Rustica

Hosted our private event last night, and couldn’t be happier with the experience! Staff was awesome and accommodating. Food was perfect, delicious, and prompt. Management was engaged and welcoming. Highly recommended for private events or a great meal!

All I have to stay is… I’m so glad I found this place. Food was so delightful, ambiance was very cool and welcoming. I think I’ll be a regular here. Sara was very nice and attentive. I had the lunch lasagne and it melted in my mouth and my husband had the chicken fettuccine and that was also so smotheringly delicious, even the water was tasty, we cannot wait to return. This is definitely OAK HARBORS GEM!
P.s.
I know smotheringly is not a word but that was a great description.

Ok 3 stars for how much it has changed portion wise. The chefs and service is still amazing 5 stars for them but I can tell the owners definitely have a lack of business compared to busy season and literally the portions are cut in HALF if not more but the price surely is the same. My husband and I would go there just about ever weekend for date night I love the food. AMAZING taste but now that we get a salad for the same price yet it looks like a pinch of salad we were VERY disappointed. I get that they need to save since business is slow but don’t make it so obvious.

Who expects good food in Oak Harbor? I travel around the country and am consistently disappointed with the food in Skagit county (where I live) so Oak Harbor is surely worse because it is an out of the way military town.
So I kept it simple and ordered the Alfredo with the pancetta adding the grilled chicken. The grilled chicken… What can I say… Moist… Did I mention flavorful? How about Moist? It was mouth wateringly (new word) perfect. The Alfredo was no slouch either and one of the best I have ever had. The only negative I can add was the menu’s were not as professional as I would have expected given the quality of the food and the ordered salad came out after the main course…

so good. Excellent pizza, great wine selection, lovely atmosphere.

Great place for a nice light dinner. I had the pomadoro with meatballs and they were excellent. Loved the decorating, very creative. Staff was very friendly and helpful, we felt very welcome, would go back when in town.

Super impressed with the menu options at Rustica! Really great atmosphere at and one of the only places open on Sunday’s on pioneer! Oak harbor should take note of some of the things going on at this restaurant — can’t wait to eat here again!

Don’t bother. Slow. Not worth the wait for the food. Kid options were fine, but subpar when they hit the table. We would not return under any circumstances… ever. We arrived the first of four tables… and after 45 minutes with two tables already eating… wondered what could cause such a delay. This place will be out of business within 12 months.

The most amazing creamy polenta and tender short ribs I’ve ever had! I’d eat them all the time if I could. The staff was super friendly and everything was clean.

Great place! My husband and I went here for a date lunch and we weren’t let down.
We were sat by Andrew who helped us pick a wine. He helped us when we had questions about the wines and even food. When it came to desert– a whole other level of awesome! We had the chicken Alfredo for lunch which was great. My husband and I split a one portion meal and it was great. We then got the ricotta cheesecake– YUM!
It was such a pleasant experience, that we came back tonight and experienced the wine tasting event.
We actually met the owner– who also owns our other favorite place on the island. Flyers.
Overall– great experience and we can’t wait to come back :)

Great find in Oak Harbor. Nice cozy atmosphere. A little upscale without being snobby. Great wine selection & waiter was very knowledgeable about pairings.

What a great place to bring a date, family when they are in town, etc. Great atmosphere! A lot of unique dishes on the menu. The lasagna was something speactacular! Doesn’t come with a traditional tomato sauce, it comes with a gravy. Really good! Great wine menu. Good amount of seafood choices, too.

Went out for a quick lunch with my nieces and I was so glad we stumbled upon Rustica. The atmosphere and décor is fantastic and the menu is exceptional. The kids loved their meals and the cheesecake was good too!

First things first; Noël Huerta is an amazing chef! Rustica is lucky to have her. As for the restaurant, I really enjoyed the atmosphere. very good vibes, relaxing music, wonderful wine and the food taste delicious, I’m really looking forward to trying out the brunch, specifically the grits and shrimp. I give this restaurant an A+. Oak Harbor needs a place like this. It really is a place for all types, as long as you enjoy delicious wine and good food

Great fresh chicken Alfredo. A very small and simple menu of tasty dishes to choose from.

The hot turkey fontina sandwich was so good it made me feel like there was no point my even trying to cook again. It would never be as good.

Great atmosphere, upscale for the area but still feels casual. The outside deck is great for summertime. The food changes periodically to stay fresh.
The portions can be small and appetizers never seem to come in odd numbered portions so it’s hard to share.

Stopped by around 10AM on a Saturday to grab some coffee and sandwiches for our day out at Deception Pass state park. The sandwiches took 15 minutes to make and when we bit into them a few hours later sadly learned that the bread was quite stale. Nooooo! The death of any good sandwich.
Coffee was good as was a muffin we got. We didn’t stay but our two year old was quick to discover they had crayons, always a nice touch.
Space has lovely rustic décor and guy. At the counter was very sweet.

It was just ok. I guess I expected more since many of the other Unilocal reviews put Rustica on such a pedestal.
The whole setup was nice and had a minimalist vibe to it. The music was pleasing as we listened to music of the 50s.
But at 12 in the afternoon on a Saturday, we were the only customers and the dead silence was unnerving.
The waiter was adequate, she was presentable and willing to give her insights on the food and wine selections.
But the food was the reason I was there. I thought I’d find relatively authentic Italian food that I could try. I had the pasta linguine and my friend had a panini. I’m no expert on foods but it just didn’t taste that great, nothing about the food felt whole or even Italian. Also there were too much mussels in my pasta and not so much of the noodles, which I really disliked. I didn’t even know mussels went with pasta.
That establishment seems like the kind of place people would force themselves to like because its just different.
My expectations were high and I was disappointed.
The wine was pretty good though.
Would I reccomend this place to a friend?
No, unless my friend was a hipster.

What a great addition to the island! We stopped in with no knowledge of this new-​er spot and with no expectations were blown out of the water! We had delicious fresh Penn Cove Mussels that were perfectly prepared (which you would expect given their waterfront location but not everyone with a water view buys fresh and prepares properly!)
I don’t see it on the online menu but I assume it rotates seasonally — we also shared a fresh mozzarella salad. That mozzarella was made in the kitchen and it was so moist and delicious — what a treat!
There are a few tables by the windows with a peak a boo view to the water too.
Overall I would whole heartedly recommend this spot for lunch, or dinner and I’m hoping to try brunch soon so I’ll update my review when I do. I’m so happy to have this great new spot in Oak Harbor!