South Sound seafood fans just scored a win: Ivar’s is dropping anchor in Gig Harbor this week, opening a new Seafood Bar in the Uptown area with indoor seating and a sunny outdoor patio. The latest outpost brings the Puget Sound institution’s classic fish and chips and chowder a lot closer to diners who would rather skip the bridge traffic. To mark the debut, the company is rolling out a public ribbon-cutting and a grand-opening giveaway.
Grand opening and giveaway
Ivar’s will host a ribbon-cutting at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, April 3, followed by regular service and a drawing that will net one lucky winner free fish and chips for a year. The contest is limited to one entry per person. The new spot, in Uptown’s Point Fosdick Square, will seat more than 80 guests inside and roughly 30 on the patio. Hours are set for 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, according to the company’s announcement and local reporting by The News Tribune.
Menu and quick-service style
The Seafood Bar will stick with Ivar’s greatest hits: fish and chips, clams and chips, broiled salmon Caesar salads and white clam chowder. The menu may also feature a few crossovers, including some Kidd Valley burgers, along with expanded chicken and salad options. Ivar’s lists the address and key menu items on its Ivar's page.
Local context and hiring
The company signed a lease late last year for the former Lunchbox Laboratory space at 4901 Point Fosdick Drive. Local reporting notes that the larger footprint helped Ivar’s beef up both its menu plans and staffing. The Uptown shopping center, anchored by Safeway and Kohl’s, offers built-in visibility for drive-by diners and grocery shoppers, and Ivar’s expects to hire roughly a dozen staffers for the new restaurant, according to Gig Harbor Now. The company also says this will be its first location west of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in at least 25 years, per The News Tribune.
For the latest on hours, hiring and any tweaks to the menu, check the official location page before heading over to order a basket. Ivar's.
