Around 10 p.m. or 11 p.m., when Thursday night in Eugene is still young, Sixth Street Grill is packed from wall to wall with the same people usually found at Rennie’s and Taylor’s — they stop at Sixth Street before hitting the campus bars.
“Sixth Street is more of a first stop conversational bar, since we don’t have pool tables or a dance floor,” manager Billy Trotter said.
The venue began as a restaurant of Northwest cuisine and later expanded to include a bar and lottery room. The drinking area is filled with athletic banners and posters, making Sixth Street a true sports bar. On Thursday, the crowd of minglers is so dense that it’s hard to make it from one end of the room to the other.
“Thursday is definitely our college night, but during the week we get a mixture of people ages 21 to 55,” Trotter said.
He said the employees give Sixth Street a goofy, family atmosphere. For example, they’ll sit down with customers for dinner or to watch sporting events on TV after they get off work.
“When time allows, we’re always pulling pranks on each other from the bar to the kitchen,” Trotter said.
Former Sixth Street bartender David Khosavanna, who worked at the venue nine years ago, said he views the bar as a legacy that has maintained its success over the years.
“I grew up in Eugene, and it was one of those bars you aspired to sneak into as a minor,” he said. “It hasn’t lost its luster, and I’m glad to see it’s still here and doing well.”
An array of specials are available during the week, such as $2.50
cocktails on Thursdays, $2 well drinks on Mondays and an eight-item menu of $2.50 snacks and drinks on Wednesdays. The restaurant’s main menu, which features specialty steak, salmon and pasta dishes, is available in the bar until
10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m.
on weekends, and a six-item selection of fried foods is served until closing time.
Cheap drinks are what draw some guests to the bar, such as law student Rodney Payne, who is studying abroad from Australia.
“The drinks are so cheap, even an
Australian can get drunk,” he said of Sixth Street.
The bar is a little cramped and not conducive to many activities other than standing, sitting, eating and drinking, but if you want to start your Thursday nights early and run into campus bar hoppers in the process, go to Sixth Street for a boisterous, meet-and-greet atmosphere. Or check it out on other nights during the week for a
different experience.
Sixth Street Grill is at 55 W. Sixth Ave.
[email protected]