#2175 - Diner on Main, Cathlamet, WA - 5/19/2013

The Diner on Main was a shortlived diner and lounge in the neat, old fishing village of Cathlamet, WA. Unfortunately, the bars with a lot of character in Cathlamet have all closed down. Long gone is the old Spar; the old Columbia Saloon sign hangs tantalizingly over a remodeled building, but shows no hint of an actual opening date; and in 2009 they shuttered the River Rat Tap for good, the last bar in a great old 1890 space hanging over the Columbia River, with porthole windows, and upper floor once used as a dance floor and a skating rink, and interior used for the filming of "Men of Honor." The Diner on Main didn't have much personality in the decor -- a 50s theme with the same Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, and James Dean pictures you've seen in countless diners across the country, and now it's closed too.

I don't know what John Anderson will do now. When we chatted with him in the lounge he told us he came here every day and has three beers. "I'm 76 years old," he told us, "There's nothing else to do." John cuts a classic figure with his dirty cowboy hat and big handlebar moustache. Maybe now he'll head up to the Oasis Tavern in Skamokawa? Cathlamet remains one of the nicer little communities to visit along the big river. It really seems like it deserves a good bar or two in some nice, old spaces -- and without the cheesy 50s decorations.

88 Main St, Cathlamet, WA 98612 - (360) 795-0591
Est. March 2013 - Closed 2013 or 2014
Reviews: tdn - yelp