Deschutes Brewery and Pub Portland, OR

I made a visit tonight to the new Deschutes brew pub in the Pearl District. I must say that I was far from impressed. First, there was about a 45 minute wait for a table, followed by a 30 minute wait for food. The food was B- at best. Definitely your typical pub grub. However, their root beer was pretty decent. The the entire place had a corporate feel, kind of like an Applebee's or Rock Bottom Brewery. They even handed out the vibrating notifiers for people who where waiting for tables. Worst of all, they have merchandise hanging all over the place...very lame. I think I'll stick with Amnesia and Lucky Lab for the real deal.
23-May-08

Buffalo Wild Wings Portland, OR

I stopped by Buffalo Wild Wings around noon, Oregon football was on the television the place was packed. BWW definitely offers more TVs than any other sports bar in Portland. In fact, I would suggest that it may be the best place to catch a game.
31-Dec-07

Virgo & Pisces Restaurant and Bar Portland, OR

The happy hour at Virgo & Pisces is perfectly mediocre. The fish & chips that they advertise is a relatively small portion. However, they do offer $2 beers, which is a good deal in Northwest Portland and the service was good. It's also a great place to catch the game with their 54 inch HD plasma television.
29-Dec-07

Paragon Portland, OR

I can personally confirm that Paragon does not have a happy hour. While they are poor sports, Paragon does offer a pretty decent drink list and food menu. They also have an excellent wait staff. Definitely worth a visit.
28-Dec-07

Horse Brass Pub, The Portland, OR

The Horse Brass Pub is a truly legit English style pub complete with lots of smoke, fish & chips, dim lighting, and darts. Don't ask about the happy hour, because the Horse Brass doesn't have one. It's worth a visit anyhow.
23-Dec-07

Russell Street BBQ Portland, OR

Russell Street is one of the better places to get some decent BBQ in Portland. I personally recommend that you choose the meat sampler, since there are too many options to select just one. However, they also are able to accommodate vegans as well. I believe that they may also have a happy hour.
10-Nov-07

Mash Tun Brewpub Portland, OR

I stopped by Mash Tun outside of their happy hour time. The place was full, the customers were friendly, but the beer was poor. I had just come from the Lucky Lab, so maybe my taste buds were a bit skewed. I also had their hot wings, which were dead awful. It's too bad that Mash Tun has been slipping in the food and drink department, because they do everything else right.
10-Nov-07

Biwa Portland, OR

Biwa may be my new favorite place. It's situated in a somewhat obscure and subterranean location, but don't let that deter you from checking it out. The food items include a variety of grilled meat kabobs and a noodle based soups. They also have a decent sake selection. The happy hour at Biwa is a great deal with appetizers for $2 and large Sapporo for $3.
03-Nov-07

Emanon Cafe Portland, OR

The Emanon Cafe is truly the bane of my fun seeking existence. I really wish this place would go out of business so that a better bar could take its place. Don't get me wrong, I've tried really hard to like this place, it's just unlikeable. Where to begin? First, the bar manager, who thinks he's a cocktail virtuoso, has created a bastard of a drink menu that includes some of the very same drink variations that I made as a kid from the remnants of my parent's liquor cabinet. Second, the place has absolutely no personality. In fact, it has nothing going for it other than its location. Every time I show up here with a group of friends the night ends with a bunch of yawns after a single drink. Third, but not least, they have the worst hours of any bar. I think last time I was there on a Saturday night, they started closing up shop around 10 pm. I recommend steering clear of this place. Life's to short.
23-Sep-07

Virginia Cafe Portland, OR

The Virginia Cafe is a smokey little hole in the wall that is actually worth the visit. It's easy to forget about since it's hidden on the backside of Nordstrom on a narrow side street. The service is excellent, the food is decent and very inexpensive. The average dinner during happy hour is around $5 and beers are around $3.75 on average. There's no question why this place has a dedicated happy hour following.
15-Sep-07

Lucky Lab Public House Portland, OR

The Lucky Lab in SW Portland features fresh handmade pizzas and some of the best beer in town. During happy hour, which lasts all day on Monday, pints and pitchers of their handcrafted beers are reduced price. I highly recommend the Super Dog IPA if you want a taste of some local hops.
02-Aug-07

Lotus Portland, OR

Somehow I constantly forget about this place only to be again pleasantly surprised when I somehow stumble across it. Lotus is a truly legit bar. It isn't really a dive, but also doesn't encourage family fun either. Just strong and simple drinks provided by some great bartenders at this downtown watering hole.
06-Jul-07

Greek Cusina Portland, OR

This is one of those places that can take you from weird to weirder in a matter of seconds. It may have been the bar manager who systematically insisted on dancing with all of "the ladies" or the bartender who cleared out my group of fair tipping friends to make way for a bunch of darkly clad ravers.
06-Jul-07

Marathon Taverna Portland, OR

Pinball, pool, fried cheese, and friendly staff, what more can you want in a bar?
25-Nov-06

Lucy's Table Portland, OR

During happy hour you can get a good dinner for a reasonable price. The corndogs are a little weird.
04-Nov-06

Dragonfish Portland, OR

This place has awesome sushi specials during happy hour and tends to get a bit crowded. The bar is located on the other side of the hotel lobby from the restaurant.
04-Nov-06