Our region may not have as many outside options as the big city.

But it surely has more unusual venues to enjoy a restaurant meal.

Read on to learn about a few of the places where you might dine amid nature’s grandeur, the sounds of the city or both.

VIEW FOODBaked Alaska

One 12th St., Astoria

(503) 325-7414

Moderate to expensive

This sprawling restaurant and lounge perched at the tip of the 12th Street pier is Astoria’s consummate riverfront restaurant to gawk at the passing ship traffic and savor the Northwest-oriented menu – campfire barbecued salmon, cornmeal-crusted oysters, a humongous Half-Baked Alaska dessert. Grab a deckside table above the water and you’ll be near enough to the Columbia River action to spy a sailor aboard a passing tugboat sipping coffee or spot a smile on the skipper’s face.

Currents

35815 U.S. 101, Nehalem

(503) 368-5557

Expensive

With a broad deck situated above the Nehalem River, this riverhouse of a restaurant affords one of Tillamook County’s finer outdoor dining options. You’ll want to relish the watery and pastoral vistas, the occasional blue heron or bald eagle gliding overhead, while noshing a grilled strip steak, a plate of sesame prawns or some other seasonal land or sea goodness. Linger even longer over the ultrarich double chocolate brownie, followed by the three-block stroll through downtown.

Port Bistro

235 Howerton St., Ilwaco, Wash.

(360) 642-8447

Moderate to expensive

You’re so close to Ilwaco’s harbor that the resident ducks and sea gulls might meander toward your courtyard table and sneak a bite while you gaze at the array of colorful fishing vessels and pleasure boats. Just don’t let the local wildlife get too close to your sesame oysters, house salad or sushi-style napoleon. And don’t miss the yummy house-crafted sorbets and ice creams.

Wet Dog Cafe

144 11th St., Astoria

(503) 325-6975

Moderate

No worries if you have to wait a while to see a server – the back-deck setting looking out on Astoria’s Riverwalk and the Columbia River beyond can’t be beat. Two-fisted burgers, fries in a bucket and prodigious portions of nachos are popular fare at the Dog, which houses Astoria’s sole craft brewery. Ale hounds should check out the lineup, maybe even wet their whistles with a taster tray.

Secluded Nooks

Heron and Beaver Pub

4415 Pacific Ave, Seaview, Wash.

(360) 642-4142

Moderate

The Columbia-Pacific region’s chummiest pub – with closely spaced tables, cushioned booths and a pint-sized wraparound bar – extends outdoors to a garden patio that’s out of the wind and beyond the foot traffic entering and leaving the Shelburne Inn, where the Heron and Beaver is located. An eclectic menu offers everything from cheeseburgers and mussel stew to brandy-marinated escargot and rock shrimp and scallop seviche.

Pizza A’ Fetta

231 N. Hemlock St., Cannon Beach

(503) 436-0333

Inexpensive to moderate

OK, so you aren’t that secluded, because there are usually people about. Still, you’re blissfully back from always-bustling Hemlock Street, in a courtyard setting of sundry shops. Grab a slice or an entire pie and perhaps a pasta salad from inside and stake out some bench space.

The Depot

1206 38th Place, Seaview, Wash.

(360) 642-7880

Expensive

This reconverted train station formerly served the Clamshell Railroad, so called because it ran by the tides. Retire to the back-area courtyard, where portable heaters take the sting out of sometimes chilly peninsula evenings. So will steak Americano topped with caramelized Walla Walla sweets, a portobella stuffed with goat cheese and radicchio or a bowl of Clam Tide Railroad chowder, creamy with chopped razors, garlic, potatoes and leeks.

Warren House Pub

3301 S. Hemlock St., Cannon Beach

(503) 436-1130

Moderate

Crank your neck a bit and you can see the ocean from the deck outside Warren House. A reliable menu ranges from seared ahi and smoked ribs to a bacon-wrapped steak and mashers. Enjoy your grub with one of the touted ales crafted by Jack Harris at Bill’s Tavern & Brew house (see below), a couple miles north and under the same ownership.

A taste of the town

Bill’s Tavern & Brew House

188 N. Hemlock St., Cannon Beach

(503) 436-2202)

Inexpensive to moderate

A big part of this brew pub’s charm is sharing the vibe with an overflow of patrons. The elevated covered porch is the preferred roost for observing Cannon Beach’s chichi hubbub. For nourishment, try a bowl brimming with cheese and onion chili or seafood stew, a turkey sandwich on sourdough or a platter of Bill’s fried taters, all of ’em crispy to the last nibble.

Left Coast Siesta

288 Laneda Ave., Manzanita

(503) 368-7997

Inexpensive

Manzanita is quickly becoming the new Seaside for couples and families seeking a less-frenzied beach town with multiple shopping and dining options. Build-your-own burritos from Left Coast Siesta are the ideal seashore food. Choose among chipotle, garlic-herb or other tortillas rolled with chili-lime chicken, spicy beef, black beans various veggies and such, plus a gazillion hot sauces to tantalize your taste buds. Enjoy your creation from the commodious deck that fronts Laneda Avenue, the town’s main drag.

Lumberyard Rotisserie & Grill

264 Third St., Cannon Beach

(503) 436-0285

Moderate to expensive

Lots of families land here, and inside is often noisy, so the cluster of tables out front are often a good bet for fresh air and a touch of solitude. The grub is unpretentious and hearty: Lumberyard burgers, Tillamook mac ‘n cheese, alder-planked salmon or perhaps a steak or pork dish from the specials board, Cap your meal with a fruit tart a la mode and watch Cannon Beach’s north-end scene unfold.

SIDEWALK WATCHINGClemente’s Seafood

1335 Marine Drive, Astoria

(503) 325-1067

Inexpensive to moderate

Crab and shrimp Louies, clam chowder, crab, shrimp, halibut and smoked-salmon melts and cioppino are all on the menu, but light and flaky (and lusciously crabby) Dungeness crab cakes aren’t to be missed. A spacious covered dining area without walls is a fine setting to take in the sidewalk goings-on. Or sight your sights on the passing vessels heading up or down the Columbia River.

Columbian Cafe

1114 Marine Drive, Astoria,

(503) 325-2233

Moderate to expensive

Disregard those annoying trucks roaring past and enjoy a slice of Astoria’s cafe society. Breakfast and lunch afford fine opportunities for fruit-yogurt parfaits, crepes and veggie stir-frys. Come evening, crowds gather for chef Uriah Hulsey’s seafood pasta dinners and his Chef’s Mercy, a surprise medley of the day’s freshest fixings. Sometimes, diners at the outside tables appear to receive faster service.

Goose Hollow at the Cove

220 Avenue U, Seaside

(503) 717-1940

Inexpensive

Whether you’re seated at one of the sidewalk tables or out on the patio, passersby will likely ogle your Reuben or roast beef on sourdough. Fellow diners might even join your conversation, because this Seaside tavern, a sister establishment to Portland’s famed Goose Hollow Inn, is known as much for its convivial milieu as its splendid sandwiches. Shrimp and crab cocktails and thick-crusted pizzas are other options, along with an excellent collection of suds.

T Paul’s Urban Cafe

1119 Commercial St., Astoria

(503) 338-5133

Moderate

You’d have to travel to Portland’s Pearl District or Seattle’s Capitol Hill to find a more vibrant city scene than what fronts the Urban in downtown Astoria. Consequently, folks spill out of the Urban’s elongated dining room at noontime and early evening and take a seat at a sidewalk table, where they’re right up against the crush of Commercial Street. Some even claim their roasted chicken quesadillas and plates of prawn fettuccine taste better outdoors.