You’ll also find lots of interesting experiences and dishes at eateries along the coast , from classic fish and chips at a floating seafood market to banana pudding sherbet at a family-owned ice cream shop.
The Oregon Coast can be experienced year-round if you have the right clothes and a tolerance for wind and rain.
Even now, as summer winds down, coastal towns provide a cool refuge and the opportunity to eat roadside hot dogs; enjoy wild-caught black cod from a seaside kitchen; try wildflower ice cream; or buy honey, jam and other goods from a tiny roadside stand.
Here are a few stops to consider between North Bend and Port Orford on your next trip to the southern coast.
Scoops Handmade Ice Cream
3395 Broadway Ave., North Bend
Scoops is one of the few handmade ice cream shops on the Oregon Coast. You’ll find a rotating lineup of distinctive flavors, from the floral and rose-hued fireweed ice cream to a chocolate, cinnamon and cayenne sorbet. (Scoops’ sorbet game is strong, by the way, with about a dozen options on any given day.)
The flavors can change often, so let yourself be surprised (or preview their daily lineup). Get your scoop in a cup, cone or crepe, or blend it into a malt or shake.
Fishermen’s Seafood Market
200 S. Bayshore Drive, Coos Bay
Boasting waterfront views and wild-caught fish, Fishermen’s Seafood Market in Coos Bay is a quintessential dining experience at the coast. The floating seafood market and restaurant is tucked below the Coos Bay Boardwalk, where cooks fry up halibut, rockfish, prawns and oysters for the market’s popular seafood baskets.
After you place your order inside, walk along the dock to the breezy dining area in the back, where you can crack open a beer, sprinkle malt vinegar on your fish and chips and nosh while watching boats drift by.
Langlois Market
48444 U.S. Highway 101, Langlois
Langlois Market‘s tagline of “Over 100 Hotdogs Sold (1,519,845) & Counting” cheekily harkens back to the 1990s, when McDonald’s flaunted its “99 billion served” slogan across the United States. But this roadside market, an easy pit stop along U.S. 101 between Bandon and Port Orford, is far from a fast food chain.
After you order your hot dog (or sandwich or burger or burrito) from the friendly deli counter staff, you can stock up on Oregon-made beer, wine and cider; high-quality pasta; local cheeses; grass-fed steak and jerky; snacks; ice cream; and fresh produce for your trip. Langlois Market’s hot dog goes back more than 40 years and was a typical lunch for local sawmill workers in the 1980s.
The Galley at Port Orford Sustainable Seafood
444 Jackson St., Port Orford
Tucked just above Port Orford’s coastline, The Galley is a tiny seafood kitchen cooking up whatever local fishermen haul in. The small, seasonal menu offers just a handful of items at a time, each showcasing sustainably caught seafood. Menu items range from from halibut katsu bowls to rockfish tacos.
The garage-style kitchen operates year-round. That could mean fish tacos in the summer or seafood pot pie to survive the most bone-chilling months.
When it’s not too windy, you can dine at one of The Galley’s picnic tables while musician Adam Laabs plays soulful electric guitar. Next door is Oregon State University’s Port Orford Field Station, so you might learn about gray whales and bull kelp if an OSU intern stops by for a miso black cod bowl.
Before heading out, you can also snag fresh fish to cook at home: The Galley is operated by Port Orford Sustainable Seafood, a community-supported fishery.
Reader recommendations
In a recent edition of Bites & Sights, Lookout’s weekend newsletter, we asked readers for their favorite bites on the Oregon Coast, including stops further north. We’re sharing their recommendations here:
“Zurita at Nye Beach. Spanish-themed with delicious tapas dishes, homemade sangria, and a wonderful outdoor area. Great service too!” , Bob
“We had the most amazing fish and chips and also a lingcod sandwich at the food truck called Oregon Fishmongers, located in the Treasure Bay Resort, a new facility in Waldport. We’ve had a lot of fish and chips on the coast, and this rivals any that we’ve had anywhere else.” , Shelley
“Fish tacos at 7 Devils Brewery at Coos Bay; Fish and Chips at Crazy Norwegian in Port Orford.” , Karen
“Best place is The Drift-Inn in Yachats. Really good seafood, and great service.” , Marti
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