Skip to main content
Aviary
(1733 NE Alberta St., 503-287-2400, aviarypdx.com.)
Happy hour 5-7 pm weekdays.
Aviary's happy hour—perhaps because the bar itself is tucked behind the restaurant—remains one of Portland's best-hidden secrets. Oysters are a respectable $2.50, sure, but put your money on the $7 slaw dog. Does $7 not feel cheap for a hot dog? Order the damn thing, and discover it to be the the city's best frankfurter—an Olympia Provisions sausage that has been smoked in-house to bring out a torrent of meat flavor. Other treats include tempura green beans or a truly excellent duck liver pâté on toast for $5.
Cafe Castagna
(1758 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 503-231-9959, castagnarestaurant.com. )
Happy hour 5-6 pm and 9 pm-close Tuesday-Friday.
Portland's only true fine-dining restaurant—no supper club, no fried chicken, all tablecloth—also sports a cafe that might as well be a burger joint between 5 and 6 pm. Sure, there are $2 oysters and $7 crisped duck-fat potatoes, brightly acidic pickled vegetables available for $2, and a generous $5 cocktail and $6 wine menu bolstering $4 craft drafts. But that burger is a revelation—made startlingly light, despite all the beef, by the bright acidity and pleasing crunch of some of the city's finest housemade pickles.
Trifecta
(726 SE 6th Ave., 503-841-6675, trifectapdx.com.)
Happy hour till 6 pm Sunday-Friday, till 5 pm Saturday.
Fulfill your entire calorie quota for the day by eating a $10 pimento cheeseburger at happy hour—oozing and monstrous and double-stacked with both patties and cheeses in a thick bun that simply can't compete with the protein-packed salt and fat of the thing. Combine that with a $6 Old-Fashioned, Sazerac or Negroni, and you are either off to a hell of a start on your weekend or in a Monday food coma that will take you straight home.
Old Salt
(5027 NE 42nd Ave, 971-255-0167, oldsaltpdx.com.)
Happy hour 5-6 pm daily.
In a drinking neighborhood cruel in its bereftness, Old Salt is an oft-overlooked option with a sort of sexy rear bar. It's home, you will find, to every half-tipsy professional in the 'hood. But get there before 6 pm for happy hour and you might not even need a job to afford it—with a menu stacked with Old-Fashioneds, Manhattans and daiquiris for a mere $6 alongside $3 honey biscuits and $4 ham biscuits.
Davenport
(2215 E Burnside St., 503-236-8747, davenportpdx.com.)
Alongside its expert selection of well-made cocktails, Davenport is secretly one of the best wine bars in town. Come early or late to avoid the dinner rush, and then take advantage of co-owner Kurt Heilemann's unmatched palate for wine pairings, and his geekily deep obsession with obscure styles, wines and even flavors. The easiest thing to do? Pick something weird to eat—then ask what wine you should drink with it.
Welcome to Bar Guide 2017 | Where To Find a Copy of Bar Guide 2017
The 100 Best Bars in Portland | How We Selected Them
Bar of the Year 2017: Bar Casa Vale
2. Century | 3. The Know | 4. Lombard House | 5. The Old Portland
Portland's Party Patios, Porches and Rooftops | Scumbag Breakfasts, Ranked
$6-and-Under Happy Hour Burgers | Portland's Finest Restaurant Bars | Late-Night Happy Hours | $1 Oyster Happy Hour Deals | Best Bar Pizzas | Dope Discount Nachos | Fancy Jell-O Shots | Tapas
Where to Play Shuffleboard | Pinball | Pool Halls