Thatoregonlife iconThatoregonlifeSep 17, 2026 ~8 min source read

Bell Buoy of Seaside: A 1946 Seafood Market That Still Cans Its Own Catch and Serves Razor Clam Chowder

A working seafood market, smokehouse, cannery, and casual counter-restaurant on the south edge of Seaside where razor clam chowder and fresh local catch are both served and sold.

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Bell Buoy has operated in Seaside since 1946 as a combined seafood market, smokehouse, cannery, and casual restaurant.

Their White Razor Clam Chowder is a rotating menu item tied to razor clam availability—call or check the current menu before you go.

Location and setup make it an easy stop: south side of Seaside on Highway 101 (near the Highway 26 approach) with outdoor picnic seating beside a creek.

The useful part

17, 2026 Written by Tyler James There are plenty of places on the Oregon Coast where dinner is an event. You make a reservation, put on something slightly nicer than your beach hoodie, and settle in for a long meal. You can walk in sandy and hungry, order a steaming bowl of razor clam chowder or a basket of seafood, and then wander next door to see what just came into the market.

How it works

  • Bell Buoy is a working seafood market, cannery, and restaurant where fresh fish, crab, razor clams, oysters, smoked seafood, and canned products are all part of the experience.
  • Whatever You Do, Check For The Razor Clam Chowder We've eaten a lot of clam chowder on the Oregon Coast.
  • Razor clam chowder immediately gets our attention because it's something different.
  • Bell Buoy's menu currently features White Razor Clam Chowder, and it's exactly the sort of thing we want when the wind is blowing sideways outside and we've spent the last few hours wandering around the beach.
  • Put them into a rich white chowder and you've got something that feels very, very Oregon Coast.

What to take from it

They Smoke And Can Their Own Seafood, Too Here's another thing we didn't fully appreciate until we started paying closer attention to what Bell Buoy is doing behind the scenes. Before you know it, lunch has turned into smoked salmon for the road and a whole Dungeness crab riding home in the cooler. Noteworthy Nomads This isn't a trendy seafood restaurant dressed up to look rustic.

Example or evidence

  • The 1946 Oregon Coast Seafood Market That Serves Razor Clam Chowder And Still Cans Its Own Local Catch Food & Drink Oregon Coast The 1946 Oregon Coast Seafood Market That Serves Razor Clam Chowder And Still...
  • Victor Ruybalid That makes it an easy first meal when you're starting a weekend in town, or one last seafood stop before pointing the car back toward Portland.
  • If you're planning more than lunch, start with our complete Seaside, Oregon guide.
  • We've built it to connect the beaches, attractions, food, history, and other places actually worth spending time on while you're here.

Details worth keeping

Bell Buoy of Seaside isn't really that kind of place. Bell Buoy of Seaside, Facebook This old-timey seafood market and casual restaurant sits right along Highway 101 on the south end of Seaside, and it's the kind of place that makes perfect sense after you've spent half the day on the beach. An Old-School Oregon Coast Seafood Stop That's Been Here Since 1946 Bell Buoy has been part of Seaside since 1946, and it still feels wonderfully connected to the fishing culture that shaped towns all along this part of the Oregon Coast.

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More context around this story.

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER: Classic Summer Recipe
Dclifemagazine iconDclifemagazineSep 23, 2026

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER: Classic Summer Recipe

Celebrate peak summer dining with this handcrafted NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER. Prepared using authentic City-Specific Recipes Collection techniques, this seasonal dish highlights fresh, vibrant ingredients and effortless summer entertaining. Handcrafted NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER prepared fresh with seasonal farm produce.

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