Toby’s Tavern

I don’t write many negative reviews because I don’t want to hurt a business but in this case I am hoping I will help a business. We were there the Saturday after New Years and the business was very busy. It is a small quaint establishment. And I’ve never had such a rude server /​bartender in my life. This was a short woman probably age 40 and we waited almost an hour for our meal and she didn’t check in on us when she talked to me she was very short and curt. The other woman that worked I was much older and she seemed reasonably nice but the other woman just seemed like she hated life. We all have troubles and maybe she was having a horrible day but to take that out on us. Several times she said stuff to us that was so rude. When we first walked in she just barked at it out at us and said don’t stand in the doorway. I can’t even describe you how rude it was the she the way she said it we did not get one smile when thank you. She barely said anything when she served our food. I will say the clam chowder was excellent. I got a hamburger and it was overdone and french fries were cold. Later on she said it took a long time because they only had one grill. Well I don’t understand why she didn’t tell me that in the first place because I would have ordered something else. I didn’t want to wait an hour there and we missed our initial ferry and it made us late for some other things.

Americana from the ground up. Good food, good drinks, and occasionally raucous company. Always interesting.

Never, Never go here during a Seahawks game.
I’m sitting there chatting with my friend, quiet Sunday afternoon, maybe 5 tables occupied as we have our beers and lunch, and then the waitress starts screaming at the TV. Not screaming like cheering screaming, screaming like about-​to-​stab-​you-​with-​a-​knife angry screaming. At basically as loud of volumes as human vocal cords are capable of.
Every couple of minutes we were startled again and had to stop our conversation until she finished.
I could not believe it. It was the kind of shouting that could get customers kicked out of an already loud bar. But this was the waitress ticking off her own customers on a quiet afternoon.
Having no sense of irony, she complained to another table about customers cursing in her bar, saying she doesn’t let anybody curse around her, certainly not here.
So, yes, I agree with the other reviewers — the food is what you expect for a dive bar, but priced like it’s something special. But the food really doesn’t matter compared to the horrific waitress.

Whoever said this is decorated like a TGI Fridays needs to get out a bit more… I dig it!
Decent selection of beer and good fish n’ chips. Kinda reminds me of the Water St Brewery in Port Townsend, just a bit smaller and minus the attached brewery.

Definitely divey, but homey. The wait staff wasn’t the friendliest or most attentive (sat 15 min with an empty beer). The steamed mussels were absolutely to die for. The special was Thai Curry and they were so incredible. Even my friend who dislikes shellfish really loved them. Would go back for the mussels alone.

Great mussels, cold beer, friendly people. Good seafood chowder. If on the menu get the curry mussels

Really happy with our choice to eat here. Yes it is a bit of a dive but in the nicest most authentic manner. It is not TGI Friday;s, okay? It appeared clean but if you are offended by some worn carpet and furnishings from the past stay away. We got there at about 11:30 on a July Sunday and were only the second couple in the place. After we left and walked around town a bit we walked past and people were waiting out side so demand is there. Our service was great but I can see how they may get spread a bit thin with a crowd. Although small it looked like the kitchen was good size to handle it.
Food was excellent. Thai curry mussels were spectacular. They take extra care with the garlic toast so it’s hot, crunchy, and buttery. I ate too much. The oyster sandwich was not out of the ordinary but the fries were well prepared, hot and crisp and the oysters were fresh and good. Also had a cup of crab bisque that was really good if perhaps a bit overpriced at $ 6/​cup. But the rest of the prices seemed reasonable so that just may have been a function of supplying the crab. Even at $ 6 I would order it again. Really liked the Tobey’s Rad Ale too. All in all a very good meal, nice atmosphere, and good price.

Best mussels I ever had in my life. They arrived to us hot and steaming with delicious broth and three garlic bread. Mussels were orange red in color, soft and juicy unlike the other rubber textures sort of mussels. The broth had onions and garlic, easily the best broth I ever had, we couldn’t stop drinking it. We also ordered the seared ahi burger in ciabatta bread and that huge blackened perfectly cooked ahi steak was only $ 14! The ahi burger had fries on the side and served with wasabi mayo which complemented the dish well. Eat the tomatoes at the end to cool your palatte. We also had the fish and chips for $ 13, the fish was thick and not some flimsy thin break easily lousy tilapia that you get at other places. This was a legit fish piece. It was also fresh and delicious. The place is kinda divy with booths facing the water and a pool table in the middle. Their service does rush a bit but that’s because they are so crowded. Overall, would love to come back for the mussels, now we totally get the hype.

I had the seared ahi burger on a ciabatta roll. Came with lettuce, tomato, and French fries which were tasty. Also came with a Wasabi tartar sauce which was really good.
I also drank the Toby’s Parrot Head Red Ale. Good beer, but a little hoppy for my tastes.

Anytime I go to the island, I always stop by here to get some mussels. And it comes with garlic bread, which is great for dipping. Mussels always taste fresh. Small dive bar, friendly service. Lots of street parking & little shops near by.

Mussels were no frills but were juicy and delicious. I’ve never tasted mussels without the grit and the fishy smell. The trio fish n chips was good but was just like any other. I like the halibut the best. The fish cuts was rather small and the entire dish was $ 15. Interior décor isn’t too great. In fact I sensed a tilt on the floor at where we sat. Overall its reasonably priced compared to other tourist traps nearby.

An institution of long standing in a place where there hasn’t been much standing for too awfully long. Until tech people overran the island with new vacation homes over the last 20 years, Coupeville was a reasonably sleepy place with great views of a pretty little cove.
Toby’s, for a whole lot of decades, has been where locals and visitors can come for a glass of beer and friendly conversation. There have not been too many times, at various times of year, in all weather, that I have been by here and not seen it completely mobbed. They’re the crossroads that everybody loves, and it feels like the old days of the PNW in here to me, with all different kinds of people mingling.
It’s one simple room, with a long bar facing a long row of booths, and a pool table down at the end. A row of windows at the end frames a gorgeous view of the mouth of the cove. It feels like the waiting list has not had a gap since Eisenhower was in office, but we managed to snag stools at the bar, right under the Blackhawks game, with no wait. Sweet! Makes it easy to soak up the ambiance, which consists primarily of fake sportfish, parrots, oooold beer memorabilia, and a million sassy signs. Places like this take decades to build up this yard sale vibe, and everything about it is fun and likable.
The mussels here are the star attraction. The other food is probably fine, but mostly breaded and fried, or otherwise prepared as efficiently as possible. The mussels are the star for a reason – dirt-​simple preparation that lets them shine. The broth has basic seasoning and a bit of veg, but the mussels grew up a couple hundred yards away. They’re sparkling fresh and intensely delicious as they are. There’s no good reason to mess with them.
They come out in a big steel kitchen bowl, with a basket of french bread. Two pounds (a decent meal for 2) runs you $ 23, as of this weekend. Two pounds won’t feed huge eaters, since some of them don’t open, and a lot of that weight is in shell, but it’s a satisfying meal.
The bartenders sling beer, wine, and t-​shirts and hats. They also run the food, and sport the hardhat (not making this up), and take none of the crap. I hope Amy knows I’m serious about wanting to adopt her, and they’re both charming and fun. I heard more funny lines in a couple of hours of mussels and hockey here than I’ve heard in days at most other places.
This place is a total dive that has powered through decades without a lot of change to the way they operate. Everything feels very well worn-​in. It’s taken me many tries to finally belly up for a bowl of mussels, and I am so glad I finally did. I loved it, and I can’t wait to come back.

Went with my dad and some friends to what he described as a «dive bar.» It lived up to my dad’s description in a good way. Nothing fancy — Casual atmosphere, timely service, good food. Friend said that the seafood and burgers were the reason she ate there. I ordered the salmon and chips, to see how it compared to the typical cod fish & chips. It was good but not much different in taste. The chips were good, too. I’d return to try the burgers and cod.

In A Nutshell:
*My dad took me here when I recently visited him. It’s funny b/​c I’ve never been to this place before after living on the island back in the day.
*The mussels are SO FRESH, JUICY and FLAVORFUL :) I highly recommend getting them.
*I also had fried seafood platter, which consisted of some very good clam strips, cod, squid all on a bed of crunchy fries.
Overall, the best place about my experience here was the mussels. The IPA was decent, but come for the MUSSELS!

I wish I could review the food … But we didn’t eat.
My wife and I walked in, saw open seating at the bar, but we were told there was nothing available… And that’s it.
The bartender was EXTREMELY rude …
Apparently they have more business than they need… They won’t get our business… Ever.

Awful! We had high expectations for lunch based on the previous reviews but we had a terrible experience today. The mussels were disgusting. Both my wife and I could barely eat the mussels. We had some delicious mussels the previous night at Christopher’s and they were a thousand times better. At least a quarter of the mussels were nothing but empty shells. $ 23 plus $ 2 tax for 2 #‘s of mussels. Really not worth it!!!
Our waitress was terrible as well. She refused to take our lunch order until we were done eating our mussels. What the heck! We left to finish our lunch at the Front Street Grill down the street. Much nicer atmosphere, waitress and food.

I’ve had better mussels at places that don’t have the advantage of being within sight of where the mussels were grown. The fish and chips is decent though. Divey, but still visitor friendly, I’d say Toby’s is a more authentic experience than most of the other restaurants in town.

Come to Toby’s for the muscles and beer. That’s what they are known for. I’ve lived on both coasts East and West and can say that hands down Toby’s muscles are the best I’ve ever had and their beer is darn good to boot!
Don’t come here thinking you’re going to some high end fancy joint. It’s a bar. In a very old building. Their servers have always been funny as hell but very busy. They don’t allow kids and only serve beer and wine.
With that said. I hate Unilocal users that write one star reviews and say that the food was good… who does that? Hey Unilocal haters stop, you suck.

I didn’t eat here, so I can’t comment on the food. I can say, however, that as a dive bar Toby’s is THE place for drinks in Coupeville. The bar staff is friendly as are the patrons. And what this place lacks in class it makes up for in character.
The beer selection is fairly robust. They even have their own private label beer that’s surprisingly good (brewed off-​site).
I’ll probably swing back by the next time I’m in town.

We were visiting Seattle for a wedding. We were told by many locals to come here for the mussels. «Penn Cove mussels» everybody kept on saying. I didn’t even know what Penn Cove was, but I we do take locals’ recommendations seriously. Super glad that we took their advice since those were some of the freshest, fattest, plumpest mussels I have ever eaten in my life. At $ 13/​lb, $ ²³⁄₂ lbs, it’s one of the best deals I’ve had for mussels too! You can’t find those prices in LA.
Total dive bar atmosphere. There were only 2 waitresses for the bar and restaurant, so they were trying their best to get to everybody as quickly as they could. They probably needed a 3^rd waitress that day at lunch.