Vashon Thriftway is definitely convenient if you live on the island, especially when you're in a…read morepinch and need something quickly. That convenience does come at a price, though. I find the grocery prices to be noticeably higher than off-island, with some items feeling like they're marked up by around 25%. For that reason, I usually recommend doing larger grocery hauls off-island when possible and using Thriftway for smaller trips or things you need in a pinch. One of the biggest highlights is their deli. They have a great selection of prepared food, including sandwiches, burritos, burgers, and plenty of other options. Personally, I love their chicken strips and potato wedges--they're definitely some of my favorite things to grab there. They also have a coffee stand, although my experience with it can be a little inconsistent depending on who is working. Sometimes it's great, and other times it's not quite as good. Despite the higher prices, the staff are consistently friendly, helpful, and attentive, which makes a big difference. Overall, it's a very useful grocery store to have on the island. It's not necessarily where I'd go for a big, budget-friendly grocery haul, but it's extremely convenient and has some great food options when you need them.

I love visiting the everyday stores here. They are all multi-tasking and it's great. This is the…read moretown grocer but don't think there is only food and drink in here! I spent way too much at the greeting cards section. They also have shoes, sunglasses, Vashon Island baseball caps and totes...Food-wise, a decent gluten-free/vegan section, and of course, many other offerings. A counter at the front if you want to sit down and have a quick bite or what-have-you.

I am so thankful for this place! Great "penny candy" and able to supply all the items you forgot to…read morepack for your weekend trip to Vashon!

It is a great place to walk to after summer camp and buy a popsicle. Great local businessread more

Love this adorable spot! Super friendly staff and yummy honey! Also love the bookshop. Wide…read moreselection of supplements, vitamins, and herbs.

Coolest coffee shop evah!! But, wait -- there's more!! Instead of a set of Ginsu Knives, you get a…read morebookshop, Balsamic Vinegar and even groceries. They'll throw in a really cool vibe for no extra charge, but you must ACT NOW. Just kidding -- this isn't a Ronco commercial (if you get that reference, you might be a growed up human. This place is a must stop if you are on the Island. I walked in the door, and was greeted by an overwhelming feeling of love and warmth. The further you go back, the groovier it gets. There's the bookstore -- which is small and mighty, then you come upon the most eclectic grocery store where they have natural, healthy foods -- including a whole little drug store and a really cool place to get so much honey and some really interesting vinegar options. I can't recommend this place enough. Now, get yourself on a ferry and head on over to Vashon and enjoy an epic experience.

i've never been to the ruby brink, despite coming to the island with regularity. the other day i…read morehad some time to kill so we went for a quick drink and it was lovely! if you're looking to imbibe, there are so many options to choose from: well drinks, wines and cocktails. i had the prince highway and it was delicious! if you're looking to eat, there aren't a ton of tables and the menu is very meat heavy so if you're fine with that, you're going to be in for a treat (from what i can tell,) but vegetarian or vegan leaning folk are going to be limited in their options. for a quick drink, this was a great introduction to a place right on the main highway and somewhere to keep in mind if you've got time to kill before the ferry line or as you arrive on the island (depending on the time of day.) they're also open close enough to farmers market hours to make this a place to combine with your shopping adventure. it was relatively quiet when we were there on a weds but i bet it feels more lively at mealtimes and later in the day. there's also options to buy ingredients to go so if you're on a bike and maybe looking to stock up for a picnic at another location on the island after some exercise, this could be an option.

Service was friendly, but at the end of the day it's about the food - which is why the 1 star. What…read morewe experienced were the two worst sandwiches we've ever eaten! The pulled pork sandwich had what seemed to be nearly half a bottle of mustard mixed with a lot of coleslaw and a little bit of smoked pork buried within as though it were a mafia informant that got the cement shoes treatment. The French Dip sandwich also had what seemed to be a half a bottle of horseradish cream sauce... which burned my eyeballs and fumigated my nostrils! I could only take about 3 bites before I couldn't handle the potency any longer. It was literally a horseradish sandwich with a side of weak broth. The abundance of condiments on both of the $25 overpriced sandwiches turned the bread into mush leaving us on the Brink of sandwich hell. The service, however, was good - I was able to get a different sandwich with no questions asked. Sadly I must award you no points for the food, and may God have mercy on your soul.

Delicious ice cream in a cute shop with lots of arcade games to play. Lots of seating at high and…read morelow tables. Their flavors are unique and very well done. In our group we had the matcha, marionberry oat, toasted coconut (dairy free), raspberry rose, marionberry and a vanilla malt milkshake. Everything was so good! I love that you can have two flavors in your single cup as it's so hard to choose! Great stop if you are ever on Vashon!

Cute ice cream shop in town! It is such a large space, and connected to a beer/wine/etc? Bar next…read moredoor so it feels even bigger. I loved the murals on the walls, and they have several arcade games. Lots of seating space. I believe they had 8-10 flavors in the case, and they also had a cooler with pints, chocotaco, ice cream sandos. My wife loved the whiskey ice cream. I enjoyed my Chaco taco and it brought a lot of childhood memories back lol Definitely stop in for your ice cream fix on Vashon!

Another great place for sandwiches with a view (I also hear the pizza is good)! Is you're up near…read moreStarvation Heights (for reasons, you know) or want to grab a copy of the book (or any of Greg Olsen's books), do yourself a favor and get lunch at Olalla Bay Market & Landing. The best seats in the house are not in house but out on the dining patio where you can look out over Colvos Passage and across to Vashon Island (yes, they have heaters and blankets). Lunch is a walk up and order affair from the friendly staff and they'll bring your food to wherever you choose to sit. Plenty of napkins, cutlery, and ware is available on the patio. Bonus - you can grab and go. Not just their food but a full array of convenient food and drink options, candy, etc.

Always amazing service! I really enjoy their lattes and mochas, and I love that they use local…read morecoffee beans from Cutters Point. Their sourdough pizza is seriously amazing--one of the best I've ever had. The crust is perfectly crispy on the outside while staying soft and chewy on the inside. I've tried the honey mustard chicken pizza, and the chicken was cooked perfectly. The combination of honey mustard, arugula, and chicken worked so well together. I've also had the bacon chicken ranch, which was just as delicious. I always look forward to trying their weekly specials! The views are incredible too. You can sit by the water and watch people kayaking and fishing, and when the tide is low, I've even brought my dog and walked along the beach. I also love the huge variety of drinks they offer, from coffee and draft beer to canned beverages. On top of that, they do a great job supporting other local businesses and carry a lot of locally made goods. They have a small parking lot so sometimes it fills up, but you can also park across the street. Such a great spot for good food, drinks, views, and a relaxed atmosphere! I really enjoy coming here time and time again.

I spent my childhood riding my bike to this store in the 1960's and 70's. it is definitely a home…read moretown favorite. Back when there was still penny candy. Support your local businesses.

This is a wonderful place with wonderful people and really good prices for a convenience store. If…read moreyou are in Olalla and you need snacks, milk, cereal, gas, drinks, smokes, scratch tickets, dog treats, beer, soda, motor oil or something else, please stop here. You will get what you need for less than you'd have thought. The people who work there are cheerful and pleasant and the store itself has a great selection of items at decent prices.You can also gas up your ride here which beats the hell out of running out of gas in Olalla. There is a fat man with huge, hairy moobs who shops here and sometimes in warm weather he doesn't button his shirts up all the way or at all. He also drives a convertible, that makes it easier for you to see his moobs in all their hairy glory. He has VERY good hearing so if you are surprised or perhaps startled by the sudden sight of his moobs, say nothing, especially if your windows are down. He will likely hear you. He won't like this, he expects you to look at his moobs with your eyes, not with your mouth, and he doesn't need or want to hear your opinion on his moobs or on any moobs or even on moobs in general. Hairy moob man doesn't need you. There is also a day-walking ginger man who shops there, he drives a red toyota truck unless he is with some old woman who looks like she is what happens when god makes people out of leather and skank. That is not his mother, that is his girlfriend. She is old, yes, it's true. You will know them both by their snaggly teeth and narcissism. They are crazy and they are tweekers and if you see them you should avoid them because neither one (but especially him, the ginger man) can hold in their poops due to too much extreme insertion style anal sex. They are sad, sad, people. Leave them to their misery and ickiness. Olalla Food Center really is a great place to stop off for snacks, drinks, smokes, etc when your day finds you on the road in Olalla. Please don't be put off by hairy moob man or ginger and his leatherface older woman. Olalla Food Center can't help who moves in next door or down the street from them anymore than you can.

Hadn't been to Trader Joe's in a while, but the opportunity to travel with a few neighbors from the…read moreTukwila Senior Living Apartments presented itself. I had nearly 2-hours to shop before being bussed back to the apartment complex so I must've circled the entire store and gone up & down every isle 3-4 times when my eyes came rest on Trader Joe's Dark Roast Coffee ($6.99 for 10- oz. bag of ground coffee). Never having tasted the coffee, and knowing how much I like dark roasts, I picked up a bag. The first thing I did upon returning to my place, was brew up a fresh cup of coffee. The 100% Arabica beans lent off a heavenly aroma leading my imagination to the fertile hillsides of Columbia, the jungles of Sumatra and the plantations of Cuba. Excellent flavors! Not over powering and oh so pleasant. I'm a regular Cafe Bustelo Espresso grind coffee aficionado and this Trader Joe's Dark Coffee

Shopping in Burien, Washington…read more.. This location of Trader Joe's was relatively close to my high school classmate's home, so I stopped by quickly to take a look beforeIhad to meet up with her. I was so happy to see that the peach-colored AND turquoise-colored mini insulated coolers were available (at the entrance)! They're really handy as my niece has been using them to bring her leftover dinner to work for lunch the next day! She said that these mini coolers are a good size! I got some for her father, sister, and mother! Inside, this Trader Joe's was clean, spacious, organized, and well-lit. I got some snacks, greeting cards, and some yellow nectarines! I started looking for the store mascot and asked the cashier if these plushies were the ones. I showed her a photo on my phone, spotted the correct mascot, and took a photo when a female worker approached me and told me that "no photos were allowed in the store". I thought that she was joking until I looked at her facial expression. She was serious. Shucks. Oh, well... it's over. We got our prize (a lollipop) and took a photo outside of the store. We still went back the next day for more snacks and greeting cards because I had a bit more space in my luggage... LOL!

Okay, I might as well do another yearly update…read more Mom's is going strong. Still not leaving their entire tabled area free for customers to eat at, it's just very public inventory storage. That can unnnerve some people. I just know where to go when the cooler is out of ginger ale. I no longer compete with the guys who work at the bone factory for Mom's teriyaki. It smells good though. The gas is priced island gas- cheaper than self serve but still eye popping if you've ever been off island but it's the same at the other two stations. It's clean, it has security cameras and is involved in a progressive program for stopping the use of bad checks: displaying them by the register. I dunno why so many people say it's dirty. Plenty of places on Vashon have cigarette butts surrounding it.

Always reliable, low-end gas station groceries. The deli foods are barely edible, but they are…read moreopen. Lots of good packaged snacks. Surprising number of Korean and Japanese inspired items. Beer/wine but no liquor. Very nice family of owners.

I have been to Finholm's twice now! It's located in an area if Gig Harbor I wasn't familiar with at…read moreall and apparently it's the area where the town's original downtown was located. Finholm's has a lot of history in this neighborhood and there is a nearby sign where you can read up on some of it. Inside the store I wouldn't exactly call it a full fledged supermarket but there are plenty of snacky items and the beer selection is great! There are a lot of brands of beer that aren't commonly seen in the area so if you are into craft beer there is a lot to check out! But not only that they have beers on tap that you can enjoy as well and hang out there! There is a place that serves food inside. It's a waffle shop in which you can get sweet or savory waffles. That place has it's own Yelp entry and I will write a review for that in the near future. But definitely check out Finholm's and read up on it's history... it's pretty interesting!

My wife & I stopped by during the recent "freaky snow" Friday & were blessed to meet Harry; who…read morewhipped up some awesome mochas for us as well as a great waffle. We were blessed by Harrys' friendliness and I was especially grateful to be able to share "Veteran" stories & experiences with Harry (who is a fellow Veteran). We will be back for sure & highly recommend Finnholms to any & all who visit Gig Harbor.