Went to Toby's last weekend over the July 4th holiday with seven friends. The mussels are the best I've ever had. Hands down, to die for! They had a special on the menu for a crab bisque that was out of this world. We ordered a fried seafood platter that was not very good, hence 4 stars.
However, the bar, wait staff, atmosphere and mussels were outstanding! Definitely worth it and will be back!
Best and freshest mussels around, hands down, and my fiancé and I have tried dozens of restaurants, from fancy to casual in the P.N.W. Great taxidermy collection (and view) to boot!
Post-meal amendment: still 5-stars mussels, but I have to drop the rating on account of a horrible bison-burger and passive-aggressive service. Come here for afternoon mussels and drinks, anything else is uncertain.
Went here with a couple of co-workers and wasn't expecting much. little did I know , the place was awesome! went here on a Thursday night and there was plenty of seats open so that was not an issue. Sat down and noticed lots of decorations hanging around the wall which kept me busy for about 20 minutes staring at everything. Ordered Calamari and their soup of the day , which was Mussel Clam chowder. The food sold me to come here again if I am ever in this part of the town. The clam chowder was amazing!! best i've ever tasted!
Review Source:Rich with the culture of a small fishing town, local patrons add to the ambiance.  We ordered the Fish and Chips (their specialty) and a pound of the streamed mussels. The fish and chips were decent  with thinly battered fish and average fries. Neither my wife or I are huge fans of mussels (we ordered them for the experience) so I can't say how they would stack up against others, but we did enjoy them.
Review Source:We had the cod & chips at Toby's. Â Comes with coleslaw; DH had that and I had a dinner salad (iceberg lettuce, English cuke slices, carrots I think). Â It was all good and fun to sit in a booth, gaze outside at the waterfront view, and just hang out with a plate of good old all-American unhealthy food, alongside a few local people.
Review Source:Its your typical old fishing village tavern. Â Tried a few things, but if you go here to eat and not just drink you're going to want to try the famous Penn Cove mussels. Â Their collected locally and come in a good white wine with butter and onion sauce. Â Beer selection goes well with the food.
Review Source:Visted Toby's on October 12. Â A friend and I were touring around and were planning on taking the Ferry to Friday Harbor - to our disappointment it was sold out. Â So we stopped in at the information center in Anacortes, they offered many options and one being mussels and a beer at Toby's on our way back to Seattle - sounded good to us.
It didn't disappoint it is a local tavern, with a mix of tourists thrown in - the folks at the bar, provided the history of the town. including their love of Toby's. They also recommended the mussels which we were initially coaxed by. Â We had the mussels and a burger, and a few beers from the taps. Â These were both very good, but agree with the others its really not about the food, but the charm and character of the place.
When we left we toured the town (1 block) in speaking with one of the store owners she was getting ready to close down and head to Toby's, it really is the place to be - I think it would be great at night for drinks and hanging out with the locals.
Would defintely go back!
Three of us stopped in at Toby's when we were on Whidbey Island last week. Â It's a great place to visit. Â In some ways, it's almost frozen in time.
They have beers on tap and in bottles/cans from both local and national brands. Â I had an order of their local clams along with a cup of the seafood chowder. Â Prices are right where they should be for this food. Â
The staff at Toby's... I'd call them a hybrid of diner waitress and sassy bartender. Â These are not the typical servers found in corporate chain establishments. Â It's refreshing.
Finally, let's get something straight: Â Toby's is is a tavern with a menu. Â By state law, no persons under 21 are permitted. Â The statute is taken seriously. Â When I was there, there was some whiny family who couldn't get this through their sleep-deprived brains. If you don't like it, call your congressman.
Okay, this is a BAR that serves great pub food. Â No one under 21 allowed, no exceptions. Â No outdoor seating. Â No fake smiles or corporate BS. Â This is a place that slings beer and wine, and does great and simple things with seafood. Â The steamers and the deep fried seafood plate were great. Â The seafood chowder rivaled any restaurant. Â This isn't a five-star joint, but it is everything a proper seaside tavern should be right down to the friendly staff that don't suffer fools gladly, the buffalo head on the wall, and the authentic kitsch items that have accumulated on the walls. Â I hope this place never changes.
Review Source:My hubby and I were driving around on Whidbey Island, and we decided to dine at Toby's Tavern. Â We enjoyed looking at the whimsical furnishings and decorations, and the food was good. Â Not superb, but good. My hubby ordered the grilled oysters, which came with fries and he said they were very good. Â I ordered the deep-fried prawns, and they were good, too. Â We also tried the Toby Tavern Parrot Red Ale, and it was quite good. Â Be sure to check out the view, because when you look out the window, you see an absolutely gorgeous view of Mt. Baker (if the weather is clear). Â We enjoyed our visit, and would return again if we get the opportunity.
Review Source:We had lunch here a couple years ago and came back for more. Â First time, the mussels were great, what I'd expect from Penn Cove mussels. Â And the service was fine. Â This time, the mussels were tiny, as if they'd been harvested too soon and the waitress was so stressed that she couldn't manage a smile and seemed pretty rude. Â For example, a family with kids came in and she glared at them for a while. Â When they asked for a seat she told them that no kids were allowed..."it's right there on the door" referring to a sign to that effect. Â I don't think we'll be going back there.
Review Source:We enjoy Toby's. Â The casual atmosphere with all the memorabilia on the walls and ceiling is our kind of place. Â Their Toby's Parrot Red ale is one of our favorites. Â The staff has always been friendly and the food is delicious, especially the soups. Â The first time we ate here was before we moved to the island and the mussels were great. Â Well a few months ago we tried them again and they were terrible? Â We tried the spicy mussels late at night, so maybe they had been sitting out all day, or maybe it was just a bad batch, or maybe the spicy version ruined it for us. Â Who knows, but besides that the food is top notch bar food; and everyone else loves the mussels so I think we just had a bad batch. Â Did I mention the staff is awesome. Â Even when it is busy they are very attentive and on the ball.
And a huge plus for us is that they don't allow kids.
Friday night was my first experience with this establishment. Â I was invited by some friends and I had a good time. Â Definitely a popular place with locals. Â By 6 o'clock there were no booths available and nearly all of the bar stools were taken. Â Thankfully, some of our group was already there.
We ordered the fried veggie appetizer and the Chuckwagon Burger. Â The burger was good. Â Nothing spectacular but tasty. Â I did not enjoy the vegetables (except the onion rings, the onion rings were awesome) ... too mushy. Â I have issues with mushy textures. Â My gf really liked it, though.
I keep hearing good things about their fish burgers. Â I'm thinking, the next time I go, I'll try one of those.
The service was friendly but sparse. Â I work in food service, so I get that they only had two people there during dinner on a Friday. Â Strikes me as management issue, though. Â The actual wait staff was very helpful and genial, they just seemed spread thin.
Randomly chose this place while wandering through downtown Coupeville. Â The place boasted Fine Foods and Fresh Mussels so we were willing to give it a try.
We walked in and were immediately greeted with the warmth of the tavern. Â The friendly waitress checked our ID's as we sat down and knowledgeably suggested specialties to try. Â
What we tried:
Broiled salmon burger (came with fries and was delicious)
Chili with Cheese and Onions (very hearty and worth the $7)
Fish and Chips (Fish was cod and the whole order was not too oily)
Everything was very good, had large portions, and came out quickly! Â Though it was a little pricey for my liking, it was in the middle of a tourist spot, so the prices made sense.
Every year I come to Coupevile for the Arts & Crafts festival and every year this place is packed. Â I had tried to no avail to eat at this place for years. Â My boyfriend and I finally came back this last weekend - a non-festival weekend - and we managed to snag the only available booth in the joint. Â Victory!
My boyfriend and had the cod fish and chips and I had the seafood combo and chips, which came with cod, shrimp, and clams. Â My plate was literally overflowing with fried goodness. Â I was surprised at how much food there was. Â The clams and shrimp were good, but the cod was the hands down winner of the meal. Â Super dense and super tasty. Â My boyfriend liked the fish as well.
Others have said the service is rude and slow, but we didn't experience anything like that. Â For us, service was pretty quick considering the place was busy. Â Wait staff was generally friendly and helpful. Â
I really wanted to try the mussels, but my boyfriend hates them and there's no way I could have eaten 1 pound by myself! Â I was sad because they are supposedly the best thing on the menu!
The atmosphere is fun and dive-y. Â I'll be back for sure.
Two things that keep me coming back:
1. I come here every year (by boat) for the Penn Cove mussels.
2. I also LOVE that you can go next to the bar and pick a bottle of wine from the rack to enjoy with your food.
Food here is typically very good (mussels are always great). This is a small town, well worn, tavern with a view of the sound. It's great, I wouldn't change a thing).
I'll be back again.
We were determined to find mussels on Whidbey Island!
Food: we ordered 1 pound of mussels which were nicely prepared in a thin broth with onions. Â Probably about 30-40 mussels. Â Simple, but tasty and came with garlic bread. Â Very little sand. Â We would definitely get them again....and only cost $12. Â You can get 2 lbs for $21. Â We also got the fish and chips which is made in-house with cod. Â You get about 4 pieces of fish. Â Breading isn't too thick and didn't taste overly fried or too unhealthy. Â Came with french fries, tartar sauce and cocktail sauce. Â
Drinks: about 5-10 beers on tap in the $4.50-$5.50 range. Â No happy hour specials. Â When asked if there were happy hour specials, I was told "it is always happy hour at Toby's."
Ambiance: probably about a dozen booths and tables. Â Aim for the back booths where you can get nice views of the water. Â There is a large pool table in the center of the bar, which I assume becomes more active in the evening. Â Lots of cool taxidermy on the walls.
Customer service: it can get very busy and sometimes there are lines. Â First come, first serve. Â Wait staff can get overwhelmed quickly and there may be some delays in the frequency with which they come around to your table. Â Expect a little sass from the waitress. Â Don't expect white tablecloth dining here...remember, this is a bar. Â Waitress will come to your table, but you pay at the bar. Â
Street parking. Â Takes credit card. Â They also sell raw mussels if you want to take some home.
Initially, I was looking for a slightly nicer place for seafood, but in reality, all of the mussels come from the same water, so this place is as good as any and a lot cheaper! Â Mussels were excellent, so definitely get that if you go.
Toby's... Oh, Toby's.
First of all, TOURISTS, this is where you can buy those mussels you keep hearing about. Fresh and uncooked, or they have them prepared on their menu.
Otherwise...
They serve typical bar food and have a pretty decent beer selection. Â There is a marlin on the wall and other assorted taxidermist's delights. You may be served by a sweet, grizzled waitress with a grammatically incorrect tattoo. Â It is "small town tavern" at its finest.
But...
It smells like piss. Â As soon as you hit the door, the smell is there. This could be a really great place if it didn't reek of urine. Â Why, why, oh why can those who work there not notice the smell? Is it just ingrained in the building? Â Please, patrons. Control your bladder. It doesn't add character to Toby's, it just keeps me away and scares the tourists.
Even so, I still find myself here from time to time. Â And I am betting that when I move off the island, I'll get nostalgic for it. Â Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and after all... Disizdaplace.
I love Toby's. The best place for fresh mussels, nostalgia and a view of Penn Cove to boot. My wife and I often make this trip from Seattle as a fun day trip. Take the ferry and drive to Coupeville for 2 lbs of steamers and some cold beers. Yummy fish and chips. You can't beat it.
Agree with other reviewers here, this is a tavern so a little bit of attitude should be expected from the servers. I've always found them to be a bit gruff, but generally friendly and accommodating.
I was on Whidbey for one week and went here three times. I still dream about stuffing my face full of those succulent, sweet mussels and dunking the accompanying garlic bread in their sexy, fragrant juices. The mussels here are pulled straight from the cove outside the window, so they are as fresh as my sweet Baby H.'s fat, pink cheeks, and almost as irresistible. They are simply prepared in a broth of onions, garlic, wine and herbs so as to showcase their amazing flavor. Mussels, mussels, mussels. Nothing else matters.
If you care about other things besides amazing mussels, you will appreciate the gorgeous view of Penn Cove, delicious Parrot Red Beer, and the cozy, local feel of the place. I also had a burger one night that was pretty good, and fish n' chips that were amazing.
This place and the service have character!!! Â LUVIN' IT!!!
You walk in and see old beat up wood for the bar, booths, and walls. Â Deer and other heads mounted and hung. Â Fun little sayings all over the place, such as "After 2am, everyone looks beautiful", a picture of the owner with a note saying not to accept checks from this guy, etc. Â
Luckily we got in right before everyone started to show up. Â By the end of our meal, there were plenty waiting for either a table or to sit at the bar. Â This place can get BUSY!!!
Toby's has been known to sell mussels to take home, but that day they were only selling them to eat while there. Â No worries, we stayed and had some. Â Oh so good and oh so fresh, since they harvest them right from the bay below.
The other things we had was a Buffalo burger and the halibut fish and chips. Â
Everything tasted wonderful and the price couldn't be right!!
If you go and drink beer, you must try their red pale ale. Â
A must go to if you like mussels. Â Even if you don't, it's just one of those well known places on the island that I'd say if you haven't gone there and were on the island... You missed out!!!
We stopped in for a beer and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Â There were only 2 waitress and they were slammed, but doing a great job of handling things. Â The food looked good coming out of the kitchen so we planned to go back later for dinner. Â
We returned several hours later looking forward to dinner. Â I ordered Halibut Fish and Chips. Â The Halibut was more expensive than the Cod but I was still looking forward to it. Â Wrong....they fried all the fish in the same oil, so I might as well ordered the Cod for the fish and chips and saved my money. Â Very disappointed in my meal. Â Great Beer stop, just not for dinner.
This little tavern perched right on the edge of Penn Cove serves up mussels of the same name, foraged from the waters right below. Â Can't get any more fresh than that! Â Mussels are served with huge wedges of garlic toast, in a white whine-oniony broth. Â DELICIOUS! Â We wolfed down a 1lb serving together in record time. Â Â
Everything else on the menu was ho-hum, but worth the trip to Coupeville for the mussels alone!
Coupeville is a cute little town with some nice places to eat but  because it's on Whidbey Island--give up on getting excellent prices and customer service. Once you get over that, you'll realize that this is a rad little joint. There's some cool history, (check out the sign above the bar,) location and a gorgeous view of why people come visit this island.
We've been here twice and I can agree that yeah-they do some things really well and others not so much. Their mussels are the best I've ever had and their fresh fish is good too. The burgers and sandwiches off the menu are overpriced cheap diner fare. Come here for beer and some fresh seafood and skip the other garbage on the menu.
Our friend Shannon mentioned her and her mom always make it out here for their mussels. Being with a local we decided to make the trip to Coupeville. Â
This town should have a TV series of its own. Â It felt a little like Northern Exposure but near the water. Â I mean this was a cozy place to be. Â Toby's is situated at the end of the street so we parked our cars on the opposite end and wandered from store to store, until we reached the restaurant. Â This restaurant felt like the Brick in that TV show I mentioned. You could feel the history in the place. The walls had their own story to tell. Â The People could have been characters also. Â We fitted 6 people into a booth. Everyone ordered away. Â All I wanted to try was the mussels and a pint of beer.
When your with friends life just passes by so easily. Â Conversation flowed, beer was drunk and food was consumed. Â The waitress was a holler too. Reminded me of Dolly Parton. Â If you smile coming out it's a fun time.
When you have a day to spend on Whidbey. Stop by this little town and grab a bite to eat at this famous watering hole called Toby's.
In retrospect, we could have done better. Even for bar food.
We went inside (there were 4 of us) at 1:30 on a Sunday afternoon. The woman behind the bar told us there would be a wait for tables and asked us if we'd like to add our name to the list, which we did. The barstools were all occupied, and there was no good place to stand and sip a beer, so I stepped outside and sat on a bench, in the cold, until our table was ready. We only had to wait about 8-10 minutes.
Once we were seated, the waitress asked my brother and me for our IDs. I am fully willing and prepared to present my ID, but the way she asked seemed a bit gruff. She took our drink orders and left.
She soon returned with drinks and took our food orders. She gave us a sob story about not being scheduled to work that day. The whole establishment had a palpable air of being uncoordinated. After our waitress left our table, she went around to the other tables asking if she had taken their order yet.
Our food took a bit longer than we expected for bar food. My salmon burger looked like a frozen salmon patty, not a freshly made salmon burger, yet cost more than a house-made salmon burger from Ray's Cafe in Seattle. The onions were diced and sauteed, leading me to think they were canned and not freshly cut. I would have preferred a few rings of fresh onion. I squeezed my lemon wedge pretty liberally to cover the taste of the less-than-fresh salmon and onions. On the other hand, the french fries were surprisingly good. Despite their thickness, they did not have that unpleasant starchy texture, and they were perfectly salted.
I understand that Toby's is a bar, but if they're serving $16+ entrees at dinner, it seems like they're pretending to be something they're not --- a good restaurant.
AWESOME PLACE! I went to Toby's during a long weekend on Whidbey with my boyfriend. Toby's was recommended to us by the proprietor of our B&B. We went in on a Saturday afternoon about 1pm. It was packed with mostly tourists. We waited for over an hour for a table, but we had a great time drinking beer and chatting and people watching. Once we got a table the food came relatively fast. He got halibut and chips and I got the mussels. It was all extremely good and fresh. We came again on Sunday and had the same experience. Oh, and the Toby's Parrot Red Ale was DELISCIOUS!
We happened to witness two middle-aged couples actually get up and leave after ordering food and waiting less than 15 minutes because the waitress didn't kiss their asses. Yes, the waitresses were surly and yes, they need to hire more help on the floor and yes you'll wait a really long time....But you just need to take it in stride. If you're uptight and in a hurry or can't have some empathy for two busy waitress busting their asses, then don't come here.
This 2-star review is truly an average, or maybe some kind of algorithm taking in account the good, the bad and the ugly of my visit to Toby's. I don't know, I was an English major, so maybe I should just use a metaphor: it was a roller coaster ride.
We went to Toby's partially because of the high score on Yelp. We ordered a bowl of mussels, which I specifically noted we were sharing, and then my husband ordered a fried seafood plate and I ordered a basket of fried veggies. We settled in with our beers and enjoyed the view, and the service, which was friendly at first.
For no apparent reason, they brought the basket of veggies first, and we had to wait a long time for our other food. In the meantime, on this Saturday in late June, the place was filling up, and there were only two girls working the whole room, the bar, cashiering, etc., and one of them was completely out of it. People were lining up at the bar. This was only a couple of days after Michael Jackson died, and they started playing Billie Jean super loud. They gave an older patron at the bar a Michael Jackson glove and he did a little MJ dancing.
So we're having fun up to this point, despite the fact that my meal was brought as the app and the other food has not arrived yet -- who cares, it's a fun place, etc. My husband ordered another beer, she brought it and our food, and that was the last we saw of our waitress. My beer ran out and we had all this food to eat. I sat there forever, just getting more and more thirsty -- they had never even brought us water, and I was driving so I didn't want to drink more than one beer, but had to take sips from his to keep a little hydrated.
At one point, the place was packed with people milling about everywhere, and I went up to the bar where my waitress was pouring someone else a glass of water, and I asked her if I could have one too. She snapped at me "Yes but you are going to have to go sit down and wait for it!!" She did eventually bring me one, but it was way at the end of the meal.
And about the meal. . . Â the food was OK. just OK. The fried veggies were the cheapest item and the best. The seafood plate was way too expensive for what it was, and the mussels were just sitting in a bowl of salt water with some odd looking herbish things in there -- should have just left them out.
All in all, the food was edible but the service totally turned me off and I would not return to this place. Sometimes you put up with bad service in a dive bar because the food is awesome, or cheap, but the food here was neither.
This place was really fun - if you're in Coupeville and want a casual restaurant with reasonably-priced, tasty food and beer, go to Toby's. Â This wasn't the best food I've eaten (the mussels were good, but not out-of-this world, and the halibut fish and chips were downright not-so-good [the fish was really dry]), but we had a great time people-watching.
(Also, either go early, or be prepared for a wait.)
Lots of atmosphere, and a great place to get local seafood and a pint or two to wash it down.
If you're looking for clean & polished, Toby's isn't it. If you're looking for fabulous service, Toby's isn't it either.
If you want a beer and some steamed mussels in Coupeville, Toby's would be the place.
I love Toby's! It's the perfect tavern. I wish it were closer, I'd be here all the time, but then it wouldn't be the same. There's no better place to get a bowl full of Penn Cove mussels then at Toby's on the banks of Penn Cove. Whenever we visitors in town we like to take the trip out here, complete with a nice ferry ride and some sightseeing at hiking at deception pass, but there's no disguising the fact that we're really just making the trek so we can go to Toby's.
We like to sit at the booth at the corner, that way everyone gets gorgeous views of Penn Cove. We always order at least a large bowl of mussels, which are the best, but the fish and chips, garlic bread (dipped in the mussel juice!) and onion rings are also delicious. Â When the seafood is coming from all of 10 ft away, it's darn good. Toby's also makes their own beer, make sure you try some. They also have an impressive selection of root beers. It's just a great place to come with friends and family, eat, drink, and be merry.
Toby's Five Star Check List...
Check - there are dead animals on the wall. Â
Check - people leave their baseball caps on the dead animals. Â
Check - none of the dead animals have been used in the making of your dinner.
Check - several of the booths are completely lopsided and too cramped for some of the "larger" folks out there. Â
Check - for a party larger than 5 people or when things are very busy they will use the pool table as an extra dining table.
Check - some of the best fish 'n' chips, mussels, clams, sandwiches and burgers you can get in Washington.
Check - a great place to eat and drink with friends and family.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE TOBY'S!!!! Â Â When I was in elementary school back in the 80's living on the island, my grandma used to walk our lil' butts down to Front Street and make us wait outside (had to be of legal drinking age to set foot in there) while she ordered us some good ol' shrimp and fries! Â Like I said, that was back in the 80's...
Fast forward to summer 2006...
I went back to visit the island with H. Â I always talked about how much I wanted to go back and actually GO IN to eat, so we did. Â I was soooo excited!!!! Â There we were, in the grungy tavern and all the time knowing that I'm gonna grind like I haven't eaten in a zillion days. Â We ordered beer and a bowl of mussels for appetizer. Â We also ordered a big ol' greasy Toby burger and of course shrimp and fries. Â Anyway, we got the mussels first and lemme tell ya... it was hella big and hella good!!!! Â AHHHHH... how I MISSED the Pacific Northwest!!!!!! Â We were grindin' and then our lunch came. Â We looked at the lunch and looked at the monster size bowl of mussels we just attacked and then sighed. Â That was gluttony at it's worse. Â I thought I was gonna puke. Â I was forcing myself to eat these shrimp cuz it was so darn gooood! Â BUT! Â I ate too much mussels that were so darn gooood!!!!! Â
Allz I gotsa say is this place rocks! Â The servers aren't the friendliest, but I always remembered motorcycle gangs hanging out in the front of the tavern when I was little sooo... it's all about the territory you're treading into. Â BUT! Â I'm not here to make friends! Â Unless you happen to be a monster size bowl of mussels that are beggin' to be eaten or a big ol' glass of Toby's own Parrot Ale or a plate of shrimps and fries or a yummy Toby's grease burger. Â mmmmm.... Â what do I do now? Â I've just worked myself up to something I ain't gonna have for a loooooong while.
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