Portland’s Steeplejack Brewing is bringing its burger-and-beer game to the Oregon coast, with a tight little pub planned for Manzanita and an eye on a March 2026 opening. The former Neah-Kah-Nie Bistro space will be reborn as Steeplejack Burgers & Beer, a compact spot for scratch-made burgers and pints of house beer in a building that already feels tailored to beach-town foot traffic.
Permit filings and local coverage put the project on pace for a March debut, with early details first surfacing in industry circles before being rounded up by WhatNow. The concept sticks close to Steeplejack’s crowd-pleasing pub playbook, just adapted to a much smaller footprint than the company originally envisioned for Manzanita.
Scaled-Down Pivot After a Bigger Proposal
Co-owners Dustin Harder and Brody Day once had a very different Manzanita dream: a big, two-lot build on Laneda Avenue that would have included a two-story taphouse, arcade and small lodging units. The more ambitious version ran into questions about permitting and worries over how much parking pressure it would add to a small village core, concerns that were covered in detail by Eater Portland.
The Building and the Sale
Instead of building from the ground up, Steeplejack is sliding into an existing 1,584-square-foot structure at 519 Laneda Ave. Property records show the building, which previously operated as Neah-Kah-Nie Bistro, sold in late July 2025, according to the MLS listing from Cascade Hasson Sotheby’s. With its modest interior and existing deck, the new pub will seat far fewer people than the multi-use complex the team once floated.
Menu and the Beer
Steeplejack’s own materials say the Manzanita outpost will zero in on burgers, fries and fresh drafts from the brewery’s lineup. Steeplejack currently lists the coastal location as “coming soon” in Spring 2026, and reporting from New School notes that head brewer Anna Buxton is working on a Manzanita-specific lager to pour alongside the regulars.
Local Reaction and Parking
For a town that lives and dies by seasonal visitors, parking and growth are touchy subjects in Manzanita. At least one community letter to city officials flagged worries about how larger developments could clog already tight village parking, a concern outlined by the Tillamook County Pioneer. Against that backdrop, a smaller, fast-casual version of Steeplejack’s concept may land more softly than the earlier multi-use plan.
For now, Steeplejack’s main site continues to list the Manzanita location as “coming Spring 2026,” with more specifics still to come. Expect the brewery to share hours, a finalized menu and a firm opening date as construction and renovations close in on the finish line in the months ahead, via Steeplejack.
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