Favorite
Portland’s Lightning Bar Collective sure knows how to make locals swoon. The cooperative is behind Dig a Pony, Sweet Hereafter, Bye & Bye, and now NoPo’s charming Victoria, which feels like an older sibling to those joints: out with the mason jars, in with the delicate hobnail lamps. The roomy space brims with lovely details—distressed wooden benches, a hulking painting Read more...
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A century or so ago, the Grand Avenue tavern reportedly called Nat West’s Bit House was known for rowdiness, even street brawls. Today, the tipsy townies lining that spacious bar tend to be more blithe than bloodthirsty: a mix of off-duty bartenders, be-plaided east-siders, and weekend warriors, all drawn by pleasantly affordable top-shelf quaffs (cocktails on draft, sherry flights, a boilermaker menu). And yet, a rich frisson still Read more...
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After a successful 10 years, in August 2012 Pix moved to its new digs, closing the original two Pix locations. The new 3000-square-foot building is complete with a 2000+ bottle cellar and an outdoor courtyard for summer events. At Cheryl Wakerhauser’s new Pix Patisserie/Bar Vivant, napkins litter the floor, scarlet damask lines the walls, and champagne enthusiasts play a game of pétanque in Read more...
Favorite
Try your luck with some vintage amusements at EastBurn, a split-level restaurant and bar on E Burnside Street in a now-defunct dance club. The layout resembles one of those house parties where the adults have a mature cocktail gathering upstairs, while the rug rats are banished to the basement with a bag of Fritos. Before you head downstairs, take a gander Read more...
Favorite
When Luc Lac splashed into downtown Portland in 2011, no one knew what to expect: Grand Marnier sliced through avocado-cardamom milkshakes, pho spilled out of the kitchen long past midnight, and customers happily jammed into a hangar-bay of a dining room. Thanks to black-vested brothers Adam and Alan Ho, Luc Lac is now an essential late-night dining destination, with wildly Read more...
Favorite
With its angular red- and black-tile floors and leather booths, the White Owl Social Club could double as a set from Special Agent Dale Cooper’s dream sequences on Twin Peaks. In reality, it’s a booze-fueled music hall from the rock-happy Sizzle Pie empire, complete with a monthly meet-up for vegan drinkers, a pair of kombuchas on offer, and a line of wolf-emblazoned Read more...
Favorite
A Southern-style barbecue mainstay located in short SE Portland. Part of our East Side Rising feature. Read more...
Favorite
Head upstairs for a few games of pool on one of six full-sized billiard tables or settle in downstairs for a late-night dinner. Touché serves up Mediterranean-influenced Italian cuisine with pasta dishes like lamb papadelle, entrees such as grilled lamb served with walnut hot sauce, and an assortment of pizzas. Try the pan-fried calamari appetizer, flavored with capers, chili flakes, Read more...
Favorite
As much as our inner Bukowski wants to roll our eyes at this big fish tank in the sky, the knee-buckling, Blade Runner-esque view of downtown Portland from 30 stories up softens even the most cirrhotic of livers. During the frenzied happy hour, the bar takes on the feel of a jumbo jetliner without curtains: First-class debutantes, business-class PowerPoint heroes Read more...
Favorite
It’s a small West Coast chain restaurant. And once you step inside, that becomes entirely, sometimes crushingly, apparent. Which is why it’s utterly surprising that the cocktails are so good, especially when bar manager Bob Brunner has poured them. Indeed, every drink on the menu has been sharply refined by Brunner, each representing a scientifically researched, expertly rendered twist on Read more...