St. Johns Theater and Pub Reviews

The food was OK, but I expected a bit more for the price. The service was pretty slow. It was too dark to actually see what I was eating and it was really noisy, but it is a pub atmosphere, so if you're in the mood for a drink with a little bit of food this may be the right place. If you're intending to sit down for a meal and some conversation you might consider going elsewhere.

Loved the location. We went to see a kids movie there. The settings were very nice. The food is the regular McMenamins. As most, we don't return there for the food. We return for the ambiance and experience. This location is great too.

What a movie theater 🎭 back in time, but the bar tender not to talkative or friendly to new people looking about. So points loss the move we watch. But interesting place if they just take the time to welcome out of Towner.

Visiting Portland for my son's wedding and he and his bride suggested St Johns Pub. Loved the decor! We ordered the pretzels and Cajun tots for appetizers and the 2 Aztec salads, gyro, and a burger. Our server, Randy, was great. I would highly recommend this restaurant. I wish we had time to watch a movie, too.

Like the other McMenamin's restaurants the menu is small, eclectic and familiar. The building is from the 1905 world's fair and is very interesting inside and out. The staff is super friendly and attentive, making for a nice visit. There were some local drafts to sample and we shared some appetizers. Great place for friends or family.

Interesting 100 year old building! Theater looked great! The afternoon we where there Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was playing and parents where coming in with there kids. It must be very popular with the local parents. Food and service was excellent like all locations!

It's been years since I'd been to one of the McMenamins pubs. Despite having nearly as many outlets at Burgerville, each of their venues is unique. My only beef (and it's a small one) is that I wish the menu would vary between all of their restaurants -- more like a theme for each one. Great service from the staff at this one. Other locations can be spotty.

I have been here several times. great selection if beer. love the whole building and garden sitting area. had a great hamburger. prices for pints 6.50 way too high compared to other breweries in area. normal price 5.00. I was there during happy hour and 1 dollar off still too expensive. problem with unprofessional waitress next too me eating at bar while she waited on tables. not going back unless they lower prices on beer

I love the McMenamins pubs and stop in at them when I happen to be in the area. This one has a theater so I noticed that they had a film I wanted to see but not at the time it was showing next. I had a few places to go to before that. So it can wait till later. I had a Blackberry Cider which seems to be the one I am hooked on at the moment. Really like its taste. This pub also has an outdoor patio and it was practically filled on this sunny Saturday afternoon. So I sat here while I finished my drink. I had looked all around inside earlier to check out what this pub was like. There is an upstairs area that has some pretty nice places to sit and eat. one area overlooking the bar as well. That looks like the nicest of places to go sit and eat as you feel you are off in a private area of the pub. The artwork in this pub is not as over the top as some I have been to. So this McMenamins is not high on my list of tripped out mind boggling awesome. It is a wee bit smaller than the other places I've been to. The worker seem a bit more laid back and casual here at this McMenamins.

This little theater is a gem! Great place to go with the whole family or with your husband/significant other. Very friendly staff and fun atmosphere 👍👍

Beautiful building! Service and food was great also. The kids enjoyed the snacks and the movie. Very good beer selection

Kind of a funky place no doubt we didn't go to the movie we just had a late lunch on our way between depoe Bay Oregon at home in Washington. I had to special salad my wife had to hope goddess salad and we had one beer. Kind of overrated restaurant for my opinion. Interesting atmosphere food mediocre.

THE PUB: per the normal experience at local McMenamin's establishments, the service did not fail to disappoint. We didn't wait a really really long time for acknowledgement after seating, but it was longer than acceptable. We ordered a bottle of wine and our food from a frantic server (she was friendly, just seemed overly stressed out). We waited quite some time for the wine to come and when it did it was nearly tossed on the table (not rudely, but unprofessionally); the bottle was already open, but no glasses were poured for us and the server disappeared promptly, which we found to also be unprofessional. We sat in the balcony, which was so dimly lit you could hardly read the menu and two TVs were booming two different games while two large tables were guffawing constantly, so we really couldn't hear either (I do understand it is not the fault of the pub that their patrons were being rude). Anyhow, we were at a table overlooking the kitchen area and I was watching two fellows work (quickly for sure) when one of them cut a sandwich in half and one half flew off the counter on to the floor. To my utter astonishment he picked up, put it back on the plate, added the side and sent it to the server window. I couldn't even believe it. Since it wasn't my sandwich, I ate my food, which sorely lacked all of the ingredients promised; my husband ordered fries as a side and got tater tots instead. the server didn't return to ask if everything was okay until we were nearly done, so it wasn't even worth mentioning. overall, I wasn't much surprised by my experience, it has come to be the standard for McMenamin's; I was really just shocked that someone got a sandwich off the floor and didn't know it - made me wonder how many times I've eaten something icky. THE THEATER: if you happen to visit the theater's website, you will be pleasantly surprised to find that you can buy your ticket ahead, and even reserve your preferred seat, for a $2 surcharge. if you happen to visit the theater, you will be sorely disappointed to find there is no such reservation. you might be lucky that the person in your seat is kind and will honor your reservation, but it's not a super comfortable conversation to have, especially when the theater is dark and previews have started. if you want a specific seat, go ahead and reserve it, but be sure to arrive more than just in time (i.e. don't have dinner at the pub first). the seats are fairly comfortable here, the sound is good and the screen is great. the thing that isn't great is that the door to the restrooms and bar is in the front of the house, which is very small, so anytime anyone gets up for something they are pretty much walking right in front of you (definitely don't choose seats to the left of the screen!). overally, I was pretty disappointed with my entire experience at this location and will probably not go back. do yourself a favor and eat somewhere dependable and go to the Bagdad Theater.

We stopped in to dine on the patio. Great space & the waitress was nice but the food was really below average. However, the waitress gave us the history of the building & told us there was a domed theater inside, that upped the cool factor for sure.

Went and had lunch and a few drinks w/ a friend. The atmosphere is great The food is very good The selection of beers is vast

A very unique pub an theater. The pub was well decorated and good food. Incredible small and unique theater. Theater was supposedly redone. Sound was incredible and the seats were great. Small With only about 100 seats. Saw A first run movie. Went a little early to eat but would go near showtime next so we can order and eat while watching. Staff were great. Don't forget your stamps.

Great atmosphere for family burger nite Annie, our waitress was most hospitable and accommodating Bear flight and burgers were amazing Mean Gurls was playing in the theater Who could ask for anything more?

We went to the pub and realized it was a movie theater as well! We were able to order and eat while we watched a first run movie at the same time for a really great price. because liquor is served children may not be allowed.You would have to ask. The food was really good pub food, nothing fancy, but plenty of it and the atmosphere was great! Like all of the Micminamins pubs and resturants you can't go wrong when you go there!

Love this historic theater. There are so few left! Great pizza, beer, popcorn and all the beverages and candies. There are two screens. I prefer the main screen but the upstairs one is super unique.

Went there twice during a week’s visit to Portland. Had the cheeseburger and fries both times. Very good service and tasty food. Sat at the bar and got immediately served by great staff! Will go back again. Lots of people there who were doing a movie and drinks and/or food. Lots to offer.

We spent a nice lunch with my mom. Antique spot. Definitely if you like old buildings and cultural places, you should go there. The food really good. And the waitresses really goods. I would def go back! Recommend 100%. Pásamos un lindo almuerzo con mi madre. Lugar antiguo. Si te gusta los edificios viejos y culturales, debes ir. La comida y atención muy buena. Lo recomiendo!!

Visiting this McMenamins is always a highlight of our Passport Journey. This Sunday the weather was encouraging the explore and walking into this establishment is fun. My preference is to sit up in the balcony/mezzanine. Service was with a smile, early in day and enjoyed hearing employee cross talk/encouragement. The tacos - pork for him, wild salmon for me.... yum, yum, yum!

Very disappointing visit. We drove up for dinner and found at 7pm it was packed so we went upstairs, there was one small table by a large family with a ton of children, no thank you! So we asked a couple sitting at a table for six if we could share and they are fine with that arrangement. the server then arrived and told us that arrangement was forbidden and we couldn't get service there from her or the company. We chose to leave instead.

Such a cool location with a fascinating history! St. John's Pub offers a comfortable and eclectic dining experience in a quaint neighborhood. Beautiful patio dining, great vibe inside with a full bar and tables upstairs and down. The theater is amazing and the convenience of eating while watching a flick is terrific! Tater Tots are A MUST!! Initial staff was a little impatient/rude when we visited during a busy time, but our waiter was great--personable and hard-working. Highly recommend.

I love St. John’s but the Theater pub is just one more reason to visit this quiet neighborhood in Portland. They boast an incredible rotating beer menu, plus full bar. The burgers are the mainstay of the menu, but there’s plenty more from which to choose. And then, if you time it right there’s the cinema! Playing first run films at less than half the normal theater price. Dinner and a movie for under 20$?! Say when :)

I had great lunch in this unique restaurant. My Aztec salad was full of taste. I can recommend to all people this place.

A small but interesting menu, but what really shines is the help staff. Great personality, like the building the pub is housed in.

A first time visit for us at this pub/restaurant. We sat outside by a wood fire in a beautiful garden setting. I had a Chili burger, it was cooked perfectly and the Chili finish was very tasty, not too spicy. My wife had a veggie burger that she was pleased with.

Our in-laws were visiting from mid-west and we drove them up to the University of Portland campus where our son attends and opted for lunch at a typical Portland Brew Pub. In my 30 years as a Portland resident, The McMenamins establishments are near and dear to our hearts (I'm pretty sure my son's toy t-Rex is still somewhere in The Hillsdale pub plants circa -1996) St. John's did not disappoint. Consistent food, friendly service- nuff said.

This was a surprise find for us but we were not disappointed. The atmosphere was unique along with the history of the building. People were just coming out of the theatre when we arrived. The Ruby beer is exquisite - it was like drinking lemonade - you want another one. The salads were huge and we added the salmon, which was very large. One order of salmon would have sufficed for both of us. Very good food and the service was super.

I had one more stamp to get for my passport for this page, so I got together with a friend who also has a passport. It was a cold windy day so this was an ideal place to stay warm and get caught up on our life's events. I got my stamp and collect my my prize of an Appetizer. I asked what that was and our server sai anything from the "Snacks" in the menu. So I went for the Fresh-cut fries. I was surprise how by the size... it was a vast amount of fries on the plate. I shared them with my friend as we chatted and had four drinks each. I love dark beer so I made it a point to have a different dark beer for the four that I drank. Our server was brilliant. helpful, friendly, cheerful, and checked up on how we were doing from time to time. This really made for a great get together. They have a theater here showing a first run movie. an upstairs area with a nice view down on the bar if you sit near the rail. They also have an outdoor patio but it was too chilly for that. I count's figure out what the theme of this pub was from the decorations they have. As always they had unique lamps. And that charming McMenamins quirkiness that keeps your eyes roving around to see what you can spot to amuse or delight you. We arrived at Happy Hour so the place was pretty well packed. Was a Sunday as well so plenty of people were worshiping their drinks.I sure was!

Came in to place a to go order, when I was done ordering it was 8:15 on a Monday night the waiter told me it would take 12 mins for the order to be ready. I sat down and waited 15 mins later I saw him bagging it up and to my surprise walked right passed me and gave it to another women. I just thought to myself okay mine will be ready shortly. It wasn't untill 9 pm (45 mins sense I ordered) that I hear him say "oh s*** I gave away her order" I knew he was taking about my food he had given away. 10 mins later he came and handed me the bag of food, he said nothing to me about the mistack and why it took so long. I asked him "why did it take so long?" He then admitted to me he gave away my food and to have a good night. He never apologized or offered me a percent off the price for having to wait so long. I would of left a lot happier if I felt like he cared about the customer. Needless to say customer service could be a lot better!

If I lived in Portland, I would probably come here every week. Nice atmosphere, good food, good beer selection, decent prices, unique movie theater, new movies on, great price for the admission especially if you go early.

I am a fan of McMennamins in general, for full disclosure. I usually eat or stay at one whenever I am in Oregon. Tonight was my first at St John's. Great beer (8 Deans Dream Blackberry Porter) with a BBQ Pork Sandwich and a delicious African chicken peanut soup. Amazing. Great service and a great location.

Super unique experience. Came here to see Black Widow opening week. Was sad that there were only a few other people in the theater-- it's such a cool place! But, the restaurant and patio were very busy- just sad that more people don't take advantage of the opportunity to see a movie here. The style of the place is amazing and such great history here. Food was underwhelming (making it all the more surprising people come here just for the food! To each their own.). The service, while SUPER friendly was a bit lax. The bartender poured two beers and ( like 3 milliseconds later) forgot which was which, and made no effort to help us figure it out. He then didn't even check our tickets going into the theater until we asked him and he said "oh that'd be a good idea now wouldn't it?" Food came with tons of missing items--- the corndogs were not only missing dipping sauce- they were also missing fries altogther. Then they were out of popcorn about 20 minutes into the movie- had cleaned out and shut down the machine. Huh? Despite the service, the overall experience was really special- such a unique building with so much history. Definitely recommend coming for a movie! Oh- and the movie tickets were only $6! Incredible deal!

Only the 2nd McMenamins I have visited and, as a visitor, love the quirkyness of this place - food was really good and atmosphere great. Would like to revisit some day!

One of our favorite stops for dinner. Great selection of brews and food. Waitstaff very helpful with selecting one of the handcrafted brews. Food was excellent. Cajun chicken salad a great choice on our last visit.

Lovely McMenamin's pub on the outskirts of town. They have all the usual McMenamin's offerings and the atmosphere is the requisite level of quirky and cozy except that this location also has a beautiful shady garden patio with lanterns and vines - great for cooling off in a summer's night. Service is laid back but warm and friendly.

We stopped by for a Saturday lunch. The food was fine, we enjoy the McMenamin's menu, and the staff was friendly. While working on the Passport program, this is pleasant stop.

First off the food was great. I had the turkey dip, sooooo good. I want one now thinking of it. But the real reason for my review is this; my son and i went to have dinner, when it came time to pay i noticed i did not have my card nor any cash. I panicked. So embarrassed i tell my server. I let her know i live only a few blocks away and i can leave her my phone, id, purse, anything i had on me to insure her id be right back. She didnt even blink an eye and tells me no take all your stuff ill see ya soon. I hurried back to pay my tab. I gave her a nice tip and she tells me it is to much and i didnt need to. Such a nice lady with a beautiful soul. Because of her and her generosity i will continue to go back. Thank you so much!!

Another great McMennimans spot. Neighbors gather, very family friendly. Good size theater. Very much recommend their smoked turkey sandwiches. Enjoy!

This is one of our favorite McMenamin's locations because of it's theater. They offer a cute little outdoor area for eating and the indoor decor is unique like any McMenamin's restaurant. However, their theater is on the smaller side and unique decorated and frankly it's just lovely to eat dinner in there and watch a movie at the same time. You reserve seats online, so make sure to get a seat in the main sitting area that puts you looking directly at the screen - these seats have tables in front of them to put your food on, while the seats to the 'wings' of the theater do not. The service at this location is good, and the food is great as well. I love paying less for a movie here as compared to a cookie cutter movie theater, and having a better time with better seats!!! An absolute win in my book.

The bar is much larger then expected. It is easily located after exiting the stunning St John Bridge. There is a parking lot, which is much appreciated since it is a crowded area. There is an outdoor seating area which would be fun, weather permitting. Great place for popcorn and a movie at $5/adult.

This is a great place for local food and beer. good burgers, salads, appetizers. Always enjoy reading about the history of the building while there. Never a disappointment Has a decent outdoor seating area, and they also show first run movies.

Great little neighborhood pub. Typical McMenamin's food and brews with their unique style of funky decor and service. This is our favorite lunch spot when at nearby University of Portland to visit our kids.

We all love McMenamins but we were treated royally at the St. Johns Theater and Pub after our Wednesday Walk. There were quite a few of us and most of us enjoyed the shaded garden. Staff took it in stride and were very accepting of our desire to have separate checks. The food was warm, tasty and we enjoyed our afternoon. Thanks for the lovely garden surrounded by tall bushes and trees and the great pub food!

I am from the camp of people that have seen McMenamins at their best and worst and let me just say I love this place. They deliver on all their food and drink and the staff is great. It’s not fancy but just good quality bar food. I for awhile was pretty critical at the quality the kitchens have been putting out but this place made me do a 180. And, assigned seating at a small local theater where they deliver food to you at your seat while you enjoy a first run movie and a good beer, yes please! I’ve also been just for dinner and to watch political debates and football games and been very happy with those both in terms of food and viewing quality as well as the community feel. Thanks and see you soon!

Great place for a cozy meal with friends. It is small with a main floor and an upper level that overlooks the kitchen and bar. Very nice garden outside the restaurant! The food was good - friends and I had burgers, turkey sandwiches and the mini corndogs. It was all good. Service was a bit slow but I think only one waiter was servicing everyone but it was afternoon, not a peak time, but still very busy. We did not see the historic theater. The waiter said it was only open for visitors during movie nights.

A trip to any McMenamins is always fun and St. John's Pub is no exception. This is the first time going to one not hooked up to a strip mall or other building. This location is what McMenamin's is really known for. Historic buildings or an entertainment complex. A lot of people were enjoying the outdoor patio on a nice night. We chose to go in and picked a seat upstairs. All of the funky decor of McMenamins is in here. Our server was great and as usual the food was good. Tried the Portland Dip this time. Pretty much a turkey au jus sandwich. Always fun to try something different and the Swiss cheese and mushrooms really add a nice touch. Very tasty. This location does have a theater as well. Can never go wrong with McMenamins.

This is perfect for warm late summer evening. Lots of outdoor seating pretty packed inside as well. Hectic pace but bartenders and servers staying up withe pace to keep all those palates wetted down. Quite a chore, kudos to a job well done. An Evening out on the town in old St. John's cannot be complete without stopping here along the way for a drink or pair that to eat any of their great freshly prepared dishes. This is a fun place, and a must return over and over.

I went into the Pub to cool off and to get something to help me feel more cooled out. I picked up a menu sheet and looked it over. Food was out. I was just thirsty. So I went up to the bar and ordered a cider and just sat there. Looking the place over. As I sat at the bar sipping my drink and drinking in the cool atmosphere this place have. I gazed up at the ceiling and stared at the smiling sun painted on it. Wouldn't it be nice if his big brother outside up in the sky was less intense. Yeah, this is a good place to hide from the heat and cool off. I bet a lot of people will come up with the same solution that I did to beat the heat.

Very fun pub--lots to look at! And a typical McMenamin's menu--I loved the pulled-pork sandwich. We had attentive service in spite of a crowd there for the movie!

Really good 1st run movie house. They serve a selection of food and drinks that you can take in to the theater as you watch the movie.

Cozy little neighborhood pub. Lots of choices on the menu, but I really liked the pulled pork sandwich. Definitely go inside the old theater.