A former Seattleite recommended Ivar’s Fish Bar as a must visit on Seattle’s waterfront. So after doing a little research, we decided not to go to the Fish Bar, but to Ivar’s Acres of Clams, conveniently located next door. Overlooking Pier 54, Ivar’s boasts of original, world famous fish and chips, and clam chowder recipes.
We ordered the Calamari, fresh squid rings, lightly dipped in its batter and flash fried, then served with a chipotle-lime aioli. Certainly not the worst calamari I've ever had, but not the best, either. It seemed a little overfried.
My favorite Ivar's dish, the Fresh Sauteed Penn Cove Mussels, served with a coconut curry sauce and fresh cilantro. Our server was kind enough to let us order half Manila clams and half mussels. Some of the tastiest bivalves I've ever had were swimming in that tasty curry sauce. The seafood tasted like the ocean, so you know it's fresh. The only thing missing? Bread, to soak up all the leftover sauce.
We also got Ivar's World Famous Clam Chowder, which, in my opinion, is one of the better chowdas on the West Coast. It was super creamy and rich, with just a hint of bacon. Bacon really does make everything better.
You can't go to Ivar's without trying the World Famous Fried Fish and Chips. To me, it was good, as the fish was definitely fresh. But I felt the batter to be too light; maybe I'm used to the heavier beer batters on my fried fish. Fries were ok, nothing spectacular about them.
Ivar's has many versions of itself located throughout the Seattle area (i.e., Fish Bar, Salmon House, Acres of Clams, etc.) - you really don't have an excuse not to visit one.
Ivar's Acres of Clams, 1001Alaskan Way, Pier 54, Seattle
http://www.ivars.com/
We ordered the Calamari, fresh squid rings, lightly dipped in its batter and flash fried, then served with a chipotle-lime aioli. Certainly not the worst calamari I've ever had, but not the best, either. It seemed a little overfried.
My favorite Ivar's dish, the Fresh Sauteed Penn Cove Mussels, served with a coconut curry sauce and fresh cilantro. Our server was kind enough to let us order half Manila clams and half mussels. Some of the tastiest bivalves I've ever had were swimming in that tasty curry sauce. The seafood tasted like the ocean, so you know it's fresh. The only thing missing? Bread, to soak up all the leftover sauce.
We also got Ivar's World Famous Clam Chowder, which, in my opinion, is one of the better chowdas on the West Coast. It was super creamy and rich, with just a hint of bacon. Bacon really does make everything better.
You can't go to Ivar's without trying the World Famous Fried Fish and Chips. To me, it was good, as the fish was definitely fresh. But I felt the batter to be too light; maybe I'm used to the heavier beer batters on my fried fish. Fries were ok, nothing spectacular about them.
Ivar's Acres of Clams, 1001Alaskan Way, Pier 54, Seattle
http://www.ivars.com/
