Jason Baynes, an LCC energy management student, enjoys free pool and $1 pints at Mulligan’s Pub at 2841 Willamette St.
There is a certain unconscious art to creating a hole in the wall, and Mulligan’s Irish Pub, at 2841 Willamette St., could be considered a masterpiece. The first sign of promise is the stark, concrete exterior with its mallard-green hue and inconspicuous banner. The second is the muffled, low-quality sound system churning out everything from INXS and Michael Jackson to Motley Crüe and Europe. The rest just falls into place.
The inside of the bar is dark and musty, with traces of daylight seeping in through the open back door. The beer signs and lottery machines, which appear to be the pub’s sole source of artificial illumination, cast a neon red tint over the faces of the staff and patrons. Oregon Ducks memorabilia line the walls and a pair of white and green Nike athletic shoes signed by the 2001-2 Ducks basketball teams sits in the dead-center of the bar. (That season the women’s team won the WNIT and the men’s team made it to the Elite 8 of the NCAA.) Directly behind the shoes is a rack of peanuts and Sob’r K hangover stoppers, with a crockpot full of biscuits and gravy to the immediate right. In the rear of the bar hangs a mermaid with fishbowl breasts that is rumored to be the same one that appears in the movie “Animal House.”
According to a Miller advertisement hanging from a center rafter, 88 percent of Mulligan’s patrons prefer Miller to other beers, but the usual domestic standbys such as Pabst Blue Ribbon and Budweiser are also available for $2.25 a pint and $7 a pitcher (Pabst is available for $5 a pitcher). Microbrews are also available for $3.25 a pint and $9 a pitcher. Mulligan’s does not serve hard alcohol, but compensates with a list of drinks made up of every possible combination of peach and peppermint schnapps, Irish Cream and Red Bull.
The pub features a different special every night of the week. Foster’s Friday offers free pool and $1 pints of Foster’s. Thursday is Ladies’ Night, where women drink domestic beers for 75 cents and microbrews for $1.50. On Mondays, pints of Miller Genuine Draft and Miller Lite are 75 cents, and patrons receive a free slice of pizza with a pint as part of the “Monday nite football special.” In addition to the nightly specials, Mulligan’s also offers a happy hour when all drinks are a $1 off.
On Tuesday nights, Mulligan’s hosts an open mike night and on Wednesday nights it has karaoke. Additional entertainment includes an Elvira pinball machine, a wide-screen TV, electronic darts and a 2005 Golden Tee arcade-style golf game.
Mulligan’s has only been in operation for five years, but the building has housed one pub or another since 1952. Despite having a student night on Saturdays that offers $1 off all microbrews to patrons with a student ID or University apparel, the crowd at Mulligan’s tends to be made up of neighborhood regulars looking for a comfortable place to shoot a game of pool for 25 cents and have a beer. For patrons in search of chaos and excitement, Mulligan’s is probably not the best bet. But for a friendly neighborhood pub where students can relax with a few friends and not have to greet classmates they barely know every five minutes, this is the place to be.
