Summer
patio drinking at dog-friendly establishments is one of the
much-heralded joys of Portland, but like seemingly everything great
about Puddletown, what happens the
other
nine months out of the year? With Bruce,
WWâ
s
unofficial mascot and office corgi, in tow, we braved the elements to
bring you this by no means comprehensive roundup of year-round
dog-friendly bars.
Lucky Lab Brew Pub
915 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 236-3555, luckylab.com.
This
is itâthe O.G. of dog-friendly pubs and the one place youâre guaranteed
to escape even the slightest hint of stink eye (and trust me, despite
what
The New York Times
thinks, thereâs stink eye to be had) from the general public. During
the winter, one half of the Labâs high-ceilinged, enclosed concrete
patio is heated and cordoned off with what looks like a giant industrial
shower curtain. Perfectly tolerable, so long as itâs not pouring rain
and dogs arenât actively urinating on the floor, the smell of which can
become trapped and amplified by the heat and curtain.
People bonus:
Spigot and accompanying bucket for accidents, both canine- and beer-related; cheap pretzels.
Bruce bonus:
Water bowls, sparrows, french fry-dispensing strangers who take kindly to beggars.
Amnesia Brewing
832 N Beech St., 281-7708.
In
the winter, Amnesiaâs sprawling sea of picnic tables is winnowed to
three rows tucked inside a cozy blue-and-white vinyl tent. Visitors
accustomed to Amnesiaâs friendly, back-porch neighborhood barbecue vibe
may feel a sense of banishment, especially at night (the tent does call
to mind a sort of purgatory for people with bad habitsâe.g., smoking,
bringing your pet to places of business), but the enclosure does feature
a preternaturally warm heating system, the most efficient of the bars
we visited. Be forewarned, however, that the bar menu is largely limited
to bratwurst, which you will be enjoying in an enclosed space filled
with dogs.
People bonus:
Growlers to go.
Bruce bonus:
Endlessly fascinating pieces of old food and gum stuck to the concrete.
New Old Lompoc
Hedge House
3412 SE Division St., 235-2215,
newoldlompoc.com.
âKids
and dogs are welcome,â states Hedge Houseâs website. Emphasis, it turns
out, on the kids. The normally spacious patio, conveniently located
next to Pix Pâtisserie, is in January reduced to a small,
plastic-wrapped cube at the rear of the property, more often than not
filled with no-dog families trying to eat dinner. Canine visitors will
do just fine here if theyâre able to contain their enthusiasm over the
presence of children. (Bruce is not, so we found ourselves quickly
moving on.)
People bonus:
Extensive food menu.
Bruce bonus:
KIDS! KIDS! KIDS!
Landmark Saloon
4847 SE Division St., 894-8132,
thelandmarksaloon.com.
Landmarkâs
patio is clearly at its zenith in summer, but two concessionary-looking
storage canopies (the kind Cabelaâs carries to house boats) and four
heaters are enough to keep it in winter service. The heaters were out of
propane the night we visited, but after a couple pints of Ninkasi
Sleighâr, this wasnât much of an issue. What was an issue, however, was
the expansive, impossible-to-avoid mud pit under the tables, courtesy of
La Niña. Maybe next year.
People bonus:
$1 off draft beers during Blazers games.
Bruce bonus:
Mud for digging.
WWeek 2015