Castle Key Seafood & Steak Restaurant

This restaurant gets points for the Victorian ambience, but that’s it.
We were guests at the hotel, which was excellent by the way, and came in for dinner on a Saturday night around 6pm. We saw only two tables occupied and were greeted promptly, but were told that it was reservation only. We decided to leave but the host crossed off a name on the list and said he could seat us. We were extremely confused because there was no one in the restaurant and the guest list had 2 names on it.
We were seated right next to the other two couples and after 15 minutes of waiting we had a «bad vibe» and walked out without ordering anything. We went into the bar across the hall and met an older couple that had frequented the hotel restaurant for many years and they gave us the low down.
Apparently the restaurant was once home to world class chef’s, but has since had several changes in management and has hit it’s low end. The bar reflected the same. The drinks were very overpriced and the bar tender, although good at his job, had no interpersonal skills.
We received two free brunch vouchers with our stay which seemed like a great value, so we gave it another shot the next morning. Each breakfast entrée ranged between 9 – 13 dollars and it included juice and coffee, this was almost an unbelievable deal.
The service was the same. It took 45 minutes to receive our meals and we can see now why they were free. I ordered the Philly cheesesteak omelette which was over cooked, bland, and the steak was chopped up cheap flank steak with no seasoning whatsoever. The potatoes on the side were cold and had no flavor even with ketchup. She ordered biscuits and gravy. The bottom of the biscuits were burnt black and it tasted like «bisquick.» If I had paid 40 bucks for all this (juice and coffee) included I would have been extremely pissed off.
I will stay at the hotel again, but only visit the restaurant as a last resort if I get too drunk and can’t drive!

This was our 43^rd year anniversary so I decided we would go to the Manresa Castle restaurant for dinner. I’d read the menu and everything looked wonderful to us.
My wife doesn’t do stairs very well so the first problem we had was the very steep stairway into the building. However, we’d already known about this and just took our time and were able to make it into the restaurant. The sign said «Please wait to be seated». We’d made reservations but it appeared that really wouldn’t have been necessary as there was ONLY one couple seated. They were the only people we saw for several minutes. I went looking for SOMEONE to seat us with no luck.
Finally, the waiter (and only person we saw all evening) came out to serve something to the couple.
To get to the meal… The food was great however… you knew there was a «however» didn’t you?
We ordered the stuffed shoulder tender and the unstuffed shoulder tender. Both were listed as 8 ounces on the menu. My wifes unstuffed tender was literally twice the size of my «stuffed» tender. To say it was stuffed was an outright lie… well, maybe not a complete lie as there was a small bit of «something» in it. Certainly not as represented on the menu.
The service was not spotty… it was non existent. As the dining room only had TWO tables occupied during the duration of our meal you would expect great service wouldn’t you? NOT! The waiter would disappear into the kitchen for several minutes at a time. Our water glasses were never refilled as well. The drinks WERE good, though…
I give them two stars only because of the atmosphere and very good food that came out of the kitchen.

Haunted Castle! Fantastic experience for the kids & paranormal fans!
Stayed in the famous Room 306 (haunted by «Kate»). Nothing really strange happened — except a faint, creepy chain-​dragging sound a few times in the middle of the night (?!)
Classic old Victorian style. Most of the eclectic décor items are genuine antiques. Service was great. Sunday Brunch menu was excellent.
I’d strongly recommend staying here atleast once during your stay in Port Townsend.
Oh… And I’d also recommend their Sunday Brunch Deal: All-​You-​Can-​Drink Mimosas for only $ 10 bucks! (And NO… I didn’t hear the dragging chains AFTER I drank my 5 glasses of champagne and orange juice!). Ha!

Enjoyed dinner here while staying at Manresa Castle. Both my pancetta wrapped scallops and hubby’s cioppino were well prepared and delicious. Vegetables, usally a «throw away» on the plate, were roasted and seasoned and the highlight of the meal. Had the best Brandy Alexander ever in the bar after dinner. The staff did an excellent job, considering there was ONE waiter in the dining room and ONE bartender. and the kicker — the same two staff were there bright and early Sunday morning to server brunch!

Fathers Day: Very few people in the restaurant. Seafood omelet was not fresh. We were afraid of food poisoning. I ate mine. Step son couldn’t. Bar & front desk staff were «too busy» to answer questions or be helpful. Husbands breakfast was «ok».

Get steamers and a Caesar salad! The food was great, and the castle was fun. Service was a little awkward and the atmosphere had some odd quirks (country music in a castle). However, overall it was a great experience!

Eating dinner in a historic castle makes the food taste that much better.
We had a large group so I had a chance to see a lot of different items and ll of which everyone loved. From the gumbo, to the salmon, pasta to surf n turf (make sure you request the prawns not the shrimp). I saw re-​orders of the crab cakes because people were saying they’re just that good we need another plate of them. In a town where seafood is sourced outside your window that is saying something.
The atmosphere is beautiful and not so large that it isn’t still intimate. Perfect for a romantic date and if you like jazz they have shows on weekends.
Their staff is beyond nice. There are ghost stories aplenty, but after a glass of wine you won’t notice a thing. There is something in the water in PT that strangers off the street stop and greet you and thank you for visiting.
Stay here. Drink here. Eat here.

I would give this restaurant a solid C, and the only reason it is so high is due to the service, which was excellent. We started with the appetizer of mushroom bruschetta, which turned out to be a few pieces of toast with cream of mushroom soup poured over it. Also, when I order a pasta dish, I expect a dish of pasta, not a bowl of cream soup with some pasta and dried up pieces of chicken breast. However, my husband’s ribeye steak was very good, and the desserts were great. But all in all we probably wouldn’t eat here again.

I would definitely eat here again! The food was perfectly made and it was such a peaceful dinner. The seasoned veggies are by far the best ive ever had!!! But food all together was perfect! And make sure to get dessert! Its worth every bite.