Jackie’s Is a Polished Cocktail Lounge for Sports Fans

It’s easy to mistake Jackie’s—the new foodie and sportie bar on Northeast Sandy—for its predecessor Century Bar, all dolled up with a new paint job and potted plants. Familiar Century Bar traits are present: the rooftop patio, the hardwood bleacher auditorium, and the blocklong line at the entrance.

But Jackie’s guests aren’t the only ones who have leveled up their glam.

As the newest link in the Central Eastside club circuit, Jackie’s brings enough polish for a cocktail lounge, but also enough comfort for real-life, actual sports fans. WW waited nearly an hour with Old Town tastemakers, bougie baddies, and luxe-industry workers on Jackie’s second weekend open, and we weren’t disappointed.

Jackie’s exterior is outfitted with walls of green plastic hedge visible from the street, but the rooftop patio was closed for a private event on our nighttime visit. For the view and open air, those are your best seats when you can snag them.

Though the entryway is packed with tropical plants, it’s not overcrowded. The courtyard is even more spacious, with hanging egg chairs interspaced with regular tables and seating—and a triangular counter seat that encloses a fire pit.

The DJ on the decks pulled from catalogs that include Frank Ocean, SZA and disgraced singer R. Kelly, creating an upbeat—if occasionally sobering—mix better for vibing than dancing.

But for its chic veneer, Jackie’s is a sports bar at heart. There’s wide-screen TVs just about anywhere you look, playing the game at a volume level where your friends can talk trash but not scream in each other’s faces.

Jackie’s indoor bar is its largest and was also its least busy, even with the added allure of air conditioning. Century Bar’s old frosé machine didn’t make a comeback, but Jackie’s offerings fit the space’s legacy of modern spins on old standards. The kitchen’s snacks run the route of healthful and unique, with items like basil and goat cheese hush puppies, swordfish tacos, and watermelon salad.

The weekend brunch bacon burger with a fried duck egg is utterly coma-inducing, and though the general consensus is that the avocado toast is the sole thing keeping you from homeownership, even your stern, sports-loving daddy would understand.

Squads and booze-tolerant couples can spring for five-drink cocktail pitchers or splurge on a list of wine magnums starting at $90 and closing at $1,200 a bottle. Cocktail pitchers are technically the better deal per glass, but the signature house drinks are easy to switch between and worth the range. The gorgeous watermelon-hibiscus-lime agua fresca margarita was our favorite. We awarded the silver medal to the confectionary halva mule—the fruity, slightly bitter (and therefore gay icon) Ms. Pittman made due with the bronze.

The club vibe on Jackie’s deck works for the summer, especially after more than a year indoors. It’s still a fool’s game to project how fall and winter will go, but if Jackie’s brings back a roster of nonsports events, like charity drag bingo and arthouse film screenings, it will carry on the building’s traditional work: expanding what a sports bar can be.

DRINK: Jackie’s, 930 SE Sandy Blvd., jackiespdx.com. 4 pm-midnight Monday-Friday, 11 am-1 am Saturday, 11 am-midnight Sunday.