Skip to main content
Migration Brewing has proven they’re the masters of the pop-up by opening temporary bars in places as varied as a dying mall, a bustling mall and Saturday Market. With its latest seasonal project, however, you might say the company’s goal is to “make downtown’s skyscrapers great again” by launching its second tasting room inside a towering building in the city’s core this year.
On Aug. 8, Migration announced it had officially begun welcoming drinkers inside the Wells Fargo Center at 1300 SW 5th Ave. That news came just weeks after it reopened its rooftop patio on the ninth floor of the Canvas building across from Providence Park. That sky-skimming bar was introduced in 2020 and returned every summer until last year, but the brewery revived the space with the building’s owner Urban Renaissance Group for 2023.
Rather than heading up again, Migration has taken over the just-renovated first floor of the Wells Fargo Center—the city’s tallest building. While most of that structure is home to offices, you certainly won’t feel like you’re in a cubicle farm at the taproom, which seats 40 and features black matte subway tile, the brand’s white-and-red logo and its own outdoor patio—just one without all of the elevation found at its sister location on the west side of downtown. There are also 10 taps for beer and wine as well as canned cocktails along with food by Addy’s Sandwich Bar.
The hours are a bit unusual—3-8 pm Tuesday through Thursday, so perhaps geared more toward the workers who have returned to their downtown desks. And right now, the arrangement is only set to run through the end of August, though Migration’s owners tell WW they’re open to extending their Wells Fargo residency.
“We are hopeful for the project and would love to see downtown continue to turn the corner,” the team added.