By Mike May
On your next trip to Portland, Oregon, there’s a great restaurant worth visiting for a meal that truly epitomizes the Rose City’s aquatic roots and affiliation. It’s called The Deck Along the Columbia and it’s perched on an expanded, floating dock which sits on the banks of, yes, the Columbia River. But, locals just call it The Deck.
The Deck opened in 2006, but it started out as just a coffee shop for local boaters and people who lived in the marina. Over time, it has slowly expanded and it has been transformed into a full-service restaurant. The days of operation vary every year, but it usually opens somewhere in the vicinity of mid-April to early May and it closes around the last weekend of September. No reservations are required, The Deck is dog-friendly, and you can arrive by boat or by car.
The food at The Deck is first-class, especially the seafood.
“Our fish tacos with our coleslaw sauce are definitely our best seller right next to the fish ‘n chips,” said owner Jack Janaszek. “Our locals always get the (clam) chowder. We’ve had many people tell us it’s the best they’ve ever had.”
Other popular seafood items are the Oregon Bay shrimp cocktail, calamari, steamer clams, coconut shrimp basket, and the Oregon Bay shrimp salad. For landlubbers, popular selections include the deck burger, Wisconsin cheese curds, steak bites, chicken quesadillas, cheeseburger sliders, and Philly cheesesteak sandwich.
The Deck has plenty of room, as there are roughly 180 dining seats with 70 of them being on the outer deck, which is the age 21+ area. There are also another 20 Adirondack chairs and barstools out in front of the restaurant.
One thing which The Deck doesn’t have is live music, but that doesn’t keep customers away. Instead, customers seem to enjoy the natural ambiance of being alongside the water.
“We, unfortunately, aren’t able to do live bands or music down in the marina due to regulations set by the marina owners,” added Janaszek. “But, most of our customers seem to really enjoy just the atmosphere of being directly on the water and having no TVs, with just some faint background music plus the river sounds and sights. People love to watch boaters and jet skis pull up for food. Guests also enjoy watching the Tuesday and Thursday Sailboat Racing around the harbor which we overlook.”
Just like the popular television show Cheers, there are many people that visit The Deck on a steady basis whom Janaszek knows on a first-name basis.
“We have many regulars at The Deck, which is a shout out to P.A.M (Paul, Allen, and Michael), Jeff and Keith,” noted Janaszek. “Our workers put a bottle of Pinot Grigio on ice every time we see them walk in the door. Many regulars visit us all the time, sometimes multiple times a week. We have locals that pull up every weekend via boat, and we have a ton of lovely regulars who come down during our slow weekday lunch hours and they tend to be elderly people.”
Not only do paying customers enjoy having a drink or a meal at The Deck, but employees loves working at The Deck.
“I’m retired from responsibility. It’s fun working here at The Deck,” said Jeff Friesen, one of the waiters at The Deck. “Look at the view. Everybody is in a good mood here.”
There is a blue sign inside the restaurant that truly epitomizes the appeal and attraction of The Deck. It reads “The Deck Is My Happy Place.”
The one unique aspect of The Deck is that the closing time changes daily.
“We close at sunset every night,” said Janaszek. “So our closing time changes. In early May, closing time is around 8:00 pm. On June 21, the longest day of the year, we stay open until around 9:00 pm. In September, it’s around 7:00 pm.”
The Deck Along the Columbia – www.TheDeckPDX.com — awaits your arrival. Again, you can arrive by boat or by car.