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 ...
Misdemeanor Meadows Misdemeanor Meadows has been on our hit list for quite some time and we were so excited to finally visit! We ambled in on a Saturday afternoon around 5 only to be greeted by the sound of crickets and tumbleweeds blowing through: we were the only people there, ...
The Portland Dive Bar Passport Vol 1 Launch Party at Slim’s Was Awesome! On Sunday Oct 1, 2023 we held the launch party for Vol 1 of the Portland Dive Bar Passport at the fabulous Slim’s Restaurant and Lounge. A great time was had by all, check out the ...
The Cheerful Tortoise The Cheerful Tortoise in downtown Portland is nestled within a patch of high-rise dorms warehousing scads of Portland State University students. It is a bona-fide dive bar, but firmly under the subheading of college dive bar. Slinging beer and food since 1951, the space is a rabbit ...
Scooter McQuade’s Pass by the spacious covered outdoor area and enter into the dark, long and skinny dive bar that is Scooter McQuade’s (aka “Scooter’s”). In business since 1989, it looks much older than that. In an antique sort of way, not a rode-hard-and-put-away-wet kind of way. The mirror-backed bar ...
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, ...
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, ...