Skip to main content1815 NE 41st Ave., 288-5164. 9 am-midnight Monday-Thursday, 9 am-2:30 am Friday-Saturday, 10 am-8 pm Sunday.
In the age of Barmaggedon, Blackwell's still has that
old bar smell—that distinctive, pre-smoking-ban odor that won't come out
no matter how many times you steam clean the carpet. If that turns you
off, then perhaps you're part of the problem. Truth be told, this
long-standing Hollywood neighborhood holdout is of an older school than
many of Portland's lamented parcels of paradise that got literally
and/or metaphorically paved over in the past year to accommodate
carpetbaggers of more discerning tastes. It has a pre-Beervana tap list,
pre-plasma TV sets, and there seemingly isn't a piece of beer-company
swag it won't affix to the walls. Its full name is "Grub Steak Grill,"
but if it didn't come out of the fryer, it's advised to avoid it. There
is a $5 minimum imposed on nights when a local blues band is playing in
the small cubbyhole near the exit, but don't worry, "it helps pay the
band," assures the bartender, who could be the chain-smoking great aunt
you haven't seen in years. When the actual Armageddon comes, all that'll
be left are cockroaches, Blackwell's and whoever happens to be sitting
at the video poker machines when the bomb drops.
Happy hour: 3-6 pm daily. $1 off wells and micros. Bring in a ticket stub from the nearby Hollywood Theatre and get happy-hour prices for 30 minutes.
Entertainment: Video poker, TV, live music.
WWeek 2015