July 13, 2011
2010-06. Visited for an early lunch one Tuesday last June, we sat by the door and ate a tasty pulled pork sandwich and seafood stew. Full of concrete floors and wooden tables and chairs, this strange multi-level ceiling has interesting artifacts on display. Two 4-beer samplers found us trying four Fish Tales and four Leavenworths, all quite interesting but nothing stood out. Service was fine if a little on the slow side. This was en route for us and I enjoyed the break, but am not in a rush to return for the beer -- the pulled pork, more so.

July 13, 2011
I enjoyed this place. It was a pretty low-key bar on a friday night, comfortable seating outside. Beers were solid and service was good. Good curry veggie burger here.

June 9, 2011
Stopped here on a Sunday and had a couple of their good beers including a fresh hop cask ale. Had great conversations with several of the folks there. The staff was nice and attentive. Excellent stop if your in/traveling around Olympia, worth the stop!

December 1, 2010
This place is great. Some people seem to dislike this place for certain reasons, and I fully understand all of those reasons, but I haven’t lived here (Washington) that long. With that being said, I found this place to be quite enjoyable at 3:30 in the afternoon. There was hardly anyone there, so that helped with service. Generally, I find that sitting at the bar mitigates the chances of getting shitty service. The bartendress was a nice lady, and knew enough about the beer, but I wasn’t concerned with striking up a conversation about beer; the awesome, but crazy, local took care of that. Ambiance is a laid-back-Olympia-I-don’t-give-a-shit type of vibe. I wish they had some Leviathan brews on tap -- oh well. Beer selection was what I expected -- that is, Fish Tale and Leavenworth. I didn’t have the food, but it looked great. I really enjoyed this place. $24 for a 22 oz. of ten-squared and four pints.

October 16, 2010
I’ve been to the Fishbowl a dozen times in four years. I like the interior, but there are some places I never sit because they don’t really fit the pub and are out of the way. Service is variable, but overall pretty good. I dislike the attitude however: bartenders don’t want to talk beer, or talk to anyone other than each other or a few chosen regulars. Selection is also good, as long as you want a Leavenworth or Fish Tale beer - there is only one or two guest handles at a time. They have 3-4 handles of cider and a non-alcoholic Ginger Brew. I’ve never had a bad meal there and usually really like the food. A bit pricy for Olympia, but a good value compared to other brewpubs in the Seattle-Tacoma area. They sell and fill growlers and seem to do a brisk business doing so. I try to support local brewpubs and craft brewing every place I live and travel to, but The Fishbowl doesn’t make it easy.

July 16, 2010
2010-06. Lunch stop between Astoria and Port Townsend, it was fairly handy to the highway. Murals on the outside are pretty cool, but the inside is much more conventional. The pub meets cafe front of the house contrasts strangely with the hotel lobby like atmosphere of the back room. Server was friendly and gave us an extra sampler to allow us to try everything we wanted to. (Otherwise we picked from the Fish sampler, or the Leavenworth sampler). Fish stew in a tomato sauce was good but I wouldn’t get it again. Pulled pork arrived with the sauce on the side which disappointed me until I tasted it. Wow! Super tender, perfectly seasoned meat. Delicious. Enjoyable but not sure I would go out of my way to go back.

October 13, 2009
Hoping local brewpub that has a decent selection of their beer along with a cider or two. Clean and good feel to the place. Both times I have been it is rather busy but they are efficient and service is above average. If you are in Oly this is a good place to grab a quick bite and a beer or two. If you do stop and have the time you should also walk on over to the Eastside Club since it is so close.

August 9, 2009
Rather bland/boring brewpub. Food is pretty good and a good value. I just don’t think their beers, other than the big winter/barley wine/strong ales, are very good. The IPA is boring, the pale the same, the porter unexciting, etc. The Leavenworth beers are ok, but somewhat bland as well - which is especially disappointing w/ the dunkel weiss. The strong ales are fantastic, but rarely available, even in the winter. The service is consistently poor, even if you sit at the bar. People tell me it was a better place/better ambiance before they expanded, I can see how that might be true. After living here a number of years I rarely go to Fish now - generally hit ESC 2 blocks away - unless its winter & I think I can get one of the fantastic seasonals.

February 14, 2009
The only problem with this place is that it’s over an hour from my house. Great selection of beers, including cask/big beers. If anybody in Washington has the pub grub think dialed in, it’s these folks. Spacious, friendly, great service.

November 28, 2008 [ Updated August 29, 2009 ]
03.11.2008. Very nice beers and lovely food. I think this is a very nice place. Good selection of beers from both Fish Tale and Leavenworth.