Tacoma waterfront restaurant returns with $2 oyster happy hour, better views

After five months of renovations, Lobster Shop will reopen Tuesday on Tacoma’s Ruston Way.

Owners E3 Restaurant Group temporarily closed the 42-year-old waterfront restaurant after service on New Year’s Eve. The goal: “To leverage the view as much as possible,” CEO Jim Rowe told the News Tribune at the time, which involved modernizing the decor, expanding the bar and refreshing the menu.

New items range from an in-vogue wedge salad with pork belly to beef carpaccio, lobster ravioli with guanciale to vegan “scallops” using king oyster mushrooms. In addition to a market-price grilled lobster, served with a ratatouille medley and lemon-tarragon-garlic butter, big-ticket dishes include a 20-ounce, bone-in ribeye and 12-ounce New York strip ($70-$88). Finish off with a slice of key lime cheesecake or a bananas Foster “bomb.”

At lunch, the menu mostly overlaps with dinner, plus a few daytime specials: beer-battered rockfish with shoestring fries ($24); entree salads, like the Southwest chop and the chilled prawn Louie with butter lettuce and avocado crema; and sandwiches, all paired with fries ($19-$22) – a done-up wagyu burger with gruyère and lobster roll among them.

Of particular intrigue is the new focus on raw oysters. As the proprietors of Elliott’s Oyster House in Seattle, E3, which purchased the Tacoma restaurant in 2021, has established relationships with the region’s purveyors. Lobster Shop will always offer several varieties, accompanied by cocktail sauce, a lemon wedge and champagne mignonette.

At happy hour, which runs on weekdays 3-6 p.m. but only in the lounge, the bivalves will run through a “progressive” pricing scheme, starting at $2 a pop in the first hour. When the clock turns to 4 p.m., the price jumps to $3 each, then to $4 at 5 p.m. By 6 p.m., they will stop at their standard market price.

Happy hour snacks include a lacinato kale salad speckled by serrano ham and crispy quinoa, skewers of cornmeal-battered shrimp, steamed clams and the “backyard burger” with white cheddar, caramelized onions, lettuce and tomato. Sip on a rosé spritz, kumquat-infused Collins or a peachy bourbon smash.

The updated cocktail list is inspired by the classics with an eye toward patio drinking, according to a news release, developed by E3’s beverage director Amanda Reed. Try a pineapple pisco sour, a chelada of sorts with tequila, watermelon and chile, or a crisp savory martini finished with olive oil and blue cheese-stuffed olives.

Reed has renewed the wine list with bottles and glass pours (most $11-$15) that “pair well with seafood, featuring selections from around the world and highlighting the best of Washington producers.” Sparklers include a Yakima Valley rosé, whites an Alsatian riesling and Sonoma chardonnay, reds a pinot from the Willamette Valley and two cabs from the rocky Red Mountain AVA in eastern Washington. Draft beer and cider ($7-$9) will lean local with picks from Tacoma and Seattle breweries.

General manager Jennifer Tivald described the changes as “improvements in all the right places,” calling attention to the progressive oyster happy hour.

Speaking to the News Tribune late last year, Rowe said the refresh would usher the iconic Lobster Shop into a new era without relinquishing its “classic seafood house feel.” The design strove to really harness the view: “When you first walk in, you’ll go, ‘Oh wow.’ You basically just feel like you’re sitting on water, right?” he said in December.

“The improvements to the restaurant and its menu pay homage to its legacy while bringing in seasonal ingredients,” he said in the press release announcing the reopening. “Our guests will now enjoy unimpeded views of Commencement Bay, Mount Rainier and the Olympics as soon as they enter the restaurant and from every table in the space.”

The fish tank, in other words, is no longer.

Another change, the release noted, is complimentary valet parking for all guests. Limited boat moorage is also available. You might notice a 20% service charge attached to every bill, which plays into the restaurant’s commission pay structure.

LOBSTER SHOP – TACOMA

• 4015 Ruston Way, Tacoma, 253-759-2165, lobstershop.com.
• Daily 11 a.m.-3 p.m. lunch, 4-10 p.m. dinner (starts at 3 p.m. on weekends).
• Details: iconic waterfront restaurant reopening June 20 with updated decor and menu; reservations recommended.