2 Best Restaurants in Depoe Bay, The Oregon Coast

Immensely gifted chef-owner Justin Wills presents a short but memorable menu of creatively prepared, modern, Pacific Northwest cuisine each night in this romantic, contemporary dining room at the Whale Cove Inn. The menu changes regularly, with chef Wills sourcing largely from local farms, ranches, and fisheries, but you might start with an elk crepinette with chanterelle mushrooms and Asian pears, followed by pheasant breast with kalamata olives, brown-butter crumbs, and beet-pickled leeks. Save room for dessert; it's impressive here, with the apple pie tart topped with hard-crack caramel and candied almonds a particular standout. 

Serving consistently well-prepared modern seafood fare, Tidal Raves uses local and sustainable fish and shellfish in preparations inspired by places far and near. A few steaks and vegetarian dishes round out the lengthy menu, which also includes such local classics as Dungeness crab cakes, panko-crusted razor clams, and rockfish and shrimp green curry with steamed peanut rice, and the inviting bi-level dining room has tall windows overlooking the ocean.