Beach-adjacent bakery specializing in rustic French pastries and single-origin coffee. A morning line is common for the maple-bourbon sticky buns and sourdough loaves, often taken for a walk on the sand.
Being one of the few spots in Cannon Beach that opens early, the morning routine here almost always involves a queue. Sea Level sits in the Tolavana Park neighborhood – south of the main downtown concentration – and serves as the primary staging ground for locals and visitors looking to caffeinate before hitting the sand. The space itself is tight and smells permanently of yeast and espresso, with large windows that pull in the coastal light. Owners Jason and Liz Menke built the concept around rustic French baking, a direction influenced by Jason’s childhood memories of France and Liz’s time at the Sorbonne. The kitchen relies on old-world techniques to turn out crusty baguettes, batards, and ciabatta, but the pastry case usually draws the most attention. You’ll see trays of kouign-amann, scones, and maple-bourbon sticky buns that tend to sell out quickly. On the savory side, the team preps sandwiches like salami and provolone on house-made ciabatta, alongside a consistent rotation of gluten-free and vegan options. The coffee program is serious enough to stand on its own, pulling shots from Portland’s Heart Coffee Roasters to fill the gap for specialty coffee on this stretch of the coast. While there is a patio and some indoor seating, the operation creates a specific flow: you order everything at the counter – best to get it all in one go given the wait – and take your paper cup and pastry bag down the street. The beach entrance is just a short walk away, and on busy mornings, the cafe functions essentially as the trailhead for walks along the Pacific.
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