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 T-shirts for sale. Faux-fur-clad gals and bearded motorheads often flock here for Richter scale–bumping punk and metal bands, a dozen rotating draft brews, and dangerously easy-drinking creations like the Papa Legba, a kind of soft-porn Slurpee that mingles Bulleit bourbon and New Deal coffee liqueur with vanilla-bean soda and root beer. The gritty space’s sprawling patio and fire pit are built for long summer nights, but plates of fried Moonbrine pickle fritters and taco mac and cheese loaded with Hatch chiles help combat seasonal affective disorder during long PDX winters. But don’t say we didn’t warn you about the dreams.
We featured White Owl Social Club in our guide to Portland’s best bars of 2014.