The looks of the restaurant fits the location (north Portland). Beyond that, this is quite a find ... good service offering very good sea food in a retro 1950's decor. The prices here are comparable to fancier restaurants; 20 per person, depending on what you order. Still, I do like the feel of this place and the little touches on how the meal are prepared.

My husband and I chose this restaurant in part because of the great trip advisor reviews. Since I've usually agreed with the reviews, I have to wonder if this was an off night, with someone in the kitchen who was distracted or new. The good news is the place is charmingly funky and the servers are friendly, efficient, and responsive. Mike and I shared a main course that was the chef's special and highly recommended by the server. Why do I always fall for this? Sometimes the special is special and sometimes (often it seems) the special is a way to get rid of too much of something or in this case the invention of a cook that didn't work.

Our first sign that something wasn't right in the kitchen came with the dinner salads. Mike's was romaine and carrots with beets and he said it was good. Mine consisted of endive, arugula, spinach, and frisée--the bitter greens and they were accompanied by an overly salty blue cheese dressing. Since we ordered the same salad I'm pretty sure someone scooped the greens from a pre-packaged mix (American salad for Mike and herb or wild greens for me). I know working with a fresh head of lettuce is more labor intensive but these salads could have been fresher and more consistent in quality.

Mike's clam and shrimp chowder was good he said and the bread, including a whole grain choice, was excellent. I noticed that someone at the table next to us had ordered the special and it looked good. Grilled shrimp atop pasta, tomatoes and sausage. I was happy to see that the pesto sauce, which had been described as light and fresh, did not dominate the dish and I looked forward to our serving. I do think that if the menu doesn't specify the sausage is spicy, the server should mention it. Regardless, the sausage was not the real problem with our portion of the special, which was swimming in pesto. I like pesto but it's a strong flavor and a little goes a long way. There was so much sauce that I wonder if ours wasn't the portion at the bottom of the pot, where all the sauce collects. Again someone wasn't paying attention in the kitchen. The grilled prawns were perfectly cooked and apparently added at the end so they were relatively pesto-free. I think we would have been much happier if we'd ordered grilled shrimp and rice with coleslaw (no salad) and if we lived in portland we would try this restaurant again.

Not in the best area of town or in an upscale building but if you like good seafood and great desserts you have to give this place a try

Chose this place based on the number of very passionate Trip Advisor reviews. Fabulous meal for not a lot of $. From the sauces to the opportunity to season perfectly at every turn the chef and his staff didn't miss a beat. Everything cooked properly and the shrimp was NOT overcooked. Service was laid back and yet attentive at the same time. I could have been sitting in my Grandmother's kitchen. Clam Chowder, grilled halibut and cioppino all excellent. Heck they even served room temp butter w/ the bread, I could actually spread it. I highly recommend this place. You; in theory, should not be disappointed.

We went to Fishwife based on Yelp reviews. We were tired from shopping at Woodburn Outlet Mall and were driving back to Seattle so we wanted to eat before it got too late. It was not too hard to find, the direction was "across Shell station" and there it was. Good food, quick service, friendly staff, reasonable prices. We drove home full and happy.