Greasers Cafe, a 50s-Style Diner, Will Open in St. Johns

The St. John’s neighborhood is getting a new eatery—Greasers Cafe, a 50s-style diner. It looks like they’ll be taking over the space that Chop St. Johns (famous for their sandwiches) has been in for about 3 years.

Chop announced their closing over on their Instagram: “Our last day will be x-mas eve, December 24th. Please stop in, grab your favorite sando, shop the marketplace, grab some holiday pate and other goodies and don’t miss out on stocking up on jars of Paula’s Postman’s Pickles! We will miss you all and new adventures await! ♥️ xoxoChop”

But back to Greasers Cafe, and I have to ask—is this a nod to the “Greaser’s Cafe” from The Simpsons? Anyway, the owners describe the place as serving “classic diner food with [only] organic & locally sourced ingredients, all to the beat of the golden oldies.”

Greasers Cafe has posted some jobs on Poached lately—one of the perks advertised is free milkshakes for all staff members, not to mention a $750 signing bonus, health insurance, and free-to-discounted meals. A Facebook post by David Liberman, one of the founding forces behind Greasers, indicates at February 2022 opening.

He seems seriously chuffed about this new venture. On his LinkedIn he posted, “This has been a long time dream of mine, and a year of intense work to make this happen. I am truly excited for this.” He is no stranger to restaurant management, as he has spent time working around Southern California for close to a decade at places like Pitfire Artisan Pizza, and Cafe 50s, as well as doing operation and logistics management at Eat Club.

As we muddle through this most recent COVID variant, Omicron, mixed with a dark Portland winter, American comfort food has a lot of appeal. I look forward to seeing how Greasers mixes organic and locally sourced ingredients into the comfort food space. Here’s hoping the milkshakes are thick, the burgers are grass-fed, and the fries are crispy. All the best to the Greasers folks as they prepare to set up shop in St. Johns.

Greasers Cafe (projected opening February 2022)
8537 N Lombard Street, Portland
greaserscafe.com | Instagram | Facebook