San Juan Island artisan café pumps out delectable food and service
Let’s face it, making the right decision isn’t always easy, and it gets even harder when fantastic food and drink are involved. Few food mishaps are more disappointing than when an entrée falls short of expectations (we’ve all been there).
So when a café like Friday Harbor, Wash.,’s Market Chef offers menu selections such as a house-smoked steelhead chowder, pulled pork sandwich, yellow curry red lentil soup, fresh deli crab cakes, comfort mac ‘n cheese and local burgers made with juicy grass-fed beef and pepperjack cheese, it is downright impossible to order something lackluster in taste.
Rooted securely on a hill overlooking the Friday Harbor, San Juan Island ferry dock, Market Chef offers outdoor seating in front of and behind the café on sunny days, and plenty of cozy table and bar spots inside for the rest of the time.
If you can make it past the drool-worthy deli case at the beginning of the line, grab a menu and order a sandwich, soup or special of the day. Expect a lunch rush, but don’t be scared off; the able staff are skilled and used to easing the hungry island crowd through the line quickly. Quench your thirst with an organic soda while you watch the chef prepare your order behind the counter, or grab a local beer or wine for a midday buzz to pair with your meal when it arrives on crisp white dishware.
Owned and operated by island local Laurie Paul, Market Chef’s focus is on the food attributes that are at arm’s length. Locally grown ingredients like vegetables, meat and seafood travel only a few miles from other parts of the island to end up on your dish, and seasonal products keep the menu fresh and continually updated. Everything from their daily breads, roasted meats, specialty granola and more is made from scratch, and they are proud of that.
When you can pull yourself away from the café after a casual meal, explore the next-door used bookshop, Serendipity or wander down the hill to the Port of Friday Harbor for a stroll among the boats. If you’re lucky, you might even catch of glimpse of Popeye, a friendly portside harbor seal, looking for her own midday snack.
Market Chef || 225 A Street, Friday Harbor || 360-378-4546
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