Discover Best Restaurants Olympia - A Gastronomic Delight
Nestled in the heart of Washington State, Olympia is a hub for food lovers seeking the ultimate dining experience. From the freshest seafood brought straight from the Puget Sound to farm-to-table delights that showcase the region's agricultural bounty, Olympia's best restaurants offer a culinary journey as diverse as America itself. Whether you're craving artisanal fare or comfort food with a gourmet twist, this capital city's vibrant food scene promises an array of flavors to satisfy every palate. Join us as we explore the gastronomic wonders that make Olympia a must-visit destination for epicureans.
Anthony's hearthfire grill olympia
4.3
(2035)
Down-to-earth Pacific Northwest-based seafood chain serving a menu of hearty local catches.
Reviews:
Anthony's, located on the waterfront of Olympia, offers a truly unique dining experience with its stunning view. It's surprising that more restaurants don't take advantage of such a prime location. The meal was absolutely delicious, and the floor-to-ceiling windows provided an incredible backdrop for our dining experience. The staff added to the fun atmosphere, making it a memorable visit. I highly recommend Anthony's for anyone looking for a combination of great food, a scenic view, and friendly service.
Alexander Whipp
Overall, what truly gives this place its best selling points - the location, views, cleanliness and beautiful structure. However, the food is quite honestly remarkably average at best. The steak was decent, cooked to closely medium rare, but below average in comparison to other steak houses. The sides were not so great - potatoes tasted like they were made out of a bag of powdered potatoes. Service was friendly, but not attentive at all. Despite not being that busy, there were exceptionally long time gaps between being seen, placing orders, drink refills, and receiving the check. I recommend dining here if only for the lovely view of the water.
A. Thibodeaux
Amazing views, they have a great outdoor space, and great service! What a wonderful place to check out in Olympia! My must try: The Peachy Drop It's delicious!! Great cocktail!
Mary B
It's worth it just for the view. They were busy, so it took a while to get drinks. We got a spot tucked away in the corner outside, and it was perfect. I love how it's separate from the rest of the city. The menu is pretty small. I decided on a strawberry mojito, and it topped any of the other drinks I ordered off the menu. The crab and artichoke dip was amazing. I also got a salad and desert. Yum! The desert was fluffy, yet biscuit like. I recommend all pictured items!
Jennifer Johnson
We had a most wonderful lunch at this beautiful waterside eatery. Stylish and well designed and every dish was superb. From soup to entre everyone in our party raved about their dish. We had a salty and knowledgeable waitress who took care of us without being "overly friendly". Highly recommend!
Tony Simotes
1675 Marine Dr NE, Olympia, WA 98501, USA
The mark olympia
4.3
(100)
Swanky Italian restaurant with a romantic vibe, carefully sourced ingredients & patio seating.
Reviews:
This used to be a fine dining restaurant but has changed into a cool, vibey spot. I really enjoyed the food, drinks, and especially the service. My friend and I came in looking for a quiet place to get a drink. Our host (the owner) was so kind in making our drinks and then letting us stay a bit past closing time, and even offered us pizza if we promised to be quick. We sat outside in the covered patio, enjoying our food and drinks, catching up, and the occasion chatting with the owner. I'd definitely go back when I'm in the area next.
Kezia Dinelt
This is a fantastic place to go for casual hangouts and great pizza. Their system is awesome so you get authentic, Roman-style pizza really fast. It's cash only with tax included in the price, which I really like. The event spaces are amazing and the patio is gorgeous.
Daniel Caffarel
Amazing food! The steak was a little tough but very tasty. Has to be one of the best chicken dishes I've ever had. Staff were very friendly. This is no $$ place tho. This is more like $$$$. Dinner for two with two cocktails and a glass of wine came out to 110$. Very tasty tho.
Rebecca M
Love the new concept at The Mark! The atmosphere is cozy, the staff is friendly and familiar and the outside covered patio is the place to be. Amazing pizza, different from anything else in Olympia, an absolute must try. Casual yet elevated. Highly recommend.
Mary Luther
Went to try it out. Only have a limited number of pizzas. They are not made to order, they are made in morning and reheated when you order. When we got there, there were two choices left. The other couple with us ordered the "spicy" one and couldn't eat it. Ours was not good either, dry.
Michelle Hall
407 Columbia St SW, Olympia, WA 98501, USA
Basilico ristorante
4.6
(406)
Quaint, high-end fixture with a gluten-free menu, handmade Northern Italian dishes & regional wines.
Reviews:
We arrived fairly early, 5:15, enjoyed conversation then ordered our antipasti a little before 6 pm. Every bite was absolutely fabulous! We ordered our main courses when the antipasti was served. The restaurant had started to fill up by 630. It took over 50 minutes from the time we ordered our main course to when we were served it...we had told the waiter we had theater tickets and had to leave at 7:15. We all ended up having to gave our meals served to go 😪but when I reheated mine at home 2-1/2 hours later it was still delicious. I do NOT recommend Basilico if you are on a timetable! Make your dinner there your plans for the evening. The food did NOT disappoint. Certainly the best Italian offering in Thurston County. Worth every penny 🙂
Lark Church
A wonderful Italian meal! Olympia has three excellent Italian restaurants and Basilico is the fanciest of the three. Many absolutely delicious entrees, appetizers, and desserts... Very Italian! Excellent wine choices and unique cocktails. Decor is old Italian, classic, but it is hindered by what is outside the restaurant. Downtown Olympia, destitute humans heavily addicted, unstable, or forgotten. It's just sad. Years ago, Basilicos was packed on a Saturday night, this Saturday night we saw only four other parties arrive during our dinner. I'm not sure how any business will survive the "downtown experience" for much longer.
John Foster
First time in Olympia, visiting relatives and wanted an authentic cuisine that is unique to the area. Got there for an early dinner. Was surprised it was very warm up inside. Took the waiter 5 minutes to even get to our table with only 2 other tables seated in the restaurant. Bottle of wine and food came out quickly. The braised lamb was moist, tender and very filling. Needed much more sauce... The pasta with boar meat was fantastic. Noodles were fresh with an excellent flavor. Lasagna was also home made and well seasoned. The tiramisu was again, home made and a nice size portion. Very happy with the entire experience
Charles Conti
Great place. Unexpected for this street in Olympia. We went for New Years. They had a special menu. Great place to impress a date or just have a very nice meal. Posted a couple pictures but there was 5 courses with the meal. The steak was amazing. Order rare to get medium rare.
Stephen Thomas
Update 9/13/23: we returned here after over 2 years (we don’t visit this area very often). The food was not a let down. And once again we were impressed at the pride they take in their dishes. We had chicken and lamb. My wife has always not liked lamb and got the chicken. She liked my lamb dish so much she even asked to switch dishes. Then the dessert… wow! This was an amazing gem. They make most of their stuff from scratch and they are impressively good. My wife has many good allergies. We came here and they navigated her allergies perfectly. At the end they created a dessert item that they had never done before from scratch and my wife almost cried it was so good. Thank you to the entire team that works there.
Judah K
507 Capitol Way S # A, Olympia, WA 98501, USA
Olympia oyster house
4.2
(2221)
Airy, laid-back stalwart for seafood dishes, chowders & stews, plus steaks, burgers & sandwiches.
Reviews:
Saturday night, chilly out, and we were seated immediately. Cool building knowing it was an actual oyster processing point years ago. Really good lemon drop, homemade thousand island dressing, and the marionberry salmon plans was so delicious. And the clam chowder we’ve had in ages! Worth a visit just for it. We’re new to the area and look forward to warmer long sunny days to soak up the atmosphere
bruce hutson
What a great location right off the water! The service was great and the food was even better. The menu is geared more towards seafood, so just keep that in mind. There is a little bit of everything on the menu, so make sure to look it over. I think the best part was the drinks, made excellent and did not feel like we were being stiffed on the alcohol.
Chris Le
Me and my beautiful wife visited Oyster house for the first time and enjoyed ourselves. There is outdoor seating with wonderful views of the water and the city or you can chill out at the bar or dining room, the choice is yours. I ordered a bowl of the oyster stew and thought it was ok. The oysters tasted very fresh. The stew was a bit thin, almost like a soup. Not to mention it’s prepared in some sort of cream. I personally avoid anything prepared with dairy. My wife ordered the steamed oysters and she really enjoyed them. She prefers her oysters to be on the smaller size, instead of them being large. Between the two of us, we agreed that this place deserves another visit in the future. Our waitress was prepared for the day, ready to answer whatever questions or concerns we may have had. I really appreciated how she had note cards with the days beer selection. She had a positive attitude and was really a pleasant to be around. We ordered the Dungeness Crab boil to go, and it was visually packed and prepared with love. Thank you.
Michael Haywood
We were here about a year ago. Unfortunately, I have deleted that positive post. Because things have really went downhill. I am not sure what has changed, but our evening was an extreme disappointment. We chose to eat in the bar to avoid the horrible wait to get in. I understand they don't accept reservations. I'm not sure why? Our waitress never offered us water refills. that's what we were drinking. The prices are very high. If you are going to charge these prices, don't serve plastic sides cups! Tacky. Our meal was $200.00!!! My salad had hugh cuts of cucumbers. I believe I had a half of cucumber! But my salad was the best part of my meal. My husband really liked his clam chowder and his blue cheese wedge salad. Our trio appetizer was good, too. Unfortunately, the dinner was the main issue. My husband ordered his steak medium rare. It was medium well to medium. His mashed potatoes were cold. My daughter and I had Halibut. It was dry and very salty. My mashed potatoes were cold, and my green beans were overcooked. Her rice pilaf was chewy and no flavor. They need shades for the windows, I was blinded by the sun reflection from the building accross from them. The Oyster House has been a downtown stable for over 100 years! It ha a wonderful history. It is very sad to see what's happening to it.
Susan Martinson
I will be coming back here again. My favorite part was the fact its dog friendly, they took such good care of my boy. Our server was amazing!!! King crab legs were superb, the view was great. I even got a pearl necklace that the server dug out of an oyster. Amazing experience!!
Amanda
320 4th Ave W, Olympia, WA 98501, USA
Martin way diner
4.4
(2190)
Diner serving up breakfast, burgers & American mains in a low-key, old-school space.
Reviews:
A Cozy Little Diner. It's a nice place. This honestly feels cozy. The price for food is not very expensive. The most pricey thing I noticed was $18. The average price for meals was about $13. I had shrimp & chips, again $13, which is a very good price. The taste of the food was great. The black coffee I ordered was very good as well, it wasn't too light or too dark. The tables were clean. There was nothing that looked dirty. The floor is a nice brown mixed tile. The seats were comfortable. There is plenty of seating as well. The waitress was very respectful and polite. She would call the people who came in ladies and gentlemen. I was greeted as gentleman from her as well. I was asked if I wanted more coffee after I was finished either for dine in or for the road. I was pleasantly surprised by that offer. I did end up taking my coffee for the road, which was lovely. I will say my experience was way better than I was expecting, and I will be returning here.
Joshua Rogers
Denise and the staff of the Martin Way Diner serve up amazing food and drinks with friendliness and fun. I give them my highest endorsement if your looking for a laid back place with amazing tasty comfort food. They also have their own coffee!
gryyswydyr13
We came this way for a wedding and stopped in at this cute little diner. Shawna was our server and was awesome! Food was good and mimosa hit the spot!
Jessica Morris
First time dining here. We wanted some breakfast food and someone recommended this place to us. We arrived on a Sunday morning around 10 am. It doesn't look like much on the outside, but you couldn't tell by how busy it was inside. Luckily for us, there were two seats available at the bar which we quickly accepted. The place had an old school feel of a classic diner. We had a view of several pull tab containers filled with potential cash prizes of up to $1,000! We came here specifically for breakfast, but upon looking at their extensive menu, there were many options for lunch and dinner items as well. I went with the Mega Chicken Fried Streak meal. It came with crispy hash browns. three eggs, and toast. We waited for almost 15 min before our food was served which wasn't too bad considering how busy it was. The portions were huge, as I was only able to finish half of my delicious meal. I happily took the rest home for a later snack. Our service was great and our server checked on us often and kept our coffee cups filled. We will definitely come back!
Jeff Dumlao
Nice place to end up for breakfast. They have many choices on the menu. The staff were friendly and on point. The food was tasty as always. Stop by and give this joint a try.
THAPOWEROF1
2423 4th Ave E, Olympia, WA 98506, USA
Cynara restaurant & lounge
4.4
(226)
Low-key space offering locally sourced, health conscious, handmade dishes, plus a take-out option.
Reviews:
Nice spot for a nice dinner out. I had the shrimp, artichoke appetizer, and the caprese salad. All were super tasty. I ordered the garden party cocktail, and it was light and refreshing. Price was higher, but good quality experience. I paid about $68 before tips, splitting the artichoke appetizer. Patio was nicely shaded. Quiet enough that it was a good place for conversation. Parking would be easy to get. I'd leave the kids at home for this one, save it for a date night. Vegetarian options were good. Gluten free options were available.
Kefi Andersen
Dined here today at 4:30pm and everything exceed our expectations. We opted for multiple appetizers over entrees and can't recommend it enough. Lamb kabobs & prawns were perfectly cooked - delish! Charcuterie board was gorgeous and well-balanced. The fried artichoke hearts were superb!! Burrata flavor & texture were divine. Attentive, friendly service with just the right amount of good conversation. We will be back again, and soon. Happy to add Cynara to our Oly favorites!
Leslie Thomas
Stopped by here for a team dinner (approx 10-12 of us) on Tuesday evening and this place did have some crowd for a rainy day in Olympia. At first the ambience was nice and upscale. We were promptly seated and ordered the following: 1. Lamb Skewers - This was tasty but the lamb was chewy. Flavors were good but the rubbery texture vs melt in your mouth feel ruined this for us. 2. Cynara Toast - This was delicious and we all enjoyed this platter 3. Prawns Romesco - This was again delicious and we enjoyed the prawns. Wish they served more per plate but we devoured this one. 4. Cauliflower Entree - This dish lacked flavors and seasoning and did not seem well cooked either. My colleagues who had been to Cynara in the past remember this dish being way better and were disappointed with how it tasted on the day we went together. 5. Wild Salmon - The salmon was charred and dry. Once again overcooked and ruined the taste for us 6. Mushroom Risotto - This was delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed the risotto Apart from this we ordered a couple of bottles of wine and they had a good selection which we all enjoyed. We also ordered their old fashioned and it was too sugar syrupy for us. We skipped desserts this time. Service was great, staff was polite and the dishes did come out pretty fast. Unfortunately, since their dishes are a hit or miss I am not a fan.
Jane Mathias
Such a great price for food during happy hour! The Mac was small but delicious. The burger was huge and it came with fries for $3?! Great service cute atmosphere. Got very busy for HH in the bar.
Tiff Ellison
We were gonna go to Anthony's to celebrate our 1 year anniversary, but saw Cynara on the way. The building looked interesting, and not too busy so we stopped in. This restaurant is in it's infancy stage, being just over 2 years old from what we were told. Our server, Jamie, was super nice and lovely to talk with. I honestly look forward to meeting the owner because that man is a dang genius. From the atmosphere to the food, all of the details were phenomenal. I only wish I could afford to come more, because it's a great experience. My only negative take is that it is on the pricier side, but only because he wants to make sure his staff are appropriately compensated, which I love. Having worked in terrible conditions at low paying jobs myself, I understand why it's so important to charge the amount they do, which is another reason I give 5 stars. Keep doin what you're doin. We will be back when we have more special occasions.
Krystal Young
500 Columbia St NW, Olympia, WA 98501, USA
Budd bay cafe
4.3
(2758)
Classic Northwest fish house on the waterfront with views of Budd Bay & a Sunday seafood brunch.
Reviews:
We are glad to discover Budd Bay Cafe. Great waterfront location. Almost every table can enjoy good views. Service was courteous, cheerful, and professional. Plenty of menu selections of all food categories. We came for seafood and found our new favorite restaurant in the area. Ahi tuna was good but not the best. We loved the sautéed seafood salad, and the cioppino. Seafood red curry was good too. All had generous amount of good quality prawns, scallops, and fish, all cooked right and tasted great. One issue came up with one of our items. When we notified our server, the issue was promptly and quickly addressed.
C H
We were passing through on our way home from Ocean Shores and decided to stop in Olympia. Saw this place open and had some good reviews and decided to stop for a bite to eat. We got the artichoke crab dip which was delicious warm and hit the spot, we also got a peach cobbler with some ice cream perfect pair to celebrate my partners 60th birthday There was no wait when we got there at around 2 PM which was a great time. The service was great. The server was very friendly and kind. The restaurant was clean and there was plenty of parking, but I guess that was partly having to do with the timing of the day, thank you for a good meal
Misha Smith
We arrived just after opening for a lunch meal. The place was sparkling and setting delightful, overlooking the marina. It was a beautiful day and all the little boats out there floating around was pleasing to the eye. The table service was excellent. Our server, Izzy took good care of us, filling our water glasses when needed and making sure we had hot coffee. Our food dishes arrived fresh and hot and were quite tasty. We ordered a Budd Bay special egg, potato cheese, cilantro burrito. Also the Budd Bay tacos, they were veggie style and delicious. We each had a side salad of mixed greens, which were excellent. I would highly recommend this locally owned restaurant to anybody looking for a pleasant meal out.
Blu Otis
As an out of towner I was looking for a good Fish n Chips, nothing pretenses, this is a very nice find on the water, I was looking for a good Fish n Chips. The wait staff was on top of everything, and my order came out hot and looking like a photo shoot. Very well put together meal, with great ambiance. The facility was perfect. The harbor setting just added on to the experience. I would certainly recommend Budd Bay Cafe
TBar 420
I had the fried shrimp and wife had the steak dinner. Great food and great service. Very cool place looking out at the boats and water. Highly recommended.
James Kemp
525 Columbia St NW, Olympia, WA 98501, USA