Ivar's Seafood Bar

Ivar’s Seafood Bar in Kirkland wins on atmosphere, the waterfront view here is truly spectacular. Unfortunately, the food didn’t live up to the setting. The clam chowder was just okay: lacking fresh clam flavor and leaning too salty. The fish and chips fell flat, as well, the fish tasted dry and didn’t seem very fresh, though the fries were a bright spot and cooked well. With such a prime view, it’s a shame the food didn’t match. We likely won’t be back.

This was the first place we ate at on our Seattle trip, and it was great! In Texas, I think the closest we'd have is like Long John Silvers (which I like but it's definitely fast food). This was a more elevated experience in service and food quality. We loved the fish and chips, especially the cajun option, and the salmon chowder - what a treat. If we'd been visiting in a cooler month, we would have gotten bowls of salmon chowder in bread bowls and been the happiest little tourists in town. As it was, we were there in July so we shared a cup just to taste it. Yum. :) This location is lovely and you can cross the street to walk around and enjoy the park and lake views! Staff was super friendly and didn't get annoyed that we asked a lot of questions. Appreciate you all!

I think Ivars serves best fish and chips, and best fish tacos in wa state. At least best I had. Ivars is our weekly dining place. My kids love their fish, always fresh. Personnel is great. Very friendly and helpful, minimal wait times.

It looked like a fast food at first l, which was a bit confusing. But after adjusting to that I can say food is very good and made with no mistakes. After my meal I understood the place serves much better food then it looks.

Simply perfect ... Perfect wide range of seafood delicacies located across the street from a very popular Beach on the Kirkland waterfront at the North end of Lake Washington. Love this place, the staff is always so amazing and attentive, and this truly is the best fish on the market and I am telling you this as someone who has spent a lifetime loving fish in the Pacific Northwest. Thick pieces of fish perfectly cooked with a very thin breading. Simply does not get better than this

A solid experience for fish and chips. I like the self-serve beverage station. It's fun to mix orange soda with 7Up or whatever. You can dine in or sit outside on nice days as they have a patio area. Another option is to walk across the street and enjoy your meal at the park. The fish is good, but the coating is almost like it doesn't know what it is, maybe a cross between batter and breading. The fries are quite good. They have the skins on. Plenty of tarter sauce and ketchup if you want it. Overall, as I said, pretty solid local institution.

Finally! A place that seasons their food a little bit! I'm a Texan transplant here in Washington State. I've been all over, and this is the first place that has flavor to their food in this state. I wouldn't call it bold. It did make my son and I smile when we had the fish and chips Cajun style. Not even close to Cajun, but at least seasoned well enough to make me happy! 5 stars purely because this was not bland food and we ate outside by the pier. We will visit again!

We had the shrimp and fries for a quick snack. The food was prepared quickly and met our expectations. We ate inside, there are plenty of clean tables and the staff were very helpful as well.

I wound up at Ivar's one night when strolling with my dog and a nearby restaurant's wait was too long. It's in a great location across the street from a lakeside park. Parking can be limited given the residential area. It's a great place to sit outside and catch a sunset or people watch on a warm rain-free evening. Being able to eat with my dog is a nice bonus. Their food is nothing fancy, prices might be a little inflated given the pricey neighborhood, but probably one of the cheaper options around. Inside feels like a fast foot joint for sure. There's a good amount of patio tables on the perimeter, but they aren't very good about cleaning the tables when people leave trash behind. I usually flip flop between fish & chips or scallops & chips. The fish & chips are probably a better value as the scallops are teeny tiny. Both are deep fried nicely but not overly flavorful so you will want some tartar or lemon wedges. I do like their fries, and the portion is usually plentiful. The food can take a while to come out, and if you are sitting outside, you may not hear your name called and be forgotten so be sure to go inside and check on your order after a bit. Overall it's a solid cheat day type meal in a prime location but view Ivar's like a fast (sea)food establishment -- even if the wait times can be a bit long -- not fine dining.

I'm a big seafood lover so I definitely had to try this place right by Downtown Kirkland! It was pretty pricy, however the fish itself was pretty decent. I noticed that the ratio with the batter and the fish was very low, and really wished there was more fish than flour. They also served calamari which was amazing, it was so tasty, salty, and flavorful so I would highly recommend that! The service was fast and the register guy was super nice and helpful on what to order. The atmosphere was more of a dining and mediocre place, so more on an after beach day lunch! Parking is super easy however very tight and small, but wasn't an issue and it was right next to the restaurant itself!

A quick stop to grab some fries on our way to Houghton Beach. I'm a fries snob and I judge a restaurant by how good their fries are. And let me tell you, I found the perfectly crisp and well done fries here! Not too thin, not too thick and the perfect golden color. They were very busy with tons of to-go orders, especially since the sun was out. This will be a definite stop for me on the way to the beach!

Unbelievable consistency!!!! everything is fresh on point and delicious the last time I came here. It was so amazing that I had to come back just to make sure it wasn't a fluke and it wasn't. This is just how they do it. If you're around here you gotta come here. This joint is the Ivars of Choice.

It was a nice sunny day, so a coworker and I decided to take a walk here for lunch. I was excited to see that they had the fried oysters, since all of the other Ivar's I've been to in the past few years had been out or taken it off of their menu. So, I got that and added the Calamari Snackers ($3). My coworker got the Baby Prawns. It was a yummy lunch, especially for the price. It's just the batter on the oysters wasn't my favorite; I'd rather have it a bit crispier. Service was very friendly. Will definitely make the walk here for lunch again.

If you're ever in need of a quick fix for fish and chips, this is your place. They offer different types of fish to choose from but my favourite on the menu is the classic fried cod. The chowders are all pretty good as well. The white clam chowder has bacon in it, but the smoked salmon one is a delight. Service is Chick-Fil-A level (perhaps even better) where they bring your order to you, even if you sit outside. Totally recommend sitting on the patio and soak in the views of the lake if the weather is nice outside.

Been wanting to try Ivar's, so I'm glad I tried the Kirkland location. I got the three piece fish and chips and it was good! Can tell that it was fresh and just came out of the kitchen. For the fish & chips and soft drink it was $15 which isn't bad. I would come back for sure!

Decent food, enjoyable bread bowl. . Didn't love oysters all that much, but no complaints in terms of freshness. Jumbo prawns were really good.

The food is good and fresh. The atmosphere on the Seattle waterfront is awesome. We would recommend this place to anyone.

A great location in lake washington with a park a dock to walk on just across the street. Service is above average and food is great! Nothing to complain about.

food was disappointing. fish was too small. the clams were crumbs n they tasted undercooked. service was good. i think ivsrs should come up with another than a seafood combo just want to see better pieces for the price

I didn't think I liked salmon or clam chowder or caesar salad that much till I went here. For fast food chowda', this place is really good. The Caesar salad was really fresh and creamy. The fries are crispy and nicely salted. The coleslaw is a bit too watery but nicely flavored. The salmon sandwich was filling thanks to the fluffy high quality ciabatta roll, but the salmon could have used a bit more seasoning. My FAVORITE thing here is the $2 sriracha cod bites. OMG, they are so good and only $2. The 2 times I have been here, the workers are very nice and friendly, and the place is very clean. The menu spans fried fish and chips, fish plates, chowders, salads, sandwiches, kids meals, and other snacks. They have a great place right across from the lake-front park, making it an ideal location for picnicking, people and sunset-watching.

This is in a great place for getting food and eating by the water. With that said, their service needs some work. The restaurant has COVID guideline stickers on the ground and designated areas. If you are wanting to read through the menu and decide what to order, they make you stand and block the line to do so. There is no room to really let people go ahead of you and the employees are not very friendly when you are trying to decide. They pressure you. Tell you that you need to stand certain places in a rude tone and clearly do not care if you are trying to be considerate of others. If it was not for the poor service and attitudes, I would probably give a 3 stars. The food was on par and the order came out without a long wait.

This Ivar's location replaced the Kidd Valley Burger. On a hot day, located across Houghton Beach Park, it's surprising (or not) that fried foods and warm chowder is a hot ticket. It was PACKED on an 86 degrees day. So much for social distancing. Admittedly, it's the only eatery in the area. We called and ordered ahead, so other than to get to the front of the line, there was no wait. Ivar's seafood bar customers are in two camps - love it or meh. Their fried foods and chowder tends to be ok, like a B or B-. While we had a buy-1-get-1-free coupon, we went nuts and tried their grilled wild Alaska salmon. If it's terrible, at least we didn't pay much for it. Well, it WAS terrible. The salmon was way over-cooked. The seasoning is salt and pepper, I think. Not much flavor. The corn bread is dense . The cole slaw needs more pepper and seasoning. The best part is the fries. (I'm laughing as I type this.) Well, a cup of chowder on a cold day is probably ok. The rest of the time, no thanks.

I chose to go to this location, because it's by the water. There was free parking which is a bonus and the view was nice. I didn't have to stand in line at all. The Clam chowder was delicious. Very creamy and flavorful. Both the Fish & Chips and Scallops & Chips were very good. Service was great too.

This place is fabulous! The food, service and prices are all on point. We drove in from Texas and this place was recommended to me by a friend. I'll be back!

We really enjoyed our fish and chips and oyster and chips. Parking was easy at this location, and there was plenty of outdoor seating with the flowers in bloom. It's right by Lake Washington with a small beach across the street.

Great atmosphere, food and Jesus was a wonderful server! Great crab legs and crab and goat cheese dip! So full!

Classic west coast seafood shack. Good food and friendly staff. No fuss. Good location on the lake for outside dining.

Great place to grab some fried fish and French fries whenever your in the mood for some fun seafood and chowder. I love ordering through the yelp app then picking up the order when it is ready. The employees and manager are always nice and friendly. The to go orders are always fresh, hot, and prepared nicely. I just wish they didn't close to early and had later hours. There are many times I wanted to order something for dinner but they were already closed or closing soon and not accepting new orders. Overall great place with nice employees and food. :)

The clam chowder is very buttery and creamy. If you crave clam chowder this is a good place to get it. I didn't try anything else here but the chowder is yummy.

Fish and chips were terrible, not sure what kind of fish this was. The fish did not have any flavor and the breading tasted like eating sand paper. The tartar sauce was okay, nothing great. I would not recommend eating here even if you have a choice.

So so pathetic. I ordered online for delivery and we only got 15% of our order. Called and they are going to tell me that it's not their problem! Wth! Serious! The ownership, employees are horrible. Place like this needs to fail and go out of business. Btw I spoke to the manager and she said nothing we can do!

We loved the food from Ivar's Seafood Bar! We were staying in the hotel next door and came here two nights in a row. The staff was super kind, the food was superb, and the view is great! The coconut crusted shrimp was amazing (it's a must), along with the fish filet sandwich and halibut. There is nothing like being on the water in WA during the summer and eating delicious food!!

I went to this place yesterday for a late lunch. It was my first time there. To start with , the place was very clean. The service was great. The lady at the front counter helped me pick up my order. The food was good too. My only disappointment that they did not provide lemon slices or vinegar with the seafood. Other than that o had a good lunch experience.

Great service, the young man at the register is so attentive and polite! Great location, wasn't expecting pub quality! Took it to go, because the place was empty and felt awkward throwing the entire items away in front of the staff. Wasn't edible by us, but the crows in our backyard enjoyed it!

Standard Ivar's fare. Usually hits the spot and cravings for chowder or fish and chips. Right by the water too. Great place.

Do not order online - Ivars will nnot receive it! I am writing to you to inform you of my experience just now at the Kirkland, Lake WA Ivars. I ordered an online pickup. I got to Ivars and they said they never received my online order. I said, here is the text to prove I ordered online. Ivars confirmed and then asked if I had received an email, which I said yes, and they read that too. He even confirmed "I even see where they charged your visa." He tried explaining to me that this is all done by a third party (doordash?) which I said I don't know anything about that. I ordered at home on my computer for me to pickup all done at Ivars Kirkland, then received a text and email confirmation with the time to pickup. We argued back and forth, where I explained this is no fault of mine! After we were done arguing back and forth he finally said we'll I can give you your order free - which, by then, had lost my appetite and stated that I would never go to Ivars again! They kept putting all the blame on me and I was to fix it! And I didn't want a free order - I simply wanted the order I paid for with no hassles! This is very bad customer service and that means most to me over price!

While we love Ivar's, we went today right after they opened and it was pretty obvious no cleaning had been done the night before. The condiment bar was gross and we had to get napkins and hand sanitizer to clean our table which hadn't been cleaned of food from I guess the night before. We will go back but wish they would teach the employees about cleanliness.

Went to the Ivar's seafood bar in Kirkland for a quick bite and to sit outside to enjoy the view. Service was pretty good and food was good nothing special. -calamari snacker for appetizer was delicious -fried oysters and chips: pretty good but wish the fries were little more crunchier -Alaskan Pollack fish and chips: Hubby liked it -Salmon fish and chips: son liked it

Ordered 2 fish sandwiches were over cooked to the point I couldn't even try to eat them. The cook woman must have known they weren't good enough to sell! If you don't care about what you serve you simply shouldn't be allowed to serve anyone. It's a shame because I live across the street on the waterfront! Sorry this isn't what I wanted!

Every time my family and I want fish and chips, we come to this Ivar's! We usually order the 5 piece Alaska Pollock fish and chips ($10) and the 5 piece Alaska True cod fish and chips ($11.20) and share between 3 people. The portion sizes are pretty big, 3 people are more than full after the 2 orders and fries. There's lots of seating indoors and outdoors on a nice day. The food always tastes very fresh, and the taste far surpasses what you would expect from a fast-food type experience. I would also recommend the clam chowder ($4.20 for a cup) on a cooler day, or if you're in the mood for some soup. The location is by the water in Houghton Beach Park, and some of my favorite memories viewing the sunset are from this outdoor seating area while eating fish and chips. This is a great casual place to come with friends to sit and relax near the water with quality chowder, fish and chips. Would highly recommend!

Walking distance from my house. Their clam chowder is very consistent. I've had almost everything on their menu. Fried Scallops are great and recommended, as are their fried oysters. I prefer the cajun fish and chips over their traditional recipe. I'm hoping they will reintroduce all the different flavors of malt vinegars they had pre Co-Vid. I've seen some reviews of undercooked salmon (grilled). I know everyone has a preference, but when salmon is overcooked, it's too dry...the times i've had the grilled salmon platter, it can be hit or miss in terms of doneness, but always edible The place can get packed because of it's proximity to Lake Washington...i know some people get cranky and impatient there, just have a little patience for the folks working there-they're doing the best they can. Imagine not expecting it to be crowded on a hot sunny day at an area where young folks congregate lol. If you don't want to wait-they'll make the chowder ASAP, and their chowder is legit, like i mentioned at the beginning of the review I wish they brought back their seasonal "super clam strip" (only seen them at their everett location years ago)

A staple of Seattles. Just the classic fish and chips was what we got and we have no regrets

Great location to take your visiting friends and family. Great Lake view seating, private function rooms, bar and seating. Let's talk about the food, they used to be the prime spot for seafood dining, fantastic buffet selections pre covid and years past was excellent! With prime rib, salmon, king crab etc. My recent visit was a let down. Ordered the salmon Caesar and it was average similar to any Fast food joint side salad. The quality has gone down way down. Service however is great and efficient. Staff were short handed when we were there but managed to provide great service to a large family group.

Food was good , and it was delivered so a bit cold... I suggest dining in. Chowder was spot on!!

This was an excellent stop. Parking was hell and compact but food was great! And view was good too

Ivars name speaks for itself. A northwest and even historical name now known to locales that this is the place to get consistently delicious fish and chips. Hey, where else can you take your visiting out of town visitors to a reasonably priced meal that they can't get back East, Midwest, or the South? With a gorgeous view of the lake, those seagulls soaring nearby, and outside seating, this Kirkland location has it all. Parking is right out the front door and rarely have I had to wait very long for my order. Captain Ivar would be proud. And so will you when you bring your guests to try a taste of the Pacific Northwest!

Was surprised that Ivar's replaced Kidd Valley, but also excited that it is in a close-by location now! Food is good quality, fries are priced affordable (very thick and always fresh), cleanliness (bathrooms too.. as a germ freak I was shook and very impressed!), outstanding and friendly customer service (biggest reason why it's 5 stars), it's also in a nice location with easy parking. Ordered calamari once and there appeared to be only a very few amount of pieces. But aside from that, everything else is great!

Good Seafood, Great view and very Friendly people. Also they have very fast service and they always thank you.

Freshness in every bite! Glad we stumbled upon this. Even the fries are fresh. Awesome view from the patio is an added bonus. Service was fast and efficient.

Always great food. Fantastic ambiance with patio lighting and the lake right across the street.

Yum! I visit this place every time I'm in town. Fresh fish and sides at an an affordable price. Nice view of the water too.

Amazingly fast service. The white clam chowder was delicious and the staff was really really friendly.

Today is Tuesday, 7:15 pm, my boyfriend and I walked in to place an order to go. Absolutely TERRIBLE customer service from the redhead kid at the front. We walked in and was not greeted or acknowledged whatsoever, he continued to bag whatever he was already bagging and finally when he was done, still no greeting. The other guy who was there in the kitchen area was the one that greeted us even with a brief smile. Anyway, I started to order and asked for an order of "a bread bowl clam chowder to go." Rudely, the kid responds "clearly we can only do to go." Then he asks me which clam chowder. I respond, just the regular one. He then answers back "regular can be any of these." No help, no customer service attitude WHATSOEVER. My boyfriend is now not happy and neither am I. My boyfriend orders next and then also says "to go." This kid has the nerve to say "duh." I wish I was making this up, but no. It is heated at this point and the kid even says to us how WE came in being rude. We are baffled!!!! At this point it is very hostile, thankfully and finally another guy (name is RODNEY) steps in tells the kid (ROBERT) to step back. This is crazy! Rodney was wonderful dealing with us and was very apologetic for what had happened. He is great and was very professional with us. We expressed how we do not want the kid Robert touching any of our food. He reassures us and we wait in our car. He comes out and was again very apologetic and went the extra mile to void our payment. There needs to be more Rodneys and NOT people who work like Robert. Unbelievable! If you don't have a lick of idea of what customer service is or even what DECENT, POLITE human common courtesy is, DO NOT WORK in any service industry!

I stopped by the Kirkland Ivar's to grab a quick bite after work and did not haver a great experience. The service horrible and the staff was rude. Not sure if they are having a bad day. I think they can improve their customer service. I love their clam chowder. I have been to this store before and I had a pretty good experience. I will try again next week!

Good food Terrible service The employees are rude and don't have any simple manners when it comes to communicating with customers

My family and I really enjoyed our meal. We ordered the full boat which consists of 10 fish strips, fries, cole slaw, and a bowl of chowder. It's classic fried fish and our family really enjoyed it. Fast service and reasonable prices with a fantastic location. Free parking outside and outdoor dining s well. We'll definitely be back.

Very clean and great service! The bathrooms were very well maintained and the dining area was also clean. Great food! We got the salmon burger, clams and chips, Caesar salad w/ salmon, cod and chips, halibut and chips, and the tanker clam chowder. As always the clam chowder is amazing. The salmon Caesar salad was mediocre. The salmon was a little too fishy for me. All the fried stuff was great and crispy.