I hate to be a stick-in-the-mud here, but my opinion of the restaurants along the southern coast of Oregon (from Florence south to the border) is quite low, Port Orford being the exception (a couple of wonderful cafes there). I've lived here for three years now and have yet to find a restaurant on par with any in SoCal. I am quite picky, being an excellent cook myself (humbly submitted) who is a pesco-vegetarian (I'll eat fish & seafood, no beef, pork, chicken, etc.) and avoids 'fried' food. The majority of restaurants, in Brookings especially, delight in the fried variety of everything. If it's not fried, it's microwaved.
It's amazing that the restaurants here seldom offer locally caught fresh fish. There are fishmen galore out just beyond our coast line catching salmon, rockfish, perch and tuna but none --or very little-- of it makes its way to the local restaurants. May have something to do with commercial fishing laws. (?)
Because "Copper River" salmon is commercially sold, you will find that in some restaurants, rarely though (I'm speaking strictly about the southern coast, not Portland, not Eugene, not Ashland, etc.).
The restaurants are way overpriced too, given what they serve you, and the lack of service to boot.
The best restaurant in Brookings is
Bella Italia. The service there is decent and the chef quite competent who occasionally attempts originality. We've found the menu to be inconsistent in quality, however. Sometimes it's fabulous, other times just so-so. Still, it's the best in town, at no small cost.
Our newest Mexican restaurant (actually, a re-do of the small restaurant formerly known as "Rubios") is
Panchos and they offer fairly decent Mexican fare, but again, nothing like you'll find in SoCal, such as the fish tacos of SoCal's Rubios chain.
The Nautical Inn isn't in Oregon, but just over the California border. That restaurant is very good, I'd even go so far as to say, 'excellent' for the area. Plus you'll be seated at a table with the best ocean view of any restaurant along the southern coast.
Suzy Q's in downtown Brookings has a wonderful bakery. I was never a big fan of bran muffins until I tried theirs. Scrumptous. They also are open for breakfast, lunch, and on weekends, dinner. Again, sometimes the food is very good, other times, not so good. Their menu is original and often interesting. They are the only restaurant that I know of here to serve locally caught fish. Like most restaurants in Brookings, the service is a yawn!
But as they say, "There's no hurry in Curry," (the county name) even when you're starving
!
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What is your favorite place to eat out in OR?
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