Came here for my birthday dinner and unfortunately it was just okay. The service was friendly and welcoming, and we really enjoyed the oysters--they were fresh and delicious. Drinks were solid too. But the main course was disappointing. We ordered the steak frites, and the steak was overcooked, bland, and oddly not sliced the way it's typically presented. For the price, we expected much better quality and execution. It wasn't a terrible experience, but definitely not the special birthday dinner we were hoping for. Probably wouldn't return for a full meal, though I'd come back for oysters and drinks. read more

We had a wonderful evening at Oystertale! Cocktails were top-notch, and my husband loved his slider and fried oysters. I enjoyed the salmon waffles--the waffle with goat cheese was fantastic (the salmon was hot-smoked, which just isn't my thing, but he happily ate it). Sweet, attentive service and a seaside chic ambience made the night perfect. read more

Oystertale - Barrel aged negroni! - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

Food was excellent. I've never before had a goat cheese dish that I felt like actually had plenty of goat cheese! read more

Oystertale - Oysters! - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

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Oystertale was okay. My husband and I tried Oystertale on a Tuesday evening for dinner. The location is great, and outdoor tables all have a view of the water. The inside is nicely decorated as well. The service was okay. We were the first in the restaurant for dinner but it still took the servers several minutes to acknowledge us and get our drink orders. They were just casually chatting to each other. The food was very good. Everything is locally sourced from within 50 miles of the restaurant and they include the names of all the farms/sources on the menu. Again, the food was tasty, but the portion sizes were small. My husband ordered steak frites and asked where the other half of his steak went. I had salmon and the fillet came with some very thin slivers of beets, but nothing else. It was about an inch thick ,so only a few ounces. It would be helpful if the restaurant included the size/portions so we could have ordered appetizers or additional sides. We left hungry. Again, good food but I suggest ordering more than you think you might want due to portion size. read more

Atmosphere: Small place with some outdoor tables with great views of the harbor. Food: I loved the oysters and the chowder, although my gf was not as enthused about the chowder Price: I felt like the prices were quite fair for a tourist destination on the water. Though the oysters were a bit expensive (standard oyster prices but I typically don't pay for oysters unless on sale) Service: Not the quickest, but server was nice Parking: Street parking (or take the ferry) read more

Do not go here unless you are just drinking or having oysters. Cute aesthetic and good location but the food is so bad. Very over priced and tiny portions. I had to go to a second dinner at the SJ Brewery. The staff is super nice but they definitely know that this place is a tourist trap. read more

YES!!!! Spur of the moment dining after disembarking ferry in Friday Harbor and checking in at hotel. Love these kind of local fare tables offering intimate dining and outstanding service. Prob seating for less than 50 people including the outdoor "community" tables. Quiet, great laid back vibe inside. Started with an excellent red Pinot Muniere from Dundee Hills on Oregon. Fantastic wine list. Good "local" Washington and Oregon choices. Our server Pillar gave us great overview of menu and the oyster choices. Helped me pick 6 ranging from sweet to briny. Loved them all, particularly with the vinaigrette style dipping sauce, so much better than the heavy ketchup and horse radish mix you get at most oyster places. Small plate orientation so we went with San Juan Salad and Caprese Salad. Good choices. The Caprese was fresh, local tomato's. So fresh and flavorful. Really enjoyed both, but the Caprese was a standout. Continuing on to a bowl of salmon chowder, and I have to say this might have been the best chowder I've ever had. Pink Salmon. Just outstanding. Then on to 3 REALLY good salmon cakes. For dessert a blackberry cobbler with locally made ice cream. Service was amazing. Everyone friendly and knowledgeable. Again kudos to Pillar, an outstanding, delightful experience. With really good bottle of wine, $2XX with tip for 2 and worth every cent. I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! A must stop for anyone visiting San Juan Island. read more

Oystertale - Caprese and San Juan Salad - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

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Pretty little restaurant right near the water in Friday Harbor . Food was decent. Oysters were great however quite pricy. The rest of our food was good. Not fantastic but solidly good. We had the crab potato waffle - elegant looking, glad we tried it once but sort of bland and well, unusual. Had the smoked fish dip which was ok/ good ( might skip that one ) Overall I thought the meal was good however we left a bit unsatisfied and not full. Pretty expensive to leave feeling that way. Service was friendly and efficient. Overall an enjoyable experience in the heart of Friday Harbor . read more

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Very cute spot right next to the harbor that promises to casually spoil you with local seafood bites. Servers were great, very attentive and informative when it came to helping us make menu choices. The cocktails and oysters we got were phenomenal, loved the mignonette that they served with our sliders. However, we also got the Dungeness crab waffle that sounded delicious in practice, but the burnt oil taste of the waffle overwhelmed the delicate flavor of the crab and other toppings. It had to be drenched with the lemon-honey sauce it comes with to be edible. Really disappointing since it sounded so good. Avoid the waffle and I think this spot still has a lot of great options! read more

Oystertale - Dungeness crab waffle in question along with a delicious Paper Plane - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

Very small place underneath Downriggers. Lots of staff for a place this small so service was great from start to finish. We were lucky to nab a table for 4 at 7:15 on a Friday. The food was very good: we started with oysters, and they had accurate tasting notes for each kind. We followed by sharing a few plates: the fresh catch was very good, as was the lamb pesto pasta. We shared an order of the dungeoness crab potato waffle and agreed it was very different and good. We agreed they could do with a few more options on the menu, but there's enough variety for folks with different tastes, vegetarian, etc. read more

This is such a cute place near the ferry terminal! My boyfriend and I came during Labor Day weekend and while we made a reservation for the next day at Downriggers since it was crowded, we saw this place and loved what the menu had to offer as well as the interior/ambiance of the place. We enjoyed the strawberry frose and peach bellini - both were very good but I loved the Frose more (I could drink like 3 of those!) It was the best I've ever had. We had the charcuterie board - I got one of the flatbreads and my boyfriend got the Gryffin Bay sandwich which has smoked salmon and arugula. Ashley is the owner and told us her story about owning this wonderful place! She also baked these splendid lemon macadamia cookies (if they're there -- try one, you'll be hooked!) :) This is a great place and they even do catering so might consider that in the future! They have a lot of wine selections too. read more

Oystertale - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

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The decor of this place is so cute! They've got a great selection of local oysters -- all of them were delicious! A winner here is the Dungeness crab waffles, and we also enjoyed the scallop crudo. The cocktails were fine for us this time but I'd try others. Stop by for some oysters, bubbly or a cocktail, and a Dungeness crab waffle and you won't be disappointed! read more

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The food was average at best. Steak was okay. We expected more from a restaurant of this caliber.

Oysters were fine. Everything else was sub par. The service was very slow. She forgot drink order. The steak did not have any flavor and the other food had some odd flavor combinations. Had to go to another restaurant because I could not eat the food I was served. The establishment will hopefully turn around because the location is great. read more

Phenomenal food! I am not a raw oyster lover but my family said they were incredible. Even if you don't love raw oysters there is so much on the menu for you. We chose to order a whole bunch of items to share and it was a great way to go! My absolute favorite were the Lingcod sliders...incredible! We sat on the patio and enjoyed a wonderful evening, ordering drinks and sharing food read more

Great restaurant, great food, great people! Loved the variety and the tastiness of the food.

The food was outstanding! The service was above and beyond! My husband & I loved this place so much, we made sure to return again during our 3-night stay on the island. Favorite dishes include the salmon chowder, the fish sliders, the lamb papparadelle & the rhubarb crisp with ice cream. Yummy! Just sublime! They also have outstanding cocktails & wines. read more

This tiny place was really a good choice. Smaller plates to share is what they do , which worked nicely for the four of us. The salmon waffle was amazing, the dip was amazing, in fact everything was really good including the dry rose wine from Loire Valley. I had the Manhattan drink as well, but would have preferred it without the honey. Great service and pretty fast service but wasn't rushed at all. Oh, almost forgot the dessert! The cobbler was the yummiest to us. The chocolate hazelnut was delicious as well but between the two, the cobbler won out. I'm not an oyster fan but the couple of women that had them really enjoyed those as well. The seafood was very fresh . Nice splurge! read more

Not our first visit here, but had been a year or so. Very nice cocktails to start with a lavender lemon drop and a barrel aged Negroni both were great. Then on to a sampler of the oyster offerings. 5 different varieties from sweet to briney.....all were super fresh and flavorful. Don't forget the bread served with a seasonal blackberry butter, very good. We then enjoyed their house salad with blackberries and goat cheese, crisp and flavorful without being over dressed. Then it was on to the potato waffle with smoked sockeye salmon, fried capers and more goat cheese, a very generous portion. Finishing it off with a blueberry cobbler with Lopez Island Creamery ice cream, a very nice finish. We also tried several different glasses of wine from their selections, all were good. The service. Was great with several people checking in on us and helping. We are already looking forward to our next visit (unfortunately next summer/spring). read more

Oystertale - Our selection of oysters and cocktails. - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

Absolutely the best in Friday harbor! The Hama Hama clams were succulent in a garlicky broth, and the smoked salmon chowder a must! Everything on the menu is an "order again "!!! Amazing menu! read more

Charming little restaurant w friendly attentive service. Loved the clean modern decor but I found the overhead dinner time lighting to be way too bright to create a romantic vibe. (Why not try lowering the wattage and putting some small electric candle on each of the tables?) we told our server we wanted to share the salad yet. It came as one with no side plates until we asked. I ordered the grilled pork chop, which had great flavor w the cherries, excellent seasoning, perfectly cooked, but sadly 1/3 of the chop was pure fat so there wasn't a lot of meat. I assumed a little side of some thing, vegetable or starch would accompany the chop. I was wrong. It was just the pork chop. The potato waffle was creative but lacked flavor. The chocolate dessert was to die for! I hope the chef tweaks the menu a bit bec it is close but not quite there. read more

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We love oysters and showed up there with a reservation. They refused to seat us indoors because we had a service dog (noted in the reservation request). Their outdoor seating is at communal, dirty, folding tables on the sidewalk - not an appealing option. We asked if they knew that refusing us access was against the law and the two ladies who spoke with us said their manager didn't care and wouldn't come talk to us personally. We left without making a fuss and took our business to the restaurant next door and were graciously welcomed. read more

We didn't care for the warm water bottle on our table, the mostly fat lamb and the crab potato waffle did not taste good at all.

Every bite was like heaven. The fresh oysters were the highlight. Healthy simple and delicious foods. The best!

Ohhh we love this cute, little gem. A unique experience tucked into a beautiful little space near the ferry. Plan on staying for a while to enjoy the appetizers, wine and sweets! The owner is usually there and very friendly and knowledgeable about wine. Reservations necessary especially in the summer. It's a must try in Friday Harbor! read more

Honestly loved this place when I came here last summer and was excited to come back. It was probably one of the most disappointing meals I've ever had. The steak was well done, confused why it would be when the waitress said they took usually medium/medium rare. The halibut had no flavor and was luke warm. I did enjoy the bread and butter, but then again how can you mess that up... the wine flight was good, crab dip was about the only thing I'd order again. The waffles were tasteless as well. I won't be coming back unless the chef learns to season properly. read more

Picnik is perfectly nestled in the Friday Harbor marina. Whether outside or inside, you'll be well taken care of as you try new, delicious wines, flatbreads, and charcuteries. They're not open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays so plan your trip accordingly. Definitely a great place to enjoy the marina! The owner knows her wines. She has great tastes! read more

Oystertale - White wine flight - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

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Cute spot right by the ferry terminal! Indoor dining and a few outside seats. It's a little wine bar with cheese boards, flat breads and sandwiches, as well as a spot to grab items for lunch later in the day. Cute decor, excellent wine and a well done boards. We also had the whipped feta with spicy honey and warm pita which was amazing! The owner and staff where very pleasant, attentive, helpful and happy to describe the wines we were getting as part of our tasting flight. Highly recommend this little gem of a place! read more

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Party of 6 with no reservation and we were accommodated right away for dinner on a Saturday night. The bread with whipped honeyed rhubarb butter and the oysters were fantastic. We saw some other patrons eating the potato waffles which were a large-sized plating, so that's what our friends ordered (smoked salmon and Dungeness crab). My husband and I shared the tuna crudo, which was spectacular but a smaller portion than we expected. The Early Summer Caprese salad was also very small. We left a little hungry but the food and service were good. read more

food is great. customer service is not so good. they need a customer service class. could be a great little bar/food place if more service oriented. read more

A short walk from the guest docks at the marina, this quaint shop offers a unique menu and friendly service. Highly recommend!