The Queen is Dead

4 Portland Pubs in Which to Mourn Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Looking for a spot to drown your sorrows about the passing of the UK monarch? We got you.

By Michelle Harris, Margaret Seiler, and Julia Silverman

These people at the Toffee Club are having emotions about soccer games, not the Queen in this instance. 

If you are mourning the death at age 96 of Queen Elizabeth II, who occupied the British throne for 70 years, then you might be looking for a spot to convene, indulge in some English fare, swallow an ale or two, maybe threw a few darts to vent your anguish or what have you. Jolly good, then, we have several contenders in our myriad Portland bars for you to raise your clinking glasses. (We cannot guarantee that the places below are particularly monarchist or not—on the political scale, we're guessing some might have had parties, or at least a hearty toast or two, when former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died. But they do have curry chips, and some have darts.)

Toffee Club

Hosford-Abernethy
Decked with TVs and soccer paraphernalia, this "English football pub" puts more more emphasis on the "football" part than the "English" part (England's national women's soccer team, who just won the European championship this summer, might be more revered here than the Royal Family), but Brits will feel at home with a menu of full or mini English breakfast, Scotch eggs, curry chips, and fish and chips. 1006 SE Hawthorne Blvd MS

Moon & Sixpence

Hollywood
This dark-wood den is everything you want in a British pub: a smooth-topped bar counter where it's as easy to chat up a stranger as it is to sit alone with a book; a reliable menu with fish and chips, curry fries, Welsh rarebit, sausage rolls, and cottage pie; darts and a bookshelf with games to borrow; 20 taps that offer a mix of beer styles and cider, local and faraway; and a huge patio out back with tables for groups and a couple of cozy heated booths. 2014 NE 42nd Ave MS

Rose and Thistle

Sullivan's Gulch
A pub that was once described by comedian Ray McMillin as being “like a McMenamins that just gave up,” Rose and Thistle uses the first half of its name to honor Portland and the second half for Scotland, where late founder Bobby Sutherland was from. The dark and woodsy interior, where you can opt to slip inside a booth by the bar to catch the latest sports game or try your luck at video poker, feels oddly familiar even for non-regulars. Walk through to the back and you’ll find a large patio. Opened in 1991, the bar has a selection of local and international beers, wines, and cocktails. And with tunes from say, the Misfits typically blaring at full blast, the atmosphere is far from what you usually find at McMenamins. 2314 NE Broadway —MH

Horse Brass Pub

Sunnyside
Perhaps the most authentic of Portland's British pubs, the Horse Brass no longer deserves its storied reputation for smoke-filled air, but it's still among your best bets for fish and chips, bangers and mash, and no fewer than 59 beers on tap—just what the doctor ordered on a cozy, rainy Portland night. 4534 SE Belmont St —JS

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