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10 Barrel
1411 NW Flanders St., 503-224-1700, 10barrel.com.
The 10 Barrel roof is perhaps the mightiest new roof in Portland—certainly the best for people-watching on a corridor replete with upscale W+K employees, suburban boutique shoppers and terribly fit Pearl clubgoers. But while they are on the street, you are up high, looking down on them. Foolish, foolish people on the ground. Up here on the roof, we are literally superior—and much closer to the sun—with fine Maine Squeeze or Joe IPA from fine Portland brewer Whitney Burnside. Just note that if the bar is busy and there's a wait, you might have to be very lucky to get a table upstairs: The staff won't let you specify you're waiting for the roof. Foolish, foolish 10 Barrel. We will wait for the roof, but only if it's guaranteed.
Altabira
1021 NE Grand Ave., Suite 600, 503-963-3600, altabira.com.
The inner eastside sure is fancy these days. Atop midscale, midcentury-modern Hotel Eastlund you'll find a beery pub called Altabira, formerly home to a Red Lion Hotel pub called Windows. The windows are still the best feature. You have an incredible view of downtown from the modernist steel patio furniture at this spacious bar, which has floor-to-ceiling glass walls and a large patio facing west. Restaurateur David Machado (Lauro Kitchen, Nel Centro) has assembled a long list of localish beers and a pretty decent bistro burger with white cheddar and caramelized onions on brioche. But get it and a $6 Moscow Mule only during happy hour—the hike is steep after 6 pm, rising from $7 to $14. Fancier isn't always better.
Treehouse Bar
Woodstock New Seasons, 4500 SE Woodstock Blvd., 503-771-9663, newseasonsmarket.com.
Woodstock doesn't have a lot to see from the air. The Southeast neighborhood's main drag is mostly one-story plazas filled with Safeway, Bi-Mart, banks and barbershops. Yet, the rooftop Treehouse Bar at the newish Woodstock New Seasons Market is a very pleasant place. There's an overhang to keep customers dry, gas heaters to keep them warm, and a nice drink selection to keep them happy—whether a stellar sour from Almanac, Heretic's desserty chocolate hazelnut porter, wine by the glass, or…all the nice bottled beer downstairs, in the store. Just get an OLCC-certified staffer to pop it for you up top, with a corkage fee of $0.
Fern Kitchen
2311 SE 50th Ave., 971-703-4398, fernkitchen.com.
Fern Kitchen is less a bar and more an all-natural cafe inside a yoga studio—except made awesome with beers on draft, wines by the glass, mimosas, and a patio and rooftop to drink them on. It may be the only "bar" in Portland where shoelessness and shirtlessness are welcome. You can wander up from Division Street for a bacon bison burger and Ninkasi on draft. Or, float in after "High on the Roof" yoga class for a tempeh veggie bowl and kombucha on tap. It closes early, so mimosas are your best bet—classic, orange ginger, apple beet or cucumber melon—or get an early-summer beer atop the most badass yoga studio in town.
Revolution Hall
1300 SE Stark St., 503-288-3895, revolutionhallpdx.com.
When Mississippi Studios and promoter True West teamed up to revive the long-dormant Washington High School as a mixed-use building centered on a concert theater, they envisioned the neighborhood that initially fought against Revolution Hall would eventually gather here, even on nights when the venue is dark. With the opening of Marthas, the project entered its "community hub" phase, a bright and high-ceilinged bar mixing modern furnishings with reclaimed pieces from the building's school days. But with the opening of the stunning roof deck—named Marthas Lookout—to the public, Rev Hall became an essential Portland fixture.
Willamette Week