Fuel your Oregon Coast adventures with these hearty bowls of warm sustenance.
The Oregon Coast is never really quiet, but winter is great for lodging discounts, fewer crowds and roaming endless sandy beaches that disappear into the fog. You can watch the king tides from scenic overlooks, hunt agates after the storms subside, and enjoy a fresh cup of clam chowder or stick-to-your ribs soups after your adventures. Here are some places to enjoy a bowl of comfort.
Under-the-Radar Clam Chowder Spots
A huge variety of creamy chowders are available Coast-wide and suit nearly every conceivable preference from thick to brothy, but if you’re looking for some full-service restaurants known for chowder excellence, check out these gems.
On the North Coast in Cannon Beach, relaxing at the Driftwood Restaurant & Lounge is a perfect ending for a day of salt-spray adventures. You’ll find a cozy atmosphere, craft cocktails and classic clam chowder in a sourdough bowl. After a day of whale watching on the Central Coast, The Horn Public House & Depoe Bay Brewing Co. has a view of the bay and an excellent clam chowder featuring a balance of potatoes and clams in a broth that is in the Goldilocks zone of chowder thickness. While you’re in Brookings, head to casual RH Pub & Grill for a cup or bowl of extra-clammy chowder with bacon. Dine in at this family-friendly spot or take some to go and warm up with a picnic at a scenic overlook.
Other Great Seafood Soups
While chowder and Oregon Coast adventures go together like the moon and tides, you can often find other seafood soups with some of Oregon’s best seafood. Roseanna’s Cafe in Oceanside, 10 miles northwest of Tillamook, has a cioppino, an Italian American seafood stew originating in San Francisco. Each bowl is brimming with crab, shrimp, clams and fish in a tomato stew that comes with a mini baguette and a gorgeous view.
The hub of Oregon’s Central Coast, Newport, features Local Ocean, a restaurant with almost unlimited access to some of the freshest seafood the Oregon Coast has to offer, and a Brazilian seafood stew called Moqueca de Peixe. This stew is a showcase of crab meat, scallops, shrimp and fish in a citrusy broth that may leave you reconsidering your chowder obsession.
Reedsport is a junction on the South Coast, and a worthwhile stopover if you’re looking for something chowder-esque served in more than a cup. Oregon Coast Pizzeria’s bay shrimp au gratin — a chowder served in a sourdough bowl with bay shrimp sliding down a river of melted cheddar cheese — will satisfy any hungry traveler.
Soups Specialties Beyond Seafood
Chowders and seafood stews are just the beginning of the variety of warming soups on the Coast. Look for options that utilize the produce and wild ingredients of the season. Seaside’s Osprey Café, for example, offers a creamy Hungarian mushroom soup as a frequent winter special — it’s topped with paprika and sometimes includes wild-foraged chanterelles.
If you happen to be traveling in a group with different soup preferences, you can do no better than Buttercup Ice Creams & Chowders in Nehalem, between Tillamook and Cannon Beach. Buttercup offers a couple of rotating vegan options like the South Indian chowder and a Thai coconut chowder, always with a delicious twist, as well as other soups and homemade ice cream.
For a comforting bowl of spicy beef soup, you can’t go wrong with a hearty birria ramen, a fusion soup featuring a rich Mexican stew combined with Japanese ramen noodles. You’ll find lunch trucks featuring birria up and down the Coast. Try the version at Garcia’s Cocina, a food truck in Tillamook, which will raise your temperature and fuel your adventures for the rest of the day.
If Irish sea shanties and stew with all the trimmings are your thing, Fat Irish Kitchen & Pub in Brookings has an Irish stew that will fill you up and ward off the chill of a thick fog. It’s one of several dishes on the menu reflecting Irish tradition, including bangers and mash.
– By T.A. Akimoff
Top photo: Buttercup Ice Creams & Chowders courtesy of Visit Tillamook
in Food & Drink