budd bay cafe

go for the view and location, not the food ... the alaskan way ivar's of olympia. if you are looking for wonderfully crafted food and an upscale atmosphere for a date, this is not the place to go. if you are looking for a place where one can look out at the water and boats and eat decent food, look no further. parking is simple and plentiful and it is the type of place where you can take grandma and grandpa and the kids. it is a lot like the inside dining at the ivar's on alaskan way on the waterfront in seattle; although the food is maybe a notch or two below ivar's. the waitstaff seemed young and a little awkward at times, but seemed to be trying to do their best. (+)plus: the wine list was surprisingly good; we ordered a novelty hill and dusted valley. (-)minus: the salad dressing came in a cheap black, plastic ramekin, the kind one squirts ketchup into at a fast-food restaurant. one would think that when the entrée is $25-$30, the salad would come with dressing in a glass ramekin or at least one of the faux glass melamine ones. all in all, a perfectly safe, predictable place for decent food with aniceview of the boats and water.

nice for guests. budd bay is our pick for summer afternoons on the patio, looking out over the water, or enjoying a quick happy hour at the bar. the food is good but inconsistently so. like most restaurateurs in olympia, the owners don't put a lot of food passion into this exquisite location and beautiful restaurant. but it is aniceplace and a great patio. we'll stop by on a walk around the waterfront for a drink and appetizers, and the sunset is well worth it. we love the fish tacos.

not bad just never meets expectations. maybe my expectations are too high. i /we always go thinking what agreat location and leave feeling it could have been better ... but please do not get me wrong it is not bad i think it is me. is aniceplace

nice place for breakfast with aniceview of the marina. i had biscuits and gravy with bacon. i'm a "snob" when it comes to b&g and it more than passed muster, the bacon was very flavorfull, and coffee was good. the place was clean and the staff was friendly and efficient.

i was very disappointed with my brunch buffet. the food tasted like it had been sitting out for too long. the waitress that served my girlfriend and i was wearing sunglasses and very impersonal. and i ended up paying 52 dollars for two people. i couldn't eat 26 dollars worth of food if i was starving. and the service wasn't worth it either. ruined myniceweekend. never eating here again.

i'll give them credit for good service, great views, and tasty appetizers, clam chowder, and drinks, but they fell far short of expectations. first, they use farm-raised salmon, which seems practically criminal when you are just miles from some of the freshest wild salmon in the world. so, instead, i ordered the scallops (my wife ordered the duck). i was surprised to see six huge sea scallops on my plate (since they don't reheat well, it seemed wasteful...but i can get past that). i bit into one, and found that they were cooked fairly well (a little overcooked, but not bad), but missed the boat on flavor. worse, they were paired with a risotto with a bizarre citrus flavor that clashed with the scallops. meanwhile, my wife is discovering that the badly overcooked the duck, and when she gives me a bite, i find that they seem to have used a1 sauce as part of the flavoring. we decided to give them a shot at dessert since we liked their clam chowder and drinks, and got the chocolate cake. it wasn't awful, but it was on the dry side. overall, it's aniceplace for appetizers and drinks, but is way overpriced for the quality of food (our meal was $100 with tip...after all, it wasn't the waitresses fault).

grade a. brother-n-law and sister-in-law took us there for lunch. we got a window seat overlooking the boat harbor.niceatmosphere, good service and good food. i can recomend this one.

i can't say enoughnicethings about this place. probably the best clam chowder in the area. always very friendly service.