Wanda's Cafe & Bakery

Wanda's is an enjoyable locals spot for breakfast on the Oregon Coast.

We found this place by staying at a home in Manzanita and seeing a cabinet full of Wanda's coffee mugs.  Hmmm, wonder what's up with Wanda's?  The multiple coffee cups in the pantry read like a trail of breadcrumbs, leading us straight to the porch of this cozy spot in Nehelem.

On the exterior, Wanda's looks like a truck stop.  On the inside, you'll find a cozy and kitchy 50s vibe: retro salt and pepper shakers, 50s TV turned into a fish bowl and giant plates of home cooked food.  In the back corner, a 50s television has been converted into a "virtual" fireplace  --this particular table looked like a great spot to reserve on a cold, windy day on the coast.

We came on a Tuesday at 11 am for breakfast, which translated into no wait at all for us.  Just breezed right in.  Apparently wait times during peak season can be exceedingly long.

For what its worth to those doing the breakfast wait, the food is good.  We can attest to the tastiness of the Huevos Rancheros (with a creamy version of ranchero sauce), their veggie omelet with a side of fresh fruit, and their thick sliced brioche french toast with maple syrup.  

Up by the counter, there are lots of plastic wrapped baked goods as take away items (not my favorite way to package a baked good, btw) and over by the magazine rack (a Coastal courtesy) lots of children's books, Bon Appetite magazines and a couple tech zines (Fast Company, Wired) to flip through while eating.  

Excellent local spot!

Stopped in today after a long day of Spring Break touring on the Oregon coast and wanted to grab a couple of sandwiches to go.  I was pleasantly surprised by how "cute" it was inside, and will likely find time in the future to return for a "dine-in" meal.  The staff was very friendly and the food was delicious.  I ordered a turkey sandwich that had cranberry sauce and lettuce and tomato on it (very good!), and one of the daily specials -- a grilled roast beef and cheddar with horseradish mayo on it (so good I nearly turned around and drove the 10 miles back to the restaurant to get a second one!).

I highly recommend, and as I said earlier, I will likely return for a more formal meal when I'm not in a rush to get home.

This is still one of my favorite breakfast places.  

So much so that I will roust my family from their cosy beach house beds bleary eyed and crabby so we can get there early.

Princess " Moooooo-oooom I wanna sleep."

Too bad. I managed to get us there by 9:15 and we only waited maybe 15 minutes.

I am sooo good.

Course I thought it was in Wheeler....its Nehalem btw.

Ooops.

Did I mention people were crabby?

They recovered though. Espresso cures all for my family.

It is an addiction but its a functional addiction.  

We got the yellow formica table by the genie,  his green lamp, television fireplace and magic eightballl.

Princess was especially happy about the latter.

Food arrived quickly. Service was good, not overly friendly but polite and nice.

Food? All yummy. Hubby said his french toast was a little dense. I want to point out that the bread was homemade. Homemade bread tends to be denser I think.

Princess' omelet was $12. She is 10. She has some spendy preferences.  Her salmon fixation did it this time. But it was proportioned on the small side so she ate all of it. I do wish they had a kid's menu but could see how if you had two younger kids they could share. Our total bill was just over $42. A lot for breakfast maybe, but it's the coast after all.

Beware the yummy baked goods at the register they will get you. We bought six for later.

Wanda's rocks.