After some business-related drama that led Matia to shut down and reopen in a new Eastsound location, it’s back to being one of the region’s big destination restaurants. The menu changes daily, but expect delights like tomato custard tart topped with cured salmon roe or sourdough pancakes with smoked egg yolk jam and roasted beets.

Helmed by two alums of the artisanal San Francisco Baking Institute, Eastsound’s Brown Bear Baking is a cozy spot for croissants, boules, and brunchy classics like quiche and croque monsieur. Fusing classic French techniques with the archipelago’s agricultural bounty, Brown Bear’s small-batch baked goods feature Skagit Valley heirloom wheat and seasonal fruits like apples and peaches from island farms. The well-stocked bakery case typically dwindles fast as locals start their day with a bear paw or almond croissant, but the sit-down brunch and lunch menu entices with smoked salmon quiches and forest-foraged mushroom pasties.

This gorgeous vacation spot, tucked away on a forested peninsula on Orcas Island, offers some serious waterfront views overlooking Cascade Bay. At the resort’s Mansion Restaurant, the menu highlights locally sourced ingredients in dishes like smoked halibut and potato croquettes and coal-roasted duck with grilled zucchini and ramp pistou.

The drive to the far side of Orcas Island is worth it for the bay-fresh oysters, garlicky steamed clams, and other local seafood at this no-frills bistro in the town of Olgas. Dine outdoors on the sun-drenched grassy lawns overlooking the idyllic bay where the farm grows its own Salish Sea oysters and clams. Start with BB Farm’s oysters on the half-shell and halibut ceviche before moving on to mains like decadent crab mac and cheese with red rock and Dungeness crab meat mixed with gruyere and smoked Tillamook cheese on panko-crusted cavatappi pasta. The Island Roll, a brioche roll heaped with Pacific cod, shrimp, scallops, and halibut with herb aioli and a sprinkling of salmon roe, is another favorite.

Foraging is a cornerstone of this San Juan Island restaurant, hidden in a forested plot away from busy Friday Harbor. The day-to-day menu is impossible to predict, but it can include ramps, fiddlehead ferns, sea beans, and whatever else is growing outside. Local farms and fishermen give the menu a boost on meat and produce with raw oysters, duck breast, and racks of lamb.

Largely residential Guemes Island has a refreshing lack of tourist attractions. The island’s living room, though, is the Guemes Island General Store, near the ferry terminal. A big patio and live music draw evening visitors, and full-fledged meals and shareable charcuterie boards are built around local ingredients like Skagit Valley beef, Methow Valley grains, Samish Bay cheese, island-grown mushrooms, and Salish Sea salmon.

A favorite of locals and visitors alike, Bakery San Juan has all the requisite favorites from the oven: pastries, cookies, cakes, and thin-crust pizza, plus bread made with wild yeast for hearty sandwiches. They’re all great to-go options for anyone headed to the ferry. The Island Pepperoni, with the bakery’s mozzarella and island-made pepperoni, is a must-try, and frozen whole pizzas are available, too.

There aren’t many dining options available on Lopez Island, but residents of “the friendly island” can find a wide-ranging selection at this casual waterfront restaurant in the main hub of Lopez Village. Eclectic options range from fried cauliflower “wings” to foraged mushroom toasts to a slow-roasted pork shoulder burrito. The wood-fired pizzas here are also excellent, as are the seasonally inspired cocktails.

Before hopping on the ferry in Anacortes to head out to the islands, make a detour to this San Juans staple that’s been churning out small-batch, handcrafted ice cream for more than 40 years using local cream and berries. Originally founded on Lopez Island in 1982, the creamery recently moved to the mainland both to reduce its carbon footprint from frequent ferry trips and expand its operations, opening a splashy new factory and storefront in Anacortes in early 2022.