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1. Old Pal
3350 SE Morrison St., 503-477-9663, oldpalpdx.com. 4-10 pm Sunday-Monday and Thursday; 4-11 pm Friday-Saturday.
The new Sunnyside neighborhood restaurant Old Pal wants to become your regular drinking buddy. You’ll currently find a lineup of eight cocktails, including its eponymous drink made with rye, Campari, and Dolin Dry vermouth, as well as beer, wine and zero-proof drinks. Pair your beverage with the flavors of late summer, like an heirloom tomato gazpacho.
2. Migration Brewing at Washington Square
9585 SW Washington Square Road, migrationbrewing.com. Noon-8 pm Monday-Saturday, 11 am-7 pm Sunday.
Migration is making it cool to be a mall rat again. The 12-year-old company just opened a beer garden inside Washington Square with four taps as well as multiple packaged options, including cider and wine. The bar is surrounded by food court staples, which means you finally have the opportunity to pair a Migration classic like Straight Outta Portland IPA with a plate of piping hot orange chicken from the nearby Panda Express.
3. The Sunset Room
100 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., kexhotels.com/eat-drink/thesunsetroom. 4-10 pm Friday-Sunday.
The rooftop oasis that once held Kex’s Lady of the Mountain has a new occupant. Renowned bartenders Jeffrey Morgenthaler and Benjamin “Banjo” Amberg opened the Sunset Room in late July after launching the hotel lobby’s watering hole Pacific Standard. The top-floor perch has a menu that’s more whimsical and experimental, which goes well with views of the riot of color that is the neighboring Fair-Haired Dumbbell.
4. North 45
517 NW 21st Ave., 503-248-6317, north45pub.com. 4 pm-midnight Monday-Thursday, 2 pm-1 am Friday, noon-1 am Saturday, 2 pm-midnight Sunday.
You never know exactly what you’ll find on North 45′s rear patio, but it’s the promise of a rollicking scene tucked out of street view that keeps people waiting for a seat. But like a mullet, the party in the back is balanced by a measure of refinement. The drink list circumnavigates the globe, from renowned Belgian Trappist beers to a booklet of spirits that’s almost two dozen pages long.
5. The Knock Back
2315 NE Alberta St., theknockback.com. 4-midnight Monday-Thursday, 4 pm-2 am Friday, noon-2 am Saturday, noon-midnight Sunday.
Over the past two years, we’ve seen plenty of bars close, along with a slew of brave newcomers entering the market. But rarer is the resuscitation of any pandemic casualties. Now, the Knock Back, which shuttered in 2020 after an unsuccessful GoFundMe campaign, has returned to its original location with a new drink menu. Perhaps the best part, though, is the fact that it has also revived food cart boom standout Grilled Cheese Grill under its roof.
