Dinner and Ice Cream – 48 Hours Sampling the Tastes of Port Townsend Restaurants

48 Hours in Port Townsend is simply not enough time to explore all that the town has to offer and soak up its unique geographical and philosophical ambiance. Considering its small size, Port Townsend has a remarkable number of places for visitors and residents to enjoy a great meal or a special treat. On a recent trip to Port Townsend, we sampled two Port Townsend restaurants. We also ate at one ice cream parlor that I would add to your future itinerary.

Silverwater Café

The downtown Victorian building that houses the Silverwater Café was remodeled and opened for business in 1996. Located at the corner of Taylor Street and Washington Street, it has a prominent place in the center of activity in Port Townsend.

Silverwater Cafe Exterior Port Townsend restaurants

During a recent Saturday night dinner, my husband and I walked into the vintage building to the tune of soft jazz playing in the background. With the windows open, the ceiling fans blowing and the thermostat set on 75-degrees, the atmosphere was welcoming, fresh and comfortable.

We chose to share an order of fish and chips and a house salad. Both items greatly exceeded our expectations. The fish was Ling cod, and the batter was light enough for the full flavor of the fish to be tasted.

Silverwater Cafe Fish and Chips

The salad was large with colorful greens, goat cheese, strawberries, almonds and a vinaigrette dressing applied with a light touch.

Silverwater Cafe House Salad Port Townsend

We ate in the main dining room on the ground floor level. The Mezzaluna Lounge, on the mezzanine level of Silverwater Café, serves cocktails and other custom drinks. The Lounge stays open after the main dining room closes, continuing to serve light, pub-type dinners until 11:00 p.m.

On the top level of the building, things get even more interesting. The owners of Silverwater Café have partnered with the nearby Rose Theatre to create an intimate setting for movie viewing, including once a month classics.

Starlight before showtime


As many as 45 viewers can relax in overstuffed chairs and love seats and have the convenience of a full bar and heavy appetizers while viewing the film for the evening. This corner of town sees plenty of action with the restaurant open seven days a week, beginning with lunch every day at 11:30.

Doc’s Marina Grill

Water is one of the focal of points of Port Townsend, surrounding the town on three sides. Doc’s Marina Grill, at 141 Hudson Street, is situated perfectly to take advantage of the water, the boats and all of the people who come to enjoy them. The same is true for their “twin” restaurant on Bainbridge Island only a short distance from the ferry terminal at Winslow.

Doc's Marina Grill exterior Port Townsend

In both Doc’s locations, there are great views of a marina with indoor and outdoor dining. In the short time we dined at Doc’s Marina Grill in Port Townsend, two cruise ships glided past, Mount Rainier showed off its magnificence and a black-tailed deer raced in front of us.

Doc's Marina Grill marina view Port Townsend Restaurants

Doc’s Marina Grill prides itself on serving fresh ingredients. An extensive menu offers appetizers, soups, salads, burgers, and includes plenty of seafood options. We chose to share an order of calamari, a bowl of house made clam chowder, and a black bean veggie burger with coleslaw.

Doc's Marina Grill clam chowder

The chowder was thick and loaded with pieces of clam.

Doc's Marina Grill black bean veggie burger

The burger came with tomato slices, dark green lettuce and purple onion.

The calamari had a crunchy light batter. A fancy name for squid tentacles cut into rings, expect a chewy texture when choosing calamari.

Doc's Marina Grill calamari

Doc’s is open from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. seven days a week. I recommend calling ahead for a reservation. Online reservations and current hours are available on Doc’s website.

Elevated Ice Cream Company

If you have a sweet tooth, don’t miss Elevated Ice Cream Company at 627 Water Street. Both modern and old-fashioned, the inside of the building is brightly colored and sleek with whimsical art on the walls. However, making all of the ice creams in-house is definitely old-fashioned.

Elevated Ice Cream flavor of the month

Thirty different ice creams, made several times throughout each week, assure quality and freshness. Usually on offer, at least 2 flavors of sherbet, 8 different Italian ices and 20 ice creams from which to choose. When we visited, the Flavor of the Week was Strawberry. But I simply couldn’t resist the Swiss Orange Chocolate Chip. I found it uncommonly good.

Elevated Ice Cream Swiss orange chocolate chip

Elevated Ice Cream Company starting serving ice cream in 1977 from an antique Victorian elevator cage, which explains both the name of the business and its motto “Lift Your Spirits.” Between the ice cream store and the adjacent candy shop, the sweet treats are sure to lift anyone’s spirits and provide just the right amount of energy for browsing in all of the shops.

With many other eateries that I wanted to try, I ran out of time on my first visit. Port Townsend restaurants offer many possibilities to satisfy the appetites of the widely diverse visitors who come to town. I believe everyone will find something to please their palate when they visit Port Townsend.

Looking for a place to stay in Port Townsend? Read Connie’s review of the Old Consulate Inn on MilesGeek.

For additional restaurant suggestions and an in-depth look at Port Townsend check out Hollin Stafford’s Port Townsend destination article.

Connie Pearson
Connie Pearson

Connie Pearson is a freelance travel blogger and writer. She is a native Alabamian who has traveled extensively around the U.S. and the world and lived in Ecuador for four years, serving as a Baptist missionary. She "thinks, eats, and speaks Southern," but also enjoys sampling regional dishes and exploring new places and cultures. She is a retired elementary music teacher with 12 grandchildren and hopes to live long enough to dance at all of their weddings. Her blog is www.theregoesconnie.com.

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