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632 E Burnside St., 503-233-3113, bsidetavern.com. 4 pm-2:30 am daily. Happy hour 4-7 pm: $1 12-ounce cans of Rainier.
Established: June 2006
As lower East Burnside Street gives way to developers' wet dreams of high rises that quite literally block out the sun, B-Side remains delightfully scummy, like a tattooed middle finger erect in defiance of the not-so-slow churn of the inner-east side's douchification. The anguish caused by all this could be easily read on the faces of B-Side's loyal patrons if the place weren't so damn dark all the time, but none of the requisite punks, street urchins and frazzled Sizzle Pie employees are here to admire the old concert fliers or awkward, Olan Mills-style portraits of lord only knows who that decorate the interior.
It's the patio out back, complete with heat lamps and enough ceiling coverage to cast serious suspicion on the claim of it being "outdoors," that serves as B Side's main attraction—especially now that the trademark crappy hour got slightly crappier, dropping from dollar tallboy to dollar 12-ouncer. But that heavenly patio is consistently packed with folks nursing a $2.50 tallboy of Olympia with one hand and an American Spirit with the other, and it will likely stay that way until the landlord decides the neighborhood is perilously low on Little Big Burgers. Until then, we drink!
Bar story: To celebrate B-Side's 10th anniversary, local metal heroes Red Fang made an appearance for what is probably the smallest gig they've played in their entire existence. If the show had been elsewhere, it's likely that management would've closed shop and given employees the night off, as is their wont to do when someone has a gig in town.
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