Tom's Restaurant and Bar

Tom's Restaurant and Bar
Tom's Restaurant and Bar
	The restaurant's exterior, 2022
Restaurant information
Established	December 18, 1975
Owner(s)	Antoinette and Taki Papailiou
Previous owner(s)	Tom and Georgia Belesiu
Food type	American
Street address	3871 Southeast Division Street
City	Portland
County	Multnomah
State	Oregon
Postal/ZIP Code	97202
Country	United States
Coordinates	45°30′18″N122°37′22″W / 45.5050°N 122.6229°W
Website	tomspdx.com

Last updated June 29, 2024

Tom's Restaurant and Bar, sometimes referred to separately as Tom's Restaurant and Tom's Bar, is a restaurant and bar in Portland, Oregon, United States. Tom and Georgia Belesiu opened the diner in 1975; ownership was later transferred to their daughter Antoinette, who worked for the business as a teenager, and her husband Taki Papailiou. The menu, based on Georgia's recipes, has changed little over the years, and the greasy spoon is known for serving breakfast all day and for having an inexpensive happy hour menu.

Description

Tom's Restaurant and Bar is located on Division Street at the intersection of Cesar Chavez Boulevard in southeast Portland's Richmond neighborhood. Originally a restaurant, the north side was expanded to include a bar, which has been described by Willamette Week as a "divey sports bar known for the thick cloud of smoke wafting off from the picnic tables out front".^[1] The newspaper described Tom's as a " Dazed and Confused -era diner, which seems increasingly out of place on this rapidly changing stretch of Division Street", and as "an old school dentist's office waiting room, but with a sassy waitress who doesn't come to a complete stop as she asks 'You want cream?' If you do want cream, she pull seven little creamer cups out of an apron pocket and plops them down on the counter without breaking stride. When she gets back behind the bar, she rejoins the longest conversation about fleas you'll hear all year."^[1] Tom's also has a small off-track betting area located between the restaurant and bar areas.^[2]

The Portland Mercury has described Tom's as a "seriously underrated, East Coast-style" diner and a greasy spoon with "outlandishly cheap" happy hour options.^[3] An exterior sign uses "Tom Jones' '70s Vegas" font, according to the newspaper's Brian Yaeger.^[4] The restaurant has an interior mural,^[1] and the bar has artificial leather booths, pool tables, Skee-Ball, table football, and video poker machines.^[5]^[6]

Breakfast is served all day. Full breakfast options include bacon, ham, or sausage, egg, and French toast or pancakes. The menu also includes a "butterhorn" fritter, chicken fried steak with gravy,^[4] hash browns, omelettes, soups, and coffee supplied by Boyd's Coffee.^[1]^[5] Happy hour options include quesadillas and tater tots.^[3]

History

Tom and Georgia Belesiu opened the restaurant on December 18, 1975, in a space which previously housed an ice cream parlor and later a bakery.^[5] Tom built the restaurant in 1974,^[7] and many of the entrees are based on Georgia's recipes.^[5] In 1988, Steve Duin of The Oregonian said Tom "doesn't bore his patrons with politics". Belesiu said, "I don't want to lose anyone. Both parties are welcome here. I'm a politician. A diplomat."^[7]

The couple's daughter Antoinette began working at the restaurant from the start, when she was 14 years old. She and her husband Taki Papailiou, who previously worked as the morning cook,^[7] are now co-owners. The family also owns the building and adjacent parking lot.^[5] Nick Papailiou is also an owner, as of 2020.^[8]

Earl Blumenauer visited the restaurant in 1991, during his mayoral campaign.^[9] In 2010, Nancy Travis filmed scenes at the restaurant for A Walk in My Shoes.^[5] Tom's has a high employee retention; as of 2016, there were 16 employees, including cooks and waitresses who had worked at Tom's for 15 and 30 years, respectively.^[5]

According to KGW's Morgan Romero, Tom's relies mostly on alcohol sales for revenue. In November 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Romero said Tom's Bar "will rely on takeout from Tom's Restaurant next door to survive. They're calling on their regulars and the community to support them and other local bars and restaurants by ordering take-out."^[8] Tom's also sought COVID-19 relief funding via GoFundMe in 2020.^[10]

Reception

In 2014, Willamette Week described the Skee-Ball "situation" as "twin 10-foot lanes, 25 cents, no change machine, scoreboard lights are burnt out and wonky". The newspaper said, "Tom's sports bar, like the neighboring Tom's diner, is a throwback to Old Division that's close enough to New Division to make it a relic. The front sidewalk might as well have a smoke machine on it... Malfunctioning scoreboard lights make the lanes all but useless."^[6] The Portland Mercury included Tom's in a 2015 list of "wonderfully trashy" happy hours.^[3] The newspaper's Brian Yaeger wrote in a 2017 overview of dive bar brunches, "Other upsides include never having to wait in line, a coffee cup that will never hit empty thanks to attentive waitstaff."^[4] In 2016, John Vincent of the Business Tribune said, "In many ways, Tom's is like Portland's own Cheers bar."^[5] Michael Russell included Tom's in The Oregonian 's 2018 list of 15 "favorite" diners in the Portland metropolitan area.^[11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dime Store (Portland, Oregon)</span> Defunct restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Dime Store was a short-lived restaurant in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. It was established by Dayna McErlean, with additional conceptual development from Jeremy Larter. The restaurant opened in 2014, replacing Leo's Non-Smoking Coffee Shop, a diner which had operated for thirty years. The Dime Store's menu included diner classics such as burgers and milkshakes, along with all-day breakfast and weekend brunch specials. Despite garnering a positive reception, the restaurant closed in November 2015.

Bit House Saloon was a bar and restaurant in Portland, Oregon, United States. Established in 2015, the business operated in the Nathaniel West Buildings in the city's Buckman neighborhood. The high-energy squad "Team Riff-Raff" managed the bar from 2016 to 2021, hosting pop-ups and inviting other chefs to collaborate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tapalaya</span> Defunct restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Tapalaya was a Vietnamese-Cajun restaurant owned by chef Anh Luu in the Kerns neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, United States. The restaurant closed in 2019, and was replaced by a vegan restaurant called The Sudra.

Dóttir was a restaurant in Portland, Oregon's KEX Hotel, in the United States. The restaurant closed on January 1, 2022.

The Roxy was a diner serving American cuisine in Portland, Oregon. Located on downtown Portland's Southwest Harvey Milk Street, the restaurant was established in 1994. The Roxy was popular as a late-night food destination and had a diverse clientele. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the diner operated 24 hours a day, except on Mondays. The Roxy has been described as "iconic" and a "landmark", and was known for being an LGBT-friendly establishment because of its employees' community involvement and its location within the historic hub of LGBT culture and nightlife. Following a forced six-month closure due to the pandemic, the diner opened under new public health and safety guidelines in November 2020. The diner closed in March 2022.

Byways Cafe was a diner in the Pearl District of Portland, Oregon, United States. Owners, Collin McFadden and Megan Brinkley, opened the restaurant in 1999, serving American breakfast and brunch comfort foods such as corned beef hash, omelets, and pancakes. Guy Fieri visited the diner for a 2007 episode of the Food Network show, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Byways received generally positive receptions and was voted the city's "best brunch spot" by readers of The Oregonian in 2016. It closed in late 2019, after the owners were unable to reach a lease agreement with the landlord.

The Original Dinerant, or simply The Original, is a diner serving American cuisine in Portland, Oregon, United States. Owned by Sage Hospitality Resources, Guy Fieri visited the "modern" and "upscale" diner to film a 2016 episode of the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The diner has hosted competitive eating contests and other special events. The Original has received a generally positive reception and is most known for its glazed doughnut sliders and alcoholic milkshakes. The restaurant's mezzanine level has an amusement arcade and bar called The Dinercade added in early 2019.

Tin Shed Garden Cafe, often abbreviated as Tin Shed, is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon's King neighborhood. Co-owned by Christie Griffin and Janette Kaden, the dog-friendly cafe opened in 2002 and serves American cuisine.

Skyline Restaurant is a diner in northwest Portland, Oregon, in the United States. Established in 1935, the restaurant initially sold fried chicken by a gas station. It gained popularity during the 1950s, and Skyline's menu of American cuisine has changed little since then. Michelle Nelson has owned the diner since 1999; previous owners have included Benny and Phyllis Lum, as well as Ken Hom, who eliminated drive-in service. Skyline's burgers and milkshakes have received a generally positive reception. In 1975, James Beard said the restaurant's burger was among the best in the country, and Food Network Magazine said Skyline had the best burger in Oregon in 2009.

My Father's Place is a restaurant and dive bar in the Buckman neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Housed in the New Logus Block, a building complex completed in 1872, included on the National Register of Historic Places, the diner has a game room and lounge and attracts a diverse clientele. The restaurant opened in 1978, and was later owned by Merrie Ann Dillon, who sold the business to her daughter Linda Moles in 2002. Remaining under the ownership of the Moles family, My Father's Place serves breakfast all day and offers happy hour options. The game room and lounge have pool tables, lottery machines, pinball, and a jukebox. Musicians Elliott Smith and Willy Vlautin frequented the bar, which hosts game nights and other events. Known as a local favorite, it operates every day including holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The reportedly haunted My Father's Place has received a generally positive reception.

Shift Drinks was a cocktail bar in Portland, Oregon. The bar opened in 2015 and closed in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nite Hawk Cafe and Lounge</span> Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Nite Hawk Cafe and Lounge is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon.

Jam on Hawthorne is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon.

Radio Room is a bar and restaurant in Portland, Oregon.

RingSide Fish House was a seafood restaurant in Portland, Oregon. The business operated in southwest Portland's Fox Tower from 2011 to 2018.

Cup & Saucer Cafe was a restaurant with multiple locations in Portland, Oregon.

Cassidy's Restaurant and Bar, or simply Cassidy's, is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon.

OK Omens is a wine bar and restaurant in Portland, Oregon.

Dockside Saloon and Restaurant, or simply Dockside, is a diner and dive bar in Portland, Oregon, United States. Established in 1986, the nautical-themed, New American restaurant is known for being where incriminating evidence against Tonya Harding related to the assult of Nancy Kerrigan was dumped in 1994.

Industrial Cafe and Saloon was a restaurant in Portland, Oregon. Guy Fieri visited the restaurant for an episode of the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

References

1 2 3 4 "Dinerz™ 2014: Tom's Restaurant". Willamette Week . June 17, 2014. Archived from the original on February 7, 2022. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
↑ Korfhage, Matthew (May 19, 2017). "The Rialto's Betting Parlor Will Re-Open Today, in Time for Preakness Stakes". Willamette Week . Retrieved February 15, 2022.
1 2 3 "Wonderfully Trashy Happy Hours". Portland Mercury . March 11, 2015. Archived from the original on April 16, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
1 2 3 Yaeger, Brian (July 12, 2017). "Dive Bar Brunches". Portland Mercury . Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Vincent, John (January 12, 2016). "Heritage Matters: Tom's Restaurant watches neighborhood evolve". Business Tribune . Pamplin Media Group. Archived from the original on February 7, 2022. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
1 2 "Skee City". Willamette Week . October 21, 2014. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
1 2 3 Duin, Steve (June 5, 1988). "Civil Wars, And Waiting For a Miracle Man". The Oregonian . p. E01. Belesiu built his restaurant at 39th and Southeast Division in 1974, 23 years after immigrating from Greece... But Still clearly has Belesiu's vote, as well as the vote of Takis Papailiou, his son-in-law and the restaurant's morning cook.
1 2 Romero, Morgan (November 18, 2020). "'It pretty much cripples us': Oregon bars worry about surviving second shutdown". KGW . Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
↑ Kiyomura, Cathy; Ellis, Barnes C. (December 15, 1991). "Call For Order Eclipses Candidate's Call For Arms". The Oregonian . p. E24.
↑ Bjorke, Christopher (March 23, 2020). "GoFundMe sites proliferate for Portland businesses struggling during COVID-19". Portland Business Journal . Archived from the original on February 7, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
↑ Russell, Michael (January 20, 2018). "15 (remaining) diners in Portland and beyond". The Oregonian . Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2022.

External links

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[WW-1] 1 2 3 4 "Dinerz™ 2014: Tom's Restaurant". Willamette Week . June 17, 2014. Archived from the original on February 7, 2022. Retrieved February 6, 2022.

[Willamette_Week_2017-2] Korfhage, Matthew (May 19, 2017). "The Rialto's Betting Parlor Will Re-Open Today, in Time for Preakness Stakes". Willamette Week . Retrieved February 15, 2022.

[:0-3] 1 2 3 "Wonderfully Trashy Happy Hours". Portland Mercury . March 11, 2015. Archived from the original on April 16, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2022.

[Yaeger-4] 1 2 3 Yaeger, Brian (July 12, 2017). "Dive Bar Brunches". Portland Mercury . Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2022.

[Vincent-5] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Vincent, John (January 12, 2016). "Heritage Matters: Tom's Restaurant watches neighborhood evolve". Business Tribune . Pamplin Media Group. Archived from the original on February 7, 2022. Retrieved February 6, 2022.

[:1-6] 1 2 "Skee City". Willamette Week . October 21, 2014. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2022.

[Civil-7] 1 2 3 Duin, Steve (June 5, 1988). "Civil Wars, And Waiting For a Miracle Man". The Oregonian . p. E01. Belesiu built his restaurant at 39th and Southeast Division in 1974, 23 years after immigrating from Greece... But Still clearly has Belesiu's vote, as well as the vote of Takis Papailiou, his son-in-law and the restaurant's morning cook.

[Romero-8] 1 2 Romero, Morgan (November 18, 2020). "'It pretty much cripples us': Oregon bars worry about surviving second shutdown". KGW . Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2022.

[9] Kiyomura, Cathy; Ellis, Barnes C. (December 15, 1991). "Call For Order Eclipses Candidate's Call For Arms". The Oregonian . p. E24.

[10] Bjorke, Christopher (March 23, 2020). "GoFundMe sites proliferate for Portland businesses struggling during COVID-19". Portland Business Journal . Archived from the original on February 7, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2022.

[11] Russell, Michael (January 20, 2018). "15 (remaining) diners in Portland and beyond". The Oregonian . Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2022.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]