JOHN DAY — One establishment in the small town of John Day emerged as a big winner in the 2025 Go! Readers’ Choice Awards.

1188 Brewing Co., 141 E. Main St., was named Best Brewpub and Best Bar. Not only that, but longtime 1188 employee Tracy Clark also won top honors as Northeastern Oregon’s best bartender and best server.

Both Clark and 1188 owner Shannon Adair said they were surprised and humbled by the awards.

“I’m happy and appreciative,” Clark said. “I’m sure there are others out there that have done it longer and are better.”

Clark said delivering great customer service and treating people the way she’d like to be treated while dining out are the strategies she uses when tending bar.

Adair said the accolades for 1188 feel “pretty awesome” and credited the honors to the efforts of her staff.

“We’ve worked really hard for the last 12 years to make a really amazing place for the people of John Day and the people who come through here,” she said. “To get that recognition is amazing.”

Adair said she and her crew try to be friendly and welcoming to everyone who walks through the doors, and that mindset has helped make 1188 a preferred destination in John Day.

“I think part of that has to do with the environment — it’s awesome to have the open, bright windows, it’s a nice open space with the music,” she said. “It’s not a private space, it’s not for private meetings, it’s really built as a gathering space — if that’s what you’re after, you come here.”

A little less than two years ago, 1188 suffered the effects of an electrical fire in the establishment next door. The fire completely destroyed the brewpub’s apparel store, 1188 Destinations, and forced the pub to close for nearly three months while restoration crews addressed severe smoke damage.

Adair said the feeling of going from the uncertainty caused by the fire to being voted the best brewpub and bar in Northeastern Oregon is something that is hard to explain.

“I feel really fortunate to be here and to be in the position that we’re in,” she said. “After COVID and the fire and continuing to be here as part of our community — I’m just grateful.”