Bare Bones Bar

The food here is not good; I’m confused by all the comments saying that they enjoyed their meal. I don’t have high standards in bar food, but I’ve tried the majority of the happy hour/​late night menus and have yet to find something I’d eat again. You can fool me once into trying dive bar tuna dip, but not twice…
But outside of the food, solid dive bar. Cheap drinks and you can get PBR on tap OR in a can. Really only go for Thursday Trivia because Paul is the best.

Frito pie, Russian tracksuits, skeletons
Need I say more?

I suspect the they add msg to there food because it is so damn good I have urges for bare bones food. Right now I’m craving the BLT. The food is speedy but so so great.

I didn’t spend too much time inside, but I do know that I got a shot of Crown Royal and a beer for $ 8. Good prices.
The bartender was nice and prepared my drinks quickly. There is outside seating with umbrellas to keep my pale skin from burning to a crisp, so that was cool.
I would choose this bar again if I’m in the area.

Decent atmosphere, they had some DJs spinning casually the night I went in. Tried the chicken sandwich, it was something like $ 9. It was ok, but not really in the $ 9 price range. However, they serve food late, so you pay for that I suppose.
The bouncer was a little rude because I had an out-​of-​state ID, but not anything to turn me off from the place entirely. Cool spot to stop by for a drink.

This is my favorite neighborhood bar — and it’s a neighborhood full of bars. Prices are good, the drinks are good. The staff is awesome. I just realized 2 amazing things after coming here for the past year… 1. their food is AMAZING. Seriously. Everything I’ve had has been super tasty. 2. Wednesday night bingo.
Seriously, in a neighborhood crowded with bars, give this place a shot.

Place is awesome good beer and drinks they have five pinball tables Dr. who, Creature From The Black Lagoon, tron, Star Trek (new) and monster bash. They also have Big Buck HD. Out side seats with tables no drinks outside after 10pm so its not to Loud for the houses around.

My husband and I stopped here for a cocktail before having dinner across the street @ Genoa, as their bar wasn’t open yet. I was a little skeptical beforehand, but there really wasn’t anywhere else to go and it was cold outside.
The atmosphere was very warm, inviting and clean — not the dive I thought it would be at all. We only had one drink each — but they were very good and reasonably priced. The place just had a very nice ambiance about it. We would definitely stop in again if we were in the area.

Good drink specials and sandwiches rock. Veronica, Dave and Alyna are great behind the bar, very friendly and attentive. Gotta love the slushie margaritas. Super comfortable atmosphere that has made it hard not to keep going back.

I’ve waited nearly an entire year to write this review to allow time to reflect. I’m not one to rate something poorly unless I truly feel I’ve had a bad experience. And, despite time passing, every time I drive past this place I cringe. It has, essentially been the only poor dining experience I’ve had in Portland, and only one of three in my life.
Marcus (who looks a lot like Russell Brand) leaves much to be desired with customer service. If you are not a regular or look like a Hawthorne native, that’s the first strike against you. If you patiently wait at the bar to place your order and then when approached, exchange short but sweet polite greetings and move to place your order you’ll be stopped mid-​sentence, corrected on how you should be speaking and then instructed to start again, strike two.
I had the Portabello & Olive Veggie Melt which was two limp pieces of bread with three slices of portabello, maybe a teaspoon of tapanade style olives and the cheese was nowhere to be seen. I should have taken a picture of it because I was frankly shocked as this place had received decent reviews of their food. I would have said something but honestly was afraid of the response I’d get after our initial impression (we didn’t need to add a third strike to the experience).
The reason I’m giving this place two stars is because of the Blood Orange and Jalapeño Margarita and the gal working the patio area (who was very pleasant and likable). I like an unusual cocktail and this one proved to be just that. It tasted fresh and hit the spot on the rather warm summer day when I visited and the service on the patio was a welcomed comparison to what we’d experienced inside.
Upon leaving, we thought we’d be polite and bus our own tables. There we were, standing at the end of the bar with dirty dishes in hand. Lance, upon seeing us, walked to the far end of the bar and proceeded to check in with each and every person sitting at the bar (shooting the sh*t for sure and about half way through, at one point, when he dropped a glass that broke, he kicked it like a soccer ball to the other end of the bar spraying broken glass on the floor along the way). It was a good 10 minutes before he got to us to take the dishes and allow us to close out our check.
First the first time in two years of dating, I saw my bf actually get angry in a social/​public setting.
To put it best, I turn to Carrie Brownstein of Portlandia. «[But] as we find with many of the characters on the show, sometimes the things that claim to be the most inclusive have all these esoteric rules to follow — in order to be part of that group — that it becomes so alienating or excluding.»
I think I have a great idea for a sketch for Season 4 of Portlandia.

Wow. I am sad to read all the scathing reviews here on Unilocal… it certainly makes me glad that I didn’t look this place up before going because I probably would’ve passed it on!
We came here at the recommendation of my cousin looking for a cool, relaxed bar where we could all catch up. The bartender that served us was really nice and patient. She was also really attentive, asking us if we wanted another round when we finished our drinks. Granted, the place wasn’t very busy and it was quite late (maybe 10PM or later?).
Now, someone else mentioned the blood orange & jalapeño margarita. Yes, do try it. It’s delicious. The bartender recommended no salt and I would have to agree. I think the drink was great on its own. It would be cool to do maybe raw sugar or a spicy salt. Our group also tried the «Peppy Patty» aka hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps. Our bartender graciously offered the iced version, seeing that PDX was experiencing some warmer weather.
Overall, a really cool bar to just come and hang out. I would definitely come again to try more cocktails and maybe the food!
One more thing… Big. Buck. Hunter. In HD!

Bare Bones is probably my favorite bar in all of Portland! One of the first times I came in after I moved into the neighborhood, I had a few too many and ended up leaving with an open tab. Now this had happened to me once before at an establishment downtown, so I knew the drill: I’d probably be looking at a 25% gratuity tacked onto my bill. When I walked in to get my card the next day told the bartender (Lance) that I had mistakenly left my tab open and left my card, he had closed it out with no tip for himself. Between their awesome staff, pinball machines, good music, trivia nights, awesome happy hour, and amazing Frito Pie I can’t stay away for very long.

My boyfriend and I were walking our dog and decided to stop here and get some drinks and food. We sat at the picnic tables outside, since it was so nice out and we had our dog. I ran in to order some drinks, and even though the place wasn’t that busy, the bartender took forever to notice me. He was talking to people at the other end of the bar, not paying attention. Everytime we went in to order more drinks or food, he was doing something else, other than helping costumers, that distracted him from us. Other than the semi-​lousy service, the place is pretty cool. I ordered the Tuesday special, two veggie tacos and a tall boy fro $ 5. The tacos were delicious! My boyfriend got the buffalo chicken sandwich and said it was just ok. He was hoping the chicken would be fried. The drinks are pretty cheap, at $ 4 a microbrew. Not too bad.

Not a fan. There is no waitstaff in a good sized place, the menu left a lot to be desired; no thanks.

Happy Hour all day Monday!
This means:
$ 1 off food (I got the tuna dip with jalepeno chips for 5 dollah)
$ 1 off cocktails
$ 2.50 wells
$ 1 off beer
We each had two drinks and split the dip for $ 15. I’m a happy camper. Cool place.
Sopranos pinball. Good jukebox. Lots of windows. Two doors. Small kitchen.
Breakfast sandwiches served all the time, starting at $ 4.
My only gripe is that it isn’t walk-​able from my place. Well, it is. I’m just lazy.

good Variety of drinks
good people good service
decent food
and Pinball!!!

Great place to grab a drink and just hang out. We usually go here during happy hour, when well drinks are $ 2.50 (AWESOME). Drinks are still pretty cheap during regular hours ($ 4). It’s even better that the bartenders make the drinks really stiff. I usually get just two drinks and I am GONE after that (the good (or bad?) thing about being lightweight.)
ALSO, the bartenders in this place are awesome and hilarious. They actually look like they’re enjoying what they’re doing and like to joke around and talk to people. The last time we were there, the bartender referred to my boyfriend as the «viagra guy» the whole night because she misread the bank name on his card (Niagra). Embarrassing for my boyfriend, but HILARIOUS to me.
The only reason I’m giving them 4 stars is that I haven’t tried their food yet. I like that they have a lot of vegetarian options though, so I might be trying their food soon.
I’m glad to have discovered this place. Definitely going to be one of our regular hangout places!

The food is different from typical bar fare, which was nice and quite tasty. Bartender was really pleasant and service was good. Will definitely return. Just a cool kind of joint to hang out.

This is where I do my pinball training. Theater of Magic is an incredible machine. It is serviced often, usually plays great. The bar itself is impressive, what a beautiful space.
The bartenders here are rad at what they do, it’s filled with a great cast of characters. They do trivia on Thursdays, dinner and a movie on Sundays. Man the juke is out of control, it’s a hit machine. This is the neighborhood hang out, stay classy Belmont.

Gluten-​Free Options: Heck yes! Sammies are on Udi’s bread, and they have several tasty gf options available.
Vegan Options: Yep!
Bathrooms: Non-​gendered single occupancy
The Bare Bones Bar is my new favorite late-​night place. Getting gluten-​free food past ten pm in this town is challenging, and getting it with a tasty drink is almost impossible. Not so at the Bare Bones Bar. They offer a full menu until 9 pm, but even their «bar food» is tasty and filling, with none of the usual fried-​till-​dead suspects. I highly recommend the banana peanut butter bacon (bpbb?) sandwich on gluten free bread; couple it with an adult beverage from the slurpie machine, and you’ve got a tasty guilty pleasure that’ll keep you coming back for more.