Consider this a public service announcement. You know Roadside Attraction? That weird bar by the Basement Pub with the really high fence around it that looks like a tourist trap straight out of Jackson Hole, Wyoming? Well, I stumbled in there this weekend and discovered that despite an exterior that evokes jackalopes and Georgia O’Keefe post cards, Roadside Attraction is actually a better-than-decent bar with a huge patio (a bunch of picnic tables & umbrellas plus funny little nooks for couples to cozy up in), pool, a free jukebox, and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, cheap drinks: guest taps (Roots Red, Pelican IPA, something else), $2 glass/$3.5 pint; domestics (PBR for sure), $1.25/$2; wine, $3.50. There was some confusion about mixed drinks—my friend insisted her whiskey/soda was $4 and made with Maker’s, but, ah, there was drinking happening, and this has not been confirmed.

The interior is reminiscent of Pub at the End of the Universe—or, maybe, the way a McMenamins would look to an out-of-towner who isn’t already sick of their schtick: Vintage-y eclectic furniture, candles, red walls, and this funky grate in the middle of the room that must be left over from the building’s previous incarnation (which was… anyone?). The food menu is a succinct one-pager with nachos, meat loaf, a “mixed grill” with your choice of meats or veggies, black beans and rice, etc. When we showed up there was a dude with a guitar singing horribly earnest Mountain Goats covers, but thankfully that ceased early on. Busy but not too, with a fairly mellow East side crowd.

I like the Basement Pub as much as anybody, but damned if it doesn’t get smoky in there—Roadside Attraction is a low-key, non-smoking neighborhood alternative with outdoor seating that’s going to rule once summer gets going in earnest.

Roadside Attraction, 1000 SE 12th, 233-0743, not sure about the hours because they won’t answer their phone but the internets seem to think its open from from 3 pm-1 am daily.