It’s great to find a modern pool room in downtown Bend, a classy place that is a far cry from the stereotypes of another era.

No cloud of cigar smoke hangs over the tables at Duda’s Billiards Bar. The small bar is almost an afterthought at the far end of the spacious Wall Street establishment.

Instead, the former furniture store has been given over to pocket billiards. Four full-size and two smaller tables share the floor with a single shuffleboard table; five televisions are juxtaposed with similarly sized mirrors around the walls.

And Duda’s, which opened in February, has one more thing going for it: The food is good.

The menu is limited. This isn’t a place to come for a steak dinner, especially since the wine here comes from a box. But if you’re just looking for a substantial bite in the midst of a pool marathon, you needn’t feel that you have to exit this bar and go elsewhere to dine.

Father-and-son owners Jeff and Josh Duda have made the best of limited kitchen space. They offer a regular menu of panini sandwiches, chicken tacos and salads, and the list has sometimes also included soups and cold sandwiches. And nothing is priced over $10, which is a little less than the cost of an hour of pool.

Paninis

On the first of my recent visits, I ordered a panini called an Italian melt.

Turkey, ham and salami were stacked between two sides of focaccia bread with provolone cheese, pepperoncinis and sweet orange bell pepper slices, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The ingredients melted together in the panini press.

I was more than pleased with the sandwich, which was cut in two halves and served promptly. But I didn’t love the accompanying tortilla chips, presented with a salsa that tasted as though it came straight from a jar.

Given the option, I’d prefer the Kettle Chips that came with a different panini on my next visit. This one was shredded pork, a generous portion of which was mixed with Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce and pressed with Swiss cheese in a ciabatta roll.

Both paninis were excellent. Recommending one over the other would only be a question of personal taste. And there are other choices, as well, including a vegetarian caprese panini and a turkey pesto selection.

Salad and tacos

My regular dining companion joined me one day for a refresher course on the pool table, along with a cider (three choices are offered) and a beer for me (eight are on draught). We also shared a salad and an order of tacos.

The Caesar salad was plenty big enough for two. The crispy hearts of romaine were farm fresh, and we liked the ample sprinkling of shredded Parmesan cheese over all. On the negative side, the greens had just too much of a Caesar dressing that lacked any hint of anchovy paste, and the croutons clearly had come straight from a box.

Along the same lines, the two chicken tacos were undoubtedly seasoned with store-bought taco seasoning. (They tasted exactly like what I sometimes make at home.) That said, they were excellent soft tacos. A generous amount of chopped chicken-breast meat filled double corn tortillas, along with cheddar and jack cheeses, lettuce, tomato and onion.

The food must have been good, because immediately after we had finished eating, both of our pool games seemed to improve.

— janderson@bendbulletin.com.