Food is 5 star, ambiance the best on coast. Make reservation if wanted to sit inside ~ but table outside in summer is the experience. Fun staff! read more

Smitty's Oyster House - Oysters galore! - Seafood Near Me - Lower Gibsons, British Columbia

the people were a little rude. the food took one hour and 30 minutes to arrive. bird poop fell on us.

Brutal experience. We went there looking for the full tourist seaside experience after checking out Mollys Reach. This place is downright hostile. We sat outside, they have one long table along their deck. Told us to seat ourselves so we sat together facing the water as did another couple; very natural choice. Could not get a recommendation out of our waiter on a gluten free meal even tho he volunteered he and his gf are both gf. No glimmer of a smile either. He was competent, though, and the food was alright. BUT...halfway through our meal a different staff member came out and VERY abruptly and rudely told us to sit across from one another. We adjusted, kind of jangled. But thought they must be filling up- still, ask nicely. YOU seated us! And then we heard him behind us by the open window going "Well now it's fair, blah blah blah other people want to see the view...and then "I guess I'm the asshole though!" And we finished our meal at a very empty table. Not another soul came in, but the couple next to us left so it was actually even MORE roomy. Turns out they had ZERO reason to make us move except he just thought we shouldn't be enjoying so much of the view. Yes sir, you ARE absolutely the asshole. Very much so. read more

Smitty's Oyster House - This is the table when we left. NO shortage of space. - Seafood Near Me - Lower Gibsons, British Columbia

While the food was excellent, the service was out of this world bad, outlandishly unfriendly, inconsiderate, and totally unacceptable. The rating would be zero stars. If it was available. After waiting for 45 minutes to get a seat, the service very reluctantly and totally uninterested took our order. We spent almost $200 including four drinks with the two of us, and as we were sitting on our last glasses of wine after dinner we were asked to leave because others were waiting for a seat. At this level and in general, this is flat despicable. read more

This is the first review I have ever left. Horrible pricing, with tiny portions. We had a group of 6 people who only ordered one entree each, I myself only had a single bowl of chowder. 2 drinks total one dark matter beer and one glass of $15 wine. total bill was $240. Portions were tiny. Fries were all charged separately not as included sides. One person ordered the Sable fish and it came out as less than half a fillet for $30 including fries. Service was terrible and refused to even split the bill for us. read more

Yes I can concur the attitude from the server & main host is off putting, but thank gawd the seafood is on point. Location is a big plus. Just down from Molly's Reach (remember the Beachcombers tv show anyone?) it is located right at the waterfront facing Gibson's Harbour. If you want to be scene or make one, you come here to Smitty's Oyster House. So do try & sit outside on the large long table. Not sure what the 'chip on the shoulder' is with the waiter but if it hadn't been for great seafood, this place would have been one to ignore. I wondered if they treated locals & tourists all the same. There used to be a restaurant in Vancouver were the waiters would insult you but that was all part of the experience & you were forewarned before coming in. The waiter just comes straight out at you with arrogance & sheer meanness. We sat on the large group table outside & met intresting people beside us. The Crab (Crabbuckit) bucket is a joke. The crab is placed on top of a cover at the top of the bucket. So don't expect a bucket load of crab. Should actually be aptly named - Crab on top of a bucket! However, the crab was so tasty & satisfying & did seem to be divided adequately & fairly amongst the 5 of us. If your group is larger, perhaps keep this in mind. The Scallops were a hit, Chili Lime Prawns - scrumptious, Halibut Fritters - tasty & the Agnolotti Halibut - sweet & buttery. Make a reservation or you'll be waiting at least an hour. Side note to something very odd & strange at the same time - please call Smitty's reservation line (+1604 886-4665) & listen to one of the most bizzaro messages I've ever heard! Come for the seafood & to make new friends - just ignore the attitude. read more

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I've always had amazing service here and the food is so good-- fish fritters are a fav. Always such a fun spot!

Passing through on our way back from vacation. A bit reluctant to stop at Smitty's given the numerous reviews re the staff. But, those reviews seemed about a year old so we gave it a try. We loved it!! Hostess and waitress were very nice and attentive. We had a big meal, including shrimp cocktail, seared scallops, raw oysters, and two crab buckets (we had just spent three days backpacking the SCT so, yeah, hungry). it was all excellent. best scallops I've ever had and the oysters were super fresh and delicious. The crab buckets were... yeah...buckets of crab so pretty hard to screw up. All in all, great service, great food, and super cool location right on the docks. Glad we gave it a go. would go again in two seconds. read more

Smitty's Oyster House - crab, shrimp, and scallops. - Seafood Near Me - Lower Gibsons, British Columbia

Food is great when you're special enough to be a guest. Very pretentious staff. Like a bad Seinfeld episode, you can make the reservation but you can't honor the reservation. We waited 1.5 hours never received the text. They said they texted, we confirmed they had the right number. We attempted to show no missed texts, staff don't care. No problem we said lots of empty seats now at 3pm so how long? The young man obviously overwhelmed as a hostess said just come back later as we did, then he said bot a chance. At no time were we rude or angry. We sailed over from west van yacht club. read more

Smitty's Oyster House - View from Grandma's Pub, never disappointed here... - Seafood Near Me - Lower Gibsons, British Columbia

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I was going to leave this bad experience alone but a reminder from YELP to write a review made me think that others should know about this unacceptable behavior. On August 31, my husband and I came to try this restaurant as it came highly recommended by the tourist info center at Lower Gibson. We arrived to find a long line and we waited like everyone. Then a loud guy came out of the restaurant started telling just Asians parties including a mother with a young child and us to come back another time unless we wanted to wait for 2 hours plus. Even after the mother told him she and her parties would wait, he still urged her to come back. He was so loud and matter of fact we couldn't help but hearing everything he said. Then he walked to next white customers party of three and told them to be seated soon. It was outrageous. He then singled us out and advised us to come back out of a long line of waiting customers. It hurt to see such disgraceful act in public display. We would NEVER EVER spent our money and time on this place and advise you to think twice if you should finance such operations. read more

Fabulous service, delicious food, fair prices, best oysters in B.C.. Eating at Smitty's is fun. I had to keep my Shazam app open so I could favorite all the songs they played. read more

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Great spot on the water. Dock access and all the food is incredible. 1 star because they have a very strong policy that they DO not allow for separate payments at a table at all. If you are 10 people, one patron has to cover the whole bill. They did not communicate this when we sat down either. Worst payment policy I've ever seen. Bring cash or a huge card limit. read more

First and last experience here. I visited a friend in Gibsons yesterday and had a server who was borderline rude (darker skin and moustache). I think he tried to be rude/funny but took it too far. Also not all staff wore masks. Restaurant music super loud and server accommodated us to outside table which is good. I ordered the Seared Scallops with miso orange slaw. Sounds fresh and tasty. Only downside is this dish only had two scallops. I don't think charging $14 for 2 toonie sized scallops is acceptable. Overpriced and absolutely no covid protocols. I'm reading other reviews and they have had similar experiences. Other dishes were decent. read more

Smitty's Oyster House - Bottoms right, scallop dish for $14. - Seafood Near Me - Lower Gibsons, British Columbia

God, I have loved this place but my reduction in stars is due to one important thing. The dystopian sign as you enter the bar. unvaccinated people not welcome, seriously? still fear mongering and demanding patrons put something ineffective and unsafe on their bodies to dine at your establishment post pandemic.... Interesting. Five stars for the delicious drinks, food, ambience, lovely waitress, replaced grumpy host w Very sweet younger man. One star for the tyrannical, unnecessary sign. I'd like to live in a world where all people are included in society regardless of their faith, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and health status. read more

Smitty's Oyster House - Sign - Seafood Near Me - Lower Gibsons, British Columbia

The biggest thing for Smitty's would be its amazing views of Gibsons Landing. We came here to have some oysters prior to our dinner and would have to say they were a bit on the smaller side. Also, it was difficult to get the waiters attention from where we were sitting so we ended up waiting quite a while for our 6 oysters which is why we didn't ended up getting more appys. Overall okay food and service but KILLER views! read more

Smitty's Oyster House - Half dozen oysters - Seafood Near Me - Lower Gibsons, British Columbia

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Excellent oysters and fabulous experience! We walked in for lunch on a Tuesday and the place was packed! Always a good sign. So we snagged 2 seats at the counter, right in front of Awesome, who was shucking oysters like a pro. We ordered our drinks: beer for her and a white wine for me. Then we ordered our first dozen oysters. I don't remember the name, but they were from New Zealand and absolutely delicious! She ordered the Chili Lime Prawns, which were very tasty. One more glass of the really good BC white wine for me and another dozen oysters, because seriously - why not?? The waitstaff was wonderful and the food was incredible. Don't pass up these oysters!! read more

Smitty's Oyster House - Shelling my oysters! - Seafood Near Me - Lower Gibsons, British Columbia

The only thing worth eating here is the fresh oysters . Everything else is average . So busy with tourists in the summer.

We went once and will never go back. They think they are Rodneys and try to get away with the same attitude, without the quality and service to back it up. The staff are rude and the food is overpriced. Seriously disappointing that this is considered some kind of jewel of the coast. The local community Facebook group has held a number of fiery conversations about this controversial establishment. read more

5 * rating on food, service and ambiance. I've been going there for 8+ years. Cool place on the water, beautiful view. Connor, the chef is very talented. His creations never disappoint! A great selection of oysters. Servers are attentive. They are friendly and welcoming. One of my kids asked me, "so you've been there for lunch and dinner on the same day?" Says it all! read more

It was a good thing that we came early to look for the place, it is situated by the water behind Molly's Reach. You cannot spot it from the main road. There's a staircase by Molly's. Need to walk down the stairs to reach it. If you cannot make a reservation, be there at the opening. We were there at 12 noon. Got a seat by the oyster bar, all their windows are open & it feels nice to feel the breeze flows in. Very strict in the Covid protocol which is fine by us. However staff were not consistent with the mask wearing. A bit of dry humour from the staff, go with the flow, I can see how some patrons are offended by it. We were fine, service was prompt & good. I did noticed they weren't too friendly with non-local. Hubby wanted fresh oysters... he had half a dozen, we had Halibut bites with chips, very nicely done followed by wings. An enjoyable meal. The seafood that we ordered were fresh , wings were good. No complaints! If you are not local, don't expect too much friendlier feeling from them. Just come for the food & expect nothing else. The 4 star is for the food. read more

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Horribly service did't even get a chance to eat because the staff was so rude. Highly don't recommend

Outstanding food! Loud inside but super fun so really nothing to complain about. I had the baby back ribs, delicious. We had clams and they were super yummy and fresh. The scallops were the best I've ever had and the halibut fritters were delicious. The staff was great and the kitchen did a fantastic job! I would definitely recommend Smitty's but yes you do have to wait. Eh, that's the price you pay for a wonderful experience but well worth it! read more

Booked on open table and host told us, upon arrival, that they don't use open table at the Gibsons location. No problem, lets troubleshoot. Another gentleman came to the hosts kiosk and rudely asked us to move away from the kiosk, onto the dock. To make way for ....???? We were prepared to wait the hour BUT not after that. ARROGANCE, rudeness and ignorance. Word in Gibson's is DON'T GO THERE!!! read more

Honestly one of the best meals we have had on the coast in a long time. exceptional service and food quality with probably the best server a table could ask for . thanks alex for the great recomendations and attentiveness read more

Absolute gem! We did lunch, had their ceasar (drink) should be on your list as a starter...it is up to you to discover why. Food was just flying out of their kitchen, very professional crew. Wait staff are efficient and very friendly. Oysters on the shell was of the highest caliber. We all pointed and said "what is that?" Which is their plank that they serve some of the larger orders on. Food was fantastic....loved the experience. read more

Had a great time, as usual! Great food and Nick was so good to take time to describe the oyster selection. Looks a lot to me like he loves what he does! Always stop in when we're up from San Diego, Gibsons is home away from home! Be back soon! read more

Never going to this establishment, and not because of the food..... My group of girlfriends & I were looking for a place to eat and it was around 4:30 on a Sunday. We've eaten at Smitty's and enjoyed it so we figured we would see their availability. When we got to the desk outside there was a server and another front of house staff and they pointed to their sign in a very rude way . The sign said "if you have to ask, we're closed"... It took us by surprise how rude the staff were and I made a point to tell one of the gentlemen that it was very Unpleasant to be wanting to simply eat and get that level of treatment because they were closed. A simple "our apologies , we are closed" would have done wonders. Then in an almost aggressive way we were asked if we wanted to see a manager. In that moment another man was walking into the restaurant and said, "here he is... this is the manager" . My friends and I were stupid as this tall and very young man was definitely NOT the manager (I've been to this restaurant a number of times). We share with him the absolute crude behavior of one of their servers (darker man with moustache) His behavior towards other customers is no different as I've seen other reviews about him . The "manager" nodded at what we were saying and I added that I work in hospitality industry as well and this left quite a sour taste in our mouths because of the aftermath and even the short interaction we had. His response was .... " So you know it's tough" . Which made us more infuriated because it should have been taken as constructive criticism that their staff had made patrons just walking by feel like idiots when they don't see the sign (most people are use to asking a host and not looking at a sign) I felt very compelled to leave a review because it's a shame beautiful restaurants with good food get over shadowed by poor service and staff who are just down right rude to you before you even enter their establishment. read more

Haven't even had the opportunity to go in for my experience yet and I am absolutely shocked at the lack of covid guidelines this restaurant is not using. There is no social distancing in the line up for guests( no markers showing such). The "host" (maybe manager) is not even wearing a mask. I've seen three severs with masks around their necks. Just saw a cook come out of the kitchen with no mask and have a conversation with the host face to face. A server was just on her phone no mask talking to a guest no mask face to face. There is no hand sanitizer station in sight. The front desk attendee is not offering to provide sanitizer either. Sanitizer bottles are not labeled as using proper alcohol content to kill bacteria/viruses (looks like a dollar store bottle). Not sure if Sunshine Coast plays by different rules than Vancouver Coastal Health but this needs to be rectified ASAP. Please let me know what is happening here. If this is what is happening at the front door I cannot imagine what is happening in the kitchen. No care for their guests, fellow employees or the population at large. Lunitas next door is clearly following guidelines put forth by Health Canada. This review is geared towards ownership and management. I had a great time on the patio and food was super good. Long time server was awesome. Protect your staff and your guests. They may be guidelines but do better. You guys know better! read more

Best Oyster Bar in town!! Killer location overlooking the Gibsons Harbour!! Menu is terrific, lots of oyster options, great soup and salads!! Not easy to get to if you are disabled unfortunately!! read more

I was skeptical after reading all the bad reviews about the customer service here, however we were pleasantly surprised! Not only did we receive fantastic service, the food was excellent as well. This place reminds me of Rodney's Oyster Bar in Vancouver (but better) mainly because they have mostly male servers and the interior is very rustic and makes you feel like you're out at sea. We started out with half a dozen oysters and moved on to the sturgeon spaghettini ($22) and the bucket of Dungeness crab (MP). Everything was so delicious and fresh. The sturgeon pasta was very different than anything I've tried before. The sturgeon was "meaty" and firm (similar to the texture of halibut). The bucket of crab was more than enough to keep us busy and full. Like I said, service was good. They were quite busy that night. Everyone was tied up as we waited to be seated, however we were warmly acknowledged and promptly seated shortly after. Our oysters took a little bit of time to be shucked, other than that service was attentive and quick. Definitely recommend this place! read more

Smitty's Oyster House - Sturgeon pasta and a bucket of Dungeness crab - Seafood Near Me - Lower Gibsons, British Columbia

We drove out based on there sign, voicemail, and internet open times but alas they were not taking customers. We understand that they may be closed serving at 330, but to the sheer rudeness, and flamboyant ignorance of the faux British Californian Tool of a host that greeted us, It was a terrible choice to have this individual representing your restaurant. So much so I'm inclined to go full Karen on this establishment for i am without a bucket of crab in my life. I'm not mad, I'm disappointed. I hope they take this young man with the douche glasses and greased up hair and give him a stern talking to. The stern talking to his father must of forgotten to give him before setting him loose on the world. Poor form Smittys, poor form. read more

The dog! Bruno is the black lab that sits out in front of the restaurant. He is adorable and will follow you down to the beach when you leave the restaurant:) Anyway, the WORST server is Jesse (aka Batman)... NOT! He has a great sense of humor and is someone that you can dish it out to, and will throw it right back at you. This place is ALIVE! Congrats me sit down and have fun with some vibrant staff and carefree people. If you have a stick up your @$$, go somewhere else. A one star review at this place is likely a reflection on the reviewer and not the establishment :) The Oysters are great. But I will say that the cod fish and chips were lightly breaded and were fried to perfection. The lime and coconut shrimp were refreshed by and even dipped our Dungeness crab in the extra sauce, as it was so good. Finally, dessert was fun. I love key lime pie, and they had a 'key lime pie filling with coconut crumble' that was awesome! Highly recommend this place if you have a sense of humor and like good food. ENJOY read more

Smitty's Oyster House - Seafood Near Me - Lower Gibsons, British Columbia

Fantastic waterfront location. Food was decent but nothing great. Had the Halibut fritters. That dish USED to come with yummy YAM fries. Now comes with boring French fries. Their voicemail says to make a reservation. So we left a message requesting one. When we arrived - we're told they don't take reservations! Our server was the rude ignorant fellow that's been there for years. He's usually only that way to customers but now he is with his co-workers as well. Why is he still there? We won't be back. Why would we? read more

Nice fresh oysters. Their oysters are fresh. Because of the red tide disease, I only got to try their east coast oyster. I like oysters regardless. So I do like it and it is very refreshing. The story went that when Smitty's wanted outside seating they applied and got one table only. So instead they put the longest table they could fit outside to maximize space. Its quite interesting because you can end up sitting beside a stranger and start stirring up a conversation. The place is not big but is very busy. Guess you have to come early for a seat and not have to wait. read more

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I live in Gibsons, I want to like this place, I want to take my friends there when they visit the coast. However the staff seem to think they are being cheeky and fun but they are rude and obnoxious. I've tried this place three times now and I won't be going back again. I appreciate this is a busy restaurant and that it's difficult to get a table, but again the staff are just rude, snobby and childish. There are plenty of other restaurants in Gibsons that are more deserving of your money. For the prices they charge they should be offering a higher level of service. read more

Just had lunch. Fantastic! Food was great. Not a long line. Sat outside and enjoyed the BC sun. Service was outstanding. What's not to like? We definitely coming back! read more

This is a good one to share, as just experienced the same in Vancouver - rude attitude and heard just yesterday from someone else. Why spend money when you are treated like bologne? To Stafford Lumeley, and for any future patrons of Smitty's Oyster house in Gibsons, What I observed: On July 1, 2023 It was about 9:00pm and the waitress recommended a bottle of rose as a pairing with oysters, lamb lollipops, a full moon and a clear sky to my girlfriend and I. We accepted the invitation. It seemed a bit strange but she had us pay shortly after we received our snacks. We did, and assumed because we were sitting outside it made the service easier. The night was beautiful, until later in the evening, when a man sat at our table, and without warning told its time to tip up your drinks and fuck off. I assumed he was telling us that they wanted us to go inside. The man followed with, no I am telling you to fuck off. As a deckhand on a commercial fishing boat my girlfriend was familiar with what some describe as salty, but this had an entirely different tone from the traditional sea people salty, nor was it a brand, or corporate culture, it was simply put, ridiculous. A little bit stunned, she told him that we got the message and we would be leaving, but not okay to talk to us that way. He became aggressive with her, and said, now you really need to fuck off. My girlfriend felt threatened, and left immediately. I felt protective and confronted the manager. The manager grabbed the wine glass from my hand, and told me to fuck off or he would call the police. Other restaurant staff then began to bully me, the men made fun of me and my english, and threatened me. I asked for my full refund as he did not allow me to finish my meal and my wine. Two police officers arrived at about 10:45pm . The first officer (probably preparing himself to throw a drunk and belligerent person into the drunk tank), walked past my girlfriend and straight for me. Within five minutes the police officers realized neither of us were a threat, nor a concern to anyone and left. The police intimated that this was not the first time that they had to pay an unnecessary visit to Smitty's bar. They cordially explained that the only action we could take was to issue a public complaint, or negative review. Here it is, Our night was completely ruined! This was our summer holiday, we work very hard, and to have an incident like this occur is unacceptable. If we were approached that the night was ending and told to finish our glass, have our wine corked or receive a refund, we would have left without a problem. This was between 10:00 - 10:30 pm on a Saturday, the website indicates their hours of operation are 12:00pm - late. It appears that the restaurant has a practice of allowing people to come late, where the staff then encourage buying bottles, then push payment before the meal is over, and then promptly kick their customers out. Some would label this practice a con. Restaurant owners and employees have a duty to provide a reasonably safe environment for patrons. My rights as a patron have been completely violated. The staff made me feel violated and mistreated on my dime. It's one thing to play it salty, it's entirely another thing to be abusive. My girlfriend was in Gibsons long before Smitty's. Her grandparents were both upstanding community members of the city of Gibsons, who volunteered their time with various organizations. I remember the docks before Smitty's. As a child she fished off the docks, and it would not be an uncommon to make a friend with a tug boat driver, or chat with the magical Gardiner of what was once a community of charming house boats, or bring home a pale of local spot prawns, a treasure of early spring. The culture of the marina was always friendly and inviting. She feels like she is losing threads of the fabric of this community as the big money moves in. I value community deeply, and after some evaluation of other community members' experiences, it seems a couple key ingredients of community are missing at Smitty's, it appears respect and common decency are frequently unavailable. This is not an uncommon occurrence in rural communities, as the population grows, larger companies move in and dilute the once vibrant community appeal. The arrogance of this kind of attitude displayed at Smitty's is embarrassing and not in service to the community. read more

Fairly pricey food. If I had to re-do it, I would have gotten their equivalent of fish and chips (looked filling and decent price point) but we ended up getting the fish tacos for $15 (for 3) which were good and not horribly priced. We also got oysters (nice sauces) but kind of pricey... They accommodated us right away which was awesome, but our waiter forgot to punch in our food order and others around us were receiving their food. Didn't get much an apology or any discount which is in my opinion pretty crappy customer service. read more

Smitty's is the main reason why we visit Gibsons. Their oysters are always so fresh and creamy and their caesars are to die for. If you have an appetite, I definitely recommend the crab bucket. Also during covid, they are trying to take reservations so try calling a couple days ahead. If not it might be hard to get a table the same day. read more

Popular place on a Saturday evening. We had to wait 20 minutes, which really wasn't bad at all in our opinion. We just had a nice walk along the pier while we waited. We were seated at a long table outside. It's pretty well shared seating, which turned out to be not at all romantic, but so great for meeting new people. A wonderfully social atmosphere and we enjoyed ourselves. A great selection of wine and beer. We had their local beer, which was a Gibson's IPA. Really well done, hoppy and well-balanced. Hubby and I watched them bring in fresh oysters and they sprayed them down outside of the restaurant, then proceeded to shuck them in the restaurant. We had their Royal Miyagis, always my favourite. We shared a Crabbukit, what a dish! Comes with cornbread and dipping butter. Such fresh and tasty crab. We definitely felt satisfied with the amount of crab. We did order fries as well, which was exactly what we needed to balance out all of the seafood we had. The fries were so tasty. Tasted like fresh-cut potatoes deep-fried to goodness and perfectly salted. Topped off the evening with a dark Callebaut chocolate pie, which was so satisfying. Overall well worth the trip. read more

Smitty's Oyster House - Fresh raw oysters - Seafood Near Me - Lower Gibsons, British Columbia

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