Upside Down Offers An Otherwise Bereft Brooklyn Neighborhood’s First True Patio Hang

Situated on Southeast Milwaukie across from the Aladdin Theater, Upside Down looks like one of those ramshackle aluminum and plywood burger shanties you’d expect to find by the side of a country freeway in the desert, ringed by picnic tables and a little pressboard fence.

(Emily Joan Greene)
By Matthew Korfhage

3318 SE Milwaukie Ave., 971-373-8607, facebook.com/upsidedownpdx. 11 am-10 pm Tuesday-Saturday, 11 am-9 pm Sunday. Happy hour 4-6 pm Wednesday-Saturday: $3 drafts, $5 burger and fries, $2 chips and salsa.

Situated on Southeast Milwaukie across from the Aladdin Theater, Upside Down looks like one of those ramshackle aluminum and plywood burger shanties you'd expect to find by the side of a country freeway in the desert, ringed by picnic tables and a little pressboard fence. The titular burger ($9) is served on a toasted bun and mixes aged white cheddar with a hint of chili for a goopy, spicy kick. Otherwise, the menu's an anything-goes hodgepodge of Mexican, American and Mexican-American—a chill shoulder shrug to pair with the 30 taps ranging from Modelo to Culmination Choco Stout and Sunriver's Vicious Mosquito IPA. Alongside a chile verde ($8) laden with bay leaf and thyme, you'll find a "hipster bowl" ($7) that's essentially a vegetarian kale-and-pinto take on dirty fries. Really what Upside Down offers is an otherwise bereft Brooklyn neighborhood's first true patio hang. On a semi-warm weekday evening, the tables were jammed fence to fence with a mix of families, double dates and young couples ignoring each other while staring at their phones. This is what Brooklyn summer will look like now: a little meat and spice, and a whole lot of sunny-day beer.

(Emily Joan Greene)

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