I brought my folks for a weekend trip to the coast in rockaway beach. First night, we don’t want to cook since we traveled a couple of hours already and I finished a day of work. Looking around, I spot this little Italian restaurant with good reviews. I’m looking for comfort food because it’s the beginning of March and it’s pouring rain and it’s 6:30pm and pure darkness. We get to this little
Restaurant 15 minutes away in Bay City, and the ambiance is incredible. It is a small, homey little restaurant. The lighting is inviting, and the atmosphere is warm, and it smells of bright oregano and tangy pomodoro. There are a few other guests chatting around their tables, everyone is in a peasant mood. The hostess and server greets us very warmly (she is probably one of the kindest and warmest souls I ever did meet). She tells us to sit wherever we prefer. We peruse the menu, and I appreciate that it was not 20 pages long. It covered one page, so you might think that there is a lack of selection, but really what it means is that these dishes being prepared by the chef and owner of this lovely small business are crafted with care and love. Our hostess brings us drinks, chats us up real friendly, the kind of person you could sit and talk with for a good long while. We place our order, my dad gets the tagliatelle bolognese, and I ordered the seafood pasta off of the specials menu. The food arrives in short order, general portions. You can see my seafood pasta special listed. The flavors were decadent, every bite of this food was filled with the care of the chef and owner in the kitchen. We achieved the comfort food and it exceeded our expectations. The chef herself comes out to greet us, asking if we liked what we had, and I had to give her praise on the spot. Another kind and warm and welcoming soul! This is the kind of place you want to go and eat at to fill your belly with wonderfully satisfying food and leave with a good feeling in your soul. If you are looking for Italian cuisine, consider stopping over at Bay City and trying out Mama Mia’s. If your experience is anything like mine, you will be amazed and leave a happier person.
Wonderful food! It is a new restaurant so be patient as they grow. Everything is hand made, so reservations are recommended. The apple pie dessert is unreal! Highly recommend the spinach lasagna and the Cesar salad. Enjoy!
Came through town looking for a place to stop for dinner. Lasagna and four cheese pasta with shrimp were both very good. Owner was who served us. She recommended the sizzling apple pie and burnt chocolate cookie for dessert....they were INCREDIBLE!!!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$20–30
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Fried Apple Pie of the Day
This was the favorite meal for 2 adults and two kids over a 6-day visit to the coast by 3 of those 4. Two specials and two regular menu items were all shared around, everyone impressed with the presentation and flavors of all dishes. That's a group that had been eating well all week and included a 6- and 10-year-old, right.
And that includes the antipasto vegetable dish with texture of the asparagus just right. Like, perfect.
Flavors were subtle and amazing. Even the bread sticks were refreshingly distinct from the usual - crisp crust and soft inside.
Great to have a craft beer on tap from a small, local, less-known brewpub (SIsu in Seaside), more craft beers on tap would be nice.
Everyone impressed as well by the friendly, energized waitstaff and the desserts especially the cheesecakes, also signature apple pie.
Looking forward to deck seating on the river.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$30–50
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 4
This is a hard one to review. If this was in Portland, I would probably give it 3 stars. But the fact is that while this might not be the best Italian restaurant, it is the best one south of seaside. And it's better than most of the other restaurants from manzanita to Wheeler.
The exception is their pizza. It is very basic and nowhere near as good as marzanos. If you're looking for pizza, go get it in manzanita. If you're eating here anyway, get something else.
The service and the atmosphere is other reason it got a 4th star. The view overlooking the river is really quite beautiful. And the service is very friendly and attentive.
I live Italian food and really wished the quality was better. I would make an effort to come down for a good meal. But this is very average Italian-american fare. If you're in the area and need to get something to eat, this is one of your better options in the area. You'll get an edible meal with a great view and a really cute and attentive waitress.
But temper your expectations. The food quality is not going to be up to big city standards.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$20–30
Food: 3
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Cool little spot. Sits right on the water. Friendly staff and good food. Menu choices are limited but Simple is okay. I am glad I finally stopped and went in.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Caesar Salad
At the the Oregon coast a lack of servers and cooks makes it hard to serve a meal in a timely manner especially when the food is made fresh. Still my husband and I shared a wonderful gluten free pizza. It was delicious and the crust was perfect. We sat outside and the view of the Nehalem River north was absolutely beautiful. The view to the south is nice but different.
Meal type
Dinner
Food: 5
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 3
We had a great experience at this lovely Nehalem restaurant. Right on the river. Lovely interior decor with a river view. The staff was very friendly and attentive. We had both the Lasagnas and they were delicious. The spinach lasagna was our favorite! Desserts looked delicious but we were too stuffed to order one. Next time! There will be a next time.
Food: 4
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Excellent pasta, fish, wine and dessert. Staff was very attentive and friendly. Dining has a pretty view of the water and easy parking. GF pasta options.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$20–30
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Fried Apple Pie of the Day
Food was okay and expensive. The order was correct and ready on time for takeout. Pizza crust was bland and needed salt although the toppings were good. Beware of the 20% take out fee not listed on menu photos found on this sight. Staff was not particularly friendly either. We were excited to try this new restaurant since we spend a lot of time in Manzanita, none of us felt like it would be worth coming back.
Service
Take out
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$20–30
Food: 3
Service: 3
