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Budd Bay Cafe
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 6:30 am - 8:30 pm
Fri-Sun 6:30 am - 9 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
42 reviews for Budd Bay Cafe
Review Highlights
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"They have a Sunday brunch and even a small bar." In 7 reviews -
"...always excellent, and their flank steak salad is very good." In 3 reviews -
"The salmon was done to perfection both times." In 10 reviews
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42 reviews in English
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Review from Molly C.
Yelm, WA
11/30/2011
This is our "out-of-town guests" restaurant. Ambiance is wonderful, especially in summer, with clear, warm days on the boardwalk. Rainy days aren't so bad, either, though, with window seats; watching the rain wash over the sound is somehow soothing with a nice cocktail in hand.
I love love love the fish tacos here - either the tuna or the cod. Both are fantastically fresh and crunchy and muy delicioso. I also order the steak salad quite often (more in summer) and take my word for it, ask for a take home box right along with it. It's huge, so I always scoop half of it into my take home box as soon as I get it. We've ordered the escargot as a special, which were very good, and the clam chowder is always delightful. My two favorite dishes have to be the wasabi salmon and the halibut cheeks (which may have been a weekly special, as I don't see it every time I'm there.)
I will continue to bring guests here; I love this place. -
Review from Sally P.
Olympia, WA
10/28/2011
I've never been very impressed with the food at Budd Bay; I've found it to be hit and miss in the past but hadn't been there in over year so decided to try it again. Bingo!! Worse than usual; you think I'd learn. The food has always been either bland and boring or badly cooked. My friends love it so I got back every once in a while thinking I'm missing something.
I ordered the sunset special with salad, Pasta Premavera, and dessert. I started on the Ceasear salad and when I pulled up the third piece of brown, slimy lettuce, I quit. The waiter asked what was wrong and said, "That's not good" when I showed him. He took away the salad; never offered me a different one or anything.
The pasta was awful. The menu said it had roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, pasta and cheese. I'm not a fan of too many roasted red peppers and usually pull them to the side. When I was done, I had very little pasta and the red peppers and tomatoes took up 2/3s of the dish. Again the waiter asked what was wrong and I showed him. He commented that it really was a lot of peppers. He offered to give me a big dessert for free. I told him I didn't like big desserts. He didn't seem to realize that dessert was already included in my meal. Instead, he offered to pay for my glass of wine. I agreed and was too disgusted to tell him he shorted me my paid for dessert. I didn't ask for it as I was afraid the quality would match the other two dishes I received. -
Review from Mike K.
8/21/2011
We stopped here for a late lunch on our way back to Portland. It's in a cool spot right near the marina, so the scenery is hard to beat.
The food is a little on the spendy side ($10-20 per lunch), but for W. Washington the prices are probably about average. Also, we both got very large portions on our respective lunches. I had the apple smoked salmon with garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli. The broccoli was perfect: steamed, no butter, and still just a tad crunchy (if there's one thing I can't stand it's mushy broccoli). The salmon was excellent too: not dry at all, not oversmoked, just right. The mashed potatoes were probably my favorite but I couldn't finish them...it was all too much.
Our server paid close attention to us, refilling our iced teas every time she passed by. When about 15 minutes had passed after we'd ordered, she came by to let us know she had gotten word from the kitchen that it would just be a couple more minutes. And she was right. Excellent experience overall. -
Review from Sarah E.
This was my first taste of Olympia on a beautiful sunny afternoon. We sat outside and enjoyed the view of the water. The outside seating area is a bit small, however it is worth the ten minute wait. The service was great and we ordered our drinks and food pretty quickly.
We had the crab sandwich and the seafood paella. The crab sandwich was very disappointing. It was super salty and I couldn't even finish half of it. On the bright side, the french fries were great.
The seafood paella was awesome! This is the only redeeming thing about this place.
Based upon the other reviews, I would try this place again for their Sunday brunch. -
Review from Heather M.
Olympia, WA
7/31/2011
This place is like a cheap piece of furniture. From far away, it looks great... then you actually try it out and realize the quality just isn't there.
Do they have a great location? Absolutely! Does the food smell good? Heck yeah! Does the taste actually deliver? NO! Especially for their ridiculously high prices. My favorite thing about this place? The sourdough bread! And man is it GOOD! But I could go buy a loaf similar to it for $3.00, instead of spending over $60 for just lunch!
I had the cioppino... the tomato base had good flavor but ALL the seafood was overcooked. My guess? They threw it all in at once, instead of putting them in based on cooking time. My dining companions ordered a steak salad and crab sandwich. The steak salad was okay, however the steak was ordered medium rare and came out medium well. Yuck! The crab sandwich however, was inedible. It was extremely salty and had NO flavor. I'm not quite sure why it's still on the menu!
I might try this place again and just stick to their fried seafood and "chips," but I wouldn't go out of my way or bring my foodie friends along. -
Review from Christine D.
Portland, OR
8/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've been stopping here for years and always enjoy this place. The very is nice and you can sit in or outside. They have a Sunday brunch and even a small bar.
I usually get the crab louie salad as it's so tasty and always served with more dressing than you need but I like that because then you don't have to bother the wait staff for more.
On this particular day I got iced tea and the waitress kept it coming which I appreciated. I hate ordering something with free refills and then receive none.
The service was friendly and quick and I enjoyed looking out into the harbor area watching the boats and the people walking by.
This was our first hot day in the Washington/Oregon area for almost the entire summer so we elected to sit inside because everyone wanted a table out and we thought why wait there's plenty inside.
Free parking on Sunday and plenty of it.
I'll be back once again. -
Review from Sarah B.
Olympia, WA
9/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
First off, I want to say that the service was WONDERFUL, and that's why they get 3 stars instead of 2.
The food, well, I think I'd have a better meal at Applebee's and spend half what I spent.
The chowder was tasty and so I was thinking we're off to a good start here. I got the chicken parmesan and the chicken was pretty much charred. The fettucine was gross. The cream sauce, I dont even want to go there. My friend let me try her salmon and good lord I wish I'd ordered that cuz it was waaaayyyyyy better!!! I saw on a previous Yelp review and they said "stay away from the pasta". Why didn't I listen?! Oh well, live and learn. The creme brulee was just weird. I can't explain it, it just was. I will try this place again, just next time I will get the salmon. Not writing the place off yet, everyone deserves a second chance. If it isn't good next time, well, then I won't be as generous.... -
Review from Kelsey B.
Sammamish, WA
10/30/2011
We walked to Budd Bay for lunch as it was close to the hotel the 'Make it with Wool!' contest was being held at. The chowder was quite good, as was bf's combo plate of fried fishyness. Prices were good and their mixed drink list looked good.
Watching the sailboats bob in their slips was cool too, as I miss sailing. -
Review from Tom N.
Olympia, WA
1/28/2012
We have eaten breakfast here many, many times and it's always good. It would be nice if they had a special every day because the menu doesn't have a huge number of thing to choose form and if you eat breakfast there often, like we do, you can run out of choices. We really like the staff, they are friendly and take the time to talk to you. We haven't tried dinner so can't speak to that.
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Review from Paul T.
West Seattle, Seattle, WA
8/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place has been one of my favorites for fish tacos. This time in they have changed the menu to offer two choices of fish. Tuna or cod, an improvement over their previous tilapia. However, when I asked to have one of each I was told they couldn't do that because then everyone would want to have it that way. Seems that then perhaps they should offer that as a choice, might increase sales and positive feedback.
I also asked if I could order a third taco, and was told that was ok. The manger came out and explained that they couldn't do one of each sue to portion control and ordering. When I brought up that I was told I could order a third, she apologized for the inconsistency. The bottom line was they didn't want to provide any customer service.
The tacos were very good, as was the poppyseed dressing on the salad. -
Review from Tae L.
1/8/2011
Before I write a review, I normally scroll through the ratings that others have given and I was surprised to notice mixed reviews. I have only eaten at Budd Bay Cafe when they are serving their Sunday brunch, but I would say that they deliver above average food for a reasonable price.
Both times I have been here, we have been seated promptly and the servers have been very pleasant and helpful. They offer unlimited mimosas for $2 and they will cook up a fresh omelet just the way you want! I also look forward to having a cream cheese bagel with lox and capers. Mmmmm!
Since my dad really enjoys this place, we make it a point to stop by if we are in Olympia area. I recommend trying out Budd Bay Cafe if your looking for nice brunch spread that won't cost more than $20 per person. -
Review from Lindbergh M.
Seattle, WA
2/14/2011
Budd Bay serves one of the best Sunday brunch menus I have tried. The food choices are excellent, delicious and reasonably priced especially when you compare it to Salty's in West Seattle.
If you are ever travelling through Olympia on a Sunday I suggest you stop by. -
Review from Melissa F.
Bellevue, WA
2/23/2011
They're not the best, but they're not the worst. I haven't tried their infamous Sunday brunch, so I can't speak to that. What I can speak to is their dinner menu and seafood selection.
I went in craving seafood. I wanted shellfish. Clams, mussels, shrimp, or crab? YES. The entree menu had exactly two things that looked somewhat intriguing to my seafood-craving face: seafood fettuccine alfredo or the Budd Bay Cioppino. One is a super creamy creamed cream type of cream sauce, and one is a "zesty tomato". Ehhh.... I like food to taste like food originally should, more or less. I want a clam to taste like a clam, not like butter and parmesan, not like tomato, and certainly not taste bearded. (That last one is for some other time.) What happened to just seafood at its finest and not drenched in something to make it not-taste like seafood?
I ended up settling for the combo Fresh Dungeness Crab and Sweet Bay Shrimp Louie with a side of clam chowder. By the way, the only other similar option was a caesar (again with the sauce-slathering!). The crab was good, but there wasn't much of it. The shrimp was pretty darn tasty. The spoiler (and not spoiler in a good way, like Bruce Willis is actually dead!), but what actually spoiled it was the shredded bed of iceberg lettuce that the seafood sat on. Iceberg? Really? The no-nutritional-value-whatsoever vegetable. A $20 salad really needs to have more than a tiny handful of shrimp and a sprinkling of crab over ICEBERG LETTUCE.
Other than that, the clam chowder was okay. It's a huge step-up from the canned stuff (ugh), and it's a step down from Ivar's or Duke's up in Seattle. It works. The proportions of my gin and tonic were acceptable to me, so the bartender gets an okay. Mom wants me to mention that the service at the bar was pretty crappy. There were only 3-4 customers, and it took them something like 5 minutes to get her order
in.
Again, not the best and not the worst. I'm open to trying the Sunday brunch and updating my review. :) -
Review from Dan K.
Bellevue, WA
12/4/2011
Best cioppino I've had. Period. The service started off a little choppy but our server made up for it in the end no question. They were clearly just a little busy. It was my bday and I couldn't have picked a better restaurant. We had a party of 7 and not only were we accommodated quickly with no reservation, everyone loved their meals. I'll be back!!
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Review from Riana N.
Los Angeles, CA
9/26/2011
This dockside cafe right in the heart of the marina is a fantastic place for lunch if it's warm enough (they have a great people-watching outside seating section) and a lovely place for happy hour in the bar. The dinner menu is extensive. Plenty of offerings with fresh northwest flare. The soy & wasabi glazed salmon creates audible table murmurings of "oh my GAAAAAAHHHHDDDD" and the portions are generous and pleasingly plated. However. The wait service needs to improve to encourage (what I hope will continue to be) my repeated business. I've been coming to Budd Bay regularly for at least 10 years or so; it's a staple on my family's "where should we go to dinner" roster of Olympia restaurants when the whole family is in town together. We have time and again been frustrated: the food is always delicious, but the poor service has been irritating. The prices are not inexpensive by any means, so I expect a matching level of up-charged care and quality from the wait staff. Most often our complaints circulate around order mix-ups or confusion, the constant waiter/waitress disappearing acts that have us wondering 30 minutes in where our drinks ended up, and a casualness that doesn't seem fitting for a place that can charge $20-$30 an entree.
Long story short: I will continue to go to Budd Bay Cafe (and you should too!) because the food rocks and it's a great location... but will frequent it a little less often due to my family's disappointment with overall service & value. -
Review from Kimberly C.
Palo Alto, CA
10/13/2010
I came here for a middle school reunion with some of my girls the other night. The ambiance and the decorations were pretty nice for a cafe that overlooks the budd bay. Unfortunately, it was raining and it was dark, so we were not able to enjoy the beautiful view.
Our server was awesome. I forget his name, the young white dude with the spikey hair. He was very attentative, nice, funny, and was an awesome photographer for us..I had to tip him extra. I usually have my hubby do that for me but he wasn't there.
We ordered drinks to start off. Not too bad, if you order a shot of hennessey and you want to double it, its just $3.95 more..sure, why not?! He was very nice about bringing our drinks on time and water.
We didn't order an appetizer, but my friend said that her artichoke seafood dip was super good. I could tell because she finished it all...even all the bread.
Our main dish came with a soup or salad. The caesar salad was good, nothing super special. I had clam chowder, too. Now coming from Monterey Bay Fisherman's Wharf and SF Fisherman's wharf, I am very meticulous about clam chowder but I was very impressed. So creamy, warm, and fair amount of clams to potatoes. I just hate when they serve you too much potatoes..might as well call it potato chowder, but not here. They didn't overwhelm the soup with potatoes at all. I loved dipping my bread in the clam chowder. I was already full after 2 shots, salad and clam chowder but then my main dish arrived.
I ordered the smoked apple salmon. The salmon wasn't too bad. Since it's smoked, its not too moist. The mixed veggies was awesome as well as their baked potatoes with sourcream and chives.
Very good. It's a great place to have a get together with a large group. Tab was fair for the food, too. Excellent service! -
Review from Amy Y.
8/27/2010
We met family staying in the marina in Olympia here for dinner last weekend. It seemed like it would be a "good or better" type joint from the menu and prices I found online. As I understand it's been remodeled recently, which for the most part looks good. The large murals seem a little out of place because they are very tropical in nature and not really relevant to the PNW... although I do love the trippy one that is a nice Oregon-like forest with large yellow fish floating in mid air throughout. But still... ???
We sat at the large windows, and I'm sure the view would have been great; we were dining late so we saw some reflections and lights in the distance. I was curious, however, as to why we were walked past many empty tables and booths just so we could be set next to a loud and boisterous large party in the very far back corner. As there were 5 in our group, instead of organizing something more comfortable, they just threw a chair at the end of a small sized four top table.
So, yeah... service gets a few minuses, in my book. It's apparently about their convenience, not your comfort.
The highlight of the meal was the Dungeness Crab and Artichoke Dip
with Fontina Cheese. Yum! While it was a $12 appetizer, it was a good value as it served a few bites to four people, and was chock full of luscious crab. Awesome.
I was having high hopes at this point. Perhaps that's what made dinner seem so... meh.
We ordered a variety of entrees, from the Budd Bay Combo Platter (all fried sea critters) to some fresh fish. All were overpriced, in my opinion. The combo platter was $22, and was mostly a pile of fries with a few of each item around the side. But MOSTLY fries. This should be $15, not $22. The slaw was also warm and bitter, REALLY bitter. Ugh. And the ceasar salad I'd gotten was limp, kinda warm, and the flavor was a bit off. Too... again, bitter.
My husband had the fish and chips and he said it was good, but a bit overpriced. Other diners commented the risotto was a bit glue-ey, and in general, things were just kind of blah. No real gusto or clarity in the seasoning of things. The chowder was thick and glue-ey as well, but has a pretty good flavor and a nice presence of clam.
I'm sure many will be drawn by the waterfront locale, but I won't be returning and wouldn't recommend it, either. -
Review from Vicki J.
Olympia, WA
5/22/2011
I have a favorite brunch spot out of town but finally decided to give Budd Bay a try. I'm glad I did. The food was excellent and hot and there was a decent selection including seafood, breakfast items, lunch items, and dessert. The price was decent for the style brunch. If you do not want to travel to the Tacoma Waterfront, then this is my recommendation in Thurston County.
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Review from Lisa W.
4/28/2008
This is a review based on my experience for Sunday brunch, so I don't know how the restaurant fares the rest of the time. Let me also preface this 2-star review by stating that I do not like seafood.
That being said, I was pretty disappointed. My two dining companions, who both thoroughly enjoy seafood, seemed to like the brunch just fine, but I left hungry. That's criminal when it comes to buffets.
There were so few choices for non-seafood eaters. I was basically left with either stuffing myself with sweet items (like waffles, crepes, or donuts/desserts) or going hungry.... I chose the latter. They did have bacon and sausage and sauteed chicken breast, but chicken is just not something I can eat at 9am (same goes for spicy meatballs). I was surprised they didn't at least have scrambled eggs - oh, wait... they did, but they were mixed with crab! Yuck. The only other egg item was eggs benedict, and until recently, I didn't even know anyone who liked that at all!
The other things I had on my plate were a couple of pineapple slices (they didn't bother to cut out the eyes), and a sourdough roll (didn't taste very fresh). My consolation, though, was that I was able to go to the farmer's market afterward and get a teriyaki turkey stick and some cinnamon almonds to help fill the void! -
Review from Josafena C.
Burien, WA
10/20/2008
It's not so much the food I can't stand (tho there's nothing to rave about)... it's the piped-in music. That and the tacky decor. Who on earth (other than my Great Aunt Fern) wants to listen to incessant World War II music while eating?!?! Don't sit under the apple tree... blah, blah, blah.
Food, drinks, service - all nothing special. Okay, so there's a view. But it's better enjoyed walking arm in arm along the boardwalk. The view from inside is marred by dirty windows... And I'm not talking about Oh No a bird just crapped on the window... I'm talking about Oh No these windows haven't been cleaned for many, many months and are covered in greasy fingerprints - or whatever.
No reason to visit this restaurant ...unless you can't think of anything else to do with Aunt Fern (and you don't feel right leaving her alone at the bus station). Tho I heard a rumor that a remodel is planned. If so, I'll be sure to revisit and update my review. -
Review from Adrian S.
1/31/2011
I go here for business lunches when I want decent food and good, prompt service. Anthony's is closer, but they take a little longer, and I'm not convinced the food is any better. Someone mentioned that Budd Bay is the blue collar version of Anthony's. If you go to Budd Bay at lunch it's all ties and suits. If you go to Anthony's, it's all blue hair (and a very limited menu). Just sayin'. I'd imagine that in the evening Budd Bay is more of the steak and cocktails crowd. The service at Budd Bay is always excellent, and their flank steak salad is very good. In the summer you can sit outside and enjoy the view. In Seattle or Portland, this place would rate lower, but in Olympia, it does just fine. It's nothing fancy, but give it a try.
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Review from Ron O.
Olympia, WA
6/8/2011 5 Check-ins Here
Good food. Great view.
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Review from Mike P.
Olympia, WA
6/14/2008
We have been here often but again haven't been here since I started "Yelping" so now is the time to review. We decided spur of the moment to go to a movie and dinner and after a little hassle with the phones (one of their phone lines was out) got through and made reservations and were glad we did when we arrived later and realized it was graduation night for Evergreen not to mention Friday night and they were packed!
Now generally a busy night is not the greatest night to go out to a restaurant but that was not the case here. It speaks well for BBC that our server got to us promptly to at least bring us water and apologize for the delay in taking our drink orders. We ordered and were brought warm sourdough rolls with our first course, I had the Clam Chowder and my wife had the Caesar salad. My chowder was thick, creamy and full of clams, very tasty.
My wife ordered Halibut that was served with a red pepper sauce, and a huge mound of Yukon mashed potatoes covered with a whole portabello mushroom cap that was cut into thirds. The halibut was "pretty good" (high praise from my wife) but the red pepper sauce was a little overpowering. I ordered the Copper River Salmon which was perfectly cooked with a "Tri-citrus" butter, wild rice and steamed veggies (Crisply done carrots and a large portion of broccoli). The Salmon was a little too "salmony" for my taste but I think that is the nature of Copper River Salmon being an oilier version of salmon.
We finished sharing a warm Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler served Ala mode that had large chunks of rhubarb and the only complaint was that we ran out of ice cream before we ran out of cobbler. If only life was full of such problems.
All in all a great evening with a great meal, we will for sure go back again. We didn't have an appetizer this time but a great choice is the sliced ahi seared medium rare, served cold over a wasabi cream sauce and with an asian salad, it makes a great light lunch too, especially with a cold draft beer! -
Review from Chris R.
Olympia, WA
Outdoor dining on the boardwalk looking at Budd Bay (of course) creates a real summer experience. Cod & chips is very good. Seafood is consistently good. Stay away from pasta dishes. The view is much better than the food. I wouldn't say that unless I've been here 1/2 dozen times.
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Review from Bill A.
Lancaster, CA
7/25/2011
Good food and great portions. Seafood ceasar and cioppino was very good. 1/2 price bottles of wine on Monday.
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Review from Tiffany G.
Lacey, WA
4/30/2009
This is a good place if you want a nice meal. Family or date night. the sunday brunch is beyond good!
It is a little pricey but it is a seafood and prime rib place what do you want?
The chipino (im spelling that wrong) is good..not as amazing as my grandpas but still really good, their prime rib and coconut prawns are really good!! But the Best is their sourdough rolls! so good dipped in the Chipino!!!
Order your Chipino with crab meat tho, that is how it is supposed to be. :) Good place and on the water... -
Review from Ava W.
Olympia, WA
5/4/2011
I love outdoor and waterfront eating, and Budd Bay is the place to go for that in Olympia. I've been eating breakfast here recently, and the menu has a huge list of choices. It's especially easy to order food that is vegetarian, although I do eat fish. You can make a very reasonably priced omelet with whatever filling you'd like. I recently dined outside in the sun and had a delicious soy glazed salmon with wasabi cream. It's worth coming back for!
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Review from Heidi M.
Olympia, WA
8/11/2009
I can't remember the last time I went there for dinner, but their lunch menu & prices are fantastic! I'm not sure where else you can go enjoy the view and a seafood saute (shrimp, mussles & scallops) served over spinach for less than $10... so big I can't finish it alone. From experience, other seafood restaurants in the area have almost twice the price tag. Great food + nice price = YUM!
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Review from Renee S.
Tacoma, WA
10/9/2010
Good portions, good food...not superdeeduper excellent, mind you, but not bad. I felt I was given a good chunk of salmon, a large portion of mashed spuds and the steamed/herbed zucchini wasn't overly cooked, for $13, not bad...not bad. I'll come again, try something new and be sure to edit away.
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Review from Miki H.
San Antonio, TX
8/9/2007
I don't know about their regular service or food, but their Sunday brunch is delicious and the service was very attentive. Brunch can be insanely expensive most places and I remember theirs being moderately priced by comparison. I'd definitely suggest making a reservation.
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Review from k t.
Paradise Valley, AZ
9/22/2011
We are from Arizona and didn't know where to eat and the Tourism Bureau recommended this and a few other places. I am so glad we went to Budd Bay. We went there on our way to Gig Harbor and on our way back. We couldn't wait to eat their Salmon with the soy and wasabi sauce. The salmon was done to perfection both times. Service was fabulous the first time, but so so the second time. That's o.k. The chef did well both times. Nice to go to a restaurant that is consistent! Thanks We look forward to a return visit!
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Review from Lyn P.
3/12/2010 1 Check-in Here
Budd Bay is really convenient if you are staying at the Phoenix. I've eaten here a few times now and their clam chowder is decent (add the sherry and opt for the upgrade for the crab). The bread is also really good.
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Review from Brent W.
Olympia, WA
12/3/2010
This is the blue collar version of Anthony's Fish House. I mean this in the kindest way since I haven't showered in two days and felt accepted here. Then again it's Olympia, your accepted everywhere. Okay, the servings here are HEARTY - no need to order a salad as it already comes with the entree. The wine list also lends itself to a blue collar palate but that's okay too. Service was kind and the bus boy was particularly efficient on this evening. I would say if your hungry this is the place. If you are casual, this is the place. If you are looking for fine dining, then keep shopping.
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Review from Julian H.
Seattle, WA
2/17/2009
Decent food, nice atmosphere, nice service.
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Review from Lisa N.
Tacoma, WA
7/17/2010
This was my first visit and will probably not eat here again. I ordered the chowder and sandwich combo. The sandwich was a combination of ham, roast beef, some sort of white cheese (not Swiss), couple rings of red onion, lettuce, and a homemade orangy Thousand Island looking dressing. The roast beef was sour and the preparer stuck a hard outside chunk of the roast beef end tucked between the slices. Gross first bite that left me having gagging to spit out the unchewable glob in my mouth. I wound up eating the ham from the sandwich and leaving the rest lying on the platter. The chowder was quite nice and flavorful; nice soft clams. My guest had the chowder and Caesar salad w/ shrimp. She enjoyed the salad and chowder. We also shared a Bleu Cheese wedge that was probably the best part of the meal. Lunch was a treat so we opted for dessert. She had the newly offered cheese cake with chocolate/caramel swirl sauce with toasted walnuts, but the nuts were black (not cool.) I had the Creme Brulee. The cheesecake was as real a cheesecake you will get in a restaurant, but the Brulee curdled and was third rate (nothing to compare to Hearthfire/Anthony's Creme Brulee.)
The decor reminded me of 13 Coins in Seattle. It's the dated decor that gives me the impression. It feels like a place the Rat Pack would have come for a late night munch, smoke and drinks. The cheesy murial on the wall is too much.
I would visit again if friends called and were enjoying a brew on the outside deck that overlooks the Olympia Yacht Club marina.
One reviewer said that Anthony's had the best view of Budd Inlet, but I would like to clarify that it is Hearthfire (Anthony's Steak House) that has the best view and dine in Olympia. -
Review from Marc A.
San Diego, CA
7/24/2007 1 photo
This place has nice atmosphere for family dining and if your looking to eat near Budd Bay in Olympia this will be the place you end up but not seek out. This is our second time but I have say that the food is over priced and tastes just ok. I had the Crab Louie for lunch and it was decent but nothing to really get excited about. See the location is great but the ambiance of the actual cafe is vanilla and it bit touristy. It lacks soul. We gave it two chances in the last few years but I have to say I won't be going back.
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Review from Danielle R.
St Paul, MN
7/21/2011
I went to the Budd Bay Cafe on a weeknight in June. Since there were 8 of us, we had to wait about a half hour for a table. I had the seafood saute entree salad. I think it came in two sizes, and I ordered the smaller size which was too big for me! It also came with soup, seafood chowder, which didn't have much seafood in it but was okay. I was with some vegetarians and this was not a good restaurant for them - there was basically one option, and they weren't impressed with it. If I am ever in Olympia again I would try a different restaurant.
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Review from laura g.
Olympia, WA
5/31/2010
I mostly eat breakfast here and my favorite selection is the smoked salmon benedict, but I also enjoy the omelet and the orange french toast. For me, good coffee well brewed really makes the meal excellent. Unfortunatly, this is not going to be the case at Budd Bay. The food is worth it, and maybe if you are someone who isn't into coffee except for the habit, it won't matter. And if you REALLY love great coffee, get an iced tea or water.
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Review from Terry P.
Seattle, WA
3/29/2011
We have eaten there three times. Each time both the food and service were excellent. The New England clam chowder is top shelf. They serve it with a splash of cream sherry (optional) which is a nice touch.
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Review from Glen A.
Olympia, WA
2/5/2011
I've eaten here several times. The views are great and I was very pleased with the food.
