Buttercup Ice Creams & Chowders

Best chowder/s on the Oregon Coast. Without exaggeration. Delicious, rich, filling soups that surprise and delight. An amazing find in Nehalem. It's a takeout joint but there are tables around back.

Visited the first time in December 2022 with new beau. And return regularly now for either of the pint for approximately $11/pint or approximately double for a quart, that depending on the soup you choose. (Pro-tip: I promise you're going to want the quart even if you think you only want the pint.)

They always have a vegan option that is delicious. All of the chowders can be modified with seafood, chicken, etc. for an extra $4 to $8.

The fresh bread that comes with the chowders is wonderful! And they sell gourmet ice cream. Including some of the best vegan almond joy. They have a cooler where they stock prepackaged soups and ice cream. And they have some iconic novelty foods on their limited shelves. There's usually a line. But you can buy your soup and go out back to a wonderful space next to the river. There are picnic tables that are also covered which helps when it's raining or too bright.

Once you're in that neck of the woods look for an incredible tree next to the City Hall. There are also winter roses in bloom.

I am always on the hunt for a delicious clam chowder, and Buttercup did not disappoint! It was a different consistency than the standard chowder, but not in a bad way. It was incredibly fresh and delicious. My wife had the Cajun chicken and andouille chowder and enjoyed it as well. The bread was definitely the perfect hearty companion for the soup. We chose to take our meal around to the back patio, which had plastic enclosures and heaters to keep us warm enough on the cold rainy day. We grabbed an ice cream on our way out (pink velvet in a poppyseed cone), and it was so creamy and tasty. Definitely recommend!

What isn't there to love about Buttercup Ice Cream & Chowder's kitchen? This wholesome family owned business was quite a delight to discover after a weekend exploring Oregon. The unique and vegetarian friendly chowder options were a nice find, but better was the taste! Texture, flavor, and portion all were in perfect balance. I had a Thai green curry chowder that was just exquisite along side their freshly baked bread. My friends and I enjoyed dining in there back patio, and we shared compliments all around as rain poured around us and chowder filled our bellies.

Although we were pretty full, we still had to get ice cream after sampling some scentful flavors. After one taste of their most unique pistachio ice cream, I was hooked. I ordered a cone of it and spent the next 15 minutes in pleasure. It is literally the best pistachio ice cream I've ever had!

The staff was also extremely friendly, helpful, and certainly maintained the cheerfulness title of "Buttercup". Can't wait to come back!

We ordered their special menu dinner for St Patrick's day and were blown away!!! It was corned beef that they smoked, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, Irish soda bread and dessert. It was literally one of the best meals I've had in my entire life. Everything was perfect. They sent condiments with the meal; a creamy horseradish sauce that was just to die for and whiskey butter that was sweet with just the perfect hint of whiskey that paired perfectly with the bread! Ok and the dessert... Irish Cream pot de creme.... oh my lord! Perfectly smooth, perfectly decadent and we literally licked the adorable jars they came in clean. This is a meal I cook for my family or get from a restaurant yearly but have never had it be even close to as perfect as Buttercup made it! I can't stop thinking about it and sure hope they do this every year!! I sure wish I had taken pictures to show it off to everyone!

We stopped at Buttercup Ice creams & Chowders quite by chance while driving from Hug Point to Lincoln City. It was a cold, rainy, windy afternoon, and the staff's hospitality was enough to warm our hearts. We ordered a chowder with their secret tomato butter topping. We took to their back deck, heated by space heaters, where we had this divine tasty chowder while listening to the falling rain and watching the lazy Nehalem River flow by.
After lunch, we returned to the cafe and ordered a tulsi herbal tea and their ice cream. This is where things really got interesting! Their ice cream tasted nothing like any other ice cream we have tasted before. The green herb ice cream we ordered was just out of this world! Infused with fresh herbs and salt, the taste was subliminal! The tea with honey was just what we needed for our rainy drive back to Lincoln City.
Our experience with Buttercup Cafe was like a scene from a Hallmark movie, heartfelt and memorable! Hopefully, we will get a chance to visit this excellent cafe once again when we are in this neck of the woods…

On a friend’s recommendation, we made a detour down to this cafe from cannon beach. I’m so glad we did! Everything we tried was delicious. The red curry thai soup with tofu was flavorful comfort food, but also had a lot of veggies. Then, I had a marshmallow /s’mores ice cream cone and my husband tried the pink velvet flavor. Both were fantastic. So nice to find a local place like this with such tasty options!

The Peanut Brittle Malt is quite literally the best ice cream I’ve had in my entire life… dethroning a Burnt Honeycomb I had in Bath, UK, and a Black Garlic I had in Paris, France.

I mean it genuinely when I say I have thought about the ice cream every day since having it two times in 24 hours a month ago. Sometimes I look at the picture I took of the scoop on days where my craving is particularly bad. It’s become an obsession. Probably 15 of my closest friends have heard me rave about this scoop weekly since having it.

I actually work at an ice cream place and realized earlier that I have been subconsciously attempting to recreate this scoop every day using my shift meal. I may call out of work sometime soon to drive 5 hours for another scoop.

Genuinely a life changing culinary experience. As I reflect on this review I realize that it may have just been my favourite single food of all time, and my biggest lifetime regret is not picking up a pint to take home.

The extravagance of my review may come off as hyperbolic but I promise I mean every single word of it.

Amazing Hungarian Mushroom soup (add the kielbasa!!), and coffee-toffee ice cream. Covered back patio and picnic tables on the Nehalem River. Rustic but a lovely spot for some warm chowder after time on the beach. I make amazing soup. I make amazing bread. This was better than mine. I’ll be back!

Very kind owner. We only managed to try the ice cream because they had a catering to go to and we're out of chowder but from what the locals said they are the best chowder in this area. Definitely would come back

Delicious spot for lunch! The ice-cream flavors are out of the ordinary. I enjoyed the goat cheese fig flavor. I want to return to try the maple and bacon flavor. The soup was perfect for a chilly day and served with a hunk of earthy bread.

Ice cream is fresh and made in house. Unique texture and flavored ice cream. Definitely will stop by again and definitely want to try their lunch next time. They cook everything in house and have an open kitchen so you can see then making it from scratch.

First cabin food and service. Lots of choices on the innovative menu; creative, inventive ice cream selection is to die for.

I had the northwest clam chowder and it was excellent. Watched them make it right in front of me from scratch so you can’t get any fresher than that. There was plenty of tasty clams. Enjoyed it in a bowl while sitting in their back deck over watching the river, which was pleasant on a sunny day. Only downside is that it was a bit runny than I prefer (I like it to almost stick to the spoon) but the taste was mouthwatering! Must stop by if you’re passing through!

An amazing little place serving delicious ice cream, chowder & curry. The vegan green curry was very good and the vegan Pistachio ice cream is the best ice cream I have had in many years. Very highly recommended! Can't wait to go back.

The ice cream and chowder here is fantastic! Absolutely delicious and a definite must! You won’t regret it.

Best soup on the planet. As someone who is Gluten Free, it’s very hard to find clam chowder I can eat. So grateful most of their menu is accommodating to special diets and is extremely flavorful and high quality. Always worth a stop. I usually bring a freezer bag and stock up when I’m visiting.

A must if you are going down the 101 in oregon. Best ice cream and chowder on the coast. Don't pass by without trying it. Marshmallow ice cream on a chocolate Graham cracker cone was the favorite for my kids. Clam chowder was amazing also
Everything local and fresh made.

We've been for ice cream a number of times and it's always been amazing. This time we tried the chowders - they were amazing too!! Will always come past here any time we're visiting the coast!!

What a gem. The soups and chowders available were all made of seasonal, fresh, and creative combos, and the ice cream flavors were also impressive and delicious! Excited to have found this place!

When getting ice cream, the smell of the chowders was so tempting, we came back on our way out of town to get pints of soup to go--absolutely delicious. (The ice cream was too!) They have a sweet little selection of provisions as well for the home cook.