CHERI’S
CAFE
A sweet spot for baked goods and traditional fare
“
“Be who you are and say what you feel,”
reads a dusty chalkboard at Cheri’s. “Be-
cause those who mind don’t matter and
those who matter don’t mind.”
At the long-running Cannon Beach cafe,
both permutations are integral: Cheri’s is
a local haunt, and the eponymous owner
treats all-comers with a brash, no-non-
sense spunk. For those who are sure of
themselves, who can do without excessive
glad-handing or false cheer, the cafe can be
cozy, comfortable and, yes, considerate.
My first trip came on a dismal, rainy
Friday evening. Cannon Beach was empty,
and the cafe appeared
that way too. But as I
made my way through
the vacant front din-
ing room to the back
bar I found a warm,
lively salon. Local
so-and-sos gathered
around tables over
spirits, gossip and
the day’s politics.
Couples tucked into
booths, and a guitar-
ist picked and sang
smooth, unobtrusive
but buoying ragtime
and blues standards.
Besides the “shin-
gle museum” lining
the walls, there’s a
lot of wood, rows of
deep, pocketed sky-
lights, a well-hidden
video slot cove, a
diner-style bar and
a clean, lived-in feel
that’s intimate and
un-cramped.
Cheri, who runs the front of the house,
was curt at first. It took a bit of cajoling to
get her to highlight the standout dishes. A
bashful, less steadfast customer might not
have gotten it out of her. (Many of them,
however, freely unload in online reviews
after some perceived slight.)
Noting the hand-pressed patty, Cheri
called her’s the “best burger in town.”
And while I’ve yet to try them all, Cheri’s
certainly deserves to be in the conversa-
tion. While there’s no signature flourish to
Cheri’s thick burger — it’s minimally sea-
soned, with familiar accoutrements — the
hand-pressed patties are so far superior to
their frozen, pre-made, runty siblings. The
bun was lightly toasted, the roughage crisp
I found a warm,
lively salon.
Local so-and-
sos gathered
around tables
over spirits,
gossip and the
day’s politics.
Couples tucked
into booths, and
a guitarist picked
and sang.
14 | March 24, 2016 | coastweekend.com
and rightly portioned.
Cheri’s burger ($8.50 with cheese) was
also offered in a way I wish were more
common: a la carte. Should you want fries
you can pay $2 more for them. A side salad,
however, wasn’t among the up-charge op-
tions, so I paid $4.95 for one outright. For a
bowl of lettuce, croutons and sesame seeds
— with a few errant shreds of cabbage and
carrot — it was entirely too much. Akin to
a bowl of crispy water and seeds, it was
more neutral than nutritious.
Cheri also spoke fondly of the fish and
chips. I had the Pacific Cod ($15.95). The
four beer-battered, golden-brown chucks of
fish easily outweighed the fries. The crust
was light, even, not too greasy.
From the hot sandwiches, the Turkey
Club ($10.95), on lightly toasted oat nut
bread, was precisely assembled, but the
ratios were off. It featured as many (thin)
slices of turkey as it did bread.
The pizza too was quite bread-y, but
more purposefully. Though I wouldn’t quite
call it “deep dish,” the crust on Cheri’s piz-
zas approaches the upper end of the spec-
trum. The sauce is sweet and there isn’t
The cinnamon rolls are
gooey, buttery, spongy
and full of brown sugar
and cinnamon.
The pizza abounds with
crust and mozzarella;
the Mouth would have
liked more sauce.
enough of it. Conversely, melty mozzarella
abounds. At $15 for a 12-inch pie, Cheri’s
pizzas are quite a deal, easily filling two,
maybe three people. At about twice that
cost for a 16-inch pizza, doubling up on
the smaller pies seems to me a better value.
Also, slices are available starting at noon.
But times can be a bit fungible at
Cheri’s. While there are no posted hours,
she says they’re open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. ev-
ery day (and closed on Sundays and Thurs-
days). I showed up around 5:45 p.m. on a
Saturday and found the lights off and the
doors locked.
mouth
OF THE COLUMBIA
COAST WEEKEND’S LOCAL RESTAURANT REVIEW
Story and photos by THE MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA • mouth@coastweekend.com
I returned on a weekday afternoon for
coffee and pastries. While a little less live-
ly than the Friday salon, a warm, easy vibe
persisted. A long-running customer fawned,
pointing me toward the cinnamon roll, and
I understood why. Served on saucer-sized
plate about its own circumference, the roll
was gooey, buttery, spongy, full of brown
sugar and cinnamon, and topped with a
frosting that smacked of a nutty, almond
finish. (The cinnamon rolls are also used
in the bread pudding.) The chocolate chip
cookie was firm, chewy, and with the sub-
tle, requisite salty counterpoint. The pastry
case is filled out with bagels, scones, cof-
fee cakes and more.
Indeed, baked goods are Cheri’s sweet-
spot. The current restaurant began in 1985
as The Cookie Store. Decades later it ex-
panded into the full-scale cafe. Since that
expansion, I’m told the menu has mostly
stood pat, which certainly seems to be the
case — this is traditional fare. And, like
Cheri herself, it’s not changing for anyone.
HOURS: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; closed Thursday and Sunday.
KEY TO RATINGS
Cheri’s Cafe
Rating:
239 N. Hemlock St., Cannon Beach
503-436-1129
PRICE: $ – Entrées mostly hover around $10.
SERVICE: Curt, quirky and prompt.
VEGETARIAN / VEGAN OPTIONS: A few options, but
hardly a vegetarian destination.
DRINKS: Full bar, coff ee and espresso.
poor
below average
good & worth returning
excellent
outstanding, the best in the
Columbia-Pacific region
