Kelly’s Cantina

closed. I can see why. I hope some new organic and locally sourced restaurant takes its place.

New name… Maverick’s Food and Libations. Horrible!!! Staff sits and plays on their phones. We were the only ones in there for lunch and we saw why. Broken down boxes leaning every where, dusty plastic plants, Dirty junky patio furniture (inside). Tiny glass of wine. Greasy smelly crab cakes and tasteless chicken sandwich. After cook finished our order, she came out and sat and played on her phone. They could spend some time cleaning. There’s a reason there isn’t usually a wait to be seated.

We stayed in Florence for 5 days and this was the worst place we ate at. We had a party of four and no one cared for anything that was ordered. Stay away if you value good food, your time, or your money.

The previous reviewer who said the staff had lost interest was absolutely right. Waiter was a ghost-​like presence who seemed bothered to serve us. As for the food, red snapper tacos were inedible. All they did with the red snapper lunch entrée was overseason it with pepper.

I used to love going to Kelly’s but today will be my last trip. It’s Saturday, a busy day and there were only two people working, weekends need more people working. It took over an hour for the four of us to get our food and the waiter seemed very upset to be working. He never asked if the food was okay or refilled our sodas and when clearing the table he scraped all the food into one dish at the table to clear. Also, a few of us had water to drink and the cups where miniature in size. Is there a shortage on water that I’m not aware of? It is sad to see what has become of this place. It’s obvious the people working there have lost interest and so have I.

Blech. The Onion soup was more like a bowl of caramelized onions without broth. The crab mac and cheese was dry penne with a few chunks of crab meat and cheese sprinkled on top. The proprietor didn’t seem to understand that there should be cream or milk in a sauce to call a dish mac and cheese, not just pasta with a few tablespoons of cheese on top. If this is a hidden gem in Florence, I pity any treasure hunters who might visit the area.

Kelly’s is our «go to» place when in Florence. We can’t believe people wait an hour for other places on the street when Kelly’s is better. Mama’s shrimp are great and the crab cakes in portobello mushrooms are excellent. The atmosphere is relaxing and the view is lovely. We’ve never been disappointed. An all around YUM!

Friendly hostess, clearly doing everything in a apparent understaffed environment. Beautiful seating with wonderful river view. We ended up there as area options all had one hour waits.
My wife had enjoyed her salad and mac & cheese was tremendous. My flat iron steak was served on a small plate on top of a blob of mash potatoes. Sent the steak back as it us undercooked. Turned out it did matter as the return product was tough, basically inedible.
Would recommend to stay away.

Very good food at Kelly’s. One of my favorite spots in Old Town Florence, for sure.
There are great views of the Siuslaw and its wildlife out the back windows. The food is NW pub chic, and the staff are pleasant.
On our recent trip, we opted for some vino and apps. Bistro salad a deaux and some artichoke dip. It was good. The food was just a bit clunky. I enjoyed everything though.
A definite must in the summer with good wine and That View!

Sorry to say, I’m in the minority here… The seafood soup was more bisque than chowder, and mostly broth, also the bowl was just under half full– we were told the amount was a cup, served in a bowl. The crab cakes were ok, but not spectacular. No sides, and small portions. We tried the triple chocolate bread pudding, which my wife liked, but I found it a little bland and uninspired… The last tidbit is the waiter was friendly enough, but he seemed to be trying not to interact much.
Too bad the waterfront had an hour long wait. Kelly’s was a poor substitute. We were hoping for great seafood, but didn’t find it.

All I can say is AMAZING! Small, warm and inviting. Nicely done relaxing atmosphere. Beyond fantastic food and generously poured drinks ;)
A lovely quiet place to relax amid the hustle and bustle of old town Florence.
Oh, and the Owner Kelly is very nice and a good conversationalist who knows when to talk and when to say enjoy dinner.

Sooo good, wish we lived closer so we could come all the time. We had tamales with rice and beans and fish tacos, not like the standard deep fried tacos, these were actually guilt free and delicious. The staff was great too, great view also.

This small restaurant has spectacular food, and a table at the window overlooking the river! The green beans were amazing, and I don’t even eat vegetables. The crab cakes were more crab than cake. We will definitely eat here again the next time in Florence.

We ate nothing. It was completely empty in there for a weekday summer afternoon, and at first, we wondered. It was so relaxing and the waitstaff kind. We sat for a few hours and just had a few glasses of wine, and enjoyed the view. The menu looked great, and had we not just made a bad choice dining across the street, we would have loved to have eaten here. Next time.

They did have a nice porter beer which I like although not on tap. I had the clam chowder which was mislabeled. It is a broth. All liquid and no substance. Plus it was boiling hot. I had to add four pieces of ice to be able to eat it. Then I had the crab Mac and cheese. Again too hot. Food should be served slightly hotter than eating temp. In addition it had no flavor, very boring. Skip thislace and go to Mo’s or ICM.

Not good food. The special is a leg of lamb served over mediocre vegetables and bland mashed potatoes. Also they make the worst drinks I have ever had in a restaurant. Would not recommend.

Slow to be greeted at near-​empty restaurant, but the food made up for it. The view is nice, and the atmosphere casual but –as the summary states –NOT FOR CHILDREN. I read the review by the woman with her children, (I have a 6 and 8 year old), and felt she simply choose the wrong place. They were out of the wine I ordered, and offered me the better one at the lower price. I ordered the roasted seasonal veggies over chipotle mashed potatoes (see photo). Was excellent. I’d eat there again, bring my wife next time, but leave the kids.

What a great find. We couldn’t believe our luck upon discovering this place based on a random selection after an ambling walk through town (being acosted by clam chowder samples on every corner).
Kelly’s is somewhere between visiting your favourite Aunt’s kitchen and a small, artsy café with big windows overlooking the bay. Service was efficient, and the single-​handed kitchen managed to keep up with the hungry tourists and locals barging in to take up the outdoor furniture. (No outdoor seating area, though; the patio is big enough for the grill and that’s it).
Full bar (surprising at such a small venue) provided a lot of variety, although we continued to sample our way through the local Oregon beer selection.
Food was very good and included some excellent puilled-​pork that my dining companion almost squealed about. I will bet desserts are great, but we didn’t take the opportunity. Definitely stop by.

Just happened to see an ad for this place in a local mag and decided we needed to go… So glad we did ~ food was Delicious ! and staff very friendly :) Very relaxing and fun atmosphere and sweet locale.
I ordered the cedar-​wrapped salmon with mashed potatoes and salad of the day (mixed greens w/​nectarines & nectarine vinaigrette) paired with a local wine from the Umpqua region.
Since we were there late, we even got to meet the chef and family ! a definite recommend to those stopping in the area

Great atmosphere and great view of the river. The staff was super friendly and we enjoyed our drinks and food. We got seafood chowder, beet salad, and a lamb shank. The lamb melted right off the bone and was awesome. Definitely a fun little spot!
Just a little warning — it’s kind of weird when you walk in. White curtains are covering up some office area (I think it’s the realty office advertised on the sign outside with Kelly’s Cantina?) which confused us a bit once we got in. Still, once past that it was deliciously smooth sailing.