La Conner Pub & Eatery

We always have a beer at the La Conner Pub & Eatery whenever we are in town.  It's got a great small-town-local-semi-dive-but-nice-for-families vibe, which is tricky to pull off!  

The long bar up front features just-bordering-on-tacky nautical decorations (models of tall ships with sails snipped out of Milwaukee Light cans, statuettes of fishermen, etc.) and brass plaques at each stool honor past owners and old soaks.  A couple of serviceable pool tables do a fairly brisk business.  

There's a table smack dab in the middle of the front window - nice for watching Boomer and Greatest Generation tourists strolling along the main drag in their puffy white sneakers and pastel baseball caps - or you can opt for seating in the middle of the room - or even dine by a rear window with a lovely view of the canal out back.

We've recently taken to having the fish and chips and the clam strips.  The fish and chips are actually quite good - made to order from fresh cod, so they come out hot and crisp and yummy.  (I know how they're made because if you sit in front at the bar you can see everything being prepared, just like in an upscale "open kitchen" joint.)  The fries, while they are coated with that weird spice deep fry mixture, are hot and fairly plentiful.

The wait staff manages to be a trace 1980s bridge and tunnel tacky without going over the top, and they are always nice and friendly in that beach-side-tourist-town way that I associate with summers in the fading resorts of the east coast where I grew up. They know you're not coming back, so they crack the same jokes with everyone, but it's cheerful and efficient, if not particularly classy or personal, customer service.

Frankly, I really like this place. It doesn't hurt that the prices are refreshingly affordable in a town that can be a tad pricey.

Fish and chips isn't really bad.   You definitely can taste the ale/beer in the batter.  You just need to let the oiliness drip away a little.  Service was adequate.

Horrible fish and chips.  We have come here for 25 years on our way up or back to the San Juan's this is the first time we have had bad fish.  It was soggy and couldn't be eaten.  They Apologized  and that was it.  We went down the street to the la Connor brewing company and had a fabulous pizza -  gargonzola chicken - it was Wonderful.  No more la Connor pub for us or our boating friends.  Don't waste your money.