The Best Bars in Portland
21st Avenue Bar & Grill
Nondescript watering hole with a fantastic patio.
A & L Pub
Specifically: Rainy Afternoons / Hangovers
Dark cavernous Montavilla sports bar, certainly a Pittsburgh Steelers fan outpost.
Acropolis Steakhouse
Legendary strip club known for cheap steaks and alt dancers.
Alberta Rose Theater
Historic theater features eclectic mix of live music, performance art, and film.
Alibi
Famed Portland tiki bar brimming with dark volcanic islandy charm. Located on the Max yellow line.
Ambassador
Specifically: Karoake
A popular, quintessential Chinese Restaurant/Karaoke lounge, spruced up over the years.
Ararat
Armenian disco that attracts the whole eastern Euro bloc sect, often open until 6am on weekends.
Ash Street Saloon
Downtown dive venue with incredible sound.
Atlantis Lounge (Mississippi Pizza)
Oddly eclectic event boasting lounge attached to Mississippi Pizza Pub.
B-Side Tavern
Nice dive on lower Burnside with a fantastic jukebox, patio, and colorful service.
Bar Avignon
First and foremost a wine bar, and a fine one at that.
Bar Bar
Mississippi Studios attached bar.
Bare Bones Bar
Friendly Belmont bar with stiff drinks and a killer jukebox.
Basement Pub
Popular neighborhood bar that isn't exactly a basement.
Basil Bar
Opens/Closes/Opens/Closes/Back Open
Basta's
Italian restaurant with a beautifully designed bar/lounge area.
Belmont Inn
Sports dive on Belmont, caters towards the day time drinkers, and night time U.F.C. crowd.
Berbati's
Spacious Greek themed bar in the heart of downtown.
Bernie's Bistro
Awesome southern bistro on Alberta with an expansive patio that even has a bar!
Beulahland
Cafe by Day, Punk Bar by Night
Biddy McGraw's
As authentically Irish as one can get in the US.
Bill's Steakhouse
Bar that serves steak on the way to the airport.
Billy Ray's
Friendly neighborhood bar on MLK with two-levels a plethora of pinball machines and a patio.
Binks
Tiny, ultra friendly Alberta bar with roll up garage door and sidewalk seating.
Black Cat Tavern
One of the few remaining beer only taverns in Portland.
Blue Monk
Two level bar and music venue with an enormous beer list.
Bluehour
Famous Bruce Carey restaurant with a separate lounge that's popular with those folks with $.
BOG (Bar of the Gods)
The Gods are happy that this is their bar.
Bonfire Lounge
Cozy Stark Gem
Bossanova Ballroom
Private two story venue, open only for fantastic eclectic shows and private parties.
Boxxes Video Bar
Dancing, videos, boys.
Branch Whiskey Bar
Whiskey whiskey whiskey
Bucket Brigade Saloon
Nice, friendly sports bar that makes you forget that you're oh so close to 82nd ave.
Buffalo Gap
Multi-roomed saloon with free live music most nights.
Bunk Bar
Subway's Jared Fogle Bar it is not. Sandwich shop of considerable repute opens up a neo-modern hipster mecca.
Bye and Bye
Vegan dream scene, though you wouldn't know it.
C-Bar
Stylish SE bar with a better than average menu.
Candlelight Restaurant & Lounge
Montavilla dive with cheap, stiff pours and a reputation for being just that (Not to be confused with the Candlelight downtown)
Captain Ankeny's Well
Captain Ankeny's serves as the pre-func/food court green room in the venue blocks of Old Town.
Casa Diablo
Much hyped, nationally famous vegan strip club, notorious for the dirtiest dances and two girl sex shows.
Cascade Smoking Lounge
Private club that allows cigars, and Nat Sherman type cigarettes to be smoked on the premises...with cocktail in hand. Suck it, legislators.
Cassidy's
Perfect pre-Crystal or post ART mainstay.
Central
"Hidden" (as in signless) classy little joint in the Ankeny Alley
Cheers Northwest
Formerly known as an "Old man's bar," Cheers is now apparently marketing itself as a gastro pub.
Chopsticks Express
Portland's most beloved karaoke bar for the not so serious would be crooner.
Claudia's Sports Pub & Grill
Whether you want to play a game of pool or watch a game on the TV, Claudia's is a good bet.
Clinton Street Pub
Friendly little dive with a great juke.
Club 205
3 stages occupied by one of the better looking array of girls in Portland.
Club 21
Classic Portland dive/rocker green room. The gnome hut exterior boasts of currently unavailable "Steaks for Your Enjoyment."
Club Hollywood Sports Bar
The bar adjoining Hollywood Bowl.
Conquistador Lounge
Southeast sister to Casey Maxwell's Matador.
Cosmo Lounge
Sellwood dive freshly scrubbed from it's previous incarnation (Pogo's).
Country Bill's Restaurant & Lounge
Perpetually family owned vintage surf & turf lounge.
Crow Bar
Dark dive with a friendly crowd.
Crush
Chic, gay/gay friendly bar with excellent food and creative drinks.
Cruzroom
Fantastic little box on Alberta with great tacos.
Dante's
Classic Portland Bar.
Darcelle XV
Best and longest running Drag show in town.
Delta Cafe
Southern fare and Interesting Drinks
Devil's Point
South East Strip Bar for Everyone
Dockside Saloon & Restaurant
More of a blue collar lunch diner than a saloon, it opens in the wee hours, and closes even earlier.
Dolphin I
Host of the Miss Nude Oregon Pageant. 'Nuff said.
Dots Cafe
An Original Portland Hipster Hangout
Doug Fir Lounge
Swanky, Hipster Hotel with Kick Ass Venue
Dragonfish
Sushi restaurant in the bottom of the Paramount Hotel.
Driftwood Room
Intimate swanky bar inside Hotel deLuxe that is perfect for date night.
Driftwood Tavern (D's Bar)
Sports bar brought to you by folks from the Mid-West.
Ducketts
Small little student/rock/dive bar near PCC with decent patio.
Duke's Country Bar & Grill
Country bar complete with a mechanical bull brought to you by CEG.
DV8
Large 2 two stage strip club that never has a cover.
East Burn
Two level bar has an upstairs restaurant with patio featuring swings instead of chairs and downstairs bar with skee-ball.
East Chinatown Lounge
Upscale bar with DJs nearly nightly.
East End
Rock n roll haven with two bars stocked with cheap beer and drinks served stiff. A music lovers paradise (DJs, live music, and a even record store!)
Ella Street Social Club
Decent bar near Timbers Stadium
Exotica
Upscale strip club with 4 stages.
Fez Ballroom
Big dance club with big personality.
Fixin' To
You'll feel at home even if you're not a southerner.
Florida Room
Great local bar for weekdays or weekends.
Fox & Hounds
Laid back, aww-shucks bar with a primarily older gay clientele.
Fremont Ridge Inn
Unassuming neighborhood dive.
Galaxy
Beloved karaoke dive, rumor has it that it may soon be demolished to make way for something terrible.
Gator's
Friendly Neighborhood Dive
Genies
Extremely popular (for a reason) breakfast/lunch/brunch spot with killer cocktails.
George's Corner Sports Bar
Friendly little Interstate dive with much raved about burgers.
Gil's Speakeasy
Small, hard to find bar with a huge personality.
Gladstone Street Pub
One of the best places to play Cornhole in town!
Gold Dust Meridian
Mid-century mod bar on 30th & Hawthorne.
Goodfoot Lounge
Split into 2 separate areas: upstairs pool hall & an downstairs funk-tified dancing kind of place.
Green Dragon
Beer Snobs and Wanna Beer Snob Dream
Ground Kontrol
Play every arcade game under the sun with a beer or cocktail in hand after 5pm.
Harborside Pilsner Room
Specifically: Happy hour food
Home to Portland's branch of Full Sail Brewery, this McCormick and Schmick's has one of the best waterfront views in town.
Havana West
The new name for Hal's Tavern.
Neighborhood bar known for it's awesome shuffleboard table, Cuban food, and cheaper drinks.
Hawthorne Hideaway
Spacious venue with friendly service.
Hawthorne Strip
Strip Club You Could Take Your Mom To
Heathman
Elegant hotel bar and lounge with a great happy hour food menu.
Higgins
One could say that this restaurant started the local organic movement in Portland.
Hobo's
Tends towards a mostly gay clientele, far classier than the bump'n'grind meat markets of Vaseline Alley.
Holocene
Pretty much only open during events. Runs the gamut of live music, DJs, cartoon breakfasts and gay dance parties. Oh, and hipsters galore clog the sidewalk while waiting for admission or smoking.
Horse Brass Pub
If only exempted from the smoking ban, the Horse Brass is perhaps the best American representation of a British pub thus far.
Huber's
Portland institution famous for distinctive Spanish coffee service and oddly, its menu full of turkey options.
Hung Far Low
Known for its famous sign that was resurrected in Chinatown and for its cheap drinks.
Jack London Bar
The Rialto's dark swanky basement lounge.
Jake's Grill
One of the few places where smoking (cigars only, of course) is still allowed - old-monied atmosphere invites.
Joe's Cellar
Great dive bar you'd find if you walked all the way to the end of NW 21st.
Joq's
Laid back, unpretentious, "Gayborhood" sports bar, far off the beaten cruise path in a rather barren stretch of NE Broadway.
Kask
Gruner-associated bar with Alpine feel. Craft-distilled liquor, local wine & micro-brews abound.
Kay's Bar
Classic bar on the right, diner to the left, just as our grandparents liked 'em.
Kelly's Olympian
Stopping in for a drink in this downtown watering hole is a minor date with history...at 100+ years it is one of the oldest continually operating bars in PDX.
La Merde
The Montage's attached lounge, manned by seasoned industry vents with little patience for amateurs. Renowned for it's obvious Montage eats and packed trivia nights.
Ladd's Inn
Neighborhood dive with dark, low slung sunken bar, gruff service, and surprisingly friendly regulars.
Landmark Saloon
Western themed saloon with a spectacular garden patio.
Langano Lounge
Tiny under-patronized dive "lounge" with occasional live music and DJs.
Laurelhurst Market
This restaurant, meat market and neighborhood bar knows its meat and its cocktails. Nothing here for you, veggies.
Limelight Lounge
Loosely lime-lit neighborhood bar in Sellwood.
Lion's Eye Tavern
Stands-tall-with-fists, it should be called. Cleaned up dive, charming and friendly, withstands the bottom of the barrel pressures surrounding it on SE 82nd.
Little Bird Bistro
Downtown fancy, French bistro with wine, cocktails and food.
Lotsa Luck
Little Powell Blvd. dive complete battered captains chairs.
Low Brow Lounge
A dive island in an ocean of chi-chi codified boxes, the Low Brow is welcome respite. Expect double the surliness.
Lucky Devil Lounge
Slightly upscale strip club, following the red fire theme of its sister bars, nonetheless featuring a bevy of tattooed and pierced beauties.
Lucky Inn
Neighborhood dive leaning towards old punks, rockers, and skaters with a nicely did patio, cheap drinks and strangely, Italian food.
Lucky Strike
If only it were a toasted cigarette, Lucky Strike is more restaurant than bar, known for its cheap & tasty noodle bowls.
Lutz Tavern
Iconic, freshly re-opened Woodstock dive.
M Bar
Specifically: Fantastic for date nights
Teeny tiny neighborhood wine bar for drinkers absent of uptight oenophiles and nouveau sophisticates
Magic Garden
This Portland institution is a bar first, strip club second, and a much sought notch on every off-key travel writer's belt. Friendly, up close and personal dancers on a tiny stage.
Marathon Taverna
Sports bar in the loosest sense: games play on numerous TVs, Budweiser banners adorn, the day shift old-timers could care less; at night, TapouT bedecked youngsters from god knows hoot & holler.
Mary's Club
Landmark downtown strip club (the first in Portland), leans toward a bygone burlesque as 3 generations of family work the bar & stage.
Matador
Frequented by homeless alcoholics, punks, D list celebrities, and slumming suburbanites, the Matador sets the bar by which all other Portland dives are measured.
Matchbox Lounge
Every so often, a bar will open that serves food of repute, ushering in keyboard critics snapping close ups of their burger with a cellphone. This, my friends, is Matchbox.
McMenamin's Tavern & Pool
Quite tolerable northwest McJoint, sans touring families and uptight 23rd throngs.
McPeet's
A pleasant change from the stuffy fuddy-duddy mode of Wilshire Beaumont, McPeets remains a perfectly capable and charming bar-bar.
Miss Delta
Hand crafted cocktails served up with a hodge-podge collection of swamp food. Excellent happy hour.
Mississippi Studios
Incredibly well designed venue with wide variety of acts.
Mock Crest Tavern
Bright, intimate blues bar in North Portland.
Moloko Plus
Clockwork Orange inspired modernist lounge with an excellent atmosphere. Highly recommended.
Momo Bar Maximo
Not exactly a destination, though considering it's location, solid for sneaking a post downtown shopping happy hour drink, as evidenced by the crowd.
Moon and Sixpence
English Pub in Hollywood, with few to none of the Americanized proto-British pub trappings.
Mount Tabor Theater
Fantastic, spacious Barmuda venue with nice dark sidebar with a reputation for dooming each successive owner to financial ruin. Still, it is a Portland institution.
My Father's Place
SE greasy spoon dive/diner serves two purposes: Liquoring up the morning crowd as quickly as possible, and warding off the hangovers/cocaine induced morning insomnia amongst PDX's scenesters.
New Old Lompoc
'Tis a brewpub designed for drinkers first, beer geeks second, with amiable yet edgy service and sporting a fantastic outdoor patio for smokers.
Night Light Lounge
Sexy as hell is one way to describe this loin-loosening box of pure atmosphere.
North 45
Swell back patio (non-smoking) and interesting drinks, tends toward the clean cut, pre-yuppie type crowd.
Paddy's
"Irish" bar with good food and the largest wall of liquor in Portland.
Pal's Shanty
Historic Sandy Blvd shack, is a veritable sea-feed: pub grub style oysters/crab/prawns/chowder, you can almost feel the salty barnacles. Inexplicably closes early.
Pappy's Bar & Grill
Evidently, having private locking bathrooms on 82nd creates a bit of a problem that rhymes with Seth. Still, the colorful regulars, surly staff, and lunch counter bar will make you smile.
Pause
More beloved eatery than a drinkery, still, it's a family friendly pub with style, and in such a barren tract of Interstate, you could do worse.
Penguin Pub & Eatery
Historic little antarctic themed joined is about the best thing the far reaches of Sellwood has going for it.
Perch Tavern
Surreal, woodsy, owl themed joint, with off-kilter regulars, and staff to boot, ergo, a must on any St. Johns crawl.
Pink Feather Restaurant & Lounge
If kitsch had volume, this one is turned up to 11. Family restaurant style dive serves up some of the stiffer drinks east of 82nd.
Plan B
Large, vinyl and babydoll adorned punk joint (loosely, that is, the music varies slightly) with a HUGE patio.
Ponderosa Lounge
Huge truckstop honky-tonk, offers free dance lessons, all things C&W.
Portland City Grill
It's the view from the 30th floor! It's the happy hour! Boasted of equally by the white collar set to all out of towners. On a clear day, the view is grand...if you can get a seat.
Press Club
Coffee shop meets magazine store meets lounge with good live music on the weekends.
Produce Row Cafe
Specifically: patio
The working man's bar with 24 taps, a huge patio and occasional live music.
Pub at the End of the Universe
Working class haven for pool and darts.
Queen of Hearts
Said to be the quintessential biker bar (for Portland), we've heard it's changed. Update soon.
Radio Room
Swell neighborhood bar with a covered heated upstairs patio (good for smokers) and a patio with a firepit downstairs.
Red Cap Garage
Mainstay of the "Vaseline Alley," with loads of cheap offerings and debauchery.
Red Flag
Small hipster bar with a kick-ass jukebox and good food.
Red Room
Live music venue with a rock and roll memorabilia decor and $1 mystery shots. A good reason to go to 82nd Ave.
Refectory
Huge restaurant and bar with attached ballroom on the edge of Gresham where you never know what type of entertainment you'll encounter.
Renner's Grill
SW dive open since 1939.
Republic
Go for the Food
Rialto
Huge pool room open since 1920 with OTB attached. Dancing to come soon.
Rialto Poolroom Bar & Cafe
Sister bar of downtown's Rialto
Ringlers Annex
Specifically: before shows at the Crystal
McMenamins pub in a tiny three floored flatiron building.
Ringside Fish House
The seaside companion to PDX institution Ringside Steak House, the Fish House boasts an equally legendary happy hour.
Ringside Steakhouse
Upscale steak house with a tiny lounge that serves amazing late night happy hour bites.
Roadside Attraction
Specifically: funky / great For Rainy Days Outside
Funky, rambling, ramshackle bar with a kick-ass patio.
Rontoms
Specifically: great patio
Large hip, fashionable and modern bar/lounge with a huge patio and great happy hour food.
Roscoe's
Local dive turned beer-centric bar complete with "Meet the Brewer" nights
Rose and Thistle
Specifically: great patio
Everything you'd expect from a Scottish pub with the addition of a lovely patio out back.
Roseland Theatre
1300 person capacity live music venue in the heart of downtown.
Rotture
Live music venue, lounge and bar in industrial SE.
Rum Club
Nice little mixo-snack bar around around the corn from Beaker & Flask.
Safari Show Club
Strip club with large deck complete with a pool!
Salvador Molly's
Family owned restaurant with flavors from around the world with a dirt cheap happy hour menu.
Sandy Hut
Portland institution patronized by all walks of life. Cheap!
Santa Fe Taqueria
Specifically: margaritas
Tiny bar attached to a popular Mexican restaurant on NW 23rd.
Sapphire Hotel
Great date bar located inside a former hotel that was frequented by the ladies of the night.
Saratoga
Rock and roll club with DJ nights, Karaoke, and special events including "Bearaccuda Night." Photo booth included.
Sassy's
One of the best known alt crowd strip clubs in Portland.
Saucebox
Upscale lounge famous for its book of specialty cocktails featuring a pan-Asian menu.
Scandals
Since 1979 Scandals is one of Portland oldest continuously gay owned and operated bars in Portland.
Scoreboard Tavern
Divey sports bar on SE Division.
Secret Society
Tiny upstairs bar housed in a former mason's meeting hall (thus the name) that serves up classic cocktails and European style eats.
Sewickly's Addition
One of the anchors of Hawthorne's famed Barmuda Triangle, this bar pours them heavy and cheap.
Sextant Bar & Galley
Divey little nautically themed bar, located (with sweet patio) right on the Columbia River.
Side Bar
Cozy New Old Lompoc tasting room adjacent to Fifth Quadrant. Free Peanuts.
Silverado
Portland's only all male strip club (after 10pm), catering to men. Women are welcome, but not exactly encouraged.
Skyline Tavern
Old-school bar on Skyline Drive with a huge outdoor space for horseshoes, BBQs and watching the sunset.
Slabtown
To quote Slabtown's Twitter profile: "Portland's only pinball dive and rock club, forgotten in the shadow of I-405."
Sloan's Tavern
Family owned bar with decor from the 70's. Closes early.
Slow Bar
Small hipster bar known for its killer burger and otherwise great food menu.
Someday Lounge
Specifically: good venue
Two level lounge by day/evening, music venue or dance club by night.
Soobie's
Strip club in way-out SE with, despite its name, dancers without saggy boobs.
Space Room
Legendary upper Hawthorne bar known for its stiff drinks and awesome Portland murals.
Spare Room
Huge bar with many cheap specials throughout the day and a wide variety of entertainment at night including bingo, karaoke, movies and live music.
Spirits
Super friendly neighborhood dive, and quite possibly the cheapest drinks in town.
St. John's Pub
Yet another McMenamins outlet with a movie theater.
Star Bar
Comfortable, casual inner Southeast bar with a great happy hour.
Stark Naked Pizza
Pretty awesome pizza place on SE Stark.
Starky's
Gay neighborhood bar catering mainly to the older crowd.
Stars Cabaret
Upscale strip club chain.
Suki's Bar & Grill
Fantastic dive below a Travelodge, just across the 405 from PSU.
Sundown Pub
Cozy vegetarian pub in St John's.
Sunset Strip
Couples friendly strip club.
Sway Bar
Inner SE bar known for its $1 PBR, if they're not out of it.
Sweet Hereafter
From the fine folks that brought you the Bye and Bye, Sweet Hereafter brings the Bye and Bye's delicious all vegan menu and sweet patio to the Southeast.
Swift Lounge
Quaint bar/lounge with upscale food and cocktails.
Tabla
Nice neighborhood restaurant with a lovely bar and an open kitchen.
Tanker
Nautical/skatepark influenced sports bar in Barmuda, ably operated by seasoned industry vets.
Tapalaya
Cajun/Creole restaurant that serves up their dishes tapas style.
Tennessee Red's
SE neighborhood BBQ joint that shows movies on Sundays and Mondays and plenty of sports for the fans.
Thatcher's
Montivilla neighborhood bar with a variety of entertainment and a pledge to be the "local hangout."
The Farmhouse
Large bar and restaurant on 82nd open 24 hours with Karaoke at 9pm daily.
The Hilt
Specifically: Patio
Fairly non-descript bar on Alberta serving Greek food and pizza. Large patio on the street is good for people watching.
The Know
Cheap small bar on Alberta that's full of hipsters and loud music.
The Liberty Glass Bar & Grill
Specifically: Super sweet owners
Lovely bar located in a two story house that's adorned with antlers. Known for great food, bingo, and Tuesday night's Spaghetti Feed.
The Nest
Dive bar with pretty much the most diverse crowd in Portland.
The Observatory
Tiny upscale restaurant on the other side of Tabor, just shy of 82nd, that serves up some fine Happy Hour food.
The Old Shucking Room (Dan & Louis's)
Small all wooden lounge attached to Dan and Louis Oyster Bar, open since 1907!
The Original
Modern upscale "dinerant" in the heart of downtown.
The Overlook
Lounge attached to breakfast/Greek diner-type joint.
The Slammer
Laid back, no-frills SE local that's as popular with the warehouse workers as it is with the inner SE cool kids.
The Standard
Specifically: Awesome Owner And Staff / Patio
Portland Patio Favorite
The Vern
Quintessential SE Portland dive.
The Woods
Rambling funeral home turned hipsterized, folksy performance venue.
Tiger Bar
Self proclaimed rock and roll bar on the fringe of the Pearl
Tiny's
Popular coffee shop that serves beer and sandwiches with a nice heated deck overlooking Hawthorne's hip food cart lot.
Tiny's Cafe
Hip coffee shop that serves beer.
Tony Starlight's Supper Club & Lounge
Trap
Lower Foster Karaoke and Darts Paradise
Tube
Tiny little future chic turned hipsta-matic irony trailer. Always lovely 20 somethings, always good tunes spinning.
Tugboat Brewing Company
Portland's oldest downtown brewpub features unfiltered Belgian Strong Ales,a tiny interior and quite a diverse crowd.
Twilight Room
Neighborhood bar that's popular with the U of Portland crowd.
Union Jack's
Beloved Rock n' Roll Strip Club
Uptown Billiards Club
Exclusive old money era gentleman's billiard parlor sans any actual exclusivity, save for pricier food & beverages, allowing unfettered self-congratulating conversation between the well-heeled.
Valentine's
Cozy and comfortable downtown joint that feels like a living room, with two floors to throw back a cheap PBR can or a nice cocktail.
Victory
European Bar with a Fine Menu
Vintage Cocktail Lounge
Fine Crafted Cocktails
Virginia Cafe
A Portland Institution
Watertrough
Under-utilized Hawthorne Watering hole
Whiskey Soda Lounge
Pok Pok's Waiting Room
White Eagle
Cooler Than it Should Be
Wild Abandon
Belmont Bistro with excellent fare, drinks, and service
Wilf's
Classy jazz supper club with red booths adjacent to the train station.
Wimpy's
Yes it's still open. It's just a few doors down.
Wishing Well
Cheap Drinks and Eats
Wonder Ballroom
Northeast Music Venue
World Famous Kenton Club
Specifically: Highly Recommended
Excellent NoPo dive with gruff but lovable service, colorful regulars, and frequent alt-country/rock acts.
XV (15)
Hipster joint in downtown's 4 block hipster/bridge and tunnel square.
Yamhill Pub
Graffiti Loved Downtown Dive
Yen Ha
Super Vietnamese dive, scattered array of regulars from scenesters to con artists to weathered boozers.
Yes & No
Downtown Hardwood Haven
Yur's
Down and dirty dive, unofficially Radio Cab driver's "lounge".
Zach's Shack
Hot dog joint with patio and games.
