We don’t eat out all that often. Living in the country as we do, we make our meals at home, it simply wouldn’t be convenient to drive to town when we wanted a bite to eat. Making our own meals also helps us save money, and we can choose quality ingredients. All that being said though, since we mostly eat at home, it makes for such a treat to go out to eat at a restaurant! Having someone else prepare a meal for you, and eating something different than you would normally make, is so appreciated. I get lots of kitchen inspirations from going out to eat. 

Whenever we travel, we seek out health food stores, farm fresh food, and good restaurants. Good food really adds to the joy of traveling for us. I thought it would be fun to share a few of the food spots we’ve found along the Oregon coast. (I have pictures of some of them.) Perhaps I’ll share another post later with favorite food spots around Oregon as a whole, but for now I’ll start with the coast. It’s not a very long list right now, but I know it will grow over time as we travel and explore more. If any of you have any favorite food places to share along the Oregon coast or elsewhere, please share in the comments! 

In Astoria:

Astoria Co-op Grocery: During our most recent trip up the coast, we went to the Astoria Co-op Grocery for the first time to get some groceries (for the meals we were making at the cabin we were staying at.) It was such a delightful little co-op! I was surprised by how much food they offered there, I expected it to be much smaller. They had pasture-raised meats from Deck Family Farm, and other local favorites I was happy to see. I’m really glad to know about it now, so if we’re in the area again we’ll know where we can source good food.

In Newport:

Local Ocean Seafoods: Also on our most recent trip, we discovered a new restaurant in Newport called Local Ocean Seafoods. We were hungry on the drive home and since we had made our own meals throughout our trip, we felt we could splurge on a delicious lunch out. We were glad we did. They have a restaurant and a fish market there, and you can enjoy your meal with a beautiful view of the harbor.

I love that they serve only sustainably caught seafood and that they support the local fishing industry. On their site it says: “We are proud to have become known as the premier destination for seafood on the central Oregon Coast. It is our mission to give people “the best seafood experience of their lives” and we are honestly thrilled that not a day goes by that we don’t hear exactly that from our customers.”

Their fish market had everything from crab, salmon, halibut, scallops, and prawns, to oysters and black cod that were smoked in house. They have a gluten-free menu available if you ask and everything we had was incredibly delicious. (I also loved the fresh lilacs on our table, they smelled so good.)

Also in Newport:

The Gluten-Free Place: We discovered the Gluten-Free Place on the day we went on our fossil adventure. (We drove past it and said- “hey, what’s that?”) Jeff was so excited because he ordered a sandwich and really liked their gluten-free bread. If any of you have tried gluten-free bread, you’ve probably experienced terrible gluten-free bread at one time or another- bread that completely crumbles apart when you hold it or that tastes awful. He was so happy to find gluten-free bread that he liked! Besides sandwiches and baked goods, they also have a whole shop full of gluten-free foods.

Oceana Natural Foods Cooperative: There is also great food co-op in that town. One day we were driving up the coast and we wanted to pick up some quick snacks for the drive. We went to the co-op for the first time, and I smiled at how many people were there, all greeting each other and saying hello. It seemed like they had a strong community of regulars supporting the co-op. There was a good selection of food there and they also had a deli.

In Yachats:

Yachats Brewing: I enjoy going to the farmstore in Yachats, it has a great atmosphere. They’ve created such a beautiful space there, and it’s right on 101 as you drive through town. They have kombucha on tap, Honey Mama’s chocolate if you’re wanting a treat, and a menu featuring ingredients from local farms. They make ferments there and offer them for sale. (Their kimchi is delicious.) They also have books, some gardening supplies, and a thing or two for doing your own fermenting at home. (And a new inspiring quote on their chalkboard every time we go in.)

The Drift Inn & Cafe: Stumbling upon The Drift Inn & Cafe was a happy find for sure! It’s become a favorite restaurant of ours. They have a very large menu, with so many options to choose from. Be prepared to look at the menu for awhile and have a hard time deciding! They also have options for all different diets, so it’s really a good place for everyone to find a dish that works for them. They use a lot of fresh ingredients from the Pacific Northwest, and they have a sweet little garden out back. The food is delicious! (Many places have good food, but small plates. You don’t have to worry about small plates here, it’s a place where you can get full.)

In Florence:

Homegrown Public House: This spot was a fun discovery. (Friends had told us to check it out for quite some time.) They have a restaurant and then a deli right around the corner. A friend of ours, an expert forager, harvests many of their wild ingredients. They have a focus on farm fresh ingredients and their meals always look so colorful and vibrant, every meal looks like a work of art. Their site says: “Using locally produced organic ingredients to cook your food from scratch in a cozy public house setting.”

Nature’s Corner Cafe: You can find breakfast, lunch and dinner at Nature’s Corner. They offer smoothies, fresh juices, and they have pre-made items for sale in their cooler. You can also find some grocery items and produce for sale there. They have many organic ingredients on the menu and they also cater to a wide variety of food preferences and diets. There are places to eat outside when the weather is nice, and when it’s not there is ample natural light coming in from all the windows across the front.

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So, there you have it, a few favorite food spots along the Oregon coast. I hope you’ll find this list helpful if you happen to be traveling in the area, and as I said before, please share your favorites too! I’m looking forward to more exploring in the future and watching this list grow.