We tried this place for the first time this visit and ended up going back twice more. The Rueben sandwich is absolutely amazing and is served with a wonderful arugula salad topped with an outstanding aioli type dressing. We also had the clam chowder which was very fresh and delicious. We stopped in for an iced coffee and ordered the lemon. Pound cake topped with lemon curd. The iced mochas were terrific! Really yummy. It was all simply delicious. This place is very cute, has an amazing view and also outside seating that we enjoyed with our dogs in tow. The staff are friendly and helpful. Really wonderful discovery in PT. It will be added to our favs for the next visit. read more

three of us ate breakfast there a couple of weeks ago and not one of us felt that we had gotten really great food. Pastries looked great but the rest of the stuff really needs some work to make it better. there are definitely better places for breakfast in town read more

Great food. Great location. Great sandwiches. Calm natural light-filled space with good service.

Quaint lil cafe right downtown! Super easy to stroll the town and stop in for a hot drink or a bite to eat. Super busy, friendly staff, food looks homemade in the small but lively kitchen, specials are available until all gone, menu's are printed on papers to share at the counter, beautiful view of the water outside while you wait on your food order, constant "ding" on the order ready bell fills the conversation sounds and everyone is happy either eating or talking among themselves. Food is clean and freshly made, not "fancy" food but real food. Sandwiches come with a fresh salad, cups/bowls of soup are available as well. Perfect for a cool fall day!! Restaurant inside is clean and warm! read more

Lighthouse Cafe - Chicjen breast sandwich w/fresh dressed side salad. - American Near Me - Port Townsend, Washington

Under new owernship, the Lighthouse Cafe deserves a much better yelp rating. Food is excellent!

Beautiful food. Delicious sandwiches (GF bread available) and the most fantastic vegan green chili.

I have hopes for this new cafe/restaurant, but a more accurate rating might be 3.5 stars. Currently they are a small space, offering take out, but slow due to a small staff. They clearly care about their food and beverages, taking them seriously. And they do check vaccination records carefully enough to at least make sure they look real! They offer good coffee, a couple of savory breakfast items, cake or pastries from Macrina Bakery in Seattle (disappointingly bland & sweet IMHO), very tasty lunch offerings (sandwiches & entree salads), and a couple of nice looking desserts made in house. Worth a visit, and likely to improve with time I think. read more

Great service. We walked in and the the person that took our order was outstanding and the service was too. We spilt a Caesar's salad, clam chowder and a couple of Rainer's. All in all a good quick stop while in town. The person that took my order also served us. She was very nice and I would recommend anyone that is looking for a quick bite, to stop in. read more

I guess you get exactly what you expect when we came in today. A dive but desperately hungry... The place was unoriginal, old furniture and dirty carpet. The food was overpriced for what is was, My friend and I ordered sandwiches, they came out right away, and our two other friends didn't get their bowls of soups after we were done. The waitress could of cared less with a table of workers sitting there eating!!! Ridiculous read more

The most amazing clam chowder I've ever had! Staff was wonderful! Don't miss this stop!

One of the worst experiences. I work as a server another restaurant in snohomish, so keep in mind I know how the system is suppose to work. My mother and I have a time share in port Townsend and never came in to the lighthouse cafe. We decided to give it a try as clam chowder sounded good. We get inside and instantly feel out of place. Chinese styled chairs with thick wood tables, Chinese art and Indian pots in the corner. We sat down anyways, to be greeted by the cook who was also our server. I ordered the hot dog and a small thing of clam chowder, and my mother (who has diet restrictions) got a bacon burger no bun with a side salad. My hot dog came out first, 5 minutes later my side of clam chowder, 8 or so minutes after that my mothers food came out. Food was okay, clam chowder tasted clamless, but my mother enjoyed her burger concoction. At one point I asked for a water and he brought out a glass of ice... I just think the guys head was else where, the restaurant itself doesn't make sense (Chinese in a supposedly seafood restaurant based off the name) and the service was half assed. Probably won't be coming back. GREAT location and view, and quiet which gained one star. Otherwise, I hope they really pull it together! read more

Lighthouse Cafe - The decor here is completely confusing. A lighthouse cafe should scream seafood, not Chinese restaurant. - American Near Me - Port Townsend, Washington

I love the Lighthouse Cafe! The decor, the staff, the excellent coffee. It's all worth the stop on your way through Port Townsend.

We really liked this cafe. Went twice (first for lunch, then later for coffee and dessert) and would have gone again but it was closed the next day. The Chicken Avocado sandwich and soup were very good and the desserts were excellent. Very friendly and accomodating staff. read more

This is a quirky little spot. The boss is a regular Trojan: He is the greeter, cook, waiter, travel guide, cashier and chief bottle-wash. It's in a nice location, is quite clean, quiet and friendly. Despite the somewhat odd placement of all the Chinese decorations, the food is pure US-classic-diner...and it's good! I had bacon, eggs, hash browns, toast and coffee. My wife's brekky was in a similar vein. If you find yourself in Port Townsend in Washington -and I hope you do- wait until you have had a belly full of the wonderful local seafood and, when you then feel like a real American breakfast, go to the Lighthouse Cafe. It's well worth a visit. read more

The hot cakes were some of the best I've ever had!!!! Simple diner food done well, eggs Benedict were amazing. The atmosphere is simple. read more

Lighthouse Cafe - Simple diner food! Loved the blueberry hot cakes!!! Egg Benedic was really tasty too. - American Near Me - Port Townsend, Washington

I don't think I've ever gone to a restaurant and not given a tip. Or if I have, it was so long ago that I don't' remember it. We went to the Lighthouse Caf on a busy Saturday morning for some breakfast, so we were expecting the service to be a little slow. There was an open table and we sat and our order was taken rather quickly by an Asian lady who didn't seem to speak English very well, or know what was on the menu. I ordered some hot tea to drink, while the girl I was with ordered coffee and an orange juice. The waitress brought me the hot water and cup for the tea, just not the tea itself. Luckily they had the beverage counter easily accessible, so I was able to grab the tea bag myself. It was also nice because she never once came back to check on us, so we were able to get up and refill our drinks ourselves. She never did bring the orange juice. During the hour we sat and waited for our food, we watched people enter and leave without ever being acknowledged. At one point we saw people who had been sitting for a while get up and leave, only to have the waitress bring the food they ordered to the people who sat in their table after them, she never noticed them leaving. The guy cooking appeared to follow the rule of only cook one meal at a time. This could have something to do with why it took so long for our food. It also could be because he spent more time explaining the proper way to write an order to the 14 year old girl who was also working, rather than cooking. When we finally did receive our meals, the food was okay; not very good, and not very bad. It was acceptable but not even remotely close to worth the hour wait. To top things off, just before leaving we overheard a man who went to the bathroom, talking to the waitress and pointing out that they were probably breaking multiple heath codes by the condition of the men's room. It's not often that I hope a place goes out of business, but in this case I do. They have a really great location, and I would love to see a good restaurant move in, and this place go away. read more

Disappointing, overpriced meal in a dingy, run-down little restaurant. At least the Lighthouse Cafe has got a swell location going for it, I guess. While waiting to catch the next ferry over to Whidbey Island, we decided to walk through Port Townsend's quaint downtown area in search of a place to get some breakfast. The Lighthouse Cafe is located on Water Street (the main downtown thoroughfare) just a couple of blocks from the ferry terminal and has a view of the water, so it looked perfect! Unfortunately, this particular restaurant misses 'perfection' by a looonnngg mile... First of all, the place doesn't seem very clean at all. The industrial carpet is so threadbare and stained it's nearly black in places, and the restroom does double duty as the cleaning closet-- complete with a dirty mop bucket next to the toilet. The food wasn't too great either: a ham & cheese omelette w/ hash browns and toast came out looking pale and unappetizing and had a bland, undercooked taste to match. Hard to believe they get away with charging $9.50 for a pathetic dish like that, but there it is. The coffee wasn't terrible, but when I asked our waitress to fill up my travel mug to go she said she'd have to charge more for that. Really? You can't spare an extra 16 ounces of cheap coffee (at a place that has free refills) for a group that just spent $40 on your crappy breakfast?? Meh. I'll go elsewhere next time. read more

Bad bad bad. For having such a prime location in Port Townsend the restaurant is horrible. How do you make iced tea taste bad??? My oldest daughter ordered the vegetarian sandwich most places make some effort into a vegetable sandwich this was bagged lettuce on a roll with some tomato and cucumber and some unknown sauce. I ordered a burger and fries most mediocre burger it has to be a frozen patty and not a good one at that. My youngest daughter ordered the prawns and fries her first plate came out with a huge black hair on it from the server!!! I took the plate up and it looked like she was just going to re-plate the food!! I stood there and said you are cooking her a new plate right??? I swear it's all frozen stuff I could buy at Costco and make at home! Please please save your money, I wont try another place without reading reviews again!!! read more

Lighthouse Cafe - Frozen shrimp and fries?? Food is horrible stay away - American Near Me - Port Townsend, Washington

I am trying to delete this review and it won't let me. I made a review for the wrong place

This restaurant is in a prime location, which must allow them to snag unsuspecting tourists. Otherwise this place would surely go out of business. I doubt that anybody chooses to go back a second time. The windows are usually so grimy that you can hardly see through them. The whole pace seems dirty and suspect, health-wise. The service is slow and negligent. The food is mediocre at best. With all the good restaurants in Port Townsend, why would anyone choose to eat here? read more

Port Townsend reminds me a little bit of Geneva, Switzerland. Not in the sense of studied neutrality or multi-lingual populace, but rather in the fact that everything is closed mid-day. I had a flashback here of wandering around the streets of Geneva with a buddy looking for any place that was still open to eat. Which brings me to the Lighthouse Cafe. While walking through the town with my visiting family members, we stumbled into the Lighthouse. As it turned out, the restaurant was also closed for the mid-afternoon, but the cook and server took mercy on our famished appearance and decided to seat us anyways. The menu is fairly basic and I went with a tuna melt and coffee while my folks decided to split a reuben. The reuben was felt to be mediocre although the tuna melt was tasty enough. Not a startlingly complex meal, but reasonably done. My drip coffee was refilled frequently and the server was pleasant. Previous comments about the restaurant have some valid points. Clearly the operation is run on a shoestring budget and the inside is a little beaten down with basic utensils and decoration. It has been said that if you want a proxy to check the cleanliness of the kitchen, look at the bathroom. If so, then I'm surprised my food wasn't filled with maggots. These caveats aside, it was agreeable basic food served by pleasant people (who served us after close) at a cheap price. There's room for places such as this in the world. read more

I haven't yelped in a long time, and my experience with the Lighthouse Cafe sent me straight to the computer to reset my password. In a phrase: run away! Avoid! DO NOT EAT HERE! As prior reviews have noted, this restaurant has a prime location and a catchy name. We were battling rain and winds, which clearly blinded us to the other wonderful dining opportunities in Port Townsend as we blew into the Lighthouse's door. After a weekend of camping, we were up for some tasty diner food. Wow, did this disappoint. The food was awful. How can one make fish and chips so lousy? Fresh off the frozen food truck and tossed in a deep fryer... greasy with little actual fish. The burgers others had were terrible cardboard affairs. The fried chicken was beyond greasy. Even the fries were sub-par. Don't get me started on the coffee. Meanwhile, a guy was standing outside our window eating an amazing looking slice of pizza from a shop nearby. Normally I'm not that big on pizza, but I wanted to click my heels together and change places with him. Various oddities were for sale throughout the restaurant, including clothing and knick-knacks. On a trip to the bathroom, I pondered turning the health department loose on this place. Surely they should be shut down. That would be a blessing to save future hapless visitors from the trauma of dining here. read more

Had breakfast here yesterday. We were wandering around downtown Port Townsend, a little hungover after a wedding, looking for a place that would deliver the greasy, salty breakfast food we craved. The smell of bacon drew us by the nose like characters in an old Warner Brothers cartoon. We were skeptical because of the dingey, kitschy decor, but then, that's often the sign of a great, divey breakfast joint. And it served our needs nicely. My eggs were perfectly done, the hash browns were more like home fries but they were damn near perfect - soft yet crispy on the outside. My friend got pancakes that looked amazing. You won't find multigrain toast, steelcut oats or challah French toast here. The coffee is so weak you can practically see the bottom of the cup. But if you're looking for a greasy hangover breakfast, this place is pretty good. read more

I absolutely love this place have been going there since I was a teenager ask for the secret soup you won't be disappointed read more

Lighthouse Cafe - a bowl of soup on a table - American Near Me - Port Townsend, Washington

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This place is very eclectic, to say the very least. There's all sorts of things hanging on the walls. These items, by the way, are for sale! There's socks, Chinese macrame, glittery shirts...there's even lamps made by the cook! The bathroom (the women's, at least) is small, but is very clean and pretty well-lit. The service was so-so. Our waitress was very kind, but I think she is either very busy or a little forgetful, or both. For example: we had a party of five, but the first three cups came, only to be followed by the last two cups about five to ten minutes later. Another example: I asked for ranch dressing instead of tartar sauce for my fried clam strips; she didn't remember that I had asked for it until I was almost finished with my meal. The portions were actually just right for me, but my companions mentioned that we should have received more for the price (about $10-12 for an entree). The restaurant also serves some Chinese food (think chicken chow mein, egg rolls, etc). Additionally, there seemed to be only two people working in the entire restaurant: the waitress and the cook. Because there was only one cook, our entrees came out one at a time, separated by maybe five minutes or so. Once the restaurant emptied out, the cook bussed the tables himself. (He was also very nice.) read more

Been meaning to review this place for awhile. My gf and I stumbled into this place on a cold rainy day a few months ago, and I remember thinking to myself "this place is definitely could be more miss than hit." We were pleasantly surprised. We ordered the teriyaki sandwich and potstickers, and they were incredible. The teriyaki sand was one of the best I have had, and its because of what they did to it. They cut the meat up to maximize the surface area to marinate and they put in, an Asian inspired slaw/salad to dress it. The potstickers were as authentic as you can get as well. Overall funky place, but amazing food if you order the right things! We're going back at some pt this summer read more

Ok. It was OK. It's been 30+ years since I've been to Nancy's lighthouse Café in Port Townsend. It seemed like a good place to go with my brother; it was OK. The clam chowderwas OK the Ruben was very short on pastrami. But big on sauerkraut unmelted cheese and soggy bread. I felt somewhat sorry for the guy that was all by himself cooking and waiting and busing the tables. So I gave an extra star for that. It'll be 30+ years before I go back again. read more

Go anywhere but here. I asked the waiter (cook) what kind of lettuce is in the salad, and he was snotty when he said "just lettuce". I asked what kind of lettuce, was it mixed greens, or iceberg, and he just said flatly, "no. Just lettuce." Then I waited so long for a bowl of clam chowder, everyone else was done eating. Then the server ignored us for 20 minutes while we tried to get her attention to pay. We could have gone anywhere--we chose this place because I wanted clam chowder. The food was mediocre. Not worth putting up with rude service. read more

Do I have to give a star? Not to parrot the previous, and only other review, but this place is a shame. We were driving to the coast from Seattle and wandered into Port Townsend for lunch. The wife, two of our children, and I were ravenous. We'd never been to Port Townsend so we thought we'd give it a try. We walked up and down the main road looking for a place and settled in here. My son and I are actually the only one's that ate here. My wife and youngest son chose to get pizza from next door. It's kinda funny. The previous review is approximately two years old, yet everything is basically the same for me. We had the same Asian lady serve us. She barely spoke English. Couldn't even understand my wife when she was asking for a fork for our son, instead bringing us a knife. Speaking English is definitely not a requirement, but it helps with service in a service industry. We started by ordering our drinks. We like diet pepsi, but noticed that they don't offer refills here, as stated on the menu. My wife asked about this anyways, thinking that maybe the just charge a small fee for a refill. We were told no refills and to refill would be regular cost. Right off the bat, we realized we were in trouble. They did offer refills on iced tea, so we all ordered that. Actually, it was pretty good tea. We all agreed on that. My son ordered the burger. I ordered the Ruben. We were also bothered that neither of these came with fries. For $2 extra each, we added fries for me and onion rings for him. When the food arrived, we also noticed that, on his burger, to have lettuce and tomatoes on it, you had to pay an upgrade on the burger. C'mon now. This is ridiculous. What place serves a burger without lettuce and tomatoes. I was surprised we didn't have to pay to add the bun to the order. My son wasn't thrilled with his burger. I can't say I blame him. I dove into my Ruben. Decent sized sammich. The sauer kraut was so cold, it made the meat feel cold when I ate it. So it was like eating a cold Ruben sammich. And as far as the "sides" with our orders go...when you order onion rings, they told us up front, you only get six rings. Strange. And the fries, not good, not bad. Just standard frozen fries. This place gets one star for the good iced tea. If I were to recommend iced tea to anyone, I'd say go here. Good stuff. DO NOT ORDER FOOD HERE. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. I'm usually very understanding when it comes to service in restaurants. I'm usually the one who has to talk my wife into being understanding when it comes to bad service in restaurants. But in this case, I'm not. I don't understand how a place could be so bad and still be in business this long. We will definitely never return to this place and would recommend going next door to this place to get some delicious pizza. read more

Love this place. Chinese noodle soup is authentic And delicious. This is a well keep Secret read more

If you like pancakes this is the place for you. Crisp edges, perfect sponge texture in the middle, and filled with fat, juicy blueberries. Strong coffee and the nicest man (maybe also the owner?) ever running the show. Family friendly cafe/quaint restaurant atmosphere. read more

I love love love this place. Yes the place looks dirty... As most of the other people have stated. How ever.. It is very clean!! It is just an old building. Most resturants downtown dont own their buildings. So it is hard to give a face lift. Take that in mind. The halibut sandwich is by far my favorite thing on the menu. They are all ways so friendly when ever I come in. This is one of port townsends hidden gems#!! read more

It was 37 degrees outside and 37 degrees inside. No heat at all. I was by myself and tried to sit near the window. The waitress insisted I sit at one of the tables in the middle, despite there being only three other tables with customers. After waiting for my omelet for thirty minutes I went to the register to pay just to get out of there and go some place decent. You know, someplace that would actually serve me? I handed the lady (big stretch of the word "lady") a twenty. She angrily snatched it out of my hand. Since the language barrier was insurmountable I gave up on getting any change. I've had better dining experiences at truck stops in Amarillo. read more

Cute little mom and pop restaurant! We came on a Sunday morning and were the only patrons (family of 6 with two small children). The host/waiter/cook was so thoughtful he brought the kids' meals first. Great tasting American food (and I hear there are some hidden Chinese menu items to honor his wife). read more

I would leave zero stars if I could. The view is nice, that is about it. Everyone got something different and everyone went home feeling sick...not good. read more

The breakfast was decent if ordinary, but what lowers the rating for me is the atmosphere, Very dingy and in desperate need of a deep clean. However, the service was good and quick. read more

I love this cafe. I am surprised by the other reviews. I have been here twice ( breakfast only) and really liked it. It's on the main downtown street in Port Townsend with a nice view of the water. The blueberry pancakes and the chef's breakfast sandwich are both to die for!!! There are regular locals that come in and are fun to chat with! read more

My wife and I were desperately hungry. They were the first spot we saw, and walked in. The lack of customers should have told us volumes. I first went to the restroom. Their signage was hard to follow. I then realized it's a shared restroom. While I was in there, my wife asked for a lemon slice in the water. She was told that they don't have lemons because there aren't any lemon groves in the area. That should have been my second warning. My wife ordered a BLT and I got their jalapeño burger. I asked for Tabasco sauce with the meal. They brought out a Tabasco bottle (the label had been removed...hopefully to wash it), but there was Chilulla sauce in it. I'm a Tabasco connoisseur, and that was NOT Tabasco in that bottle. My wife asked for ketsup for her fries. It was obvious that the ketsup bottle had been refilled numerous times. The labels were nearly worn off the bottle. I'm concerned about the cleanliness of this place. If they had washed out the ketsup bottle properly before refilling it, the labels would have been long gone. The floor was dirty and their vacuum was sitting out. Maybe they were thinking of cleaning...NOT! The owner's wife took our order. The food came out quickly (the only reason they got one star). The portions weren't great, but they were adequate. We didn't speak to either the owner or his wife again until we stood to leave. Then he said, "Oh, are you done?" I will starve to death before I step into this establishment again. I'm amazed that they're still in business. read more

Okay I read the reviews and they are all correct. My fiance and I also wondered in, just as we arrived in town. I immediately got worried because everything on the menu was American food and the decor or the owner were not. There was a sign on the wall for fresh made Kim-chi which seemed really out of place. The carpet was filthy, and I felt like I was at a swap meet. Everything in the place had a price tag on it. Seriously! On another note the food was actually pretty good. We had fries a burger, a salad and some clam chowder. All were good...but next time ill go elsewhere . read more

This place was way overpriced and you feel nickel and dimed. Service was very slow. They even charge for steak sauce on your burger! Yikes. Recommend another place definitely read more