Kaye's the best. Â A no-nonsense type and very efficient.
This place has character.
Yummy food, everytime I've been in....today, Denver Omelet special. Excellent!
Hashbrowns were cooked perfectly.
Whistle Burger-good, too.
Try Bloody Mary hand crafted by Kaye.
Outdoor patio in summer is delightful. Â Horsehoe Pit.
Kids can be let in. Â
Greasy spoon type diner/bar. Â Always some fun/friendly regulars in there gossiping about the Mountain Gossip.
My favorite stop on the mountain because of Kaye and Victor (cook).
Boy howdy this is a fine little bar joint for this strip of town. Â On a recent camping trip with the lady, we had toughed it out to the max, and eaten all of our rations, so we were forced to take the stage coach to town to find breakfast. Â
I loved our server (presumably one of the owners). Â She was the no-nonsense kathleen turner voiced type, who calls you Hun, and brings coffee (albeit not my favorite cup of coffee ever) Â quicker that you can strike a match. Â Breakfast itself was actually kind of awesome. Â Bacon was perfectly crispy which is a must for me, hashbrowns were crispy, also perfect, eggs were what you might describe as "well done" (normally I would count this as a breakfast sin), but in this case, I just can't overcome my love of the Twin Peaks ambiance to hold it against them....
A great spot for a cheap beer if you're on your way by.
I love dive bars and Oregon is like mecca for dive bar enthusiasts. I think every 2 miles another sketchy looking diner and pub touting Keno pops up and I make mental note to try it. Problem is, I only visit relatives a few times a year and my liver can only handle so much!
This trip home I decided to try Whistle Stop on the way back down from a snowy hike at Trillium. The place had maybe 10 people in it a a couple 'regulars' were astounded at how busy it was, ha!
Cigarette machine? Check. A Wii attached to a rear projection old school big screen TV? Check. Friendly service and patrons? You betcha. Wicked greasy onion rings served with a side of ranch WITHOUT EVEN ASKING FOR IT SPECIFICALLY? Coming right up.
The good thing about dive bars in Oregon, no smoke smell and evidently Oregonians love ranch so much it comes as regularly as ketchup. My kinda place.
If there weren't 400,000 other 'pub n grills' for me to try in the state, I'd for sure be back ;)
Having lived on the mountain over 17 years, I've learned a thing or two about where not to eat. I have given this place a second and third chance and am totally over it. If you love undercooked greasy fries, slam your brakes on and skid into the parking lot here and saddle up to the bar. I have had steak in here so tough the knife was begging me to kill it.
Went in here with my dad when he was here on vacation. I warned him, oh I pointed out so many other places, but the truck driver in him gravitates to the dive-iest of dives. He got breakfast and I got a burger and fries. This was not my first trip here so I had set the bar low, however, they managed to lower the bar and squish the expectations right out of me with it. It took 45 minutes for the order to come out and my fries were laying in a puddle of grease looking odd. I didn't think there was a burger under the bun and my dad lifted it, it was a sad sad little thing. I see in reviews people say they got a great burger here, maybe, but not me.
So, I ask the waitress about the fries and she says the fryer was heating slow and they didn't want us to wait. Okay, its not first thing in the morning by any means, I can handle the truth, I'd rather hear, "hey, the fries won't be done, you want something else?' No, what happened is, I said I couldn't eat them, and she said they'd hit me up next time to make up for it. She never came back to check on us, Which if you live up here on the mountain, you can get flicked some mount-a-tude by some of these waitresses in the local restaurants and you have to call them on it. It will get you better service, do it nice with a joking flare. Just do it after you have your food, I am just saying,
I would not ever pick this place over the shack or zig zag store or zig zag Inn. I see people mention where the locals eat, well, trust me from a local, drive up a little further there is more town to see.
After passing this place many times on our way from Carson City, NV to Poulsbo, WA, we finally decided to stop here for a late lunch. I'd call it Divey-Chic... Lots to love in here, if you like old style eatery-bars. As another reviewer mentioned, the ciggy machine looks a bit out of place. I liked it though because it reminds me of my youth - before the advent of political correctness and it's negative effect on our country.
So, on to the food. I ordered some HUGE burger (wish I could remember the name of it) that took all I had to stuff it down. It was damned good, and so were the fries that came with it. Wifey got a BLT which she said was excellent.
The lady who waited on us was good old fashioned friendly. Quick with a joke and a laugh, she was perfect for this place. And there was constant banter going on between her and the locals at the bar. I took this to be a friendly place. I'm sure we'll stop in again sometime.
This is where one goes to meet the locals. Â Try Kaye's "stuffed french toast" for something really special. Â They run daily food specials and their french fries are hand cut. Â They serve local coffee roated 4 miles up the hill at Mt. Hood Roasters. Â Looking for some local music, they have live music almost every weekend.
Review Source:Four of us went to breakfast this morning. One of us had the speacial (ham scramble) two of us had eggs, bacon, other person had omettle.
Coffee was good,...food was good, friendly waitress. Â After reading over reviews before going I wasn't too sure I would enjoy it,...It was good. Â Give this place a chance.
There are new owners here, a new menu, cleaner decor, but the same dive bar charm. Â Last time we went here there were pool tables, but they are gone replaced by nice tables. Â Went for happy hour during spring break and friendly waitress brought us a homey free appetizer - ham & cheese sandwich on white bread cut into fourths with coleslaw. Â It was so nice!
Review Source:I give this place three, but it is more like 3.5. Â And yes, there are qualifiers.
The Whistle Stop has been there for ages. Â And it has not changed at all. Â This is a classic dive bar that locals go to hang. Â Think Bob's Country Bunker on a very small scale. Â The first thing you see when you walk through the door is a cigarette machine; a bit out of place considering you cannot smoke in Oregon in any public establishment anymore. Â Which must suck for the smokers that are locals...it must get mighty cold while sucking down a heater...but I digress.
This is a local watering hole. Â The people who go there all know each other, and you will be an outsider, but that's OK. Â The bartender was friendly and took our order. Â I remember coming out there in the early 90s with a friend to grab a burger. Â Now I remember why. Â Are they the best damn burgers in the world? Â Nope, but they are really good. Â Would I drive from Hillsboro to make a stop for their burgers? Â Nope. Â But would I make it a point to stop on my way home from Bend back to my Hillsboro abode? Â Yep.
While not everybody's taste, if you need a place to stop to grab a bite in the area that isn't too stuffy, this isn't a bad move. Â There are some other good restaurants in the area, but if you just need a greasy pit stop, then this isn't the worst choice in the world.
What made me stop at this place is beyond me. Â I knew was going to be a local dive the moment I pulled off the highway. Â Can you say local dive out in the middle of no where? Â Yes, it is. Â At least they are friendly, they have outdoor seating, and the whistle burger was not bad at all but stay away from the fries. Â They could be the worst fries I have ever had and it is saying something when I have had fries from all over the world.
Review Source:How could I be the first to review this gem?? Apres skiing Mt. Hood, this is hands down the best place* to get beer, high-calorie fried food, play video poker and hang out with locals! (*as in the best place to hang out with friends if you don't turn your nose up to locals/dive bars, bad music, greasy bar food, and lots of video poker machines) The fried mushrooms are so deliciously deep fried, I feel like I must be surrounded by carny's. The homemade deep fried tortilla chips and homemade salsa leave a heavenly coating of oil all over your mouth that takes at least a pitcher of PBR to get rid of! The chicken strips and fries are great, and I am guessing the chili, burgers and nachos are a treat, too. This is the type of local bar I like to stop at after a long day of skiing (or night skiing), and their cooks have an excellent grasp of deep frying - everything. Their food is reasonably priced and this place has charm. I want to see more ski bunnies here in 2009...
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