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Life in 2026 is bleak. One key reason for this is streaming platforms, instead of distracting us from the horrors, continue to hike rates, insert disruptive ads, drop film and TV titles unceremoniously, and merge with each other, creating confusion and enriching the oligarchs who work to consolidate power and undermine democracy.
But—for now, at least—you can still watch a movie in a bar for almost nothing.
These days, pubs all over Portland subscribe to streaming services (and/or hefty cable packages) and, for much of the day, keep at least one screen tuned to something other than sports. This creates a chance for the thrifty among us to outsource streaming costs to the local watering hole and pocket the savings. (That’s of course minus the price of a low-cost menu item and a tip of at least a dollar—you’re a cheapskate, not a monster.)
But does it pencil out? And is it worth the trouble? To find out, we nursed cheap drinks (here you’ll find the cheapest alcoholic and NA options on each establishment’s menu) and squinted at subtitles at some of Portland’s best bottle shops and dives.
A couple of caveats: Sports fans already know why it’s cheaper to catch a game in a bar than at home. If you want to watch the Blazers continue to “show improvement” only once or twice a month, cut the cord and find a good sports bar. (Die-hards will likely reach a tipping point where they need a full cable package to ruin their mental health several nights a week.) Also, we recognize this experiment isn’t terribly practical. But then, if you’re the type to while away the afternoon with Leprechaun 2, you don’t care about practicality.
AleFire
3520 N Williams Ave., 503-560-2989, alefire.pub. Noon–10 pm daily.
What was on TV when we visited: Leprechaun 2 (1993)
Cheapskate drink pairing: $4 Maui Brewing Hard Lemonade, $4 Fort George FRüT LüP Yuzu Sparkling Hop Water (NA).
Cost to stream at home: Available with subscription to Peacock, Hulu or Amazon Prime or $3.99 to rent on YouTube or Apple TV.
Go out or stay in? Stay in. Or at least, skip Leprechaun 2.
After beer and hot sauce, televisual entertainment is a mainstay at this friendly North Williams bottle shop. Three screens are usually set to some mix of classic movies and sports. But the 1994 nonrapping Warwick Davis vehicle (he doesn’t get around to spitting rhymes until the fifth installment) isn’t gory or shambolic enough to justify the expense. It’s surprisingly difficult to follow without sound.
Beer Bunker
7918 SE Stark St., 503-254-8200, @beer.bunker.pdx on Instagram. 3–10 pm Saturday–Thursday, 3–11 pm Friday.
Neighborhood: Montavilla
What was on TV when we visited: Misery (1990)
Cheapskate drink pairing: $2.50 Yovu, $5 Lion Heart Hero’s Blend kombucha (NA).
Cost to stream at home: Available with subscription to Netflix, Amazon Prime or YouTube TV or $14.99 to buy on Fandango.
Go out or stay in? Go out. In addition to shelter from streaming costs, Beer Bunker offers a fine stockpile of affordably priced local and out-of-area bottles, good acoustics for conversation and an imposing stack of board games. Dogs are indeed welcome.
Side note: Bottle shops, in general, seem well suited to watching movies and TV. Anecdotally, they’re quieter than other bars, possibly because many don’t serve hard alcohol.
Side side note: How would the world react in 2026 if Stephen King went missing?
Awesome Beer Bar
8600 N Ivanhoe St., awesomebeerbar.com, 3–9 pm Monday–Thursday, 3–10 pm Friday, noon–10 pm Saturday, noon–8 pm Sunday.
What was on TV when we visited: Labyrinth (1986)
Cheapskate drink pairing: $4 dragonfruit mango Untitled Art Florida Seltzer, $6 Boneyard Passion Orange CBD soda (NA).
Cost to stream at home: Available with subscription to Peacock, Netflix or Disney+ or $3.99 to rent on YouTube, Apple TV and Google Play
Go out or stay in? Go out. For a rowdy kind of St. Johns night, head to Slim’s. For a quieter time, go nearby to the bottle shop where TV is key to the vibe. Co-owner Kellye Fuscardo hosts weekly Survivor viewing parties (with a winners pool) and jokes half-seriously about officially becoming a “reality TV bar.”
Of her four screens, Fuscardo keeps one tuned to nostalgia-inducing ’90s offerings like Legends of the Hidden Temple. Another plays classic Westerns or, often, M*A*S*H. And one TV opposite the bar Fuscardo sets to whatever she feels like watching that shift, which on a recent Saturday was Family Guy. Earlier that night, ABB’s screens were set to Saturday Night Live with the sound on. “I figure, it’s my bar,” Fuscardo says. “I’m going to make everyone watch SNL.”
Low Bar
724 E Burnside St., @lowbar_pdx on Instagram. 5 pm–midnight Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 4 pm–2 am Friday and Saturday, 4 pm–midnight Sunday.
What was on TV when we visited: Back to School (1986), Superbad (2007).
Cheapskate drink pairing: $5 Rainier, $4 Jell-O shots, free seltzer water and lime.
Cost to stream at home: Back to School is available with a subscription to Amazon Prime, AMC+ or Sling TV or for $2.99 from Fandango or $3.99 from Apple TV; Superbad is available on Amazon Prime with a subscription or for $3.99 on YouTube, Google Play or Apple TV
Go out or stay in? Go out. Located under a live music and dance venue, this place is known to swell with revelers after events, and the Jell-O shots reportedly flow. But when it’s slow, servers will ask if there’s a show or movie you’d like to watch on the overhead screens. (This is common at other spots as well, I learned. These people work long shifts; it doesn’t matter to them.)
But here, since I had a lot of work to do on my laptop, I opted to half-watch two classic comedies (that hold up fairly well) in the bar as Eminem played on the sound system. People were never meant to do one thing at a time.
Brooklyn Park Pub
3400 SE Milwaukie Ave., 503-234-7772. 4 pm–midnight Monday–Saturday, 2-10 pm Sunday
What was on TV when we visited: Groundhog Day (1993)
Cheapskate drink pairing: $3 Michelob Ultra, $6 DownShift Wild Tangerine terpene-infused sparkling water (NA).
Cost to stream at home: Available with subscription to Amazon Prime, YouTube Plus or MGM+ or $3.99 to rent from Apple TV.
Go out or stay in: Go out. For those worried they’re stuck in a doom loop, Harold Ramis’ archetypal rom-com has played continuously at this celebrated neighborhood bar since it opened 20 years ago. (Lore has it that owner Nate Dewey’s birthday is Feb. 1, and this is how he likes to celebrate.) In light of this deal, watching Groundhog Day in Portland any other way is fiscally irresponsible.
