6 Best Restaurants in Newport, The Oregon Coast

Part of the fun of dining in this handsome, bi-level restaurant with huge windows overlooking the bay is watching—and listening to—the big posse of sea lions gamboling about on the docks out back, but Clearwater also serves terrifically good seafood. You can't go wrong with any of the shareable starters, including tuna poke tacos and quinoa-crusted avocado fries, but save room for one or two of the signature mains—maybe jumbo sea scallops with green pea risotto and a blood orange–balsamic reduction or steak with a miso-cilantro sauce.

At this sustainable fish market and sleek, airy grill with retractable windows that look out across picturesque Yaquina Bay, the operators purchase fish directly from the boats in the fishing fleet right outside. The menu includes such fish lovers' fare as grilled black cod with hoisin sauce and yakisoba noodles, panko-buttermilk-crusted oysters, and Fishwives Stew (a tomato broth stew loaded with both shell- and finfish), and the seafood is never deep-fried—even the halibut in the fish-and-chips is grilled.

This casually elegant, wood-paneled trattoria helmed by James Beard–nominated chef Justin Wills offers well-crafted takes on familiar Italian classics, including burrata with grilled bread, baked rigatoni in a creamy marinara sauce, and old-school spaghetti and meatballs. But it's the wood-fired pizzas that many regulars come back for, including a slightly spicy version topped with Italian sausage, Castelvetrano olives, Mama Lil's hot peppers, Calabrian chili oil, and San Marzano tomato sauce. The tiramisu is spot-on, and ther'es a great wine list. 

Before or after taking an oceanfront walk along nearby Nye Beach, warm up with a piping-hot espresso, a croissant breakfast sandwich, or a bowl of tomato-basil soup at this funky bakery café with a cozy, shabby-chic dining area. The space doubles as a clothing and jewelry boutique. 

The thoughtful prix-fixe menu at this offbeat restaurant in the outstanding Sylvia Beach Hotel changes nightly, but there's a good chance one of the handful of entrée options will be fresh local seafood, perhaps a moist grilled salmon fillet in a Dijonnaise sauce, served with sautéed vegetables, fresh-baked breads, and rice pilaf; a decadent dessert is also included. Note that dinners, which start at 6 pm, are quite leisurely, so young children may get restless.  Call for reservations and daily menu; you can't reserve online.

Savor the vibrant flavors of northern Spain at this upbeat Nye Beach restaurant that turns out exquisitely prepared renditions of boquerones (anchovies) with an orange vinaigrette, crispy squid with black-garlic aioli, and warm dates stuffed with Cabrales cheese, along with several enticing larger plates. Dining is a high-ceilinged loft-style space with the best tables on the mezzanine level, beneath a distinctive corrugated metal and frosted-glass-paneled ceiling.