Norma’s Seafood & Steak

Excellent seafood and good service. Food is quite expensive however and the wait for a table was long considering there were several open tables we walked by when being seated. I had the cod fish and chips and loved it. If you get salad and like fruit vinaigrettes go with the huckleberry vinaigrette as it is delicious. Good kids menu but older daughter found the fettuccine Alfredo bland.

Very disappointing. We were told we must eat here. Don’t. Service was slow and food was poorly prepared. Food cold. Fettuccini looked looked slop. Chowder was ok. Nothing to brag about.

Every time we are in Seaside we will eat at least once at Norma’s.
The food is always delicious. The service can be slow during their busy time.
The only negativ thing that I have noticed during our last few visits is that there is a horrible stench in the dining room.
I know it is a fish restaurant but we seriously had to open the window during our last visit to get rid of the smell.

We were visiting Seaside Oregon and craved Clam Chowder. This chowder had a creamy thick broth loaded with clams and potatoes. We grabbed a bowl to go and enjoyed it on the corner bench outside with two spoons. Two thumbs up!

Family fave for appetizers. Calamari and steamers are our top choice (dip the garlic bread in the steamer broth. yumm!) Razor clams are great too! Not an oyster fan, but like theirs for some reason.

This was a place that was mentioned to us to try from another restaurant. This has to be the best seafood restaurant on the Oregon coast. From the time we walked in the atmosphere was amazing. The service was spot on and was maintained with absolute professionalism. The clam chowder gets 10 out of 10 on every level. The clam chunks were bite size and the potatoes were plenty, the clam chowder was nice and thick, creamy, and full of flavor. We had three different appetizers spicy cheesy garlic toast, popcorn shrimp and crab legs. All three were out of this world amazing and full of flavor. We all had different meals and all were great in flavor and couldn’t stop eating. A must return and must pass on.

For the price the food was pretty simple, not really impressed. Service was pretty terrible. We seemed like a burden to our waitress. I asked her very politely 3 times for lemon and the waitress ignored me (my husband found this hilarious). Then he ran out of his drink and set it on the end of the table for a refill, which we ended up having to ask for as well and then lady picked up the glass and told him he only gets one free refill on the drink and asks if he’s sure he wants one (I found this hilarious). Sadly not worth returning to.

We drove a bit to have steak and lobster and we sat in the middle of the room on display and on hard chairs. I feel for the money you spend you shouldn’t be sitting in the middle of the room uncomfortable and the service was only ok, nothing special.

This is a very pleasant local restaurant located in the center of Seaside town, a walking distance from the Catholic church, beach, hotels, mall and the convention center. There is a free parking nearby.
The entrance of the restaurant is quite small but will lead you to a sitting area for customers to wait for their turn to be called to be seated on their tables. There is a framed blue award where it lists all the awards of this restaurant won hanging outside the entrance way.
There are displays of pictures of lighthouses above the sitting area including some lighthouses knicknacks.
The restaurant’s ambience is average-​looking –nothing fancy or special. The tables has all the condiments and a small vase containing small cut flowers.
The waitress are in uniform of black with the name of Norma’s Restaurant & Steak on it. The waitress, who served us was very friendly asking us our what kind of beverage we liked.
We, of course, ordered their famous clam chowder, which was served in a small bowl in a platter with a round soupspoon, house’s bread, butter and clam-​shaped crackers. The soup was thick and creamy filled with small cuts of potatoes, and clams. It tasted really, really good! We also got a salad with shrimps.
For our main course, I ordered the Captain’s platter because it contained all the seafood I liked and I liked it grilled. There were two plates served to me and it has elongated-​cut calamari, three pieces of shrimps, small pieces of cut salmon and halibut (I was expecting bigger cuts though). The platter also has three small plastic containers with condiments (tartar sauce, shrimp sauce, and catsup?, twisted cut orange, a wedge of lemon and a baked potato. On the smaller plate is a deep fried seafood with a sauce and could not figure what it was because it was tough to slice and eat!
My husband ordered the fish & chips which came with tons of french fries.
I will rate this restaurant a three which could have been a four because their clam chowder was really, really good. The rest of my food was okay. They could have used a better potato to bake. It could have been better if the portions of my salmon and halibut were bigger and if I could have tasted them as «grilled». I would have preferred if they garnished my seafoods with a little bit of parsley. It was too much of a garnish!
I encourage visitors of this town to go to this restaurant and try their clam chowder instead of a small bowl, order a bigger bowl because their soup was delicious!

I came here on a trip with my family of 4. Two had the cod fish & chips, one of us had a burger and I ordered the tenderloin because I don’t care for fish. The fish eaters said they liked the fish. Their salads had a salad that was «lettuce on a plate» that had cold shrimp on top. The shrimp were tiny and no one liked them and pulled them off the salad. The burger eater said the burger was good, but the bacon on the burger was burned. From these folks, they rated the restaurant 4, 3 and 3 stars.
The tenderloin (see picture) was about 5/​8″ thick and irregularly shaped. I roast whole tenderloin at home and I can’t see how you could get something shaped like that unless you served the chain! It was grilled and not at all tender — I’m virtually certain it is a piece of sirloin or it’s totally misprepared. I would give it 2 stars. I asked if it was tenderloin because of the shape and texture and the waiter assured me it was. I was disappointed and would not recommend the restaraunt based on the food and price. My general conclusion would be «ok in a pinch.»

I go here every time I come to Seaside! I come at least once a year, and have Normas at least once a day and usually grab some to go before I leave on my last day. My favorite thing is the clam chowder, no pork and so tasty! I thought I loved Mos, but while I was at the Portland airport and found that Mos is now there. I had clam chowder and realized it had pork in it and I just didn’t like it in comparison to Normas.
The hype is worth it! The service has always been great even when it’s been super busy!

Stopped in today to get a cup of chowder for my fiancée. They were packed and I was in a rush because I had food waiting for pickup at another restaurant I was also grabbing, so I was nervous it was going to take a long time. As soon as I let them know what I was in for they had me rung up and I had chowder in had in less then 2 minutes. I definitely appreciate this expedited service and it helped me get everyone’s food back to them warm. We have dined here many times in the last 10 Yeats and have been very happy with their service and the overall quality of their food. My fiancée loves clam chowder and everytime she eats it anywhere she compares it to Normas so for us this restaurant is the gold standard of seafood for Oregon.
Everytime we eat there the food tastes fresh, well cooked, and is reasonably priced for portions that are filling.
The place is always busy but I can never recall a time where I was irritated by the wait, it always seems relatively short given the amount of people.

I live in Portland and my friend was down visiting from Seattle so we decided to drive around the Oregon coast. We spent a few hours at Cannon Beach and then went up to Seaside. We were hungry so we tried to find a place to eat. We decided to try this place! The menu was huge! We sat down and had three different servers come see us. One gave us water, one took our orders, and the other brought our food. The second server who took our orders came to our table and didn’t ask how we were, she just asked, «what can I get you?» Kind of abrupt! The last server accidentally bumped my water spilling it all over the table, the booth, and on my leg. I felt for him because he seemed embarrassed. I got a croissant sandwich and it was pretty good, but there was a hair in it.
Eh, it was okay. I probably wouldn’t choose to go here again though.

We were another of the many families who were attracted to this restaurant based on the reviews hanging outside the restaurant. They look excellent, truly!
It was difficult to get seated. We had a party of 6 and were asked to wait while the servers prepared our table. Smaller parties were seated immediately. We waited for 12 minutes while they laid out our silverware, glasses of water, and menus– all things that could have been accomplished with us present as they did for parties of 4 or less. Instead, we were left milling around awkwardly in the lobby being asked repeatedly if we had been helped. When the server finished equipping the table and disappeared, we just didn’t know what to say anymore.
My father-​in-​law went to check the restaurant next door, which was packed. Norma’s was nearly empty but had 2 – 4 wait staff behind the cash register chatting at any given time plus servers working the floor, so I’m not sure what’s up. He made it back in time to wait some more and finally we were seated.
The exterior is clean, as is the interior. Very nice, nautical decorations. They, like every other restaurant up and down the Oregon coast, boast «world famous» clam chowder. With each striving to be the best in the land, there can be only one, and Norma, very sorry– you ain’t it. The clam chowder was good, to be sure. I didn’t taste any grit, but nor did I taste much else. It had a good consistency, but aside from chunks of potatoes and minced, barely detectable clams, there just wasn’t much to it.
My husband got a cheeseburger, which was fine. Kind of run of the mill. I found it odd that they were served with a limp pickle slice and a miniature bag of chips.
I had a cup of chowder with a salad which, again, was fine — nothing to write home about. My in-​laws shared surf and turf. The steak was smaller than anticipated, the shellfish was fine. It was like being at Shari’s or Denny’s, but more expensive. Just really nothing special.
I wouldn’t say no to going back, but being adventuresome I’d check out some of the other, more interesting-​sounding establishments before I did. Inconvenient as it may have been, I think the crowd at the restaurant next door must have been onto something and I’m curious what!

The front door shows all their rewards & high marks but it falls shorts.
I will admit they have good Clam Chowder but that’s where it stops. Coleslaw was so chopped up it looms like soup, ordered the Fishermen Platter bit it had no flavor.
High priced but not worth it!

Great clam chowder. Service was amazing. Great portions for price.
Would eat here again.
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Clam chowder was good as was the combination appetizer. What really won my heart and taste buds was the smoked salmon fettuccine! Just WOW!!!

After reading all the hype on their website I thought this would be the best place in town. I waited 45 minutes for a $ 108 meal for two with horrible food. The only thing good on the plate was the steak. The waitress was absolutely horrible! Don’t believe the hype!

Would get five stars if it were white table clause expensive silverware. As it is, it could not be any better. Great staff, and even better food!

Norma’s Seafood & Steak, Seaside.
I had unreasonably high expectations when I walked into Norma’s Seafood & Steak. First, our timeshare’s Concierge and Manager raved about Norma’s Clam Chowder and the Halibut Fish and Chips.
Then, Norma’s website substantiates the claim of «Award Winning Family Dining» with:
«Best Restaurants» ~ Oregon Coast Magazine
«Top Restaurant Chowder» Pro Division ~ Seaside Chowder Cookoff
«Best Road Food» ~ Gourmet Magazine
«Best Beach Fare» ~ Sunset Magazine
«America’s Top Ten Soups» ~ Bön Appetit (
)
I thought, wow, this place must really be something. Yea, no. So disappointing.
I ordered the lightly breaded and fried Halibut Fish & Chips Dinner (seven pieces of halibut, cup of clam chowder, fries, cole slaw and tarter sauce), $ 23.00, and a second cup of Clam Chowder, $ 4.00.
It’s not the the food was bad … it was just that the Clam Chowder and Fried Halibut was only average diner fare. I would describe the Clam Chowder as run of the mill, and I found it lacking any «clammy» taste. The Fried Halibut was unseasoned, bland. The Fries were good. The Cole Slaw was … puréed … very strange, very watery. l have never seen the like.
Service was fast and friendly (Thank You, Lori), the restaurant was clean, comfortable, and warmly decorated. It has a great downtown location in Seaside. Norma’s also gives a generous discount to timeshare guests, ten-​percent off total food bill, excluding beverages. Just show your room key.
I would not go out of my way to return to Norma’s. Two Point Five Stars.

The shrimp stew and calamari were top notch, the shrimp stew was ordered twice during our vacation! Cobb salad was hearty and did not disappoint. We actually visited last May and are planning our trip back this summer. We have been talking about eating back at Norma’s ever since! We ended up eating dinner there two nights out of our 3 night stay so delicious. Oh and they do take out which is amazing.

This place was amazing! The service was great and the food was very good. My only complaint is about the clams chowder. It was okay, but definitely not the best. I had crab linguini, tons of crab and super flavorful.

The service was friendly, the atmosphere comfortable and clean.
Fresh oyster shooters for $ 1.50!
Cocktails made right, martinis were delicious, good olives/​brine for dirties.
Fish and chips batter was perfect, the albacore was chunky/​meaty.
Clam chowder was very meaty and delicious!
If we had room we would’ve stayed for dessert.
EVERYTHING WAS GREAT, and I will remember to tell my friends when going to seaside to stop and at least get chowder and a few shooters! Cheers

Very, very ordinary. Décor is similar to the old Red Lobster. Smells a bit of greasy fried food. I had half an order of Cod Fish and Chips and it was plenty — just didn’t have much flavor. Hubby had the same but Halibut. His was a bit more flavorful. but not much. Service was B+ — nice young man. We did get 10% discount from the hotel where we stayed so that was a plus.

Good burger, soggy and chewy fish & chips. Excellent service and fairly quaint decorations. Not really a good seafood place.

Great food! We ordered the t-​bone and salmon and chips. Service was awesome. Super happy we decided to come here!

Great service but mediocre food.
Couldn’t finish the fish and chips and the clam chowder tasted like it was from a can compared to other nearby restaurants.

Love this place! When we travel to Oregon this is one of our must go to places. The best clam chowder in the world (or at least what I have had). Great service, yummy food, nice atmosphere. Wish I had one closer to home.

This place was great! I had the scallops and chowder. Delish
Troy had the blackened Salmon. It was done to perfection. Service was prompt and friendly.

So a few years back we came here and it was crap! Bad service and odd tasting. After three nights in Seaside we decided to give them another chance and this time it was spot on. The Crab Louis was great with 12 big dungeness crab legs on a great salad. Price wise $ 3 cheaper than Doogers and bigger. The wife’s clam chowder was some of the best she has had and her only complaint was her razor clams were a tab bit greasy but very clean and fresh.
This time the food and service happened to be very good we will be back.

Walked into another well known restaurant in Seaside and asked, «if you were to have chowder at a different restaurant than here where would you go?» The answer was Norma’s.
Had a bowl of butter clams as appetizers and a bowl of chowder with added shrimp. It was delicious!
Seating was comfortable and the staff was attentive. Was a nice experience.

Not a bad seafood joint, and the service was excellent. We got in and say down, and our waitress was on top if or. We were able to order quickly and the food came out at a reasonable pace.
The crab coctail appetizer was fresh and accompanied by a tangy cocktail sauce… probably the best I’ve had. We ordered the Captain’s Platter which had salmon, halibut, calamari, razor clam, oyster, prawns, and scallops. You can order your food prepared either fried, sauteed, caiman style, and some other style which is pretty cool.
The clam chowder was ok. A previous review describes if as a potato soup with clams added, and I’d pretty much agree with that analysis.
For dessert: get the peanut butter pie!
Overall, nothing absolutely outstanding, but it was good, and the seafood tastes fresh!

Take the peanut butter pie and run!
If you’re in the mood for peanut butter pie then this is your place; if you want seafood, pause and read on. Came here on a recommendation from a family friend back home in CA-​we were told their clam chowder and peanut butter pie were must-​try items during our stay in Seaside.
Place was packed even after normal dinner hours on a weeknight, which looked like a good sign. Our server was excellent; our glasses were never empty and she was quite personable. Restaurant seemed very clean as well. However, the food was a different story.
The crab sandwich was good enough, crab seemed a little drowned out against the sharpness of the local Tillamook cheese, but it was tasty. Our fish and chip sampler was soggy and the fish had a somewhat frozen taste to them. The ‘award-​winning’ clam chowder tasted like a hastily made potato soup that had clam meat thrown in to it. The ‘homemade’ bread could have been passed off for store-​bought French bread. We were not very impressed.
That peanut butter pie though… different story. Rich flavor and a good balance of flavors made it one to remember for sure. I’d give the joint another try for dessert for sure, but pass on the seafood.

I found a pearl in my Oyster! Not really a pearl but… Norma’s is a gem.
We had to wait 20 minutes to be seated on Sunday evening BUT,
WELL WORTH THE WAIT!
From the warm, fresh baked bread and sweet butter, bottle of delicious Oregon Pinot Noir and thick, chunky, meaty clam chowder that is so good, you will giggle with pleasure while you are spooning it down! I wanted to lick every last drop out of the cup!
We had noticed this restaurant a half block off of Broadway and thought it was «just another place that caters to tourists» so we had not ever been inside.
Forget those notions! The attentive friendly service, clean surroundings and fantabulous food will have us back sooner than later! Yes there is usually a wait out the door, however after eating a cup of that aforementioned chowder, plus a loaded blackened salmon caesar salad and today, morning reheated leftovers of my wife’s fresh halibut. The thoughtful server even included an extra tarter in the leftover box which made a great breakfast on a toasted english muffin. MMMMM… Good!
Portions were generous and prices were better than the other places we have dined at on Broadway.
I am now sold on Norma’s hook line and sinker!
The ginormous portions of deep fried cod, salmon, tuna and halibut fish and chips looked fantastic and will definitely be my next order along with another cup of that clam filled chowder. BTW, if you can’t decide which fish to choose, the combo plate offers a tasty portion of each!

The very first time I was here was horrible.
But we won’t talk about that as it was a year ago. I went yesterday and got crab legs. It was DELICIOUS. Little spendy, about $ 21 for this meal pictured. (Just the legs were $ 21.) service is great and front staff is tremendous. Oh and the chowder HAD generous amounts of clams!!!

There are lots of restaurants along the Broadway strip in Seaside, and most have a lot in common — varying degrees of good seafood at touristy prices.
Just off the main drag, Norma’s is cute and inviting. Lots of choices on the menu, and more than just seafood (which I suppose you’d expect with Steak in the title!). Despite not even being very hungry — I couldn’t help myself and ordered chowder as well as fish and chips. The chowder was creamy and good, with huge chunks of clams. The fish and chips were good, nothing overly special, but still good. I liked that I had a choice of breaded or battered. Husband got a steak, and said it was tasty and cooked well, although his A1 sauce was brought in a little paper cup, which was a little odd but definitely not a deal-​breaker.
However, I was disapointed in the service. After our food arrived, our server didn’t check back in with us at all. We all needed drink refills, and finally had to flag her down from across the restaurant after an extended period of time Then it was difficult to get to-​go boxes, and while she asked other people if they wanted her to split their check, did not ask our group of 5 the same question. While it wasn’t a terrible experience, I think I’ll try some of the other restaurants next time I’m in town.