You’ll spot Coastal Kitchen straight ahead with its bold navy facade, big glass windows, and a sign featuring a bright orange fish that practically waves you in for dinner.
Standing here, you’d never guess the wild ride this spot experienced! Coastal Kitchen started reeling folks in back in 1993, and for three decades it was so much more than just a seafood joint. Imagine the buzz-plates of fish and chips, oysters clinking into ice, and every few months, the menu would pull a wild card: one season it was hearty Gascony fare; the next, a trip to Patagonian flavors, or even Indian spices sizzling in the air. The art inside danced with the menu, swapping out color and energy as often as the cooks switched up cuisines. At its heart, it was a classic fish house and oyster bar, but a peek at the menu showed everything from gingerbread waffles in the morning to jambalaya with smoked salmon at night. Hungry families mingled with hip friends sharing crab cakes, and breakfast lovers lined up for poutine, spring rolls, and that famous Dungeness crab cake benedict.
Then there was the 2012 makeover-talk about a glow-up. The doors closed for a month while $350,000 of updates turned the cocktail bar into a shining marble oyster bar, and to celebrate reopening? The First Shuck-1,000 free oysters handed out to an eager, if slightly shell-shocked, line of fans. After a new set of owners came in 2016, the ride continued, though in 2022, the place took a surprise punch when a car crashed into the front. That could’ve knocked the spirit out of a lesser spot, but not here. Unfortunately, by February 2024, the curtain finally closed. Even now, people talk about the flavors, the laughter, and the way Coastal Kitchen belonged to this neighborhood-proof that even the best fish tales eventually find an end.
