Bar Guide 2014: Double Dragon

By Martin Cizmar

1235 SE Division St., 230-8340, doubledragonpdx.com. 11:30 am-10 pm Sunday-Thursday, 11:30 am-midnight Friday, 11:30 am-2 am Saturday.

In its first incarnation as a bougie banh mi shop, Double Dragon had its fans. I was not one of them. But Double Dragon's boozy reboot has bettered the place. They've kept the stylish branding on the walls, but moved the counter to make room for a long bar that serves an outstanding warm toddy called the Gold Soundz—which has lemongrass and an absinthe rinse—plus a variety of special alcoholic punches. The loungey space hosts Baby Ketten karaoke and geek trivia. The chicken chorizo banh mi is no rival for Binh Minh or An Xuyen, but it's not an affront to the form, and an expanded menu of soups includes a coconut curry ramen. But you shouldn't eat here when you're feeling picky, or when too much sunlight streams through the massive windows facing Division Street. To my mind, this is a bar now. It has the same vibe as the old Dragon, but far more utility. 

Happy hour: 3-6 pm weekdays and 10 pm-midnight daily. Various specials including a $10 pint-and-burger.

WWeek 2015

Martin Cizmar

Martin Cizmar

Culture editor Martin Cizmar writes about food, beer, jam bands, country music, gangsta rap, bikes, cannabis and the outdoors. He’s originally from a smallish city in the part of Ohio that was once part of Connecticut and has worked as a reporter at dailies in Michigan, Virginia and Arizona and as music editor at the alt-weekly in Phoenix. He’s a passionate advocate for unfettered access to public lands, the repatriation of Oregon wolves, increased urban density and good machaca burritos. He is unwelcome in the cities of Salem and Lake Oswego.

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