The Korner Pocket Bar What a comfortable, friendly and thoughtful place! Not words I commonly use to describe a dive, but Korner Pocket 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 ...
Da’ Hui Bar & Grill 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 ...
George’s Corner Tavern I was so hungry when we arrived at George’s Corner Tavern 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. ...
The Slammer Tavern It’s impossible to be unhappy at The Slammer Tavern 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 ...
Billy Ray’s Dive Billy Ray’s Dive is 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 ...
The Candlelight Restaurant and Lounge Business in the front, party in the back! Yep, it’s the mullet of dive bars. The Candlelight Restaurant and Lounge 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 ...
Mousetrap Tavern Mousetrap Tavern is a cute neighborhood-y place. It’s a little light inside and the service is a bit too friendly for this to be a traditional dive bar. It has a good long bar with comfy barstools which have backs for when you are ready to belly ...
The Cosmo Lounge The Cosmo Lounge is the quintessential dive bar. Pleasingly dark with lots of bar stools complete with the always-a-good-sign ripped-vinyl seats, scattered tables, and a surly bartendress. There’s fun, cheesy velvet art, an assortment of B movie posters, and even framed bad 80’s albums on the walls. ...
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 ...
Railside Pub Is it open? Hard to tell since the only vehicle parked in the lot at Railside Pub 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, ...
The Spare Room We almost drove right past the Spare Room Restaurant & Lounge, 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 ...
What is a Dive Bar? Plenty of people profess to know what a dive bar is, but are sadly mistaken. They think every bar is a dive bar. Or that their beloved local spot is a dive, just because they hang out there with their friends every Saturday night drinking ...