A bucket of oysters, a shucking knife, gloves and a table looking toward Hood Canal make a fine reason to pull off Highway 101 near Lilliwaup. Hama Hama Oyster Saloon is a working-waterfront sort of stop: casual enough for chowder and fish and chips from the food truck, but scenic and layered enough to stretch into a proper lunch.
The place is built around oysters from the local waters, served several ways—raw, roasted, grilled, fried and escabeche-style. You can keep things simple with a few on ice, or make lunch a hands-on project with a U-shuck bucket and work through the shells yourself.
It is all outdoors, but not in a bare-bones way. Covered picnic tables and A-frame dining structures look toward Hood Canal, with table heaters, gas heat lanterns, fire features and, at times, lap rugs helping take the edge off a gray Washington day.
Two ways to settle in
The food truck and general-store counter provide the easygoing route. Choose an open table, take its number to order, then settle in while the meal is brought out. It works well for a roadside lunch that does not need much planning.
The restaurant side is more of an occasion, with reserved tables in the A-frame setting. Reservations are especially useful for anyone hoping for a particular waterfront or A-frame table, since the reserved area can fill up and waits may run longer when it is busy.
Neither option demands an indoor-dining-room mindset. A meal here happens in the air, under cover, near the water. That is lovely when the weather cooperates and still workable when it does not, thanks to the heating and sheltered seating—but it remains an outdoor meal.
Oysters, from polished to pleasantly messy
Raw oysters are a natural starting point, often served with lemon and sauce. The selection has included oysters from three farms, including Hama Hama’s own, which gives a table of oyster fans something to compare rather than simply a single standard order.
Roasted oysters arrive with bread, making them a good choice for diners who like the briny flavor but would rather skip the raw route. Grilled oysters and buffalo oysters add still more ways to approach the same local specialty.
The U-shuck bucket is especially fun for a lingering lunch. The gloves and knife are supplied, so the work is contained to the table rather than requiring any oyster-opening expertise before you arrive. A pile of empty shells is an entirely respectable measure of an afternoon well spent.
More than a raw bar
The broader seafood menu gives mixed groups plenty to work with. Dungeness crab, crab cakes, mussels, clams, fish and chips, fried seafood and seafood chowder all broaden the meal beyond the oyster shell.
The chowder is one of the food-truck comforts, particularly welcome when Hood Canal has put on its cooler, drippier mood. It is an easy order for someone who wants seafood without a shucking knife in hand.
Clam dishes can be more elaborate than a quick basket of fried seafood. Purple savory clams have appeared in a sake-miso broth with radish, green onion and baguette, while Manila clams have also been on the menu. Restaurant offerings have included dishes such as clams and grilled oysters that may not appear on the more limited food-truck selection.
There are useful non-seafood detours, too: grilled cheese, chili, salad and a fudge brownie. House pickles, slaw and a seasonal-butter baguette round out the smaller things that make a table feel less like it has been assembled solely for shellfish devotees.
Drinks and a view that encourage lingering
Beer, wine and sangria fit naturally with a tray of oysters or a bowl of chowder. The pleasure is not complicated: order at the counter, find your numbered table, and let the water do some of the work.
The grounds have a distinctly oyster-farm visual vocabulary, including a large mound of shells. It is a reminder that this is not a seafood theme restaurant decorated to look coastal; the shellfish business is right in front of you.
A fire near the water can add warmth to the A-frame and cabin-style seating area. Bald eagles may turn up in nearby trees, though the dependable scenery is the canal itself, with the low-key traffic of an outdoor waterfront stop unfolding around it.
A place where kids and dogs have room
The outdoor setup gives families a little breathing room between courses. Children have played in a small boat on the grounds and clambered around the shell area, which is far more entertaining than asking them to remain still at a conventional dining table.
Dogs are welcome outdoors as well. Water bowls and treats have been available for visiting pups, a considerate touch when this is one stop on a longer drive around the Olympic Peninsula.
The farm store extends the visit
Before heading back to the car, it is worth browsing the on-site store. Fresh oysters are only the beginning; the cases and counters can include Dungeness crab, scallops and fish for taking home, along with beer and wine.
Small gifts keep the browse from being strictly culinary. Keychains, magnets and dish towels are among the souvenir options—modest mementos, but well suited to a stop that may have begun as lunch and turned into a small Hood Canal outing.
Sinks and bathrooms on the grounds make the saloon practical during a day of driving, and free on-site parking is available. Parking can be tighter during busy periods, another reason the food-truck option is handy for visitors who want a casual stop rather than a long reserved meal.