On coastal trips and fish & chips
A meandering journey down memory lane...and the foods along Oregon Coast
It seems like everyone’s going on vacation these days. I am too, in fact. Next week, I’ll be in Houston, TX with my husband and kids. We’re going to check out what the city has to offer. I’ll report back on how it went later. Meanwhile, let me indulge you in some prior trips I took along the Oregon coast (I live in Portland). These are my favorites, for they’re filled with fond memories of the simplicity of the sand, one of my favorite places to be…next to the bookstore/library, of course 😀 I hope you enjoy! See you soon! 👋
Writing an article about the history of the corn dog got me thinking about Rockaway Beach. In my research, I found that the most (legitimate) piece of history comes from this seaside town in Oregon. Located about two hours from Portland, where I live, is a place filled with fascinating history about food, and yet I knew so little when I visited the last time in 2017.
In addition to being the “original” birthplace of the corn dog, it also houses Schwietert's Cones & Candy, one of the coolest candy shops I’ve ever been to. They have five locations up along the Oregon coast, so you really can’t miss them. It’s a shop filled with all sorts of confections—from the standard laffy taffies (two aisles of them!) to obscure candies and sodas to hot fudge (which I recommend highly), they really are a real “treat.” (Dangerous for someone like me who has a terrible sweet tooth!)
If you ever get a chance to check out Seaside, Cannon Beach or Newport, be sure to check out the following places. (I personally have experience with these… scroll down for a “crazy” stomach twisting story!)
Tom’s Fish & Chips (multiple locations). They have excellent fish & chips and interesting décor on the inside. Their clam chowder is pretty good too.)
Mo’s Seafood & Chowder. Mo’s has pretty decent food; being inside reminds me of being at a grandmother’s house. They’re literally all over the Oregon coast, and they even have a food truck! The one that we like to go to is “the original,” in Newport.
Ripley’s Believe it or Not! a funky museum in Newport, right next to the waters. Fun for kids and adults.
Newport Chowder Bowl. *WARNING* FOOD POISONG MAY OCCUR*
It looked promising when we went there for the first time. But like the lame person that I am (sometimes), I forgot to ask whether their shrimp sandwich was a warm or cold sandwich. They brought it out with cold shrimp and cold bread. This is NOT something my stomach can handle.
So what does one do when one cannot eat a cold shrimp sandwich? She gives it to her partner…who consumes it excitedly (he must’ve been hungry) only to discover, hours later, a reaction so vicious that it sent him to the bathroom for hours. Speaking about the experience, he said, “Oh my god, I was farting all night.” (His words, not mine. Sorry, honey…your secret’s out 🤭)
Moral of the story: do not order any cold shrimp sandwiches at Newport Chowder Bowl.
Anyways, here’s a few other notable places to check out:
Newport / Pacific City
The Taphouse at Nye Creek, a kid-friendly (and dog-friendly, I think) brewery with interesting, dark-themed décor. Good food too.
The Pacific City sand dunes, a kind of heaven on earth. The kind that makes you think, “Holy moly, am I in Hawaii?” Trust me on this. It is absolutely worth it.
Tillamook
Tillamook Cheese Factory has the best ice cream and cheese around. Take some pictures with the cow statues or the yellow van, then go order some ice cream. Always order ice cream.
Kilchis River Campground, great for day picnics and clean and well-kept. They also have a kids playground, great if you have kids.
Cape Meares Lighthouse has striking views. If you can, try to go up to the lighthouse. You can see the ocean for miles away.
Oregon and its beaches are “interesting.” I say that in quotation marks, because as a longtime Oregonian who’s gotten used to the gray skies, winds, and rain, I can’t say that it is anything like what you’d imagine in a beach. Beach towns in Oregon is more likely to be filled with old, abandoned buildings and pickup trucks rather than the cutesy shops selling kites and surfboards that are typical of many beach towns elsewhere.
Still, I thought of the beach right after I read Ruby Tandoh’s essay about beachside donuts in Vittles. About the donuts, she quips, “They are exactly as good and as mediocre as every other seaside doughnut in every other seaside town: the same premise, the same mix, the same machine. I’m nowhere at all, and I’m home.”
The same can be said of Oregon beach towns. Things are always going to be the same, but the people aren’t. People will come and go. There will always be a small selection that visits and leaves, visits and leaves, season after season. If you’re one of those visitors, you’ll be greeted with the sameness that always exists in such places. The same shops. The same restaurants. The same type of people. The same kind of foods.
But that’s the beauty of any beach, isn’t it?
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Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this roundup of beachside jaunts, food-edition. Now it’s your turn—tell me about a cool place, preferably a beach, in your hometown, and what’s so neat about it. Go!
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I'm not very familiar with your part of the world so I particularly like the gorgeous photos.
Nice little write up! I'm a native San Diegan so whenever I go to Seaside it's an odd experience. I'm used to seeing palm trees, not Fir and Pine next to the beach. It's a lot more wild.