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If Pioneer Courthouse Square is Portland's living room, Leisure Public House might be the living room for St. Johns. And its backyard. And also its basement. St. Johnsians pop in at any time of day, to work on a laptop or watch hockey. Unlike so many bars with nothing to do but stare at tap handles and glumly ponder all the mistakes you've made, Leisure's U-shaped bar beckons you past a multitude of diversions—the glass-topped Pac-Man next to the bathrooms, the jukebox in the corner, a cozy nest of couches that might or might not be occupied by a cuddly gray cat. Outside, vigorous and sometimes frightening games of pingpong and bocce take place, the latter on an immaculately groomed white gravel court. We prefer to keep it simple with a grilled cheese trio with tomato soup ($7.50) and a pint of Boont Amber ($4), but seasonal specialty cocktails like the Leisure Lemonade ($9, Stoli raspberry and vanilla with muddled lemonade) were much in evidence on a recent sunny afternoon.
HAPPY HOUR: 3-6 pm Monday-Friday. Food specials with drink purchase.
ENTERTAINMENT: Jukebox, Pac-Man, projector screen, bocce court, pingpong table. Trivia 7 pm Tuesday.
8002 N Lombard St., 503-289-7606, leisurepublichouse.com, 3 pm-1 am Monday-Friday, 10 am-1 am Saturday-Sunday.
Willamette Week