The Pine Tavern is a restaurant in Bend, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1936, the restaurant is located in downtown Bend and is one of the city's best known landmarks. The main dining room was built around two large ponderosa pine trees for which the restaurant is named. Both the main dining room and the restaurant's outdoor garden dining area overlook the Deschutes River. Today, the Pine Tavern is the oldest restaurant in the city of Bend. History In 1919, Maren Gribskov and Eleanor Bechen opened a restaurant in downtown Bend called the O.I.C Cafeteria. In 1936, the two partners decided to move to a new location overlooking Mirror Pond on the Deschutes River. They named the new restaurant the Pine Tavern because of two large ponderosa pine trees that grew in the middle of the restaurant's back patio. Despite the economic hardships caused by the Great Depression, the Pine Tavern was a success, especially popular with local timber workers and their families. During World War II, the restaurant became popular with soldiers from nearby Camp Abbot. After the war, word-of-mouth recommendations brought tourists, travelers, and skiers to the Pine Tavern. In 1957, a major renovation expanded the dining area, incorporating the two giant pine trees into a new dining room. In 1967, the Pine Tavern was sold to Dallas "Tex" Carter, a retired furniture manufacturer from Tacoma, Washington. In the early 1970s, Carter sold the restaurant to Winifred Roley. She operated the Pine Tavern for a decade before selling it to Bert Bender and Joe Cenarrusa in 1982. Bender was an experienced restaurateur, having operated well-known dining establishments in Sun Valley and Ketchum, Idaho, before taking over the Pine Tavern. In the 1990s, Bender and Cenarrusa redesigned the garden and patio dining area that overlooks the Deschutes River. Cenarrusa was killed in an airplane crash in 1997. However, Bender continued to operate the restaurant until his death in 2009. After Bender died, his wife, Christine, and his daughter, Justine Bender Bennett, took charge of the Pine Tavern. In 2010, the front dining area was remodeled, removing a large booth and replacing it with tables to open up the interior space. In the following year, bathrooms were renovated and the interior was updated with new carpet and upholstery. Landmark The Pine Tavern is the oldest restaurant in the city of Bend. According to the Bend Bulletin newspaper, the restaurant's success