Pelican Brewing – Pacific City

Pelican Brewing Company sits in a place that feels almost aggressively beautiful. Ocean, light, craft beer, the language of abundance. From the deck, it looks like a local success story fully realized.

What I didn’t expect was to see how sharply that success tapers as you move away from the glass.

I met someone who works here as a line cook—real labor, long hours—riding the bus for over an hour along the coast because a car is out of reach, living in employee housing, carrying his life in a narrow corridor of affordability. I met someone else whose life had collapsed after moving across the country for a relationship she found online, now living on a floor mattress with animals who quietly provide the stability humans no longer can. Everyone polite. Everyone exhausted. Everyone doing their best.

This is where the contrast becomes impossible to ignore. A business that reportedly generates tens of millions in annual revenue, while the people who keep it running live with no margin—no car, no buffer, no room for error. The experience upstairs feels curated and effortless precisely because the effort has been pushed elsewhere, absorbed by lives that don’t get photographed.

What stayed with me wasn’t anger. It was sadness. The kind that comes from realizing how normalized this arrangement has become. Workers enduring. Animals absorbing emotional spillover. Decency filling in for what fair economics no longer provide. Not exploitation in the cartoon sense—just a quiet imbalance that everyone has learned to live inside.

The beer is good. The view is real.
But so is the rest of it.

Places like this don’t just sell craft and scenery—they sell distance from the conditions that make them possible. And once you’ve seen that distance up close, it becomes part of the experience whether you want it to be or not.

Some places are beautiful.
Some places are profitable.
Very few are honest about the human cost of keeping those two things aligned.

Food and service were amazing. We visited during happy hour and all at from that menu which were small portions but very well priced. The regular menu prices seemed a bit steep although I’m not sure of portions given.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

This has been a favorite of mine for many years-food 5 stars-staff 5 stars-this is THE place to be! Best restaurant on the beach with the coolest views. So go order a Tsunami burger or dungeness mac n' cheese, pair it with a tall glass of pelican root beer and watch the waves from the to experience pure bliss.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food and the view were amazing. Unfortunately, the customer service was not. When we walked in, the hostess was on the phone, which we understood, so we waited patiently. After she hung up, she continued scanning other cards, and about five minutes later she finally looked up, gave us a very unfriendly look, and asked, “Table for how many?” We said we had a party of three and continued waiting. That interaction ruined our entire experience. Clearly, based on other reviews, I’m not the only one who has had issues with customer service here. Please do better.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 3

Great location!📍
Good food and beer 🤤🍻
Outside patio with fantastic view 🤓

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 4

Fun place on the beach. Great for their beers if you like them. Food is better quality bar food with some seafood specials but more expensive than similar restaurants. Location is everything. Crab macaroni and cheese is $38.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Great food and service and the view right on the beach is excellent. Favorite place to get lunch when we're on the coast.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Had an absolutely fantastic experience. Got sat fast, service was great. Our server was Jerry and he was on top of it! Made sure we had everything and did great. Food was spectacular as always. Best clam chowder ive ever had.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Must go if in the area. Best selection and awesome brews.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Awesome place to stop. The view is amazing and the wait staff is awesome.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I came to Pelican Brewing ready for a great meal with an incredible view. I left with a full stomach but an empty sense of joy.

I ordered the tri-tip, expecting something tender and flavorful. Instead, what arrived was a piece of meat that felt like it had been on a pilgrimage through the grill — tough, dry, and about as seasoned as a boiled noodle. Each bite was less “steakhouse experience” and more “culinary endurance test.”

The service didn’t do the meal any favors. Our server disappeared like they had a plane to catch, and getting a refill felt like applying for a permit. No check-ins, no follow-up — just silence and my water glass gasping for help.

To be fair, the view is beautiful, and the root beer was actually pretty good — probably the most effort put into anything I had that night. But good scenery and decent soda can’t save a disappointing dinner.

Final verdict: 2 stars. One for the view, one for the root beer. Everything else? Needs some serious work.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 1

First time at Pelican Brewing Company and in Pacific City, what a hidden gem!
The restaurant sits right on a little hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Hay Stack rock (Goonies forever!)
Ordered the Dirty Bird IPA and it did not disappoint at all! Very good beer and highly recommend it!
I did order the Tsunami Burger with side salad no fries and no bun, got the burger and didn’t even realize until much later that I was served the Spicy Burger instead, it was still good but my fault for not realizing this.
The side salad with stout vingerette was so good.
Next ordered the tsunami stout, so damn good!
For dessert had the Chocolate Chip cookie Brownie with vanilla bean Tillamook ice cream, highly recommend BUT too much for one person.
I was very satisfied with my meal from Pelican Brewing company!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Burger, Pacific City, Salad

This was a really great place. You can't beat the view. This was recommended to me and o can see why. The food was great, great quality, good flavor, I have to say some of my favorite fries is Oregon. We had some burgers and the ingredients including the beef are all locally sourced. It's a solid spot to check out.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 4

Great spot to stop. Beautiful outdoor eating experience.
The views are great, the food was delicious. Watching the boats drive up onto the beach was fun to watch.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

I went on because it always seems so busy. I had clam chowder and salad. They were both okay, but I felt overpriced. It would be quite expensive for a family of 4 to eat here. The view is exceptional... We had a show from the Whales swimming in the ocean.