Anchor Bar Well, it is a dive bar, I’ll say that much. Not exceptional, but Anchor Bar is more than serviceable. Should you find yourself nearing the wilds of Vancouver and in need of a good stiff drink or a quick bite to eat, you can comfortably do so at ...
Gil’s Speakeasy Tavern Gotta admit, I’m a sucker for below street level bars. Something about descending into the depths of a dingy dive bar, it feels like you’re getting away with something naughty. Gil’s Speakeasy Tavern is a fantastic spot. Small, but not claustrophobic. 2 rooms, pool table, shuffleboard, video ...
Starday Tavern Name another bar where the house dog greets you at the door. Well, this is Portland, so maybe there are others, but none that I have encountered. Genghis is a ball of friendly canine delight that sets the tone in this classic dive bar. Starday Tavern has great ...
Holman’s Bar & Grill The question was hanging over us and we needed to settle it – is Holman’s Bar & Grill (AKA “Holman’s Restaurant”) a dive or just a divey restaurant? Well… let’s just say it swings both ways. Two thirds of it is a regular diner-y restaurant and ...
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 ...
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 ...
Dots Cafe Dots Cafe has a delightfully divey vibe. Pleasingly dark space with fun light fixtures, retro flocked wallpaper and numerous dusty old cheesy velvet paintings on the walls. We sat in the best seat in the house – a booth beneath velvet Elvis, of course. Dots is for sure ...
The Twilight Room, AKA The T Room A close associate and U.P. grad highly recommended The Twilight Room 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, ...
Mad Hanna From the outside, Mad Hanna is in 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 ...
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 ...
