No end in sight. That’s the catch phrase for what’s happening, restaurant-wise, in Astoria. The town’s dining-out scene is regularly enlivened by new establishments that seem to arrive in waves. Here’s a preview of three recently opened eateries.

Rogue Public House

100 39th St., Pier 39 complex, Astoria

(503) 325-5964

This is the watering hole that had Astoria abuzz for a half year before it even opened, in early March. Beer geeks marveled that Rogue’s lineup of ales, brewed in Newport and award winners in competitions worldwide, would be at their drinking disposal. Pub grubbers salivated at the thought of the rumored extensive menu. Almost everybody seemed to like the idea of sitting at a table inside a complex that once housed the historic Hawthorne Cannery, constructed in 1875.

While some of the novelty has worn thin, this pub-restaurant combo perched on a pier overlooking the Columbia River on Astoria’s east end continues to be a beer drinkers’ mecca. Almost 30 tap brews are available for quaffing, including 20 from Rogue Ales. Shakespeare Stout, Dead Guy Ale, Hazelnut Brown Nectar, Mocha Porter, Old Crustacean Barleywine – they’re all here, along with Guinness, Anchor Steam, Heineken, even Pabst Blue Ribbon and Budweiser for beer lightweights. Newcomers to the Rogue brand can satisfy their curiosity with a taster tray containing four brews of four ounces each.

You may require a heady dose of patience to dine and drink here, however. Early on, the wait staff and kitchen personnel experienced ups and lots of downs. Lengthy waits before being greeted by a server were the norm, even longer to see your food. High-priced ($11.50 and up) and sometimes overcooked Kobe burgers, wimpy chili and halfhearted chicken wraps served in lukewarm pitas hardly inspired kudos from patrons expecting top-drawer vittles.

Weathering the turmoil while helping out in the dining area has been amiable owner Ted Schneringer. Lately, service has improved, and the kitchen is building momentum. Pizzas are thick and crusty, and daily specials – say Alaskan king salmon crusted with hazelnuts and stuffed with crab ($14.95) – show promise, if not much creativity. But this place is about beer and a convivial atmosphere in which to enjoy a pint or two. Sip slowly and you won’t be in a hurry for your next pour.

Beers $3.75 to $4.50 ($5.25 for taster trays); starters $3.25 to $9.75, sandwiches, pizza and entrees $7.50 to $26.75; beer and ice cream floats $4.50. For the scoop on Rogue Ales, grab a copy of “100 Percent Pure Rogue,” the brewery’s newsletter available at no charge at Rogue Public House. Or visit the brewery online at www.rogue.com

Tiki Juice y Tacos

965 Commercial St., Astoria

(503) 325-9150

Angela Coscia has taken the south-of-the-border-style culinary concept she employed successfully last summer at Wombat Moon Cafe and moved it a few storefronts down Commercial Street to the former Someplace Else restaurant. Voila: a midblock cantina dolled up in a tropical motif complete with a massive grass umbrella, lots of live greenery, colorful table coverings, surf videos, even a grill out on the sidewalk – just like you might find at some fishing village below Ensenada.

The effervescent Coscia prepares street food supreme, such as grilled mahi-mahi tacos, bounteous beef or chicken quesadillas or a gargantuan “pounder” burrito packed with every fixing in the kitchen. Create your own combinations, too – say, a rice bowl chock-a-block with various veggies and grilled tofu.

You’d be hard pressed to find a better deal than Coscia’s two-buck-a-pop double corn-tortilla tacos. These babies are served amid chips and lime wedges in a cardboard container, and they put fast-food tacos to shame. Enhance whatever you order with lettuce, sliced carrots, diced red peppers and tomatoes, chopped cilantro and three or more salsa frescas (hint: the pineapple-habanero is HOT HOT HOT) from the condiment “island” adjacent to the kitchen.

Specialty drinks are every bit as healthy and satisfying as the chow. Choose among Key lime ade, lavender-mint julep tea, berry-medley yogurt shakes, a Coco-Naughty Delight that’s a blend of coconut juice and raspberries and a surprisingly satisfying rice drink with a flower infusion called hibiscus horchado. All libations include a tiny tropical umbrella.

Tacos and such, $2 to $7.50; specialty beverages $3 to $3.50.

Rollin’ Thunder BBQ

77 11th St., Astoria

(503) 325-5936

Talk about prime pork. When I first visited Rollin’ Thunder, a NASCAR-motif eatery in the Pier 11 complex and the latest attempt to bring southern-style barbecue to Astoria, co-owner Bruce McBride was pulling a pork loin out of his smoker. That shiny new smoker was imported from Tennessee, but McBride and co-owner Dave Bailey are laid-back good ol’ boys. McBride has a track record, having delved in southern-style barbecue at The Rib House, his short-lived restaurant on 14th Street.

Back to the smoked-to-perfection pork. I ordered mine in a sandwich ($5), which included a choice of what McBride and Bailey term “traditional” side dishes: baked beans, macaroni salad, marinated veggies or cole slaw sweetened with bits of Granny Smith apples. My beans were garden-variety, similar to the cafeteria food I ate as a kid. And the soft burger bun that sandwiched the pork fell apart following the first bite. But know what? The meat was tender enough to slice with a plastic fork and equally flavorful. Patrons claim the ribs, beef brisket and chicken are likewise topnotch.

Some are saying Rollin’ Thunder’s faintly sweet barbecue sauce should be more assertive. Such an opinion is a matter of taste, of course, but what’s certain is the pork, beef brisket, chicken and ribs exiting that Tennessee smoker are good enough to savor without any sauce at all.

Lunch and dinner, $5 to $16.95.

Contact the Mouth at The Daily Astorian, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103, phone (503) 325-3211 or e-mail mouth@dailyastorian.com