1735 W Burnside St., 503-224-1341, marathontaverna.com, 7 am-2 am daily. Happy hour 2-5 pm daily: $3 gyros, plus $1 off wells until 7 pm.
Established: 1974 (as the Acropolis Tavern)
Though Portland's a decidedly right-brained town, Marathon Taverna is a spectacle that can only be understood through numbers. From its perch just before West Burnside ascends into the hills, Marathon boasts three floors filled with 20-some odd TVs which, on a Tuesday night, were showing a mix of international soccer, NIT basketball and Aussie rules football. Its 19 taps offer a smattering of domestic and craft fare, and its vending machines contain more than 30 brands of cigarettes. Yet it is through the food menu that these numbers truly tell a story of resplendent generosity: $3 will get you a breakfast of eggs, toast and bacon, while $5 will get you one of Marathon's signature gyro-and-fries combos. With sticky floors, $3.50 pitchers of Rolling Rock and $4 Tic-Tac shots, Marathon is essentially a college bar without the nearby college, which makes it No. 1 for patrons of indeterminate age and indiscriminate drinking habits.
By James Hemworth