The Top Five Places to Drink in Portland This Week

1.  Scotch Lodge

215 SE 9th Ave., 503-208-2039.

The new venture from La Moule co-owner and Multnomah Whiskey Library curator Tommy Klus is now open in the spot that once contained defunct subterranean izakaya Biwa, combining Klus' love of French food and deep knowledge of rare spirits.

Related: Our Most Anticipated Restaurant and Bar Openings for 2019

2.  The Vern

2622 SE Belmont St.

The latest preservation project from Warren Boothby and Marcus Archambeault is Hanigan's Tavern, better known to Portland barflies as the Vern. As they did with Sandy Hut a few years ago, the city's pre-eminent dive bar whisperers scrubbed the carpet, opened some windows and doubled down on the wood-paneled rumpus room vibe, all without disinfecting the bar's grimy soul.

Read the full review: The Former Owners of Club 21 Revive Classic Southeast Portland Dive Bar the Vern

3.  Assembly Brewing

6112 SE Foster Road, 971-888-5973, assemblybrewingco.com.

From the massive four-section mural showcasing the brewing process to the affordable $5 pints and square-shaped, Detroit-style pizza, Assembly owners Greg Johnson and Adam Dixon, have created a craft beer haven for the city's working class.

Read the full review: Assembly Brewing Brings Working-Class Craft Beers and Detroit-Style Pizza to Foster-Powell.

4.  Five & Dime

6535 SE Foster Road.

While you won't find shelves stocked with cheap talcum powder and undergarments, the new bar along the Foster-Powell corridor reflects the prices and spirit of a 20th-century trinket emporium. The room intermingles sophistication with subversion, mixing jade shelving stocked with leather-bound books with a neon ombré portrait of Rasheed Wallace, while the cocktails—some themed after Neil Gaiman's American Gods—also balance tradition and irreverence.

Read the full review: Five & Dime Channels the Spirit of an Old-Timey Discount Retailer into an Irreverent Cocktail Bar

5.  Lulu

726 SE Grand Ave., 503-780-0362, lulubarpdx.com.

With its lack of décor, inoffensively punny cocktails and dim first-date mood lighting, Lulu has the feeling of an annex meant to catch peak-hour overflow from neighboring Dig A Pony. But the narrow bar does enough to stand on its own—after all, where else on Grand are you going to get a Flamin' Hot Cheetos torta?

Read the full review: Lulu Goes Understated on Motif, Creative on Cocktails