Historic Rialto Poolroom and The Jack London Bar to Shutter Come Christmas

Has Portland been bad this year? Because the city is poised to get a plate of coal instead of $5 happy hour burgers and oyster shooters. The nearly 100-year-old Rialto Poolroom Bar and Cafe and its subterranean Jack London basement bar are closing on Christmas Day. Many generations of Portlanders have passed through Rialto’s doors, so for many the news is stinging — especially when paired with the recent closing of another historic downtown bar, The Lotus Cardroom and Cafe.

The announcement comes via Rialto Poolroom’s Facebook and The Jack London’s Twitter. Here’s Twitter:

Located at 529 SW 4th Ave., Rialto Poolroom opened in 1920, and the basement space beneath the pool hall, which has had many incarnations over the years, was reopened as The Jack London in 2011. In a discussion on Rialto’s Facebook page that’s heated at times, the restaurant says it’s closing due to “inflation.”

WWeek’s coverage of Rialto’s closing ends on an upswing: The weekly reports the general manager of Rialto, Michael Ackerman, is opening The Lombard Pub in the old Foggy Notion venue, at 3416 N Lombard St. The bar is aiming to open in the coming weeks. For now, there are still three long months to visit Rialto Poolroom Bar and Cafe before it closes.

• Rialto Poolroom Bar and Cafe [Official Site]
• Another Nearly-Century-Old Downtown Bar Will Soon Be Closed [WWeek]