We had such a lovely evening: cocktails outside by the fire pit and then a delicious and memorable meal in a perfect setting. The appetizer course was delish--fried Brussels sprouts and roasted oysters. The soup--Ethiopian corn soup--was some of the best soup I've ever tasted. Our entrees were amazing. read more

A most lovely quaint setting with fabulously fresh local food. Love that the chef forages for many ingredients. Enjoyed our roasted Brussels sprouts, crispy perfection fried chicken, and grains with chicken meatballs and greens. The staff is friendly and lovely. You feel like you are being welcomed into someone's home for a meal that is clearly cooked with a love of the ingredients. read more

See all

Food was like art: very delicious!!! Delightful ambiance - get a deck table if you can. Recommending to all visiting Friday Harbor.

One of the finest restaurants in the Pacific Northwest is in the countryside on San Juan Island. The setting is cozy and casual as a country inn should be. The service is impeccable. But the best part is the food. Simply OUTSTANDING. We couldn't find a better combination anywhere. Mike and Claudia read more

Loved it! Loved the atmosphere, location and th food was fantastic. I normally don't like Brussels sprouts but I loved this appetizer. Then we had the scallops, and steak- everything was great. read more

For our daughter's rehearsal dinner we had 3 main specifications: a place that we could entertain 40 guests without bothering the rest of the restaurant, great atmosphere and wonderful food for both our carnivorous and vegetarian friends. Duck Soup Inn hit the spot on all 3 things; the restaurant is homey, we had the entire main room to ourselves once a few before us finished their desserts and the food was incredible! Working with Anna Lisa on designing the menu was so easy! The Carrot soup was incredible and a highlight of the meal that more than satisfied both the vegetarians and the meat-eaters as an appetizer! Our guests had a choice of locally grown meat and produce: perfectly cooked lamb chops, delicious salmon or stuffed roasted tomatoes as a main entree. The exact wines we wanted to serve were even ordered. Our daughter and her now husband love both good food and are really into nice wines. They were really happy with both as were all the guests. Our guests kept thanking us all weekend for the wonderful cuisine and experience at Duck Soup Inn. The staff was incredibly nice to work with! There are so many more things on the menu that I'd like to try and will certainly be back again to try them. read more

Just had my birthday dinner at Duck Soup and while there are several excellent restaurants on San Juan Island, this is my favorite. We had visitors from back East with us and they are true foodies, dissecting and discussing the spices involved in every dish, etc. They were truly impressed not only with the wonderful food, but the presentation, and service. While admittedly the new chef/owner is doing some things differently, it is still a fabulous place to eat. And, don't miss the mind-blowing desserts. read more

Great food, but terrible service! We've been coming here for years, so I know it was an off-night, but really, our waitress has no business waiting tables anywhere, let alone at one of the best restaurants on the island. She NEVER checked back with us to see if our food was okay, and whenever we wanted anything (more bread, wine, water, etc.), we had to flag down another staff member who would then convey our requests to our waitress. When we placed our order, she enthusiastically stated that X appetizer was "my favorite thing on the menu!" When the table right next to us ordered a different appetizer, she said, in exactly the same tone, that Y appetizer was "my favorite thing on the menu!" Sheesh. Next time, we will go to Backdoor Kitchen-- where we've always had excellent food AND service. read more

I ate here a few times. It is very highly rated and about the best restaurant experience on the island. The food is good, but a bit heavy for me. FYI nothing on the island rates more than casual dress. read more

Took us as a last minute reservation for an early evening dinner on a recommendation from a local. This was one of the most memorable meals of the year for me. Beautifully presented, perfectly cooked fish and side dishes. Delicious creative appetizers, soups and salads with edible flowers. Friendly staff that maintained a grin even as a couple with three young kids made a complete disaster including knocking a neighboring guests wine all over her dinner. Beautiful setting. I wish it were in Seattle because I would go all the time. read more

I understand this place used to be great but we found it very disappointing on our recent visit. We were seated promptly but it took our waiter at least 10 minutes before he arrived at our table. We ordered cocktails and told him we weren't having wine yet the large glasses remained on our small table the entire evening. The salmon and green salad were disappointing. The salad advertised fresh peaches and goat cheese. I think there were 5 small diced bits of peach and 3 tiny bits of goat cheese. It was not noticeable. The soup was salmon corn chowder but the waiter neglected to mention it was made with smoked salmon so it was different than expected. We waited a long time for the food to arrive and for our bill. We have had much better meals elsewhere on the island with a much more attentive staff. We will never return. read more

Found the food very disappointing. Service was great , but the scallops were very bland. Soup was good but arrived lukewarm. Salad was average. read more

Best place for food on the island. We showed up without a reservation on a Saturday night, and were promptly worked in for a fabulous experience. Great staff, good cocktails, and delicious food. Our new favorite restaurant on the island! read more

We ate at Duck Soup for our anniversary. Everything was spectacular - the warm welcome we received, the atmosphere, the service and our meal! We shared the Dungeness 'crab-prese' appetizer to start. My husband had the tomato bisque soup and sea scallops while i had the salad and the spice-rubbed pork shoulder with bbq sauce. We split the goat cheese cheesecake for dessert. All were absolutely fabulous! This place is a must for anyone visiting San Juan island. read more

Love Love Love this place! Great food great service great atmosphere!! Asparagus was amazing and the filet mignon melts in your mouth!!!

We had a wonderful meal here Friday night. The halibut was delicious, as was the pulled pork. The location is beautiful, though it is not really walking distance from downtown - having a car was definitely helpful. I would highly recommend this restaurant. It's a special space - very romantic, the food is fresh, and the wait staff is lovely, knowledgeable and kind. read more

Set in an isolated, forest setting, the building looks quaint and inviting, but the food is innovative and modern. Delicious creative food, the scallops with sweet pea ice cream was an amazing appetizer read more

This was one of the best meals I've had in the last 5 years. The ingredients were so fresh (from their personal garden and the forest), the flavored so unique and delicious, and the presentation so beautiful that I cannot imagine another restaurant on the island topping it. It was hands down the best meal we had on the island. The staff was friendly. The grounds were beautiful. The dining room was cozy. I can't recommend it enough. read more

Delicious!! What a great place, good food, nice atmosphere, friendly people. We had the halibut and Brussel sprouts, so good! Would definitely recommend this restaurant for a nice evening out. read more

Great meal and delightful atmosphere! Started with the smoked Lopez Island oysters and tomato bisque. The Alaskan King Salmon with risotto and roasted figs as an entree was amazing! And the salad was very creative with fresh strawberries and cherries. It was a great way to celebrate our 38th wedding anniversary. read more

The food was very good. And this place may once have been the best on the island. But I think there are one or two better options now. We ordered the scallops and a pasta special. Both were definitely good, but I think we were expecting something a bit more special. That being said, we would come back. read more

The food was exceptional! We had the duck and it was Devine. The Brussel sprouts were perfect! The ice cream sundae was a great way to top off the meal. Overall great experience. The only thing that we did not care for was the cat roaming around inside. They did offer to put the cat outside which was nice as I am allergic. read more

This place was recommended to us by the concierge at our Inn. I made the reservation, looked the reviews up on yelp and felt hopeful that we were going to have a lovely experience. First off, when we got to the restaurant I told the hostess our name and she didn't appear to see it in the book so she kind of stalled until another girl came over and "found it" (I'm pretty sure she just randomly crossed something off) We were told over the phone that we would be sitting outside but now suddenly we were seated at some akward table by the host desk. (Some snooty blonde came up front to ask for some menus when were waiting, so I'm pretty sure she was sat her precious ass at the table that was supposed to be ours, if they even wrote our reservation down in the first place. Regardless, you don't seat yourself and they should have told her that) anyway, it was our anniversary and I was annoyed that we got stuck with some sheisty spot. I ordered the steak with mustard sauce and my husband ordered the duck. The soup and salad that came with the meal were better than the meal itself. My steak was luke warm and pretty chewy. The potatoes were flat out cold. My husband's duck was better but not great. What really gets me about this place is the price. It's absolutely ridiculous for what you get. Entrees are in the $30 range and for that price they better be awesome. They were not. They weren't even very good. I really don't understand why they get such great reviews. It's insanely overpriced. read more

My husband and I were on San Juan Island for a few nights after our wedding and, after some quick internet research, this was the one place I made a dinner reservation at. We were at a great B&B about half a mile up the road, so it was quick and easy to get to. I knew that the ownership had changed in the last couple of years, but reviews still seemed solid. Well, we had a great experience! The restaurant itself is smaller and very cozy. Great upscale yet relaxed atmosphere, perfect for an island getaway. Our server was very friendly and attentive. All the flavors were delicious and I loved what they did with herbs and spices and fresh ingredients. Lovely that soup AND salad came with entrees, we also tried the fried brussel sprouts as a starter and they were wonderful. We both had steak diane and split a really amazing bottle of zinfandel. Finished it off with desserts and coffee. This was the perfect romantic, honeymoon dinner experience. I only wish it was closer to Seattle! But luckily, it isn't too far away. We'll be back for sure! read more

Wonderful restaurant and ambiance! Well worth the cost of dinner. Salmon was terrific, but the best part was the dessert - dandelion root ice cream! Have never tasted anything so absolutely delicious. A must! read more

Fantastic food and wonderful ambience - sit outside if the weather permits for a most enjoyable evening - truly one of a kind!

The food here is very good - if somewhat hit or miss. The tikka Marsala fires and fried chicken were epic. The pea croquettes and pepper soup were mediocre. My biggest criticism here is the hostess. When we called to check our reservation time (we were a large party of 8) - she unnecessarily admonished us not to be late. When we arrived - she was less than helpful - expressing concern that our high chair would scratch the table. Throughout the dinner - we she helped serve - she was cold unfriendly and not helpful (telling us to google thimbleberry since she didn't know what it was). Overall, food was good. Service was poor. We won't be back. read more

This is a gem that my husband and I found several years ago when on home leave from Saudi Arabia. Since then we have been lucky enough to dine at the Duck Soup several times a year. The food has never disappointed; the staff always makes you feel special and the medley of tastes that comes from the kitchen continues to amaze. The anchovy paste on the home baked bread melts in your mouth, usually followed by a soup made from local island ingredients always with a twist (perhaps a splash of citrus at the last). The salads always have some special surprise from the local farmers market and for years we were content to just have soup,salad and bread with a glass of wine (your most economical meal)but gradually we have been charmed by the main entres as well. A do not miss experience, read more

Duck Soup never disappoints! We have enjoyed meals here in the past. and chose to have dinner on our mini-honeymoon night here. I love the ambience of this place and the meals are world-class! If you are anywhere on SJI, make sure you stop in for a meal at Duck Soup - you won't be disappointed! The soups are the best I've had anywhere! read more

We don't mind higher prices for exceptionally good food, but we resent being ripped-off. The bread was good but it went downhill from there. Salad made of wilted greens with too vinegar-y dressing. My salmon was average, a bit over done, dry. A thin lacing of some kind of sauce was on the plate, not on the salmon. Couldn't really taste it. Mashed potatoes, were...well, mashed potatoes like I do better at home. There was a quarter of a whole onion on the plate. I'm supposed to enjoy eating an onion? They claim to be special because they use fresh local products. Hello? It's an island with farms. Husband was totally disappointed in the steak Diane with tough, over-done broccoli. He left still hungry with a bill over $100. Never again. read more

Thoroughly disappointed with this choice. Spent 5 days in the San Juan Islands experiencing great views, great hotels, great restaurants, and amazing customer service. This place had none of the above. We were on vacation for our anniversary and every single location we went to would congratulate us and make us feel like their most important guests at that moment. Duck Soup Inn really made us feel like they couldn't care that we were actually there. They sat us next to the bathrooms when there were many other tables open and the waitress seemed bothered while we were there (this may be due to the fact that she was the only waitress that we could see working and was a bit overwhelmed). The atmosphere was ok but felt a bit dirty, dark, and overall a bit unwelcoming (the outside area was beautiful though). The food was ok. I ordered the salmon and it was overcooked and included a lot of salt. Almost like they knew that they overcooked it and decided to throw salt on it to see if it would still pass as food. All of the food comes with minimal extras so you are really just paying for the salmon, which requires you to spend extra and order appetizers (which are also very small - i.e. three meatballs). The other frustrating thing is that we reviewed the menu online that day to confirm there would be options we liked; this however was not the same menu when we got to the restaurant. The menu probably only had about 50% of the same options on it and the items we were excited about were no longer on it. Overall, I would never go back here for dinner. There are so many other options on the island with amazing reviews and I recommend not driving (and trying to find) Duck Soup Inn. read more

I want to tell you about my disappointment in dining at the above restaurant. At the front of my experience, the service was good, even great and cordial. After the main course was served, and the wait staff saw we were disappointed in presentation, service was poor for the remainder of the experience.The soup was ok, but bland. The salad was very good and enjoyable. The main course, chicken, was an enormous disappointment; was deep-fried with way too much coating. It looked like a stack of Colonel Sanders fried pieces. There was no vegetable on the plate, and all the food on the plate was brown (deep fried).That was the first time I had been to Duck Soup in 3 years. It was also the first time I saw so few patrons. Previously, you had to make reservations far enough in advance to guarantee a table. During my visit there were more empty tables than occupied, and my experience was such that I have no need or desire to return. What a shame! It used to be the desired restaurant for special occasions. To me, it would be an embarrassment to take an out-of-towner.Shame on you!Bonnie read more