Florida Room is Like a Tiki Bar That Got Taken Over By Squatters Who Brought Beer

Ten years’ worth of bar-patron patina have transformed the Florida Room into the lovable dive we know today.

(Sam Gehrke)

435 N Killingsworth St., 503-287-5658. 3 pm-2 am Monday-Saturday, 3 pm-midnight Sunday. Happy hour 3-7 pm: 50 cents off draft and well.

Established: August 2006

While the name may conjure tropical vibes, North Killingsworth Street's Florida Room is more akin to a tiki bar that got taken over by squatters who brought their own beer. The good news is they sell it cheap. Olympia tallboys go for a buck, and if you want to get fancy with a Fort George Vortex IPA, it's all of $5. The draft selection is well-curated, with offerings from the Commons and Double Mountain, and even the cocktails get fresh-pressed juice, because it may be a dive but it's still Portland.

(Sam Gehrke)
(Sam Gehrke)

A decade ago when the bar opened, its tropical colors (and disposition) may have shone a bit brighter, but 10 years' worth of bar-patron patina have transformed the Florida Room into the lovable dive we know today, from the perpetually nicotine-permeated covered patio to Portland's best vending machine. But that community-created vibe is the reason you go—an accumulated authenticity beyond any specific theme, like the Hawaiian-print shirt that just looks better the more it fades.

Bar story: Founders Suzy Day, Mike Hanson and Patty Earley are all former McMenamins employees, and when they opened the Florida Room they decorated it solely with kitschy bar swag they had been collecting over the years.

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