3 Best Restaurants in The San Juan Islands, Washington

Ingenuity and dedication to local ingredients are hallmarks of this stylish, contemporary restaurant, where locals and tourists alike come for dishes such as baked oysters, mushroom panzanella, San Juan Island–raised lamb shoulder cooked in fig leaves, and a popular house burger; during the summer, the hotel's outdoor Raw Bar serves seafood and frozen cocktails. The restaurant's daily breakfast is popular with islanders and convenient for hotel guests: the brunch burger, topped with a fried egg and green-tomato-and-bacon jam, and breakfast poutine with duck confit and cheese curds make for decadent starts to your day.

For a special-occasion dinner, it's worth the drive to this grandly romantic dining room inside the historic main inn at Rosario Resort, known for polished service, sweeping bay views, and Northwest cuisine. The dishes are more classic than creative, like king salmon with risotto and a seared strip steak with potatoes au gratin, but made with high-quality ingredients (some sources are listed on the menu). Brunch is served daily, as well.

One of the latest upscale farm-to-table restaurants to put the San Juan Islands on the culinary map (reservations strongly recommended), Ursa Minor is helmed by Nick Coffey, formerly of the now-closed Sitka & Spruce in Seattle. He celebrates the Islands' incredible bounty with a creative seasonal menu featuring seafood, foraged mushrooms, and produce from island farms.