Mosquito Fleet Chili

Mussels were excellent. We came in behind a large band of Canadian motorcycle and tri-​motorcycle riders on a Sunday so it was a bit of a wait but well worth it. Super nice folks, cool spot. Will be back. Huzzah Coupeville.

Ordered mussels, for 30+ minutes were assured by waiter that our order is coming. Order never came, we left without eating (and having detained the group we were with by this futile wait). Won’t come again.

My favorite place to eat on Whidbey Island! My wife and I always get Edamame as the appetizer and either the Tomato Basil soup with the Grilled Cheese or the Pulled Pork sandwich. Either way you can’t go wrong! I’ve also had the clam chowder which is amazing. The atmosphere of the restaurant is quiet and comfortable, so it’s even perfect to go on a rainy day. The waiter who I think is the owner has got to be one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, and I am always pleased with this restaurant’s service.

Everything here seems to be not fresh or frozen. The quiche and bisque seemed reheated or microwaved. I got diarrhea on top of that, I guess they didn’t microwave it long enough. Service here is really slow because the owner is hosting and taking food order. I saw multiple people standing at the counter waiting for the owner to give them the bill. I’m never coming back here again.

Best mussels on the island. Period.
The Thai spin put on this fresh and locally grown shellfish is divine. They are served with a couple of slices of their excellent homemade bread that is perfect for soaking up the addicting sauce. A must-​try for mussel lovers!
Friendly service in a historic building with a great view over Penn Cove through large picture windows.

We decided to give MFC a try after perusing all six gastronomical options on Coupeville’s main street because it appeared to be an honest and forthright hole-​in-​the-​dock type place and we queried two exiting diners who gave it a thumbs up. It was a great choice! Chowder: par excellence, chili: wonderful, cornbread: delightful, view: seaworthy, service: exceptional, price: reasonable, gas stove: cozy.

I was very pleased with the namesake chili. The mussels are great — very fresh. The menu is eclectic — I’ve never seen such different influences in one place. But the restaurant executes all this very well. It seems popular with locals. If I lived here, you could count me as a regular.

The food was good but don’t expect to be blown away. I had the chili and it was good, my wife had the pulled pork and it was pretty good as well– but it wasn’t something we’d rave about. Don’t take this as any complaint bout the food! It is good.
HOWEVER! The service, the décor, the atmosphere, and the VIEW is incredible. The construction in pioneering northwestern– bold, solid wood everywhere. The decoration and ambiance seems to be Southeast Asian. The huge windows right on the waterfront offer remarkable views of the sea and the wharf. There is even at least one small window in the floor to check out below. There is a pair of binoculars to look around as well– and I have seen pods of harbor orcas swimming around the wharf before in the spring. The service is very nice and accommodating. Will definitely go back.

Hearty chili, generous size tuna sandwich with a great view of water. The service was fast..

Great food in a warm and comfortable environment. Fast service and also a great view of Penn Cove.

Chili was excellent, as were the mussels! Were here on a sleepy Sunday late afternoon in November, so was kind of empty, but really happy we stopped. Owner was really friendly too, which is always appreciated.

Amazing chili! And the sandwiches on their freshly baked olive beard are very good! Highly recommended.

Simple menu, eclectic/​casual interior, yet million dollar views, friendly service and the best mussels I’ve had in Coupeville. Homemade soups, chowder, chili with a homemade corn muffin or bread for $ 6.50. Family friendly and a great outdoor patio seating area. I also enjoy the farmers pie (a quiche with a hash brown crust for those avoiding gluten) is yummy and is served with fruit for $ 9.50. It’s my «go to» lunch spot in Coupeville!

We did not get the namesake chili but thought the Penn Cove mussel dish alone was worth the visit. It’s traditional with a twist of Thai, cooked in a traditional wine broth but then served with one of my favorite condiments in the world, spicy Thai seafood sauce (usually a concoction of fish sauce, lime, chili, garlic, etc). Served with grilled white bread. We also got the tomato bisque with grilled cheese which was mediocre, more of a kid pleaser and the bisque was more soupy than creamy. Loved eating out on the patio and food came out quick for us.

A delicious little stop on the Coupeville waterfront!
My girl and I stopped in for lunch on a rainy Sunday afternoon. She ordered the grilled cheese and tomato bisque, I went for the Salmon quiche and cup of the chowder.
Her Grub:
The grilled cheese was well crafted, soft, griddled bread, nicely melted cheddar cheese and a buttery crunch for good measure! The tomato bisque was spot on as well! Not to brothy, not too creamy with good tomato flavor! They should call this the Goldilocks Tomato Bisque because it was just right!!!
My Grub:
Presentation looked great, a nice salad and wedge of watermelon with quiche in between. Everything tasted delicious and fresh… except the quiche crust… not sure if it was they way they keep it warm or I it was an issue with reheating. but the crust was spongy and not crisp and flaky as I was hoping. Still, overall it was delicious!
The chowder was another spectacular bit!!! Served with a nice sized slice of griddled olive bread for a perfect pairing! A nice creamy chowder with good sized chunks of clam and potato! My one issue… Hormel type bacon bits sprinkled on top of the chowder… I had to give it a «C’mon Man!!!» Honestly who makes a masterful chowder like this but doesn’t take the time to make their own bacon or bacon garnish!!!
The atmosphere is great, the place is well kept and clean, but the couple of food issues prevent me from giving 5 stars!

Good soups and sandwiches, and had a great view overlooking Penn Cove. Stopped in after taking the ferry back from Pt. Townsend. I’d eat here again next time I’m in the area.

We wanted a nice spot by the water with a view for a beer and light supper. This is the spot. With a great little patio that is also pet friendly. The owner is super friendly and we enjoyed speaking with him. I had the tomato basil soup. It was light and full of flavor not super heavy like some I’ve had. We will be back! Keep up the good work.

Delicious food. Coming from Maryland seafood is a big deal; their clam chowder was amazing.
Was told there are new owners. This will be their first busy season.

Horrible. One of the worst restaurants I’ve ever eaten at due to the poor service and customer experience. Reasons for my low rating:
— No formalized system for placing orders, a customer line, or being able to get seated.
— After seating ourselves, waiting over 40 minutes for someone to finally come to our table to take our order and give us water & utensils.
— Another hour wait to get our food after the initial 40 minute wait.
— Cold food.
— Poorly trained/​understaffed personnel (not their fault but definitely the owner’s fault).
My review stems from attending the Penn Cove Mussel Festival, which had a lot of visitors pouring into the town. That being said, I feel this is not an excuse for such horrible service. I grew up in a WA town that’s main source of livelihood is tourism, and have never seen a restaurant perform so poorly.
My party (three of us in all) were not the lone patrons that experienced this either. Every single table in that restaurant had the same issues as us, many of whom ended up walking out of anger and frustration.

I think there are new owners. I’m not sure about that, but I have to hope that’s the case; that new owners are cutting their teeth on the restaurant business and are in «practice-​mode» now. I haven’t been here before but I’ll tell you that the rock star Unilocal reviews brought us in the other day… and uh… well…hmm…
The bakery items in the case looked pretty good, so we ordered a couple of cinnamon rolls. They had that soft texture that baked goods get when they’ve been exposed to humidity and aren’t fresh :/​The harder baked parts were good, as was the cinnamon and sugar inside. But, I couldn’t finish it.
Regarding regular food, let’s start with the scary, and move to the good:
My friends ordered the «pie» thing. An egg and sausage quiche with a hashbrown crust. It SOUNDED great on paper but looked like a car wreck. The raw potatoes weren’t treated properly for the hashbrowns, as they were black and had that strange sulphuric taste. You need to keep them in water until you’re ready to use fresh-​cut potatoes guys!!! As a result, the whole dish tasted off (I had to try even though I don’t eat sausage) and scared my friends :/​
Another ordered the tuna melt, which I didn’t taste, but I thought it was funny that they sprinkled packaged shredded cheese on it. A cheese slice, or melted grated cheese would have been more appropriate *chuckle*
I ordered the chicken sandwich on olive bread (the sandwiches come with Lay’s-style potato chips and fruit.) I was actually looking forward to the olive bread! And… they baked canned black olives into the center of the bread… there were 3 circles of olive in there… But, the rest of the sandwich was good! The watermelon wasn’t very good, so I only nibbled at it and a few of the chips.
The coffee was strong – our whole group appreciated that. The experience as a whole, was… not great. The folks are nice though! ‘Hope they figure out the food issues.