Ivar's Fish Bar

I had such a great experience here! The service was truly excellent, friendly, attentive, and welcoming. They even let us linger a bit to chat after we finished eating, which was really appreciated, and they kept our drinks refilled without us having to ask. As for the food… absolutely incredible. The cod and halibut were hands-down the best I’ve ever had. It was fresh, perfectly cooked, and full of flavor. You can really tell they care about the quality of what they serve. I’ll definitely be back, and I highly recommend this spot if you’re looking for amazing seafood and top-notch service!

First Seattle restaurant we tried after getting here for our cruise. Google maps did a horrible job with directions but we finally found it on the water. The Fish Bar shares a building with the Salmon House which was a little confusing. At the fish bar we ordered outside and ate inside. Super friendly service and promptly delivered. The fish and chips were tasty and we tried the cup of white fish chowder which was good also. $50 with tip. In the bar area they play classic 50’s and 60’s music with a lot of area history pictures and descriptions.

Would recommend this place for someone looking to get some fish and chips with some beer. Decor is chill/relaxed and the location is great. Rates are a little expensive but we were lucky enough that we got the happy hour menu. Food was pretty fresh and quality of the food was also good. Tasted like it should so no qualms there. Service at times was pretty slow but our serves was pretty nice and helped us try a new cider. They could expand their menu a little bit more to add some options but all in all we had a good experience there.

Subpar Food /overpriced. $10.50/bowl ? Which was the size of a large coffee cup/w 1 sm bag of crackers. 18.00/ for an appee/5 coconut shrimp over a few ! Threads of seaweed salad drenched in jar sweet/sour sauce. Wish the waiters would smile. I mean .. you’re looking at this beautiful view all day. The beer Was nice n cold. Beautiful view on the patio.. careful not to hit your head on the umbrellas though. 🤷🏻‍♀️total cost about $55 plus /for above food plus soda at lunch.

Location is quintessentially Seattle. Situated on Lake Union with outdoor (patio) seating when the weather permits. Inside seating is abundant and comfortable. Museum quality artifacts fill the restaurant - be sure to take a look around. Personally, I found the food to be average - not bad, not great, but we chose food from the Happy Hour menu which is MUCH less expensive than the restaurant menu. However, the straight-on, perfect view of the Space Needle and the quality adult beverages made up for "meh" feeling about the food. Staff was very friendly and attentive.

Love ivars. Used to live in Seattle and came back for a visit. Lunchtime menu was plentiful, and the views are worth seeing. Wonderful ambiance, great quick service, and turn around time. However, the fish and chips was sub par. Fish wasn’t very flavorful, though good batter. Fries are probably a frozen fry snd their bread basket has sourdough that leaves a lot to be desired. Our key lime pie for desert, super tart, and whipped cream house made was not very good. The starter clam chowder was good, and the fried coconut shrimp was excellence. Good size with Asian flavor dipping sauce.

Had the Copper River Salmon Caesar Salad...salmon was soooo delicious, very juicy and flavorful. Best meal I've ever had at Ivars! (I'm a 72 year old Seattlelite so I have eaten a lot of meals at Ivars...)

got the 5 piece Cajun Fish & Chips the fish itself does not really measure up to Spud’s Fish and Chips. It’s definitely fried less well - it just doesn’t have the same breading on the outside. Even the inside doesn’t taste half as good - it’s a little bit pully. There was supposed to be Cajun breading on the outside - but I pretty much didn’t notice any difference at all - there was no extra seasoning or any extra flavor that i could taste Still - it wasn’t bad. Fried fish is going to taste pretty good unless you completely screw it up - and this place certainly didn’t. The portion of fish was quite good as well - as 5 decently sized fish were enough to be filling the tartar sauce was average - nothing too special. it slightly improved the fish taste but didn’t add to it the same i will say the fries were really good. the fish came in on top of a massive portion of fries - and while there was no real seasoning there - these fries were pretty fantastic in terms of being perfectly soft on the inside. I really enjoyed them with the sauces overall: good portions and fries, but the dish was quite mid. 6.5/10

The view is spectacular !!! But read the rest of this review... The place is beautifully decorated. The staff is good. The food is bland . We ordered oysters and they were oddly dry? Someone ordered the Cesar salad and it was boring (maybe no artichoke juice?). I ordered the clam chowder and it had limited (2 clams) ingredients leaving it bland. We ordered the spicy salmon fettuccine and it was NOT spicy and the salmon seemed boiled and Not grilled. Oysters are kinda foolproof, I thought until this meal! The staff was friendly, but the table beside us arrived after us and got their food before us? The large table in our area got refills before us? I don't know what the reasoning, but it sucked! Moreover/... the day we go is the day they performed detailed landscaping, so it stunk like cow manure outside! Strongly recommend if you go, ask A LOT of questions, "are the oysters fresh? Is the spicy linguine, in fact level 2-3 spicy?" Etc.... The restrooms were clean. Lot & Street parking plus boat tying area!

As a native Seattleite (and someone who was a breader at Acres of Clams in the '70s :D I will always have a soft spot for Ivar's. I get the fish-n-chips cravings fairly often so Ivar's is one of the go-to spots. We went on a rare sunny day and brought our little 15lb pooch along for the trip but didn't realize that the outdoor seating over the water was a no-dog zone. No worries - tables in front worked just fine. Only tried one thing different this time - the Cajun seasoned cod. Kind of fun for a change of pace but won't completely replace the original. You know what you're going to get at Ivar's and it'll be good. If you go on a nice sunny day - even better. We're lucky in Seattle to have a good number of options for food and Ivar's will always be in the rotation for us. My better half likes the tomato based red chowder which is also a nice change of pace.

Great go-to fish and chips place here in Seattle!! The food comes out fast and hot! I love getting fish and chips here on a rainy day or a nice summer day. The employees are really nice and quick with their service. There is limited seating space but most of the time, I take my fish and chips to Gasworks park on a nice day. There is also indoor seating for the restaurant if you want to dine-in. Service inside is also great when you want to have a proper sit down meal.

Visited this place during trip to Seattle. Ordered Fish and Chips. The fish had a fishy taste, dry and overcooked. The fries were ok. Unfriendly staff.

Come here for one thing: Picturesque views . The food here is.... There is excellent food, good food, mediocre, bad and then there is Ivar's. Here the food (or at least some of it) is pure scam. I tried their Smoked Salmon Chowder for $7 or more a small cup. The chowder itself was average in taste, but there were three major problems with it: 1) No smoke flavor in sight 2) No salmon pieces in sight (not even one) 3) The soup depicted in their menu looked nothing like the soup served. On the menu, it was full of large pieces of fish. In my cup there was not a SINGLE piece. After I complained about this, the staff working there, really, really tried. They told me that that's the kind of soup they have been serving all day, so it's not like they ran out of something. They tried to accommodate me and fished and fished for something and did their best. The best was some tiny minuscule bits and pieces of salmon. The menu however proudly boasts that this soup has gotten Ivar's supposedly some sort of awards. What I'm guessing however is the following. This self-serve cafe is a part of the large full-service restaurant in the same building - Ivar's Salmon House. The left over bits, pieces and bones left over from the main restaurant are used to make the chowder soup (which is fine for the base broth). However, no actual fish meat is added after this step. So the owners are simply engaged in a scam. We also tried Ivar's clam chowder and a simple small piece of grilled salmon at another location - a full service Ivar's restaurant at the Seattle pier. You would think that being a sea food restaurant in the heart of a Seattle, where salmon is everywhere, would enable them to make this super simple dish. Nope. The clam chowder was again average in taste and skimpy on the clams . And the grilled salmon was annihilated on the grill - dried out, no longer tender and juicy. If you would like to have a real smoked salmon chowder, go the Pike Market Chowder.

The service was fantastic. I don't remember the waiters name but the receipt says AM B. We had a group of senior citizens and he was able to be patient and friendly. Good view of the water and watched the boats and a view of the Space Needle. I had the Cod BLAT and it was ok. There was not a lot of flavor. The fries were good.

Salmon chowder is so good!!! Thanks to the worker for recommending it. Also got 3 pc cod fish and chips. Tbh fish was just okay, it had a bite to it instead of just being really soft? Maybe not the best cod or from being frozen

It's always good to come back here when visiting from San Francisco. This time my friends and I sat inside the restaurant instead of sitting outside on the street. I got a lobster roll with a virgin bloody to kick off my Sunday afternoon. The lobster was flavorful and the bun the lobster came on was to die for. Service was awesome as well from our very enthusiastic bar tender. Can't wait to be back.

Nice place to grab a quick bite to eat. Food comes out really fast and hot. Staff is friendly with good service to compliment the restaurant.

Nothing says Seattle summer like Ivar's on the dock. Go to meal to enjoy the outside. There is a boat dock to park at and grab a bit to eat. Order at the window and walk around back to enjoy your fish and chips

When visiting Seattle, I was told this was a must-do touristy stop! This location has a causal walk-up bar with outdoor seating and also a more formal restaurant. Absolutely stunning water views so try to sit next to a window or outside! We tried the world famous cod/shrimp fish and chips and the famous clam chowder. The clam chowder was creamy and delicious. The portion size of the fish and chips is tiny for the price. The fried shrimp was particularly tender and delicious. The crab goat cheese dip was a stand out from the meal - so glad we got some! Overall I'm glad to have made this touristy journey to eat fish and chips and enjoy the stellar views!

I was actually disappointed in this place. As a staple of the waterfront the was eh, and the service was awful. I wouldn't come here again.

You order outside at the stand and find a seat indoors until they call your order over the speakers. The employees are nice, but you don't interact with them much other than to order and pick up the food. The indoor area is a pretty small space but has a simple and woody atmosphere. We ordered the baby prawns n chips and a tanker of white chowder. We shared the tanker between three people, and it was a good portion. It's pretty salty, but it was delicious. The baby prawns were smaller in portion than expected for the price, but they were still good. We ordered an extra side of fries, and we actually all thought the fries were delicious. The sauces (ex: ketchup, tartar sauce, etc) that the employees gave us were pretty limited, so we did have to ask for more. Although this place isn't the cutest or the most well-decorated, it's still a decent place to get quick take-out/bite. Ivar's Salmon House is right next to the fish bar for more of a restaurant feel, but I didn't get a chance to check it out.

I only get a couple things from the menu here, but they are great go-tos and the outdoor seating area by the water keeps me coming back! I always get a cup of their clam chowder (white) and my husband gets the salmon chowder. Both are so delicious. Sometimes we'll get some fish & chips (the regular cod) which always comes out hot & crispy on the outside, and juicy & flaky on the inside. I only wish the pieces were bigger! Also, once we got Cajun style thinking that both the fish and chips would be covered in Cajun seasoning, but it was just the fish. I'd love Cajun seasoning on the fries too. We've tried a few other items such as shrimp & chips and I think oysters & chips, but neither were as good as the cod. Service is usually pretty good, nothing spectacular but nothing bad. Just know that you need to order chowders separately from other items. I don't know why. Again, if weather permits (which I know is not often the case in Seattle), the seating in the back by the water is so lovely.

Last food stop before leaving the great city of Seattle. Fish was fresh, chowder was nice and warm. The storefront is located right by the water. You can dine in or out as they have seating for both occasions. Very quick service and the fish and chips were great.

The food was cold, the portions were SO small, the French fries were very undercooked - really really disappointing for an iconic Seattle restaurant.

Whatever happened tobthe good service and freshly made fish and chips at this walk up bar? The fish and fries clearly were not made to order, as they normally should be, rather they tasted as if had been sitting a while, gross. The servers seemed to be in bad moods.. so sad, no longer coming here.

Great location with outdoors seating and great deals for happy hour! We stopped buy for late dinner and it happened to be happy hour. There are good discounts on popular items like fish and chips crispy calamari, beef tips and a lot more. So we ended up ordering too much food! The fish and chips was good as expected, the calamari was crispy and the dipping sauces good as well. I had the ram-ble on the barge which was good, but not my favorite. We enjoyed our time there, it was a nice day and we could see the boats on the water, the food and service were great and the happy hour menu .

This restaurant is located right on the water and has a great view of Seattle on the inside and the inside is also very well decorated. The appetizer tower and the drinks were fantastic and if you do a trivia you can get a free clam chowder! Service was more than adequate and this restaurant is a great way to spend your night.

Spent $35 for two clam strips, and a chowder bread bowl, the clam were extremely over cooked-- the fries see better than the clam- what a shame. Local dive bar does a better job. If you are an ivar fan, the one on hw99 is the best --even better than the waterfront downtown . Third time here and I'm just dissatisfied. My poor family is eating burnt clams for dinner-- not fair!

A great quick spot to grab some fish & chips or clam chowder! Nice spot in the spring or summer, and super close to the water or park where you can eat

Got the 4-piece fish and chips. Half cajun, half regular. Cajun was juicier. Regular was drier. Fries were solid. Would come back again!

Been a Washingtonian since 1973, so Ivar's was a local treat before catching a ferry back to Bremerton ordering from the waterfront fish bar. Back then it was such an astounding feat to see orders taken 15-20 people deep. Talk about a kitchen crew crushing it! Ivar Haglund - a total Seattle legend! Was a Seattle resident since 1983 and my favorite spot was this particular Ivar's Fish Bar, Northlake close to UW campus and my UDistrict apartment. After hanging out in Frelard/Balmont and Gasworks Park, for nostalgic reasons and Ash Wednesday (3/2/22), I hit my old fave. Only two others ahead of me in line, probably due to pouring rain! Ordered a three piece fish and chips with a request for one each ketchup and tartar sauce. Friendly counter service, but none of the former showmanship ordering from the counter to kitchen line crew. No one to impress, I guess. I ended up eating these further down the road on Boat Street by UW South Campus after another brief stop. Good ol' pandemic dining, a la car! Fish and chips were nicely packaged and bagged up. However, in the past I recalled that the hand cut cod pieces were a bit bigger. Decent fries, just too many of them. Wish I asked for another tarter sauce. Way back when you'd end up with a ton extra which would get stashed in the fridge. As a Shoreliner since 2002, I usually get my Ivar's fix at the North Seattle/Aurora site. There the fish remained as I remember them, bigger cuts, moist, and crispy exterior. Realized I have never posted a Yelp review...so three stars, but an extra star for nostalgia on this rainy visit.

I went to Ivars expecting much more, but it must be the hipe of the place as a tourist destination or tourist trap as I see it. Everything was so exagerated expensive plus the service was so sad no Interactions with the customers, the staff just stares and looks at you as you decide what to order. We ordered and went to eat in the enclosed area due to seagulls stealing your food if you eat outside. Needless to say I won't be back, but go if you feel you need to experience the hipe of it all it's not all that there are better places to eat in Seattle with much better service. I gave it 2 stars, because I was not impressed, satisfied, or wowed with Ivars which includes the food & the staff service.

i was craving fish and chips so i stopped by here. honestly nothing special especially since the portions were quite small for the price they were. it's good if you are craving it but i dont think i'd come back here.

Honestly the best deal for delivery of claim chowder that I'm aware of. Large portions for the price!! Other places are much more speedy and the chowder is equivalent We also got the fish and chips which was great for the price.

Okay restaurant with easy parking and sizable menu. Food We ordered clams, a hamburger, and fish and chips. The meal itself wasn't anything special or memorable. I think this spot is more popular for the location and different ambiance, so you pay a premium for that, rather than the food. Service Most of the wait staff seemed pretty young - maybe high school or college. They were polite but kinda slow. Ambiance Big restaurant with a lot of tables. When I went, most of the inner tables were empty because they try seating everyone near the windows first - for good reason because the view is gorgeous. Even though it was raining, we still had a nice view of the water. The restaurant itself feels like a cabin. Felt kinda old, but had a fun character. Seems like a spot more popular with tourists.

Food at Ivars is amazing. Staff was friendly and patient as we navigated our orders. There are nice areas to sit in, and outside on the dock near the water behind the restaurant!

View is incredible. Halibut cakes, Caesars salad salmon filet with old fashioned to drink! All great and worth checking out.

Went there on a sunny Sunday evening and snagged an outdoor table right on the water. The food and drinks were a bit uneven, but mostly good. The cosmo could have been stronger given the price, but the Chuckanut Pilsners were icy and refreshing. The clams in garlic butter were great. The crab and shrimp Louie was also pretty wonderful. Unfortunately the cod fish and chips was noticeably dry. The service appeared slammed and was somewhat slow. Despite the few missteps, it was a solid experience, even more so because we were treating an out of town relative. We'd go back.

The food was not terrible. But as a tourist with limited time, I do not recommend. The chowder and the french fries were the best things on the menu. The chowder is smokey and very thick. Not a lot of clams. The fried stuff was very bland.

I read that Ivar's is one of the go-to places for fried fish in Seattle but I wasn't that impressed. Of course, I live in Wisconsin where Friday night fish fry is a tradition so I may have high standards... The waterfront seating isn't closed per se but when I swung by late on a Monday night, it wasn't lit. You get a pretty good portion of fish but I was mostly disappointed that it just didn't taste like much. Despite my food probably sitting in a paper box for half an hour while I slowly made my way there and then back to the hotel, the fry remained crisp enough (considering how long it had been). The tartar sauce was just ok, no lemon or malt vinegar on the side. The fries were pretty bland.

AMAZING!!! I love this location. The outdoor seating area is perfect, right on the water with a great view of the city. Got the 4 piece fish and chips ($11.30) and salmon chowder ($5.50). The fish was perfect, flaky, and not greasy/oily at all, fries and crispy and warm. The salmon chowder is a tad salty but that's what the crackers are for! Service is so friendly and food comes out very quickly and is fresh, hot, delicious.

I really like this location in Northlake outside of the Salmon House. Had the grilled salmon and halibut fish and chips. Both were very dry. If it weren't dry, the Salmon is a good value served with rice, Cole slaw, and corn bread. I would opt for the regular fish and chips, as the halibut doesn't seem a quality worth the extra charge. The coleslaw was good, and the service was efficient. They remembered to pack everything including utensils and condiments.

Crispy, tasty and great views. Get this to go and sit on their dock. Alternatively they have a nicer restaurant attached with happy hour specials and a more formal dining area. Their fish is nicely flavored and melts in the mouth! I believe their tartar sauce is made in house as well- nice sweet and not too mayonnaise. My go to with friends of family in town

Food, always good... inside service was great and nice as usual... outside employees really deserve a scolding for service. Maybe that's why they are outside. Asked 2 different servers for tarter. One said it will be in the order. I get the order, again asking for tarter. They said, yes, it is in the to go containers. When I get home, what do you think was NOT in the bag? This is for the Wallingford location. Same crap goes on in mukilteo. Attitude teen taking orders that don't want to do their job. Yet, want to get $20 an hour for giving zero effort in customer service. I will not be going here anymore..

The Caesar salad was not a Caesar salad. It was super sour and if there were any proper ingredients in there, they were overpowered by vinegar. Ivars really should do a simple google search on how to do a real Caesar.

Salmon is as dry, as it looks. Potatoes unadorned tasted of oyster, but ketchup does it job. Quick presumably cooked to order. Side of coleslaw was generically good (IMO would have benefitted from a little more acid.) Well. worth the $10, but unfortunately rang in at nearly $17.

My parents, two grandchildren and I went to lunch in the boat. Service: 5 stars Food: 5 stars Atmosphere: 5 stars I enjoy the fish. It has light breading and great flavor. With a little bit of tartar sauce, it is a great bite. The chowder is amazing as well. This location is fun because you can arrive by boat and they have a nice dock. It can hold at least six boats. There is a nice patio looking at the skyline of Seattle over the water.

Great food!!! Clam strips and chips... perfectly cooked, crispy, hot! I had such a craving and was not disappointed. The cole slaw - creamy and delicious. 3 piece fish and chips, another generous portion. Clam chowder, perfect. Friendly, helpful service with a smile... even masked up. Everyone had gloves on, which I appreciated. Even other customers were friendly and helpful, helping with social distancing while we waited. What a great experience! What a great lunch!!

Such a long line + wait for overrated fish and chips. The fries were soggy. The fish pieces were tiny and dry. The tartar sauce provided were in pre-packaged bags, which some may like but it felt like I was in elementary school again. I will say, the food came out pretty faster after ordering. If you're planning on coming here to enjoy a meal by the water, it might take a while to find a covered seat. The uncovered seat are covered with seagull poop and there are literally seagulls everywhere screaming (to be expected as you're by the water, but do you really want that with your meal?)

What happened Ivar's? I have been going to your restaurant for decades and last night decided to "treat" some out of town guests to your "famous fish & chips". I was expecting the hot, flaky, delicious fish & chips I've been getting for years and instead got cold, limp, rubbery food that was basically inedible...I almost thought it was a joke. A box of frozen fish sticks and fries from the grocery store would have been tastier. I was embarassed for my guests, and very sad and disappointed for my family who had a terrible meal from one of our old stand by and favorite Seattle restaurants. I will likely never eat there again, what a loss...

The crabs were AMAZING. I definitely want more next time! There are so many options too. Gotta try all the menu items!

GET THE CORNBREAD!!! They give you honey and butter to dress it with. You won't regret it. It is so fresh and soft and delightful. I love picking up cornbread (less than $3!!) and heading over to Gas Works down the road to eat it with a view.

Got there at 530 and landed in a lovely table for two at with a window overlooking the lake. This Ivers continues to be legendary, and the ambience is fabulous. The service is a well oiled machine. I ordered the wild Alaskan copper river, salmon, extremely expensive. Unfortunately it was undercooked so I had it returned to the kitchen, so it wasn't sushi anymore, we had a fabulous time despite the disappointing fish that dish cost $58 which is frankly outrageous.Go for the ambiance and the views and order the cheapest things on the menu!

No frills quick stop with decent seafood. Staff was really friendly. Came here on a Friday night and it was alright. Not very packed at all. There's indoor and outdoor seating, but it was chilly the night we came, so we sat inside. You order at the walk up bar outside and sometimes they take a bunch of orders at once so make sure you're ready to give it to them. They usually take the hot seafood entree orders right away and when you walk up to pay they take the additional drinks and "accessory" orders. The menu is pretty simple We got some of everything to try. Fish n Chips - juicy, medium pieces of fish. battered and fried well. also received a bonus fish in our order Oyster n Chips - medium pieces of oyster; not too briny, no sand, great texture and flavor Shrimp Cocktail - pass on ordering this again. It was basically bloody mary mix with cut up celery and small pieces of baby shrimps. The flavors and textures made this one hard to eat. Bowl of white chowder - decent flavor, large pieces of potatoes and clams, decently thick (did the spoon test) Overall for the price point you're paying, it's a decent seafood meal. It's definitely casual fast food, but at least you know the quality is a little better than some of the other chains.

I stop in here every now and then and always get the clams. Love the chowder but usually just get the clams and strips. On this last visit, the fries tasted like they were fried in old stale oil and left a weird aftertaste so just abandoned them. The clams were just fine. Love their tarter sauce get that instead of the catchup.

I gave them 3 stars because I really have to be generous. After all I got a 2 for 1 deal, celebrating ivar's birthday I believe. I had grilled salmon on Caesar salad and my friend had the large order of fish and chips. Should have known better than to order salmon at a fast food restaurant. Overcooked salmon is not good. Dry and hard. The fish and chips were okay. After our meal we agreed that we probably will not come back.

If you're craving fish and chips, this is the place to go! We came here in the morning so the area was pretty quiet and secluded. Indoor seating is closed due to COVID-19, but there are a few outdoor tables available and you can still walk around back to enjoy a nice, serene view of Lake Union. We ordered the salmon fish and chips with salmon clam chowder (can you tell we love salmon?). The salmon was perfectly breaded and the fries were nice and crunch. The chowder was also delicious and creamy. Overall, great food, speedy service, and easy parking!