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Drifters Galley Restaurant
Category: Restaurants American (Traditional) American (Traditional) [Edit]
11265 NE State Hwy 104Kingston, WA 98346
(360) 297-4400
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Michael B. said: "In our last episode, my wife and I weren't satisfied by our food and drinks at One Ten, so we decided to take a walk around Poulsbo and see what they had to offer. The woodfired pizza place and That's a Some Italian were both closed,…" read more »
20 reviews for Drifters Galley Restaurant
20 reviews in English
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Review from Nina W.
11/2/2011
This review is for the cafe portion of the Drifters Galley Bar.
Wow, reading the other reviews here, there is a lot of haterism going on, and it looks like my experience here was somewhat unique, as I didn't really have any of the major glaring issues of some of the other reviewers.
My friend and I ordered fish and chips and fried oyster baskets. They were not the most amazing fried oysters I had ever eaten in my life, but they were very hot, juicy, and didn't taste old... there was a really good portion, too. My friend was really happy with his fish. The fries were fresh cut and that crunchy-soft texture. I didn't find the fried food too greasy, and the tartar sauce was pretty decent, too. So was the price. Set us back about 18 bucks for a 3 piece and the oysters.
All in all, it's an ok place to grab something quick to eat. it's literally the first stop on Main from the Kingston ferry, and worth popping in for some quick fried goodness. -
Review from Mike B.
5/28/2011
Ugh. While this place is right off the ferry dock and it IS sports bar, the food is mediocre at best. This is typical bar fare and really isn't anything special. If you are in the mood for a greasy burger, some quick frozen clam strips over cooked, then this is the place for you.
If you can wait to eat, opt for someplace else.
Now I must make one quick comment about the service, the service was stellar, but even great service can't make up for the menu. -
Review from Tres B.
Denver, CO
I would call this "ferry dock schlock". Average mix of sandwhiches, burgers, seafood, ice cream, coffee drinks.
All mediorce, they try to be all things and do none of them horribly, but also none of them well.
Kudos for the great corner location in the cute and charming Kitsap town of Kingston. -
Review from Stephanie C.
Lynnwood, WA
5/11/2011 1 photo
Took a ferry trip to Kingston on a whim with a friend on a very rare sunny day in Seattle. Primary stop... ICE CREAM! This review for Drifters is only for the ice cream. I think I had a raspberry ice cream on a waffle cone... it was AWESOME. :) It was way to much for my belly, but I downed it... my friend can be a witness to that. I'm not sure what happened, but mine ended up being twice the size of hers. It ended up being 4 bucks and change after tax and tip. Yummy in my tummy... definitely a must-go stop if I'm ever on that side of the water.
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Review from Sean C.
8/18/2008
Drifters Galley is a benevolent hunter that primarily preys on the captive audience of Kingston-Edmonds ferry passengers. When we were in just that situation in dehydrating heat after a long day of hiking, we resolved to procure some ice cream.
While they waited at the stand closest to the terminal for soft serve, I decided to take a walk since I wasn't too excited about that implementation of the plan. As I headed back along the sidewalk towards Kingston, I noticed a bevy of small children and older, white... horizontally endowed... people eating gargantuan cones. The demographics sent me the same kind of signal for ice cream that an Indian restaurant full of Indian patrons does, so I worked my way upstream and found myself at Drifters Galley.
It felt a bit like an independent Dairy Queen on a tropical island, serving some fried food but clearly the main draw is the roughly 16 flavors of ice cream, mostly fruit-oriented, served in choice of cone or an Italian or ice cream soda if one wants to mix it up. Since I was intending to eat dinner, I decided not to opt for a waffle cone with an extra scoop (~$4.50) which is what I'd seen outside. Instead, I savored my still large single scoop wafer cone (~$2.75) of coconut pineapple, not overly sweet and filled with fruit flavor.
I wouldn't make the drive or the ferry trip just to come here, but after a day of sweltering outdoor activity or a weekend camping trip, Drifters Galley is a fine place to stop to satisfy a sweet tooth before completing the journey back to (sub)urban civilization. -
Review from David M.
Portland, ME
4/13/2011
This place deservers no stars. We ordered fries and they were burnt. They were the second worse fries I've ever had. They were closing when we ordered but didn't tell us. They kicked us out just as we had sat down. The two kids working were concerned with one thing... leaving. awful.
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Review from Catherine F.
4/8/2009
Right on the approach to the ferry. We were parked across the street; neither of us wanted to say farewell, just yet, as the conversation still had to undergo any sort of denouement. We were both hungry.
The smell of burnt grease that assailed me upon entering changed all of that; still, my friend has fewer scruples (read: she's not a food snob like I am), and she DID just return from a year of army "food"... and the place had her favorite beer (Mac & Jack's, I think it was?)...
...Anyhow, NOTHING on the menu looked good. Greasy, heavy, deep-fried, or involving iceberg lettuce... I settled for a cup of soup, in keeping with my new resolve to eat less and hopefully lose weight. Mm, mm, Campbell's. Straight from the can. I sucked it up in silence. My friend's fish 'n' chips looked limp and shiny. At least I avoided the heartburn everything else on the menu would have given me.
Waitress was friendly, relatively efficient, otherwise unremarkable. Saw no one else. Should I find myself in quaint, adorable Kingston again, I'm checking out the crepe place. -
Review from Becky L.
Magnolia / Queen Anne, WA
6/28/2009
Two stars because although I didn't enjoy my experience there, I did enjoy the ice cream.
I went on a Sunday afternoon after a ride on the ferry from Edmonds. Shared a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone with the bf, which was very good. It's mint chocolate chip ice cream in a waffle cone; I really don't know how hard it could be.
I'm surprised I wasn't trampled by children or tourists, or tourist's children for that matter, because the place was packed - and full of families and impatient, whiney children. I guess that's what I get for going in on a Sunday afternoon. A lot of the restaurants right on the waterfront are scrapped for space, so people really get jammed in there.
Not only was it incredibly packed, but the manager was literally yelling at the clerks/cooks for various things. It annoys me when managers do that because even if you are in a fast paced restaurant environment, have respect for the people who are doing the shit jobs. They know theses are shit jobs and they are making shit wages, so why make them feel even shittier in front of the customers they are helping? Anyway, it got on my nerves. I went in for ice cream and practically felt like I had been yelled at by the time I walked out.
I would recommend visiting almost any other restaurant on the Kingston waterfront if you've got a hankering for ice cream. The lines didn't look as long and you won't have to listen to bitchy managers screaming at overworked, underpaid teens. I hope. -
Review from Jacob S.
Fairview, OR
1/29/2008
Drifter's has the best Halibut and Chips in Kingston, if not the whole North Kitsap. Furthermore, it's great for burgers and beers. The fresh cut home-style french fries, soaked in grease leave a little to be desired, as they're a kind of soggy.
The waitstaff is always friendly and the food comes out pretty quick, even when they're busy. Best to let the waitstaff know if you're in the ferry line, as they will make every effort to get you in and out. The restaurant area boasts HDTV's, usually tuned to sports which brings in many sports fans.
In the bar, there are two pool tables, darts and a jukebox, and some tables to suit larger groups.
All in all this is a place for a quick dinner or a fun night out! -
Review from Lance D.
Bothell, WA
1/28/2009
The short version is I commute on the Kingston/Edmonds ferry and over the 1.5 years I've done so, I've (tried to) eat[en] at the Galley three times.
All three attempts have been some of the worst restaurant experiences of my life (and for various reasons.)
The help is slow and disinterested, often foulmouthed and profane, indifferent (at best!) while being scuzzy/dirty/unkempt, the prices are high, and what of their food I've sampled has been pathetic (at best!)
I have absolutely nothing redeeming nor good to say about this place. I would not wish their service or food on my worst enemy.
As a caveat, I've heard they have good ice cream. I've not tried it and never will so I can't say, and otherwise there is absolutely nothing good about this place. And even if they do have the worlds' best ice cream that would not compensate for all that's wrong nor is it worth the trouble to get it.
Others have referred to them as a benevolent hunter.
My experiences have been that it's more of a hostile, over-priced, scuzzy, foulmouthed pathetic excuse of a place that sells nearly-toxic food and is a blatant arrogant rip off targeted at tourists (their primary customers) who they are openly hostile towards, snarl and swear at, use profane language with, and generally treat like crap.
In my three attempts to eat there I've been cursed at, yelled at, treated like dog poop, had profane language spat at me, etc.
And the one time I was successful in even getting food it was so saturated in grease and water and muck off the grill (which they didn't bother to drain off the burger but instead just slopped onto the bun with the meat) and out of the fryer (fries, which likewise were not drained and ergo were drenched in grease and undercooked and soggy) that the food melted through their wrappers and the bag (which disintegrated), the potatos and bun dissolved into sludge, and the whole mess was such a liquified mass that it was all I could do to (literally!) scrape it off the carpet in my car and throw the entire mess away.
I paid over ten bucks for a "burger and fries" with a watery drink that literally were nothing more than a toxic pile of sludge and grease that left a huge grease stain on the floor of my car after dissolving the individual wrappers and the bag!!!!
Oh, and let's not forget the summer evening last summer that I pulled up outside at about 8:50PM (posted closing time was 9PM.) A filthy-looking unkempt young man (turns out he was an employee) was slouching at a window table chatting with an equally unkempt young woman over coffee.
The "Open" sign in the front was on, the place was fully lit, and there was a handful of young people (if you can call them that...) milling about inside.
They sat and watched and made eye contact with me as I parallel parked (just in front of the front door), got myself organized, made sure my puppy was set to be left in the car, got out, and locked my car.
Then, at the very last moment and just as I started to turn the front door handle and push it open, the young man apparently (and belatedly) realized I was heading into the Galley (duhh! rocket scientist!), ran over quickly and literally shoved the door closed against my hand and quickly locked the door so I couldn't get in.
By now it was about 8:55PM and a good 5 minutes before they were even supposed to close. When I voiced my displeasure through the door, the young man (I use the term loosely!) shouted back through the door (this is a literal quote, I will never forget what he said to me): "F*** you, man! The g** d**n fryer and grill are already off and cleaned and I have places to go! Go the f*** away!"
Again, mind you, this all happened 5-10 minutes before the posted closing time.
Yep, great food and service.
Oh, and a coworker just reminded me that he and his 12yo son got nasty food poisoning there.
There you have it.
Save yourself, your wallet, and your GI tract the grief and walk a few yards up or across the street and get non-toxic food from friendly, SANE people who aren't likely to give you hepatitis and who will sell you *REAL* food WITH a smile and WITHOUT the surly, screw-you attitude, profanity, etc.
Or if that's too much to do, then drive the block back up the street to McDonalds. Even McDonalds and for as bad as they are, are a world better and at least their staff won't treat you like dog poop, swear at you, and attempt to feed you toxic grill scrapings!
Update: It's been months since I wrote this. I've noted in talking to others that none of them - to a person - have anything good to say. Period.
As the weather gets better the employees at the Galley are starting to hang out in front of the place when they are not busy. And true to form... They stand around talking with foul mouths, smoking, and throwing their cig butts all over the sidewalk etc in front of the place (which is littered deeply with them.) Real class acts! -
Review from Andrew E.
Seattle, WA
5/17/2010
Customer service: 6 stars (yes, 6 stars). Food: 3 stars.
Grabbed food here while waiting for the ferry yesterday. The food wont blow ya away, but I was VERY impressed with their customer service.
I ordered the guacamole burger and it really wasn't much to write home about. The patty tasted like it was store bought and the guacamole just tasted too rich.
But man... our waitress was 100% on point. She was extremely outgoing, efficient, hospitable and beyond helpful. She noticed that our party was getting a bit anxious about our ferry about to dock and she literally turned into Wonder Woman. She busted out boxes, forks, condiment containers and our check from no where, in order to make sure we got back in time.
Not only that, but her mood throughout all of that was not rushed at all. It felt as if she genuinely cared about our overall experience and making a long lasting impression. -
Review from Andrew H.
Campbell, CA
12/27/2008
I'll echo the first review for this place and say that it's kind of like a DQ. The DQ part is up front with the ice cream and soda shop tables and chairs. The back part is the bar. There are a couple of pool tables, some tables and chairs and the bar with stools.
I guess it's good for being with easy walk of the ferry station. I judge places like this by their fish and chips. The breading was bland, and the fries were very limp. Not just mine, but my lady's plate too. But for a dive-type place, it had a really good side salad. Weird.
Service was attentive, so no complaint there. And how often do you find Mountain Dew on tap in a bar? (I was driving) -
Review from Eric M.
Seattle, WA
5/26/2008
When waiting for the ferry, stop in here. Seriously....it's a 2 minute walk from your car, 10-15 mins to down a pint, 2 mins to pay, and 2 mins to walk back to your car. If I'm not mistaken, if you are parked in rows 1-4, I think you can do all of this by the time you need to drive on to the ferry deck, where you can enjoy another beer and ensure a DUI as you drive through Edmonds.
Well...maybe have a pretzel or two on board....then you might be OK. -
Review from Jim W.
Hansville, WA
10/13/2009
If I could give this 0 stars, I would.
1. It's not a restaurant; it's barely a cafe.
2. We had a burger and a salad there, and found both of them to be well-lower than average.
3. It wasn't crowded, but service was waaay slow.
4. Several of the tables, including the one we took, remained untouched by a cleaning rag; on-table condiments were sticky and yucky (that's a technical term :-); even the paper napkins were put in their holder backwards.
5. As far as I can tell, the only reason the place survives must be that it's right-next to the ferry terminal, and people naively wander in when desperate for food or whatever.
Maybe they have some secret back-room where everything's better, but the out-front facility was POOR! -
Review from Christina S.
Bothell, WA
Great place to grab a bit to eat off the ferry dock. Nothing spectacular, just a place to grab some grub and go. Atmosphere was lacking for sure.
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Review from Michelle W.
Poulsbo, WA
6/27/2007
This place brings back fond memories. All my buddies worked here in high school and so this was the hangout. Well said high school was fifteen years ago and it was probably that long since I'd been there until 2 weeks ago. It is a run down little fry shack like it was back then. Has the menu on the wall. Bunch of fried food and burgers you order at the counter. Now there is an ice cream section with espresso. Prices are median but not bad considering it's right next to the ferry and it's cheaper to run to Drifter's and get to go than to eat on the boat. But the chowder was as fab as I remembered. Nothing gourmet but definately get to the boat early and grab some grub.
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Review from Chris W.
Gig Harbor, WA
5/21/2011
Not great...but ok. We had a double cheese burger, clamstrips and, fries. We did sit outside on the first really nice day of May. Outside tables is worth three stars but,it felt like we were sitting on an incline and about to fall so, we'll keep them at two stars.
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Review from Jenny L.
Seattle, WA
1/23/2010 4 photos
We always stop here when waiting for the ferry... it's not gourmet, but it's good bar food and the ice cream is great. Last time we got a fish sandwich and curly fries. Hmm... now I'm looking forward to the next ferry ride back :)
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Review from Lowell D.
Mt Pleasant, SC
11/29/2009
If you are a tourist and want to go to a tourist trap go here. This place has a real cr__ attitude towards the rest of Kingston community. Day time bartender has a bad attitude. The food is so-so. You can watch a game there. It's not like Kingston has a lot to choose from. We're gonna stay away from now on. Not such a great place. No bargains and food not great. Service is typically bad.
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Review from John M.
Poulsbo, WA
2/7/2010
I am not exactly sure what other reviewers were expecting. Drifter's in short is what it is. It is a bar which serves bar food. Going in expecting gourmet is not exactly fair to the bar scene. What I do know is that after growing up outside of Buffalo, NY and living near Kingston for nearly five years now, Drifters has the best hot wings this side of the sound. Unfortunately as you might know, that does not say a whole lot since most of the wings around these parts are drastically sub par. None the less the wings here are really good, and I would certainly suggest them for anyone who goes here. That aside, stay away from the French fries. The only thing on the menu I would give 1 star for. I consider fries to be bar food, and I would expect a bar to have better fries than this.
This is how I would break it down
Bar atmosphere: 4 stars
Hot wings: 5 stars
French fries: 1 star
Rest of the food: 3-4 stars (knowing it's a bar and not the restaurant at the space needle)
Overall: 4 stars
