Ivar's Acres Of Clams

As a lover of good seafood and as a born and raised seattle-ite, I am embarrassed that this restaurant would ever be reccomended to anyone looking for the amazing abundance of good seafood this town has to offer. I went with my family for mother's day and was disgusted by the poor quality of seafood- especially for the price. I will never go back there and I would never recomend this restaurant to even my worst enemy. more

Ivar's Halibut and Chips is to die for -- fresh, hot and tasty. It is the definitive Seattle dish and experience. Ivar's is the first place I visit every time I'm back in Seattle! Pros: Fresh fish, Low prices, Seattle ambience more

Ivar's has without a doubt the best clam chowder on Earth! I make it a point to travel to Seattle at least once a year and I fly United or Alaska Airlines because at their terminal is a sports bar that serves Ivar's chowder. Once in the Emerald City, I always make at least one trip to Acres of Clams so that I can enjoy wonderful food in a nice setting with a spectacular view. In between visits, I frequently find myself desiring a big bowl of Ivar's clam chowder. Pros: the chowder, view, setting Cons: seattle park sucks more

After reading the following reviews I felt compelled beyond belief to comment on a true Seattle Icon. I grew up in Vancouver B.C. and have eaten at Ivar's every chance I could. I now live in CT and travel to Seattle often on business. FIRST THING I DO, AFTER RENTING MY CAR, IS TO GO DIRECTLY TO IVAR'S. I've had chowder from all over the world; Ivar's is bar none the best. The scenery is great, the rest of the menu is wonderful, and they have plenty of mirco brew beers to choose from! Go to Ivar's, but do expect a short wait, as the locals eat there, and that speaks directly to how good the food is! more

Now wait just a minute here, this is not a fancy seafood place to be rated as such. No way would I order some fancy stuffed filet of tropical fish over mesquite, because that's not what they do. Instead, they deliver piles of succulent deep-fried sea foods as well as it can be done. I've been eating steamed clams with deep fried scallops for 4 decades (mostly at the late Captain's Table), and it's one of my favorite meals of all time. It's a big, bustling family place that serves mainstream dishes, and like the Italian Spaghetti House, it excels in that role. I rate it accordingly. Pros: deep fried seafood, people watching, groups, families Cons: gourmets stay home more

I started eating fish & chips at Ivar's during the 1940s - Ivar's radio chat said that no husband could have a second bowl of clam chowder without his wifes permission. As much as I have traveled, no place can replace Ivar's for me. It took my wife from Kansas City to find a rare delicious treasure at Ivors on Alaska Way. The ""Smoked Salmon Chowder"" can make my mouth water as I think of it - in Kansas City, MO. And the Hidden Cove - well it is between the walk up Fish & Chips bar and the sit down dining area. We fly out to Seattle this week, and plan on fish & chips, and smoked salmon chowder - wonderful holiday fare! Pros: A variety of tastes., Puget Sound smells., Sights/sounds. Cons: The diving sea gulls., Puget Sound Smells., Parking/Traffic. more

For all you hear about this restaurant, it should be *really* good. It isn't. I have been there 4 times over the last several years and have never had anything there that I really thought was good. Everything was mediocre, which isn't good enough for the prices they charge. The service has alwways been fine and the restaurant is comfortable, but the food quality is very unexceptional. In particular their ""famous"" chowders, which are better purchased from the frozen food section of QFC. Pros: atmosphere, view, service Cons: food, price, overrated more

Ivar's had one of the nastiest Clam Chouders I've ever had! It TOTALLY tasted like it was watered down! What a dissapointment! I was told this was one of the best places to go to for Clam Chouder, and it sucked horribly! I'm a seafood eater, and this palce BEAT any other bad clam chouder i've ever had. The prices are pretty high as well. They've got also fish & chips, chicken & chips, etc. If you want just the regular 'fish & chips' I'd recommend going to some other place. The lines here are long, the service sucks, and the food is pretty expensive. I don't know why they charge so much for just 'fish & chips' I could've made a better job myself at home! Cons: expensive, long lines, hard to find parking more

Well, we were tourists from Texas and wanted to try a restaurant on the water. We chose Ivar's and did not think it was very good. First, the drinks we ordered...my wife had a Cosmo - it tasted like hawaiian punch and had about as much alcohol in it. The oyster's we had for an appetizer were good - it was the best thing there. The entre's were very average and very pricey. They use too much salt in their dishes. Overall, stay away from the restaurants downtown if you can help it. Try to go to the places the locals go to. Pros: waterfront location Cons: average food, expensive, cheesy more

This is the place for fish-n-chips when you've got friends in town and you're doing the tourist thing. I'm sure you can get better fish-n-chips, but this place has that local treasure appeal. more