Bye and Bye

By AP Kryza

The interior of Alberta's beloved Bye and Bye is fine. Standard Portland Mason-jarred shabby chic, with garage-style doors, bike art and kitschy bike portraiture amid the wood slats, and Portlanders who insist on lining up single-file rather than just stepping the fuck up to the bar to order a tallboy or a great cocktail like My Nephew's Uncle ($9), a nicely nuanced take on the Manhattan that pairs up remarkably with the smoky vegan BBQ on offer. But the interior of Bye and Bye is inconsequential. You're here for the patios. Both of them (well, 2.5, if you count the little open-air annex butting up against the stupid tiny-house hotel). Out front, there's a series of parking lot-facing picnic tables for those looking to gaze upon the Alberta chaos. Out back, it's full-on zen, with bamboo and a water feature offering up tranquility augmented by that fake-meat smoky smell. Is it a scene? Well, yeah…this is the place whose owners and bartenders spawned Jackknife and Dig a Pony. But at the right time—when people come to drink and bask and chain smoke rather than be seen—it's possibly the best outdoor scene on the drag.

HAPPY HOUR: 4-7 pm daily. $1 off entrees, select drafts, house wine and well cocktails.

1011 NE Alberta St., 503-281-0537, thebyeandbye.com. Noon-2 am daily.

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