Tad's Tap Pot Inn
"The original Tad's Tap Pot Inn, built in the late '20s by Tad Johnson, was located at the northern end of the bridge... The connecting road from the Columbia River Highway to Lewis and Clark State Park and I-84 displaced the Inn in the late '40s. Tad's became a 'must' stop for farmers on their way to and from town. It was (and continues to be) a popular eating establishment, though it has changed owners (and location)." [photo]
Mershon, East of the Sandy III, 18
Tad's Chicken and Dumplings: History
Handsome Tad Johnson, known locally as a rascal and a fisherman (in that order), opened his roadhouse in the late 1920’s at the east end of the Sandy River Bridge. Prohibition was still in effect, the smelt ran free, Bonnie and Clyde made the news and the Historic Columbia River Highway was new then.
This makes Tad’s one of the first, and now one of the last, remaining Historic Columbia River Highway roadhouses from that era.
To give you some perspective, Tad Johnson’s original roadhouse was built just after Multnomah Falls Lodge and a little before Timberline Lodge, making it an important part of the lasting legacy of hospitality in the Columbia River Gorge, the Sandy River Delta and the Mt. Hood Watershed.
The original Tad’s was primarily a fish-house, a place to eat fresh, local seafood. The food was simple and regional, perfect for hungry travelers and the new migrants moving into Oregon. As part of that Northwest legacy, we still feature fish and chips and salmon smoked in-house from local Alder trees.
Tad’s moved to its current location in the forties. The restaurant added Chicken and Dumplings to the menu and never looked back. After I-84 was built, Tad’s was still a local favorite with its dance floor, jukeboxes, lunch counter and later, its open-air patio and full bar.
http://tadschicdump.com/history/
Video (By Others...)
Links
May 12, 2022
Sadly, both the Tad's Facebook page and website have already been taken down.
