Novelli's Crab and Seafood — Restaurant in Florence

We found this place off of the docks on the far east side of Old Florence town area. We really enjoyed the crab chowder. It was great. We would come again for that and the bread. The crab though, a bit misleading. The staff asked if we wanted it cleaned and cooked which we of course said yes. It was two day old crab that was previously cleaned, cooked and is in a cold visible refrigerator. So you think you will get cooked crab that is warm to go with your warm butter, it's fridge cold day old crab. He claimed they brought them in the day before, I have eaten quite a bit of crab in my life, it didn't taste fresh, we were disappointed with the amount of money we spent unfortunately. Trying to eat this soup out in the wind with napkins blowing everywhere and hair in my face was less than ideal. So maybe save this spot for a day without wind, (does that happen on the Oregon coast?) I do love this idea of supporting the fisherman directly. Great little idea for a restaurant and I'm sure the locals love it. The soup and bread are absolutely worth a little trip here. We would have liked to try the bread bowl, and the crab cocktail but they were out. Just be aware of the type of casual place this is before coming. Maybe take the live crab home/airBnB and cook it yourself. Or skip and get the...

This place is really unique experience, I loved crab Alcatraz! They have a counter and picnic tables to eat at down on their own personal dock. It feels really exclusive down there when you walk through the gate down onto the floating dock right on the river. The workers were really nice and the kids in front of us seemed to really enjoy interacting with the guy transporting the crabs from Alcatraz to the pot. The crab was alive and then cooked and served to them right before their very eyes, it doesn't get much fresher than that! We were eating clam chowder from another place at the picnic tables above this place when we saw the sign on top of this shack that said they won 1st place in the chowder contest or something like that. We felt obligated to do a taste comparison at that point. They basically only do crab at this place so crab chowder is what we went for. Their chowder is unlike anything else I've ever had before, the herbs tasted like they were picked seconds ago they were so fresh! It was very creamy and delicious, although I think they could go a little heavier on the crab. Overall though I would say it wasn't the best chowder I've had, but that's because in my opinion it is more of a crab soup. It was incredibly delicious though, I would recommend/go...

If you are traveling anywhere within a hundred miles of Florence, you would be well advised to stop off and have lunch at Novelli's.

Novelli's is a little dive of a restaurant situated directly on the dock on the Siuslaw River in the historic village of Florence. The little metal building puts out some of the best seafood I’ve ever tasted. By all means check ’em out. The menu varies by the catch of the day.

The Crab Chowder is hands down the best ever. There is no indoor dining. They have about seven bar stools outside that belly up to a small shelf attached to the building. The lines were long the day we went and we were there around 1300. Most of the patrons pick up their orders for take away. We decided to stay and dine outside. The little walkway to the building is only about three or four feet wide leaving little room to maneuver in and around the outside of the building.

I wish I could give this place a ten star rating. I’m only in town for a few days, but this will be a frequent stop for me before I leave.

Oh, you can follow them on Facebook to see what's being served...