I'm tempted to give it just one star, but the food here really is amazing. At the same time, without good service dining isn't enjoyable. Our waitress took our order and never once returned until the meal was over, and then it was only to plop down dessert menus. Someone else delivered the food, not asking if we needed anything and rushed off. No one ever asked how the meal was. We had no water, no drinks left at all. Yes, it was busy, but we saw our waitress go to the table next to us many times. Finally, when we were almost through - my friend was able to grab her attention while she was nearby at the other table and she actually "shushed" her, and then never bothered to come over. I finally got up and went to the bar to ask for water. We had to get someone else to bring our bill. My friend paid with cash, I paid with a credit card. The person who took the cash didn't return with any change at all or a receipt, only my receipt to sign. We were seriously baffled as to how bad the service was, and neither one of us are complainers and always tip very, very well. In my entire life there have been only a handful of times that the service was so bad I didn't leave a tip - and my friend would have done the same had they not taken her money. There is just no excuse for how bad we were treated. Really disappointing. read more

Excellent food and value. Mediterranean and Garlic and Brie appetizers packed tremendous flavored. Wife and I had two different pasta dishes - both outstanding. read more

Spent a night in P.T. 3/31/17 and found this place around the corner from our hotel. It's very small & cozy. We got there right near closing time, but they were happy to seat us. Awesome, unpretentious service and the food was awesome! I had one of the night's specials, a seafood dish with clams, mussels, shrimp, salmon, red potatoes and bacon in a light cream sauce. Amazingly delicious! My wife had a pasta dish that was equally good...decent portions too! We are definitely coming back here! read more

Great food. Try the warm salad. Or anything on the menu.

Excellent food and wine! Home made food and everything is delicious! Do not be in a hurry and relax. This is a very small place that should consider moving to a bigger place. I bring tourist friends and relatives here and they all rave about the meal they had here. If I lived in Port Townsend, I would eat here at least twice a week. read more

Great local, organic food! The Coho salmon cakes were heavenly. We liked it so much we ate there two nights in a row. One night, we arrived near closing, but the staff was still great and friendly. The seating was a little tight, but as other reviews have stated, it is an old building. read more

We went here because of the Yelp and Urban Spoon reviews. A small place not overcrowded with tables and chairs. Off the beaten path. Easy to find once you are on their street. My hubby's favorite thing was the soup. His sandwich was OK. My sandwich was low on cheese and had too much meat. The waitress was really nice. We had to wait a while for our food. Not going back. read more

The steamed muscles and clam chowder were excellent. We loved the atmosphere and service. A very memorable lunch.

Slow cook took twenty minutes to make a sandwich and a salad--with NO ONE ELSE IN THE PLACE. But don't dare mention it, because the rude waiter/manager(?) will then move even slower and will be sure to make sure you know how unhappy he is as you walk out the door. Very rude, and made no attempt to recover the experience. Food not up to past standard. No wonder the place was completely empty at lunchtime! Who has the time or money to waste here? Go to the Silverwater across the street. read more

This is my favorite restaurant in the entire world! Seriously. I'm fortunate enough to come to Port Townsend once a year or so. 11 years ago, we stumbled across this little cafe in the evening upon discovering many other places closed for the evening. At the time, there was one cook and one person running the front. That one person was Nick, the owner. He was peppy, personal, and very proud of his restaurant and he had every right to be. I've been coming here yearly ever since. The food is outstanding, the service is fun, and it is just a very special place. Each time I come, the entire restaurant (all 10 tables or so) are full of people having the same first-time experience we had. Kudos to Nick for a job well done and for years of success. I hope it continues for years to come. I even have a framed poster of The Fountain Cafe hanging in my dining room in Houston, TX. There are other awesomely delicious places to eat in PT but The Fountain always gets my vote. read more

Had the clam chowder- it was delicious. The servers were extremely friendly. The restaurant was very cute, it was just very small.

We've been on a Pacific Northwest road trip for the last 6 days...had plenty of fresh seafood and good meals to be sure. Nothing, and I mean nothing, has compared to the food we enjoyed this evening at Fountain Cafe in Port Townsend WA. The service was friendly, and fantastic. We wanted to linger , not much to do here after dark, and the staff was happy to let us do just that. Had some great wine and totally enjoyed watching the goings on. This little cafe is a gem to be sure. The food was fresh, served hot and really well seasoned (which is a pet peeve of mine.) It was also just simply prepared with great flavor. You might have noticed this is my first review. I am not new to Yelp. My husband and I have a retail bakery (Layers) in Henderson NV and so are very familiar with Yelp. This is the first time we have been on vacation and had a meal worth Yelping about. We wholeheartedly, and without reservation, recommend this great spot. Thanks for a memorable meal! read more

The food is amazing! The waiter was great. The place is really small so you better like who you're eating with...

A day visit to Port Townsend for business included lunch at this most fantastic restaurant. The food was fresh! I enjoyed the sandwich special which was a Tofu Reuben with a side salad. The horseradish sauce on the sandwich was to die for. I will definitely return. A trip to Pt Townsend just to eat here may be in order! Nice work Nick! read more

One of the places we look forward to going to on our annual trip to Port Townsend is the Fountain Cafe. It never fails us. It's a tiny restaurant (seats about 35-ish) which is probably it's only problem (can get pretty crowded and close quarters). The food is consistently amazing. We start off with a house salad which is made with local produce and is surprisingly good for just a house salad (who knew beets were so good?!!). We love to have the Scotch Smoked Salmon Fettucini and the Gorgonzola and walnut pene pasta (with sundried tomatoes and spinach). We also like to try their specials. Tonight we tried their salmon risoto with fresh picked chantarelles and eggplant and shallots. OMG! Amazing! They serve fresh warm bread with delicious herb garlic butter as you wait for your meal. We also really love their desserts. My husband loves their warm fresh ginger bread in a vanilla custard. I love their Key Lime pie. Plan to take some time over your dinner. Because it is small, local, fresh and made to order, it is not speedy. The servers are consistently amazing. The two we usually see have been there for over 5 years. Get a lovely bottle of wine, enjoy the fresh warm bread and herb garlic butter, and take your time over this special meal. read more

Excellent food. We've been coming here since the '90s. Use to order the Greek pasta all the time, now I'm hooked on the Scotch fettuccine. So much flavor! read more

Wonderful spot hidden on a side street. Roasted garlic, excellent chowder, and two dollar mimosas on Sunday morning. Best choice in town.

Went there with vegetarian friends and not only did we all find something to eat but we all absolutely loved it. The flavors were exquisite and tickled the taste buds. From now on every time I head into town, I will make a point to eat here. read more

This place was wonderful. Even on a Tuesday night it was packed and the ambiance was lovely. We had a great bottle of wine. The food was incredible. The stuffed mushrooms with lemon hollandaise and the chicken marsala are absolute MUST GET'S!! Ian was super helpful and friendly. We loved watching Michelle (I think that was her name) and her assistant cook. We had a great time and would absolutely recommend to anyone in the area!! read more

The Fountain Café is truly an amazing dining experience from the delicious specialty food to the beautiful painting on the walls. We had the Warm Salad, which was gorgeously presented and full of yummy warm potatoes and other vegetables, along with greens and a fantastic dressing. Best salad I have ever had. The bread and herb butter alone was worth the trip to Port Townsend! Thank you for the wonderful meal! read more

.....used to be one of our favorite places, but we stopped in recently and had 2 New York steaks, which were so tough and full of gristle we couldn't eat them. The brussel sprouts were leathery and obviously leftovers and the other vegetables has that distinctive "warmed over from yesterday" flavor. The glass of wine was good--but not worth the $100 plus it cost us to get out of there. Unfortunately, I will cross the Fountain Cafe off my list!! paul read more

One of the best dining experiences, ever. We are from Seattle and this tiny town has some of the best food and service around! Small and intimate. The atmosphere is trendy and yet relaxing. read more

This cafe has been around for over 30 years and it is still exceptional. The staff is amazing and friendly. My mom and I came here for lunch the Saturday before Mother's Day and it was a wonderful experience. Weirded sandwiches wine and desert. Everything was extremely well made with quality ingredients. When it came time to leave we asked if they wouldn't mind holding our food because we walked down and we didn't want the left over Tiramisu to melt on the walk back. They said if course and that they were open until three, and to come by whenever to pick it up. We came back not long after with our car to get the left overs. I would recommend this place to everyone. read more

Quit simply put, I had a bit of a low day and didn't feel like spending a lot of time after work cooking. I called the Fountain Cafe to place an order, asked about specials, and was given some very excellent choices. I asked if the meal could be ready to pick up at a certain time, and the gentleman on the other end assured me that would be no problem. Excellent customer service- no rushed tone or making me hold. I ordered the chicken marsala, which I've ordered in the past. I remembered it being fantastic. When I showed up to pick up my dinner, the owner had it ready exactly when I had asked and thanked me for supporting local business. After getting home and sitting down to eat, I was a little overwhelmed. There are times you taste something delicious, and then there are times when you know what you're eating has been prepared by someone with real intent. Passion, a deep knowledge of flavor, fresh ingredients, seasoning, and wine, and enjoyment- these were all at work in the meal I enjoyed this evening. Whoever made my dinner really enjoys cooking. I haven't had a meal that turned my day around so quickly in such a long time. I would give the Fountain Cafe 7 stars. I do not eat out frequently, but each time I have chosen the Fountain Cafe I have been very pleased. read more

I didn't understand the high ratings at all--after spending the whole day on the beach my family and I were really looking forward to a good dinner. When we saw the cuisine as "diner", and reviewed the online reviews, we were really looking forward to this place. The decor was shabby, and there were a handful of tables and chairs. The menu was mostly seafood, with a small section of pasta dishes. My kids who won't eat seafood had very few things to choose from, but who can mess up pasta right? Especially at a restaurant with so many rave reviews...well, after ordering what looked pretty edible and safe, we were all dissatisfied. I thought the food was bad, didn't taste good, and was VERY overpriced for what it was-- $14-16 for pasta dishes, and $28 for so so steak. The "salad" was lettuce with dressing, and nothing else. To add insult to injury, the service was slow and the "dread lock" bun on the waitress' head, just made me want to gag every time she walked by. Overall, we couldn't eat our food, because it wasn't good, the waitress didn't care that the food wasn't eaten, we paid and we left, all of us still hungry. read more

Driving into town was a strong smell of something bad- not from the ocean- landfill? some chemical? and reminded me of a post on TripAdviser of someone complaining of getting sick from air pollution twice in the area. Sadly, the apprehensive foul smell of the area carried over to our order. No fresh tasting but dead-for-a-long time oysters and mussels in our take out of Oyster Dorado and Cioppino. What a mistake to order upon yelp reviews. Service for take out was professional and warm- so was the food but it was not fresh. My stomach has not been right since I hungrily wolfed down the oysters while waiting for the ferries. I hope this won't develop into food poisoning and wish I could regurgitate the oysters and mussels I devoured- one after another, thinking this is probably the only nasty piece. Not- I had 4-5 pieces of oysters and mussles and none were fresh.The mussels were tiny- no larger than a penny. I let the kids eat the shrimp and the fish pieces which were intact but the oysters and mussles looked tattered. Kids seem to be fine so far but I wish I can burp out those 5 bites I took. Very sad to be served such disappointing quality of seafood after such profession of fresh ingredients on their web-site. I have not written any yelp review before- but I don't think it's right for them to serve this low quality of food for people on the run who made a good effort to order food from them based on their assurance of quality. What a shame! read more

Our first time visit as a result of high recommendations from our lodging hosts yielded mixed results. The front end service was exemplary. The kitchen was inordinately slooooooow. As we waited for our entrees, I watched as several patrons consulted their watches in an effort to speed up the wait. Orders came out of the kitchen, one at a time, first in, first out. We were not in a hurry so the wait was not a problem. If you are in a hurry, be forewarned. Our food was a good value although the pasta on my chipotle prawns had some uncooked ends which startled me but was not a turnoff. y wife's black bean cakes were well cooked and moist. She did, however, request some of my extra crema for a flavor break. Because of the wait for the entrees, we were stuffed and could not enjoy their dessert offerings. Quicker kitchens would probably sell more desserts. Overall, we would revisit as long as we didn't have imminent plans o be somewhere else in a short time. read more