Oregon
This cozy bakery on the Oregon coast serves incredible pastries just steps from the beach
Tucked away in the quieter neighborhood streets on the south side of Cannon Beach, just one block from the ocean, Sea Level Bakery + Coffee makes a strong case for the title of best bakery on the Oregon coast.
Opened in 2014 by couple Jason and Liz Menke, the cozy, modern cafe (which was remodeled in 2023) offers fresh-baked bread, sandwiches and bowls in addition to its well-stocked pastry case where there are no bad choices.
On a recent visit, the case was stocked with sticky buns, biscuits, scones, banana bread, kouign amann, Danish, pound cake, muffins and five kinds of cookies. There was also something called tide truffles, a vegan and gluten free treat that sells in packs of three. In a neighboring case were loaves of fresh-baked bread, as well as baguettes, ciabatta and slices of focaccia.
Offerings rotate seasonally, sometimes even weekly, based on available ingredients and the whims and experimentations of the staff bakers.
On a recent visit, we ate a raspberry pistachio scone with lemon glaze that was sweet and delicious. A soft biscuit, dusted with cinnamon sugar and loaded with marionberry jam, was a great accompaniment. I made a mental note to pick up a baguette on our next beach day.
Sea Level Bakery + Coffee is tucked away in the Tolovana Park neighborhood of Cannon Beach, about a mile from the main drag.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
People walk the sand on the south end of Cannon beach, near Tolovana Beach State Recreation Site on the north Oregon coast.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
A biscuit with marionberry jam at Sea Level Bakery + Coffee in Cannon Beach.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
Jason Menke said he grew up going to French boulangeries with his grandmother, where he fell in love with the idea of serving a community through food. When the couple opened Sea Level, in the old Waves of Grain bakery space, they wanted to bring that boulangerie culture to the Oregon coast.
“We felt like it needed to be both a cafe, coffee ship and a bakery,” Menke said of the business. “We just know that people need better food options, particularly at the beach.”
Grab a table on the covered patio outside and you might feel like you’re joining the Cannon Beach community. On our visit, a local woman introduced us to her dog, who stared hungrily at our pastries. We eavesdropped on a group of surfers nearby. A family of sleepy tourists shuffled in and plopped down around a table with cups of coffee. The indoor seating, which consists of a few smaller tables, is crucial for the rainy season, but when the weather is nice the patio is idyllic.
Sea Level, which is nestled into the Tolovana Park neighborhood, is a surprisingly peaceful place given the commotion all around it. The main drag of Cannon Beach, which is choked with tourists in the summer, is only a mile to the north. And only two blocks south is the busy Tolovana Beach State Recreation Site, which attracts upwards of 1.2 million visitors each year.
“When we first started it seemed like a curse to be in that part of town, because it was quiet down there,” Menke said. But after a couple of years, once business caught on, the couple grew to appreciate their place in Cannon Beach.
“We like to say that we’re Tolovana proud,” he said.
With their major remodel still fresh in the rearview mirror, the couple finds it hard to think too much about the future. But when pressed, Jason Menke said they’ve been dreaming about adding yet another offering to their cafe: pizza. After a successful one-time pizza night last year, the couple has been toying with the idea of making it happen monthly or even weekly.
That would only be another extension of their mission to provide good food to the community on the north Oregon coast.
“There’s definitely not enough good food at the beach,” Menke said.
The takeaway: Sea Level offers everything you could want from an Oregon coast bakery: great pastries, good coffee, ample seating and a quick walk to the beach.
Sample menu: A biscuit and jam ($4.25), a seasonal scone ($4.25) and espresso ($4).
Drinks: Coffee and espresso from Portland’s Heart Coffee Roasters, with tea and a rotating menu of seasonal drinks.
Details: Counter service with indoor and outdoor seating. ADA accessible with parking spot, ramp and restroom. Open 7 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 3116 S. Hemlock St., Cannon Beach; 503-436-4254; sealevelbakery.com.
BLUE RIVER, Ore. (KATU) — The founder of a former disaster relief nonprofit is being sued for allegedly diverting nearly $837,000 in donations and grants for personal gain.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed the lawsuit Thursday against the founder and executive director of Cascade Relief Team (CRT), Marcus Brooks. In the complaint, Rayfield calls CRT “a sham.”
Brooks is accused of stealing donations and government grants meant for disaster relief following wildfires and flooding in 2020, and using it for personal expenses including casino visits, travel, vehicles, and more.
CRT was founded in 2020 and was hired for cleanup and relief services following the Labor Day Wildfires that burned over 1 million acres across Oregon.
In Blue River, an unincorporated community in the McKenzie River Valley, the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire destroyed nearly 800 homes and burned more than 173,000 acres.
I am angry that my community was taken advantage of
Just months after the fire, long-time Blue River resident Melanie Stanley said CRT stepped in and promised help to the community.
“For us, it was…like a savior at that point,” Stanley said.
Stanley was the manager for the Blue River Resource Center and worked for Brooks to help facilitate recovery efforts. She said CRT operations slowly became questionable.
“None of us knew the level at which all of this stuff that finally came out was at,” Stanley said. “We knew that there was some stuff that had started to look hinky or feel hinky, or there was just some lack of communication that was happening. There were some other things that were happening, and so we just all were kind of guarded.”
In fall of 2023 the nonprofit was reported to have run out of money, and Brooks allegedly fired staff without disclosing the organization’s financial conditions and did not notify donors or beneficiaries. Stanley was one of those people fired.
The state now claims the funds that were meant to go towards communities like Blue River, never made it out of Brooks’ hands, including donations given by Blue River neighbors.
“I am angry that my community was taken advantage of, and I am angry that they now have to worry about trusting when something else happens, because we know something else is going to happen,” Stanley said. “We hope to God it’s never anything as big or as bad as what has happened, but you know, we also have learned that groups like Locals Helping Locals…they are our foundation, and they are because they’re us.”
The state is seeking to recover the money, permanently bar Brooks from serving in a leadership role at a charitable organization and dissolve the nonprofit.
Stanley said Brooks’ actions have tainted reputations.
“We as a community and as the people from the community who helped kind of put all of these things together, we did what was asked of us,” Stanley said. “We did help clean things, and we did help get things to provide, you know, more progress and get things moving forward, and we did good work, and so I just really hope that this is not overshadowed.”
According to Stanley, Blue River’s recovery now stands at 50%.
“We will be very picky from here on out about who and what groups gets let in to help with anything,” Stanley said. “And sadly, it may be to our detriment, but he did more damage now, as far as reputations go, and for that I’m angry. I’m very angry.”
The Oregon Ducks have been progressing through the class of 2027 with hopes of landing some of their top target’s commitment on both the offense and the defense.
With many names left on the board, the Ducks have started to receive some great news, including some news from someone they have been targeting since they offered back in January of 2025.
Darius Johnson Releases His Top Four Schools
One of the Ducks top targets’ in the 2027 class at the cornerback position is Darius Johnson. Johnson recently released his top schools with Hayes Fawcett, as he is entering a crucial part of his recruitment. The four schools he has listed at the top include the California Golden Bears, Michigan Wolverines, UCLA Bruins, and the Oregon Ducks.
Johnson is one of the better cornerbacks in the country. He currently ranks as the nation’s No. 178 prospect in the country, No. 20 player at the position, and the No. 14 player in the state of California, according to Rivals. Landing his commitment would be major for any of the schools, as he is someone who could see the field early due to his size, and his growing ability to lockdown a side of the field all by himself.
More About Darius Johnson
Johnson currently measures in at 6-1 and 155 pounds, and will be someone who continues to add weight through his high school program, and will eventually have the chance to really improve his frame when he gets to college. As of now, each of the four schools has a solid chance to win its recruiting battle, but there seems to be a clear leader at this moment.
The leader for the Ducks target seems to be the Michigan Wolverines, who have the only scheduled official visit at this moment. It seems likely that the talented prospect will schedule his other official visits sooner rather than later now that he has officially cut down his list. If the Ducks want to land his commitment, they will need to get him on an official visit because they are likely trailing at this point.
What If He Committed to Oregon Today?
If he were to commit to the Ducks today, he would be the ninth commitment for the Ducks in the class of 2027. He would also be the third cornerback commit for the Ducks in the class of 2027, which is a position they have been recruiting heavily. The cornerbacks the Ducks have at this moment are four-star Ai’King Hall from the state of Alabama and four-star Josiah Molden from the state of Oregon.
Some of their other commits at this moment include four-star EDGE Rashad Streets, four-star defensive linemen Zane Rowe, and four-star EDGE Cameron Pritchett. This class is shaping up to be another top-five class if the pieces continue to fall into place for Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff.
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