Doe Bay Cafe

Overall, it was a very good experience.  

The service was prompt and friendly. The atmosphere was lively. The building itself is situated right on the water, with a magnificent view. The cocktails we had were excellent and inventive.

The quality of the food and the preparation was excellent; nearly all of the produce is homegrown. With that said and as others have alluded to, I think you need to be prepared for a vegetarian, or rather, pescatarian only menu selections. Which tends not to be my style but again, it's hard not to give the overall experience 5 stars.

Long waits but the staff is friendly and funny. The beet soup, was delicious and the prawn pho was the best we have ever had, props to the chef! Breakfast was equally delicious even if we were greeted by someone destroying the in-house bathroom. That restroom should be sealed up or open from the outside ...seriously. #gag

The best.  And I don't just mean on Orcas Island.  My husband and I live in Chicago, which we're constantly being told (by Chicagoans anyway) is the foodie capital of the world, but we have never found here anything as good a the Doe Bay Café (yeah ok there was Charlie Trotter's but that closed).   They serve beautifully prepared local veggies -- I mean very local, as in grown on the grounds mostly -- and locally caught seafood, perfectly cooked.  You could eat happily as a vegan here, with all the stunningly creative combinations of vegetables.  But if seafood is your thing as it is mine they do a pretty amazing job with that too.  The setting is breathtaking, practically on top of the bay.  The service is a perfect balance of helpful but not intrusive, and completely unpretentious -- as though they don't have a clue that they're a stunningly good restaurant, and would be the hottest joint in town with a three-month wait for reservations if located in the big city.    

I had to laugh at  the reviews below giving the Café mediocre ratings because they did a bad job delivering some sort of pedestrian food you'd expect to get at Denny's -- poached eggs or whatever.  If you don't appreciate inventive and exquisitely prepared food then don't bother with this place -- leave more reservations for the rest of us.