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1. Yen Ha
6820 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-287-3698, yenhapdx.com
Sure, Baby Ketten was always the hippest karaoke night in town, but weekends at Yen Ha were the drunkest. The owners of Portland's oldest Vietnamese restaurant and bar have announced the business is closing forever Oct. 21, giving you two weeks to get in another acetone-stiff cocktail, a plate of frog legs, and a round of "Whole Lotta Love." You'll miss it when it's gone.
Related: Northeast Portland Vietnamese Restaurant and Karaoke Bar Yen Ha Is Closing.
2. Baby Ketten Klub
2433 SE Powell Blvd., 503-444-7903, babyketten.com.
Speaking of Baby Ketten: After a decade of transience, Portland's cult-favorite karaoke night has put down roots on Southeast Powell. There's a singular joy to reading lyrics off the wood-framed flat screens hung about the bar—and the private rooms designed to accentuate sepia-tinged '70s swank or '80s chrome-chic aesthetics linger as impossibly lovely make-out rooms.
Read the full review: After a Decade of Transience, Portland's Cult-Favorite Karaoke Night Baby Ketten Puts down Roots on Southeast Powell.
3. Misdemeanor Meadows
6920 SE 52nd Ave., 503-206-8556, misdemeanor-meadows.business.site.
If you've been missing the Know, then consider Misdemeanor Meadows your new home. Comic book pages are lacquered into the bartop, images of idols like Lemmy and GG Allin hang on the walls, and at any given moment you're likely to hear the Misfits, Minor Threat or Dead Kennedys on the house speakers.
Read the full review: If You've Been Missing the Know, Misdemeanor Meadows Welcomes You Home.
4. Shine Distillery & Grill
4232 N Williams Ave., 503-384-2585, shinedistillerygrill.com.
It was only a matter of time before Williams Avenue got a shiny new two-story bar that looks teleported from the Pearl. While most distilleries are boutique affairs relegated to minimal storefronts or corners of industrial spaces, the menu and ambience at Shine should give brewpubs like Breakside and 10 Barrel a run for their money.
Read the full review: Shine Distillery Applies the Brewpub Formula to a House of Spirits.
5. Game Knight Lounge
3037 N Williams Ave., 503-236-3377, pdxgameknight.com.
Fall came early this year, which means it's time to hunker down. And where better than this Williams Avenue nerd beacon that boasts a collection of over 700 classic and new board games? A $5 cover gets you access to all of them.
Read the full review: Game Knight Lounge Is Portland's First Game Hangout That Actually Works as a Bar.
