I had the chicken sandwich with fries. I don't care what anyone says - fries re-warmed is terrible and a waste of money. Needless to say, that meal made its way to the garbage instead of my belly. Dockside is off my list of places to return to. read more

Went to make a reservation and learned that Dockside closed. So sorry to see them go, nice couple had taken over from previous owner and improved things. Had the best Thanksgiving meal of our lives there! Wish them well on their next chapter read more

I used to love this place, but now it is dead to me. I ostensibly made a lunch reservation on Open Table, which is where the Reservation button on Dockside's website takes one. It gave me the message that Open Table does not do reservations for this restaurant. I then tried emailing the restaurant; no response. We wound up going nearby to eat, and I tried the door of Dockside. Locked. This was 12:30 on a Thursday, when they say they are open, though I noted that hours are no longer posted at the door. Too bad. It was once a great place, but current ownership/management is lame. I am finished. read more

This was our first time dining at Dockside. It was recommended to us by a friend and didn't disappoint. My husband ordered the halibut and I ordered the humbolt goat cheese salad. They were both excellent. If you just want something lite the salad was a good choice. We also both had a red blend wine which was just ok. I would get the Cabernet next time. The halibut was excellent. Cooked perfect! The service was quick, view was Fabulous as we got to see the sunset, and the atmosphere was warm. We will definitely be going back! read more

Dockside Bistro & Wine Bar - Halibut - New American Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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We easily made reservations online via google search for waterfront restaurants, their website took us to Open Table. It opened at noon and that was perfect timing for us. We were towing a trailer and lucked out at street parking, although it's pay to park with pesky meters. There was plenty of parking in the lots. The server was so friendly and responsive, we ordered bread and their special tuna appetizer, salad and crab chowder then prawn fettuccine and a hamburger with skinny fries. Everything was so delicious and she made sure we had time to enjoy each course before bringing out the next. They offer a half bottle of champagne, which is imported from France and she fresh squeezed the orange juice. Full bar available. Nice booth seating elevated to see over the other tables so your view of the marina is less obstructed. This was a fantastic experience and we will definitely be back. read more

Dockside Bistro & Wine Bar - Champagne and fresh squeezed orange juice - New American Near Me - Olympia, Washington

It had been several years since our last visit and we had really been looking forward to a great meal, however that wasn't the case this time. My mother ordered the Caesar salad with crab, she wasn't disappointed with the crab portion, but said the dressing was more like a vinegar based and didn't impress. I was torn between the El Cuba Libre sandwich and the Apple Bri, I ordered the El Cuba and WAY TOO much mustard tang, the meat was over cooked and dry... the entire sandwich was actually inedible. When the waitress asked how it was, I couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth, so I simply said "we're ready for the check" read more

Excellent meal, service (Cortney is great), and ambiance. Don't miss the Seafood Martini. Also loved their poached pear salad. The lamb entrees were delicious: rack of lamb (beautiful presentation) and lamb Bolognese. Departing, we looked at other diners plates. We considered the filet mignon and black cod dishes. Next time we'll get those. Filet is thick cut and cooked perfectly You can easily get two meals from that steak. Saw the black cod go by with a server and it looked fabulous. Great wine selection but they also have a full bar. We tried their house Manhattan and Old Fashioned and loved them. read more

We were invited to a friend's birthday party on a Saturday night. We arrived before they did and Dockside was kind enough to have us seated. It was nice to be warm and comfy while we went over our options and waited for our host. Here's what I enjoyed: Bread Service: the whole table enjoyed their bread service. The bread was simple and the oil it came with had a mild flavor. It was a good way to tide us over to our other dishes. Bee Sting: This cocktail ROCKS. I loved this! The balance was perfect-the lime was the first and last thing I tasted. The tequila and mezcal were present but not too much and the honey brought it all together. I had two of these. Simple and good-and it complemented my entree! Calamari: this calamari came with three sauces-a peanut one, a lemon/citrus, and a sweet and sour one. All matched to the calamari really well. I liked that this calamari was NOT deep fried/fried very lightly. I like the taste of fresh calamari better than fried and the freshness shone with ALL the sauces. Pistachio encrusted halibut (the seasonal white fish): this was my favorite dish of the night and I am so glad I got this. Initially I was a little hesitant to pay $40 for this. BUT the serving size was perfect. The creaminess of the gnocchi balanced well to the freshness of the fish and the tartness of the basil. The fish changes seasonally and I need to come for all the changes. This came with some greens on the top. This was my favorite seafood of the entire year. Key lime pie: this was tart and creamy! The flavor of the pie was outstanding. Our waitress Karen was a delight, too. She checked on us regularly, made great recommendations and was helpful and professional. We couldn't have been happier. read more

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From the great service, the softly lit, warm, ambiance and excellent meal. I can't rate this place high enough!! Will definitely be back! read more

Dockside Bistro & Wine Bar - Scallops! - New American Near Me - Olympia, Washington

Service was outstanding, food great & love the quiet ambiance. Favorite place to celebrate read more

Dockside Bistro & Wine Bar - Pistachio crusted halibut, scallops - New American Near Me - Olympia, Washington

The food service are amazing. The sea scallops were delicious. It was a great place to celebrate a couple birthdays.

Sadly, The quality of the food has gone down . The blue cheese dressing was watery and the mussels were not fresh. Our server was great, but the food not so great. read more

Yum, yum, yum! My pistachio crusted halibut was simple amazing. The fish sat on top of artichoke gnocchi. I could smell the artichokes before my server set my plate on the table. Rich, creamy sauce full of flavor, the gnocchi just melted in my mouth. The amazing food was matched with the outstanding service. He was very attentive to my needs yet didn't intrude as I slowly savored every single bite. Next time I'm in town, I will definitely come back. Just note, it's a small place so be sure to make reservations read more

Dockside Bistro & Wine Bar - First bite of my pistachio crusted halibut. - New American Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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Everything is perfect. Food, views, wait staff, I was floored. Big bill $$$ was totally worth it - we went celebrating my friends marriage and we had such a lovely time! read more

This place is a really excellent restaurant in all respects: the food is superb and beautifully presented, the service is smooth, the servers know the menu and are helpful, the venue is nice. Others have remarked on particular dishes and I will only add that the crab chowder is the best I have ever had, bar none. They earn the five star ratings. read more

Hugely disappointing. Group of us went for dinner. Server was not professional and was not attentive. But of course had auto gratuity because of our table size. Perfect example of how auto gratuity doesn't work for the patrons. Couple of expensive drinks and a entrees incorrect. Salads and were extremely small Food took a really long time on a night that wasn't busy. About 35-40 minutes for dinner and Only a few tables in entire restaurant. Worst value of a restaurant we've been to in a couple years. Overpriced, Under portioned, and Under Quality was consensus. Don't recommend and we won't be be returning. read more

Lovely experience. We arrived early but got sat right away. The carrot ginger soup was wonderful as a pre meal. When the steak head filet and risotto was so delicious. Everyone enjoyed their meal. read more

Saturday July 21st. Reserved party of 4 at Noon for birthday. Courtney was our server. She was excellent and very well versed on the menu and the specials. She was pleasant and efficient. We did not feel rushed. The food was absolutely amazing. We had appetizers, Main and dessert. Zack, the owner and chef, did a fantastic job with preparing all the food items and the perfection of plating. 5 star all day. Thank you so much. We will be returning. It's worth every pennie. read more

I had made a reservation for 13 people for a team dinner the night before. They had organized a private room for us. The minimum we had to spend was $500 for over 9 people since we had a private room. The food and service were both great. Each team member enjoyed their meal. I had ordered the Beet Salad which was not sweet like most places. Their brussel sprouts were crunchy and seasoned. The Molten Chocolate Duet with Vanilla ice cream was amazing. My coworkers enjoyed their steak and fish. I would come here for their service and food. They personalized each person's meal and delivered food in a timely manner. read more

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Great service, food was very good. Server recommended a great wine that paired with my dinner.

Mediocre food at too high prices. Trying to be a fine dining establishment, but charging $6 for what is described as "bread service." Overpriced beet salad with 4 pieces of roasted beets. Cocktail was supposed to be "Empress Fizz" at $14. Tasted like cheap champagne with too much lemon. This restaurant is pretending to be more than it's not. read more

Went here for Date Night after being home with this covid thing for 2 months , I was so excited to finally eat out !! My 4 stars go out to Food !! Let me just say the food was amazing , seafood quality is so good ! From fresh oysters to scallops , everything was scrumptious ! I'll post pics as well ! Place isn't fine dinning at all let me point that out ! Decor and vibe reminded me of red lobster , but the prices were a bit high which is fine given the ingredients they work with plus seafood isn't cheap ! One deal breaker why I wouldn't return here despite the delicious food , was the service ! Super long service , when the waiter showed us to the table he right away pointed out to us that we didn't have masks and next time we should wear masks entering their place ! ( let me say no one entered with masks ) of that's their rule it should've been mentioned to me when I made reservations ) so that annoyed me big time !! After we got seated took 30 min for them to take our drinks orders , another 30 to take our menu order , 40 mins later apps came , 30 min came salad , after we finished that 40 min later came the entrees !! It was a long wait between apps , entrees , sides !! Pros : Food was amazing ! Cons : outdated place, horrible service , rude waiter read more

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We stopped in Olympia for a few days before vacationing in Washington. This included having lunch at Dockside Bistro. It was a beautiful, sunny day so we sat outside. Everything about this meal made it a highlight of the whole vacation. Service by Lynn S, the beautiful scenery and the exceptional food. True chef cooking: stunning composed dishes with layers of flavor. The whole experience was special. What a treat! Seafood Martini -Lobster/Crab/Shrimp/Scallop/Caviar Sweet Vermouth Cream Sauce Crab cake and prawns with Lemongrass Beurre Blanc read more

Dockside Bistro & Wine Bar - Seafood Martini, Crab Cake and Prawns - exceptional flavors. - New American Near Me - Olympia, Washington

Such a great place and I would say that the service makes the place. The food was excellent don't get me wrong but I have come to realize that it is the combination of food, service and ambiance that makes a place great. Everything we had from start to finish was good. I also think that a place where everyone enjoys their choice means that holistically a restaurant has excellence. A fab Negroni which sometimes can be too bitter. The bread is warm with a nice olive oil, garlic and tomato dipping sauce. Artichoke dip nice without being too heavy. Humboldt fog salad was delish. My pistachio crusted halibut with gnocchi was soooo good. Simple but delicious. Elk duet had a lot going on but so interesting. Dessert closed out as good as everything else. Bread pudding was amazing... a little chocolate was the surprise for me. Local or passing through this is a must stop! read more

Perfect place for an anniversary dinner. Right on the pier in old town Olympia, with the local marina view. It was rainy yet this place was lil busy so it tells you even on a rainy day it must be worth it. Truth is, it was worth it, the food is excellent, my wife had their awesome seasonal special seafood (forgot the name ) and I had their menu item rack of lamb. We also ordered the old world wine. And the wine choice itself was also excellent.. overall staff is 5 starts, the food 5 stars + times a googleplex lol and the inside even with all this covid crap still looked presentable.. wish we could of sat at the bar area. Overall we were very satisfied and it made our anniversary dinner worthwhile and memorable. read more

Dockside Bistro & Wine Bar - New American Near Me - Olympia, Washington

I've never had seafood cooked as well as it was here. The Seafood Martini was a holdover from the previous menu that could have been "seafood bits in creamy sauce" but became "succulent bites of seafood in a silky sauce." The oysters were fresh and local (they are right next to the best local seafood monger). The specials were also seafood, lingcod and ahi - the lingcod held together just enough to melt in your mouth, the ahi was perfectly seared. Excellent wine selection. Creme brulee had a thick and perfect top, perfect end to a perfect meal. read more

We had dinner here for the first time. It has great views of waterfront and interior of restaurant is lovely. Very relaxed atmosphere. The food was outstanding. Highly recommend the Oysters and the Black Cod. Our server Courtney was amazing. Great recommendations. Can't wait to come back for another visit. read more

YUM, YUM, YUM!! Our favorite spot to celebrate when traveling between Portland and Seattle. The service is amazing - attentive, knowledgeable and consistent. The restaurant feels intimate and cozy. We like their booths - you can still see the views but it feels more private and romantic. The food is consistently well executed, beautifully presented and delicious. I dream about the Seafood Martini appetizer - so rich and tasty. Can't wait to return. read more

Great food and atmosphere, friendly service.... I would definitely recommend this place for lunch or dinner read more

Food was very well prepared, service was thorough and pleasant. The location and interior were also very nice I would go again read more

C+ for the effort. Not sure it holds up to the quality that prices would indicate. It was an experience but not the experience we were looking for. There's an extra charge for bread that is an exceptionally small portion. The crab and artichoke dip didn't taste like it had any crab in it, and crab is pretty pungent and I have a very sensitive sense of smell. The beet salad was mostly lettuce with very little chevre and the beets were cold, usually a salad like this has warm beets. Felt like there was a lot of pressure to order additional items. Specifically, the "special" was exactly that. It seemed like a last minute attempt to make up for the lack of regular menu items that weren't available. read more

Intimate dining by the waters. More romantic than business but still business appropriate. Free 2 hour parking in the green zone. Serious server and only one for the entire restaurant the night I went. The oysters were fantastic. Served over rocks. Complimentary bread with a fantastic house olive oil came out afterwards. I ordered the lamb while my fellow diner ordered the special salmon. The lamb was cooked sous vide style to a medium rare and seared at the last moment. The onion rings were stale. I requested root vegetables instead of asparagus and they came out great. The lamb wasn't too gamey but the sauce didn't accent it much. My fellow diner loved her salmon despite it being medium instead of medium rare. It came with a host of side veggies over a squash bisque. I ended the meal with a creme brulee. All desserts are freshly made and take 10 minutes. The creme brulee was chocolatey and came with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream. read more

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Fathers Day treat. Ambiance nice... we sat inside. Service was good. I can break the food down into categories, great to meh. 1. Olympia Oysters were amazzzzing. GREAT! Fresh Juicy liquor. Great cocktail sauce. 2. Egg rolls. Meh. I wish they would remake these without the pork. A fresh 5 spice crunchy veggy egg roll would go great with the light mirin sauce they served with it. 3. Seafood martini. Very good. Flavorful. Rich. Nice presentation. 4. Seafood chowder. Good but Needed salt and pepper badly. 5. Filet mignon. GREAT! Cooked medium. That bourbon sauce was fantastic. 6. Halibut with arugula pesto gnocchi. GREAT! Cooked perfectly. Fresh pesto. 7. 5 spice duck. Skip it! Duck was over cooked. Fat was not rendered enough. Rice was flavorless. Not enough sauce. So dissapointed. 6. Black berry cobbler with Olympic Mountain vanilla ice cream. Good not great. Needed a few more berries. Very nice though and plenty to share. We will go back for the oysters. read more

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Amazing evening. this is one of Olympia's few fine dining venue's. My wife and I spent an evening enjoying Dockside Bistro, located on Percival Landing, on a Friday evening. The food was beyond excellent, impeccably prepared and delicious. The service was spot on....very attentive, yet not overbearing. The menu lists less than 10 entrees in total. I had the filet mignon and my wife had the catch of the day. Both were prepared in accordance with our desires. We had the baked scallops for an appetizer and found them to be perfectly done. As you can tell, we found our evening to be wonderful. read more

The food and service are amazing. Our favorite spot for dinner in the area! Scallops are delicious. We have shared the mussels and fritters, hazelnut salad, and steak skewers. But the staff is what has always made the place special. They are personable, fun and never make you feel rushed. read more

My guy reserved a table for Valentines Day. I was wary lest there be ulterior motives (I usually get candy and a card) but there were none and we enjoyed ourselves. It had been a couple years since we last visited. The ambiance is still upscale and intimate. We were greeted upon arriving and seated quickly. Our server was wonderful. She treated us with respect and passed no judgment - we were dressed very casually. She gave us time to make careful choices on a busy night and helped me narrow down my wine choice for my entree. We started with 'grown-up' drinks - Greg had their take on an Old Fashioned, and I had the Basil Martini. It was so tasty, I wanted to take a bath in it!!! Our appetizers were good. Elk Carpaccio and Seafood Martini. Their selection was so enticing that I could have ordered each item as my dinner! Next, we had Lobster Bisque and they Goat Cheese Hazelnut Pear Salad. My salad was 'just okay' - no better or worse than the one I have at I'talia by the mall. I was not impressed with the bisque, I make a better version. Entrees were another 'just okay' selection. Pistachio & Parmesan Encrusted Halibut with Pesto Gnocchi - Duck a l'Orange. The former being the winner between the two. Yes, we had dessert. Usually, I get the Creme Brulee but opted for a piece of Red Velvet cake. It wasn't dry but it didn't have a lot of flavors, nor did the (very little) frosting. The Duo Creme Brulee (regular & chocolate ) was the winner. A different entree - or all items from the appetizer selection would have made for a really good dinner - each costing nearly the same as the entrees. Definite Suggestions: Elk Carpaccio, Seafood Martin, Basil Martini. read more

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