Two Rum Club Alums Open Their Killingsworth Americana Bar Tomorrow [Updated]

Two Rum Club alums are opening a Killingsworth bar specializing in down-home Americana cooking. Named for the now-closed St. Johns bakery, Tulip Shop Tavern will serve pork schnitzel sandwiches and oak-aged beers starting May 24.

Husband-wife team Devon Treadwell and Tyler Treadwell are Portland industry vets — Devon Treadwell has hopped around from Higgins to Sweedeedee, while Tyler Treadwell has spent time at Saraveza and Cascade Brewing Barrel House. The two wanted to create a space that celebrated the foods of their childhoods, the classic drive-in and diner food they both love. Tyler Treadwell’s father was a biker, so he spent years in those sorts of roadside taverns and dives. “It was one of those things where the diner was in the front and the bar was in the back, so he’d order Tyler some pancakes and get himself a whiskey,” Devon remembers. “It’s the food we grew up on as kids... a style of food we like to eat.”

Devon Treadwell will be handling the menu, with dishes like a panko-breaded cod sandwich, a pork schnitzel sandwich with curry ketchup, and a fried eggplant torta with pinto beans and guacamole. The chef is particularly excited about a classic tavern burger, inspired by the version at Lauretta’s in Seattle. “They do the most amazing tavern burger there,” she says. “It’s in between a diner and a fast-food-style burger.”

Cocktails will stick to classics — $9 gimlets, daiquiris, negronis, etc. — but Tulip Shop will really be about the beer. The tap list will mainly stick to a handful of breweries the Treadwells love, like Portland’s Wayfinder and two taps of Seattle’s oak-heavy Holy Mountain — “really sought-after stuff,” she says of the Seattle brewery.

Although Tulip Shop Tavern will pull from diners and dives as inspiration, it won’t really feel like either. The former Pop Tavern space is getting a serious makeover, with an internal mural by Nicky Kriara, an external blacklight mural by Sam Farrell and neon by Perry Pfister AKA The Tiny Spoon. “Tyler and I take a lot of pride in making our home space cozy,” Devon Treadwell says. “We don’t want it to feel cold and dirty, but nice and warm. People want to hang out here.”

Updated May 23, 2019, 10:30 a.m.
This story was updated to include the menu details and opening date for Tulip Shop Tavern.

• Tulip Shop Tavern [Official]
• Tulip Shop Tavern [Instagram]
• Holy Mountain [Official]
• All previous Rum Club coverage [EPDX]