10 Best Bars in Downtown, Portland

Once your eyes adjust to the romantically dim lighting, you'll find a curved bar, leather banquette seating, and polished-wood ceilings and walls in this Old Hollywood–themed bar in the Hotel deLuxe. The trendy cocktails are garnished with herbs culled from the hotel's garden.

The city's oldest restaurant (est. 1879) is notable for its old-fashioned feel and iconic Spanish coffee cocktail, which is set aflame at your table. The old bar in the back has great character. Huber's is on the ground floor of the historic Oregon Pioneer Building, which is now the snazzy Hi-Lo Hotel.

The darkly inviting but rather tiny sister bar to adjacent Grüner restaurant specializes in handcrafted cocktails, a well-curated selection of microbrew ales, and interesting wines. The kitchen turns out tasty nibbles, with an emphasis on cheese and charcuterie boards.

With a reputation as an after-work eating and drinking hangout among local Portland chefs and restaurant workers, this always-hopping Vietnamese joint offers well-executed cocktails, such as the Single Knight: Four Roses Single Barrel bourbon, pho syrup, Angostura orange bitters, and a Lapsang souchong tea ice cube. The kitchen turns out delicious eats until 11 each night.

With a 7,500-square-foot spring-loaded dance floor built on ball bearings to ramp up the energy, this historic former dance hall draws local, regional, and national acts most nights of the week. Past performers include Sleater-Kinney, Jefferson Airplane, Emmylou Harris, Tame Impala, and Angel Olsen.

Sip on beer, port, or single-malt scotch in the cavernous basement of Ringlers Annex, a pie-shaped corner pub in the atmospheric Crystal Hotel, right where Harvey Milk and Burnside streets meet. It's part of the famously offbeat McMenamins brewpub empire.

This low-key bar is the lone remaining LGBTQ+ hangout in the West End, which used to be the city's gay nightlife district (most of the gay bars are now spread around the city). There's a pool table, and light food service noon to closing. The plate-glass windows offer a view of Harvey Milk Street, and there's also popular sidewalk seating.

With its extensive wine list and proximity to Downtown theaters and museums, this wine and cocktail bar is a perfect spot for a post-concert drink, with a notable list of Northwest bottles. Don't miss the sustainably fished seafood and dozen-plus varieties of oysters.

With two homey, hipster-endorsed cafés in Northeast, Extracto holds its own against some of Portland's top roasters, thanks to its knowledgeable staff, careful bean selection, and small-batch roasting. There are two outposts on different ends of the Alberta Arts District the other is at 1465 N.E. Prescott Street.