Pelican's Waiting Room Is Now Open—With a New Name

The restaurant previously known as Pelican's Waiting Room, The Waiting Room is now open and serving its signature combination of fried chicken, oysters, and bubbly (see the full menu below) in Nob Hill. Speaking with Eater, chefs Thomas Dunklin and Kyle Rourke say Northwest ingredients and Southern cooking techniques are at the heart of its ever-evolving small plates menu; making its fried chicken, for instance, is a four-day process.

The Waiting Room is also making its own barrel-aged hot sauce with chilies from Sauvie Island Organics, and you'll find beers, cocktails (including a house sazerac), and ciders on tap, along with other craft cocktails and a hefty sparkling wines selection.

The venue has a long history that includes Peddler and Pen Tavern, Huckleberry Pub, and Laurelwood Public House, and The Waiting Room brings brighter shades to the dining room and bar areas. And you know how they say, "It takes a village to raise a kid"? The same goes for restaurants, and Dunklin and Rourke's friends helped with one-of-a-kind touches, like hand-blown glass and custom tables. Also, meals are served on free-formed plates from Lonesomeville Pottery in Southeast.

The Waiting Room seats around 40, and the patio seats 30. It only serves dinner for now, and it intends to launch brunch and lunch early April. The Waiting Room operates Tuesday through Sunday, from 5 to 10 p.m.

The Waiting Room Dinner Menu, March 21, 2016