In many places around the country, the word “tavern” in an establishment’s name is a cue to keep culinary expectations low.

Expect burgers on the menu, deep-fried fare, maybe an iceberg lettuce salad if you’re lucky. But not so around wonderfully foodie Puget Sound. One of my favorite discoveries after moving to Seattle seven years ago was the surprisingly diverse and inventive menus at taverns and bars. Even dive bars frequently make an impressive effort to offer high quality, healthy food.

Happily, the Tides Tavern in Gig Harbor lives up to the trend. That’s a good thing, since its menu boasts “the greatest homemade food and the finest beverages in the Western Hemisphere.”

The menu is extensive and wide-ranging, offering a broad selection of burgers, pizzas, steak, seafood, sandwiches and salads. You’ll find dishes such as crab cakes ($17.95) along a broiled steak and brie sandwich ($12.95), an oyster po-boy ($10.95) on the page opposite hickory smoked St. Louis ribs ($10.95). There’s something for almost every taste and preference.

We started with a blueberry martini and a premium margarita. Both were a little sweet for our liking and the martini was missing the advertised lemon twist, but the margarita was smooth and made with a good homemade mix.

We tried the beer battered onion rings ($6.25) which were lightly battered and not overly greasy. They paired nicely with the “leap’n lizard sauce,” a sweet chili sauce that was a good departure from ketchup, even for a ketchup junkie like myself.

A hearty grilled halibut taco salad is among the Tides' wide range of menu items.

Being near the water had us in a fish mood, so Marty took the server’s word and ordered the “awesome” Alaskan halibut and chips ($13.95 for two pieces), while I opted for the Tides taco salad with grilled halibut ($14.95).

Both dishes were satisfying and generously portioned. Marty’s halibut was battered with the Tides’ own beer and served with a wonderfully tangy homemade tartar sauce. The chips, however, were sadly lacking. The large wedges were undercooked, limp and chalky, making me wonder if they were premade and came from a freezer bag.

My salad, on the other hand, was a heaping platter of goodness filled with lettuce, cabbage, black beans, olives, tomatoes, green onions cheddar-jack cheese and strips of tortilla chips, topped with large pieces of tender, perfectly cooked fish. If the salad was tossed in the jalapeno dressing mentioned on the menu I couldn’t taste it, but the salsa served on the side was a welcome addition.

A short walk from any of the marinas in town, the Tides, as it’s known, has become a mainstay for boaters, visitors and locals since opening in 1973. The building it’s housed in was constructed in 1910 and first used as a general store, according to the Tides’ website. Located next to the “people’s dock,” West Side Mercantile served a steady stream of customers through the first half of the century. A tavern was added after the end of Prohibition, serving beer for 10 cents a glass and 20 cents a bottle.

When current owner Peter Stanley bought the tavern in 1973, it was well-known but rundown. Stanley renovated the interior and expanded the kitchen, along with the menu. Today, the Tides is a mix of old and new, with original signs painted by Gig Harbor artist Toby Reid and snapshots on the walls of customers wearing their Tides t-shirts in locations around the world.

The Tides Tavern bar attracts a steady stream of customers.

We visited on a recent sunny Saturday and the vibe was lively, loud and busy. Those lucky enough to get a seat on the packed deck were enjoying gorgeous views of the harbor while those even more fortunate arrived by boat, tying up at the Tides’ customer dock, which could probably accommodate about 15 boats, depending on size.

Despite how busy the place was, service was friendly, efficient and attentive without being overly so. Our only quibbles with the meal were small ones—the onion rings arrived with the main dishes instead of as an appetizer, and my salad needed a larger plate so it could be mixed without the ingredients toppling off the sides.

But those are small gripes, and overall we enjoyed the food and the service. We’ll be back, but ideally, next time we’ll be stepping onto the dock instead of walking through the front door.

About Deborah Bach

Deborah Bach is the editor and co-founder of Three Sheets Northwest. She is an avid sailor and long-time professional journalist. You can find Deborah aboard Three Sheets, an Island Packet 38, with her husband Marty and their cat Lily.

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