Skip to main content
Vegan punk spots in Portland are like the Hydra. Cut
one head off, and more will grow to take its place. Fast on the heels of
Slabtown's closure, punk-metal Black Water was worshipping at the altar
of seitan within months, throwing together a sold-out Divers show with
lines around the block before it was even running full hours. And the
place even looks like Slabtown, right down to the scuffed-wood stage
painted black and spartan rumpus-room decor. The food is pretty good, in
the old-school vegan way—lots of sauce and animal-free protein on the
$8 vegan cheesesteak. But for now, Black Water is a little like a vacant
clubhouse when shows aren't in session, and a madhouse when they are.
On an off Friday—with Tarantino's entire film oeuvre projecting onto an
above-stage screen in reverse chronological order—the bartender told
everybody drinking at the bar they should go to the show at Habesha next
door. So they did. But often enough there's touring metal, and if
you've got fucking Appendix in town from fucking Finland, nobody's going
to Habesha except on their knees.
Entertainment: Live punk and metal around three nights a week, projected TV or movies.
Our Favorite 178 Portland Bars | Bar of the Year: Stammtisch | Best Bars No. 2-5
Strip Club Hangouts | Sports Bars | Shot 'n' a Back | English Bars | Dessert Cocktails
Patio Bars | Bars That Look Like Houses | Skee-ball Bars | Cart Pod Bars
Where to Eat After Bar Close | The Most Important Little Bar 'Hood in Portland
WWeek 2015