By Niki Price  •  Oregon Coast TODAY

It’s good to get lost. Not in a permanent way, of course, but in a Chet Baker, lose-your-cares-and-recover-yourself way. The Canyon Way.
At Canyon Way Bookstore & Restaurant, you can lose yourself in a bowl of French onion soup or a new work of fiction, by smelling the patio flowers or exploring the meandering hallways. That may lead to a warm, sweet latté or a slice of cheesecake, the discovery of a special gift or a folk music reverie.
This Newport landmark, perched on the street of the same name, lies between what is locally called the Coast Highway (aka Hwy. 101) and the shops and docks of the historic Bayfront. It has set itself apart, in more ways than one, with a menu of fresh soups, salads and seafood, inspired by French cuisine but led — like everything at Canyon Way — by the passions and tastes of its owners, Roguey and Ed Doyle.
All the soups are legendary, but we’ll start with the bouillabaisse. A generation of beach visitors have grown up with this aromatic mix of wild fish, tiny Oregon shrimp, clams and oysters in a tomato-saffron wine broth, served with salad and bread ($15.50). It’s been on the menu for 36 years. 

The French onion soup has a following, too, among those who love homemade croutons and delicious layers of Swiss and Parmesan cheeses ($6.50). The Canyon Way chefs make the bouillabaisse and the French onion, plus a fresh clam chowder, every day. The soup du jour could be curry chicken, cream of mushroom or one of several other favorites.
“It’s a lot harder to make soup than you think, which is probably why people order so much soup here. They know it’s good,” said Roguey. “We use great ingredients, and recipes we really love.”
Canyon Way is also known for its tasty salads, including spinach, Greek and chef’s variations, ranging from $6.50 to $9. The Caesar salad, with a traditional dressing of lemon, garlic and anchovies, is topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and homemade croutons, along with a hearty serving of homemade bread ($6.50 small, $8.50 large). The Salad Boat is made from a fresh loaf of French bread, hollowed out and filled with greens and vegetables in a sour cream and mayonnaise dressing, and topped with shrimp or chicken ($8.50).
One of the most popular items on the menu is The Platter: soup, green salad, cheese and homemade bread (starting at $8.50). All the bread is made in house, every day, using a sourdough starter that manager Kate Scannell dates back to the 1980s.
“Everything we serve, we make here. We make bread for each shift, and I don’t mean we thaw out yeast dough and let it rise. We start with flour and yeast, and use that great sourdough starter,” Kate said. “Our sauces, dressings, baked goods and salads — they’re all made here.”
When the ocean allows, the Doyles proudly serve fresh ling cod and salmon caught by Kate’s husband, Lee Taylor, aboard the F/V Nile II, along with locally caught Dungeness crab. You’ll also find dishes made with Oregon pink shrimp, local oysters, wild prawns and even a little calamari. One of the house specialties is a dish of Dungeness crab cakes, grilled in butter and served with Creole mayonnaise and angel hair onion rings (with soup or salad and bread for $15.75). Canyon Way crab cakes are free of green peppers, so the flavor of the crab can come through, and the cakes contain “just enough bread crumbs to hold the crab together,” Kate said. Another popular house specialty is the wild cod and chips ($11). 

Pasta plates, vegetarian entrees, sautéed chicken, children’s choices, hamburgers made with all-natural Blue Mesa Beef, and occasional specials featuring duck or pork tenderloin or  — the Canyon Way menu has a path for just about everyone.
Roguey (a childhood nickname for Rosemary) and her husband, Ed, first moved into 1216 SW Canyon Way with a bookstore, in December 1971. At the time, the building was already an amalgam of apartments and a retail space, with its oldest portion dating back to 1910. In 1974, the Doyles purchased the successful Beach Plum Bakery, which it re-opened within the bookstore as the Centre Café. Over the years, they used more and more square footage, added on and repurposed spaces, and eventually purchased the building. Today, they offer both indoor and outdoor patio seating, a full bar with Oregon video games and an art collection that will impress any fan of Northwest painters. The bookstore offers several rooms of history, biography, mystery and children’s titles, plus a section of local authors and a big selection of unusual gifts.
Like the recipe for curry chicken soup, most of the faces at Canyon Way have remained the same. Ed still works in the kitchen, and Roguey in the bookstore. One of their daughters, Susannah, does the baking and waits tables. Their other daughter, Elizabeth, is the gardener in chief. Kate, who has worked for the Doyles since a few weeks after they opened in 1971, saw all three of her children earn their “high school money” at Canyon Way. These days, the bus drops Kate’s grandson at the restaurant after school.
“This really, truly is a family business,” Kate said. “I bring tomatoes from my greenhouse, and my husband catches the fish. We have employees who have worked here so long I can’t remember when they began.”
The most recent addition to Canyon Way is Club 1216, a venue for local musicians open every Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. To create the new space, the Doyles expanded from the lobby into the oldest part of the building. Once they removed three layers of carpet and a great deal of lath and plaster, they found original wood, charming old windows and excellent acoustics. When it’s not in use, this nook is a quiet place to sneak away, and use Canyon Way’s free wi-fi.
“There’s certainly an entire day’s worth of stuff to do here. Our menu is varied enough for all tastes, and there’s something for them to do once they’re fed,” Kate said. “People are always surprised when they come in for the first time. Nobody ever knows how big it is.”
“Everybody walks in and says, ‘I had no idea,’ and then they wander off. I might not see them again for a while.”

Canyon Way Bookstore & Restaurant, 1216 SW Canyon Way in Newport, is open Monday through Saturday for shopping. Lunch is served from 11:30 to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Dinner is served from 3 p.m. to close on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. For details, call 541-265-8319.