PAGE 18 • GO! MAGAZINE
THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2022 • THE BULLETIN
REVIEWS, DINING DEALS & FOOD NEWS
bendbulletin.com/goeat
On
Wednesdays
the weekly
special is
$5 Jack
Daniels and
Pendleton.
Specials every day of the
week at Tumalo Tavern
Story and photos by
JANAY WRIGHT • The Bulletin
FOOD
If you enjoy pool and killer drink specials,
make a stop at Tumalo Tavern. There’s a
drink special every day of the week, in addi-
tion to happy hour from 4-6 p.m. on week-
days.
I walked through the doors on “whiskey”
Wednesday, when the weekly special is $5
Jack Daniels and Pendleton, so my fiancé
and I both ordered a Jack and Coke — his
tall and mine short.
With drink specials this good, food is
more of an afterthought, but even then I
wasn’t disappointed. The food menu was
written in shorthand on a dry erase board on
the side of the bar with a variety of fried of-
ferings including “cheez” tots ($5.50), “mott
sticks,” ($5.50) and “ckn” tenders ($8.50).
The wings were gloriously crispy and
arrived at the table piping hot.
They were out of cheese tots, so we
munched on mozzarella sticks and wings
($7) instead. The wings came out first. They
weren’t covered in sauce and arrived at the
table piping hot and gloriously crispy with
two sides of ranch. When the server offered
additional dipping options, I asked for the
blue cheese dressing, and he brought out
two small cups of that as well.
The mozzarella sticks came to the table
minutes later, also in a basket with red and
white checkered parchment. They were sim-
ilarly fried to perfection. The cheese had es-
caped its coating in spots, making certain
bites all the more satisfyingly chewy. The
cup of marinara sauce on the side enhanced
the fried goodness.
SERVICE
It was up to one server to single-handedly
manage the bar and both the indoor and
MORE
INFO
outdoor dining areas. He
deftly managed the juggling
act. If we were in need of some-
thing, all I had to do was catch his
eye, and he’d be over in an instant.
ATMOSPHERE
This pub is located at the Tumalo Junc-
tion right off of Highway 20. The front of
the tavern is mostly a garage door, waiting
to be opened on warm, sunny days.
There are pool tables, a video lottery and
other arcade games. In addition to the beer
signs lining the walls, there’s an old-timey
cut-out of a sheriff’s office and gamblin’
room.
It’s the perfect place to leave inconvenient
niceties behind and just let loose. A sign be-
hind the bar handwritten in chalk reminded
patrons, “When life shuts a door … open it
again. It’s a door. That’s how they work!”
Location:
64670 Strickler Ave #103,
Tumalo
Contact: 541-330-2323
Hours: 11 a.m.-12:30 a.m. daily
Price Range: $5.50-$8.50
Happy Hours: 4-6 p.m., Monday-Friday
Happy Prices: $3 domestics, $4 microbrews, $3.75
house wine
Weekly Specials: Sunday: $6 Bloody Mary’s and $1
off all drafts; Monday: $5 all vodka; Tuesday: $2 off
all tequila; Wednesday: $5 Jack Daniels and Pend-
leton; Thursday: $4 all draft beers and White Claw;
Friday: $5 Fireball and $6 Jameson; Saturday: $4.50
all well drinks
Cuisine: Full bar with limited food menu
Reporter: 541-383-0304, jwright@bendbulletin.com
The menu includes a variety of fried offerings
including cheese tots ($5.50), mozzarella sticks
($5.50) and chicken tenders ($8.50).