Skip to main content
Veritable Quandary has been one of the city's more
famous and beloved restaurants over the past 45 years (not to mention
it's the O.G. Willamette Week watering hole), but most of the headlines
it's made recently are unrelated to its gustatorial acclaim. The city is
planning to use the unused, government-owned plot next to VQ as a site
for a new courthouse. VQ's patio is partly on this land, but is not in
any risk of being torn down. If you can get past a teary-eyed king
mourning the ruination of his patio's view, this place isn't bad. The
dark wood bar and brick walls add a cozy yet sophisticated air to the
gin joint. At $7 a pop, there isn't much price difference between the
well martinis and the cocktail menu (about $9 per). But you didn't come
here to get hammered, that would merely be boorish. You came here to
munch on some duck cracklings ($5), sip on a Gibson served with sliced
white onion ($7), and join together with other well-to-do Portlanders to
mourn the loss of a patio's ambience.
Entertainment: Watching Rome fall.
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