contents
PUB
CRAWLS
BREWPUBS
BREW
CLUB PROFILE
BRITISH,
IRISH
CHI-CHI
COCKTAILS
THE
SCIENCE OF DRINKING
FUN
AND GAMES
GAY
BARS
KARAOKE
OLD
MEN
OUTDOORS
SPORTS
BARS
WINE
WINE
WORDS
|
|
It's a good thing that not all pre-middle-aged Portlanders
work 8-to-5 jobs, shop at The Gap and hang out in brightly
lit brewpubs and forest-green-and-brass sports bars--these
places are crowded enough. There's a slew of us who avoid
corporate jobs in the suburbs at all costs, who regularly
comb the racks at thrift stores, and who like to think that
someday we'll actually make money pursuing creative endeavors
involving music, art or writing (yeah, right). In the meantime,
we work weird hours, frequent rock shows, steer clear of the
college and yuppie crowds and seek out the ideal cheap buzz.
Sure, we can be annoying and standoffish, but we know how
to have a good time, really.
Sometimes we find our pleasures at old-man dives or tiny,
out-of-the-way bars around the corner. The drinks cost less
than those at trendier hangouts. Cheap beer reigns. There's
a blessed absence of crowds and a plethora of parking spaces.
Jukeboxes are another advantage of these casual havens,
offering musical choices superior to the repetitive KNRK
or soulless DMX crap filtering through so many places like
a lethal radon leak. Close proximity to rock-'n'-roll joints
also wins points, since venues serving only beer don't always
cut it. Even if a place does serve liquor--let's
face it--there are some bands you'd rather not stick around
to hear. Have a couple drinks, stay out late and sleep in
the next day--it's one of the fringe benefits of not having
a real job.
BEULAHLAND
This recently expanded cafe and bar has become Indie
Rock Central lately, with a diner vibe, free local shows
on weekends and kitsch galore. Revolving art, giant sign
letters and plentiful chairs and tables barely allow room
for towers of empty Rainier boxes on busy nights. Pounders
are to this eclectic place what Schlitz is to La Cruda.
Sixteen ounces of icy, refreshing beer for a buck-fifty
is tailor made for swilling while bouncing around a crowded
room in polyester duds to noisy, live rock. Microbrews,
including the hearty Anderson Valley Oatmeal Stout and Terminal
Gravity IPA, are better for sipping and 'zine-reading on
mellower weekday eves.
118 NE 28TH AVE., 235-2794. OPEN DAILY. BEER AND WINE.
CLUB 21
A Black Velvet bottle cutout slapped up on a wood-paneled
wall conveys the credo of this smoky dive: stiff drinks
and no frills. The working class daytime scene gives way
to rock 'n' roll types at night, thanks to the bar's location
(location, location) across Sandy Boulevard from the equally
lowbrow EJ's, where cocktails are a no-no. Between band
sets, there's a mass exodus of showgoers to the little stucco
castle, and not everyone makes it back (at least, not in
time for the next band). Sure, they serve Bud and Full Sail
here, but why pass up strong, cheap drinks, especially if
you're a starving musician? As the liquor goes down, the
volume of the boisterous crowd goes up while Zeppelin and
James Brown tunes emanate from the jukebox.
2035 NE GLISAN ST., 235-5690.
OPEN DAILY. BEER, WINE AND LIQUOR.
LA CRUDA
La Cruda is a shrine to Schlitz beer. It's not just the
plastic lamps and signs hanging everywhere. On any night,
cans of the watery domestic stuff (a buck each) occupy almost
every linoleum tabletop in the place. Of course, a place
named after the Spanish word for "hangover" also serves
harder stuff: Frosty margaritas come from a machine with
a happy penguin twirling on top (after a few of these, you
will be, too), and cocktails or whiskey served in simple
water glasses send you on your way as AC/DC screams or Elvis
croons. Ladies' night on Mondays is the perfect opportunity
for gals and guys to meet up with other poor musicians and
Clinton Street regulars swilling 50-cent Schlitzes and discounted
well drinks.
2500 SE CLINTON ST., 233-0745.
OPEN DAILY. BEER, WINE AND LIQUOR.
LAURELTHIRST PUBLIC HOUSE
Thirst is the ideal excuse to climb up on a stool and
point to one of a vast selection of taps on the wall behind
the rich, wood bar here (the phrase "kid in a candy store"
comes to mind). Everything from Obsidean Stout to Newcastle
and the lighter Pilsner Urquell awaits the corduroy and
denim roots-music crowd, beneath a sign warning "Be Good
or Be Gone." Sure, you could stray from your spot to inch
closer to the stage while regulars the Pagan Jug Band and
the Belmont Street Octet play or to shoot pool in the adjoining
room. But keep in mind that means straying from the best
seat in the house. A menu full of hearty comfort food is
the perfect reason to order up another pint, too.
2958 NE GLISAN ST., 232-1504.OPEN DAILY. BEER AND WINE.
THE LUTZ
The jukebox is as varied as the crowd at this veteran neighborhood
spot (four plays for a buck, too). Hank Williams and Johnny
Cash sit alongside Fugazi, Pavement and Quasi, and the old-timers
who rule the place by day are joined by a younger bunch
at night. A few Reedies trickle in, but more of the patrons
are waiting for a table at the Delta Cafe a few doors down
or knocking one back between noisy sets at the punk rock,
all-ages 17 Nautical Miles down the block. Some just come
to relax and enjoy $1 cans of Pabst sans attitude (a decent
selection of microbrews and ciders is available, too). Two-dollar
ham sandwiches, video poker, pool tables, and weathered
brown booths add to the Anybar, U.S.A., aura.
4639 SE WOODSTOCK BLVD., 774-0353.
OPEN DAILY. BEER, WINE AND CIDER.
PUB AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE
Through a doorway beneath a sign that reads simply "Pub"
is a split-level, shag-carpeted interior as comfy as the
house of your '70s youth. Tacky paintings and signs advertising
cheap beer cover the walls, but most of the brews here are
of the micro variety (don't worry, they do have Hamm's).
Get a pitcher of Alaskan Amber or one of more than 20 others
brews on tap, hunker down on a leopard-spotted bench, or
play darts or pool. In the spirit of laid-back Southeast,
minimal effort is evident here: The magazines in the rack
are circa 1995, and the décor could use a little
sprucing up. Yet, the lack of urban trendiness is part of
the appeal. Long-hairs and other non-jocks happily coexist,
playing everything from Van Morrison to David Bowie on the
jukebox.
4107 SE 28TH AVE., 238-9355.
CLOSED SUNDAY. BEER AND WINE.
RINGLERS ANNEX
This ornate sliver of a bar is an escape from the trendy
Northwest and college crowds typical of its McMenamins brother,
Ringlers Pub, a few blocks away. The intimate space is a
welcome departure from the hulking Crystal Ballroom for
a pre- or post-show pint of IPA or Black Rabbit Red wine,
too. There's a drink here to go with any of the fancy desserts,
cigars and light meals offered. The cellar is a cozy hideaway
with dark wood benches, unfinished concrete walls, candlelight,
and music from jazz to Bjork to the Supremes (not to mention
attractive servers). The drinks aren't cheap, but sitting
outside and sipping sweet, summery drinks like The Aphrodisiac,
made with juices squeezed before your eyes, makes it all
worthwhile.
1223 SW STARK ST., 525-0520.
OPEN DAILY. BEER, WINE AND LIQUOR.
TIGER BAR
The dark, plush ambience of this Pearl District bar attracts
a slightly swanky, urban nightclub crowd, with more artist
types coming around for nearby gallery shows. DJs spin classy
jazz, hip-hop and R&B appropriate for slinking around
in something tight and black or leaning back elegantly against
the giant cushy pillows while sipping a drink. The Skyy
vodka-based Liquid Love and Damiana and Sauza Hornitos combo,
"Horny Rita," highlight the sultry cocktail theme of the
place. The drinks could be stronger, but a substantial beer
selection and tasty pan-cultural menu are consolation.
317 NW BROADWAY, 222-7297.
OPEN DAILY. BEER, WINE AND LIQUOR.
1201 CAFE AND LOUNGE
Everything about the 1201 screams cocktail, from the
gold letters spelling liquor brands lining the walls to
the loungy, shiny red booths and darkness. Choosing a drink
is more fun than at your average bar, with specialties like
the One Night Stand (Absolut Kurant and Wilderberry) and
the Ernest Borgnine ("the ultimate old man drink"). Foofy
margaritas and other tropical concoctions, along with coffee
drinks like the Edith Piaf (Kahlua, Grand Marnier, nutmeg
and coffee) are highlights. Too bad the cocktails themselves
don't pack much of a punch. Still, for the leather-jacket
boys and those who come for the rock and rockabilly shows,
beer usually wins out.
1201 SW 12TH AVE., 225-1201.
OPEN DAILY. BEER, WINE AND LIQUOR.
THE VERN
Besides its busted sign, this bar is known for $4 pitchers
of Pabst and a killer jukebox. The mellow regulars don't
seem to mind when kids of the '80s spend their quarters
on Devo, Dead Moon or the Germs over Neil Diamond, either.
Thursday night means 50-cent tacos, buffet-style on the
bar. Lewd bathroom graffiti ("How do you get a dog to stop
humping your leg?"), pool tables and a friendly bartender
who knows your name make The Vern the definitive local tavern.
The place serves yuppie beers, too, but swilling a trusty
Pabst while chomping on cheap tacos with the Dead Kennedys
blasting just feels right.
2622 SE BELMONT ST., 233-7851.
OPEN DAILY. BEER AND WINE.
|
