Wanda's Cafe + Bakery — Restaurant in Nehalem

Just a block north of Nehalem's modest main drag sits Wanda's Cafe + Bakery, a small-town cornerstone that’s weathered its share of coastal storms, both literal and economic. Born in 1999, Wanda’s not only survived the pandemic’s chokehold on independent eateries—it’s thrived. These days, it serves up breakfast, brunch, and a lovingly overstocked bakery case to a mix of locals, regulars from nearby towns, and lucky travelers like us.

We stopped in during a brief stretch along the Oregon coast, somewhere between Cannon Beach and Yachats, and made a point to fuel up before heading south on 101. Even before we were seated, the wait was its own kind of pleasure: we clustered around a fire pit table out front and struck up a conversation with a couple from Manzanita. Their main home was in Hood River, but they kept beach property nearby, drawn—as so many are—to the particular gravity of this mossy, moody coast.

When our name was called, we were ushered into what was once a patio but has since been lovingly enclosed: a glass-roofed atrium-style space that feels like brunching inside a greenhouse decorated by an antique shop curator. Every corner spills over with trinkets, vintage signage, ferns, pots of rosemary and thyme, and soft, filtered coastal light. There's even a door marked "Jury Room 2" hung as if awaiting deliberation, scrawled with notes from previous diners.

Coffee came quickly—strong and no-nonsense—and the food even faster. We shared a grilled veggie scramble, its eggs fluffy and tangled with peppers, mushrooms, and just-crisped broccoli under a warm cheddar blanket. It came with a biscuit and a small mountain of fruit: pineapple, honeydew, berries, grapes, a radiant strawberry or two. A dollop of jam, a thimble of ketchup. Simple, but utterly complete.

The other plate was all comfort and heft: breakfast potatoes, crisp at the edges, generously ladled with sausage gravy, and topped with scrambled eggs seasoned with a dusting of paprika and chives. An English muffin perched to the side like punctuation—humble, golden, perfect.

Wanda's bakery, meanwhile, proudly parades its wares as you queue to pay: colossal cinnamon rolls, plate-sized cookies in flavors from triple ginger to M&M-studded chaos, and tidy slices of loaf cake on green glass stands that look plucked from a 1950s church potluck. We grabbed a chocolate chip cookie for the road, which turned out to be a brilliant choice—half snack, half talisman.

Years ago, we adopted a scruffy terrier mutt and named her Wanda. She's no longer with us, but remains woven into our story, a fixture of memory. So yes, maybe it’s unduly sentimental to tie a breakfast joint to a beloved companion—but this visit, this place, felt touched by her somehow. We raised our mugs in a quiet toast: to the road, to comfort, and to the Wandas who made our lives richer, however briefly.

And then...

Going out for breakfast has always seemed the height of elegance to me, so whenever we stop at Wanda's, even if it's afternoon, I am drawn to the breakfast selections. (Breakfast is available till Wanda's closes at 2 PM.)

I can't recall the name of the dish, but I'm stuck on this one: a layer of their breakfast potatoes (just about perfect, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside) topped with scrambled eggs and slathered with their country-style sausage gravy. Sadly, as we were some of the last to be seated, the potatoes (common as a side to many dishes) had run out.

No worries: their eggs Benedict are another standard. The poached eggs are just about perfect, whites set and yolks deliciously creamy. They enrich the Hollandaise, which is plentiful and very thick. In fact, even after ladling it onto each forkful, I still ended up with leftover Hollandaise. Maybe next time I'll order a biscuit to put it to good use.

Most of their breakfast selections (except the eggs Benedict, which of course comes on an English muffin) give you the option of several varieties of toast or a biscuit. Their biscuits are good, with a rustic feel and a great flavor. And yes, you can get biscuits and gravy. If someone in your party hails from the South and grew up with eggs to order on their biscuits and gravy, a side order of eggs any style is their best friend.

Their lunch selections are inventive and well-made. My wife's favorite sandwich here is the traditional turkey, which adds a layer of cranberry sauce to the usual, for a hint of the fall classic.

Calling themselves a cafe and bakery is no exaggeration: we took home a loaf of their lemon-blueberry cake recently, but it's one of several dozen scones, muffins, cookies, and other baked goods they offer. And their housemade breads are exceptional. Our favorite is the polenta bread, a wheat-based, yeast bread with corn meal added to the dough. It's nutty, toothsome, and fantastic on a sandwich or even better as toast. And yes, you can buy it by the loaf to take home, at least if everyone else hasn't beaten you to it.

They serve Sleepy Monk coffee as the house roast, which is the popular Monastery Blend. It's a medium-dark coffee, great to cut through the coastal dampness on a misty morning but without much of the bitterness that some dark...

Wanda’s is aware of its success and is well staffed and organized for managing people waiting to be seated with outdoor tables and a hostess. Inside, the tables have enough space between them as to not feel invaded or that you are invading someone’s space if you move your chair. There are interesting surroundings including gas fireboxes and lots of wall decor to maintain an interesting experience. The menu includes old faves as well as more interesting options such as a smoked salmon omelette. The salmon was far better than expected, not prepackaged lox-but seemingly fresh caught and home smoked. The fish was naturally a bit dry and could have used more dill cream sauce inside which was quickly provided upon request at no extra charge. The soup, salad, bread option is generous. The clam chowder had a tangy cheesy undertone that I attribute to a bit of sour cream vs all heavy cream. The wasabi salad dressing was fun for a change. I would have appreciated one more slice of the sourdough bread to make a salad (generous portion with mixed lettuce-no iceberg) sandwich to go with my soup but the portions and price was very fair. Both my table partners had the 2/2/2 breakfast and slammed it! The coffee is good and dark. The hashbrowns were made with red potatoes and very flavorful. Ketchup was provided in a plastic side cup as was the jam for the biscuits. No perfect solution to avoid using throw away plastic in some situations but a bummer to know you are contributing to that waste. The napkins were very nice and large, and two real butter packs were given for the in-house made biscuit. I can see how Wanda’s is so popular, it is a delicious convenience to this small community. Nehalem’s free and clearly designated city parking is a big draw for those who want to enjoy the downtown businesses and would pause at doing so...