Usually no wait ~ food is decent. Cocktails are great ~ any of the fruit based martinis are excellent

Great food. Great location. Recently renovated. And, the same delicious food that makes all the Anthony's restaurants incredible. All the seafood you can imagine. Delicious Bloody Mary's. And the best coleslaw around. Check it out! read more

Food was delicious atmosphere beautiful service was terrible. Expect a little more when paying a little more. Disappointed

Reading the reviews below you would think the food was mediocre. I've eaten at some of the best restaurants in the world. I thought the food was pretty good. Solid effort preparing reasonable, simple and tasty unpretentious food. You have to understand that this isn't a cutting edge Michelin starred restaurant. Take it for what it is. A down home seafood joint. The view is amazing and it's worth waiting for one of the five outdoor tables. One thing that was exemplary was the service, very laid back and friendly. This is a great spot to take out of towners but honestly there were a ton of locals there and repeat customers. The last time I was here was before they signed with Anthony's but I think the consistency and quality have carried over. I'd come again. If you are coming, make a reservation. That being said be prepared for a short wait. They are literally packed every day during the warmer months especially during the dinner rush. Come at 7 pm if you don't want too long of a wait for an outdoor table. read more

Great food, friendly quick service and amazing waterfront views. Definitely a favorite in this area. Clam chowder was delicious and the rockfish was excellent. We will be back. read more

The food is deliciously cooked. Their Caesar salad is awesome. Had the halibut with baked potato and halibut fish and chips. Beautiful views of Tacoma Port, mountains and people enjoying this beautiful sunshine. Anthony was our server and very attentive. Came and asked if we needed anything several times. Great location for a nice stroll after dinner. read more

Harbor Lights - Halibut, baked potato and green beans Fresh Alaska Halibut!! - Seafood Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

The service was good. The views are great. The drinks... well, they aren't craft cocktails but they are strong. Really strong. As in- be careful. So what's not to love? The food. The place was packed when we went there- it's popular with an older crowd. But the food- whether you order the seafood (most of the menu) or the steak (the remaining choices) is uninspired. This is Red Lobster dishes at high-end prices. Enjoy the great view. The food? Not so much. read more

Went here on the company dime while in town for business. Service was wonderful and our seats were breathtaking. Saw some otters swim right past us while waiting for our food. I ordered the filet since I don't eat seafood and it was decent. Everyone else got their fish on. Calamari Strips, Crab Legs, Cod. All were delicious I was told. read more

In all the years I have lived in the Puget Sound I've never had an opportunity to dine on the waterfront along Ruston Way. The waterfront scene through the area has always been extremely busy so I typically passed through without glancing back. But this weekend I decided to go and dine while the opportunity presented itself. Truth be told this restaurant was not my first choice. My first choice had stated on their website they were open, but in fact was not. My friend and I walked along the waterfront and I saw Harbor Lights. Wanting to support a local restaurant and not a chain I decided we should eat there. We arrived at noon just as they were opening so even without a reservation we were able to snag a table. Promptly greeted we were brought outside to sit along the patio looking out onto Puget Sound. The tide was very low and when a stiff breeze came we could catch the smell of seaweed and low tide smell. We didn't mind. We could watch the geese and blue heron fly and swim about which was quite delightful as well as the sailboats enter the water later in the meal. I ordered a strawberry lemonade spiked with vodka and it was by far one of the best. First, great display and it was pretty to look upon. The second big point was that it wasn't sickening sweet. It had a very nice balance. Perhaps too much balance as it was easy to drink. I ordered the burger dip as pretty much everything else on the menu had eggs in the meal prep as a binding agent and while my friend's crab sandwich looked amazing on the hoagie roll I was very pleased with my burger dip. The burger was cooked perfectly and the au jus was not overly salty. It was a nice balance! The French fries were all right but not especially delicious. No matter - the burger dip was perfect! It was a very pleasant experience and one that I was happy to partake. Everyone was pleasant, and courteous. Our waitress explained the COVID requirements sufficiently. Everyone wore masks. It was a lovely lunch out. read more

Harbor Lights - Strawberry Vodka Lemonade - Seafood Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

We went to Harbor Lights tonight for dinner. I was a very frequent customer of theirs many years ago, so I decided to go back to check it out since it has been quite a while. WHAT A MISTAKE! I ordered the $70 king salmon special. Much to my surprise it was only about 3 ounces. It was way WAY over done. It was so salty I could not eat it. I also ordered the clam chowder which was more like a watered down potato water with about 3 clams in it! Totally inedible. My wife and son's food was tolerable but very over priced. The total bill for 3 of us to eat (no drinks no dessert) was $200. The waitress was MIA. I had to ask the other staff for water refills and she did not have a clue that I didn't eat my food because it was horrible! Bottom line is I will never go back! read more

This iconic water front restaurant has delivered a fresh array of fresh seafood classics for decades. Its claim to fame is larger than normal portion sizes and fresh bread. The staff is friendly and knowledgable. Unfortunately both our dishes featuring halibut and baked shrimp were over cooked and lacked adequate spice and flavor. I would give them another chance as the views are spectacular. read more

Right on the water with many views to choose from. In the midst of a very popular area with loads of people walking around. Plenty of free parking. We had a Rez but on a Wednesday night at 7 there were plenty of openings. We had the fish and chips which they are known for, and the Alaskan Halibut. Both were delicately cooked and scrumptious! We were ably served by Lauren. We made a nice choice! read more

Great happy hour ceaser salad with shrimp. View is great small cozy place. We enjoyed our visit

Really good food and service on my first visit to this restaurant while in Tacoma on business. Seafood was fresh and plate presentation and overall ambiance were really nice. I started off with a martini and the prices are reasonable and a nice selection along with good prices on wine by the glass. We had some of the best fried oysters I have had and also had to get the featured scallops appetizer also good too. I had the Blackened salmon and it was really good. Moist and flavorful and the sides were also great. I'll be definitely returning on my next trip to the area and try more of their offerings. read more

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Had lunch at Harbor Lights in Tacoma, WA. Overall, the food was probably 3 stars, but the service and the friendliness of our waitperson kicked it up to 4 stars. I had the blackened fish tacos, which came with two tacos, tortilla chips, and pico de gallo ($15). My dining companions each had the two piece halibut fish and chips ($22) and the "pan fried" oysters ($20); the halibut was a bit overcooked, so it was somewhat dry. It came with french fries and a slaw. The friend who had the supposedly pan fried oysters actually had half a dozen breaded deep fried oysters with a choice of french fries, hash browns,, or rice pilaf. Flavor was good in all the dishes, but, as I mentioned, the fish was dry. I split my tacos with the friend who had the halibut and chips, so I had enough of her dish to know that it was somewhat overcooked. We were going to order the clam chowder as well, but the wait person alerted us that it wasn't the traditional creamy New England style, nor was it Manhattan style. He brought us a sample before taking our orders and it consisted of a thinnner broth that was overly salty; we passed on ordering it. Another plus of the restaurant was that it overlooked the water (the Puget Sound?), so it was beautiful on a sunny day. For the price, I probably wouldn't go out of my way to return, but it was nice enough for our lunch out while visiting! read more

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Sadly, you didn't address the frozen over cooked crab legs. Terrific wait staff. Unfortunate food.

Charming with pro-level service, top quality seafood and beautiful water views. Try the tiny outside patio if it's nice out. read more

Harbor Lights - Seafood Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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My husband and I went to Harbor Lights for a snack this past Sunday. We had come from Vashon Island to pick up some seafood at a local seafood market. We were craving clam chowder and fish and chips. We stopped in at the Lobster Shack and low and behold NO CRAB CHOWDER, No fish and and chips! It was nice and newly renovated but the menu was quite limited. (not very busy, but kind of expensive.) Not at all what we were after. The fish market had recommended Harbor Lights...so we went there just to see.. It was old school, so yes clam chowder was on the menu along with halibut and chips. Bingo! Both were delicious!!! The service by our tall blonde waitress, can't remember her name sadly, because she was so friendly, efficient...a wonderful server. Then we got to the ferry to go back Vashon and it was cancelled. And at that point we realized we had left out credit card behind. We called the restaurant and spoke to Andrew, the Manger,who said he would put our credit card in the mail the next day. Low and behold it is Wednesday and a lovely hand written note accompanied by the credit card arrived in our mail box. Thankfully there are still honest people in the world! Thank you Andrew!!! Harbor Lights has great classic food served by a friendly wait staff led by a class act! Thank you Andrew! read more

I am super disappointed in my lunch yesterday. We have come to harbor lights for years . I ordered the shrimp Louie and the presentation was awful. It was super simple with no thought to the presentation I would think for the price the presentation would have been significantly better. read more

Haven't had a quality seafood dinner in a while, and I'm glad I came here! The view of the water is absolutely stunning while you're eating and overall ambience is amazing. Albeit a little pricy, the food was excellent. The quality of each item was delectable and came out extremely fast. The service was phenomenal as well - our server was very kind and knowledgeable. Definitely will be back. read more

Harbor Lights - Seafood Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

This is a very cozy location on Ruston Way on Tacoma's waterfront ... excellent menu, and you may notice a lot of similarities to Anthony's ... that's because it is a subsidiary of Anthony's... great service and ambiance read more

Harbor Lights - Halibut - Seafood Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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Absolutely love the clams I had to buckets and their ship salad was excellent my sister loved it

This is a very old establishment and I hadn't ever visited until now. What a pleasant surprise. It definitely shows it's age, inside and out... but that's part of the charm. The menu offers a variety of seafood, I visited at lunch time and ordered the fish sandwich, which was very tasty perfectly cooked fish. We tried there berry drop cocktail... it was amazing! Their clam chowder was dairy free; broth based and actually very good... loaded with clams. I would recommend and will return. read more

We had a family party in the back room last night the food was spectacular! All of the food was great but I especially enjoyed the oysters and Dungeness crab. The service was amazing. It's hard to serve a large group like this but they did a good job. Appetizers drinks entrees and desserts for a party of 16. My hat is off to Tino and Sydney. Well done. I didn't catch the manager's name but he was also very attentive We had a wonderful birthday party for our 86 year old mom. Thank you to Tom for bringing us all together. Well done Happy Birthday mom. read more

Amazing service, good seafood. Love the sour dough bread, mussels, and Captains Platter! read more

We love Harbor Lights. But called in a take out order during the Corona virus pick-up- only. $17. Photo says it all. Visited again, 4 mos. later, now that dine-in is thankfully possible. All servers were masked, tables separated, single use menus. We three shared a crab dip appetizer, two ordered Caesar salad and grilled King Salmon with tomato/butter sauce. Couldn't be better...except for wife who had ordered crab legs already pulled from shell. Fabulous. Too much to eat at one time, so we took some home. We recommend the peaches and ice cream for dessert. (Had room for that.) read more

Harbor Lights - Fried cod with excellent asparagus. $17. - Seafood Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

The server Nancy was terrible to my grieving family who was there to mourn the passing of my grandmother. Food was 2 1/2 hours late, waitress Nancy called me out in front of the entire guest area for asking for the bill saying i wasn't paying (yes, im aware my mother was) 0/10 terrible experience. read more

Classic waterside dining with outstanding service and fresh FRESH seafood. We got the mussels and clams and they were perfectly cooked. Our Dungeness crab was out of this world as was the steak. I meant to take pictures but we had such a wonderful time, the food was gone before I remembered to pull out my phone. The entrance is a little strange (you walk by the bathrooms and open kitchen line before getting to the host stand) but the restaurant itself is beautiful with views of the water all around. It's pricey but worth it. read more

So glad we stopped here for lunch. When walking in on a Sunday and at peak lunch time I did not have high hopes to be seated anytime soon, but happily was seated right away and by the window! It might have just been luck but we were happy. I ordered the seafood Mac n cheese and it was amazingly good! Definitely will be back! Service was good and attentive as well! read more

No more hashbrowns or baked potato, ur choices are French fries or rice. I'll spend my money on fine dining on the water somewhere else. French fries, really? And they aren't even good French fries. read more

Super stoked tonight! My husband and I were in Tacoma we felt nostalgic and remembered where we used to frequent when we're first started dating. We knew we wouldn't get a table at prime dinner time but we still went for it! The young gal went out of her way to find us a table (I saw some scrambling with finesse) and we were seated in less than 5 minutes! Wow! She seated us at a window table! Absolutely stunning view! Food was delicious, our waiter fabulous , was spot on and very pleasant! Lovely nostalgic evening reminiscing with our girls! I made sure to Thank the Hostess for her Outstanding hospitality!!! She had no idea how much it meant to us! Our memories will forever remain lovely!!! read more

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The location has a great view! The service was very good and the food was also very good. If you are in the area give it a try. It is owned by Anthony's and has a similar menu but with some differences. read more

The size of these pieces of Halibut were the size of small chicken tenders or kid's portions. My husband and I have eaten lunch here many times and have always been pleased but not today! I questioned the waiter about the size and he said they were normal size, but not too convincing. Service was not good today, either. read more

Harbor Lights - Lunch Halibut & chips - Seafood Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

Location is beautiful right on the waterfront. Nectar clam chowder is more like a fishy soup. Rainbow trout was very fishy without much flavor at all. Panko halibut was good but overpriced. We went to this restaurant in Feb 2023 and the food was delicious. This time the food was disappointing. Service was fine both times. read more

I went here on a date last week and we sat outside. There's not a lot of space outside but we were glad to be socially distant. I had the seafood Mac and cheese and it was delish! My date had the halibut and said it was ok, not amazing. The bread appetizer wasn't anything special but was appreciated. We had a couple drinks, him Manhattan's and i think i had a couple lemon drops. I've driven by here several times and Am glad to have finally stopped in. The servers were wonderful. Would probably come back again, was a bit pricey, but overall pretty good. Sorry no pics! (I was on a date... and that's just awkward!) read more

This restaurant was a pleasant surprise. The food was excellent and the service was outstanding. There was three of us and we all enjoyed are meals. Would definitely go back. read more

My hubby and I frequent this place for our date nights! We r at the point where we dont look at prices! Just order what we want. When Mary and her usual crew r working the dinner shift---fantabulous! My faves are pan fried oysters and caesar salad! Pair them with pina colada and bam! I'm hooked! Thanks for great service, freshly prepped food, and very welcoming atmosphere!! M read more

Harbor Lights - Cod and chips - Seafood Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

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They seated me and our toy poodle at a shady table outside, which was perfect. I enjoyed the Caesar salad with blackened salmon, and a delicious strawberry shortcake for desert. Took a serving of grilled salmon and fries to my wife. Had a great time and a delicious meal. Kudos to Scott for attentive and considerate service! Will definitely return next time I am in the area! read more

Surprises everywhere at Harbor Lights! This restaurant is very unassuming and gives off a sea shanty vibe from the outside. Upon walking in we were amazed by how surprisingly large the dining room was and greeted by a half open kitchen. Being a Friday and a popular spot, we assumed there would be a wait. Amazingly, the host took us back after asking the size of our party! I'm sure reservations are encouraged, but we were thankful to get a seat around this time on a Friday. The place is elegant with an eclectic mix of fine dining and your finger food favorites. Just an ounce of pretention in the air from the guests, and it sets the scene. Service was way speedier than we anticipated and incredibly pleasant. Our server, John C was an absolute delight. Not only was he attentive and polite but incredibly knowledgeable about the restaurant and their offerings. He offered recommendations and answered any questions we had. John shines with pride for the restaurant he represents. We ordered the cup of clam chowder to start and it was exceptional. Super creamy, with a potato starchiness to thicken the consistency. Wonderful flavor without being fishy. I ordered the Captain's Platter and my husband the Dungeness Crab Fettuccini. My entree was superb. And what a steal! $34 for SEVEN different types of fish/protein. All were lightly panko breaded and fried to perfection except the crab which was served chilled. Everything was supremely flavored and breading was wonderfully adhered. The fettuccini was light and creamy without any grease or heaviness. A light crunch was brought to the dish by an al dente zucchini. The portion of crab was incredible. A culinary experience that matched the level of service rendered. This place is definitely a treat where we will return for dessert! read more

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This place is a Antony restaurant! I was looking forward to oysters but they're not in season at the Anthony's restaurant when we were there. read more