Park City Pub First off, I wanna lobby to bring back the former name of this establishment because it is so incredibly awesome: “Sir Loin’s”! Why would anyone ever change that name? I’m still chuckling to myself. That being said, I think the present, blander name fits the current incarnation. ...
Sloan’s Tavern We’ve been itching to get to this place and so glad we finally did! Especially since word on the street is they are closing for good at the end of this year (2022). And that’s a damn shame. This place is great! Walk past the semi-truck front-end inexplicably ...
The Korner Pocket Bar What a comfortable, friendly and thoughtful place! Not words I commonly use to describe a dive, but this is Rachel’s bar and that’s how she does it. How considerate of them to open at 7am! Too bad there is no breakfast on offer, but there is ...
Portland is truly a magnificent city – host to not just one, but two full blown tiki themed dive bars. That we know of! Somehow this absolute gem escaped our notice for years. Discovered by accident en route to another dive in the neighborhood, we couldn’t resist a stop. ...
Rumpus Room The name “Rumpus Room” gives me visions of a 1970’s era basement lair with rust colored shag carpeting, triangle shaped ashtrays, earth toned velveteen couches and a cheeky wet bar serving up cheap pull tab topped beers and Reunite on ice for the ladies…ok, back from fantasy land. ...
George’s Corner Tavern I was so hungry when we arrived at George’s only to be greeted with a view of a burned-out side building (courtesy of the friendly local arsonist) and news that the fried chicken we had been dreaming about was not available today as a result. Hangriness was ...
Donnie Vegas Talk about a thirst trap; Donnie Vegas’ Instagram account had us thirsting for a trip to this honest-to-goodness dive bar for a frequently featured “Frose”. Whatever the fuck that is! One sunny summer day we wandered in to find out what all of the hubbub was about. Imagine ...
The Slammer Tavern It’s impossible to be unhappy at the Slammer because everyday is Christmas!! No joke – Christmas décor, tchotchkes and extensive lights adorn every surface (somewhat concerning from a fire safety standpoint, but danger is part of the charm of dive bars, IMHO). I get a little bit ...
It’s a garden variety, pleasant enough neighborhood dive bar. I wouldn’t drive across town for it again, but would probably hang out there once in a while if I lived nearby. It has a calm vibe and the regulars seemed happy enough. The copper topped bar is neat. The upstairs ...
The Candlelight Restaurant and Lounge Business in the front, party in the back! Yep, it’s the mullet of dive bars. Looks like your garden variety seedy Chinese restaurant at first, but this one has a dive bar attached. It’s pretty clean inside, which was a surprise given the exterior. ...
The Mouse Trap Tavern It’s a cute neighborhood-y place. A little light inside and service bit too friendly to be a traditional dive bar. Has a good long bar, comfy barstools with backs for when you are ready to belly up for an extended period. 6 taps, 2 of ...
The Glasshouse Tavern A bargain hunter’s dream. Wow, what a hidden gem! And hidden in plain sight right next to 205. From the outside we were worried it might veer from dive bar into just plain scary bar territory, but we were pleasantly surprised after stepping inside. Nice and tidy, ...
Portland Lager – A Dive Bar Beer And So Much More At last! Cheap, easy-drinking beer without the spooky sweetness that portends a gnarly headache-heavy hangover. Just clean, crisp beer beer. Maybe physical labor reward beer. Or, I should really drink water but beer sounds better beer. Hot day by ...
The Trap Rhymes with… We went into this dive bar so you don’t have to! I guess it is technically a dive bar; for a decidedly middle aged white clientele. There’s the obligatory video poker machines, menu featuring a whole lotta fried foods (I mean A LOT, but oddly, no ...
The Elvis Room We went back and forth on this one – is it a dive bar or not? In the end we opted to feature it here as an honorable mention. I was sucked in by the name of this place as I am a huge fan of all ...
The Cosmo Lounge The quintessential dive bar. Pleasingly dark with lots of bar stools complete with ripped vinyl seats, scattered tables and a surly bartendress. Fun cheesy velvet art, B movie posters and framed bad 80’s albums on the walls. 1 pool table tucked away in a separate room. A ...
Sandy Hut This place is retro heaven, it is the hut of huts. We ventured in on a Sunday morning for breakfast, undeterred by the pile of puke on the sidewalk outside the front door. Somebody had a fun Saturday night. We were greeted by stellar mid-century modern décor that ...
The Yamhill Pub In a word: wow. This is a dive. I mean really a dive. Not a Portland kinda dive, a real, honest to goodness dive bar. The kind where you fear for your life a little – from the other patrons, from getting diseases from the glassware, from ...
The Alibi Tiki Lounge Iconic Portland destination Dive Bar. When you look up “Dive Bar” in the dictionary, a picture of this place should appear. It has it all! So dark you can’t tell if it is night or day once you disappear inside (and there’s a reasonable possibility that ...
The Twilight Room, AKA The T Room A close associate and U.P. grad highly recommended this stop and we were not disappointed. HUGE place, looks like it has been expanded multiple times over the years to accommodate its loyal clientele that appears to be a mix of U.P. students, garden ...
Mad Hanna From the outside it is a non-descript and a touch scary building in a random neighborhood, but behind the door lies an oasis! I never thought a dive bar could be pretty, but this one kinda is, oddly. Cozy, dark with fun and quirky décor; everything from a ...
The Lay Low It was a balmy summer night when we first wandered into the Lay Low. And so glad we did! This place has it all – dark, right size, great music playing, friendly and efficient bartender with a heavy hand. The memory of years of cigarette smoking inside ...
Railside Pub Is it open? Hard to tell since the only vehicle parked in the lot was a hearse, but we ventured in anyway. What a hidden gem! Perfect size, cozy but not claustrophobic. Clean without the acrid smell of industrial strength disinfectant. Lighter than most dives, but acceptable. Foosball ...
The Spare Room We almost drove right past it, not because it is tiny, but more because it is a weirdly nondescript monstrosity. But inside, it hits all of the right notes! Dark and dingy with the lingering aroma of bleach in the air. It’s a cavernous space. There’s not ...
Inspired By Her Steven Shomler and KC Shomler, AKA Diana Prince, had their first ever date at a dive bar in Vancouver, Washington. He loved that she she likes dive bars almost as much as he does. Almost immediately, the idea for this project began rattling around in Steven’s head ...
About Portland Dive Bars is a passion project that celebrates and highlights the great dive bars we have here in Portland, Oregon. The contributors are local writer “KC is me” AKA Diana Prince, and Portland Author Steven Shomler. Eventually this project will be a book, until then look for Steven ...
Follow Portland Dive Bars You can follow Portland Dive Bars here – Facebook — www.facebook.com/Portland-Dive-Bars Instagram account — www.instagram.com/portlanddivebars Kc is me You can follow Portland Dive Bars Contributor KC is me here – Website – www.recipesaremerelyasuggestion.com Facebook — www.facebook.com/KC-is-me Instagram account — www.instagram.com/kc.is.me Steven Shomler You can follow Portland Dive ...
What is a Dive Bar? A dive bar has character. Usually on the seedy side. It’s gotta be dark, somewhat sticky, smelly and has, at minimum, one vinyl seat repaired with duct tape. You will not want to drink from the glassware without verifying your immunizations are up ...
It’s nostalgia time here at Portland Dive bars! I’m taking a stroll back in time to my formative years and the place that ignited my devotion to all things divey. The original, the one that started it all… I’m talking of course about Bob’s Java Jive in my hometown of ...
