Cannon Beach Hardware & Public House

msubulldog25

Oregon

3.76/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3 | food: 4 | $$

Visit: Saturday, 27 April

We make a visit to Cannon Beach from Portland every 2-3 months to visit friends and/or relax at a rustic cabin nearby. At our friends' urging (they're CB locals & they've been talking it up for at least a year), we decided on this 'public house' for dinner last Saturday.

The concept of a pub inside a hardware store seems entirely novel, though we were told they occur in places like the UK. We sat in a reasonably cozy room, despite bare concrete floors and a surrounding of U-bolts and wrench sets, hacksaws and hunting knives. Yes, everything one could ask for from a small town hardware store is there... but there are wooden dining tables and a modest bar counter, too! A triad of TVs were tuned to the night's NBA playoff game and nearly every table was full - a very 'local' feel.

Beer list is concise, but as with the clientele, it's all from places nearby. The tap from in-town favorite Bill's Tavern had just blown when we arrived and was promptly replaced by Backwoods Red (a small pub in Carson, WA); other taps were Caldera Pale Ale, GoodLife Descender IPA, Laurelwood Tree Hugger Porter and a tasty one-off from Fort George, Rye Cavatica Stout. Oh, and Rainier, must have a Northwest classic like Rainier! I liked the mix and enjoyed sips of the Descender and my pint of Cavatica. Seems like the 6 taps rotate pretty regularly.

Food was very good and filling: a hearty slab of meatloaf on grilled sourdough for my wife and J, a good-looking Garden Burger for H and an excellent Patty Melt for me. Elsewhere on the menu were things as diverse as Ahi salad, chicken wings, prawn burgers(?!?), pulled pork sandwiches and oyster shooters. The menu is pretty concise, but I'd say there's something for everyone. Prices are fair, for the most part - most items at or below $10 - except for a couple pricier things ($17 fish & chips?)

Liked the service a lot: friendly, prompt with orders and refills, accommodating (we had a perfectly-behaved 8 month old baby at our table). Another staffer kept dropping by the table to crack jokes or wave/smile at baby L... just a fun, warm and inviting overall experience. We'll *definitely* be back!

04-30-2013 16:11:22 | More by msubulldog25