The Boarding House

Hadn't been to this restaurant for years. Was happy it was still there. Wow have the prices gone up. Almost $20.00 for half a sandwich, cup of soup, and cookie. Turkey sandwich was good, but small. Lentil soup needed more veggies in it, but had good flavor. Had to ask for crackers which an employee had to go get out of the back. And which vere extremely stale and inedible. Had to ask for my cookie which she forgot to give me....Simply not as good as it used to be.

FYI - cash only. But don't let that deter you. We happened upon this tiny place while driving out of Seattle and looking for lunch. The chicken salad and egg salad sandwiches we had were outstanding and the rhubarb crisp for desert was to die for. Topped with homemade whipped cream - perfection! The owner was very chatty and friendly and made sure we were happy with our meal. We ate out on the tiny back patio covered in shade by the old growth trees surrounding the house. Simply amazing. If we are ever in the area again this will be our first choice for lunch.

My daughter and I did some shopping and stopped here for the first time to relax and have lunch. I had a great 1/2 sandwich special (grilled black forest ham) and a salad and my daughter had the potato soup and vegetarian sandwich. All tasted wonderful and was fresh. The owner (?) was friendly, the atmosphere relaxed and it feels a little like Grandma's dining room. I also liked being able to see into the kitchen and watch them carve a whole turkey for sandwiches. I will definitely go back and next time I will have the turkey...

We’ve been coming to The Boarding House for decades. It’s always been my reliably good lunch restaurant. Not anymore. Arrived at lunchtime yesterday. The line to place the order at the counter was long. I understand that since covid restaurants had supply issues. Many have limited menus now, but the Boarding House has kept the same menu. By the time we got to the front of the line, only a few hours from opening, the menu selection was probably halved. We tried to order, but the woman taking orders replied they were out of that and walk off. She took forever to return to tell us they were out of our 2nd choice. Then she walked off again. Now we were very hungry so ordered our 3rd choice which was their BLT with guacamole. Somewhere in the process I told the counter person I didn’t want mayo. But this information didn’t carry on to the final choices I had made. The guac and mayo collapsed the sandwich. I took the sandwich back to the counter and noted I requested no mayo. The counter person, kept repeating, within ear shoot of staff and customers, that I hadn’t made that request. I can only guess she was protecting herself and trying to embarrass me. The cook replaced the bread instead of the whole sandwich. I said that was fine, even though it really wasn’t, for by then we’d paid for our meal and was willing to eat anything they served. We will not be returning to the Boarding House.

I don’t live in the area but I chose to go here while I visiting because my mother had always taken me here as a child. I was thrilled to take my son here because this was a favorite memory for me as a child. As soon as I walked in (2:45 pm) the first thing the older lady said to me, in a snappy voice, was that she was closing at 3pm. No friendly welcome greeting or anything... I really didn’t feel very welcomed. Because of this, I asked if she could the order to-go. Which she could. She hurriedly asked me what I wanted but I didn’t even get to see a menu. Once I was found it, the second I looked at it, she asked me what I wanted. I hurriedly ordered the special, 1/2 sandwich, cup of soup & a salad. I wish I had more time to look at the menu because I would have realized to order a slice of cheese and tomato. The food was absolutely delicious, however my cup of chowder was only filled 2/3 full, so I was a little disappointed. I give my visit 2 stars (even though the food was so delicious) because the service was that bad & unfriendly. Even my 15 year old son noticed and mentioned he didn’t think the lady wanted us here.... the was 2 other gals in the kitchen who seemed to be more pleasant (and older Asian lady and a young girl). I really do think the older gal (I think the owner) should re-evaluate her attitude, especially during these times.... we have so many choices in what restaurants we want to support during this pandemic, a friendly attitude with your patrons can go a long way. I honestly have no desire to ever return, which I find to be really sad.