While looking for some good eats in Bainbridge, I found this spot with some kind of super popular clam chowder. We decided to go check this place out for more of an afternoon snack, a.k.a. clam chowder. As the name suggests, it is sitting on the water, so had to keep on walking until we could see the water, through a beautiful greeneries. It was almost hidden behind all the luscious greens, but its popularity was no secret.
When we arrived, they had about 30 plus minutes wait. They use an app that you can get on your phone, which will tell you exactly where in line you are at any given moment. You could walk around the restaurant to the back, where the harbor is, and kill some time while you wait.
When you walk a bit further away, you can see the back side of the Public House. I could only imagine the view from the balcony of the restaurant! The restaurant comes with much history, and the house itself is a renovated (and some parts rebuilt) historic home.
Once we finally got to the front of the line, we went back to the restaurant. The inside was not huge, but it felt really large with the tall ceilings. Loads of natural lights coming in from big windows everywhere.
As I mentioned, we were there for their famous clam chowder. But once we looked at their enticing menu, we decided to have our dinner there. We first put in an order for Pub Famous Chowder ($18). I know, $18 for a clam chowder might be a bit much, right? BUT, it comes in a huge bowl, full of clams!!! It is a New England Classic using the best of the local NW ingredients. The bowl contains organic potatoes, onion, bacon, white wine & cream sautéed to order, and garnished with a traditional pat of butter. You don’t have to have “clam” chowder, they have a choice of mussels, salmon, or oyster as well. We went with Baywater Salish Blue Clams.
Since it is mostly made to order, it takes a bit to come out. We each started to get some chowder into the smaller serving bowls. We got so many clams with each serving! The chowder was meaty, with creamy broth that was packed with flavor. Very hearty with potatoes, and substantial pieces of bacon and onions. Great seasoning, but just a bit on salty side. It was totally worth every penny! Amazing chowder, with one bite, we understood the reason why this chowder is so popular!
For the main dish, I went with Paul’s Albacore Tuna Sliders ($12). It is made with seared medallions of sashimi-grade tuna (hand-caught aboard an historic sailboat by their neighbor Paul – hence the name of this dish) on a mini-bun with ginger aioli & pub-made kimchi. Yes, that’s right, I said kimchi. The tuna pieces were super thick and super fresh. It went great with some kimchi on top. Sooooo good!
My hubby went with one of their specials of the day; Pub Chioppino ($18). It is made with mussels, clams, salmon, cod, and calamari, in a spiced herb tomato broth. It comes with a side of garlic toast. I gotta say, it seemed like it was a great choice, since it was sold out shortly after we put in our order!
It came in a large bowl, full of jewels of the sea. The tomato broth was really nice with just a little kick to it. The amount of seafood this bowl contained was insane! Truly a bowl full of treasure! Totally amazing and at a really good price, considering the generous amount of seafood! It was very satisfying and filling!
Even thought we were full, we though, let’s just “look at” the dessert menu… And that is how we somehow ordered desserts. We are so weak when it comes to desserts that sounds really crazy good! Our eyes stopped scanning the dessert menu when we spotted classic liquor & saucy confections over two scoops of vanilla ice cream. Yes please! They get their ice cream from Mora Iced Creamery, where we visited earlier that day. We loved their ice cream, so we knew this dessert was going to be great!
We ordered two different kinds, and the first one was called After Eight ($10). It is made with Chuckanut Old Buskers Coffee Liqueur, Crème the Menthe & Irish Cream. Oh my freaking dessert! It was like a coffee version of grasshopper with ice cream. Love!!!
The second one was Creamsicle ($12), made with Grand Marnier and Greenbar Fruitlab Organic Orange Liqueur. It was great too, strong with subtle orange flavor. Very refreshing, a perfect summer dessert!
Their bathroom is located right by the entrance door. They have one male and one female bathroom, so they might get a line during the peak business hours. The inside was quite fun, with all kinds of mermaid-related artworks! It was roomy and clean, well kept.
Our dinner, or I should say “feast” at Harbour Public House was Epic! We enjoyed every bite of all the dishes. The clam chowder certainly was legendary, I am so glad we decided to try it. The best clam chowder I’ve ever had! Our server, Juila, was great. Helpful, friendly, and she took a good care of us. If I ever go back to Bainbridge, I would definitely go back for another clam chowder, and other tasty dishes!
Harbour Public House – 231 Parfitt Way SW, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110