Stepping into Dad's Diner in Anacortes is like coming home - the casual atmosphere is immediately…read morewelcoming, setting the perfect tone for a relaxed and enjoyable meal. It's the kind of place where you instantly feel comfortable, ready to settle in and savor the experience. What truly adds a spark of interest to the diner's charm are the many photos on the wall. From floor to ceiling, hundreds of framed pictures of beloved fathers, brought in by customers, create a heartwarming and unique gallery. Each photo tells a story, making the space feel deeply personal and connected to the community. It's a delightful touch that invites conversation and adds to the cozy, familial vibe. Beyond the inviting decor, the staff at Dad's Diner are truly exceptional. They are always friendly, greeting you with genuine warmth. What's even more impressive is their knack for remembering your preferences and even past orders, making you feel like a valued regular from your very first visit. They're also happy to make recommendations, guiding you through their delicious menu with helpful suggestions. This personalized attention elevates the dining experience, making each visit feel special. Whether you're craving a hearty breakfast or a satisfying lunch, Dad's Diner delivers not just great food, but a truly memorable and heartwarming experience. It's a must-visit in Anacortes!

We took a jaunt up to Anacortes over the weekend to meet friends for a birthday brunch. This was…read morethe spot they chose. It is easily located on a popular street, right down from the "welcome to Anacortes" sign. Parking is readily available. It's busy but the tables turnover quickly. There is both indoor and outdoor seating. We enjoyed the atmosphere and the service. The food was filling and I would say "homestyle."

We found this place totally by happenstance, and so glad we did…read more So it's the 4th of July 2023 on our way to Fort Casey. With a little time on our hands we drive into Anacortes since we've never really been there, only passing through to catch the ferry. Realizing it's the 4th, we happen to catch the tail end of the Anacortes 4th of July Parade. At this point it's around if not after lunch time. Well with crowds and traffic we go on a walk-about in search of food and not more than a klick from our position we find this nice little lot by the marina with some food trailers. Choices, choices, choices, those being Chinese food, BBQ and Gourmet Hot Dogs. First choice was the dogs, but the line was a little long for us. So we went with BBQ...again glad we did. It was a bit of wait, since it had just opened not to long ago, some folks already waiting and one person doing food prep, cooking, taking orders and running the till, he mentioned waiting for someone else so help was on the way, but he did great, and the wait wasn't that bad. So for lunch we had one beef brisket sammy, two pulled pork sammys, one topped with coleslaw and with other with mac-n-cheese and beans on the side. First the sides, both probably one of the best I've had, no seriously. I'm not a real big mac-n-cheese guy, but this one was damn tasty. I love that I could tasted the cheese and it was not weak in flavor. I thought it was as good as if not better than that one Pike Place Mac-n-Cheese place. Then there was the beans, OMG, those baked beans were no joke...awesome! I so wished I'd gotten more of that. Then the sammys: The brisket was so tender, so juicy with some excellent flavor. Not smothered in BBQ sauce, it was just the perfect amount and tasted so good! The pulled pork sammys were excellent, lotsa pork with the perfect amount of sauce so they complimented each other flavor-wise so it's not all BBQ sauce you taste. Bottom line, some DAMN GOOD BBQ! Some restaurant's idea of BBQ is to take meat and cover/drown it in sauce-ugh. i.e. Applebee's bottomless riblets (only thing going for it is that it is bottomless-but it's nothing more than BBQ sauce with meat texture....I digress). Anyhow, the next time we are passing through, this definitely will be a stop. Surprised not to find it on YELP so I had to add it myself. It was that good! Now hopefully you can support a local small business and get some excellent BBQ too!

Great food, great people. Thanks me back to the hood of my youth…read more If you're looking for southern soul, this is da place. I'll be back.

When you go to a brewery with food and drink. One expects at least happy workers. This was not my…read moreexperience. They were not happy and I have no idea why!! I asked why they were unhappy which made them upset and I was just trying to diffuse the fact that I wanted a beer and they had to work. Will not be a place I want to go to a second time!

This place deserves ALL THE STARS!…read more It doesn't look like much from the outside. In fact, we were on our way to La Conner when we happened to pass this place and I decided to look it up. I saw they had BBQ, and the reviews seemed to rave about it, so we flung a U-ie and came here. IM SO GLAD WE DID. You walk in and order your food at the counter, then head next door (still inside the same building) to grab your beer. Tons of seating both inside and out. **St Louis ribs are only sold on Saturdays** FYI We got a flight of ciders and beers, and for food we got BBQ nachos, ribs, and I think my husband got a burger. My husband said his burger was good, BUT THESE RIBS, YALL. They stole the show. They were honestly the best ribs I've EVER had! So tender, and the dry rub was amazing. I highly suggest getting them dry and getting the BBQ sauce on the side. That way you can taste how good they really are before being drenched in their delicious BBQ sauce. As for the beers, I wanted to give a shout out to their Coconut Stout. I've had many coconut stouts that I want to be good, and they all fall flat. But this has been my favorite coconut stout of all time! You could taste the full flavor profile of the toasted coconut! It was incredible! I give this place a 10/10! We will definitely be back!!

great service. wonderful food. carmen made great suggestions. eat off the specials menu…read more great variety

Took a trip through Whidbey and Fidalgo island this weekend. From the moment we landed on Whidbey,…read morethis was the place that everyone said we can't miss. They were not wrong. We have eaten all across Western WA with many disappointing recommendations but this one blew us away. First things first. Make a reservation. There is almost always a wait and cant imagine how long it would be without one. Great small place with an electric vibe as soon as you walk in. It has that homey chaotic feel as it is a smaller place, very busy but still very inviting. We were met by Papa who is hilarious and just sets the tone for the experience here. All of the staff are very engaging and have wonderful personalities as well as are very proficient in their positions. This place is very much dinner and a show. It was great just watching the mechanics of how everyone worked together and interacted with each other as well as customers. We sat at the bar and I ordered a drink while my wife ordered a handmade lemonade. (she does not like the sugary ones from the gun so the bartender made her one from scratch-she loved it). There are 2 menus, the traditional menu and the specials board. We were served homemade bread with oil and balsamic and also ordered a Caesar salad to split for a starter. I ordered the lasagna from the traditional menu and my wife ordered the Pork Belly Cannelloni from the specials board, both were absolutely delicious. You can tell they make their pastas from scratch as the texture was spot on. The flavor combination for the cannelloni was something I had never had and might be my favorite pasta dish I have ever had. We couldn't finish the portions that were given to us and we were excited to get to enjoy them again at home the next day. We did order the Creme Brulé Cheesecake to take as well and that was also delicious. We got the check and had to relook at the bill to make sure they got everything. For the level and quality of food, we expected the bill to be much higher. Overall we cannot recommend this place enough. We live in Renton and would easily make the drive to eat here in Anacortes with no hesitation. This is our current new favorite restaurant and can't wait to come back.

Service great, food great, overall we would recommend! Awesome crab cakes! Loved the things for…read moresale, good wine and SUPER clean restaurant!

Best restaurant in Anacortes!…read more We started with the Dungeness Crab au gratin which was absolutely to die for! Generous amount of crab and cheese along with a baguette. You could also bathe in this. Just the best! My wife and I split the Garlic Brie Burger. 1/3 lb. hamburger with grass fed, organic ground beef topped with roasted garlic cloves, Brie, toasted garlic aioli, pickled red onions and lettuce. According to the menu...I love this one, but perhaps not the best for a date since the garlic is pronounced!

They're popular! We had the crab cake sandwich and clams/fries basket. The fries were great! And…read morethe crab cake sandwich was SO GOOD. Service was great! Staff member was so friendly and waited on us. There's indoor seating so don't worry if you show up on a cold, rainy day like we did! (But please, close the door behind you!)

Disappointing experience, especially for the price…read more We were really excited to try Shrimp Shack in Anacortes given all the hype, but unfortunately it didn't live up to expectations. The "colossal shrimp" was a letdown -- the batter was under-seasoned, lacked salt, and was soggy to the point that it was falling off the shrimp. The same issue carried over to the fish and chips. We actually left pieces of both because it just wasn't enjoyable. The clam chowder was also surprising... it had little to no clams, which was disappointing. For about $80 (small clam chowder, shrimp, and fish), we expected much better quality. Honestly, the fries were the best part of the meal. Not sure how this place has such a strong following -- maybe we caught it on an off day, but based on this visit, we wouldn't return.

Brown Lantern is a classic tavern and ale house. They have a large bar, dining tables in the bar…read morearea and a separate family section that is less "lively." Features a full bar with cocktails and a great beer selection. Ambiance is fantastic, with dark wood and interesting lighting and decorations. I'll be honest - it smells like dirty bar from time to time, so I'd say cleaning could be improved. The menu has something for everyone. Their burgers are awesome, the tater tots are creative and delicious. I tried the steak tacos the recently and they were very tasty, although the tortillas were slightly over toasted, resulting in a bit more crunch than you'd expect. Service is usually good. The bartenders handle table service, so you could end up with more than one person waiting on you rather than having a dedicated server. This can result in slower service times when it's busy, but that's the nature of the beast.

Is there any service or were we just being ignored? ‍…read more Walked in, waited around for a bit while the staff did their thing. There are no signs that said "please wait to be seated" or "seat yourself" either, but after waiting a bit we thought we'd seat ourselves and the service would come to us. That never happened, so this feels like we were being ignored. It's unfortunate though, because it seemed like a chill place to grab some food. But this isn't how you run a business because after waiting around for 15 mins we left. Probably won't be stopping by again.

The sandwiches and pizza are top notch. Well worth stopping by. Every bit of the menu has a…read moretropical inspiration to it. Even have a custom pineapple soda available at the fountain only. The staff are always friendly and hospitable when I stop in. They're good at their job too. There is never a long wait for your order either. The space is well decorated and accommodating. Plenty of sitting for any size group.

Casual and relaxed atmosphere and the sandwiches are outstanding! The buns are giant Hawaiian…read morerolls, super soft but not overly sweet, perfect for the sandwiches we had. Will continue to eat here again and again!

The service was very good the waiter was so attentive and nice. The food was served quick and the…read moreseating was comforting and peaceful.

Consistency matters. Consistency in the quality of food. Consistency in service. The restaurant…read morebusiness runs on small margins and every customer gets earned with difficulty and lost with ease. Consistency also matters when it comes to my red curry. Red curry is a simple dish and that nice texture of coconut milk adds a rich comfort to a simple a delicious dish. When the coconut milk separates and achieves that watery consistency, it loses everything. The good news is that it's easy to detect, because a flavorless red curry with a texture barely up to the consistency of water, it's absolutely disgusting. Yes, I called and let the business know. Yes, they offered to remake it. No, I didn't accept, that's not good enough. Takeout means the need to monitor the food at the moment it goes out. It's impossible to dish up a watery red curry and not know. Not doing so simply means someone didn't care. I also don't care now. I don't care to support a business that doesn't support me. I'm not going to drive back to the store to fix two mistakes, one not cooking the dish right and two, going ahead and dishing it up so my dinner is ruined. You didn't just ruin a dish, you ruined a relationship, lost a customer. Gone. Because somebody made a choice and now I have also. Disappointing.

I spent several weeks in the San Juan Islands earlier this summer, and was really looking forward…read moreto finding amazing clam chowder while staying in the area. I sampled chowder at several other restaurants and was extremely disappointed by how watery and lackluster the flavor was. Then I found Bob's Chowder Bar! On our way home from the San Juan Islands, I spotted Bob's out of the corner of my eye. We were starving and had planned to visit a drive-thru for dinner, but after much protesting my husband agreed to pull over so we could check the place out. The restaurant was closing in 25 minutes, so I was a little hesitant to eat in, but the staff encouraged us to stay. It's a good thing we did, because to this day that bowl of chowder remains one of my favorite I've ever had. It was rich and creamy, and loaded with tender bits of clam. The potatoes weren't overcooked, and had a soft bite to them, and the soup wasn't overly salty. The restaurant has a fun, colorful vibe with lots of local flavor. There is interior seating, as well as extensive outdoor seating. Although the restaurant is on a busy street, through the usage of awnings oversized umbrellas, the seating area feels peaceful and inviting. The staff were incredibly gracious by encouraging us to stay! They stopped by to ask us questions about our visit to the islands, and wished us safe travels on our way home. We had a wonderful time visiting Bob's and would love to return when we find ourselves in this area once again.

Last day in Washington and we decided to go up to Anacortes after hiking Deception Pass State Park-…read morewe had worked up an appetite! Quick google search, and a stop into another local eatery, we landed at Bob's! Specials are listed by the front door, seating outside and inside, we were sat immediately. John went with the special that was a 2 piece cod and chips and a beer (beer made locally), Eddie went with the shrimp scampi & I had their made in house clam chowder with a garlic biscuit. John's fish was perfect. Eddie loved his scampi (I tried a prawn- delicious). My chowder- I think the boys were grateful to try it and wished they had ordered it! The biscuit however- hard as a rock. It was a giant crouton. lol- but the drinks and food, otherwise, was wonderful. Service was friendly and fast. Great little spot to grab lunch with views of the harbor.