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Most birds, no matter how beautiful they grow up to be, begin life as awkward-looking hatchlings. The new LGBTQ+ bar Peacock PDX, which opened in September in the Morrison Street space that for decades housed the queer bar Crush, is still in its fledgling era, but don’t call it an ugly duckling just yet. While the bar’s menu is still growing up to its predecessor’s standards, its entertainment roster is fully ready to strut and foster community in the Buckman neighborhood.
Owners Zoe Nelson, Aaron Grimmer and Rayne Yamanoha spent most of 2025 refurbishing Peacock with more than just a kaleidoscopic paint job. The new business brightened up the historically queer space with a namesake wall mural, glittery new bartop, and ombre glitter-splashed toilet stalls, which yes, are still fully gender inclusive. The fresh coat of rainbow paint breathes new life into the space familiar to former Crush patrons.
The back room’s layout and stage remain, but with the addition of a green room for performers, shares Billy Banger, event producer with The Gay Barn. They mention that the lighting and sound components have also received a facelift from the Crush era. The bar was bustling during a recent Friday evening visit—a full bartop, no vacant tables, and a back room filled with patrons awaiting the RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 18 viewing party hosted by Jay Colby. Attendance for Lavender Rain, a pop-up strip club, has been 20 to 30 percent higher when hosted at Peacock compared with other venues by Banger’s estimation.
“The difference between working with Crush and working with Peacock is night and day,” Banger says. “It’s totally revitalized. I’ve seen the owners there every single time I’ve put on an event. You can tell they’re really invested and that they care.”
While events are drawing patrons to Peacock, its menu is still growing into itself. House beverages lack novelty, but they get soft finger applause for their fun names. The Bold Fashioned ($12) comes in a double rocks glass filled to the brim, although the Four Roses bourbon, Demerama chocolate, and super spice bitters tasted watered down on a recent Friday night. The Pink Pony Club ($11), an assemblage of vodka, pineapple, grenadine, 7-Up and lime, was sweet and simple—nothing a home mixologist couldn’t whip up. This makes sense, as speed is key in nightlife. To quote Chappell Roan, she gets the job done.
Hold out hope for the espresso martini ($12). Advertised as Ketel One vodka, Mr Black coffee liqueur and cold brew, it came out of a machine and tasted like a nitro coffee stout. That might be a turnoff for some people, but fortunately I as a beer drinker imagined I was sipping a cold one out of an inappropriately fancy glass. Next visit, I’ll stick to one of the four draft microbrews from Gorges Beer Co.
The food menu follows Crush’s lead of serving affordable options, but seems to lack an overall theme. My eclectic selection of the night included fried stuffed mushrooms (which were fine, albeit not in fact stuffed with anything), baked potato hand pies by The Humble Dumpling, and a chicken tortilla soup ($8 each). These dishes aren’t bad and plentifully served, but they struggled to leave a lasting impression.
Peacock isn’t perfect, but it’s a welcome and urgently needed addition to Portland’s queer nightlife scene. Crush’s closure came after post-pandemic LGBTQ+ bars Sissy Bar shuttered in 2024, and before Misfits and Doc Marie’s closed this past spring and Halloween, respectively. Seeing the Southeast Morrison Street hub active within the queer community is a welcome change from, well, nothing. The Peacock crew might still be figuring out what works behind the bar, but it’s clear the owners’, employees’ and entertainers’ hearts are in the right place. It missed the mark to celebrate Pride last summer, but who knows how different things will be with the community’s support come this summer?
TRY IT: Peacock PDX, 1400 SE Morrison St., 503-946-8929, peacockpdx.com. 3 pm–midnight Tuesday–Thursday and Sunday, 3 pm–2 am Friday and Saturday.
