Exploring Oregon’s Coast Food-First
Special to Road Trips for Foodies
By Jen Anderson for Oregon Coast Visitors Association
There’s one thing for certain about playing along the Oregon Coast — you’re sure to work up an appetite. Luckily, there’s an abundance of dining options to choose from — whether it be a juicy burger and a pint, fish and chips, chowder or a locally sourced farm-to-table meal with killer views. In case you think you’ve tried everything on the Coast, think again: We’ve rounded up several newer spots on the Coast that are worth exploring on your next road trip.
North Coast
Pacific Restaurant brings an Asian flair to Tillamook, with dishes such as furikake (seaweed-sprinkled) salmon salad along upscale versions of classics like corned beef, braised short ribs and ravioli. Come for lunch, dinner and the full bar. Yolk is the cheery new addition to Manzanita’s breakfast and lunch scene, with a huge menu of all the favorites: Farmhouse-style biscuits and gravy, French toast, grilled cheese and even a Good Morning burger, with bacon and a fried egg. Just south in Nehalem, visitors are raving about Riverside Fish & Chips, a food cart located on the banks of the Nehalem River. Go for the crispy beer-batter fish n’ chips or fish tacos and have a luxurious picnic.
Central Coast
Chefs are bringing their creative innovations to the Central Coast. Olde Line Lanes and Kitchen in Lincoln City was an old bowling alley before the new owners refurbished it into part bowling alley, part bar, part comfort food haven. On the menu: Everything from scratch-made fried chicken to their lamburger (half Oregon lamb, half Lincoln City beef) and build-your-own pizzas. Prefer lunch with a view? The sea lions are almost within arm’s reach at Clearwater Restaurant in Newport, where you can order Dungeness crab mac n’ cheese, steamed clams or local albacore poke tuna for lunch or dinner, among other decadent dishes. Just south in Florence, Bonfire is the newish restaurant at the Three Rivers Casino Resort where you might take your sweetie for a special occasion: Look for the lobster tail, Northwest salmon dinner and porterhouse steak.
South Coast
Vegan food on the South Coast? No problem. Noster Kitchen in Coos Bay is a gluten-free scratch kitchen and smoothie bar using organic produce when possible, using ghee or butter as dairy in a few items. Start your day with homemade granola, go for a Power Bowl for lunch and a kids’ banana nut smoothie for an afternoon pick-me-up. It’s bar food through and through here at Vista Pub, a newish addition to Brookings’ dining scene: Chicken wings, jalapeno poppers, beer-battered onion rings and dozens of add-ons to their classic burger, with a handful of excellent local brews on tap. Defeat River Brewing in Reedsport is the South Coast’s newest brewery, the town’s first, with eight beers on tap and no food offerings at the moment — but visitors may order in from a local restaurant, and minors are welcome on site to eat food. A great summer bet is their Sonshine Session, a lighter lager with a juicy citrus twist.
(Photo of Riverside Fish & Chips by Nickie Bournias courtesy of Oregon Coast Visitors Association)
