Puffin On 101

I love Puffin on 101!
I’d describe both the menu and the interior as «delightfully offbeat without being over-​the-​top». Their burgers — I’ve gotten them twice but forget the exact names — are great. My drinks have been well-​made and reasonably priced. It’s very unassuming from the outside — I wasn’t expecting it to be as nice as it was when I first stopped in.
By far the strongest thing about this bar (which is reflected in everything else) is its staff. I’m still rather new to the area and getting my bearings, and the thing that has kept me coming back has been the attentiveness and friendliness of the employees. Whenever I’ve gone to Puffin (three times in less than two weeks) I’ve been made to feel very welcome, which means a lot.

Food sizes were generous, prices were a little high for the area. 11.75 for the Garlic Pork. It had flavor but not melt in your mouth flavor. My only real complaint was the rice was colder so when I ate a bite of pork and rice it was lukewarm. The décor was fun. The staff were really nice and the waffle fries that my companion got were good.

Best food in Forks hands down. Fish tacos and salads are great! Our server Annie went far and beyond what was expected. A++++

When this restaurant popped up on the side of the 101 right outside of the humble little town of Forks, we stopped in, honestly not expecting much but lured in by the prospect of Caribbean food on a cold, wet night. The Puffin more than exceeded our expectations.
Right off the bat, we couldn’t stop drooling over the aesthetics of the place. Beautiful exposed wood rafter ceilings, eclectic yet tasteful puffin photography and art, beautiful penny top tables, and a really cool tree slab bar counter that the owner made himself. The design was clean and refined, while still reflecting and representing the local logging heritage with their choice of building materials. The manager of their other location down in Portland was visiting for the grand opening and she was happy to fill us in on the details of the recent renovation.
As for the food, what a delightful surprise! Highly recommend starting the meal off with the steamer clams. Ohhh boy, these could not have been more on point. A lovely wine broth with lemon, garlic and bell peppers, topped with shaved parmesan and just barely wilted spinach. My new favorite way to enjoy clams and would come back to this restaurant just for this dish!
We also got the Cuban sandwich, which was super tasty in every respect with perfectly seasoned garlic pork, ham and pickles. Our one suggestion for the restaurant would be to put lettuce or the ham on the bottom so the bread doesn’t get soggy.
Our last dish was the jerk chicken salad. The jerk chicken was spicy, complex and bursting with flavor, although could be served with more of the juices as it was just a tad bit dry. The salad was a lovely mix of romaine and cabbage slaw, studded with bits of pineapple and avocado. It came with a slightly-​too-​sweet but still tasty mango habanero vinaigrette.
Puffin still has a few grand opening wiggles to work out, but we definitely see a bright future for this place. The staff was incredibly friendly, the ambiance is a nice break from the old american pub grubs that are scattered around this area, and the food is unique and much welcomed here in the gloomy rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula. We will be recommending this place to friends who are travelling in this area, and we’ll be telling our Air BnB host to list it in her local guide book!

The food here is insanely delicious, a total flavor punch to the mouth… I went to New Orleans two years back a had some exceptional Caribbean food… I’ve had a craving for those flavors ever since and found them here at Puffins, in the most unlikely place! I made our group eat here twice in 24 hours and would have again, had we not been just making a day trip to the area.
The first time I went with the Jerk burger… holy yes, finally some food with a little bit of heat! Great flavors on the burger itself, and the spicy mustard must have been horseradish, accompanied by habanero ranch… sooo good! The bun held up well, as did their napkins – really nice touch, especially with food that can get a little messy. I also had the bloody hell Mary which was yummy and had green beans as well as olives. Yassss.
Second time I went for the fish and chips, if only because their waffle fries would have haunted my dreams otherwise (I really, really like waffle fries, okay). The fish was halibut, and it was literally perfect… the crispy outside, the breading to fish ratio, the tenderness that let it practically melt… I could go on but really, you need to stop reading this review and go get some!
The interior was super cute, and the chef was so sweet and informative. She cooked both of our meals and I attribute their level of perfection to her – I wish I could shrink her down into a keychain and have her cook for me all the time. Y’know, in a non creepy way. Hopefully this place will still be as awesome without her, as she mentioned she was in town to train the other chefs that will be working there. If so, I’ll make it a point to come to Forks every time I’m in Washington! Obsessed and in food-​love.