I love your fish n' chips and ceasar salads. Food qulity is consistent everytime we go. Noise level is comfortable. Ambiance can use an updated look. read more

Ivar's is a classic when it comes to fish and chips, Although it may be considered "fast food" by some, I find that their fish is hard to beat. The fish is always has a nice flakiness to it and is covered with a thin breading...the pieces are very substantial and filling. A dip of the slightly sweet tarter sauce perfects each bite. As for the fries....they are alright, but could be crispier. They seem to get soggy fairly easily since they're in a compact pile with the fish on top. I consider the pricing to be pretty reasonable. It's about $22 for a "boat" which includes a chowder, 10 pieces of fish, fries and coleslaw (enough for up to 3 people). I've always had a good experience here, but on my most recent visit, they forgot to substitute red chowder in the "boat" even though it was recorded on the receipt. We had taken our order to go, so we didn't notice this mistake until we unpacked everything. Note: Photo below is from a different visit. We tried the Shrimp & Chips, however this only included 6 large shrimp on a pile of fries. It was about $9 for the entree, which is pretty steep, coming to about $1.5 per shrimp. Although they tasted great, I would still stick with the classic fish and chips. read more

Ivar's Seafood Bar - 5 piece Fish & Chips, Shrimp (6) & Chips, cup of white chowder - Seafood Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Have always been a fan of Ivar's. Their chowder is my fav. Also we like their grilled fish and rice. It was near by our house in 2016 and we often use to visit. read more

Really impressed with Ivar's in Bellevue today. I stopped in for a late lunch - I ordered the #1 which comes with a drink , cup of chowder, one piece of cod and fries. Our cashier/ server was extremely friendly and welcoming ! We sat down and within seconds we had our chowder - sooo good but please wait for it to cool down do not be like me and power through the heat - you will leave with a numb tongue (low key worth it ). I think it was a whopping 5 minutes until our food arrived .. again hot! And I say this appreciatively since there is nothing worse than cold fries and I'm sure cold fish. Everything was delicious - the restaurant was super clean and tidy. I will absolutely be back ! read more

This is our favorite Ivar's! Their cuts are the best, much better than others we've tried except for the Salmon House on lake Washington. We go here often! The service is good as well. Delicious food every time without fail. read more

It's Ivars. Consistent fresh fried food. The fish may seem a bit pricy but try living in the South where it is catfish. No comparison. You are lucky to have that here. Fries done to order and not waiting under a red light. They must use two fryers as the fries don't taste like fish. The guy at the registrar was polite and brought out my food and some wipes for when I was done. Can't eat here everyday but beats the other fried fish places hands down. Clean and a cool coke delivery machine. read more

Ivar's Seafood Bar - Halibut and fries. Flakey and hot! Beware the hot. - Seafood Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Taste- ***** Service- **** Ambiance- **** Parking- **** The legendary Ivars did not disappoint! For an $8 lunch I cannot ask for more quality and taste. My fish n chips and shrimp n chips were perfectly cooked- crispy, not oily on the outside, moist and tender on the inside. The chowder bowl and fries were both pretty good. Overall I'm really happy this is in my neighborhood. read more

Joined a group of my colleagues here at Ivar's for dinner during a recent business trip to Seattle. Working at a non-profit, once we were seated we realized the prices for most of the entree items were way out of our reimbursement rate and I asked if we could have happy hour menus instead. We were informed that happy hour was only served in the bar, and so we quickly packed up and moved over to the bar section, where fortunately we found a table for five and much more palatable prices. We were greeted warmly by Nations, who got us set up in a jiffy! Half-price fish & chips (a bit smaller than the regular menu but still plenty), chowder samplers, and delicious salmon blts were all favorites. Nations thought we were teachers (one of my colleagues was rocking some professorial looking glasses) and he gave us exceptional service, saying "teachers deserve to be taken care of too!". I let him know that we weren't teachers but non-profit workers, and he laughed and thanked us for what we do, and kept the great service coming. Very kind & charming. Food was tasty, service was exceptional AND there's free ping-pong tables and other fun games out front! Thanks Ivar's! read more

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Clean restaurant/ very friendly crew. Came out on 7/8/23 ( want to acknowledge the guys working that night) Service was fast. You can usually tell how good they are by how many people are waiting on food. I usually go to the one on Coulon Park but summer time can get crazy. Might be worth the drive to come out to Issaquah. Thanks guys. read more

Ivar's Seafood Bar - Seafood Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

It wasn't as good as what I remembered, but still good enough to have me come back again. I see a lot of older folks here, so maybe it's a common concept. I had the clam chowder and one of the fish-and-chips plates. I'd probably order the same thing again. Fast service and friendly employees. A lot of parking spots available. read more

This place is certainly nothing fancy, it's like a fast food restaurant, you order at the counter and pick it up when ready. But it's really clean, good food and great service. I love the Salmon Caesar Salad and the fried scallops with coleslaw. Great for delivery. read more

The food at Ivar's in Bellevue has been very good and we've eaten there (and gotten takeout) about once a month for about 2 years. About a week ago we bought takeout again and were very disappointed with the food when we got home. The food had been prepared some time before and the French fries were kind of stiff and cold. It's' pretty pricey at Ivar's like everywhere these days so we'll just stop eating there, maybe try it again next summer. read more

Ivar's is like an 80's or 90's movie you thought was the greatest thing you've ever seen. However, when you watch it again as an adult, it just doesn't quite hold up. To me, it's SpaceCamp. I mean, who actually believes NASA will be so reckless to send children into space? Anyway, I digress. When I was a kid, I remembered my dad used to take us to Ivar's for Fish 'n Chips. It was so good! Dipping the fried cod fish into that Tartar Sauce was the perfect combination. Wanting to try and recreate that magic, I stopped by last Friday for their Blue Friday special, 2 entrees for $12. I ordered two 3 piece Fish 'n Chips. One for me and one for my pops! I also added a cup of Clam Chowder for myself. I decided to eat my 3 piece and chowder at the restaurant. The fish was what I expected. It was flaky, but the batter around the fish was not as crunchy as I remembered. As for the fries, they were soggy, even just coming out of the fryer. It probably could've been better if it was double fried or flash fried. On the bright side, the White Clam Chowder was what I remembered. Plenty of potatoes and clams with the right amount of creaminess. I could've eaten a Tanker of that chowder. I might be too hard on Ivar's because I set too high of a standard. I was hoping the original recipe they've had all these years would hold up, but it just didn't. Nonetheless, I'd be willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and give them another shot for a quick lunch. read more

Last Saturday, we parked at Ivar's parking lot, browsing reviews on Yelp to see whether to dine here, and eventually decided to walk around this little plaza before making a conclusion. Once we got off the car, a lady who had been patrolling around cried at us, saying something about 500 dollars. We initially thought she was homeless person begging for money, except the amount was too large. But then she started to make phone calls. We kinda realized she might be calling a towing company. Apparently, this restaurant was too unfriendly to dine in. The minute we drove away, a towing truck came, and towed away the only other car in the parking lot. Above was our premature experience with Ivar. Fun fact: 1. The lady hadn't asked whether we were their customer before shouting at us. She could be either a. too lack of confidence in their food, or, b. not welcoming customers at all. Either way, she should not be a professional employee of this restaurant. Or, was she trained to do so? 2. Besides her own suv, there were the only two vehicles in their parking lot, in Saturday evening, which might be both the reason and the outcome of the fact that, instead of having customers to serve, this restaurant had more free time to spend in the parking lot preventing people from being their customers. 3. My previous review was deleted by Yelp without any notification. My essay got lost without a backup. Even Douban under strong censorship messages a copy before deleting content. Angrily, I went through the policy, which says a review can be removed for being either from a competitor or irrelevant with experience. Mine was apparently relavent, unless parking lot is not part of this restaurant, in which case cars shouldn't have been towed away in the first place. 4. To make my review more "relevant", I have to depict the mentality I had before getting off the car to sound like a potential customer. It can be the fact or made up. You won't know, just like you won't know how many bad reviews have been deleted by Yelp to make this restaurant stay above 3.5 and ironically, this not-too-low score, in turn, gave this restaurant a chance of being considered by us, at their parking lot, that Saturday evening. read more

Similar to other reviews, this is not for the restaurant but for the towing company. But also because of the towing company, I will never try this restaurant. We admit that it's our fault parking in their spot, but the towing company has the worst attitude like other review said. We came back right at the moment the company was towing the car. Those guys have the worst attitude I've ever seen. They were so rude at us and we couldn't even talk with them. The restaurant owner clearly knew them and they clearly collude. They towing company moved on to the next car right after we left. read more

Very good food and large portions. My wife had the seafood combo and I had the 1/2 chicken/steak combo with black beans and rice. Everything was great except for the steak. The steak was very thin and dry. Other than that, everything else was great. Also, if you like adding sauce to your food, use the sauces on the buffet vs on your table. The sauces on the buffet include additional ingredients not offered on your table. read more

Ivar's Seafood Bar - Seafood Combo - Seafood Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Unbelievably tasty and tremendous value! My son and I got the 5pc cod with fries, 10 jumbo shrimp, and a bowl of white claim chowder for under $30, and it was much better than the fancy restaurants we've been eating at during our vacation. We very very pleasantly surprised. Don't let the fast food look of the restaurant fool you, this is the real deal. read more

I have been a very loyal fan of Ivar's since first arriving in the Seattle area over 20 years ago. A friend and I got to this location before 7:00 on a Sunday night for some quick dinner and it wasn't even lined up and the restaurant was only half-full. We ended up waiting for over half-an-hour for our food and if I hadn't gone back up to the counter, I never would have gotten my oysters and chips (they told me it was the last batch they had left). And my clam chowder was so watered down, it was like a glass of milk! So as I finished my dinner, my friend's salmon sandwich (AND chowder!) had still not come out yet. Ended up going back to the counter and his sandwich finally came out. The "chef" in the back kitchen looked like he had ADHD and was obviously cooking ONE order at a time. Slowly. Most of the people at the tables were just sitting there waiting for their food. The manager was running one tray out at a time to tables apologizing for the long wait. It was so frustrating, I ended up taking out my smartphone and started playing the Benny Hill theme song loud and everyone in the place started laughing. This was the most disappointing Ivar's experience I have ever had. Period. Sad. Ivar was probably rolling in his grave! Totally incompetent staff and definitely NOT recommending this location to anyone. Not even my worst enemies! If I didn't want to get out of there so quickly (and waste more time waiting), I would have demanded a full refund! So disappointed. read more

Misrepresentation seems to be rampant. Picture shows Wild Alaska True Cod to be a wide as a hand. Pieces come out to me two fingers wide and about four inches long. I complain to the manager and he suggests the Pollack. They come out as tiny as as the previous fish. The only saving grace is the chowder. Best I've ever had. Don't order the fish if you're hungry for fish. read more

Fine peaceful place. Not too crowded. I drop by sometimes on my way to cross roads mall.

Certainly, the food tastes good at Ivar's. But what exactly is behind the flavors? You won't know by looking at the menu. Yes, at the behest of a legion of Seattle-King County nanny-staters, the menu now shows calories for each item, so there's a lot of numbers up there. Don't get calorie counts mixed up with prices. Apparently, the nanny-staters in their "we know best" attitude determined that calorie content was the most important thing for consumers to know, not what goes into the food. At Ivar's you can get food additive information by asking to see their ingredients list. They won't give you a copy, but will let you peek at a laminated list they keep under the cash register. And lo and behold, you discover that Ivar's dumps MSG into just about everything: chowder, the Cajun-style fish, the salad dressing, and yes, even in the tartar sauce. The tartar sauce has MSG?! Well, I'm outta here now (after one last fling) and I won't be back. read more

Ok, ok...I know what you're thinking. "How is this looney toon giving Ivar's a 5 star review? Oh, he's from San Diego. Now I get it." Now hold up for a second. I actually grew up in Washington so suck it Trebek. And there isn't anything close to this in San Diego. Especially the chowder. I have had dreams of this chowder since I realized San Diego's seafood just wasn't the same as Pac NW seafood. And really, no other fast food seafood joint compares to Ivar's. Not in my experience at least. Definitely not in SoCal. My wife is from Cali and it was her first time here. We ordered the salmon and chips and chowder in a bread bowl. She loved them both. (So much so that she wanted to get more Ivar's again before we went home.) And so did I. It brought back memories of my childhood. The staff was also really kind, courteous, and quick. So for all you Washingtonians who don't understand this 5 star review try leaving the region and surviving without Ivar's. It's definitely one of those " you don't know what you've got til it's gone" situations. read more

Ivar's Seafood Bar - Seafood Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Came in for lunch & loved it! The gentleman at the cash register was really nice and had a good attitude! He explained to me the difference in combos. Ended up getting a cup of clam chowder and fish & chips. The chowder was amazing and probably one of my favorites! It was nice & creamy, the potatoes weren't over cooked & the clam flavor was there. I really liked that you could bite into the chunks of clams! The 3 piece fish and chips was good, not the best I've had but for a fast food place in a sense it was good! I got 4 different sauces, regular tartar, malt vinegar, garlic malt & sweet tartar. They were all good and the flavors shined through! If you're looking for a nice, clean, order at the counter & sit down place then this is the spot! Overall would eat here again. read more

Ivar's Seafood Bar - Regular Tartar, Malt Vinegar, Garlic Malt & Sweet Tartar - Seafood Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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This place is good for a quick seafood fix! I think they used to have more and bigger servings of protein! The quality for sure has gone down. They have really good clam chowder, it's as good as the one in pike place market! The place also smells kinda musty but the bathrooms are clean. For the price I would expect more protein and quality food they are a bit more expensive than regular fast food chain. I really don't know if I would recommend this place. If you're craving then go ahead but I don't know if you'll like it as much. read more

I like this place. We had a dinner here with my spouse. It's a good mix of bar and fast food with nice sea food. Going to come back here again read more

Ivar's Seafood Bar - Seafood Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

I revisited here again today (my first time was only like 5 days ago). I was hungry, I wanted something fast, I wanted something that wasn't too pricey and I didn't feel like Asian foods.. which is very rare lol. This Ivar's also tended to be on my way home. Like literally, I just turned right along 156th and I was already in the parking lot. The service was also really good for sorta-fast-foods restaurant. Tables were clean, all silverware, sauces and napkins were always there to use. I went in around 8 pm tonight so there were a bunch of old people there. It made me feel older but whatever, I got what I wanted and I spent only 12 dollars.. (4 pieces fish n chips + cup of clam chowder) read more

Ivar's Seafood Bar - 4 pieces Fish n Chip + Cup of Clam Chowder - Seafood Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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Came here for the first time and the staff was so friendly. I love their fountain drink machine. So many choices you can choose from. I got the scallop and chips. It was about $10, a little pricy but then again it's scallops. The snack size shrimp are cheap and delicious. This place reminds me if culvers. But it's great! I would totally come back for a late night snack! read more

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Went there Friday June 17, 2022 for lunch, and bought a fish sandwich. It was terrible. Big bun, small fish, dry, & l had to throw away one bun, and fold the other around the fish, so I could taste the fish instead of dry bun when l bit into it. $12 for that I'm pissed. Never go there again, and recommend others not to eat there. Terrible experience. read more

Yes, this is a chain, but it was started in Washington, and I've never heard of it before, so it's OK to review it. Plus, let's be honest, I'd probably have reviewed it anyway. For fast food the service was absolutely amazing. The manager came over to ask us how we were doing. They came to pick up our used plates. Can you imagine Burger King doing that? Nuts! The food itself was ok. We got a bunch of fish and chips with different type of fish. The original was definitely the best. We also got a clam chowder bread bowl, which is supposed to be award-winning, but was actually fairly mediocre, and only look warm. The fries were fairly thick and pretty good, but also not very hot. I can't believe I'm saying this about a fast-food place, but the serve far outdid the food. read more

The restaurant is pretty cozy, the staff is friendly but the food is average at best. The clam chowder was the one dish I really liked. It was hearty and tasted great. The fish and chips were a big let down. Both the traditional and cajun style are just soggy oily pieces of fish with no flavor. You can feel the grease in your throat. It's nowhere near the light crisp battered fish you would expect. Also, the size fish size is really small for that price. The chips(fries) weren't fresh and didn't taste nice either. I might go back for some chowder but I certainly won't have the fish and chips again. read more

One of the best fish and ships around. Lightly breaded, great taste!!! Cajun style is amazing too!!!!! Yummy!

Every once in a while I crave fish & chips or a nice clam chowder. I do not know why I even consider Ivar's. Because as a general yet strict rule, this place kinda sucks. The coleslaw is just as bad. Try something on the menu, go ahead, don't be shy.... Then never come back again.... Now if I could only listen to my own advice.... read more

This Ivar's Seafood Bar location has become one of my standard lunch destinations during the work week. The food, of course, is very good and if you have lived in the Seattle area for any length of time you do know what I mean. What stands out to me here is the high level of service given by the very attentive and friendly staff. Each and every visit, I have been the recipient of top notch, genuinely kind service that is such a rare thing these days. That little extra touch keeps me coming back for more when other place may have better food or cheaper prices. Thank you Ivar's people for staying true to Mr. Haglund's core beliefs for a successful local business. read more

Great food and service. This is the first time we visited the bellevue branch and it was as good as the seattle one. We ordered halibut which was crispy and not oily. They happily agreed to replace our fries with onion rings which was a plus point. The sitting is adequate with a lot of tables and the ambience is pretty chill. Lots of different flavour sauces to choose from. One advice- would love if they also keep chilli flakes/peri peri spice for those of us who love to add flavour to our fish.The person at the counter who also served food was very pleasing. Overall a great experience. read more

Ivar's Seafood Bar - Seafood Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Great food and great service. I ordered the oyster and fries. The oyster is creamy and of good quality! The batter is not overwhelming and add good flavor to the oyster. Fries is decent too. Their tartar sauce is very yummy. I am glad they don't charge extra for that like some other restaurant. The cashier brought the food to my table right when the order is done from the kitchen so good is piping hot. He also brought customers moist towelette during their meal. This is a nice touch. The chef greets and interact with the customers when he is free. This makes people feel very welcoming. Conclusion, great fast food restaurant. read more

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For some reason, I had always thought that Ivar's Seafood Bar was like some sort of expensive sit-down restaurant where waiters take your order. I had driven past this place so many times but never entered until recently, and it was nothing like my expectations. It was probably the word "seafood" that led me to assume this place was a bit more upscale, and even though I was wrong, I'm glad to be wrong. Great little restaurant, and one worth revisiting. The way you order at Ivar's is exactly the same as the way you would order at a fast food restaurant. It's pretty casual, but they still have neat little features like crayons and pictures for the kids to color in. Prices in general are low, and the food here is actually not that unhealthy. I ordered a dish of grilled salmon, wild rice, salad, a corn bread muffin, and a slice of lemon. That's a rather balanced meal for ten dollars, and a cup of clam chowder is only a few dollars. Both are good, but the red clam chowder is lower in calories than the white clam chowder. read more

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Always great service here for this great tried and true favorite. The snackers are great deals and the chowder is so good. Get the New England in a bread bowl. Sorry no keto for today! Its,worth skipping one day! read more

5 Stars: The five star is only for the clam chowder. 3 Stars: The fried food I tried twice. First time I order the cod because they told me that is the most popular, it was ok. 2nd time I order the seafood mix to try everything, meh it was ok. Overall: Just get a huge tub of clam chowder. read more

Ivar's Seafood Bar - You can sub the chips for rice, side salad, or slaw. - Seafood Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Clam, shrimp, fish, fries combo could have bigger shrimps but the shrimp did not have that "grown in the toilet" flavor. The calorie per dollar ratio is pretty good. read more

Ivar's Seafood Bar - 5 piece cajun fish and chips/10.95+tax. - Seafood Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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Ivars is good, i've had it at a few places and i must say there food is quite consistant. Personaly, i would say way from the other stuff they have there and stick with their regular fish n' chips and white chowder. You'll be tempted by other thing such as Salmon and Chips or Clam and Chips but trust me, towards the middle of your meal you'll wish you just stuck with ol' tried and true. You also don't really need to get the combo meals... unless you dont plan to eat for the rest of the day (its A LOT of food) read more