The Canal as Your Table

There's a version of dining that's about the food, and a version that's about the place, and occasionally, when things come together just right, it's about both at once. Hood Canal offers that combination more reliably than almost anywhere in the Pacific Northwest.

The canal itself is the setting. Two hundred miles of cold, clean saltwater fjord flanked by the Olympic Mountains to the west and the Cascades visible on clear days to the east. The light here changes by the hour, morning silver giving way to afternoon blue, the mountains catching alpenglow while you're still finishing dinner. Seals work the shallows. Herons stand at the tide line. Eagles pass overhead with a frequency that stops feeling remarkable only after your third or fourth visit.

These are the restaurants where the setting is as much the point as what's on the plate.

Fjord Oyster Bank — Hoodsport

There's a story behind this one that makes the meal mean more.

The Fjord Oyster Bank sits in a converted 1970s bank building in Hoodsport, next to Finch Creek and across from the fish hatchery with views of the canal.. The vault became a gift shop. The setting is distinctly Hood Canal, outdoor seating with heaters and fire pits, the water visible from your table, seasonal hours that reward visitors who time their trip right.

But what makes the Fjord Oyster Bank singular is the food. The menu was created by Xinh Dwelley, the legendary Mason County chef who came to Washington from Vietnam in 1970, shucked oysters at Taylor Shellfish until she broke all the records, won the West Coast Oyster Shucking Championship five consecutive times, cooked for Julia Child and Anthony Bourdain, and ran Xinh's Clam & Oyster House in Shelton for 25 years. When illness forced her to close her restaurant, the Fjord Oyster Bank gave her a kitchen again. She spent her final year here, sharing her recipes and her warmth with anyone who walked through the door.

Xinh passed away in November 2023. Her recipes live on at the Fjord Oyster Bank, grilled oysters, geoduck wontons, curried mussels, coconut shrimp, the same fusion of Vietnamese flavors and Hood Canal shellfish that made her one of the most beloved chefs in the Pacific Northwest. Coming here for a meal is both a view and a story worth knowing.

Her cookbooks, Pacific Coastal Flavors and Xinh's Flavors With Friends, are available at cookwithxinh.com.

The Restaurant at Alderbrook — Union

Alderbrook Resort has been a gathering place on Hood Canal since 1913, and the restaurant reflects that long relationship with the water and the land around it. Fresh local seafood, dry-aged beef, world-class wines, and a waterfront dining room that faces Hood Canal directly, on a clear evening the Olympic Mountains fill the windows behind the water. There's an outdoor patio for warmer months and takeout for those who want to eat on the dock. It's the kind of restaurant that turns a meal into an occasion without requiring one.

Hook & Fork — Union

Two miles from Alderbrook inside Union City Market, Hook & Fork is the opposite of formal, and somehow just as memorable. Set inside a renovated historic shopping and event venue within a working marina, it's an outdoor kitchen serving a rotating seasonal menu with Hood Canal directly in front of you. Seals play in the shallows while oysters sizzle on the grill and the Olympics rise in the distance. Arrive by boat and tie up at the marina. Arrive by kayak and pull up on the beach. Order grilled oysters, garlic clams, a smash burger, whatever is on the board that day, and then stay longer than you planned. This is what people mean by waterfront dining.

El Puerto de Angeles — Hoodsport

A pier-side table at El Puerto de Angeles in Hoodsport puts you directly over Hood Canal, the water visible beneath the boards, the canal stretching north toward the mountains. Authentic Mexican cuisine with a menu that includes vegetarian dishes and a kids' menu. Open daily 11am–7pm. It's an unlikely combination that works completely, a fish taco and a cold drink with one of the best views on the canal.

Alderbrook Golf & Yacht Club — Union

The clubhouse restaurant at the Alderbrook Golf Course has a full menu of sandwiches, burgers, steak, and seafood with a full bar, and a view of Hood Canal and the Olympic Mountains that rewards anyone who makes the turn to find it. Open for regular dining and private events. Casual enough for a post-round lunch, scenic enough for a dinner worth planning around.

The Boat House on North Bay — Allyn

On Case Inlet in Allyn, The Boat House pairs fresh Northwest seafood with panoramic water views of the protected harbor. Known for oysters, chowder, and Manila steamers, a pound and a half of fresh clams steamed in beer, butter, and garlic. Reservations accepted in the dining room; bar and patio are walk-in. One of the few waterfront dining rooms on the Case Inlet side of Mason County.

Hama Hama Oyster Saloon — Lilliwaup

Technically this belongs on the shellfish page, and it's there. But it belongs here too, because the setting at Hama Hama is as much the point as the oysters themselves. Nestled on the shores of Hood Canal, surrounded by the Olympic National Forest with the Olympic peaks visible across the water, every seat is an A-frame picnic table outside, every meal has the canal as its backdrop. It is one of the most purely beautiful places to eat in Washington state, full stop. Reservations strongly recommended.

Spencer Lake Bar & Grill — Shelton Area

Not on the canal, but worth including here for a different kind of view. Spencer Lake Bar & Grill sits on ten acres of freshwater lakefront eight miles north of Shelton, summer patio dining on the beach, boat dock, floatplane landing, and a menu that covers prime rib through pizza. A different pace and a different kind of beautiful. The fact that you can arrive by floatplane and park at the dock makes it uniquely Mason County.

Where to Dine With a View in Mason County