Drink 2009

One of the most striking bars we've ever visited, the Back Stage occupies the capacious seven-story space behind the Bagdad Theater's very tall stage. Red and yellow lights twinkle above the catwalk, some 75 feet overhead. The heavy wood bar stands like an anchor to those dreamy heights. Huge tapestries hang on the walls, one of the Taj Mahal, the other a canvas of movie stars. There are two smaller rooms where stage props used to be stored, reached by climbing winding flights of metal stairs. Pool and snooker tables fill the spaces in between. The beer and food are the same as at every other McMenamins bar, but you can't argue with the brothers' amazing ability to reimagine old spaces—and this is one of their most charming.
What to drink: A pitcher of Workingman's Red, $8.
Happy hour: 75 cents off draft pints 4-5 pm daily.
Entertainment: TV, pinball, pool, snooker.

WWeek 2015

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