Taking a quick look at online reviews for Herb's Tavern in Friday Harbor one finds the typical range of positive and negative. One of the bad reviews includes "The furniture has seen better days" -- a comment that immediately informs me that this person's tastes in bars have nothing in common with mine. Another reviewer's "Funnest Place in Town!" seems like it is probably true -- although the competition is not overwhelming in this San Juan Island community of two thousand people. One of the nearby hotels warns about the noise.
The San Juans, an archipelago of 428 to 743 islands (depending on the tides) east of Vancouver Island, were the subject of a 30-year border war between the British and Americans, although the only fatal shot was
fired at a pig. Friday Harbor is now the gentle hub of the area, its restaurants, shops, and galleries, happily free of corporate chains, looking over sailboats, sailplanes and ferries bringing in tourists and locals.
Herb's has been here since 1943, according to the signs. It seems as much the heart of the town as any place here, with personalized bar stools, live music, karaoke, pool tournaments, and fairly typical bar food and drink options. You can spot it by the bar scenes painted on the windows of the upper floor, and you'll know you're their when you see the bras hanging from a bicycle attached to the ceiling.
80 1st Street, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 - (360) 378-7076
Est. 1943 - Building constructed: c. 1892
Previous bars in this location: None known
Web site:
facebook
Reviews:
yelp -
citygrid -
panoramio -
tripadvisor -
urbanspoon