I've been coming to The Depot for years. It was the kind of place you brought out-of-towners to show them what this area does right, the chowder alone was worth the drive. That history is exactly why writing this is so hard. Something has changed, and not subtly. On my last two visits, the beer arrived warm! Not slightly off-temperature, but noticeably, unpleasantly warm. The chowder that used to be a signature has a different flavor profile now; it tastes like a recipe was altered or a key ingredient swapped out. And the fish was undercooked. That's wild, since it's friend and they use to check the pieces. You could see where they did in the past. I was served undercooked fish!! I hoped these mistakes were a one-offs, but a pattern has emerged. I've now seen over the last year. I'm so bummed. I'm not alone in noticing. I've run into other longtime regulars who've said the same things unprompted. That tells me this isn't bad luck. I actually saw two other tables have issues when I was in last week. I couldn't hear exactly what, but I could hear the apology and the waitresses face. The wait staff is defeated. I want to be clear: this is not about the waitstaff. The front-of-house team has been as friendly and attentive as ever. They're doing their jobs well. Whatever has shifted is happening at the kitchen or management level, and they shouldn't carry the weight of it. Frankly, I think this is an owner or manager issue. Something is very seriously wrong. I've given The Depot real chances because I genuinely wanted to be wrong. This last visit was the breaking point for me. I won't be back for now, and that genuinely saddens me, because this place earned a loyal customer over many years. To whoever is making decisions behind the scenes: your reputation was built on consistency and quality. People in this community remember what this restaurant was. I hope you hear the feedback that's coming your way and treat it as the signal it is, not noise. The Depot deserves to be the place it used to be. I hope it gets there. If anyone finds things turn around, please leave a review. I want to go back. I'll be watching, but I just can't go there again. It's not been good for so many of my last visits. This isn't just because they don't chill the beer glasses, don't have the wine, undercooked fish, out if items, or funky chowder. It's all of it. read more

Stopped in for lunch one of my favorite places been here multiple times . husband got the fish taco for first time he liked it and chowder always delicious. I stick to the fish and salad every time :) the staff is always friendly and welcoming. The decor funky and fun. read more

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This place is quality. Everything from scratch. Fresh produce (even the fried mushroom appetizer had fresh not canned mushrooms)! I'm a future regular!! Fish, shrimp, scallop and oyster were EXCELLENT!! (Anyone who has left a bad review I question your reality! Hahah) read more

The Depot Cafe - Seafood Near Me - Albany, Oregon

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Great food and service We always get the 6 pics fish dinner and split it as the is so much food. read more

The Depot Cafe - Menu1 - Seafood Near Me - Albany, Oregon

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I went in for lunch today. The waitress was working her tail off, but they needed to clone her. Way under staffed. A second waitress finally clocked in and helped her. I am not sure what was going on. Food was coming out of the kitchen constantly. I just had the clam chowder. It wasn't as good as normal. Tasted a bit like flour and was bland. Ice tea was good. It took almost 15 min. to just get my order placed. Once that happened, the food came out pretty quickly. Place needs a deep clean. I want this business to do well and I am rooting for them. read more

We were in town for just a few days. But, we had to make time for a second visit. Enjoyed both. Amazing food at reasonable prices in a funky/fun environment. read more

10 stars for atmosphere. It's eclectic and fun. The service was likewise quite good. We came between lunch and dinner, so that might have made a difference. The food was a lot! Filling and good. Not out of the ballpark good, but plenty good enough. We had a fried oyster dinner and it was HUGE! Honestly. The portions are all huge. I had the fried clams and the fried mushrooms. Clams were meaty, not quite east coast in 1975 but very close. Mushrooms were also good. Something extra on the seasonings but interesting. All in all, a good meal and would recommend read more

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I have been here numerous times, always good food. Service occasionally is a little slow but not enough to be bothered with. Cute spot, not super big but cozy. We stop in when we're visiting family in Albany. I will continue to keep going. Try it out if you're in the mood for fish & chips! read more

The Best Fish And Chips in Oregon. Cute atmosphere with model ships and planes, 2 big fish tanks. We tried fish and chips up and down the coast. #2 would be Mo's, but no contest. Depoe has big chucks of fish in a light breading. Fresh fries, mounds of salad with bay shrimps. Service is quick and friendly. read more

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PLEASE go back to your previous fish recipe! This most recent meal was not what we were expecting.

I have loved the Depot for 2 decades or more. Pretty consistent food, old homey atmosphere. Food is nearly always delicious and fresh.

Amazing fish sandwiches and clam chowder!!! The inside feels like you are on a big ship! :) great service too!

Super cute space that is full of decorations and is quite small. Calamari was delicious! read more

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We went to The Depot to celebrate a birthday. We had a group of 8 and that is about all you'd probably want to try squeezing in here. The restaurant is clean, perhaps a little dark, and the decor is sea shanty-esque. Our waitress was patient, friendly and had good recommendations. She had tried many of the dishes and could speak about them knowledgeably. We ordered fish, chowder, salads and cheese and crackers. All of the food was tasty. I appreciated the sizable portions for the price. I particularly enjoyed the chowder and the Bonnie's crunch salad. I liked the dining experience and only took off a star for limited seating. Aaaand I forgot to take photos... ‍ read more

The Depot Cafe is a cool spot with a lot of atmospheric eye candy to check out while you're waiting...to order...to get your food...to get a refill. I tried to warn my friends when we walked in and I saw them make a beeline to the very furthest, most out of the way darkened booth in the place. I noticed right away that there was only one server on duty. Table selection is very important in a busy restaurant...choosing an out of sight, out of mind dead-end booth, well, that's akin to intentionally falling into an oubliette. You remember the 1986 film Labyrinth? Our protagonist, Sarah, ended up in an oubliette in the Labyrinth. * Impromptu history lesson: Victims in oubliettes were often left to starve and dehydrate to death...yikes! So, choose where you sit wisely! Anyway, service was friendly enough and our server certainly wasn't trying to ignore us. She was working hard to take and get out orders and everything in-between...we were just in the oubliette. Don't sit there, okay? The food was just average for fish & chips. The home cut fries were undercooked and could have used more time in the fryer. Based on the overall reviews, I'm gonna say this was probably just an off night for the restaurant. My tip if you're going to dine here: Sit at the counter...stay out of the oubliette, no matter what the Goblin King Jareth tells you! read more

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Been going to the Depot for almost 30 years. Always a four star experience. They always had the best fish in town. Went there about a month ago and apparently they got a new distributor for their fish and it was nowhere near the quality we have been used to. Unless it changes to something nearer to the quality they have had in the past, we will not be returning. read more

Continuously good and consistent! A gem of Albany! We had the chowder, combo and bonnies. Our favorite and I suggest you try everything on the menu. It never disappoints read more

We have been fans of the Depot since moving here from Seattle 23 years ago. Under the new ownership, the depot team has maintained their high quality of food options, while offering a fresh twist on new items. I have used The Depot to cater in crockpots of chowder for parties and also on several occasions taken in my own dishes for the shrimp salads to be built on, making entertaining both easy, fresh and healthy! Service has been consistently great and as fresh seafood lovers, cannot recommend them enough. A gem of a local restaurant to have right here in Albany! read more

I love this place! Eclectic atmosphere, food delicious and very reasonably priced, great service.

We had a great waitress who was very attentive, a large platter of food that was excellent, and enjoyed the atmosphere of the restaurant. We went for lunch on Aug. 31, 2024. read more

The Depot Cafe - Large fish & chip platter that we shared. - Seafood Near Me - Albany, Oregon

Small restaurant! Clam chowder was delicious have the Bonnie's crunch salad it is diff, but was done perfectly! Super flavorful. read more

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I've been going to the depot for over 35 years now. Have taken my son and now my granddaughter there for special occasions. Recently took our extended family there because we wanted to go out for an amazing seafood experience. Unfortunately, it wasn't so amazing this time. First, they must have changed the batter recipe for their fried foods. It's definitely not as good as it once was. The prior batter had the perfect texture and flavor. This batter isn't as good. Secondly, and most certainly the most disappointing, is that their fries are no longer the same as they once were. everyone at the table looked at each other after taking a bite or two and said "what's wrong with these fries". It's hard to explain, but they are flavorless and have the texture of Styrofoam. This is really unfortunate. Their fries in the past were cut in big thick slices and yes, they were a little greasy, but that's what made them so great. To be clear, the quality of the fish and other seafood was great. And the service was great. But the batter and the fries aren't cutting it. I'm not sure what led to the changes in the things I talked about, but the changes are absolutely unwelcome and have impacted my willingness to go back to give them another try. read more

When you're looking for that GREAT FOOD restaurant that's a "hole in the wall," this is probably what you're looking for. Just had to wait 30 mins once we were seated to get our food. If you have time to kill while waiting for good food, definitely the place to go. Highly recommend the fish & chips!! read more

Vowed to never return a year ago because we ordered fried oysters. We were presented with fried oysters that looked overcooked, burnt and hard as a rock. You could literally bounce the off the wall and they would bounce back. The batter tasted really off with a hint of cinnamon or something else. Fried seafood should have a golden look, not dark dark brown. I'm thinking they don't change out their cooking oil because it tastes like burnt oil. Also the time before we went there they had country music blaring while eating dinner and this time they had Rap music to listen to for dinner.??? Bad experience all the way around. Not trying to pick on anyone but this restaurant could really be great if they fix a few major items and procedures. read more

Small and quaint spot to eat. We were greeted immediately and had no issues with service. In fact the service was outstanding. Didn't wait long for food. I really liked looking around at all the neat vintage items they had inside. I had the lunch fish and chips and my husband had a bowl of clam chowder. He said the chowder was flavorful but the clams had a weird texture, but still was good. My fish and chips were good and fresh although I do think the batter could use more flavor. Maybe the thought is for you to taste the fish more however. Anyway, we will be back because of the great service and fish. Thank you for a nice lunch with my hubby! read more

The Depot Cafe - Fish and chips for lunch - Seafood Near Me - Albany, Oregon

I am somewhat new to the area and on the hunt for some great fish and chips around Albany and Corvallis. The Depot Cafe was recommended for just that purpose so we tried it out. FOOD: I ordered some clam chowder in addition to the fish and chips. The clam chowder was creamier than I'm used to, but had a good flavor and scratched the itch. Fish and chips hit the mark too, and malt vinegar was readily available (are you actually eating fish and chips without it?). SERVICE: This was the best part of the experience. Our server was one of the friendliest, most welcoming, most efficient and helpful I've encountered. I wish I remembered her name, but she seemed to be running the whole place and was doing it seamlessly. AMBIANCE: Decorations were what I'd expect from a place called "The Depot". The variety in the fish tanks were fun to watch while we ate. read more

I really wanted to love The Depot, because it is such a cute little place; but the food was a bit of a let down. I ordered a lunch portion of fish & fries, and while the coating had a decent crunchiness to it, the fish itself was tough, chewy, and rather flavorless. The fresh cut fries were delicious, but I ended up using a fork to eat them with because they were so greasy. They really weren't very crispy on the outside, but they were fluffy and flavorful. Since fish & chips are supposed to be the big draw for this place, I can only give it an A-OK rating (3 stars). read more

I reserve my right to express how bad it was, honestly I am sorry but it's not the best fish and chips around.

You could go with fried oysters and clams, and be plenty happy. Reliable fried seafood in a pleasant town. Been coming here for 20 years, and have never been disappointed. It won't knock your Oregon Duck socks off, but few things in Duck country do! Just enjoy the seafood and neat building. You'll come back. 12/30/2022 read more

Chowder had the consistency of gelatin and the fish batter was bland. They really like their Havarti here; I thought it odd how excited they were to serve it alongside some dishes like their chowder. read more

Rightly labeled an Albany institution. Excellent food and ambiance. Slightly higher prices of late, but not to be missed! read more

The Depot Cafe - Menu on wall. All you need! - Seafood Near Me - Albany, Oregon

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Really cute place, feels like you're at the coast when you walk in. We shared the large order of fish, fries, and and small chowders. All was very good. Small menu, which I'm a fan of, simple and good. Was spendy but everything is and was much better than the last three places I went. Our bill was around $33. read more

The Depot Cafe - The ranch in the salad was the best! Fresh fries and I'm not a fry person. Love the shrimp on the salad. - Seafood Near Me - Albany, Oregon

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Great fried shrimp! Generous salad with bay shrimp included. Fries were freshly cut. Wife and I come here whenever we're in town.

The only thing I've ever gotten here is the shrimp salad, and for good reason. The portion of bay shrimp they pile onto the salad is mind blowing. It's almost too much to be honest. That's coming from a seafood-aholic! The first time I ordered this salad I got the medium which is about $14. It was honestly too much for me and I am guy in my late 20's who knows how to eat, if that says anything about that. So this time I got the small and I would say it was the perfect amount of lunch for me. It comes with some crackers and a lemon wedge as well as your choice of dressing. If you do decide to get the medium, they add cheese to that and I'm assuming the large as well. I would definitely plan on sharing a large if you go that route. As for the service, it's great! Friendly staff and the order only takes about 10 minutes normally. If you are able to dine in, it's a pretty neat little place with lots of Nic-Nacs covering the walls as well as three saltwater fish tanks you can gaze at and get lost into another world. I don't see that finding a place to park would ever be a problem unless they were extremely packed. They have their own dedicated free parking spots. read more

The Depot Cafe - Small Shrimp Salad (to go). Sorry, I couldn't wait to eat it! - Seafood Near Me - Albany, Oregon

So this little place has been around for many years in Albany. I've eaten here quite a bit but this time I have to say it was quite good. I ordered the 6 piece cod ( I'm going to say thick lightly breaded sticks) with fries and a salad at good tarter sauce. Now I'm normally a shrimp eater but went fish instead. The fish was perfectly cooked and really flaky. (not greasy)! The customer service was really good and was checked in on a couple of times. The atmosphere was nice and quiet but do expect child cause it is a family restaurant. Booth sitting and a bar. They do have 1 bigger area for a larger ground. The price was really good. One of the more affordable places so I'll be back and you need to try the way off shore dinning. read more

Chowder, Salad, Deep Fried Seafood with hand cut potato fries. Locally crafted beer and wines that pair nicely with their entire menu. The staff are always extremely nice and accommodating . SORRY NO RESERVATIONS, but worth the wait & there's always a Call In/Take Out dining option available. Family favorite: Don't miss the deep fried calamari. As an appetizer or part of your main dish, it's squidlicious. read more

Just want to say that the Depot Cafe is one of the best fish and chips place I've been to in Albany, they're hand cut french fries are great, their service is definitely a five star service. Highly recommended. Also, this is coming from a vegetarian pescatarian person. read more

While driving through the area, my friends and I decided to stop in b/c it was Sunday and not many places are open in Albany, OR on a Sunday. 2 of us ordered the chicken tenders and house fries. The fries weren't bad -- but the tenders? OMG. The coating was tough. Like they had been overcooked. Honestly, we would have said something but we had less than an hour to eat before getting on road again. Looking back, I realized we should have mentioned this and also (either/or) eaten somewhere else further down the road if anything was open. I can't speak for others in our group but for 2 of us: Yeah, not a great experience overall. read more

The depot is an Albany Oregon "must go to" restaurant. Fish is so good. Deep fried havarti cheese is amazing. Tarter sauce and cocktail sauce is so wonderful, I wish they would bottle and sell it. Yummmmmmmm read more

My husband and I just moved to the area from Washington. What great seafood lunch choices without breaking the bank. Food was delicious - Fish and Chips, best clam chowder, and lastly clam strips with the freshest lettuce/saladI have had in years. They even add shrimp! The staff was friendly and great-attentive service. Worth the drive from Salem. read more