TripAdvisor Traveler Rating based on
711 reviews
The Big Wave Café provides a taste of the Oregon Coast with food that is seasonally fresh from local farms and fishers.
TripAdvisor
We enjoyed the atmosphere and the food. Wonderful!! We had the Halibut Fish and Chips and the Razor Clams, both with salads. Nice place.
Fantastic food and great service! Our family of 2 adults and 2 kids all enjoyed this place a lot. My husband and I had the delicious halibut sandwich with a fresh green salad. We also tried their scrumptious crab cakes. Very worth it! Give them a try if you’re coming down the 101 in the Manzanita area!
Our party stood outside 30 minutes for a table but it was worth the wait. Oysters to start followed by a freshly made salad with the house dressing. Tasty lightly breaded fish, scallops, and shrimp completed the meal. All washed down with refreshing beer and cider. Friendly service rounded off a memorable dining experience.
Was there on a Monday, largely because it seemed to be the only "nice" dinner place open on that day in this area. Chalkboard in entry area seemed promising, listing all the different places their seafood was sourced from. As it was one of the only places to get any dinner after 7 on a Monday, the place was packed. Yet the hostess and servers managed diners with warmth, sincere friendliness and efficiency. Five stars for them. But the food ranged from delicious and fresh to not good. Started with clam chowder which was quite good, followed by mixed green salads that were super fresh (if a bit on the tough side), with a delicious berry vinaigrette. These came out within minutes. The rest of our food took over 30 minutes to come out, but again, it was busy. The grilled halibut was a disappointment. Was not "grilled" but "griddled", that is, cooked on a flat steel griddle, with lots of oil that left the fish greasy and off-tasting. The fries that came with them were excellent. Also got the crab cakes, at the recommendation of the server who said it was a specialty of the house. Frankly, they su***ed. About the size of small sausage patties, barely a half inch thick, and mostly breading/ filler. They were overcooked to the point where one side was dark brown and hard. Baked potato it came with was also way overcooked, to the point where skin was almost black on top and inedibly hard, and the flesh was dry as could be. Given how long it took to get our food we didn't dare ask for a do-over. Cost of each entree was about $30. A bit pricey given the locale even had everything been well prepared, but definitely not worth it as served.
We were first timers and were very happy with everything. The food was excellent and the service very friendly and professional. We shall be back for sure.
