The Real Oregon

Mo’s is as much a cultural institution in Oregon as it is an actual restaurant. At last count there were five of them — or is it six? — along the Oregon coast, metastasizing away from the original chowder house on Newport’s old waterfront every few years.

A tourist trap? Certainly. Good food for a decent price? Absolutely. Nothing’s quite as good after beachcombing on a foggy winter day as checking in at Mo’s for a hot cup of coffee and greasy hot fish ‘n’ chips.

They even (who doesn’t?) have a website.

What more could you want from a dining experience? The Basin Cafe sits next to the parking lot by the Coast Guard station in Charleston and is generally inhabited by a bunch of commercial fishermen, and a few fisherwomen, most hours of the day, sitting at the long table by the front door. You wonder when they ever get a chance to go fishing.

Seafood and basic steak and potatoes fare is prepared well and honestly without a lot of gussying up. You can order a beer with breakfast and the waitress won’t look at you funny. Neither will the other customers, who are probably on their second round.