The quintessential Astoria experience, Buoy Beer Co. is housed in a former cannery perched on the Columbia River and the surrounding buildings, currently undergoing renovation as Buoy expands its Pilot House Distilling offshoot. With front-row views of massive cargo ships gliding by or bottom-row views of sea lions from a floor-viewing window, it’s tough to choose between (limited) indoor and outdoor deck seating for your pint of dunkel. A simplified menu with standbys featuring sustainable local catch, like albacore tuna sandwiches or rockfish and chips, still prove that salmon isn’t the only fish in the sea. Before you call for takeout, check the futures board on their website to check if someone bought you a beer.

Sporting the best view in town and an airy, bright dining room, Bridgewater Bistro upped its pandemic game by installing sturdy, attractive KOSE dining pods on its deck overlooking the Astoria-Megler bridge. Portable heaters warm up the table (as does a bowl of the signature curried clam and mussel chowder or smoked gouda mac and cheese), but diners can ask to be moved inside the historic boat shop if the wind and rain blow too hard around their ankles. A robust wine list and chef Geoff Gunn’s locavore specials make for a great date night. The restaurant is also open for takeout.

Socially distanced in the quieter Cove area south of Seaside’s bustling downtown, warm and cozy Osprey Café rocks breakfast and lunch with global flair. Nasi goreng, or Indonesian fried rice, with a sunny-side-up egg at 10 a.m.? Yes, please. Locals comb the uncrowded beach or trek up Tillamook Head, then warm up with a plate of perfectly fried arepas or a big, messy, Korean-barbecue-sauce-laced, slaw-enhanced, fried chicken sandwich. Limited indoor seating and takeout are available.

Replacing Bread and Ocean, the long-loved java stop for many Manzanitans, Offshore Grill and Coffee House provides a solid start to the morning with Sleepy Monk coffee out of Cannon Beach and house-made pastries, as well as lunch and dinner specialties like fried Willapa Bay oyster and local black cod po’ boys. Chef Jake Burden recently relocated his popular locavore restaurant from Rockaway Beach, and is focusing on takeout until the kinks are ironed out. We hope the Philly cheesesteak special from his hometown makes its way to the regular menu.

Scheduled to reopen with indoor and outdoor seating plus takeout on March 17, 2021. With an invitingly nautical, fully renovated space smack in the center of the Port of Garibaldi marina complex, this family-owned spot eschews fish for smoked meats and high-end comfort food. After offloading their catch, fishermen from the local fleet happily refuel with microbrews, heaping rib platters, and Garibaldi Portside Bistro’s specialty, a blueberry-sauced, goat cheese, bacon, and avocado burger.

Nevør Shellfish Farm’s pop-up parking lot soup and clam shack — brainchild of chef, commercial shellfish harvester, and sustainable seafood advocate Jacob Harth (formerly of Portland’s lauded Erizo) — has been nothing short of a pandemic sensation. Who knew Portlanders would drive over an hour and a half to nosh on steamed gooseneck barnacles, sea urchin or marinated raw sardine Texas toasts, and mackerel crudo? Even better: the spent oyster shells and rickety barrels make great Instagram sets. Open only Friday through Sunday in the afternoons, long-haulers should definitely plan to arrive early, since the achingly fresh shellfish, much of it foraged from nearby waters, sells out quickly. A cooler is handy to take home Dungeness crab and a dozen or so exquisite Tørkes oysters from the farm. For those who can’t travel, chef Harth accepts pre-orders for a few tasting menu Black Boxes, when available, for Portland delivery.

Visitors at the nearby Salishan Resort pop by this renovated brick-and-tile factory cafe for Dungeness crab melt croissants or giant tuna salads. The space is something to behold, bright with exposed whitewashed beams, reclaimed architectural bits from historic Portland institutions, and a bar area bursting with color. With surprisingly good seafood in the tiny community of Gleneden Beach, the white tablecloths and friendly service in this 7,000-square-foot space will thrill even the pickiest visitors. Reservations are recommended for dinner, and only small parties are allowed, but takeout is a good option.

This essential central coast fine dining restaurant overlooks wild surf crashing in a little rugged cove outside the fishing village of Depoe Bay. A winter tasting menu might include vanilla-cured foie gras or rockfish in a black garlic dashi with pork belly and pickled yellowfoot chanterelles, all paired with a nice selection of Oregon wines by the glass. Too rich for your blood? Chef Justin Wills also runs a budget-minded, charming little Italian restaurant, Sorella, in Newport’s Nye Beach, featuring handmade pasta and both Italian and Detroit-style pizza. Both are open for limited indoor dining and takeout.

Natural food lovers on the central coast rejoiced when Yachats Brewing came to this little seaside village nestled into the forested cliffs north of Cape Perpetua. Not only did Yachats acquire its own clever brewery, with a surprisingly varied list of beers with coastal themes like the Marbeled Murrelet stout and Thor’s Well IPA, it gained a rambling taproom with a menu heavy on vegan-friendly dishes, ferments, and probiotic drinks. Lion’s mane mushroom cakes with black garlic lemon aioli and a side of house-made kimchi appear on the new menu, as do a list of Sunday brunch offerings, and there’s plenty of room to socially distance. The brewpub is also open for takeout.

Hawaiian-born chef Christian Jakobsen is one of the most motivated chefs on the central coast: Moving from temporary pop-ups in a steakhouse to a food cart during his years in Florence, he finally found a home for his Pacific Rim sushi, grill, and tiki bar. Currently takeout only, the exuberant menu includes island-style specialties like a grilled chicken yellow curry, spam musubi with a sweet shoyu glaze, loco moco platter, and myriad creative specialty rolls.

When Nancy Fraser retired from her beloved European deli and bakery, South Coast Gourmet, in tiny Port Orford, the locals who gathered for lunch and coffee each day mourned. They soon embraced its replacement, The Nest Café, which kept the charcuterie and cheese case, but also serves up healthy smoothies and organic lunches with lamb and vegetables from nearby farms and fish from the dock down the hill. Dine-in and takeout are available, but the small space may fill up, so plan ahead.