Southend General Store & Restaurant

Very nice place, good food, and friendly staff. It’s separated from the the small general store by a partition – ambience isn’t great – it feels like you’re eating in a space connected to a small general store – but that’s the only downside.

The Southend Restaurant is not closed and has not moved. Mariah and JK (who initially opened, operated and led the cooking at the Southend restaurant) are opening a new restaurant, Haven, in the village in mid-​April 2015. The old location (Southend) is still open, with the same name and different management and kitchen. Sadly, the food is no longer very good. The service is friendly, but also not very good.
Crab cakes did not have fresh crab and they were smothered in an overly sweet sauce.
Wedge salad was made with little gem lettuces and smothered in blue cheese dressing and topped with flaccid bacon.
Caesar salad lettuce was wilted and smothered (there’s a theme here) in an overly sweet, likely bottled dressing.
Fried green beans were salty and came with sriracha aioli — overall, okay.
Presentation of the chicken fettuccine special was terrible — served in high lipped bowl. The dish itself received mixed reviews — sauce was thin and dish was overall bland, but was the best item the table ordered … and, the old school garlic bread was tasty (but could have been better toasted).
They didn’t have the tomato bisque to accompany the grilled cheese sandwich — too bad, because that’s one of the only things on the menu I wanted to order.

Out of the way a bit, but so worth it! Great homemade and quite eclectic menu; I had the portabella french dip, unbelievable! The crab cakes were so good we ordered a few to go for happy hour later. Also great carnitas tacos, better than lots we’ve had in san Diego. We hit this place twice in 3 days!

Great food and service. The vegetarian French dip the so good! Love the bread. Bread fried pickles ever!

A great little quirky neighborhood restaurant. Some locally sourced and some Cisco type ingredients (ex…local clams but bulk garlic in the broth) Come here for a fun and eclectic menu and relaxed vibe. Food is good, but a step below great. Mostly locals dining on the night we (out of town visitors) were there, but it felt really welcoming anyway. Reasonable prices, reasonable quality, funky décor.

In the back of the SouthEnd (formerly Islandale) Store there’s a friendly, good restaurant. My kids think they make the best burger anywhere. Sweet potato fries are good — not the soggy or overdone ones served at many places. Tofu plate is nice assortment with miso soup and fresh roll. Wide variety of items on the menu from baked brie to steamer clams to breaded chicken sandwich to specials such as fresh halibut.

Consistently some of the best food on the island, and that’s saying something– the fare on the South End of the island is sparse (if not entirely nonexistent) so having a restaurant and market of this quality is insanely cool.
Everything I’ve had at the restaurant has been amazing– the portobello French dip, the veggie tacos, the guacamole, fried pickles, steak dog– and I can’t wait to make my way through the rest of the menu. It’s totally worth making room for dessert, as well; the apple pie is homemade, melts in your mouth, and oh god I want another slice even though I’m sitting here in a decent food coma. THAT GOOD.
Kudos also for the awesome décor, bandana napkins, gracious and talented hosts/​owners, and a killer market that’s great to have when you don’t want to drive up to the village. I know most people don’t make it down south on Lopez, but the 20 minute drive for dinner is totally worth it! Scout’s honor.

Great little place on the south end of Lopez. Unassuming café in the back of a cute grocery store and everything we ordered was tasty and well prepared. We went twice for lunch duirng our week on Lopez.

We were shopping at the South End General Store on Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands of Washington State when my son took a look at the menu for the attached restaurant. We went back the next evening for dinner and had the best meal of our trip. Variety, economy and quality all in one. The dining area is separated from the store so it’s not like your eating on Aisle 4! Tried another place the next night and ended up wishing we’d gone back to South End! Biggest disappointment: they were out of the Gooey Chocolate Cake.

Great little hideaway on the south part of the island. We tried it this evening and were impressed by the great food. Off the beaten track, but worth the nice drive to the south part of the island. Highly recommend.

I love the South End Restaurant! After my parents moved out to the San Juan islands a year ago, this local gem quickly became our favorite place to eat out! The food is always fresh, they have a great selection of beer and wine, and the service is always quick and friendly! If you haven’t ventured down to this South End hot spot you must – you won’t be disappointed!

We love, love, love this place! Don’t let the fact that this Café is attached to the General Store fool you into thinking you’re getting corn dogs and greasy jojo’s. Although if they made them i’m sure they would be delightful. The menu is a perfect fusion of scrumptious burgers to Asain veggie salad rolls, to deep fried pickles. YUMMM! the food is excellent! My wife keeps saying shes dreaming about the fresh salad rolls. And you have to try Mariah’s homemade cookies. This is the perfect place to come and have lunch and some beers after a great morning of kayaking or biking. Mariah and JK have really created a sweet little spot. We will be coming back for sure.
Oh yeah they have cool napkins too!!!
Jimmy Kennedy
Portland, OR

Biking around Lopez I was thrilled to pedal past this place. Sure, my lunch was ok. But supplementing it with beer (really, REALLY good selection) and some candy made it way better.
The folks were nice and let us fill up our waterbottles in the bathroom, and the prices weren’t bad. I was impressed at what a wide selection of good they had. If you’re around the island this is a great spot to stop and refuel.

Seriously, we weren’t expecting a lot, given it’s nearing the end of tourist season and this restaurant is in back of a general store, but WOW! Rustic charm, perfectly prepared food and great service. Our salads were delicious and our burgers and sandwiches were divine. Simple, fresh and well-​chosen local ingredients make this menu shine. Save room for dessert, the gooey chocolate cake and matrimonial cake (and a variety of cookies and pies) are made from scratch daily and are better than Grandma’s!
Really, this review could have been a simple «YUM!!» but I figured you’d want to know why.

We live about 2-​miles away and eat here 1 – 2 times each week. The food is great and j.k. Makes the best burger you will ever eat. BTW service is great! You will not be disappointed.

We specifically drove down to the south part of the island (about 15 minutes) to have dinner. Many locals told us about how good the food is. We were not disappointed. The food was fresh, flavorful and plentiful. We started off with the chips, guaca/​salsa. The salsa seemed too peppery for me but the guacamole was great. We then shared the carnita tacos and the BLAT (bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato) with the sweet potato fries. The family who manages this café is very friendly and charming. We really enjoyed our time here and think you will too. Don’t let the little drive dissuade you.

First time and we loved it! food and service was great! When we come back to the island we will definitely take the short drive south for a yummy meal at the Sourh End General Store Resraurant.

New owners, new menu, spruced up seating area — and a big surprise in the variety, quality — and FUN, personable waitress, Mariah. She and her hubby are there every day 12 – 8 except Tuesday…
The food is VERY good, lots of variety on the menu, fresh ingredients. Try the Hot Mexican Mess — a kind of huevos rancheros, only better; the portobello mushroom sandwich aus jus (vegetarian!); the house salad with homemade «miso ranch» dressing… wine is inexpensive by the glass, good beer. All round a huge asset to the lil island of Lopez!