"[6] Thrillist described Coastal Kitchen as a "classic fish house and oyster bar" serving chowder, crab cakes, jambalaya with smoked salmon, and shrimp ceviche.

[10] The menu included albacore and yellowfin tuna, calamari,[11] cod, clams, fish and chips,[12] oysters, pasta with sardines,[13] a smoked salmon scramble, Dungeness crab cake benedict,[14] gingerbread waffles,[15] and huevos rancheros.

The Cuban Pete's Shipwreck was described as "a loose interpretation of paella with plump mussels and clams, chorizo and soft sweet peppers".

[34] In Hidden Washington (2005), Eric Lucas said Coastal Kitchen "has no trouble maintaining a loyal clientele".

[35] In 2015, Deborah Wang of NPR called the restaurant "a fixture of Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood for 20 years".