The Most Interesting Restaurants On The Oregon Coast, USA

Across from the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria on the northern coast sits an old, dry-docked gillnet boat. This is the home of Bowpicker Fish & Chips. Popular with locals and tourists alike, Bowpicker is renowned, of course, for its fish and chips. Lightly breaded albacore tuna on a bed of steak fries is not only its signature dish but also the only dish available. Be sure to check the days and hours they are open on their social media accounts as it can vary; sometimes they sell out of fish, and other times the weather can play a factor. While the lines can be long, Bowpicker Fish & Chips is definitely worth a visit.

Named after the Drina River and the daisy flower, Drina Daisy is located in the heart of historic downtown Astoria and owned and run by a husband-and-wife team. The restaurant serves traditional Bosnian food in a warm and friendly Mediterranean-style environment. Begin your meal with hljeb and avjar, bread baked in-house and served with a spread made from red peppers and eggplant. Try the succulent spit-roasted lamb or stuffed cabbage leaves with beef or vegetables as an entrée, and finish your meal with Turkish coffee and baklava. There is also a strong menu of imported beers and wines available.

Situated in a cottage in Cannon Beach, Castaway’s Restaurant and Tiki Bar gives diners a taste of the tropics with its colourful interior, fruity cocktails and fusion food. Inspired by Cajun, Creole, French, Italian, and Caribbean cuisines, the flavours are bold and appetizing. Highlights include the seafood chowder and jerk chicken, but the restaurant has great nightly specials as well such as the creole lasagna, made with pulled pork, étouffée, and jambalaya sauce. Don’t miss the mango flambé for dessert.

The Wayfarer Restaurant and Lounge in Cannon Beach offers views of the Pacific Ocean and Haystack Rock while serving up delicious traditional local cuisine. The restaurant prides itself on sustainable, seasonal produce grown, fished or raised in the Pacific Northwest, including fresh fish and seafood, wild berries, and wild mushrooms. A great spot for breakfast too, the Wayfarer’s morning menu features many varieties of Eggs Benedict, while the lunch menu is strong on salads and sandwiches. Dinners include fresh fish, seafood, poultry, and steaks, all of which can be washed down with a glass of wine from the extensive wine and cocktail lists.

Local Ocean Seafoods is a restaurant and fish market in Newport, on the central stretch of Oregon’s coast, that strives ‘to give people the best seafood experience of their lives’. For Local Ocean Seafoods this means sourcing the majority of its fish and seafood from the local fishermen located across the street, never serving farmed salmon or shrimp, and allowing diners to watch their meals being prepared in the open kitchen. In keeping with the sustainable movement, they use local, in-season organic produce whenever possible. They also have an impressive list of regional and international wines, some of which are certified organic. With big windows and glass doors that roll up, diners can have their meals while enjoying a fantastic view of Yaquina Bay.

Part of The Adobe Resort, the award-winning Adobe Restaurant and Lounge is just 50ft from the Pacific Ocean in Yachats and has large picture windows to allow patrons to dine while enjoying sweeping ocean views. The menu is strong on fresh seafood, steaks and vegetarian specialties. The grilled Yaquina bay oysters, sourced locally, are not to be missed, while the Captain’s seafood platter features the fresh catch of the day served with prawns, scallops, oysters and a razor clam.

The Waterfront Depot, in Florence, is housed in an old train station along the Siuslaw River and features Pacific Northwest cuisine with an Indonesian and San Franciscan twist. A highlight is the award-winning crab-encrusted Alaskan halibut, served with a sweet chilli sauce and small caesar salad; the restaurant’s most popular entrée. Most of the ingredients used in their dishes are locally sourced or from the restaurant’s own garden. Open for dinner only, reservations are recommended.

As its name implies, the Pancake Mill in North Bend, on the south Oregon coast, offers several types of pancakes from traditional buttermilk to cornmeal. Various waffles, both sweet and savoury, French toast, oatmeal, and eggs are also featured on the breakfast menu. Lunch options include sandwiches and hamburgers, vegetarian dishes and gluten-free options. The eponymous pies from its on-site bakery vary daily, but can include inventive combinations such as as cream cheese pecan, banana cream, and peanut butter cup.

Located in Port Orford, Redfish specializes in French-fusion style fish and seafood dishes. Diners can enjoy stunning views of the Pacific Ocean alongside dishes prepared with local, seasonal, and sustainable ingredients. Highlights from the menu include the chilli-glazed Chinook salmon and acorn squash vegetarian plate. Redfish also has a wine cellar with a great selection of champagnes, sparkling wines, wines, and dessert wines.

Alloro Wine Bar and Restaurant in Bandon features Italian coastal cuisine, and as with many of the restaurants on the coast, sources its ingredients from local and regional suppliers. To showcase seasonal ingredients, the restaurant changes its menu regularly, showing the produce at its finest through dishes such as fusillata pasta with a garlic-saffron cream, shrimp, clams, peas and herbs and roasted duck with a cranberry-cherry salsa, asparagus, preserved lemon couscous and pepitas.

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