The Wooden Chicken Is the Kind of Bar Whose Regulars Send It Half-Naked Christmas Cards

This is a tried-and-true sports pub right down to the copious Budweiser schwag.

(Wooden Chicken Pub Facebook)

12500 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-253-8893, woodenchickenpub.com. 10 am-2 am daily. Happy hour 4:30-6:30 pm daily: $3 drink and food specials.

Established: 1981

Out in deep Northeast Portland, where foot traffic is scarce and car traffic is fast, signage matters. The Wooden Chicken has a good one: a cocky-looking cartoon, um, cock, filling up a pint glass like a bartender cousin of Glen Campbell's rock 'n' roll rooster from 1991's Rock-a-Doodle. He adorns a whole shelf of merchandise, too, and his stained-glass portrait overlooks the bar. Other than that bit of branding—and the thousands-strong collection of tap handles screwed into the walls as decoration—this is a tried-and-true sports pub right down to the copious Budweiser schwag. The bar's all hardwood, brick and carpet, with multiple televisions and a sprawling layout tiled with pool tables. During football season, it's a de facto 49ers bar, and even when there's nothing on but pro golf, the NASCAR dads of Parkrose still pack the pool room and video-poker machines. It's not hard to see why, especially during happy hour, when domestic pitchers go for $7.50. And the food is decent, too. Your impulse is to get the fried chicken, but it's a tad dry. Go with the fish 'n' chips instead.

Bar story: On a previous WW visit, a bartender revealed that one middle-aged regular gifts the bar with nearly naked photos of himself every Christmas.

Drank: Bar Guide 2017

Welcome to Bar Guide 2017 | Where To Find a Copy of Bar Guide 2017

The 100 Best Bars in Portland | How We Selected Them

Bar of the Year 2017: Bar Casa Vale

2. Century | 3. The Know | 4. Lombard House | 5. The Old Portland

Portland's Party Patios, Porches and Rooftops | Scumbag Breakfasts, Ranked

$6-and-Under Happy Hour Burgers | Portland's Finest Restaurant Bars | Late-Night Happy Hours | $1 Oyster Happy Hour Deals | Best Bar Pizzas | Dope Discount Nachos | Fancy Jell-O Shots | Tapas

Where to Play Shuffleboard | Pinball | Pool Halls

Matthew Singer

A native Southern Californian, former Arts & Culture Editor Matthew Singer ruined Portland by coming here in 2008. He is an advocate for the canonization of the Fishbone and Oingo Boingo discographies, believes pro-wrestling is a serious art form and roots for the Lakers. Fortunately, he left Portland for Tucson, Arizona, in 2021.

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

Help us dig deeper.