Where to Find the Best Fish and Chips on Oregon’s North Coast
Fish and chips just taste better when served in a metal wire boat, as Astoria’s Ship Out proves.
For some, it’s not summer until they can feel the invigorating sting of sea air. Closest to Portland, Oregon’s North Coast is ideal for impromptu sandy day trips and cozy overnights. And any worthwhile coastal excursion includes sampling the aquatic gems of the Pacific Northwest’s seas and rivers, fried to a golden hue and served with spuds and tartar sauce. Here are a few favorite fish fries, from Cannon Beach all the way up to Astoria.
Bowpicker
Sitting at the mouth of the Columbia River, Astoria attracts beer fans and the Goonies-obsessed alike. But the oldest city in Oregon also supports a thriving seafood scene, and nowhere is that more evident than at the red-and-white converted wooden boat of Bowpicker Fish & Chips. While most shops opt for something like cod or rockfish, Bowpicker flouts tradition with lightly beer-battered albacore tuna. Impressively meaty and rich but not chewy, and with a crust that crunches like panko breading, it attracts lines that stretch down the block even in the rain, which is mercifully rare come summer.
Bell Buoy of Seaside
Since 1946, Bell Buoy’s vintage neon sign has glowed on the side of Highway 101 in Seaside, calling to those zooming past to make a detour. Pull over and duck into this counter-service fish shop with a riverside view and a chalkboard listing the day’s specials. Order razor clams harvested from a nearby beach or get a piping-hot basket of fish and chips, whether the fish involved is halibut, cod, or salmon. (Baskets are served with tricolored slaw and the customary fries and plastic ramekin of tartar sauce.) Then snag some fresh Dungeness crab or lingcod to cook at home.
Ecola Seafood Restaurant and Market
All summer long, visitors flock to this two-story house of fried fish in the heart of Cannon Beach, lines spilling out the door onto Second Street. They’re here for the wide array of seafood: cod, halibut, and salmon fried to glossy ochre along with oysters, clams, calamari, and shrimp. Ecola’s french fries resemble Dairy Queen’s, and the restaurant goes beyond the deep fryer with its seafood cocktails, melts, and chowders. Skip the line to order and use one of the provided kiosks instead, then grab your tray and head to the covered rooftop patio or the shaded one on the ground floor.
Ship Out
While technically in Astoria, Ship Out can be found on the Warrenton side of Youngs River, in an unassuming food cart parked outside a kitschy garden shop. Halibut, cod, and calamari remain in constant rotation, but keep an eye out for seasonal salmon and other catches from the Pacific Ocean; no matter what cut you order, it will be ultra fresh and erupting with steam as soon as you break into its crisp coating, an unadorned flour dredge that allows the flavors of the fish to shine. On the side: exceptional fries and an appreciably creamy slaw.
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