Skip to main content2035 NE Glisan St., 235-5690. 11:30 am-2:30 am daily.
In Portland, if not the rest of the
world, the sentimentality we feel for our favorite bars is almost
entirely based on individual experience. But since 1958, Club 21 has
managed to charm untold visitors before they even set foot inside.
Seemingly airdropped into Kerns from an enchanted forest—or at least the
Enchanted Forest theme park in Salem—it looks like the place garden
gnomes would go to drink after a long day of guarding their masters'
lawns. It's a treasure of weirdo architecture on par with that
jug-shaped strip club on Sandy, and might be the only local watering
hole to inspire an entire compilation of songs written in its honor.
Though it received a cosmetic "upgrade" in 2011, the interior is still
'70s ski-lodge chic, all random bric-a-brac—a taxidermied deer head
here, a promotional poster for Chuck Norris in Braddock: Missing in
Action III there—and roaring fireplace, which makes it especially
inviting on those rare Portland snow days. (It seemed like the entire
neighborhood packed in to watch a Blazers game during Snowpocalypse
2014.) Sitting ominously in a large parking lot real-estate developers
must salivate over, its future always seems to be in peril. Even with
the protection of an extended lease, Club 21 could get beamed back to
its home planet at any moment. Best make your own memories while you
can.
Happy hour: 3-7 pm Monday-Friday. $1 off food, well drinks and wine, 50 cents off drafts.
Entertainment: Pinball, video poker, Blazers, jukebox, occasional live music and DJs.
Our Favorite 178 Portland Bars | Bar of the Year: Stammtisch | Best Bars No. 2-5
Strip Club Hangouts | Sports Bars | Shot 'n' a Back | English Bars | Dessert Cocktails
Patio Bars | Bars That Look Like Houses | Skee-ball Bars | Cart Pod Bars
Where to Eat After Bar Close | The Most Important Little Bar 'Hood in Portland
WWeek 2015