Great place to go for a nice date night if you don't want to drive to Tacoma. Food is ok but somewhat out of date. They don't seem to EVER change their menu. Wait staff is nice but they do have the "I am from Oly so don't press your luck" sort of attitude one would expect from places like Darby's. Non-seafood selection is very dim and boring. Menu can be a bit over priced depending on what you have a craving for. Salads are boring and from 1980s. Desserts are wonderful though. Great place to go after a movie date or fancy occasion to fill the need for a sweet tooth. Very large dessert menu. I would reccomend not wearing jeans and men wearing at least a button up Oxford or the like. Most people that go here dress up a bit and seem to think this is a REALLY fancy restaurant like Pacific Grill or El Gaucho in Tacoma even though it is not. read more

Don't let the outside fool you. This place is a gem. If you like seafood give it a shot. I'm not huge on seafood and found myself wanting to try almost the entire menu. Staff was so friendly and nice. I had the king salmon very good! My mom had the trio and my sister in law had the seafood casserole. Both loved their meals. The Fettuccine that comes with your meal is TO DIE FOR! We also had the peanut butter pie for dessert. It did not disappoint! read more

Last night was my wife's and I first year anniversary. She was going to make dinner reservations the night before but since I had caught a cold or the flu, she wasn't sure we would be dining out and did not make reservations. We decided to go anyway as a walk-in. When we arrived, the young lady (Mary Kate) asked if we had reservations and we said no and she asked if the counter would work. Me feeling under the weather, was not interested at all as sitting side by side on our anniversary as if we were at a diner was not ok and it seemed that they were all booked. I told her we could come back another night and she said that wouldn't be necessary and showed us to a lovely table inside. Im still feeling under the weather so I will cut this short. Food was amazing, my wife who is a picky eater, enjoyed everything. We had the pork chop and the sea scallops on the specials. The only thing was the pork chop could have been cooked about med well but that's my personal preference. The flavors were memorizing, the presentation was captivating and the service was nothing short of on point. Special thanks to the staff for meeting our requests at such short notice. My wife has not stopped bragging about what she claims to be one of the best meals in her life. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a foodie wow factor in Olympia not to mention that the ambiance was beautiful, simple, and elegant as well. Well done! read more

Gardner's Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Olympia, Washington

If you want to go here sans reservation, the hostess will put on the facade that this is a shameful thing to do, even if there is ample seating available. The dining area is quite cramped and there is a lot of tacky, brass wine bar decor. Like pictures of Italy from ROSS. It is impossible to separate your conversation from the 50-somethings sitting across the way. It is equally hard to identify your waitress because they switch back and forth when doing table rounds. As others have said, it's like $30 a plate for too much food, when everyone knows that seafood is never good to take home. Why not reduce the portion size and charge less? THE MASHED POTATOES ARE DIVINE; THEY COME IN A LITTLE BOAT + APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN ARTFULLY DISTRIBUTED VIA AN OLD-SCHOOL WHIPPED CREAM DISPENSER. The desserts are also very good; I would suggest skipping dinner here and just coming for a late evening sweet run. read more

I have to say, I was very skeptical to go here due to appearances. From the outside, it looks like a small place that nobody goes to; nothing special about it. My boss recommended I go here for my anniversary dinner and I'm so glad I did! The starters were amazing! Perfect portion size and tasted great. We got the crab&artichoke dip. For the main course, I got the chicken Parmesan and my hubby got the Seafood Trio. Their side of veggies is amazing with whatever sauce they poured on top, their chicken was amazing, their seafood was amazing; everything was amazing! The also had half price bottles of wine so hubby and I split one. The waitress was knowledgeable in the wine selection and was very friendly. We will definitely be back! read more

If I could give a 4.5 I would! The entrees are absolutely divine! The service is wonderful as well, everyone is so friendly and attentive. The only reason I'm not giving a full 5 stars is because the sides weren't my favorite, I ordered garlic mashed potatoes and both visits I was a little disappointed but I'm also a mashed potato snob according to my bf ;). The first time I went there I got the prawn sauté which was bomb, I wanted to switch it up so tonight I ordered the seafood trio and it was even better! The appetizer of calamari is amazing as well! All the desserts are homemade and to die for- I highly recommend this place overall! read more

Gardner's Restaurant - The Seafood Trio, I was able to sub steamer clams for scallops- soooooo delish - Seafood Near Me - Olympia, Washington

Razor Clams for an appetizer - three pieces (not sure what happens if you have a party of four) and one was so tough it couldn't be finished. French onion soup - too much cheese that had clumped up into a large ball. Some of the bread pieces were crunchy, others were soft, broth had no real taste at all. Rack of lamb special - two out of three pieces were cooked properly but the last one was raw. The properly cooked parts were good. Seafood trio - Okay, but not hot. Top sirloin - asked for medium rare, was well done around the edges but closer to rare in the middle. Decent. The cobbler we got for dessert was the best part. Not really sure what else to add. It wasn't bad food, but for the price it was very underwhelming and the quality control in the kitchen seems to be lacking. I don't think evenly cooked food is too much to ask for and none of it was really hot either. Service was fine and the waitress comped the dessert after seeing what the lamb looked like. read more

Very good food, service, and drink. Martinis with in house vodka infusions. Reasonably priced, quality wine by the glass, (old vine Renwood Zinfandel $10). Oysters out of Willapa Bay, fresh, bright and yummy. Not a huge fan normally, but ordered as a qualitative test marker. Ate them all. Wife had animal protein, I had fish. Both superb quality, and well prepared. Accompanying sauces fabulous. The remaining bites of mushroom risotto worthy of a take home box. Service was warm and friendly from the moment we walked in the door. Well trained, attentive, responsive to inquiry/request. read more

Had always wanted to try Gardener's because of the great reviews. Finally tried it for our anniversary this year and was disappointed with the value. Felt the main dishes were over priced for what you get. My husband's steak was over cooked. My salmon was good, but I can get the same quality at many restaurants in town for much less money. In fact, we went to Mercato the next night and paid the same for dinner for four as we did our dinner for two at Gardeners. I can't justify spending $100 on a dinner for two (with no appetizers or alcohol) without being amazed. I wanted to be blown away, but was not. On a positive note, the service was great. read more

I went here for the first time a few days ago. I had a client in town and wanted to take them somewhere chic with good food. It might look like communist style housing from the outside but the inside is gorgeous and the food is amazing. Highly recommend! read more

Ahh yes another quirky little gem of a restaurant here in Olympia. These restaurants seem to be as plentiful as oysters on the beach. What stands out most in this rustic interior of a restaurant is the outstanding team staff approach of the waitresses. I don't know if they were separated at birth or what but they seem to know each others very next move. You will be seated by one, waited on by another, water top off by another, dessert presentation by another, you get the idea. It was excellent service and done with a smile. The food is also good for the price point. However, some of the side dishes you get with the entree are a bit underwhelming. They do have a nice wine list, with plenty of Northwest wines to choose from. With reservations required most all of the time, I think Gardner's would do well to consider the Open Table app to help get them to the next level... read more

Great food, service and cute atmosphere. Family friendly. I had the mushroom ravioli and shared the smores bread pudding with my family! Delicious meal! Will definitely be coming back! read more

Gardner's Restaurant - S'mores bread pudding SO GOOD - Seafood Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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Recommend reservations small place with amazing food. Great service and drinks. Can not beat it anywhere. read more

Gardner's Restaurant - Delicious pan fried oysters... - Seafood Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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The food was great, but the service was honestly what made "date night" so incredibly enjoyable. I can't believe how genuinely sweet EVERY SINGLE PERSON working here is. My wife had the mushroom ravioli and loved it. I had the blackened tenderloin with bleu cheese, and it was just delish!! I tell you what, though...you have to get the desserts!! We had three!!! We had the caramel cheesecake, caramel brownie, and berry torte. Listen, they were out of this world! I doubt you'll find a better place around here with better food, but I GUARANTEE you won't find a cuter location with comparable service. Just a great night!! :) read more

This is an absolutely amazing restaurant. Got the sockeye salmon and it was phenomal. The charcuterie was fantastic, they had champagne in pear glasses (perfectly suited for the champagne we got), and the service was literally impeccable. We will definitely be back. read more

Wonderful seafood restaurant in Olympia! My wife and I went here for dinner and thoroughly enjoyed it. The seafood trio was very well prepared and fresh local oysters were very clean and tasty. The ambiance was very nice and our server was awesome! It was a good experience and we will definitely return. read more

I have been going to this restaurant since 1989! I LOVE this place! The food is wonderful and the staff is top notch (very little turnover in all these years - that says a lot)! This is one of those small romantic hole-in-the-wall type of places. As my one friends said "it's a hippy joint that went 5-star". If you are hoity-toity I am sure you would find fault no matter where you go - but if you love food - and feel romantic - this is the place to be! The food is mostly seafood and pastas. Their specials are always wonderful and inventive - the last one I had was salmon with rock shrimp and a wonderful lemon-butter sauce - Heaven!!! Their side dishes are excellent all on their own - veggies cooked to perfection and rice pilaff that makes you smile! And just when you think it can't get any better - here comes the dessert tray!! OMG! The White Chocolate Mousse is my standard fave! Real white chocolate mousse in a dark chocolate cup with raspberry puree drizzeled over it - YUM!!! Even if I order something else for that evening - I order one of these to go and enjoy it at home - it's that freaking good!!! Prices are a little high - plan on dropping about $150 for two for dinner & wine - but you get what you pay for! My only complaint - they never brought back the Geoduck dinner they used to have standard on their menu - it was amazing!!! Plesae bring it back!!! read more

Small and lovely intimate space. We went in for a family dinner after reading impressive reviews. It was everything we expected and more. Excellent service right from the moment we walked in. The food came in generous portions and left nothing to be desired. Also, don't forget to save room for the multitude of house made desserts that you'll see on the dessert tray. The food is a little pricey, but well worth it. Overall, Gardner's was a wonderful stop that I would love to come back to. read more

Gardner's Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Olympia, Washington

Gardner's is the place to go for a special evening in Olympia hands down! Is it cheap? No, if you want cheap there's chain restaurants all over town. Is it worth it? YES, haven't had anything close to a bad experience in the ten years we've been dinning here. My wife and I just had another great evening last night. The seafood cannelloni was amazing, so was my wife's steak. Thanks again Gardner's! read more

Outstanding. You will love it. Michael & me, Matt & Jesa. Lovely service, absolutely delicious meal. Mahi Mahi, seafood medley, steak. All outstanding. Our waitress even played Heads Up with us!!!! read more

Gardner's Restaurant - Happy, happy celebratory dinner with Matt, Jessa, Michael & me - Seafood Near Me - Olympia, Washington

Took my wife here for a child-free grown up dinner and it was great. I had heard good things about it, but when I arrived, the state of the building wasn't the best first impression. But upon entering, it was all forgotten. The staff was amazing, and the food was great. Would definitely go back again. read more

Best food around! I had the scallops and my husband had chicken Marsala, we were both very impressed with our dishes and our service! I tried the special drink of the night pomegranate martini made with real fruit it was good as well! We will definitely be back! read more

Great Service. Great Food. Nice atmosphere. We've been to Gardner's three times and each time we've straggled in 5 minutes before closing tired, weary, and hangry on our way to or from Seattle on a business trip. And, yet, each and every time, we have been welcomed, well fed, and well cared for by the fine staff at Gardner's. They never raised an eyebrow about our late arrival and never rushed us. At our most recent visit this week, they even took some extra time to set up a special table for us and put out some candles. Thank you! The food here is great. I highly recommend the cheese platter (we don't eat meat, so they leave that off for us, but if you like meat, they can do that too). Each time, the cheese is a bit different and the things they serve with it are seasonal. We had the entree salad with shrimp and each piece of lettuce was excellent (I'm sure I'm not thand the shrimp was lightly grilled, not greasy, and very flavorful. We also had the razor clams and calamari. Both were excellent and each of these dishes was very different, so we recommend them both. Gardner's is an oasis on the sad, lonely, food desert known as I-5 from Seattle to Vancouver. This is the only place we've found that is worth getting off the Interstate. It never disappoints! Thanks to the fine folks at Gardner's - we promise to stop by earlier next time! read more

Usually reading reviews you can get a pretty fair representation, however after visiting Gardner's Seafood & Pasta, I wondered if the reviews are staged or if all the bad ones have been taken down. Neither my husband nor I enjoyed our meals, and the service wasn't great either. For the amount you pay for your meal the service should have at minimum been comparable to let's say Dennys, at least there you don't have to wait a half hour for drinks to be replaced, etc... I ordered the seafood fettuccine, which I can HONESTLY say was as nicely put no better than glorified macaroni and cheese, and that is putting it nicely. It was horrible, I can't say enough to describe how terrible it was. The salad had some kind of pickled red onions and had a choice of only two maybe three dressings, they didn't even have a basic ranch dressing. Our meal came out to $99, which I might add did not include any alcoholic beverages which could raise a bill "pretty quick. I usually never leave reviews and have NEVER had to write a bad one but I feel it only fair to warn others as I wish we had been warned. To top it off from our seats we had a wonderful view of the hallway or I should say storage place with dusty old plastic leaves, piles of horribly stacked chairs, etc... we were asked if our meal was ok probably because I still had a full plate thirty minutes later however I simply said it is ok and paid our bill with tip and left as soon as we could. Maybe I should have been more assertive and had them just take it back, however I didn't want to cause any issues. The noise level was extremely loud, we had to talk directly into each other's ears. I could go on but feel I have said enough. Just found yelp had already posted this review on google however because this place left such a horrible impression I thought I would repost this here. read more

What an amazing surprise. We didn't make a reservation, which is recommended. But they accommodated us. Fantastic crab dip, then french onion soup. Finally seafood cannelloni. Which is a must have. The staff is likw watching an orchestra. Perfectly in time. Must try it. read more

Gardner's Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Olympia, Washington

Absolutely the best restaurant I've found in Olympia! The food and service is fantastic.

Everything about the restaurant is top notch!! The food was fantastic. The service was phenomenal and the prices were fairly reasonable if you split something. We were passing through town from Seattle to Eugene, without reservations they took us in no problem. read more

Gardner's Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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I have never had anything less than a great experience at Gardner's-- excellent service, food, and wine selection. Primarily seafood, but excellent steaks and pastas as well. Best of Olympia. read more

We came here for a dinner to celebrate a friend's birthday. It was delicious!!! The service was top notch, the food was amazing. We will definitely be back! read more

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My new favorite! We went there for my birthday with a party of 9. I was a little skeptical because it was described in other reviews as "romantic" and "intimate", so I wasn't sure if it was the right atmosphere for a larger group with children. So glad we went with it! They were so friendly and accommodating. They did have a kids menu available and the seating worked out well too. Most importantly though, the food was amazing! read more

My husband and I have been wanting to try Gardner's Restaurant since we moved to the PNW this Summer. We got a gift certificate for Christmas and couldn't wait to go. We absolutely loved it! We started at the counter while we waited for our table. The cocktail and wine menu was great with a lot of variety and fun cocktails. We moved to our table and received great service from our waitress. Everything on the menu and the specials sounded and looked delicious as dishes went by to other guests. Our waitress was very helpful in helping us decide what to order and what wine to pair. We had the clams special,which was served Asian style with a coconut milk broth and ginger, garlic and carrots. They were amazing. We wanted to lick the bowl. We also had the stuffed mushrooms. The were light and only had crab, cheese, and herbs in them; no breading! For our main course we had the scallop special and pork chop special. Both were perfectly cooked. The scallops melted in your mouth. Again, like the appetizers, they were the perfect size. We indulged in desert. My husband had the brownie with a salted caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. It was heavenly! I had the marion berry cobbler, which was super yummy. We can't wait to go back and bring friends! The staff was extremely knowledgeable, helpful, attentive, and friendly. The food was delicious! read more

Went here for dinner to celebrate on a Friday night. Staff was extremely friendly, they adjusted my reservations twice as we were very early. Food was delicious, best pork chop my husband said he has ever had. And the staff gave us a complimentary ice cream at the end of the night. Great food great staff definitely recommend. read more

I always look for well established local restaurants when I'm traveling and I usually have really good luck. But not this time. I liked the ambiance and the menu was promising. Unfortunately I found the food to be both salty and flavorless. Disappointed. read more

Amazing. Amazing food. Amazing service. Very romantic dinner for two! The seafood was top notch . Not one complaint the food was spectacular! The restaurant is very comfortable and personal. read more

I'm 3 weeks into my first Whole 30 experience and I cam here on a Friday night with a couple of friends. I told the waitress I had some funky dietary restrictions and explained my wife and I are giving Whole 30 a shot. The waitress was doing it herself and instantly had a bunch of really great suggestions for things that I could eat (they weren't that far off the menu). The food was really good and I really appreciate how accommodating the restaurant was to my dietary adventure. I totally felt welcome here and would love to come back next time I'm in Olympia. read more

I love this place! Just the description of the menu had my mouth watering. Food is so carefully prepared & nicely presented. I had the scallops and they were perfect. My husband had the cod and said it was the best. Wait staff is very attentive but not intrusive. Really enjoyed the evening! read more

Gardner's is our favorite special-occasion restaurant! The food and wine are superb, and the wait-staff are consummate professionals. Looking forward to celebrating birthdays there next. read more

My wife and I really enjoyed this restaurant. I had the pork chop special which was to die for. My wife had the Salmon with peach sauce which she enjoyed. She says it was good, but not great. The service was excellent. We sat at the bar which was just fine. Nice local place, good atmosphere, and nicely done food. read more

This is a fun place with great food and great service. I've eaten here several times, and it is consistently excellent. The desserts are also great. While it is not inexpensive, it is worth the price. read more

We love this place. We go here for every special occasion and usually for date night. They always remember us and we are never disappointed. They have a pomegranate martini right now that Is amazing. As far as food we always get the charcuterie board to start and it's always fabulous. The chicken piccata is amazing and so is the steak. We definitely recommend this spot. read more