The Florida Room The Florida Room is a little slice of heaven in north Portland…once you get past envisioning the constantly strobing dots of colored light as rifle sights trained on your beloved’s forehead! Its all part of the ambiance, I guess. Anyhoo, we unabashedly loved the Florida Room and ...
George’s Corner Tavern – 2023 Update George’s Corner Tavern is another long-lived dive along Interstate Avenue. In business since 1934, the neighborhood is a touch gritty as evidenced by the multitude of security cameras and combination lock on the bathroom door. But the large dedicated parking lot is a welcome ...
Nite Hawk Cafe and Lounge Established in 1931, the Nite Hawk Café and Lounge is a jovial stop along Interstate Avenue. Filled with regulars, happy chatter and smiling faces on our visit, we felt welcome instead of suspect (like at some other establishments; not necessarily a bad thing). It’s a ...
St Johns: A Portland Dive Bar Wonderland What’s up with the St Johns neighborhood in Portland and why are there so many good dive bars there? Well, a peek at the history of this chunk of North Portland reveals blue collar roots and an industrial heritage since being incorporated as ...
Marie’s We weren’t planning to stop at Marie’s, but the deliciously dark interior sucked us right in on our way to Slim’s. Little did we know, that was just the beginning because this crazy place is actually three bars in one! Walk into Marie’s and you find a somewhat standard, ...
The Wishing Well Restaurant and Nightclub My age is showing, but I kept hearing the lyrics from that 80s song as we walked into the ‘nightclub’ area of The Wishing Well Chinese Restaurant and Nightclub… “A wishing well to kiss and tell”. I don’t know how much kissin’ and tellin’ ...
Blue Bird Tavern We hit this spot at the tail end of an extensive research day in St John’s. Every and I mean EVERY bartender in the area knew the Blue Bird Tavern and either looked at us askance or made comments to the effect of “good luck with that” ...
Your Inn Tavern Look beyond the unfortunate name of the Your Inn Tavern (say the first two words fast and think of waterfalls) and what you will find is an historic Portland dive bar. Open since 1923, this is a charming little spot on a sleepy street in the St ...
The Perch Bar & Grill The Perch Bar & Grill is a neighborhood institution and has been in operation since the 1940s as near as anyone can tell. And our bartender/cook/waitress Lori has been here for 28 years, so she should know the history better than damn near anyone. Apparently, ...
The Ranger Tavern The Ranger Tavern is the Cheers of dive bars. Don’t understand that reference? Brush up on your 80s tv. In a nutshell, it’s a place where everyone knows your name. Their motto even speaks to this ethos: “Never a stranger at The Ranger Tavern”! Comfortable and welcoming, ...
Over Easy Bar Serendipity led us to while away an hour at The Over Easy Bar (AKA The Over Easy Bar and Breakfast) on the corner of the 6 points in St Johns. Jason welcomed us in for a greasy breakfast and a stiff, see-through breakfast cocktail to start the ...
Slim’s Restaurant & Lounge Slim’s Restaurant & Lounge is very much a Portland style dive bar – Slim’s has excellent food and tap list in a pleasingly divey setting. Dark and smelly with a sticky floor, don’t-stay-too-long barstools and an awesome menu with solid beer and whiskey selections. Fun old ...
