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So you’ve been fastidiously following your no-booze, no-fried foods, no-meat, no-carousing, no-drunken games of darts (sorry about your eye, but they grow back, right??) New Year’s agenda? Well, that’s enough of that. When the wind howls and your stomach growls, it’s time for cozy booths, steak & kidney pies, deep-fried sausage-wrapped eggs, overflowing pints, and good craic, which you’ll find at these fine Portland pubs.
You can’t help but love this Goose Hollow oldie but goodie, especially when you’re firmly planted in a booth with their renowned Reuben and a pitcher of beer.
The last time I was in the real County Cork, our rental Fiat blew a tire, I had some rather disappointing Guinness stew, and an impudent beagle ate our entire wheel of Cashel Blue cheese out of the boot when we weren’t looking. I think I prefer THIS County Cork, plus, they accept dollars. Live music on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Tucked down a quiet Hollywood side street, this kitsch-spattered British pub is the perfect place when you need something a bit stronger than tea, govnah. Like some Old Speckled Hen, authentic shepherd’s pie, and a rousing game of darts.
When you’re in the mood for a spot of Strongbow, steak & kidney pie, fish 'n chips, and perhaps some bangers, head to this low-energy (in a very good way) British pub on Belmont, motto “if it were any more authentic, you’d need a passport.” Check the events page on their website for the soccer viewing schedule.
In spite of its somewhat far-out location, this local beer-brewing behemoth’s North Portland Gasthaus Pub is predictably packed with brew lovers enjoying Fondue pretzels, Amber Ale-braised kielbasa, and of course, the fruits of the tap. Gluten free diners, the GF menu considerately includes both food and beer.
Lots of dark and cozy nooks and crannies, plenty of ales on tap, pretty darned good Scotch eggs, hefty burgers and a heated patio make this popular Scottish pub worth a stop, especially if your kilt (or worse, what's under it) is frozen stiff on a frigid winter’s night.
After a $3 second run flick at the beautiful Bagdad Theater, why not stop into the adjoining pub for a pint or two, an order of Cajun Tots, and perhaps a game of pool? I would.
Oh, the memories…of when I lived a scant few blocks from this NW 21st bar and could stagger home after one too many cocktails and random conversations. Cozy up to a bowl of mussels and a hefty Belgian ale in the winter, sip Moscow Mules and lounge about the back patio in the summer. Then stumble/cab/rickshaw home.
There are plenty of good reasons to spend the evening here—sexy lighting, good looking hipster crowd, excellent cocktails, great prices, but number one on my list is the incomparable spaetzle.
Every neighborhood needs a supremely comfortable gathering place where everybody knows your name, or at the very least, makes room for you at the bar. This jolly little tavern has everything you could ever want in a local watering hole—all day happy hour on Sunday, Monday trivia nights, Clam Chowder Fridays, and free cornhole.
This North Portland beer bar has an interesting and ever-changing draft list, more than 250 bottles in gorgeous vintage coolers, and some very tasty pasties (I like the beefy Nater myself). They also have a little something called Free Bacon Night (every 2nd Monday), which pretty much says everything you need to know.
Minimalist surroundings let you focus all the harder on this Fremont St. pub’s excellent house cocktails (you can even order a No Hassle Night, only in liquid form though, the rest is up to you) and bar menu—please, promise me you’ll get the smoked cheddar mac n’ cheese, it’s at the top of its class.
