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New Gig Harbor Ivar’s opening on Friday, April 3

The Ivar’s Seafood Bar on Point Fosdick Drive will open at 10:30 a.m. Friday, April 3.

The regional restaurant chain announced the opening date via a social media post on Monday, March 30.

Ivar’s announced plans to open at 4901 Point Fosdick Dr. in December 2025. It originally targeted a February launch, but last week it was still awaiting final approval from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health District.

With that approval in hand, Ivar’s can launch its long-awaited Gig Harbor location.

The new Ivar’s Seafood Bar at 4901 Point Fosdick Dr. will open on Friday, April 3. Photo by Tonya Strickland

Ivar’s President Bob Donegan previously told Gig Harbor Now that the chain has pursued a location here for at least a decade. It finally found its spot in the former Lunchbox Laboratory on Point Fosdick near Olympic Drive.

The Gig Harbor location will be a Seafood Bar, 18 of which Ivar’s already operates. It will offer fast-casual fare, as opposed to the more formal setting of its flagship restaurant adjacent to Colman Dock in Seattle.

Menus vary by location, but typically include fish and chips and (of course) clam chowder. The Gig Harbor location’s website also touts Kidd Valley Burgers, a brand Ivar’s acquired in 1989.

Friday’s grand opening celebration will feature an appearance by Ivar’s “dancing clams.” Attendees also will have the opportunity to enter a drawing for free fish and chips for a year.