The Essential Guide to Portland’s Bar Scene
In this post-pandemic era of craving human connection, there’s been a shift: Portland bars are no longer just drinking venues. These days the booze is increasingly a sideshow in creative spaces that are about socializing and something else, whether that’s escapism or identity or an activity. And, this being Portland, the places that do it best are often idiosyncratic as hell.
Also, we have practical questions. Which bars are best if you’re not much of a drinker? What’s the state of LGBTQ+ nightlife? Who has the best grub? The best karaoke? Which neighborhoods are best suited for raucous bar crawls? The right haunt can help you celebrate (or process) whatever life has brought you.
Of the many, many bars in this city, the ones we’ve chosen share this affecting, transportive spirit, and we are thrilled to shout out some of the places we love not in spite of their faults, but because those faults are terribly charming. All of them get there in their own, sometimes hairbrained, sometimes passion-fueled ways, and always on their own terms. Among every one, there’s something undeniably present you can’t quite put your finger on.
“I don’t know what’s going on but I like it,” reads a drink description on the menu at the Houston Blacklight. Exactly.
Image: courtesy meg nana
The 10 Best Bars in Portland
These are our favorite bars in the city, for the magic deep at their core.
Image: Michael Novak
The PoMo Bar Bathroom Challenge
The bathroom is the window to a bar’s soul. These are worth the price of a cocktail.
Image: View Apart/shutterstock.com
We Mapped the 5 Essential Portland Bar Crawls
A topography of our favorite bar-filled neighborhoods across the city.
Image: courtesy ground kontrol
Portland Bars Where Drinking Isn’t the Only Draw
With zero-proof drinks and games of all kinds, these bars have something for everyone, including the sober and sober-curious.
Image: courtesy Voicebox
6 Very Different Karaoke Experiences around Portland
You can book a private room, share the stage with a stripper or a live band, bask in the glow of a tiki bar, and more.
Image: NASHCO PHOTO
Portland’s Must-Visit Theme Bars
Our favorite bars for escaping the everyday, from a year-round haunted house to a faux speakeasy.
Image: courtesy doc marie's
A Guide to Portland’s Best LGBTQ+ Nightlife
From old haunts to new favorites, permanent spots to roving dance nights, these are the best spots to get your Pride on.
Image: Thomas Teal
11 Wine Bars for Every Kind of Vibe
People-watching patios, subterranean lairs, happy-hour favorites, natural wine havens, and gussied-up date night spots.
Image: courtesy Alan Weiner
These Portland Bars Serve Killer Food
Where to satisfy the drunchies with cheesy, crunchy fried goodness, from burgers to wonton nachos.
Bar Week 2023
Portland Bars Where Drinking Isn’t the Only Draw
Bar Week 2023
6 Very Different Karaoke Experiences around Portland
Bar Week 2023
