5 Best Restaurants in San Juan Island, The San Juan Islands

This snazzy, contemporary, seafood-driven restaurant overlooking the harbor has a light-filled dining room that makes a terrific spot to watch boats and ferries come and go while sampling such tempting fare as Penn Cove mussels, pan-seared sockeye salmon with seasonal veggies, and a seafood Cobb salad piled high with Dungeness crab and whole shrimp.

Only 50 yards from the ferry holding area (though that includes a lot of stairs), this pleasant little café and specialty grocery store makes fantastic sandwiches (try the roast-beef-and-rocket, which is served on a house-baked roll with spicy chili aioli). The soups and deli items—including a decadent macaroni and cheese—are also top-notch. Beer, wine, juices, and espresso are served as well. It's a great place to wait for your ferry to depart.

Ingenuity and dedication to local ingredients are hallmarks of this stylish, contemporary restaurant, where locals and tourists alike come for dishes such as baked oysters, Nashville hot chicken sandwich, seared halibut risotto, and a popular house burger. During the summer, the hotel's outdoor Portside Patio serves small plates and craft cocktails. The restaurant's daily breakfast is popular with islanders and convenient for hotel guests: the brunch burger, topped with a fried egg and cracked pepper aioli, and stuffed french toast with mascarpone make for decadent starts to your day.

The island's local brewery, just a few short blocks from the ferry landing, has a nice selection of suds brewed on-site, along with standard brewpub fare (pretzels, cheese curds, chicken wings), and some that is more elevated, including the portobello caprese sandwich, blackened wild salmon Caesar salad, and surprisingly good individual pizzas.