Best Seafood in Seattle NorthCountry

Note: this article was last edited 8/8/2022. The info here should be cross-checked before visiting any given destination along this route. Enjoy!

The freshest seafood comes directly from the waters of the Salish Sea, also known as the Puget Sound, and if hip waders and fly casting aren’t your thing, it’s okay to have someone else catch, gut, and flay the fish for you. May we recommend the following places?

Andy's Fish House

Live - Local - Fresh, that's the motto of Andy's Fish House in Historic District of downtown Snohomish (the city). Here you'll find a casual atmosphere with a focus on fresh local seafood. From oyster shooters to a robust fish and chips selection if you're hankerin' for something from the sea, be sure to put Andy's on your list.

• Andy's Fish House (1229 1st St. Snohomish, 360-862-0782

Anthony’s HomePort

The windswept Edmonds and Everett waterfronts are adorned with Anthony’s restaurants. They’re the place to get a fine cut of fish, along with classic upper-eschalon dining fare like mashed potatoes, vegetables, bread and wine. The ingredients won’t blow your socks off with innovation, but the quality of the food is sure to please along with views of Ebey, Whidbey, and Gedney Islands.

A summer visit is perfect for dining al fresco with a white tablecloth and flutes of white wine while inhaling large gulps of briney sea air. Invigorating!

Looking for a few appetizers and some drinks rather than the suitcoat scene? Try Anthony’s Woodfire Grill(also on the Everett Marina), for a hipper, lighter take on from-the-sea dining and drinks.

Anthony’s

• Everett (1726 W Marine View Dr, 425-252-3333)
• Anthony’s Woodfire Grill Everett (1722 W Marine View Dr, 425-258-4000)
• Edmonds (456 Admiral Way, 425-771-4400)

Arnie’s

Established formal restaurants on the Salish Sea waterfront offer views of the Edmonds and Mukileo ferries. How well does Arnie’s “do” seafood? Every year they offer a special “Festival of the prawns” menu that corresponds to the prawn run in the North Pacific. Customers can order macadamia prawns with pineapple banana salsa, mandarin ginger prawns, or pad thai with prawns. You get the idea. But even if the shellfish aren’t running, you can always stop in for a cloth napkin, fine wine, and a delicious fillet of salmon.

Arnie’s

• Mukilteo (714 2nd Street, 425-355-2181)
• Edmonds (300 Admiral Way, 425-771-5688)

Ivar’s

Look, let’s not be pretentious here. A basket of fish and chips, done right (read: crispy and mouth-scaldingly hot) is all you need to make you Pacific Northwest experience complete. Moreover, there’s a simple walk-up counter by the Mukilteo Ferry Terminal— you can eat crispy fried seafood right on the sea.

Ivar’s is a Seatle-area institution that was started by an actual (and wildly eccentric) sea captain named Ivar. Locals love this small chain of quirky restaurants and will look at you weird if you call it “I-Vahrs.” It’s supposed to be pronounced “I-vers” (emphasis on the “I”).

Ivar’s offers fast casual Seafood Bars and three full-service waterfront-view restaurants, two in Seattle and one in Seattle NorthCountry at Ivar's Mukilteo Landing.

Ivar's Waterfront Dining

• Mukilteo Waterfront (710 Front St, 425-742-6180)

Ivar’s Seafood Bars

• Fish Bar at Mukilteo Landing (710 Front St, 425-742-6180)
• Everett (1520 41st St, 425-252-9292)
• Edmonds (9910 Edmonds Way, 425-672-2640)
• Marysville (9726 State Ave, 360-653-7734)

OFF THE BOAT FROM ALASKA

If you time your visit right, you can get fresh seafood from Troller Point Fisheries, a family-owned boat that catches seafood in Alaska, freezes it at sea, and brings it directly to the docks on the Everett Marina. If you’re not a fisherperson, it’s the freshest way to get buttery halibut cheeks freeze-dried and in bulk. Check their website to see when they’ll be pulling into town.