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    Downriggers

    4.0 (741 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 8:30 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Downriggers Photos

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    Recommended Reviews - Downriggers

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    Butternut Squash Risotto** ***
    Crystal H.

    We came on Valentine's Day and thankfully we planned ahead and had reservations since it was busy! We were there at 6:30pm and the wait, I heard, would be 45-60min for a table without one. Upon seating, they were out of some dishes and items, like potato chips, pomegranate, a couple fried items, etc. Our server was great and helped us decided. We were very indecisive. The menu was kind of all over the place, to be honest, it hard to understand what their main theme was. American? Italian? Seafood? They had a fried rice dish for the V-day special. We got their burger, which was pretty good. The butternut squash risotto was okay. I included shrimp and they were cooked nicely. Their clam appetizer was good and were local. Their drinks were delicious though! I got myself two mojitos and I don't usually drink.

    Appetizer, Soup & Salad menu.
    Trista H.

    My wife and I stopped into Downriggers for a light snack while exploring the island. Free street parking can be found. Discover is an accepted form of payment. Two lines were formed at the hostess stand, one for reservations and the other for walk-ins. A 20% service charge is added to parties of 6+. Paraphernalia can be purchased. We requested to be seated outside and were seated at a table without an umbrella where we baked in the sun. While deciding on our light lunch, my wife had a SJI Pale Ale and I had a Reuben's Crikey IPA for $8 each. We ordered the Crab Deviled Eggs for $10. Eggs is misleading since it suggests plural. One egg, halved is what is served for $10. We opted to add an additional egg for $3.50, making the order plural. We shared a cup of Clam Chowder for $8: bacon, potatoes, clams, onions, celery and carrots in a creamy new England style broth. Garnished with oyster crackers. The view was lovely. Staff was aloof. Food and beer seemed overpriced to me. Overall, Downriggers held us over until our next dining stop.

    Menu
    John G.

    Had a quick snack and drinks while waiting for the ferry back to Orcas. Great views with friendly and attentive servers. Would like to have dinner here someday when we return to Orcas.

    Crab Deviled Eggs, French Fries  Malt Vinegar Aioli, Crab Artichoke Dip***
    Sarah W.

    This is a favorite spot whenever my husband and I visit the island. The food is always delicious and the servers are lovely. When the weather is good, we enjoy sitting outside but indoors is nice too. The crab and artichoke dip is absolutely delightful! Big fan of their vinegar aioli with French fries too. Can't wait to be back soon to enjoy all that Downriggers has to offer.

    Menu cover.
    William Y.

    Lunch with friends during a Port call in Friday Harbor, Washington and chose Downriggers, an American style bar and grill located on the harbor. It's a clean, modern style of architecture, nicely situated with a harbor view. They have a well rounded menu with some interesting items. For starters we ordered dungess crab tots - outstanding! It comes as an order of four. Made with crab, shredded potato and herbs served with house made tarter sauce that is very good. For lunch, Jan and I ordered a bowl of clam chowder. It was excellent. Amy ordered the smoked salmon plate, also excellent. Steve ordered the turkey pesto sandwich with house made potato chips, also excellent. The restrauant was busy and the service was very good. The noise levels were low. The prices moderate/high.

    Business card
    Yvonne K.

    My husband and I just finished eating here. We are snobs when it comes to good food and service. I was about to get super snobby because we ordered and everyone around us was getting their food but they were getting things like sandwiches and burgers so I held back. Then our food came. We had ordered the crab deviled eggs, a house and ceased starter salad, he ordered the bouillabaisse and I had the prawn Mac and cheese. The deviled eggs were a little bland. Not deviled eggs. Just crab plopped on boiled eggs, in my opinion. (I went to college in the south, I know good deviled eggs.) The salads were perfectly fine. What stopped me and made me reconsider my bad mood about the wait was the food. My Mac and cheese has a good emulsified cheese sauce and there's an arugula mix on top that has some vinegar to is. I thought it was odd, but combined it really makes a well balanced dish. However, the star of the show, the bouillabaisse is what blew my socks off. The seafood was all prepared at correct times so nothing was over cooked. The tomato base was delicious and had that slight grit of homemade from tomatoes that you get when, well, you make something homemade. The restaurant has a delightful, clean, modern decor with only a touch of seaside whimsy. I will agree, they need a new host or hostess. When we got there we waited. Then when we left there were four parties waiting. Our waitress was good though.

    August 11, 2025 - Bread with a delicious butter spread.
    Michele O.

    August 11, 2025 - Friday Harbor, WA Our first visit to Friday Harbor had us eager to explore and find a great lunch spot. As the ferry pulled in, Downriggers caught our eye with its waterfront patio and inviting vibe. We decided to see if we could get a table. There was a waitlist for the patio--about a half hour--so the hostess took our number, and we wandered off to browse a few nearby shops. We returned about 20 minutes later to find our table ready and waiting. My husband ordered the Albacore Poke appetizer ($18), while I went with the Buddha Bowl--brown rice, quinoa, spiced pepitas, vegetables, and black bean slaw ($23). Both were fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. As we enjoyed our lunch, I kept noticing a luscious lavender-colored drink making its way to other tables, so I finally gave in and ordered one. The Lavender Lemonade (butterfly pea flower-infused vodka and house-made lemonade, $12) was as refreshing as it was pretty--perfect for a warm island afternoon. Between the delicious food, harbor view, and relaxed atmosphere, Downriggers was a great choice for our first taste of Friday Harbor.

    Crab Deviled Eggs
    Kyra K.

    After a busy day on the water and in Canada, we came back to the island around 7:30pm. Not many restaurants are open in Friday Harbor past 8:00pm, but to our luck, Downrigger was right by the harbor! I made reservations for my family and me the morning of. I'm glad we did because there can be a short wait if people come off the ferry and whale watching tours. When we arrived, our table was ready and they had a list of rules for our dog. They are dog-friendly but have rules you need to abide by. We sat outside which was a beautiful view overlooking the harbor. Inside was spacious and busy! I found the service to be all right. It seemed like our waitress was ready to be off, not very personable, or informed. We shared the Crab Deviled Eggs which left more to be desired. Barely any flavor of crab and no seasoning for the egg. For my meal, I had the South Sound Clams. They were not good! The clams were mushy which makes me think they weren't probably cooked after being frozen. The sauce was fine, but very thick and the clams masked in the sauced. This was not my favorite meal and I struggled to eat it. My family had their food and ate it all, no complaints. Downrigger is one of the popular restaurants in Friday Harbor. The views are nice and it's in close proximity but the food isn't the best. The restaurant is easy to find off Front Street. There's free street parking all around.

    Cod
    Mike L.

    Come for the rude hostess and okay food but stay for the views. Downriggers is located right on the water so the view is beautiful. Reservations are recommended as outside seating gets taken up first. Unfortunately, the host was rude to our party and very short. It seems that Yelp and Google reviews mention a rude hostess so looks like that was true. The food was just okay - nothing special. The steak was overcooked and the prawns were bland. There was nothing special with the burger or the fish. Overall a popular spot with beautiful views but that's about it - subpar service and okay pricey food.

    Exterior
    Darian G.

    By far the best meal I had on San Juan island. The portions here were fantastic, the service here was great, and the views of the docks outside were so dreamy. We were here for a private event--a wedding party--and I find myself still thinking about this place weeks later. The menu was set but honestly I'm not complaining about that at all. The choices were fantastic no matter what you got. Pretty much everything you get is a highlight. The dungeness crab tots are so addictive and the clam chowder is super yummy. For dinner, you absolutely cannot skip the rib-eye. It's a huge slab of meat, but it was seasoned to perfection and grilled nicely. The s'mores dessert was a bit too sweet, but it's great for those with a sweet tooth of steel. If you're going to San Juan Island, you absolutely have to make a stop here. I'm so serious.

    Grilled Flat Iron* ***
    Amy W.

    Have been here a few times and never disappointed. Had the crab dip, flat iron steak, and my partner had the ribeye. Crab dip was warm and packed with crab. Only point of criticism is that a few pieces of the crostini were a bit too crisp. My flat iron was delicious, cooked perfectly with beautifully roasted carrots and silky mashed potatoes. My partner's ribeyes also cooked perfectly and super flavorful. Paired my meal with a Cab. Was perfect to cut through the richness of the steak. Service was friendly and attentive and beautiful views of the harbor. Will definitely be back!

    Lauren C.

    Tried this place out after reading all the great reviews and asking a lady at our hotel if this place was any good. I would say it's okay. It isn't awful but it isn't a must try, i ended up having to grab a small pizza after leaving here though. I did love the atmosphere and beautiful ocean view. Crab deviled eggs - 3/10 nothing special and I'd skip, we were excited to try these but they let us down. Salmon with coconut veggie puree - 9/10 it was on their special menu so I'm not sure if they have it often but if they do it's definitely worth a try. The salmon was perfectly cooked and the puree was delicious. Wagyu burger - 0/10 it was lacking flavor. I asked to get it without bacon due to religious reasons but it tasted and smelled like bacon which grossed me out. I ended up only taking three bites and taking it home to my husband. He thought it smelled and tasted like bacon also without me mentioning it, I hate throwing food away but we had to with this burger. Service - 5/10 we had a reservation but upon arriving we were left waiting for the host for 5-7 mins before being seated. Bus boy was very polite and nice, he kept clearing dishes and pouring water, very nice young man, he is the one I'm giving 5 stars to. Waitress was okay, she disappeared right before closing while there was just us and two other tables left. We were waiting to pay our bill for 15 mins. The stars are for the salmon, view , and the kind young bus boy.

    Crab stuffed Crab Deviled Eggs
    Tami F.

    We started with the crab dip and it was decadent and then we decided we needed just one more little bite and we had the crab stuffed deviled eggs and they were amazingly yummy. The service was spectacular and we enjoyed the majestic views.

    The view from our table

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    Food was okay. Service was fake. View was great. The cheesecake we got to go was the bomb.

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    7 months ago

    Shared a big bowl of excellent clam chowder and a turkey pesto sandwich. Great view of the harbor and good, friendly service.

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    Page 2 of 19

    Ask the Community - Downriggers

    Do you have a kid's menu?

    Yes! It is on our website.

    How many can be seated at a table indoors?

    6 people! If your party is larger, we will split and seat at two+ tables next to each other.

    Are cocktails available to go?

    Yes they are!

    View All 4 Questions

    Rocky Bay Cafe - The crispy chicken wrap (add avocado) was absolutely loaded with chicken and bacon! Delicious!

    Rocky Bay Cafe

    3.9(509 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    Strong robust coffee, good stick to your ribs breakfast and good playlist on 70-90's music. Love…read morethey offer a big breakfast menu with dishes like chili relleno omelette and chilaquiles. Our veggie omelette, potatoes and English muffin were hearty and yummy. Will be sure to come every am on our next visit to SJI. Great locals diner vibe! The server was great!

    Staff are friendly and attentive, this is a cute local café for breakfast…read more On the first day I had a two egg breakfast. I chose the one called "Healthy Start" because when I travel I'd like to have some veggies or fruit on a daily basis to keep a good bowel movement iykyk. Honestly, I was kind of disappointed with the fruit I got. The strawberries were sour, the cantaloupe looked like a 38 year single dad had just pulled an all nighter and then headed for an 8 hour shift, and the pineapple was ok. The over easy eggs were good. They were actually eggy in a good way. You know how sometimes you have an egg and it literally doesn't taste like anything? That was not the case here. The bacon was the best, it was thick-cut yet crispy. And the sourdough was sourdoughing. My partner had the huevos on our first day, he said it was okay. On the second day, I had oatmeal. I don't know why, but when I read the menu, the oatmeal sounded so much exciting. But when I actually got it, it looked kind of boring, just like the one I make at home. It was good and did the work though. My partner had the "today's special," velvet cake toast. He said it was too chocolatey and the portion wasn't that big for the price. I had one bite, and honestly, I was fine with the chocolatey taste. So if you're a chocolate fan, you might want to try it, otherwise skip it. I guess if I had ordered my usual two egg breakfast, it would probably have been great.

    Photos
    Rocky Bay Cafe
    Rocky Bay Cafe - Chilaquiles

    Chilaquiles

    Rocky Bay Cafe

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    Downriggers - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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