The Garibaldi Cannery

The service here is excellent! These people work so hard every day of the year and are always friendly when we stop in.
The seafood is great of course. If you are set on getting a particular seafood when you go in, I suggest calling in advance. They are limited by what nature provides.

Friendly and prompt service. Extra ice for our crab and steamer clams. Traveled all the way from Waldport to get a fair price and to see their crab was properly iced. Worth the drive.

Stopped here to pick up a few more crabs for dinner. It was very quiet on the dock because the season had ended but the staff were friendly and helpful. Gave us a break on the price because out of the crab they had left, they were missing the big claw.

I’m going to give them a 4 stars because, though I rarely go here, I do stop in every time I’m on US 101. My last visit here was definitely a 3 star experience. The fact that I do stop in would make me a fan, so it’s holistically a 4 star sort of place. Holistic is such a great word.
The Garibaldi Cannery sits on the end of a long fishing pier, up on pylons, you actually drive out onto, which even has a small parking lot and other restaurants. It is definitely a place for those looking to get fresh fish. There are all kinds of fishing vessels moored in quaint Garibaldi Bay and, even if you’re not shopping for fish to buy and bake, the whole set up looks like it’s something for a painter or a photography buff.
I found this place because I sort of «had» to. Years ago, there was one of the stores on US 101 that advertised shrimp cocktails for 99 cents! That sign was then no longer there. I asked around about where the shrimp cocktails went. Some people in the area were clueless. One person very clearly pointed me to the Garibaldi Cannery.
The shrimp cocktail is now $ 2. It seems to have gotten smaller, but if you need a shrimp fix, this is the place. This last time sort of pissed me off, so 3 stars for just that episode:
Me: «I’d like a shrimp cocktail.»
Lady: «We ran out.»
Me: «How can you run out? It’s early afternoon.»
Lady: «It’ll take about 5 minutes to make some other ones.»
Me: (thinking it takes about THAT long JUST to slowly drive down that pier): «No problem. I’ll wait.»
This place is not «subsidized» like Vegas, so don’t be expecting a big honking shrimp cocktail for a buck. Instead, the Garibaldi Cannery offers you a taste of some shrimp in a snack sized serving. The sequence for me has become somewhat gross, though: ice cream in Tillamook, a shrimp cocktail in Garibaldi, and a regular meal somewhere between Seaside and Astoria. If it works, don’t fix it.

I waisted an hour of my life I’ll never get back. And that’s not including writing this review.
On my second day in Manzanita, I wanted to cook crabs for dinner. Dungeness crab are sold in many places in NYC. I’m a blue crab fan, but when in Rome… The prices for these PNW beauties back home varies from 9.99 to as high as 16.99 depending on the all knowing «market price» (who makes up that shate?). So, naturally, you would think that since we are a few feet from where they are cought and NY is like… I don’t know…5000 miles away, these bastards would be half as much. That’s logical since I saw Maine lobsters in Seattle at almost 15 $ a pound (twice the amount as back home). Nope.
I got a tip from a local that this joint was «the market» to go to for price and quality of seafood. It was about a ²⁰⁄₂₅ min, winding, drive south on the 101 to this smaller «fishing town». The girl behind the counter was salty and devoid of a soul. Being a minority, you expect that behavior in these kind of towns. The thing is, I acutally don’t give a shit if you got ‘tude, but you better have a good fucking reason; your product better be so amazing that I instantly get a foodboner when I see it. What I saw was a bowl of clams and frozen shrimp in their counter freezer/​caseline and a doezen cooked crabs on top of ice to the left of the counter. THAT WAS IT. It was 2pm. What… the…fuck.
Wait, it gets better. She acted like I was bothering her when I was deciding what to get besides the crabs (2 live ones at about 50 $ total). I asked for mussels. She looked at me like I was a retard and said, «nope». No, «…sorry we ran out». No, «we don’t have any today, but…». No, «…sorry, try so and so, they might have…»…just, «NOPE». She didn’t even explain why the total selection of product was so… sparse. She knew I wasn’t from there, because the entire town looked like a population of 50.
Annoyed, I gave her a little ‘tude back and kept asking questions just cuz i wanted to fuck with her. All responses were one or two words, max. This is when the bell rung in my head that I was A) by myself B) I haven’t seen a person of color since I left Seattle 2 days ago C) the two dudes in the back cleaning may not have had all their teeth. American History X quickly sprung up in my mind and I paid Becky Sue the 50 $; I bounced the hell out of «Mayberry» like a fat kid running home to dinner.
On the drive back, I felt bamboozled. $ 9.99 was the price per lb for the crabs in Oregon. When I left NYC, that was the EXACT price in my local spot. I specifically remembered the price, because I’m weird like that AND comparing prices is kind of a game I play in my head, so I remember where the deals are in the city. We get Dungeness crab from the Northwest, so why is it the same price in Oregon as it is in NYC? First, Becky Sue with her ‘tude and then the price. Basically, I got fucked twice without enjoying either act (that’s what she said).
The local grocery store near Coast Cabins in Manzanita, where I was staying, actually had cooked crab at their butcher counter, but I wanted live ones. I mean, it was a special get-​away. After factoring in gas, time and rude ‘tude, it would have been much cheaper to just buy the cooked crabs from the store across the street rather then drive an hour roundtrip to Garibaldi. However, without that adventure, I wouldn’t have been able to write this review and save YOU from making the same mistake. So, you’re welcome bitches!

Always stop when we’re in Tillamook! Great seafood, reasonable prices!

Great fesh seafood and friendly ladies to boot.

This is a great place to pick up some fresh seafood! The people working were all very nice and helpful and willing to answer any questions we had. We purchased some fresh crab meat (yes, I’m lazy and didn’t want to deal with the entire crab), whole crab, and fish fillets.
Keep in mind the selection depends on what they get in and the earlier you go the better since they only have certain quantities.
I will be making a return trip on my next visit to the area.

Oysters are huge 12 for 10 $
Always have an influx of fresh seafood.
At the end of the pier, nice views.

A nice selection of locally caught rockfish, cod, crab etc. They don’t do frozen stuff, except for the non-​local catches, like shrimp. A little tough to find at the end of the harbor, but worth it, and prices are not cheap but are competitive.

I stopped in here recently after hearing this is the best place in the area to get fresh fish that is right off the boat. They had a limited selection on the day I was there due to weather and fishing restrictions. Some days are better than others according to the owner. They did have fresh fish there, just not a huge selection. I tried the tuna which was good. The prices were a little higher than some places, but the fish is usually frozen or previously frozen when you buy it in most stores in the portland area. I guess you get what you pay for.