Dig a Pony

By Walker MacMurdo

Dig a Pony has a special place as the Industrial Eastside's gently posh, everyman's meat market and party bar: a place where fit Nike and Adidas employees can mingle with DJs in streetwear on the enormous horseshoe bar, while a boothful of manicured paralegals can blow off steam a few yards away. Though DAP's enormous picture windows, exposed-wood walls, Belgian Pilsners and sours permanently on tap, and rotating cast of vinyl-only DJs place it dead center in the shitshow of New Portland hip, the bar's prices and easy demeanor keep it approachable. The $9 Ghost Child—a bright sour that uses unwieldy pineapple far better than most cocktails in any price range—could easily be $11 elsewhere. And the $7 sandwiches could easily be $10. You can take just about anyone there for a good time, and if you play your cards right, you can take just about anyone home with you.

HAPPY HOUR: 4-6 pm daily, all day Sunday. $1 off everything.

ENTERTAINMENT: A different vinyl-only DJ spinning a different variety of electronic and/or analog dance music every night.

736 SE Grand Ave., 971-279-4409, digaponyportland.com. 4 pm-2 am daily.

Willamette Week

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.