Emperor&#x27;s Palace

The Tri-Tip was amazing! We are definitely coming back. Fish & chips were good as wellread more

Had a lovely brunch with my good friends. Uptown Grill is halfway between us now that I've moved to…read moreVancouver, WA, so she drive from Seattle & we meet for Sunday brunch. It was my lucky day, I found parking right outside the front door! The downtown is super cute and decorated for Christmas & quite busy with shoppers so my friends had to park a few blocks away. The food was great. We split the French toast sandwich and a side of bacon. Tasty! I drank a coffee and it was delicious. My friend had a mimosa. I would definitely go back!

Warm Northwest Blackberry Pie

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S'more

The Westside Tavern

4.0(241 reviews)

6.8 mi

Five stars - great…read more We went here after pickleball on a Tuesday night. Because it was late, there were not a lot of restaurants that were open. We are sure glad that we discovered The Westside Tavern. The restaurant is a standard bar. You can order food at the bar, or you can sit down and a server will take your order. Service was a little slow, but it was not slow enough to impact my review. I got the Big Easy burger with tater tots. I had never seen a burger served with a sandwich bun, but it worked out great. The burger is large, so a bigger bun made it more manageable to eat. The burger itself was delicious. I liked the tater tots, but they paled in comparison to the fries (my partner got fries with their burger). We would definitely go here again.

This place is located near my workplace so I go here few times a month. Everything is amazing. The…read moreburgers are juicy and LARGE. Their fried chicken salad is to die for with their homemade honey mustard. The staff is incredibly sweet.

Chicken fritters

Alaskan fish tacos

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Indoors.

The Wayside Cafe

4.5(243 reviews)

I have been going here for years. FIVE full stars because: -…read moreFood is amazing. The entrees (my fave is the mac & cheese with yummy tempeh bacon) and absolutely the desserts, too! - Customer service, also amazing - They have a pay-it-forward program that helps those in need get meals for free Do yourself and Olympia a service and go check this place out!

Wayside is a super impressive vegan cafe that gets the thumbs up from plant-based eaters and…read moreomnivores alike. You order and then pick up your food at the counter and seat yourself at this casual spot. The menu, it seems, has nothing bad. We had the tahini bowl, the arugula and beet salad, and the mac and cheese bowl with soy curls. The tahini bowl is the platonic ideal of a grain bowl and is so delicious and well balanced in its flavors that you don't even notice that it's really healthy for you. The mac and cheese bowl is more indulgent but still doesn't make you feel like a bowling ball. Their vegan cheese is impressively creamy. Our lunch buddies had the almost famous bowl and the big dad salad and loved their food. Probably most impressive of all were the desserts. Vegan dessert is difficult to do well, but their cheesecake and gochujang cookie were so good, they would beat out a lot of dairy-containing desserts.

Mural

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State & Central

4.2(440 reviews)

4.8 mi

We were in Olympia for a visit to The Evergreen State College and since we were in town, a stop at…read moreState & Central was mandatory. We've eaten here several times over the years, this was the first time we eat dinner here. Fam. Let me tell you, the very reasonable lunch size portions? They're significantly bigger on the dinner menu. Almost disturbingly so Being able to get a selection of interesting regional beers is always a draw, tonight was no exception. And the pretty good lunch menu is expanded for the dinner hour - as well as the portion sizes being expanded. I ordered the fish and chips, my partner ordered the bar steak (which was New York strip), and her daughter ordered the salmon burger with fries. Because it was a special, we also got a giant order of poutine. Despite being in almost at closing, the service was absolutely spectacular. We very nearly had the place to ourselves, so the overall vibe was very homey and welcoming. As noted, the portions were enormous. I opted to finish my fish at the expense of the chips. My partner wound up with a significant take home portion as did her daughter. Couldn't possibly have been happier about our decision to stop in. Since we seem to have a new Greener in the family, I'm sure that we will be in Olympia significantly more frequently. And frankly, I am pretty happy about that, just based on being able to stop in here on the regular again.

Besides having a scrumptious menu, the server at lunch today, Cayla, was amazing. She was…read moreattentive, professional and friendly! I had a turkey, bacon, cheese sandwich and fries. I asked her to box up half as I can never eat a whole one. The ambiance is awesome but be sure to wear your hearing aids if you need them. It's a small place and can get hard to hear when its crowded. Overall though, this place rocks!

Olympia Beer Billboard!

Juicy Lucy

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Cascadia Grill

4.3(652 reviews)

5.8 mi

There's a Cajun creole on the vegan menu that's to die for, nice and just the right amount of…read morespicy. But as a non-vegan i just had to un-vegan it by having them add some chopped up bratwurst. EXECELLENTAMUNDO! Great food, great wine choices and really great service.

It's a cute diner without that cheap diner feel. I ordered the steak frites, which came as one…read morethick piece of steak with quite a bit of fat. I was a little confused by the cut--it felt like a larger piece with a small section still attached, almost like a chicken breast cut into uneven portions. I ordered it medium-well; the edges were cooked that way, but the center leaned more toward medium-rare. The fries were okay, but a bit cold and sad, honestly . The Diet Coke was flat. On the positive side, the service was super nice and attentive, the bathroom was very clean, and the overall vibe was pleasant. Because of the great service, I'm still giving them 5 stars. I'd definitely come back if I'm in the area and try something else on the menu.

Inside

The one and only garlic steak

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Peanut Butter Stout! The glass is half full (in need of refill)

COVE

4.1(190 reviews)

Went on Sunday for Mothers day, it was so busy with the Wooden Boat fair going on too. We were…read moreseated quickly and got our drinks right away. The food was awesome, just ordered off the happy hour menu. It was so good, had the Cod Brioch sandwich and the fries are devine! look forward to going again for lunch or even dinner! Great service for being so busy.

Our family of 6 went for Mother's Day Brunch. We were seated immediately and given drink menus…read more After ordering drinks, we went to the buffet. To begin with, the buffet was single sided which created a long line to get food. When we got to the buffet, they were out of plates and every pan was empty. Other tables around us were waiting for plates and food also. When the food finally came, it was underwhelming. Avocado toast wasn't toasted, just sliced avocado on bread. The chicken for chicken and waffles was dry and the waffles were empty every time we went to check for more. The eggs Benedict was bland and not warm. If you are going to do brunch, please plan ahead with enough servers and have a plan to keep food out. Having to continually wait for food and then to find it flavorless was disappointing. Our server didn't take our plates and it's a good thing because they were always out of plates. I guess we had hoped for a better experience. I'd recommend passing on brunch here. Maybe their other menu items are good but based on the limited options we tried, I doubt it. Save you money and even more so, your time. Go elsewhere. I'm sorry I had to apologize to my mother for this experience.

Stage for live performances

Happy hour clams

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Cucumber spritz with vodka and tropical ghost

Nicole's Bar

3.9(134 reviews)

Nicole's is the only bar I would send a single lady 7 days a week to for a good time, safety for…read moreall, and an excellent bite to eat. Brunch is back on Saturday and Sunday mornings!! Yes it's back, this is a February 2026 review. See the menu. I love the veggie omelet with Hollandaise Sauce over the top, but the Eggs Benedict are a close 2nd for me. Lunch and Supper are the same menu. Happy hour is 4 to 6. Separate areas to have conversations but get the club feeling. Come on live music nights and feel the positive Energy from Nicole to her staff to you. It's that special, hopefully you'll meet Nicole. Since, she works just as hard alongside her team. Last week's visit included my 80 yo Mother, Service Dog, and me after Dr appointment with need to eat. We ordered a club sandwich for sharing with sweet potato fries. They brought two plates, I don't know what I was thinking ordering Broccoli and Cheese Soup too. We each could eat a quarter sandwich with another meal before bedtime. A+ for consistent excellence in the kitchen and home brewed ice tea. But! The Star of The Show was the House Specialty Cocktail Menu! I'm a gin and tonic kind of guy, Beefeaters if you've got it. So, was intrigued by 'Isn't She Lovely' on the menu. Every Cocktail I've had here has been excellent. I also am not an amaretto fan. Today was no different with light fruity Cocktail that hits the tongue hard until softened by the egg white meringue on top melting the sting and leaving a nicely complimentary drink. Now, I'm a fancy gin Cocktail kinda guy. Imagine a fruity adult version of the old mall orange julius with egg and take it up a notch for Nicole's Bar. A+ for ingenuity and taste. One of my past experiences at Nicole's Bar was with a gentleman who didn't drink alcohol and wanted something different than a 0% Beer. The patient, kind, caring Bartender asked his likes and dislikes. Told him if he didn't like the result, they'd toss it and start over. He loved the 1st mocktail made, and felt like the group with his drink that we all wanted a sip to check out. So now, for him and the World Nicole's Bar now offers a Mocktail Menu and I bet you can still get a Bartender to get crazy and try something new. A+ for customer service at the highest level. A+ for service dog friendly staff. Brought the dog a paper cup of water. Nice place, period. Rating A+ for hidden gem of Olympia! If, LGBTQ bothers you than go to Dennys. Straight Friendly!

This place was hopping. I'm not usually into the club scene or loud music, but my SIL loves hanging…read moreout there and says the music is banging, so we thought we'd check it out. That house band is amazing! So much fun doing covers. We just chilled in a booth and soaked in the vibe. Will definitely be back because the music is great.

BLTA on wheat.

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Hotstone Authentic Korean Cuisine

4.1(292 reviews)

5.8 mi

Another visit to Hotstone, another kimchi pancake. Oh, so good!…read more This time around, we added a thoroughly enjoyable dish of spicy pork bulgogi and a big bowl of steaming kimchi tofu soup. Since it was cold and rainy outside, the soup really hit the spot. The spicy pork was delicious, as always. And the banchan was plentiful and tasty. Mmmm! The best part of our visit was our server. She told us it was one of her first times on the job, and she was understandably nervous, but she did a great job! I really love this place.

Cold and wet day and I wanted a warm soup. I grabbed the galbi and soup combo…read more Please come and create your own adventure.

Inside

Chicken bulgogi, fried rice, spicy pork bibimbap.

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Budae Jjiga spicy ramen soup

South Bay Pub & Eatery

3.4(125 reviews)

3.7 mi

Good food, love their specials!…read more Oct '24 after new owners took over, food went down hill - stopped coming Updated Review - Apr '26 - quite a lot better, been back several times! Improved atmosphere very nice actually. Worth revisting if you stopped coming!

Best food in town and friendly service! the steak special on Wednesday evening is so good.read more

A "bowl" of sausage, potato, and kale soup.

Chicken tenders with waffle fries

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Breakfast.... yummy!

Buffalo Wild Wings

2.4(296 reviews)

7.6 mi

Absolutely terrible! Placed our order TWO HOURS ahead of time to pick up at 3 before the game…read more Got there and they said it would take 30 more minutes, meaning we would miss kick off. They said the time we agreed upon for pick up is just "an estimate". What?? Why even give pick up times then? We literally said we needed them at 3 and the person took our order said "see you at 3". Why would the person not tell us at that time that they wouldn't be ready?? We could have easily made our order for 230 instead. Now we are empty handed going to a super bowl party. Unacceptable service.

Food was consistent as others times, in other words good…read more Service is always hit and miss, what is up with Olympia servers? Inattentive. The restaurant overall is clean and positive .