Happy Hour Neighborhood Roundup: Montavilla
Tucked away between the eastern slope of Mt. Tabor and busy 82nd Ave is the area commonly referred to as Montavilla. The neighborhood itself technically stretches all the way east to 205 and all the way north to 84, but it’s this particular strip of four or five blocks along Stark Street that is most often associated with the name, and it boasts enough bars and restaurants for an afternoon happy hour crawl. Here are seven of our favorite spots to spend an afternoon in Montavilla. What neighborhood do you love to visit for a happy hour tour? Let us know at our Facebook or Twitter.
The Observatory
Exemplifying a neighborhood bar feel, The Observatory features a happy hour from 3 PM to 6 PM daily. Find plenty of great food at low prices, including $6 ginger sake mussels, $5 pate, and $6 plates of sliders, with pulled pork, blackened fish, and veggie burger options. Drink options are simple but good: $4 wells, $5 house wines, $5 rotating cocktail, and specials on beers, including a $2.50 bottle of select craft brew. (8115 SE Stark St.; 503-445-6284)
If anyone tells you that “Old Portland” is dead and that the city has no real dives left, take them to the Montavilla Station. This classic dive establishment is a nostalgia trip for Portland natives, and a destination for long-standing locals and industry workers. The happy hour, Monday through Friday, 4 PM to 7 PM, exemplifies the honest aesthetic: Fifty cents off Coors Light, Budweiser, and all well drinks, which are poured somewhere around three to five ounces. (417 SE 80th Ave.; 503-252-3240)
The Vintage Cocktail Lounge, unsurprisingly, specializes in classic drinks made with aplomb. The extensive evening menu can be pricy for a casual night out, but from 5 - 7 PM Monday through Saturday, and all day on Sunday, you can find a list of classic drinks like a negroni or Hemingway Daiquiri, all for just $6, while wines are just $5 a glass. If you’re hungry, you can find a spread of bar snacks from spiced nuts ($3) to a farmhouse cheese sandwich ($5). (7907 SE Stark St.; 503-503-262-0696)
During happy hour at the underrated sushi spot Miyamoto, you can find $4 sushi rolls, $5 nigiri trios, $3 gyoza, and more great Japanese food. Drinks include $5 sake and $2 Japanese beers, and a drink purchase is required in order to get happy hour food. Visit any day of the week between 4 PM and 6 PM for the specials. (422 SE 81st Ave.)
A bar and casual Southern restaurant, Roscoe’s doesn’t offer drink specials during happy hour, citing that the tap-list is already about as cheap as you can get for the quality. Still, it’s hard to find a more affordable Southern dinner in town than happy hour here. Every day from 2 PM to 6 PM oysters are $1.75, sliders are $5, and gumbo is just $6, among plenty of other options. Don’t feel like Southern food? You can order off the happy hour menu from Miyamoto’s, and they’ll bring it over. (8105 SE Stark St.; 503-255-0049)
The Beer Bunker
An underrated beer bar (and maybe the residents of Montavilla want to keep it such), The Beer Bunker has almost 30 different rotating taps, most of which are local beers and the occasional cider. Happy hour here is simple and all you could want: From 3 PM to 6 PM, every day of the week, all pints are $1 off. It may not be flashy, but it’s still a great deal, especially in the summer when the back patio lends itself to day drinking. (7918 SE Stark St.; 503-254-8200)
Relatively new to the neighborhood is Redwood, the brainchild of Susie Blue, formerly of Broder and Savoy. It’s more of a restaurant than a bar, and happy hour is a great way to sample the menu. Sambal fish sauce chicken wings are $7, grilled eggplant with tomato confit is $8, and fried brussels with cumin and coriander are $6, to name a few. Well drinks are $4, house wines are $6, and you can grab a tall-boy of domestic beer for $1.50. Happy hour here is from 5 PM until 6 PM, then again from 10 PM until close. (7915 SE Stark St.; 503-841-5118)
Photo via Alexander Frane
