Drayton Harbor Oyster Company (DHO) is both a restaurant and an oyster farm that is a staple of Blaine.
“It has become a destination,” co-owner Steve Seymour said. “We’ve always really strived to connect with our customers.”
The restaurant opened in 2015, but the farm has been Steve’s since 1980. Steve co-owns the business with his son Mark Seymour, who focuses more on farming oysters than serving them at the restaurant.
DHO expanded to 685 Peace Portal Drive in 2018 after being a small shop next to the current location of Monty’s Just a Bite.
The restaurant has a historic, unique character that creates a cozy feeling as diners look out the windows toward Drayton Harbor.
“When I go out, I’m looking for that vibe that this place has and not many places capture that,” Steve said. “The venue is unique.”
The food has put the restaurant on the map. It serves oysters raw, grilled and fried, fish and chips, shrimp, grilled romaine salad and more.
“It’s a pretty simple menu,” Steve said. “It gives us the advantage of keeping everything really fresh.”
The staff is also focusing on its local diners as the number of Canadian customers declines due to U.S./Canadian tensions.
“I feel like we’re connecting to more frequent customers,” assistant manager Kirsten Van Vliet said. “It’s been great for our community.”
Restaurant recommendation: Steve recommends readers try the grilled Draytons while Kirsten recommends the Drayton taco.
This article is part of a series in The Northern Light highlighting Blaine and Birch Bay restaurants.
