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1. Holy Goat Social Club
1501 NE Fremont St., 503-282-0956, holygoatpdx.com. 2-10 pm Monday-Saturday.
It’d be inaccurate to describe Holy Goat as a “new” bar. Longtime residents of the Sabin neighborhood will remember the tiny watering hole as Daddy Mojo’s, and though it’s undergone a change in ownership and name, the rebrand mostly amounts to an aesthetic upgrade rather than a full-scale remodel. Regulars will still find what they’re looking for: a drink menu consisting of stiff takes on old classics, soul music on the stereo, and soul food in the kitchen.
2. TopWire Hop Project
8668 Crosby Road NE, Woodburn, 503-982-5166, topwirehop.com. 11 am-8 pm Thursday and Sunday, 11 am-9 pm Friday-Saturday.
The state’s most secretive beer garden is hidden among the crops at Crosby Hop Farm in Woodburn. Follow the half-mile gravel road that runs between the bines and you’ll wind up at a 40-foot shipping container repurposed as a serving station pouring from 10 rotating taps exclusively featuring batches made with the hops growing around you. This season, that includes a collaboration with brewer Grains of Wrath to produce three different IPAs that use the brewery’s base recipe with rotating hop varieties from Crosby to showcase how the aromatic cones transform the taste of the beer.
3. Bar Bar
3943 N Mississippi Ave., 503-889-0090, mississippistudios.com. Noon-11 pm daily.
With the exception of a ban on huddling around the fire pit, it’s business as usual at this beloved pre- and post-show party spot adjacent to Mississippi Studios—lack of live music be damned. The tap list is consistently above average, with three IPAs and a soul-warming stout from Ferment available on a recent visit, and the entire setup is frictionless and reliable.
4. Portland Cà Phê
2815 SE Holgate Blvd., 503-841-5787, portlandcaphe.com. 8 am-3 pm daily.
Admittedly, we’re talking about a buzz of a different kind here. Portland Cà Phê opened less than a month ago, but its signature Vietnamese coffee drinks have already managed to become iconic. You’ve surely seen what’s already become a signature snap of the Southeast Holgate coffee shop on your socials: a perfect purple ube latte held aloft in front of a wall-sized map of Vietnam. It tastes as good as it looks.
5. Landmark Saloon
4847 SE Division St., 503-894-8132, landmarksaloon.com. 3-10 pm Monday-Friday, noon-10 pm Saturday-Sunday.
If you’re from a small country town, the Landmark will remind you of your hometown bar—a little grimy, a lot drunk, and always a ton of fun. The slightly ragged but highly functional outdoor space is covered in a perpetual haze due to the meat smoker in the corner, and the vibe is perpetually boisterous—those with rural pasts will feel a twinge of nostalgia for the bonfire you and your friends would spend every weekend at in high school.