Bustling, cheerful, and welcoming newcomer Fedé, an Italian trattoria on the Astoria waterfront, may require patience for a table, but it’s worth it. Influenced by travels and years cooking in Italian restaurants, husband and wife team Faith Davenport and Sean Hammond serve house-made pastas in whimsical shapes and sizes, succulent pork shoulder roast, vegetables sourced from nearby farms, and a smart pairing of octopus and potatoes in a cozy dining room. No reservations, so sip a spritz on the outdoor deck overlooking the Columbia River or take a walk along the riverwalk while you wait.

In the quieter cove area south of Seaside’s hopping downtown, sweet little Osprey Café rocks breakfast and lunch with an internationally eclectic pantry. Nasi goreng — Indonesian fried rice — with a sunny-side-up egg at 10 a.m.? Yes, please. Watch surfers or trek up Tillamook Head, then warm up with a plate of cheesy arepas or pork belly banh mi for dine-in or takeout. Heated outdoor seating is also available, welcoming neighborhood dog walkers. The specials are stellar — think Dungeness crab crèpes or halibut tacos — so be sure to ask what’s new that day.

With live music and a charming brick patio with blooming flowers in season, the Bistro proves Cannon Beach’s dining scene can be inventive and fun. An easy walk from downtown hotels, the Bistro is home to chef and owner Jack Stevenson, whose experience heading up San Francisco’s Mandarin Oriental and other top-notch hotel and resort restaurants comes through in creative spades. He slips kombu and bonito into cioppino for a deeper savory note and bolsters his tom kha with an array of shellfish. Vegan and vegetarian dishes include hearty options like savory sorghum, lentil, and cucumber cakes over braised kale with apricots. Visitors traveling with dogs can ask for the canine menu, so both owner and pet can enjoy a meal on the patio.

At the north end of Netarts Bay, the ship-shape Schooner is one of the most impressive buildings around, with roof panels lifted upward like sails and plenty of covered, comfortable deck seating. The family-friendly food is upscale pub grub, with diners as comfortable eating burgers and pizza as they are a crispy calamari salad. The clam chowder base uses milk from a dairy 20 minutes away, while the pretty Netarts Bay oysters rockoyaki — a play on the classic Rockefeller treatment with greens, pork belly, and a mayonnaise-based motoyaki sauce — arrive nestled on beach rocks in a searing-hot cast-iron pan. The restaurant features live music and special benefits for charities like the Oregon Food Bank. Grab a dozen in-shell Netarts oysters to take home when available.

Pacific City’s understated, simultaneously casual and upscale restaurant on the Nestucca River makes for a great evening out after a day on the dunes or out fishing on the area’s historic dory boats. Focusing on Oregon seafood fisheries — think dory boat-caught rockfish enrobed in a blonde ale batter, line-caught Coho salmon served with smoked potato gnocchi, and all types of oysters and clams harvested by small family businesses from nearby bays — Riverhouse provides a menu that’s as eco-friendly as it is delicious. Drinkers will be pleased by the wine list with strong selections from the Willamette Valley and Europe.

Storied Oregon coast breakfast and lunch spot Otis Cafe — equally famous for its from-scratch shredded, cheesy German potatoes and its marionberry pie — rose like a phoenix from the flames of its longtime location in Otis, which tragically burned in 2019. The new spot in Lincoln City (sporting its original sign) has three times the seating, and it’s been embraced by generations of Oregonians eager for more biscuits with sausage gravy or Pacific rockfish sandwiches for lunch. Try the spicy St. Claire Fire Station omelet with chorizo, pepper jack, and habanero sauce, playfully named in tribute to the first responders who fought the fire. All the baked goods and breads are still made in-house.

For Italian comfort food, Newport is the place to visit, and chef Justin Wills — famed for his farm-to-table fine dining destination Restaurant Beck in Depoe Bay — is the man to provide it. Sorella, his charming one-room Italian restaurant, brightens up Newport’s Nye Beach with bold Oregon coast-created art on the walls and a full bar. Choose among handmade pasta offerings like rigatoni with vodka tomato cream sauce or veal Parmesan over angel hair noodles. You will never regret ordering a beautifully charred Italian-style pizza with seasonally-changing toppings. Save room for a triple-scoop of house-made gelato.

Now proudly owned by a worker collective, Local Ocean lives its sustainability messaging. Much of the fish and crab on the menu arrives from the boats in Newport’s harbor across from the handsome — and perpetually busy — restaurant and fish market. Considered by many the best place for seafood on the entire coast, Local Ocean serves creative entrees that often have international twists on coastal classics. Favorites include moqueca de peixe, a Brazilian coconut milk-based mixed seafood stew, and grilled albacore tuna kebabs. The wine list has plenty of Oregon seafood-friendly glass pours and some excellent zero proof cocktails — priced especially well at the weekday happy hour in the upstairs bar. The restaurant opts for a 20 percent service charge in lieu of traditional tipping to support working wages and health benefits for all staff.

Perched on the banks of the Smith River where it joins the lower Umpqua in Reedsport, Big Fish Café operates out of a repurposed Coast Guard ship with a sunny garden patio seating area. With lunch and dinner menus spotlighting local seafood and produce in classic dishes and a full bar, it’s the upscale casual restaurant Reedsport has been missing. Check out the exhibit at the Umpqua Discovery Center next door, then gaze out on the water from the nautical blue dining area upstairs; start with a cocktail and the scallop sweet potato chowder — a nice twist on the coastal classic. For dinner, try Kobe beef sliders, huckleberry-glazed salmon, or Oregon bay shrimp Greek salad with tzatziki.

The newest outpost of 7 Devils Brewery, long a mainstay in downtown Coos Bay, takes it up a notch with a tastefully designed, art-filled contemporary waterfront ale house. Views of the bay fill the main bar and dining area thanks to a wall of tall windows, where diners watch tugboats go by from waterfront tables or settle in to comfy booths. On a dreary day, the fireplace room is the place to enjoy your pint. Try a cold-conditioned Stanton Street lager or a community collaboration brew like the Chinook Redd Ale, with proceeds going to support habitat improvements for salmon. To accompany, select from favorites like salads with seasonal greens and produce grown nearby, Oregon-caught rockfish-and-chips or smoked meatloaf.

With one of the most stunning views of any restaurant on the Oregon Coast, Port Orford’s favorite date-night dining melds romantic sunsets, colorful art and freshly prepared seafood. Owned and operated by the Hawthorne family of artists — who also own the gallery next door — the Redfish experience includes lively abstract art on the wall and bespoke funky chairs and bar furnishings crafted by metalworkers. Chef Paul Grossi serves lunch and dinner dishes like freshly caught fish tacos, two kinds of savory cakes (tiny pink shrimp and halibut), and lamb burgers made with meat raised in nearby Langlois. When the sun shines, sit out on the deck to gaze upon Battle Rock beach while sipping a martini and nibbling on cheese-and-vegetable beignets.