Skip to content

Seaside Stories

Eat Your Way along the North Coast

February 25, 2020 | by Shellie Bailey-Shah

Seaside has a celebrated history as the endpoint of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. During their stay along the Oregon Coast, the early 19th-century pioneers subsisted on wild berries, licorice root, fish and elk preserved with salt extracted from seawater. Fortunately, today, visitors have more tasty options. And because Oregonians love a good trail, these culinary delights have been arranged along what we call the North Coast Food Trail.

Seaside is now the starting point for the self-guided tour that travels south to Neskowin and includes more than 70 breweries, wineries, distilleries, cooking schools, family farms, farmers markets, restaurants, tours and food-focused experiences. In fact, Sunset Magazine awarded the trail the Editor’s Choice Award for “Best Foodie Trip in the West” just last year.

 

 

When planning your foodie trek, make sure to hit all seven spots in Seaside:

• Start your morning at Osprey Cafe. The scratch kitchen turns out internationally-inspired breakfast and lunch dishes and serves coffee from Columbia River Coffee Roaster in Astoria. Or stop into Dough Dough Bakery — part bakery, part pizza place, part wine bar, part daily surprise — for scrumptious scones or flaky chocolate tahini rolls.

• During the summer (June through September), stroll through the Seaside Farmers Market, held at the corner of Broadway and Highway 101 on Wednesday afternoons. In addition to fresh produce, pasture-raised meat, organic cheeses and artisan foods, you’ll enjoy live music.

• For lunch, head to Seaside Brewery, located in the town’s historic jail. You can’t go wrong with one of its smoked brisket or pulled pork sandwiches with a side of pork belly mac-n-cheese — all washed down with a seasonal brew. The restaurant is both family- and dog-friendly with an outdoor patio and firepit.

• After a few hours on the beach, it’ll be time for a treat! The rotating and innovative flavors of handmade gelato and sorbetto at Sea Star Gelato are irresistable. And find out why the “shark bites” here are a good thing!

• For a fine-dining experience, make reservations for dinner at Maggie’s on the Prom, one of Seaside’s only oceanfront restaurants on the Prom. The fresh, locally-sourced cuisine here is almost too pretty to eat! If you’re looking for a more casual option, drop into Times Theatre & Public House, home of the trail’s Sisu Brewing, big burgers and movies on the big screen.

After experiencing Seaside’s trail offerings, continue by venturing south — just make sure to do so on an empty stomach. Click here for a map.

 


 

First photo is crab cakes at Maggie’s on the Prom

and so much more!

“Fascinated” on Broadway

Fascination has been a staple in Seaside, Oregon since the 1950s.

A Smashing Good Time

The vintage bumper cars are a seaside tradition and we check out their 2013 opening weekend,

C&R Mercantile’s Rachelle Minoza Brings The Chic

When Rachelle “Shelly” Minoza moved to Oregon with her young family in 1992, she took a job at Meier & Frank to be able to wor...

Grant’s Getaways: Paddling the Neawanna in Seaside

If our summer heat wave is getting the best of you – sapping your energy and leaving you feeling generally uncomfortable, perhap...

Promenade Meandering

Strolling on the promenade in Seaside is a time-honored tradition on the Oregon Coast

Making Seaside Beautiful: Gardens

Seeking help on starting a garden plot sent me in search of Pam Fleming, whose reputation as a resource on Seaside’s Gardens was a bit understated as I was to discover. I met her at the Grand Opening of Back Alley Gardens (find by walking through Natural Nook Florists 734 Broadway).

Find a Beach Path Less Traveled By

A Sunday stroll along the beach at 12th Avenue in Seaside, Oregon

MotorTrend Magazine – Epic Drives: Classic Cobra Visits Seaside

MotorTrend Magazine makes the trek to Seaside, Oregon to show off a Classic Cobra

The Amazing and Colorful History of Seaside

The Lewis and Clark expedition reached the sea near Seaside. Seaside has one of the most compelling stories you’ll find anyw...

Waving the Flag in the Early 1900s

Take a look at a vintage float from the early 1900s Seaside parade.

Seaside’s Famous Feathered Citizens

First two weekends of April are filled with bird education

Seaside’s Beloved Old Cypress Trees

Cypress trees are not native to the Seaside area, as they are to parts of Southwest Oregon, near the California border. Under idea...

The Sweet Side of Seaside

Above photo: A tray of sweets on display at A Sweet Affaire, held every February. In February, we invite you to bask in the sweet ...

Read These Oregon Coast Page-Turners

A good book and the beach — there may be no better combination. Opened in 2005, Beach Books is a local institution where you ca...

Mural Walking Tour

Seaside has a flourishing art scene with quaint galleries and a monthly art walk in the historic Gilbert District, but it also has...

1st Generation Boardwalk: High Definition for the Old Guard

The Promenade started out as a wooden boardwalk that attracted visitors from far

See What’s New in Seaside This Summer

Find more fun spots that have opened since 2021 here. When’s the last time you visited Seaside? Maybe it was last season, or las...

Top Things to Do With Teens

Traveling with too-cool-for-school teens? I feel you. I have two teenagers myself. But be assured, you’ll find plenty of totally...