We've dined regularly at the Dockside Bistro for years, but have not been there since it transferred to new ownership. I'm pleased to say that the food is still excellent, and our service was outstanding. The menu is largely unchanged for now and we enjoyed the seafood martini, perfectly prepared halibut with gnocchi, pear salad and lamb pasta. (Pardon the bite of gnocchi out of the dish shown in the picture!). We met one member of the new ownership duo after dinner, who shared that they plan to gradually diversify the menu, begin to work in more local ingredients and eventually offer outside dining. We look forward to returning again soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Phavifizz Alexander
Perfectly cooked food with smooth and inviting atmosphere!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: NW Elk Rib Eye Carpaccio
Damon Mentzer
If you want to check out the website, you HAVE to book a table. Not a great option, went ahead and booked a table. At which point it kicked me out and sent me back to BOOK A TABLE with the OpenTable company.This is the only way I had to contact y'all and let you know what a terrible function your website has; I'd love to try the place but want to see menus and such first, and book a table second (or fourth.)
Jay Fratt
I'm always on the hunt for good fish tacos. Dockside nailed it for me. I do not care for tomatoes or pico de gallo. Instead, Dockside uses a delightful mango salsa.I was shocked at the size of the portions, and the spicy kick.Definitely worth the price. The best fish tacos I have had in Olympia.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing Filet Mignon. Potatoes were simple but exceptionally well prepared. My husband had duck breast that he raved about. My father in-law had a 1/2 rack of lamb (6 ribs!) and picked the bones CLEAN.
daveG
Service for four guests took two and one half hours. Restaurant was half full when we arrived at 6:15. Salads were delivered 45 minutes after they were ordered. When the food finally arrived it was not up to expected temperature. Nobody finished their meal. Very expensive for poor service and mediocre food.
Sharon Rose
Came here for my birthday for the first time. I was really shocked at the very small portions compared to the high prices. My scallops were overcooked and lacked flavor. My husbands duck was just okay a bit fatty and chewy. Neither dish was worth $50 each. We won’t be returning. We spent over $250
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Melissa
This place is not the same after the previous owner/chef departed. We usually will go for the elk duet, duck, and seafood martini. Seafood martini is still just as delicious but noticed they have less sauce than before. The duck was disappointment because the “sticky” rice was soggy. Elk was a bit dry. Therefore it doesn't have that 5 star taste as we were hoping for after coming annually for 7 years. Also, they removed my favorite drink from the menu :( I don't know if we'll be coming back again after this experience, unfortunately.
GaryB
My family celebrated my 84th Birthday at the Dockside Bistro and none of us were disappointed. It was a special night and the service, followed by the food and dessert was very special and all were happy. The reservation made provided a table to fit all. Thank you Docside Bistro and staff for memorable evening.
Bonnie Kern
We had a 5:00 p.m. dinner reservation for Valentines Day. The reservation was confirmed a couple of times and each time the confirmation included a link to the restaurant menu. We arrived with a good idea of what we were going to order. After we were seated we told the only option for that evening was a preset menu at $100 each (before wine, tip and tax). The menu included a couple of things neither of us likes. If we are going to spend $300 for dinner we want it to be something we really like. When we asked why we weren't told of this when we made the reservation, the waitor said they had called dinners. They had my cell phone number and there was NO call from them. So we were left with no dinner reservation on Valentines Day - obviously a first world problem, but still a dissappointment. I expected better from Dockside and will think twice before I return.
I really want to like Dockside, but the food is just ok and quite pricey. We had undercooked and under-salted beets, pasta that was stuck together and dry, and a warmish cocktail. The filet and scallops were quite good. Service is inconsistent depending on how busy they are. This time we had empty drinks for 20-30 minutes, and dirty dishes sitting on our table for the majority of the meal.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Seared Sea Scallops
MEng
We had such a wonderful Valentine's here! It was a fantastic 6-course meal, and the staff is so attentive and caring. They truly want to give you a personal experience and the food is unbelievable. We love this place and look forward to coming back time and time again.
Matthew
The service was a slow to start—it took 10 minutes to get a glass of water and another 15 minutes for my first cocktail. I had a dirty martini which was well made. For my meal, I had the crab cake and prawns appetizer and scallops entree. The shrimp in the appetizer were slightly overcooked (a bit chewy); the crab cake and scallops were fine.
DougS
restaurant was quite cold and the staff turned the heat up when won\men put their coats on and the service was slow even prior to a larger group showing up. The wine selection is much smaller almost to the point of why bother and the food was not as good as previous visits
ChristinaM
My husband's scallops were outstanding. My calamari was not crisp and tasted greasy. My braised pair salad had a meniscal amount pears and far too many greens. I would not order either again. My 007 Martini was superb.
We've dined regularly at the Dockside Bistro for years, but have not been there since it transferred to new ownership. I'm pleased to say that the food is still excellent, and our service was outstanding. The menu is largely unchanged for now and we enjoyed the seafood martini, perfectly prepared halibut with gnocchi, pear salad and lamb pasta. (Pardon the bite of gnocchi out of the dish shown in the picture!). We met one member of the new ownership duo after dinner, who shared that they plan to gradually diversify the menu, begin to work in more local ingredients and eventually offer outside dining. We look forward to returning again soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Perfectly cooked food with smooth and inviting atmosphere!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: NW Elk Rib Eye Carpaccio
If you want to check out the website, you HAVE to book a table. Not a great option, went ahead and booked a table. At which point it kicked me out and sent me back to BOOK A TABLE with the OpenTable company.This is the only way I had to contact y'all and let you know what a terrible function your website has; I'd love to try the place but want to see menus and such first, and book a table second (or fourth.)
I'm always on the hunt for good fish tacos. Dockside nailed it for me. I do not care for tomatoes or pico de gallo. Instead, Dockside uses a delightful mango salsa.I was shocked at the size of the portions, and the spicy kick.Definitely worth the price. The best fish tacos I have had in Olympia.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing Filet Mignon. Potatoes were simple but exceptionally well prepared. My husband had duck breast that he raved about. My father in-law had a 1/2 rack of lamb (6 ribs!) and picked the bones CLEAN.
Service for four guests took two and one half hours. Restaurant was half full when we arrived at 6:15. Salads were delivered 45 minutes after they were ordered. When the food finally arrived it was not up to expected temperature. Nobody finished their meal. Very expensive for poor service and mediocre food.
Came here for my birthday for the first time. I was really shocked at the very small portions compared to the high prices. My scallops were overcooked and lacked flavor. My husbands duck was just okay a bit fatty and chewy. Neither dish was worth $50 each. We won’t be returning. We spent over $250
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
This place is not the same after the previous owner/chef departed. We usually will go for the elk duet, duck, and seafood martini. Seafood martini is still just as delicious but noticed they have less sauce than before. The duck was disappointment because the “sticky” rice was soggy. Elk was a bit dry. Therefore it doesn't have that 5 star taste as we were hoping for after coming annually for 7 years. Also, they removed my favorite drink from the menu :( I don't know if we'll be coming back again after this experience, unfortunately.
My family celebrated my 84th Birthday at the Dockside Bistro and none of us were disappointed. It was a special night and the service, followed by the food and dessert was very special and all were happy. The reservation made provided a table to fit all. Thank you Docside Bistro and staff for memorable evening.
We had a 5:00 p.m. dinner reservation for Valentines Day. The reservation was confirmed a couple of times and each time the confirmation included a link to the restaurant menu. We arrived with a good idea of what we were going to order. After we were seated we told the only option for that evening was a preset menu at $100 each (before wine, tip and tax). The menu included a couple of things neither of us likes. If we are going to spend $300 for dinner we want it to be something we really like. When we asked why we weren't told of this when we made the reservation, the waitor said they had called dinners. They had my cell phone number and there was NO call from them. So we were left with no dinner reservation on Valentines Day - obviously a first world problem, but still a dissappointment. I expected better from Dockside and will think twice before I return.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
I really want to like Dockside, but the food is just ok and quite pricey. We had undercooked and under-salted beets, pasta that was stuck together and dry, and a warmish cocktail. The filet and scallops were quite good. Service is inconsistent depending on how busy they are. This time we had empty drinks for 20-30 minutes, and dirty dishes sitting on our table for the majority of the meal.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Seared Sea Scallops
We had such a wonderful Valentine's here! It was a fantastic 6-course meal, and the staff is so attentive and caring. They truly want to give you a personal experience and the food is unbelievable. We love this place and look forward to coming back time and time again.
The service was a slow to start—it took 10 minutes to get a glass of water and another 15 minutes for my first cocktail. I had a dirty martini which was well made. For my meal, I had the crab cake and prawns appetizer and scallops entree. The shrimp in the appetizer were slightly overcooked (a bit chewy); the crab cake and scallops were fine.
restaurant was quite cold and the staff turned the heat up when won\men put their coats on and the service was slow even prior to a larger group showing up. The wine selection is much smaller almost to the point of why bother and the food was not as good as previous visits
My husband's scallops were outstanding. My calamari was not crisp and tasted greasy. My braised pair salad had a meniscal amount pears and far too many greens. I would not order either again. My 007 Martini was superb.