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Best in show, is the jukebox at Esparza’s. The Tex-Mex cuisine is so-so, but grab a cold Pacifico and a basket of free chips and salsa, and bask in the indecipherable harmonies of norteño polka crackling from the vintage vinyl-and-neon Wurlitzer. Read more...
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For more traditional tipplers, there’s the Shucking Room, the cabin-sized drinking den at Dan & Louis’ Oyster Bar. For lovers of nautical knickknacks, Dan & Louis’ is a veritable maritime museum, with illuminated portholes, life rings, king crabs under glass, and plenty of pictures of the Wachsmuth family, which has overseen operations for 100 years. The Oyster Bar Bloody Mary Read more...
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Some 30 years ago, someone must have spent a pile of money on the décor at this fading Chinese restaurant and bar on SE 82nd Ave. Back then, a visit here likely promised an exotic treat for families enthralled with the mysteries of egg foo yong and kung pao chicken. While the novelty may have worn off since, nothing else Read more...
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A beer is just a beer. But a beer gulped as AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” screams from the speakers? That’s a statement of intent. Great jukeboxes not only enhance a bar—they can lift us out of the murky abyss of mere dive-dom. Take Billy Ray’s. Its cavelike recesses might seem vaguely threatening at first, but listen to the litany of Read more...
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The Alibi has been the big kahuna in Portland since its Polynesian makeover in the late ’40s. Read more...
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If your tastes tend toward less conventional art forms, try this SoHo-esque performance space and bar, where the entertainment might include puppets, dancers or DJs. On a recent stop, a troupe of improvisational actors filled the stage, followed by a poetry reading and a short film exploring one woman’s maternal feelings for a stick of firewood. Near the street entrance, Read more...
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Primarily a tony concession stand for the Portland Center for the Performing Arts, this bar hosts a dozen or so four-tops frequented by an array of dapper white-collars and early-bird theater squatters. A smattering of statues dot the lobby environs, and the walls hold framed artworks (at press time, large-format photographic prints by Phil Bard). For a heated discussion of Read more...
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If classic tunes are more your thing, the wall unit at Binks offers everything from Superfly to Supertramp. Read more...
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Wait! WHAT year is this? It’s an understandable question for a newcomer to ask upon first entering the vast East End bar, located on SE Grand. The preponderance of gypsy headbands and Mary Quant-style go-go dresses could make you think you’ve just stepped into a nightclub from London’s glam/mod past. With pressed, straight blond hair to her shoulders, dancer and Read more...
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If you order a piña colada, don’t expect fresh coconut cream to come pouring out of the plastic bottle. And that woman who greeted you at the door with the flowing red feather boa, the gorgeous eyelashes and the high cheekbones? She’s actually a man. But as the lights dim and the uproariously naughty, catty and, yes, classy choreography and Read more...