4 Best Restaurants in Eastern Oregon, Oregon

No historic Main Street would be complete without its soda fountain, and Charley's Ice Cream Parlor fits the bill, serving all manner of treats, frozen and otherwise. You can also get hearty soups, sandwiches, and salads, and cheese and meats cut to order.

The Outpost occupies one of the sleekest spaces in town: a large building with a log-cabin exterior, a vast entry lobby, and a bright, spacious, high-ceilinged dining room. The kitchen serves creative pizzas and has a lengthy menu of standard entrées including burgers, steak, seafood, salads, and quesadillas.

Side A Brewing is a couple of blocks south of La Grande's main drag but definitely worth seeking out to enjoy beer and upscale pub food that features local purveyors of meat and produce. Food options include burgers made of beef from Oregon's 6 Ranch, with Gouda cheese and tomato jam on the house burger. A peanut-butter bacon burger is also on the menu, along with non-beef choices like the ahi tuna sandwich, fried chicken sandwich, grilled cheese and tomato, veggie burger, baked mac and cheese, and a few salads. The brewpub welcomes kids with a pretty standard kids menu. Beers on tap change seasonally and often include the Sammyville Stout, which won an award in the Oregon Beer Awards in 2020, and the Fresh Hop IPA, which was voted the people's choice at a Seattle Hop festival in 2022.

Like many of the best establishments in Joseph, the Blythe Cricket was launched by talented locals—longtime friends Rachel Nutter and Margaret Lamm, who share a love for baking and for providing the community with tasty food and a comfortable, attractive place to gather over breakfast or lunch, both inside and outside. Start the day with an espresso drink featuring direct trade coffee roasted by Nosse Familia Coffee in Portland, or an artisan hot tea made with Metolius Tea from Bend. The breakfast menu includes such filling choices as a daily frittata, two breakfast burritos, baked oatmeal, and savory corn cakes that are gluten-free and filled with black beans and peppers. At lunch, choose from salads, soup, and tasty sandwiches like the Italian muffuletta, turkey pear panino, falafels on flatbread, and grilled cheese. The bakery case is filled with yummy treats that are known to sell out before closing time (2 pm). In summer, enjoy eating outside on picnic tables.