Sun-drenched at 68 degrees--Seattle's version of a heatwave--I found myself basking on Ivar's Salmon House patio, the scent of alder smoke wafting from their open-pit barbecue. The Alder Grilled Fresh Alaska Halibut arrived, adorned with pineapple salsa and a sweet chili glaze, resting on a bed of cilantro-ginger jasmine rice alongside tender asparagus . Each bite was a harmonious blend of smoky, sweet, and savory. Accompanied by a glass of rosé and a refreshing sangria, I watched seaplanes dance over Lake Union. The service? Swift and attentive, without the overbearing cheeriness. Dining in a Native American longhouse replica with panoramic skyline views, Ivar's offers a quintessentially quirky Seattle experience--where tradition meets the unexpected. read more

Ivar's Salmon House - Salmon Bisque - Seafood Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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This place is one of the must-try places in Seattle. Get a seat outside if you can and coming for Happy Hour is a serious deal. We ordered a ton of stuff and the service was 5/5 as well. The fried calamari- 5/5 stars. SO GOOD. Just get it. Perfectly fried with a light batter and seasoned well. Salmon steaks- 3/5 stars. Gotta do the salmon Seattle. But, personally, it was not my fave. Clams in sauce- 5/5 stars. We had both clam dishes that were on the HH and it was AMAZING. Like, get that extra bread to order so you can dip it in the sauce goodness. Fish and chips- 3/5 stars. I had high hopes, but it was OK for me. I think this would be the other place that I'd want to return to for the clams and their calamari. Solid 4.5/5 read more

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The fish was all super fresh tasting and not fishy at all! Both fish n chip meals were crispy and went well with the tartar sauce. The staff was very friendly. Slightly pricey for the portion size but the views of the water and city make up for it. There is a small parking lot beside the restaurant but there is also street parking. read more

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We liked the location and service. Nice view from the table that we really enjoyed it. Food was great. Especially clam chowder. We will visit again. read more

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Wow. Very expensive. Other than that the food was cooked beautifully and had many different choices

Service was very good and we were able to get a great table with a view of Seattle. However, the food was underwhelming. The appetizer tower was very small for the price and poorly prepared. Ahi poke taco was mostly taco with not much poke to it. My crab stuffed salmon entree was tasteless and I couldn't find the crab in it. My husband was also underwhelmed with his entree also. The salmon chowder that I ordered is always great. (This is normally not on the restaurant menu but the waiter made special effort to get it for me from their excellent take out service bar.) Kudos to him. read more

I have always enjoyed my meals at Ivar's. It's disappointing that they don't have oysters Rockefeller anymore. They made the best version ever! read more

This was my first time visiting this particular Ivars, and it was a great experience overall. As a local, the dine-in experience at Ivars restaurants beats the smaller ones that exist outside the city area. That's just my personal take. The only thing I didn't like was the sticky texture on the tables. But the view was gorgeous, and glad I got to share the experience with my plus 1! The chowder was creamy and chunky with just the right amount of protein in it. I was impressed at the portions, it was filling, and didn't disappoint. The other dishes we had also did not disappoint. The fried NW platter was spot on as far as how cooked it was to the overall taste. The highlight was the spicy mayo sauce - it hit the right taste buds with the spice, being mild, and creamy consistency. The fried fish cakes were also delicious, and not too oily, soggy, or lacking any flavor. Our waiter was attentive, and made sure we were doing alright. We would certainly come back! read more

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Food was great, drinks were good, service was good, view was spectacular! Server was pleasant and food came out in a timely manner. Not difficult to get a reservation, either. read more

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Apparently, the manager responded to my review, saying that I had meant to review for next door. I'm pretty sure she's wrong and that I did review the bar inside of the restaurant. I went back and confirmed that I was in the right place, both by seeing the name on the Yelp service, as well as other reviews for the same place I provided my review. read more

Ivar's Salmon House - Seafood Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Having eaten here multiple times as a child I have nostalgia for it. Unfortunately that's where it ended. I wanted my family to experience it, but thought it was atrociously bad. Tried the salmon sampler- $41 was overpriced and this place was just run down. read more

Extremely sweet servers, beautiful view of Lake Union, largely mediocre food with some stand outs. The chowder was perfect: salty, creamy, warming and the chocolate raspberry cake was insanely good with just the right balance of flavors. Drinks were also good and the tawny port they had on the menu for $8 was really nice. The taste of the northwest (salmon, halibut, veggies, scallops and potatoes) was definitely not good, just absolutely overcooked into oblivion. The lighting was also super odd it felt a little hospital-ish. I think this would be a great spot to grab drinks and apps and / or dessert but I'd skip the entrees. read more

Ok they obviously don't read notes in making reservations and telling the hostess ahead of time. Requested a window view of the water for a birthday, instead got a view of the closed patio. Will not come here again! Food was subpar, brocollini had flowers in full bloom and cold, bulgogi was cold I was so embarrassed I need to repeat the birthday dinner elsewhere. Even if you are a tourist don't go here. There are better places for real pnw seafood like Taylors Shellfish. Anthony's , rockfish . read more

The best Pacific Northwest salmon dinners in a restaurant takes place at this casual waterfront restaurant with a northwest native vibe. You enter through wooden doors. You will pass by the open alder wood grills where you see a group of committed restaurant workers with skills that compliment one another committed to the common mission holding each other accountable. The decor is old maps on wooden walls. You step outside to a view of downtown Seattle in the distance, Lake Union and the Space Needle. Nice umbrellas to shield you from the sun. Appetizers we chose mussels, calamari and breaded shrimp. The mussels fresh taste with a spicy citrus sauce. Calamari breaded with a thousand island like dipping sauce I found myself liking the sauce the shrimp your usual - although they were large fresh and cooked very well. My friend picked the king salmon which was served with a lobster citrus sauce. I chose the king salmon on top of purple mashed potatoes with a bacon cooked to perfection. The salmon again fresh and cooked to perfection. Also on the menu were sockeye salmon dishes and other seafood choices. The dessert was a flourless cake with raspberry sauce. This place has always had great sauces. Previous Chantelle mushroom sauce or a blackberry type sauce come to mind. Or yeah the the server that made eyes at my date one time the whole experience was off that visit. Many times the place is packed. Another time they gave us a tour of the open alder wood grill that lines the whole front part of the kitchen, a nice treat. Ivar's Salmon may not be your home grilled salmon dinner from the local natives that sell their wares by the river but it is the best indian baked salmon experience in a restaurant. Our server Zach...took care of us made sure we were happy. Two and a half hours lingering as the lights of the city came on- complimented with drink of whiskey. read more

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We went for the new year eve event. It was a very disorganized event. We went there at 9 pm and could not get food until 10:30 pm. We were in line for 1.5 hours on a new year night and was a horrible start to the night. The seating was very crowded and we were put on a L shaped weird table where we did not really have space to move. When we talked to the manager, he charged at us! He was taller than us and came so close to look at us in an intimidating way. He did not want to hear our feedback but just took out the frustration at us. The food was good which we appreciated. However, this is not how we wanted to spend our New Year's Eve. Do not recommend! read more

It had been quite a few years since I have eaten here and decided to bring the family. I must begin by saying that the weight staff was excellent and very friendly even my children were impressed. I must say the clam chowder with excellent and so were the calamari. I got the fish and chips halibut and it was dry. As far as the rest of the food went, it was good. I know part of the reason coming here is for the ambience and the scenery. But once again, like I said, the waiters were excellent. read more

Disappointing experience from the service to the food, overpriced, not clean. Not what it used to be. read more

I was in Seattle recently and had seen Ivar's featured in some Youtube videos in the past, so thought I'd check it out. I was at Gas Works Park in the evening and a friend told me that there was an Ivar's nearby so I went there for dinner. This place is pretty much just a counter that you order from. There was no indoor seating but they have a few outdoor tables so I ate there. So I ordered a 3 piece piece fish and chips ($12) and a fountain drink ($3.60). Total with tax came out to $17.18. I was thinking damn, that's kind of a lot - maybe the portions here are pretty big. But I was mistaken. I got my food and my reaction was: 'damn... that's it?' My order amounted to a small container of fries and three small pieces of fried fish. Maybe that's why the reviews of this place are less than stellar. But with that aside, the food was pretty tasty. They say they use fresh fish or something (I think my stuff was cod) and it actually was quite good. The fish was super tender and delicate on the inside and fried well on the outside. It was very moist as well, in a good way. So they tasted fantastic, but each piece was so small like I mentioned. The fries were pretty good too; nothing really special but they were hot and did the job. Just wish there were more of them. And it's crazy that they charge $3.60 + tax for a fountain drink; I found that to be way too much. So that was my experience with Ivar's. Glad I tried it but I wouldn't recommend it due to it being poor value for the price. I tried another place called Emerald City Fish and Chips that I'd recommend that over Ivar's by a long shot. read more

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Walked in noticed the carpet was black like a pathway with seated at a table my arms probably stuck to the table, ordered lunch Caesar salad, which was watered down dressing and a seafood medley, which was coin size pieces of salmon scallop was hard and miniature, and the halibut was little tiny piecesvery hard and chewy overall pretty pathetic read more

This was my first time at this place so when I walked into this place I instantly felt this coziness most restaurants would not have, and service was wonderful where my boyfriend and I were helped right away. What I got was the clam chowder and as someone who is from the Bay Area it wasn't the most impressive taste. It seemed like it was lacking flavor and missing the fresh taste a chowder would have especially when it's by the water. Other than having that, I tried the calamari and the crab cakes, those two were really good! The calamari had a nice texture and crunch to it, and the flavor had that kick to it I liked when you eat it with the dip. The crab cake also had a great taste to it, the flavor was on point and did not miss that crunch! If you're craving a good calamari and crab cake I recommend going to Ivar's for that! I will definitely be coming back for that! read more

Ivar's Salmon House - Seafood Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Seattle institution? Yes. Tasty food? Eh, not so much. Their famous clam chowder is awful. So much cream. Not so much clams or seafood flavor. It was basically a huge bowl of cream. So disappointing. The fish and chips are super basic. The choice of halibut or cod was nice. We tried both and had a slight preference for cod which had a more firm texture and was battered and fried nicely. On the positive side, this particular location is very family friendly. They have a kids menu and crayons to keep em busy. read more

Review of the walk up counter outside the sit down restaurant. An ideal location for the short sunny days here in the PNW. There is nothing more Seattle than pulling up in a kayak, SUP or boat, docking it on the floating dock and rolling up to the walk up counter for some grub. They offer all manner of seafood from their fryolator like clams, oysters, chicken strips and fish and chips. For fish and chips they offer a choice of Cod, halibut or salmon. Deep frying salmon seems to be not the best way to treat this fish so usually go with the cod or halibut. Ask for Cajun style which isn't spicy hot all but just has better seasoned flavor than the standard batter. It's not beer battered or anything so the breading is pretty light. Chowders: clam chowder come in red or standard white but I like the smoked salmon fish chowder better. Sizes go from a cup up to a tankard size container! One of the few places where you can order a cup of 'clam nectar' which is simply the essence released when you boil clams. It comes in a cup and is perfect for sipping on a chilly evening on the water They ordering system is still peculiar. Ordering cooked foods on the left line then moving to the right line to order drinks and side orders. There must be method to the madness but this seems to confuse 1st time customers to no end read more

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I've been to Ivar's Salmon House quite a few times. We usually get there early enough to get a table by the window. What a view! We always get the crispy calamari appetizer. It was always delicious but the last time we were there we were a bit disappointed with the dish. It used to be calamari tubes and tentacles. Now it's calamari tubes and small pieces of calamari steaks and not always crispy. The crab cakes, Manila clams, coconut crusted shrimp and clam chowder are favorites. Ordering off the 'Beat The Tide' menu is a good way to have a starter, entree and dessert for a set price. Desserts are wonderful especially the burnt cream and the NY cheesecake. Service is always good. Parking is available. If you get there early enough, you can park in front of the restaurant. If not, you'll have to cross a two lane busy street to get to the other parking lot. read more

Service was amazing! Was here with the UCLA crew team. We had a large party and service was AMAZING! Food was as good as I have heard it was. I had the crab cake appetizer and for main I have the salmon trio. Truly perfection. The mashed potatoes and asparagus were just as yummy. Hubby had the halibut fired fish and it was perfect also. So happy we got a chance to eat here in our visit. read more

Sitting outside by the water was so nice. Service was very good and the food was amazing!

Okay I really really want to give this place 5 stars as its simply a Seattle staple! A classic!! It's especially amazing when the weather cooperates, as they have amazing outdoor seating with an unbelievable view! They even have a place for boats to come and park. And of course they also have their more elegant indoor seating. In addition to all that they have their standard walk up window to grab a quick bite! With all of that said, the last two experiences I've had have definitely been sub par! The first time I was sitting outside and I got the watermelon, feta salad and it was wimpy to say the least! There was barely any watermelon. It's not like watermelon is some expensive commodity-so it just seemed lazy. Especially for the price, come on. The second experience, I grabbed the salmon dish from the window and the salmon was SO beyond dry. I LOVE salmon and this was easily the worst prepared salmon I've ever had. read more

Ivar's Salmon House - Seafood Near Me - Seattle, Washington

If you like Mrs. Paul's fish sticks from the freezer you will love this place. Even the drinks are terrible- I ordered a top shelf margarita- how can you screw up a margarita? My friends got fish and chips- the fries were limp and not cooked properly and the cod and batter tasted like it came out of a frozen food box. The calamari is an abomination. Giant dark fried hunks of calamari with no flavor other than the brown crust and dipping sauce. The sauce was good. Crab cakes- no flavor, no crab. It tasted like they took milk soaked bread and deep fried it- again, no flavor no crab that I could detect- prolly the worst crab cakes I've ever had. My husband wouldn't even eat any of it, he said it was awful. Our servers, Jeff- was excellent. I would have taken a picture of the food but it wasn't worth the time The caesar salad though was excellent. read more

Excellent food, service was not the best. Not sure where his head was at but certainly not on our table. We are fairly easy to deal with, no real high demand but the basics are what we expect, when you apologize 3 times for not bringing bread you said you'd bring. Maybe a fluke on the service but the good and view was excellent, read more

Ivar's Salmon House - Seafood Near Me - Seattle, Washington

My family and I went out to Salmon House for Fathers day this year; an old favorite, we were able to make reservations earlier than their opening business hours due to the holiday and the fathers day brunch they were offering. We were a pretty big party and were able to be seated facing the water, which was beautiful. As always, the decor of a traditional Northwest Indian American Longhouse interior is always inviting. Our waiter was hilarious as well as made sure to check on us often, despite how busy it was. The food was amazing! Pictures would not do it justice; there were endless options of seafood as well as the traditional breakfast items so it made it really difficult what to choose from. The line to the customized omelette station was a little much as it went from the beginning of the buffet, down the ramp to the other side so cutting back to our table after we got our plates was a little tricky. As we went on a Sunday morning, parking is plentiful, either in their parking lots, street side, or in the open lot across the street. If you haven't tried this version of Ivars or dont have a lot of time, there is also the option to order outside from their "Seafood Bar". As the weather is beautiful out, definitely check out either ! read more

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A bit pricey (I almost wish I just grabbed something more reasonable at the fish bar) but the ambiance and view are top notch. They advertise a happy hour, but it's worth noting that you can only order happy hour stuff in the bar area, which is still pretty nice to hang in. read more

Ivar's Salmon House - Seafood Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This was very disappointing. We started boating in Lake Union and this was a perfect dinner spot. Pros: - beautiful location - bread fresh out of the oven, delish - apps - great -tower of apps - variety, flavor and right on Cons: - our dinner took way too long - couldn't find our waitress - people ordered after us, got food before us - slooooooooow Next time, I'll just buy food at front and not sit down unless I have 2 1/2 hours for food. read more

Ivar's Salmon House - Tower. Absolutely delish - Seafood Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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The salmon house has an outdoor dining area on the edge of the water with umbrellas to shield diners from the sun. It's a beautiful view of the sound looking back towards the space needle into downtown. It takes a moment to get used to the traffic noise from I-5 and the Fremont bridge as it's very close to the restaurant. I was meeting friends at the salmon clubhouse for dinner. It's been a while since I had been to this establishment for dinner. We began with two drinks and hors d'oeuvres during happy hour. I had 2 cod and one salmon tacos. The tacos are prepared with grilled chunks of salmon and cod, seasoned and served on a flour tortilla with, shredded cabbage, and a thick sour cream- based topping. I love fish tacos, but faintly seasoned fish, tacos are boring. It could do without the sour cream topping, and the shredded cabbage should have a little more crunched to it, and I would've enjoyed the option of flour versus corn tortillas. For dinner, I had crabcakes on a bed of mashed red potatoes, grilled asparagus, and corn. Let me begin by saying, that over cooked corn or corn that comes out of can is a horrible idea to put on top of any dish. I am a bit of a crabcake aficionado and I love crabcakes. Heavily breaded, poorly seasoned crabcakes really take away from the experience. There were three small crabcakes on the plate, but the bulk of what was served was the heavy breading coating and a very small amount of crab meat still filled with fillers. The mashed potatoes were decent, but there was a sweet sauce that was the base of the dish that really did take away from the experience. The asparagus was perfectly cooked with a little bit of a crunch to them which I enjoyed. The servers were very delayed in taking the order, and remembering drink orders and parts of the dinner order as well. My dinner came to me after everyone else at the table had been served and the server was reminded that I had actually ordered the dinner. Additionally, I had to request, three times, the glass of sparkling water that I had ordered to have with dinner as well as the glass of white wine my friend d had ordered. For dessert we all shared one plate of the three desserts. A slice of flourless decadent chocolate cake, a slice of cheesecake, and a slice of tiramisu that was topped with caramel sauce. I am a chocoholic and have sampled chocolates from various places around the world that produce chocolate. This flourless chocolate cake that we received only a sliver of was the lightest tasting chocolate flourless cake I have ever consumed and would recommend that either they switch the recipe or take it off the menu. The cheesecake was as good as a basic cheesecake can be expected, there was nothing exceptional about it, but it was good. The tiramisu was more exotic than traditional. I had a few bites of it, and would not recommend it for those that are really looking for a true tiramisu or a new experience of tiramisu. Overall, the cost of dining for me and my spouse was about $120. There were seven of us and I could have produced a much better meal with that $120 for the seven of us then what we received for the two of us at the same price. I do understand that restaurants have overhead and cost and staff, etc., but the experience of the food as well as the company. was the main reason we were there. In my opinion, I was delighted that the company of friends made up for the lack of experience in the food at Ivar's Salmon House. read more

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We ate here for our one night in Seattle before our cruise. Food and service were amazing. Really loved the ambiance and the view of the lake as well. Would definitely return if in the area again. read more

Ivar's Salmon House - Salmon with lobster topping - Seafood Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This is my, and my mother's favorite restaurant in the Seattle area. We take all of our out-of-town guests here for happy hour snacks. Fish tacos and a great draft selection is what we like! The lake and "cut" views are a great part of the experience. We usually get to see the bridge open on the canal and a tall-mast sailboat go through. On Tuesdays in summer you can see the sailing race called the Duck Dodge on Lake Union. On weekday late afternoons other seasons we see the UW crew teams practicing. The historical native dugout canoes and other authentic art, including masks and totem poles are awesome. Be sure to walk in the Whale Maker bar and ask them to point out actual preserved whale makers ;-) Adjoining Ivar's Salmon House on the West side is a micro-park where we like to the shore after eating. read more

My fave place for a nice seafood dinner with visitors is Ivar's Salmon House, especially when we can sit outside in the summer. The rotating seasonal specials always make me do a double take but you cannot go wrong with their any of their entrees...I have consistently had a great experience there with service, and you'll get a taste of classic Pacific Northwest flavors. read more

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The CEO subsequently contacted me and apologized for the mix up here. They extended the discount and it was well resolved. Good on ya Ivars! Keep up the great work. Ivars is the absolute best seafood in Seattle. The ambiance at the Salmon House is wonderful....it doesn't get any more Seattle-ish than that. If you have people coming into town for a visit, take them to Ivars! read more

We recently relocated to the area and are trying restaurants. We came early and got an excellent table with amazing views. The service was very attentive, plenty of refills and drinks brought out quickly. The food was "meh." Starting with the steamed clams. Broth was okay but I got the feeling they didn't get their garlic delivery- especially after my entree came. The toast was kind of sad, puffy white bread with little substance, but the cooking broth wasn't something I wanted anyway. Hot celery broth. For dinner I had the salmon Caesar salad. It was a huge piece of fish and cooked fine- no problems there. The salad was almost inedible, but I was super hungry when we went in. I love anchovies but there was no flavor to this dressing other than mild anchovy. It was a wet, whitish (can't say creamy), flavorless situation over partially-crisp lettuce. My husband had crab cakes which he said were good. I tried his mashed potatoes and they had a crust on them. Possibly plated way in advance and reheated or sat on a warming table? I'd be back maybe if in-laws come to visit or with people who've never been to Seattle. Or, because the location and views are so dreamy, I'd come just for happy hour and have no expectations for food. read more

Don't waste your money & health here. Got coconut shrimp with seaweed/cucumber salad and this is what I've got. Do you see any salad or is it me? The shrimp was super greasy. When I asked them about the salad with complete attitude, they said yeah that's it and it has cucumber you don't just see. very disappointing and not gonna come back for sure! read more

Ivar's Salmon House - Seafood Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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the fish was so fresh and the broccolini was very good. the halibut was juicy and tender and the plank salmon was seasoned perfectly. the crab cakes were divine. The real treat about this place is the view as it is right on the water. Beautiful view and a great meal read more

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Had a friend in town from Halifax. I thought it would be nice to have lunch on the water & Salmon House delivered in every way. She had a 3-piece fish and chips, I had the Seafood Brochette with a cup of chowder. Beautiful July day with boaters & paddle boarders going by. Can't really go wrong here either the food & view. Service was great too! read more

Ivar's Salmon House - Seafood Brochette, 1 Skewer & Cup of Ivars Famous White Clam Chowder! - Seafood Near Me - Seattle, Washington