The Trap

Rhymes with… We went into this dive bar so you don’t have to! I guess The Trap is technically a dive bar; for a decidedly middle aged white clientele.

There’s the obligatory video poker machines, a menu featuring a whole lotta fried foods (I mean A LOT, but oddly, no jalapeño poppers). They have a big breakfast menu, 5 craft taps, Jello shots (!) and not just one, but 2 daily happy hours (AM and PM). There’s also pool, keno, and karaoke 7 nights per week (I’ll leave it up to you to decide if that last one is a good or a bad thing).

So that all sounds pretty good on paper, but there just wasn’t much character. This one left us cold, but plenty of other people seemed happy here at The Trap.

Quadrant: Southeast

Address: 3805 SE 52nd Ave, Portland – [Google Maps]

Happy Hours: 8-10am, 3-7pm, everyday

Full kitchen: Yes

Jalapeno Poppers: No

Breakfast: Everyday

Outdoor Seating: Streetside tables

Distinguishing features: Cheap breakfast, karaoke

Co-Conspirator Note (Arthur): At the time I’m writing this (July 2023), The Trap Restaurant has 605 Google reviews. That’s really respectable, so clearly there are a bunch of folks who really do enjoy it. It’s been a while since this review was written, so maybe we’ll have to pop in again and see if maybe it was just an off day. Or if it wasn’t! 😀

Words by KC is me

Photos by Steven Shomler