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 ...
Slim’s Restaurant & Lounge – 2023 Update Slim’s Restaurant & Lounge was one of our very first dive bar articles from the pre-pandemic days (read our original review from 2019 here – https://www.portlanddivebars.com/slims-restaurant-and-lounge/) Reportedly first established in 1911, it felt right to revisit this iconic spot for an update and ...
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, ...
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, ...
Island Cafe How bougie did I feel pulling up to Island Cafe aboard a boat owned by some dear friends and fellow dive bar enthusiasts? Pretty damn bougie! But, Island Café rapidly brought me down several notches. Despite the enviable waterfront location smack dab in the middle of the Columbia ...
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 – In Memoriam “Sloan’s Tavern Is Closing” – https://bridgetownbites.com/2022/05/19/sloans-tavern-is-closing-portland-oregon/ 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...