Mt. Hood Brewing Co.-Rainbow Tavern — Restaurant in Maupin

A quick stop while we were in the area to knock Maupin off of the Great Oregon Burger Bucket List (my quest to have a burger in every town in Oregon). It was late and the kids were tired, so we picked up burgers to go, although I did order inside and have a beer while I waited. Pretty busy bar due to lots of campers in Maupin to enjoy the Dark Sky Sanctuary. Standard sports bar vibe but well done, setting the tone for the food. My only gripe is their default tip settings, 22% being the lowest option on an already pretty spendy meal. $100 for four meals and a beer with the tip, compared to $38 in Shaniko for 5 meals with a tip.

Food was pretty dang good though. While little of it jumped out as memorable, it was all tasty and filling. Not worth going out of your way for, but a solid option if you find yourself in the area. Steely Dan burger hit the spot. We got extra bacon on a BLT and they definitely make it worth the added charge. Cheese curds were excellent. Chicken tenders were very good, well fried with a nice batter.

The fries stole the show though. I have never had fries like these, like a steak fry and a potato chip had a baby. Imagine a steak fry that had a potato vampire suck out 90% of the filling. They were a delightful mix of crunchy and chewy. If I ever find myself in the area, I'm definitely coming back for a huge...

If these walls could talk...

For what must be nearly a century, the Rainbow Tavern in 'uptown' Maupin, has been serving locals and tourists alike. As a river guide on the Deschutes River in the late 90's I managed to spend most nights somewhere in or around this cozy little space. Whether live karaoke or music, dancing in front of the juke box, or getting to know the locals like Kyle (who used to take pictures of us guides) and Bob (who according to locals smiled for the first time the day he retired).

The "Bow" is under new ownership, which I'm sure makes many of the "regulars" who have bellied up there...a bit nervous. But I have it on good advice that the "New Bow" will be much like the "Old Bow" with just a few more, fitting, upgrades. More whisky for one...because when the sun goes down for the summer...it's cowboys or weathered fisherman who frequent the seasonally rambunctious watering hole...and well, whisky tastes good all year round.

The only secret to this place, is one that shouldn't really be a secret to anyone...if you're respectful to the locals, they'll be respectful right back. But if you actually take a moment to say hello, and ask them a bit about this little town your in, I can promise you won't be...

Mt Hood Brewing came into town, bought a bar that used to be great and made it more expensive than most brew pubs in Portland. This used to be a decent bar to get bar food and a strong drink while you were in town. Now it's just more overpriced BS. Like the thing Maupin was gasping for was an expensive pub. I don't care how good the food is. This isn't fair to the locals and it isn't fair to people looking to get away from this kind of thing in general. I've been going to Maupin for 33 years and this used to be a regular stop for us, it isn't anymore. I'll just eat at one of the other places that has similar prices. What does Mt Hood Brewing do for customers the other 8 months in the year when it's out of season? Do they change the menu and suddenly bring the prices back down? I kind of understand the "Don't Bend Maupin" signs now.

Also - minor note but not every bar needs to admit kids.

The one 5 is...