White Owl Social Club Is Portland's Default Day-Drinking Patio

White Owl accepts all. It’s kind of like capitalism that way.

(Thomas Teal)

1305 SE 8th Ave, 503-236-9672, whiteowlsocialclub.com. 3 pm-2:30 am daily. Happy hour 3-7 pm daily: $3 drafts, $6 cocktails, $5 football-sized plate of chili cheese fries.

Established: January 2013

Despite the fact that there are many elements signaling that inner Southeast Portland's White Owl Social Club is, like its name states, a club, you'd be hard-pressed to find another club like it. Yes, there's a doorman, a DJ and often a decade-long drink line or even weekend sidewalk line filled with young, pretty people. But that's where the similarities end. The drinks are more reasonably priced than you might expect—like the $6 Tecate-and-tequila combo and a world-beating $3 draft price during sunny happy-hour days on the mammoth rear patio that makes White Owl Portland's default day-drinking option when the sun shines hot. For the more diet-conscious crowd, almost everything on the food menu—from Buffalo-fried cauliflower to the Michigan-style chili dog—is offered with a vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free option. On that endless patio, you might find a local author privately reading short stories, young couples snuggling by the fire or a white-capped party crew whoo-ing by an outdoor DJ. White Owl accepts all. It's kind of like capitalism that way.

(Thomas Teal)

Bar story: This patio has a long history. Before White Owl, it was an often-ill-advised outdoor venue called Plan B, troubled by overaggressive security guards. And then before that it was a lovely, insidery horseshoe-bar joint called Acme that never quite figured out how to use the patio. Bad move, Acme: White Owl is all about the the patio.

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Zach Middleton

Culture Writer Zach Middleton writes about food and drinks, books, movies, and oddities. Originally from Central Oregon, he now writes out of the University Park neighborhood in North Portland.

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