11 Best Restaurants in The Oregon Coast, Oregon

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.

Throughout the day, this eclectic art-filled café with a sunny brick patio is Manzanita's favorite spot for a caffeine pick-me-up, featuring coffee from Cannon Beach's famed Sleepy Monk roastery, as well as casual lunches of meatloaf sandwiches and oyster po'boys. In the evening, however, Offshore Grill turns into a legit dinner house, serving up artfully plated moules frites, pan-seared duck breast with bok choy and an orange-chili sauce, and hazelnut-crusted local rockfish topped with a ginger-cranberry coulis. 

Two walls of windows allow diners at this stylish downtown bistro spectacular ocean panoramas, but the views inside are pretty inviting, too, from the modern artwork provided by sister establishment Hawthorne Gallery to the artfully presented and globally influenced food. Start with the local clams sautéed in butter or the crispy artichoke with aioli, before graduating to slow-roasted pork porchetta with a rosemary apple sauce or grilled local rockfish with a tarragon beurre rouge. Weekend brunch favorites include smoked-steelhead hash with roasted tomatoes and hollandaise, and the lamb burger with jalapeño jam and brie.

This enchanting dining room, set in an old brick and tile factory with a high ceiling, exposed beams, a fireplace, and many windows, shares its space with Eden Hall performance venue. The menu changes often, but favorites that tend to appear regularly include Marcona almond–crusted seared salmon with harissa and seasonal grilled vegetables and Northwest bouillabaisse with a lemongrass-saffron-tomato broth.

In the same complex as the Cannery Pier Hotel, this stylish bi-level space has magnificent views of the river and bridge to Washington. Inside, high ceilings are supported by ancient fir timbers, and an extensive menu focuses on creative seafood and meat grills, including roasted, spice-encrusted duck breast with orange marmalade glaze, and seared wild local salmon with an arugula-strawberry salad and a star anise–balsamic vinaigrette. You'll also find more affordable burgers, pastas, and vegetarian options. 

The warm lighting, massive fireplace, marble-top bar, and glass-brick transom windows impart a cosmopolitan vibe to this high-ceilinged downtown bistro that turns out sophisticated, contemporary dinner fare. Highlights include bourbon-pecan Coho salmon and braised short ribs with andouille and white cheddar grits, but there's also a terrific bar menu of lighter bites—blackened-rockfish tacos, seafood mac and cheese, and the like.

In this rustic-elegant space with handmade redwood tables and local paintings set directly on the Nestucca River, dine on locally sourced seafood and grills, including pan-roasted line-caught coho salmon with smoked-potato gnocchi, seared wild mushrooms, and sage-brown butter; and grilled New York steak with crispy leeks and whole-grain mustard jus. Note the selection of barrel-aged sour beers and local ciders.

Serving consistently well-prepared modern seafood fare, Tidal Raves uses local and sustainable fish and shellfish in preparations inspired by places far and near. A few steaks and vegetarian dishes round out the lengthy menu, which also includes such local classics as Dungeness crab cakes, panko-crusted razor clams, and rockfish and shrimp green curry with steamed peanut rice, and the inviting bi-level dining room has tall windows overlooking the ocean.

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.