John Henry's — Restaurant in Eugene

The moment I walked into this place in 2013 the spark of Love was kindled.. upon the rebirth of this venue my love for it was set a flame by sirens call.

I manifested a space like this.

I had a vision of this downtown life… working downtown. Living downtown. Having a really cool bar that I could go anytime, has really neat art and meet the most AMAZING humans.

It Opened on the same block I had been working on the last year… and I have never in my life found a space that I felt so safe.. It also is just so fun. Definitely some of the best bartenders around. The drinks are amazing.. I really like how they shake it. The music. Inspiring. The burlesque… WOW stunning. Closest thing to what I heard a church community should be.

I found so many key parts of myself there that I never had been brave enough to do before until I found My people.

Every time I go something magical happens there.

Oh and a pool table! Yay!!

Though I grew up around here.. I popped in over the years but never really had energy for a night life til the world shut down. I had heard so many stories about how the previous John Henry’s was such a staple and heartbeat of so many of those who I loved in Eugene for so long. So though I don’t have a lot to compare it too.. the spirit of the previous versions I believe lives on in this version. I love it there so much. It’s a home space of mine to share and I am so...

Decided to do a bar crawl, a la Gary King and I made a few ok choices. Level Up, Blair Alley, the one with the dancehall label outside of it. That's when I noticed the outside of John Henry's and it was PACKED on that Friday. I almost balked at the $15 cover charge but as soon as I heard that 3 bands were playing, I didn't mind going broke. One of the bartenders corrected me when I called it a pub, saying "this is a sound venue!" Did I care about the band names? Nope! I came to vibe and vibe I did! Beer and water were priced exceptionally well and the mullets! Oh dear God, the mullets 🥵🥵🥵 I left home feeling like I was 21 again in California! This might be one of my go to venues here in Eugene!!! Y'all made this black guy feel very welcome too. Also, to whoever found my wallet, THANK YOU!!!...

Paid for tickets to see Loving this summer, who ended up canceling their tour. John Henry’s said people needed to come in person for a refund, but when I came in person, they told me they had gotten the online system working and that I should have been refunded. I definitely did not, nor ever received any email saying the online system was fixed. I then emailed to explain— and was told that somehow I must have been “missed” in the refunds. Their manager then said they would personally Venmo me the following day. . . it’s been almost ten days, a follow up email from me, and still no refund. Not sure what’s going on but it’s pretty frustrating and feels very unprofessional. Also makes me wonder how many people were “missed” in the supposed online refunds? Hoping it will be...