Matia – Farm to Table Dining On Beautiful Orcas Island, WA

07/21/2026 | Marisa | Food & Drink

The San Juan Islands in peak summer season is really something special. Orcas Island combined with farm to table bistro dining? Yes, please! I don’t consider myself a foodie by any stretch, but I love a farm to table tasting menu. It’s an amazing way to discover new things! With a tasting menu, I usually at least try everything. I am continually amazed at how the proper preparation can make a loathed vegetable taste amazing! With an accomplished chef, everything you taste is at its best: local, in season, thoughtfully and creatively prepared.

Matia was founded in 2016 and moved to their current location in 2023 with slightly changed ownership. But the mission remains the same. Per their website Matia is, “a love letter to the bounty of the San Juans. This archipelago is home to the most delicious natural product available to any chef. More than that, we act with intention and care for our farms and fisheries. At Matia, the natural products take center stage, and we simply honor them with the love and attention they deserve.”

A fine dining experience in a remotish, slightly sleepy island may seem strange. But the San Juans are known for their farms and vibrant agricultural community. For the freshest food, doesn’t it make sense for a restaurant to be right there where all the food is? Matia was a James Beard nominee in 2024 and has been acclaimed in the press multiple times.

Inside, the décor is elegant but welcoming with a relaxed atmosphere. There’s a beautiful bar and an open kitchen. Alas, the restaurant is located in town and not on the water, so no view. That’s fine. The focus is on the food.

Matia offers a ten-course chef’s table, but my friends and I chose the six-course meal with wine pairing in the dining room. First up was the Judd Cove oysters with mussles and smoked eggs. I have to admit, yes I want to try everything, and I have tried oysters many times. I can’t eat them. I’m the odd one out; all of my friends love oysters. So I gave mine to my companion. I did enjoy the mussels with smoked egg.

Second course: summer squash with raspberry sofrito. I love squash. And with a raspberry sauce and cottage cheese? I would never have thought to put these flavors together, but it was delicious, especially the sofrito. (I’m not sure I knew what a sofrito was. Learning something every day!)

Next up, bread course with Matia sourdough. Now this is real sourdough; fermented (so healthy! Yay!) and very soft and delicious.

The fish course was my favorite. Sockeye salmon, with a crispy skin, tender meat served with peas. The meat course followed: pork loin served with carrots and hazlenut. I try not to eat pork, but when it’s on the tasting menu, you eat it. I really enjoyed the combination with the carrots and the hazelnut, another combination that I would not think of, but it really works.

We finished with dessert of apricot and bay pudding. Something I would never have chosen myself off a menu but was quite delicious.

Occasionally with tasting menus, after the last course, you are so full you can’t eat another bite. Here, I felt full, but not over-stuffed. Every course was light, fresh and just the right amount.

Orcas is a small island with a population of about 5,000. You can get there either by a combination of car and ferry, a 3–4-hour trek from Seattle, or you can take a 40-minute flight by small plane with Kenmore Air. Guess which option I chose?

I stayed in the Outlook Inn and had a wonderful view of the water from my room. The town is small, but I spent a lovely couple of hours browsing the shops and getting into retail trouble. Of course, there are a multitude of outdoor activities for those so inclined: kayaking, fishing, whale watching, hiking.