Roscoe’s Is Part Sports Bar, Part Craft Beer Hub

The kitchen churns out hearty burgers and a smattering of dishes that are loosely Creole in origin.

photo from Roscoe's Facebook page
By Pete Cottell

8105 SE Stark St., 503-255-0049, roscoespdx.com. 11 am-2:30 am daily. Happy hour 2-6 pm daily: $1 off wells, food specials.

Established: December 2006

Part neighborhood sports bar, part craft beer hub, Roscoe's is a joyous midpoint between Montavilla's roughneck past and its crowd-pleasing present. A good portion of regulars care only about the charms of the former, but the sheer volume of divey diversions that exist—pinball, pool tables, video lottery and a wreath of TVs that makes the big game visible from almost anywhere—makes it hard to blame them. Since switching to its current iteration about a decade ago, Roscoe's has grown into a reliable one-stop shop for a diverse list of rare or underappreciated beers from breweries many snobs have only read about. Those aspiring to dive even deeper than the 20 taps should attend one of the bar's monthly "Beer Summits"—events devoted to showcasing whatever style, region or quirk that beer buyer Jeremy "J-Money" Lewis feels like exploring that month. The kitchen churns out hearty burgers and a smattering of dishes that are loosely Creole in origin, while patrons are invited to nosh on sushi from adjacent Japanese spot Miyamoto if their caloric intake is being carefully rationed for beer consumption.

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.