My family and I stayed in this clunky little town for three nights. All the restaurants were delightful as well as the people. However, one place stood out among them all. Was it the staff? Was it the atmosphere? Was it the baby crying in his high chair? Yes, no just joking. Let's get down to business, " The Tsunami"! It was quite large considering that it contained: a quarter pound patty, one fried egg, two chunks of ham, two slices hempler bacon, iceberg lettuce, two slices tomato, onion and avocado accompanied by the most heavenly sauce I've ever licked off my shirt! The patty had a slight char and was bursting with juicy flavors of natural beef. The bacon was crunchy and added some salty flavor and zest. All in all, I felt like a fat uncle who's had too many beers and is now trying to lose weight. Very delectable and satisfying! read more

Big Wave Cafe - The Tsunami Burger - Seafood Near Me - Manzanita, Oregon

Nice place to eat. They had a really good reuben sandwich and excellent fries. Also fairly priced.

Best fish and chips and crab cakes that we have had in a long time. This place is located a distance from the ocean and the main view is the parking lot. The inside of the restaurant is simple and basic. But we were seated immediately. Service was fantastic. We ordered a crabcake sandwich with fries and halibut fish and chips. Fish and chips were amazing. Probably some of the best I've had. Very light and tender. The crabcakes were served as a sandwich. And my wife ditched the bread right away. But the crabcakes were really good. The two of us with tip cost about $37 with no alcohol. So it's a little bit more expensive than our typical lunch out. But I think it was worth it. And the next time we get out here, we will come back. read more

Big Wave Cafe - Halibut fish and chips - Seafood Near Me - Manzanita, Oregon

Convenient, friendly & great food! Clam chowder is the stuff of dreams. Tsunami burger killed our hangry headache. Perfect place to stop down the coast from Cannon Beach into Manzanita. I'm from Maryland so I'm very particular about crabcakes. So I give them a 3.8, which is almost the highest I would any crabcake outside of MD. Staff is super friendly, place is clean, good noise level for conversations. Really a solid 5 stars! P.S. The marionberry pie is also heavenly & they served it to us heated read more

Big Wave Cafe - Crabcakes, tsunami burger, clam chowder Fries were kick-ass - Seafood Near Me - Manzanita, Oregon

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Great spot along Highway 101 - friendly staff and quality food sourced locally. The razor clams for breakfast were terrific- lightly breaded and perfectly cooked. Breakfast done right and tasty. Highly recommend this little gem. Ask for a Renee as your server - she's a peach! read more

Big Wave Cafe - Razor clams breakfast plate - darn good stuff! - Seafood Near Me - Manzanita, Oregon

I can't say enough good things about the food and service we got at this cafe, we stop in every time we are going through town. The place is always clean, the service is fantastic and the staff is super friendly. You definitely have to stop into this little gem and have a bite to eat, you will not be disappointed. read more

This was extremely overpriced for the quality of food. I ordered one of the specials (crab melt) and it came cold with the cheese half melted but not melted enough because you could still hold it up and it was the same thickness as if you had just sliced it. The crab was literally crab (a good amount) but no seasonings, slat, pepper, lemon of any kind, it was completely bland. My whole family left very disappointed. Not all the seafood on menu is local. And we never saw or heard from the chef. My dad literally had to wave down our wait staff. read more

I was craving some Dungeness crab and the Big Wave Cafe did not disappoint. I had the Crab Louis which was a big cocktail of pure, fresh, sweet meat. The Dungeness crab deviled eggs where delicious also. The Marion Berry vingarette was delightful. This spot is just a low-key Restaurant featuring a delicious Northwest Seafood feast. Our waitress was very nice and the service was prompt. read more

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My boyfriend and I recently traveled to Oregon from North Carolina. It was our first time being on the west coast and we'd just come from Smugglers Cove, so this place just happened to be the closest to us on our GPS. OMG. We were SO happy that we stumbled upon it! It was a little pricey, but hey it's fresh seafood and everything was just delectable. We got an appetizer that was a sampler.. Captains something maybe? Anywho, everything was so good on its own. It had two each of prawns, scallops and halibut, as well as fries. I'm a sauce girl though, I always need it. Stuff seems to always lack flavor. Every single thing was delicious on its own. BUT- they bring out sauces for you. All made there. I think even the ketchup was their own, maybe just made local. Either way, they were so good too the boyfriend doesn't typically care for sauces and he loved each one. Gosh dang, I wish this place were closer! Service is polite but definitely prompt and to the point. Always a plus! And dessert was wonderful too! If you're around please stop by! I'm a seafood girl and this place has a piece of my heart with it now. read more

Big Wave Cafe - Chocolate eclair pie with their vanilla bean ice cream. It's even better than it looks. - Seafood Near Me - Manzanita, Oregon

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How can you call this place a "cafe"? It doesn't describe this pearl of a restaurant! The owner is a Le Cordon Bleu chef. The food??? OMG...fresh...cooked perfectly and NOT "Cisco" made. The desserts are even homemade! PJ our server took special care of us. I'm going back for lunch. They have homemade potato chips...yum! read more

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3.5 stars rounding up for good service... Walked up from my hotel craving the Crab Benedict. They had green tea and also subbed avocado for the potatoes for no charge. The chipotle hollandaise was as advertised - super yummy although a bit too much. My eggs were seriously overdone so didn't get that runny yolk when I cut into it - instead it was almost hard. Had requested the English muffin crispy and I don't even think it was toasted at all. But...would give it another try again for the super friendly and prompt service. read more

This is the best restaurant we have found at the Oregon beach cities. Service is excellent. Sea food is fresh and tastes homemade. The pies are hand made there by one of the owners. Prices seemed reasonable given the quality of the food and service. We mentioned to the waitress that we loved the Marion berry salad dressing. Soon the owner who makes it came to our table, and ended up writing out the recipe for us. Its a pleasure to recommend a true 5-star restaurant like this. read more

It was our first visit to this coastal gem! The food was wonderful! We had the halibut fish and chips. We started with the included salad. The house Marion berry vinaigrette was unique and delicious. The service was very good. We'll definitely visit here again! The only downside is the prices are a bit high. read more

It's 6:47pm and I'm not particularly hungry, and I'm hankering to get down the coast before sundown. The little one is STARVING and her sweet tank is on EMPTY. So we yelp nearby restaurants and BWC comes up with 4 stars, one among many in this town, so we're encouraged. We pick this place because among the other 4 star ratings, this place has the most reviews. I notice off the bat that "substitutions are politely declined." That doesn't stop my girl -- after hearing that the salad dressings include ranch, honey dijon, and raspberry vinaigrette, she asked for strawberry vinaigrette. They were very polite, and she went with the raspberry vinaigrette after all. She also asked for mint tea with a heap of sugar. It was brought with a real sugar heap, with more sugar on the side. The place is just packed, but it's not too loud, we can hear each other, and the service is quick, personable, and friendly. We love the ambiance. I'm having clam chowder, the little one is having a burger, and my oldest is having crab cakes and an oyster shooter. The side salad to the burger is big, comes on a separate plate and everything, and the veggies, including mushrooms, which you don't see on a side salad all that often, are so fresh! The burger is awesome (perfectly cooked to order with a bun so fresh it couldn't have been baked more than four hours ago)! I know this because my daughter finally let me eat a little of her meal after I complained that it wasn't fair for her to have all the food, while I had nothing. You see, the chowder is so incredible (creamy, fresh, not too salty) that she stole my bowl. The crab cakes are A+, the best my oldest has ever had. They taste like real crab. And her shooter? Yum. That's what she said. Annie says the bathrooms are pretty great too. They smell like lemon grass. This may seem like a small thing but this place is right on the 101, and when you've been on the road as long as we have, you come to appreciate these things. We wrap the party up with key lime and marion berry pie, homemade, baked fresh (in the Cordon Bleu-style, by Mom, who does all this deliciousness in the back, every day) plus decaf coffee that doesn't need any cream. In all, our only complaint is that we live too far away to come back soon. read more

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Review for Friday evening, Sept. 2. Razor clam dinners for two were outstanding. Fresh salad, big baked potato, sweet clams--nicely cooked, tasty broccolini, and always enjoy the seaweed salad garnish. Wanted to get a piece of their delicious eclair pie to go, but alas they were out (pretty early, too), so settled for Marion berry pie. That was a mistake; small piece and crust was rock hard. I even commented on size when sever brought it (I peeked!) and was told all pies were cut into eighths. Must be very small circumference. Service was good. If not for the pie it would be a solid five stars. read more

This little place in Manzanita is an interesting place. I'm all about stepping out of the usual favorites at the coast to explore what Yelpers recommend in their areas. Open driving up I'm thinking this place Must have great food because it's by a towing company & is positioned off the highway with no views. It's packed so another positive indicator that food is the draw here! Seafood specials are posted boasting the regional areas they originated. The owner was hosting and was friendly enough but we noticed quite a difference in our greeting as opposed to the Regulars! They were ushered to the bar to wait while that wasn't even offered to our group. Once seated the server was very attentive and helpful with selections. I was a bit disappointed that no fresh steamed crab was offered on the menu so I opted for the crab cakes. All the salads were delicious- very fresh with nice dressing! Here's where I confused- the meals were all Good, Seafood prepared well & good fresh flavor...but everyone stated that it was lack luster in their use of spices. I have to say my crab cakes were the most flavorful as far as spicing but we're also a bit bready from breadcrumbs. Perhaps it's a purist approach where they are trying to let the flavor of the region shine through but it comes of as bland. We shared a bowl of chowder because we're all chowder freaks- again good but lacking in clams & flavorful spices. We also took two desserts home that were homemade and those were delicious!! Very fruitful and yummy when heated! It was a pleasant meal but with other options that are positioned with beach views, and priced equally it's probably our first and last visit. read more

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Delicious, fresh, scratch kitchen! If you enjoy good quality, real food, then you won't want to miss the Big Wave Café. Don't let the name fool you, they're not going to serve mediocre salads or cheap sandwiches, but fresh, in-season fish and other delicious items. Because of this you may pay between $20-$30 an entree at dinner, but it's worth every penny. We ordered the halibut, freshly cooked crab, Cesar salad with shrimp, and the Crab Louie Salad. Added bonus, they will do everything they can to accommodate food allergies and dietary restrictions. A big thanks to Renee for her great service, patience, and transmitting all of my allergies to executive chef/owner Brian and the kitchen who hit it out of the park. read more

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This place was Mehm the fries were really good. Everything else was over priced for what it was. $15 for basic devilled eggs with a piece of crwb on top. The codd fish and chips had no flavor on the breading. The fish and fries were good. The clam chowder would have been good if it were served warm. The salad's marionberry vinegarette was delicious. The restaurant was very updated and fancy on the inside. I just wish the food was a lot better. read more

Ordered a takeout in person on my last visit (Sep. 19). I have to wait for the waitress to seat every incoming customers behind me before she can take my order, and was told my order will not be prepared until all the sat customers' order were done. I ordered Bowl size clam chowder $8 and Captains Platter $28. When I finally picked up my order, the chowder was in a 6-8? Oz cup (I attached the picture with a 16oz bottle, you can be the judge of that), I questioned the waitress to confirm whether it is the Bowl size, not the Cup size, she told me that is their Bowl size. I never see a Bowl size of a 8oz. Might be Big Wave Cafe has a 8oz Bowl. When I got back to my RV, I found out my baked potato side order became French Fries, the biggest surprise was I found a small 1/2"x1/4" gray color plastic in my salad while I was eating it(see picture). BTW utensils were not included in my to-go package. Whatever, I was in a great rush to see the beautiful Sun set. I guess someone might call a two feet wave as Big Wave , a 8oz cup as a Bowl size, French fries as baked potato, plastic piece as salad dressing, who am I going to argue with? We have a great RV trip in OR, many great restaurants, friendly and nice people. It just that my Big Wave Cafe experience really bother me at the time and stand in striking contrast to all the other great experiences that we have. read more

Big Wave Cafe - surprise salad dressing - Seafood Near Me - Manzanita, Oregon

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Looked like a great spot, my wife and I went in, it was nearly full but appeared to be fully staffed. Waited 10 minutes before anyone asked us if we wanted drinks, meanwhile the waitperson behind the bar was eagerly chatting up a local and essentially doing nothing. Our order was taken, one hamburger..... which took 35 minutes to be served to us. Overcooked and terrible with some fries thrown onto the plate. Interaction from waitress was nearly zero. Asked for the check the moment the food arrived, didn't want to wait 20 minutes for someone to come back. The waitress behind the bar who delivered the food looked perturbed when I asked for the bill and just stormed off. In summary, lousy service, lousy food. Avoid, too many other places in the area where you will be treated better. read more

Solid coastal roadside cafe. Good fries, fish and chips. Basic Caesar with grilled chicken etc. you won't be wowed but you won't be disappointed. read more

I think the picture speaks for itself lmao. I ordered fish and chips and I got Kanye west South Park style food. I appreciate them for making me laugh, but not worth the money. read more

Big Wave Cafe - I ordered fish and chips, this was the result. I appreciate the laugh LMAO - Seafood Near Me - Manzanita, Oregon

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The food was above and beyond my expectations. Also, the service was top notch too. We met the cook, Brian and I gave him much praise. If you come here you won't be disappointed. All the seafood is locally caught and the prices were very reasonable. Everything on the menu looks so good, so yes, I will be back! read more

Big Wave Cafe - We ordered their Oysters on the half shell and shared the wagyu top sirloin and lobster tail. So, so, so good! - Seafood Near Me - Manzanita, Oregon

Had a very enjoyable lunch here after hiking the Neahkahnie trail. Our party of seven was easily accomodated in a booth and seated immediately (they weren't busy). Service was prompt and friendly, and our waiter carried a device to enter the orders at the table, so little chance of mistakes. It also had a card reader, so the transaction was done right at the table. Very cool. The food was great. I got the grilled halibut, which I'd totally recommend. It came with a salad--the berry vinagrette is a must-try--and fries, which were delightfully crispy. Other items tried by our party included the fish and chips, French dip, oyster sandwich, and ahi tuna tacos. Everyone enjoyed their food! I had a great experience and would definitely this place again if I'm ever in town. read more

The food is still good but the polish and plating from the prior owner is gone. The waiter was unable to clean the empties bottles and wine glass from our table. We felt like we were in a pool hall. They need a bus person to help out or bring back Brian Williams to put the shine back on . Would I got back? Oh, yes just not during the busy time. Big Wave, we still love you read more

The clam chowder is brilliant and the oysters tasted fresh and tasty! My favorite place to eat!

Service was good. Food was alright. Had higher expectations. Scallops were way undercooked.

Great little near the beach restaurant, easy to drive by, but stop at the corner. Looks like everyone ordered fish & chips $10.95 or the captains platter $14.95. Wait, order the fresh fish, chinook salmon, $24.95 was well worth the price. Good beer and wine selection. Fun family restaurant, server was part of the family. He mentioned the recipe for the crab cakes was his grandmothers and the Marion berry pie was his mom's, a le cordon blue chef. Hello? Marion berry pie? $5. Don't miss it. Get the Tillamook vanilla bean ice cream with it. $2.95. Best dessert on the Oregon Coast. Seriously. Good place for a real nice dinner in a beach town and you are up the road from town. Don't miss it. read more

Big Wave Cafe - Seafood Near Me - Manzanita, Oregon

lunch today, comfortable booth, outstanding service and very, very good food . wife had a crab cocktail appetizer that came with a huge amount of fresh crab. she followed with a French Dip that she said was one of best ever. i had fried shrimp that came with nice salad first . Couple glasses of Elk Cove PinotGris were a great accompaniment . We go here every time we're in Cannon Beach. Never been disappointed and always have enjoyed . read more

Big Wave Cafe - Seafood Near Me - Manzanita, Oregon

I can sympathize with the low ratings because of seating and service. Trying to staff a restaurant with servers, cooks, etc is a challenge always and especially now. Having said that, 4 of us got in on Memorial Day with very little wait and the service was friendly, helpful and prompt. The razor clams were excellent, as was the halibut special. Extremely tasty deviled eggs with crab. Perfect fries and the Asian seaweed garnish is a really nice touch. The salads are not stunning but competent. Even though we live nearby, Big Wave has been off our radar screen and that's been a mistake. Big Wave fills a void in the local lineup. It's a good notch above "diner" food but a totally casual place with people in the kitchen and on the staff who clearly know what they're doing. Pictures on the next visit...there will be one. read more

Fantastic Fresh Food The atmosphere was very clean and quaint Took my parents here they are 70 and they Loved it! Great for All Ages The Crab Cocktail Was Amazing No Fishy taste or Smell on A any of The Sea Food Items! read more

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Our visit to the Big Wave Cafe on Saturday night did not disappoint. We arrived around 7PM and the place was at capacity. We asked for a booth where we could sit together and they were happy to oblige, with only a 10 min wait. We brought our own special bottle of wine for dinner and the waitress was happy to open immediately. (the corkage is a mere $13) We ordered pan fried oysters and they were large, delicious, lightly breaded, perfectly cooked. Then we shared an amazing Halibut filet that was a good portion, and cooked to perfection. The baked potato was large and hot upon arrival. As we were finishing our delicious dinner, chef and owner Brian came out to check on us, and asked how we liked our meal. Turns out he actually was retired as SVP of Le Cordon Bleu and he and his wife Carol moved to the coast and now operate this gem of a restaurant. Carol runs the dining room and it was amazing to watch how well all the staff work together and help each other out. This was truly a special experience......we'll be back. read more

Had dinner there last night. Food was excellent as well as the service. They have the very best marionberry pie I have ever eaten. read more

The food is amazing!! We had steamed clams, oyster shooters, and crab cake with a wine--the perfect Oregon coast experience!

This is a perfect spot for a seafood lunch! The coconut prawns were excellent, as was the Captain's Platter. The fried oysters were fresh and delicious, and the halibut was outstanding. Definitely leave room for desert. The owner makes them all herself and the key lime pie and chocolate peanut butter pie was the best we'd ever had. Also of note: the service was fantastic and our waitress had a generous pour with the wine. We'll definitely be driving back out from Portland just to dine here. Well done! read more

Big Wave Cafe - Our fantastic waitress also happened to have a generous pour which was awesome! - Seafood Near Me - Manzanita, Oregon

Ate here last night for the first time. No outdoor seating. I had the Coho salmon special which was delicious and my Buddy had the prime rib special and we were both very happy. Can't wait to eat here again. read more

This place is so good. I can't believe I haven't left a review for them yet. The food is all fresh, locally sourced and delicious. Service is fast, friendly and caring. If you're looking for amazing food and a chill and enjoyable environment this is the place for you. Great music too. Ps..: they no longer serve breakfast But their lunch and dinner are to die for! read more

Best fish and chips ever - lightly breaded great and the clam chowder is fantastic. Great place on the Oregon coast in Manzanita, OR

Very friendly, warm greeting. Manzanita salad was plentiful. Clam chowder was slightly watery and a bit peppery for my taste. Fish and chips were pretty good, they are panko breaded and not battered - not as good as The Sea Baron, but yummy. Easy access right off the hwy. Large parking lot. read more

Big Wave Cafe - Manzanita salad - Seafood Near Me - Manzanita, Oregon

Great local food made fresh. Server was a very nice, welcoming woman. Felt like a local, not like a tourist. Regulars came in and staff knew them by name and food likes. read more