The Oyster Bar On Chuckanut Drive

Wow, a fabulous meal at the oyster bar. Came for a later dinner on a Friday night. We had a reservation but the place was only a quarter full. The restaurant is small and intimate with a beautiful view of the water, too bad it was dark, but you could see across to the islands which was beautiful. Our server was very friendly, warm, and gracious. We felt comfortable and relaxed from the beginning. It was ladies night so we started with wine and a couple fried oysters. They were delicately panko crusted and fried crisp. They were light and tender served with a lemony aioli. My friend had the lobster bisque which was good, I’m not a huge lobster person and this one was a combination of lobster and maybe some root vegetables, which made me like it even more. The rolls to start with butter are deliciously hot and crispy with a tender inside. There were white bread rolls and a nuttier whole wheat version. Our server was very friendly and nice. After our first course we received a blood orange and champagne palette cleanser, I could of had a whole bowl of that! The main courses were wonderful! My friend and I had the special monkfish with a truffle butter sauce I believe, served alongside fingerling potatoes and carrots. The fish was fresh, meaty, beautifully moist and tender, cooked perfectly to a medium rare almost, definitely not over. The sauce was divine, with a subtle truffle flavor, herbs, and delightfully creamy. The vegetables alongside were excellent, tender and sweet gold fingerling potatoes, carrots, and a few other vegetables in between. Mains are also served with their cheese soufflé which is yummy. Came out to the table piping hot and risen, it was cheesy, herby, and wonderful. My friends whole Maine Lobster she said was delicious. We finished the night with their donut like dessert with cardamom coffee ice cream, it was good, but I was way too full to appreciate it. This place overall is wonderful, I will be back for a special occasion and when I’m craving seafood for sure!

I’ve heard about this place from friends over the years, but was finally able to make a trip this summer. Stopped by LaConner, which is a cool place on our way from Seattle. It was a great restaurant with a great view of the water. We got a seat outside on the deck and it was terrific. We definitely ordered plenty of Oysters and they were quite fresh. Which, we later learned that Taylor Shellfish is about 3-​minutes down the road. We visited there on our way out. But, we did have a find dining experience and was great service, great food, great location.

Excellent service, quality food, and amazing view! A breath of fresh air near Bellingham, WA.

Don’t be misled by the name; The Oyster Bar is technically not a bar (they don’t serve hard liquor, so no cocktails). And the atmosphere is not what you’d expect from a place that calls itself «Oyster Bar». This is a white linen establishment, even during lunchtime. We parked on the road and hiked up to Oyster Dome (8 miles roundtrip), so we thought it would be great to pop in and have a drink and a few oysters. We quickly realized this was a fancy place, but there weren’t many people, there, and it was just at the end of their lunch service, so we decided to give it a try. We go the perfect table facing the water, and the sun was just starting to go down. They have a selection of oysters on the half-​shell, although at any given time it seems like they will be out of some of the varieties. We ordered a half dozen, staying mostly local with the Shigoku and Kumamoto types. We also ordered a chanterelle and heirloom tomato appetizer and two glasses of house chardonnay. The food was delicious, but the sunset was even more incredible (see photos). Even the kitchen and wait staff were pausing to take pictures of the sunset, saying it was one of the most incredible ones they had seen. We finished off our afternoon snack with a cup of the salmon chowder and soup. Quite delicious. All together we spent about $ 70. That’s quite a bit, considering we didn’t really eat or drink that much. However, considering the way our day timed out with the sunset, and the quality of the service, I’d say it was worth it. I probably wouldn’t go back there after a hike, but I’d consider it for a nice dinner out sometime if I was in the area again.

This was our first visit to the Oyster Bar. We were very delighted with the food, the view, and the service. We had the fried oysters which were very fresh and cooked perfectly. We also enjoyed the Alaskan king crab roll, also very nicely done. The homemade brioche was very nice. The sweet potato fries were best we have ever had.
The service was perfect. As the restaurant filled up, we noted that all of the tables were being handled very nicely.
I look forward to returning.

The special — champagne poached oyster (top right) is very rich in favor. Yummy. The mussel (lower right) are fresh and juice. seafood bouillabaisse in saffron broth (lower left) is light and refreshing. squash and chanterelle soup (top left) is a festive choice. They slight pan fry the onion and chanterelle in the soup to enhance the favor. The most romantic place to be during sunset

A truly special location and a perfect place for outside dining with your special pals. Wait staff were well informed and enthusiastic. Seafood including oyster offerings were tasty. I will always return when I’m close to Bellingham. A grapefruit infused beer added to my full on pleasure.

Had lunch here a few days ago and was very pleasantly surprised. I had the fried oysters and can say that they were the best I’ve had in a long time. My wife had the cheese sandwich we were amazed at how good it. It’s not cheap, but as definitely worth it. Great view and professional service. The only downside is the tight parking on a busy road. BTW this is a table cloth fine dining restaurant, but we were comfortable in jeans for lunch.

We went here to eat last night. Let me start by saying, the food was phenomenal. Mouthwateringly good. The service was quick and attentive and our waiter was charismatic and helpful. The view was spectacular and the restaurant itself is lovely. All of these things in mind we will be back.
There are 2 reasons I didn’t give this place 5 stars. The first, the espresso grinder is in the dinning room, and it is very loud. We had a fairly late dinner so many people at the restaurant ordered coffee. Meaning we had to stop talking (because you can’t hear each other over the grinder) several times through out our meal. The second reason I didn’t give this restaurant 5 stars was because our waiter had some very intense body odor. When we first arrived we smelt it and were unsure of where it was coming from. Only to find out moments later that it was our waiter. It was hard to listen to what he was saying and he regularly reached across me to put down plates and drinks making the smell that much worse.
Overall we will be back, and we will sit in a different section of the restaurant as far from the espresso grinder as possible.

Won’t go here after a hike. Nice place, but felt out of place if you know what I mean.

Always our go to restaurant for a special occasion. Wonderful view, fantastic menu and an appropriate high service level.

Nice environment out on the deck. The wait staff was very friendly and helpful. We had a dozen oysters and a bottle of wine. Exactly what we expected. If you are on the Chuck, stop by.

This falls into the category of ‘best restaurants I’ve given only two stars to’…
The Oyster Bar is one of the finest restaurants in this neck of the woods, with a well-​deserved reputation for its cuisine, but is hamstrung by some maddening logistical and housekeeping issues.
THE ROSES: Let’s start with the obvious; the location is exquisite! on a cliff overlooking Samish Bay, TOB is where you go to celebrate anniversaries, birthdays, and to propose to that special someone. The dining rooms are long and narrow, and every table has at least a good view, and most have a spectacular view! There is also an outside deck for the gorgeous summer evenings we’ve been having, but they come with a caveat: more on that in a moment.
The food is, well, as the kids say, ‘it’s all that!’ (mostly; more on that in a moment). An appetizer of a dungeness crab ‘lasagna’, served in a pool of a roasted pepper purée was nothing less than transcendent! The Quinoa Roulade is a vegan entrée that could make this carnivore swear off meat, and the fried fresh local oysters were a delight!
One controversial thing about the restaurant is their policy of denying entry to any patrons under 9 years old. In Seattle, this would be ‘casus belli’, as hordes of well-​heeled yuppie parents would picket the establishment for daring to deny entrée to their precious little Ritalin-​addled sprogs. Speaking as one who has had no end of flights, movies, and dinners ruined by over-​indulged, out of control brats, I am totally behind this! Memo to would-​be indignant parents: this policy was probably the result of a lot of bad experiences. When you’re going to be dropping $ 100+ a patron for a dinner experience, you’re paying wayyyyyy too much $$$ to have your evening ruined by an undisciplined kid. Before you complain, ask yourself, ‘am I part of the problem?’.
THE THORNS: I hate to be the ‘dog in the manger’, given all the 5-​star reviews, but this critique must be shared. It’s easy to be a ‘big fish in a small pond’, but what can slide in Bow would never fly in say, Seattle.
1) Service is a bit inconsistent. Your experience depends a lot on who you get. On our level, we had two servers working the area. One was very attentive, and a rather charming raconteur, but the other was younger, a bit indifferent, and frequently ‘AWOL’. We got stuck with the latter.
2) Not all the dishes were of stellar quality. The smoked salmon chowder was, to be brutally honest, thin, weak in the flavour department, and I wasn’t getting any of the smoked salmon taste. Did they simply wave a smoked salmon in front of the pot and call it good?
3) Pacing left a LOT to be desired. Apertifs and first course were prompt enough, but there was a gap in time between the second and main courses that made me wonder if the kitchen staff was rappelling down to the bay to get my oysters. The entrees are served with a delightful cheese & onion soufflé; I suspect they ran out, and had to fire a fresh batch, hence the delay. Keeping us in the loop would’ve helped. This was a case where the pacing wasn’t ‘romantically slow’, it was downright glacial!
4) If you DO choose a seat on the outside deck, do so when there’s a north wind. We were repeatedly hit with wafts of ‘overfull septic tank smell’ coming from somewhere, and that did put a bit of a damper on our experience.
5) Parking sucks. No lot, just street parking, and if it’s busy, you may be in for a hike.
SO WHY ONLY TWO STARS? This is not a cheap restaurant. The oysters on the half-​shell are rather spendy, and the wine list is skewed towards the 1%. When you’re playing at this price point, little annoyances become big annoyances. What may slide in Bow would never fly in Seattle.
THE VERDICT: Big fish in a small pond, The Oyster Bar offers some really show-​stopping dishes that match their view, but is somewhat hamstrung by inconsistencies in service, pacing, and — if you’re outside — the risk of a rather offensive assault upon your olfactories!
I say check it out, but dine inside!

This place is simply amazing. The food here is fresh u can deff taste it, the service is also superb. I came in on Monday so we were able to get a seat fast, I’m sure on weekends is very busy.

Can I give this restaurant 3.5 stars? Darn it, no, no half stars can be given. Ok, I’ll round up, but I really think 3.5 is more appropriate.
As other have noted, the view from this restaurant, high on a bluff overlooking the water, is breathtaking. The view alone is worth 10 stars plus!
We had a lovely hostess who sat us at a prime window seat for a late lunch recently, and our server was also lovely and attentive. The restaurant is deceptive from the outside, as the exterior is fairly non-​descript and there is no real parking lot (you have to park along the busy Chuckanut Drive), and the bathroom is accessible from the outside of the restaurant. We thought this would be more like a real «oyster bar» and not the pricey, elegant restaurant that it is, complete with white linens and lunch dishes starting at $ 20 (and going way up from there).
The bread basket was quite nice, with fresh rolls and butter curls.
They offered a few salads, and my kid had the fig and chevre salad which she said was fantastic (would be perfect as a side dish. Small-​ish). Hubby had the seafood bouillabaisse which, while very good, had way too much broth/​liquid, and his bowl was left ¾ full of the liquid. (It should have had rice with it, or more fillers — like potatoes, — or been served with a lot more bread to sop up the excessive broth). We all felt that the cioppino at Anthony’s was as good and a better value by far (comes with a lot more seafood). This dish, while tasty, did not have a lot of seafood in it; hubby was still hungry (very hungry). My younger kid had what was undoubtedly the best dish of the table: the fried oysters with apple aioli sauce and grilled vegetables. I had the veggies and they were great. But the fried oysters! Oh my. My hubby and other kid tried them and nearly fainted with delight, they were that good. And all agreed, this was THE dish to get, should we return. They were eaten with relish and only shared under duress (lol!). Between the three dishes (really two main dishes and one side dish), and two bottled beers for hubby, tax and tip, our lunch was $ 70. Pricey, eh? Good, yes. Very good. Elegant, yes. With a stunner of a view. But worth $ 70? Debatable.
I should note that there is a sign at the front door that children under 9 years old were not permitted in the restaurant. A family was turned away at the door while we were eating. We were surprised, never having seen this in a restaurant. Granted, we totally understand and agree with not having infants or toddlers at an «adult», elegant restaurant. But 7 or 8 or 9 years old? Heck, our daughters were well-​behaved and quiet and proper at 6. Some kids are way better behaved than adults. I thought this policy somewhat off-​putting. And there is another sign that says to refrain from cell phone usage. Hooray to this policy! Although I shudder to think how it’s enforced.

It’s excellent. Anyone that tells you otherwise needs a complete check-​up. We came here for our wedding anniversary and as far as I can tell, this is one of the few classy, romantic and delicious restaurants in the area. We have had plenty of delicious seafood in SoCal and this place is better than most in OC & LAC. Look forward to dining here again later at night in the Summer!

Fine dining with a million dollar view! Very romantic!
Great oysters with lots of local choices. Incredibly fresh.
Also recommend the crab cakes.
This is a very quiet restaurant and some of the clientele are 60+. Romantic atmosphere… not boisterous.

Chuckanut Drive + lunch at the Oyster Bar is easily one of the best ways to spend a sunny day in the Pacific Northwest.
This place is so unexpected: white table cloths, fantastic food, great service, all in the middle of no where. What a fun secluded spot to take in a glass of wine and a gorgeous view of the bay. This is such a great location for a summer date or a good place to drop off if you are making the drive up to Canada. There are many trails nearby as well to stop off and stretch your legs or enjoy a late summer sunset.
I am a huge fan of outdoor dining and their deck is pretty hard to beat plus they give you a blanket to beat the chill.
If you haven’t been, make a point to put it on your list!

We stumbled upon the Oyster Bar while on a scenic drive and we had to pull over. Sunset, ocean view balcony, oysters on the half shell — AWESOME. Surprisingly high end dining, we did rack up quite the bill.

This place sucks!!! I don’t know what all the hype is all about, really! The only thing good about this place is the view, honestly. Prior to visiting this place, a few friends and I were at Elliott’s Oyster house on Pier 56 and they blew the Oyster Bar out of the water.
Looking over the other reviews, I’m surprised how others talk about it being «romantic». If you want romantic, just pack a few tuna sandwiches and drive a few minutes North and go to the lookout on your left and voilà, you have a view of the whole sound. Or if you and your lucky one are an adventurist, do the oyster dome hike to the top and have a lovely picnic and enjoy the view.
OK! OK! Enough, now about my experience. From the time we walked in @ about 3pm (lunch is from 11am-​4pm) we sat down and looked at the menus right away. The waitress was extremely kind. We all were ordering oysters to share (1dz for 4 people) and 2 of us were having soup and 1 of us was having the kobe burger and I wanted the salmon pastrami sandwich. The waitress took our orders and when she got to me, she said my choice was out. It would have been nice to been informed what was left on the menu, right? (also please note that we were the only 4 people in the restaurant). I quickly changed my order to the fish taco’s.
About 20 minutes into being seated, bread/​butter and water was given to us and also our oysters. YAAAY… We talked, talked, talked and TALKED until we realized that the bread, oysters and our water was gone and the restaurant was empty, not even a waitress was in sight. Hmmmm??? About 3:40pm, she comes out to refill our waters and puts a small bowl in front of my friend for his muscle shells (he ordered some muscle soup).
Eventually, at about 3:50, our food came out. Almost a whole hour from the time we walked in, sat down, did we get our food. But really? When we were the only ones in the restaruant? For 2 bowls of soup, a burger and 2 fish tacos? Besides the slow service on a slow day, the tacos were horrible, i have had better tacos @ Jack-​in-​the box, or Del Taco.
This is why I recommend Elliot’s Oyster House on Pier 56, where the day before, us 4 were seated at the bar, and the bartender got to know us, talked to us and heck even acted like he cared.