5 Best Restaurants in Florence, The Oregon Coast

This seasonal outdoor seafood-in-the-rough beer garden with a live-music stage and cornhole games sits directly on Winchester Bay, overlooking the marina whose fishing boats supply the fresh-caught, sustainable crab, bay shrimp, albacore tuna, and clams that appear on the short but sweet menu. Bands entertain the crowd many evenings, and families are welcome, along with well-behaved dogs. It's just outside Reedsport, in the heart of Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, and about midway between Florence and Coos Bay.

The detailed chalkboard menu of always intriguing nightly specials says it all: from the fresh, crab-encrusted halibut to classic duck-and-lamb cassoulet to Bill's Flaming Spanish Coffee, this is a place serious about fresh food and fine flavors. Originally located in the old Mapleton train station, moved in pieces and reassembled in Old Town Florence, the atmospheric tavern has a great view of the Siuslaw River and the Siuslaw River Bridge. In the summer diners can enjoy patio seating right at the water's edge. Reservations are strongly suggested.

Freshly caught seafood is the mainstay of this convivial restaurant in a creaky-floored, Victorian-era storefront in Florence's Old Town. Whether you opt for patio dining during summer or lounge seating in winter, the eclectic fare of pastas, burgers, salads, and seafood-packed stews is consistently well prepared, and a live jazz band provides some foot-tapping fun many evenings. For a light snack, try the peel-and-eat shrimp and a cup of chowder in the restaurant's stylish Zebra Bar.

This friendly gastropub in Old Town Florence—a couple of blocks north of the riverfront—specializes in locally sourced, creatively prepared American fare and offers a well-chosen list of Oregon beers on tap, plus local spirits, iced teas, and kombucha. Stop by for lunch to enjoy the lightly battered albacore fish and hand-cut fries with tartar sauce, or a cheeseburger topped with Rogue River blue and served with marinated vegetables and local greens.

This small, homey café serves cups of drip-on-demand coffee—you select the roast and they grind and brew it on the spot. Beans are roasted on-site, muffins and breads are freshly baked, and a view of the Siuslaw River can be savored from the deck out back.