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Rontoms
600 E Burnside St., 503-236-4536, rontoms.net. Noon-11 pm daily.
The trends may change, but Rontoms stays cool. The bar remains a popular pick for the young and hip, and it’s immediately easy to see why. The signature cocktail, Bruja, is a favorite, packing a surprisingly spicy finish thanks to the pepper-pineapple-infused tequila and chile-salt rim. Sit beneath towering cherry blossom trees and bamboo (or angular wooden overhang) as you sip thoughtfully curated cocktails while reggae pumps out of the speakers, and dream of the longer, sunnier days ahead. ANYA REHON.
Features: Covered, Heated, Dog Friendly, Good for Large Groups.
Thunderbird
5339 SE Foster Road, 503-764-9819, thunderbirdbarpdx.com. 3-11 pm Monday-Thursday, noon-11 pm Friday-Sunday.
The menu at Thunderbird, one of Portland’s favorite vegan bars, is loaded with meat alternatives, from the Thunder Beyond Burger to poutine doused in vegan gravy and cheese. The drink menu is well stocked with classic and inventive cocktails, plus rotating slushies like strawberry daiquiri and amaretto sour. Vegan or not, come here for the laid-back atmosphere—with two covered patios filled with rows of blue picnic tables, finding a seat is rarely a problem. ANYA REHON.
Features: Covered, Heated, Dog Friendly, Good for Large Groups.
Radio Room
1101 NE Alberta St., 503-287-2346, radioroompdx.com. 9 am-11 pm daily.
The Radio Room rooftop is a low-key hot spot for viewing summertime sunsets. A view to the west shows the silhouette of the St. Andrews church spires darken against the sun lowering over the West Hills. The second-floor patio is cuddled by its north and east walls that keep the space shaded as the light creeps nearer the horizon. If you can’t snag a spot up top, you’ll enjoy the starry night experience on the ground floor patio, with a few tables around a large fire pit, covered fully with a canvas and tight grid of LED lights, where, on a clear night, you can look for constellations while drinking a classic cocktail or one of the rotating draft beer selections. Either way, prepare to put your name on a waitlist—it fills up for the 3-6 pm happy hour. ELIZA ROTHSTEIN.
Features: Dog Friendly, Large Groups, Heated, Covered
The Fixin’ To
8218 N Lombard St., 503-477-4995, thefixinto.com. 4-11 pm Wednesday-Saturday.
Wednesday through Saturday, the Fixin’ To is somewhere to hang out, drink cheap beer and nosh Arkansas-inspired snacks like Kool-Aid pickles and Frito pie. But on Sunday nights, the spot where Lombard turns the corner in St. Johns becomes “The Fishbowl,” a way for the venue to keep live music going until normal shows return. Inside, from what is usually the 100-capacity music room, bands now play on the stage turned 90 degrees, so they face the porch. Outside, separated by three giant windows, is the new PA system, along with 30 to 40 mask-wearing and, ideally, distanced ticketholders. The gigs began last fall before the holiday pause and started up again in April with locals like Rayon, No Year, Yuvees and Apollo Whatever. At the moment, shows are booked through June. JASON COHEN.
Features: Covered, Heated, Dog-Friendly, Good for Large Groups
Roadside Attraction
1000 SE 12th Ave., 503-233-0743. 3-11 pm daily.
If it wasn’t for the hand-painted sign out front advertising “COCKTAILS,” it’d be hard for the uninitiated to peg what lies behind the 8-foot fence at the corner of Southeast 12th Avenue and Yamhill Street. An artist encampment? An old hermit’s hoarder house? A junk shop that sells dull garden shears and replacement lawn mower parts? Indeed, Roadside Attraction is a bar, but spiritually, none of those guesses is too far off. Shrouded in foliage and draped in all sorts of rusting accoutrements, from license plates to dock equipment, the front patio has always felt like a refuge from the modern world. That it’s still cash-only after all these years only exacerbates the sense that the place somehow exists off the grid, which might be the only way to explain how it’s survived not just COVID but a decade and a half in a rapidly upscaling city. If it turned out to be a figment of our collective imagination, it wouldn’t be too surprising. MATTHEW SINGER.
Features: Covered, Heated.
Rose & Thistle Public House
2314 NE Broadway, 503-287-8582, roseandthistlepdx.com. 3-11 pm daily.
One of the simplest pleasures of my pre-pandemic life were the Friday nights spent throwing in a few loads of overdue laundry at the hipster laundromat on Northeast Broadway, then waiting out the cycles with my wife over a beer and a build-your-own burger next door at Rose & Thistle. Sometimes, friends would join us in one of the large dark-wood booths for a game of gin rummy. Such a quaint domestic tradition might seem unsuited for a Scottish bar with punky leanings affectionately known as “the RAT.” But while the volume level is often set to “boisterous,” the tavern is a classic neighborhood pub at heart, with enough nooks and crannies to hide in if tossing darts or yelling at the Blazers on the telly isn’t your vibe. That’s especially true on the sprawling multilevel patio tucked out back, and even more so now, as the bar’s COVID-proofing has spread out tables and even created some semiprivate booths along the perimeter. MATTHEW SINGER.
Features: Covered, Heated, Good for Large Groups, TV.
The Rambler
4205 N Mississippi Ave., 503-459-4049, ramblerbar.com. 4-11 pm Monday-Friday, noon-11 pm Saturday-Sunday.
The little Mississippi house bar has cycled through a few different names and guises over the years, shifting from the chill hideaway of Casa Naranja to the pseudo-college bro magnet Bungalo Bar. Reopening as the Rambler in 2013, the vibe now leans more toward grown-up backyard hangout—shaded by bamboo, lit by string lights and pouring a decent selection of craft beer and wine. Gone are the hammocks and hanging chairs, replaced by simple picnic tables, multiple fire pits and a flat-screen television. Sadly, the bocce pit has also recently been sacrificed to make room for more seating. MATTHEW SINGER.
Features: Covered, Heated, TV.
Bar Bar
3943 N Mississippi Ave., 503-889-0090, mississippistudios.com. Noon-11 pm daily.
With the exception of a ban on huddling around the fire pit, it’s business as usual at this beloved pre- and post-show party spot adjacent to Mississippi Studios—lack of live music be damned. Dogs laze about their owners’ feet while trendy youngsters nosh on skinny fries and the Bar Bar Burger ($7), an unimpeachable favorite, available for tableside delivery via a QR code at the table. The taplist is consistently above average, with three IPA options and a soul-warming stout from Ferment available on a recent visit, and the entire setup is frictionless and reliable. Hopefully, we’re not too off from the days when we can unwind by the fire with a cocktail, ears freshly ringing thanks to the band playing next door. Until then, the current Bar Bar experience will certainly do. PETE COTTELL.
Features: Dog friendly, covered, heated.
Alberta Street Pub
1036 NE Alberta St., 503-284-7665, albertastreetpub.com. 4-10 pm Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 11 am-10 pm Friday-Sunday.
Alberta Street Pub is a rare place that doesn’t feel changed by the pandemic—aside, of course, from the fact that everyone’s wearing masks. While the rest of Alberta has become increasingly hip over the past decade, the wood-paneled bar has remained as unassuming as its clientele. On any given night, it still feels like everyone in the pub is a regular. Even before COVID, the covered back patio was the best part of the beer-centric bar. With wood plank walls and an exposed beam ceiling, it looks like the inside of a barn and feels like hanging out in someone’s backyard. And now, Alberta Street Pub has another thing going for it: It’s one of the few places in the city that regularly hosts live music, mostly of the Americana variety, on a small stage in the outside back corner. SHANNON GORMLEY.
Features: Covered, Heated, Dog Friendly, Good for Large Groups
North 45
517 NW 21st Ave., 503-248-6317, north45pub.com. 4-11 pm daily.
You never know exactly what you’ll find on North 45′s rear patio. But if you pay even the slightest bit of attention to a calendar, it should provide clues. If it’s March, chances are good there’s basketball on the three outdoor big screens. Come the first Saturday of May, the picnic tables are typically filled with Derby viewers dressed in seersuckers and wide-brimmed hats. And every December, the patio used to be all abs and ass cheeks, since North 45 served as the pregame bar, starting gate and finish line for participants of the Santa Speedo Run. It is, perhaps, the promise of a rollicking scene tucked out of street view that keeps people waiting for a seat out back even when open spots await at the sidewalk-adjacent pandemic patio. But like a mullet, the party in the back is balanced by a measure of refinement. The food menu is inspired by worldly travels: Here, a Scotch egg gets a Japanese twist while steamed mussels collide with coconut curry in another dish. You can also expect an impressive drink list that also circumnavigates the globe, from renowned Belgian Trappist beers to a booklet of spirits that’s almost two-dozen pages long. ANDI PREWITT.
Features: Covered, Heaters, Good for Large Groups, Dogs, TV.
Double Dragon
1235 SE Division St., 503-230-8340, doubledragonpdx.com. 11 am-11 pm Tuesday-Sunday.
Of the three large, loud patios occupying the corner of Southeast Division and 12th Avenue, Double Dragon is the most transportive, conjuring a tropical getaway with its excessive string lights, variety of seating options and plentiful green space. The outdoor area is split into two sections, one that’s heated and covered and another surrounded by a short wooden fence, and has a grassy underfooting dotted with wood tables. The environment is easy, casual and playful—as ideal for first dates as weekend drinks with friends you haven’t seen in a year. The drinks themselves are strong (try the Electric Lettuce with vermouth) and the diverse food menu offers banh-mis on perfectly crunchy ciabattas. The bar is well trafficked—expect a 30 -minute wait for a table on any given evening. But you should always wait. It’s worth it. SOPHIE PEEL.
Features: Covered, Heated, Dog Friendly.
Landmark Saloon
4847 SE Division St., 503-894-8132, landmarksaloon.com. 3-10 pm Monday-Friday, noon-10 pm Saturday-Sunday.
If you’re from a small country town, the Landmark will remind you of your hometown bar—a little grimy, a lot drunk, and always a ton of fun. It has a good selection of beers, cheap mixed drinks, a wandering cat known by all the regulars, and friendly bartenders who nevertheless quarter no bullshit. The slightly ragged but highly functional outdoor space is covered in a perpetual haze due to the meat smoker in the corner, and the vibe is perpetually boisterous—those with rural pasts will feel a twinge of nostalgia for the bonfire you and your friends would spend every weekend at in high school. It’s as podunk as Portland gets, and that’s meant as the highest compliment. SOPHIE PEEL.
Features: Covered, Heated, Dog friendly, Good for Large Groups.
The High Dive
1406 SE 12th Ave., 503-384-2285, highdivepdx.com. 4-11 pm daily.
The High Dive is the quintessential Portland bar: grungy and casual, with a blasé clientele. The bar offers two different covered outdoor spaces and plenty of room to socially distance. You’ll find groups of 30-something regulars nursing beers and gabbing for hours. The drinks are relatively cheap and the cocktails strong—try the margarita slushies at your peril. If you want a long-haul summer afternoon without pressure from staff to get the hell out in a timely manner, this is your spot. SOPHIE PEEL.
Features: Covered, Heated, Dog Friendly, Good for Large Groups.
The Vern
2622 SE Belmont St., 503-233-7851. 4-11 pm daily.
With its tasteful ’70s nudie-pic décor and big velvet booths, the inside of the Vern was always the cool place to be. But when the pandemic hit, the owners annexed their little-used parking lot attached to the building and created a fenced and covered, fancy outdoor dive-bar experience. A Friday night is an exercise in finding a picnic table to drink one of the rotating slushie drinks at, or buy pudding shots at last call for maximum hangover energy. While a few tables have gas fires in the center, most do not, so if in doubt, bundle up for the night. And don’t skip the tots. ANDREA DAMEWOOD
Features: Covered, Heated, Dog Friendly, Good for Large Groups.
Tough Luck
1771 NE Dekum St., 971-754-4188, toughluckbar.com. 3-11 pm Monday-Friday, noon-11 pm Saturday-Sunday.
If there’s a better way to celebrate your vaccination than a burger and a beer at Tough Luck, I’m at a loss to suggest it. Maybe it’s a pork schnitzel sandwich and one beer too many. This is an Ezra Ace Caraeff joint, which means it’s a midcentury modern building—in this instance, a longtime Woodlawn neighborhood grocery—transformed by a gleaming wall of rye whisky and a wraparound deck. Caraeff increased capacity by placing more tables in the parking lot, and the effect is one of spaciousness: This is a perfect place to ease back into public life without feeling mobbed. Order the masterful beer-battered fries, with or without a smothering of melted cheese, via a smartphone-based ordering system, then watch Damian Lillard lead a playoff campaign on high-definition TVs that face the outdoors. We should all be so lucky. AARON MESH.
Features: Dogs, Good for Large Groups, TV.