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10 Barrel Brewing
1411 NW Flanders St., 503-224-1700, 10barrel.com/pub/portland-brewery. 11 am-11 pm daily.
Portland needs to own up to the love part of its love-hate relationship with 10 Barrel Brewing. It’s easy to sneer at a Budweiser sellout, but far more difficult to deny the talents of Portland pub brewmaster Whitney Burnside. Similarly, the wait for a table on the Pearl District restaurant’s rooftop can be interminable, but once you’re actually up there, you’ll forget all about the 60 minutes you spent idling on the street corner. When eventually summoned skyward, you’ll find the pub’s minimalist industrial aesthetic extends outdoors in the form of walnut-hued wooden floor tiles and matching tables, steel accents, and a glowing perimeter created by Edison bulb string lights. Of all the beers pouring from the 20 elegantly curved silver taps, you can never go wrong with one of the golden-toned IPAs that’s only surpassed in beauty by the view of a shimmering sun as it slowly sinks behind the West Hills—that is, if you time your visit just right. ANDI PREWITT.
Features: Covered, Heated, Good for Large Groups, Dog Friendly.
Revolution Hall Roof Deck
1300 SE Stark St., 503-776-5500, revolutionhall.com/food-drink. 3 pm-close Monday-Thursday, noon-close Friday-Sunday, weather permitting.
If you know Revolution Hall only as a concert venue, there’s a surprise awaiting on the roof. Even though the expansive deck atop the former Washington High School has been open to the general public since 2017, there are still people who stumble across the space for the first time on a friend’s Instagram account or through word of mouth. For those who miss the inner eastside’s more conspicuous rooftop pillar, the pandemic-shuttered Altabira, and its sweeping views of downtown’s serrated skyline, this is where you’ll want to camp out this summer. The scenery is just as good, if not better, since Rev Hall has created a COVID photo zone at the most picturesque point. Most tables come equipped with umbrellas that help prevent guests from leaving redder than a cooked lobster, but they’re also sturdy enough to provide shelter during a quick drizzle in spring. An A-frame lattice crisscrossed in string lights doesn’t provide much in the way of cover, but it does bring a piece of New York’s Flatiron District to Buckman by way of mirroring the roof at the famed Eataly open-air brewery. Here as there, waste away an afternoon working your way through the draft list. There are few better pleasures in summer. ANDI PREWITT.
Features: 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, Good for Large Groups, Heated, Covered.
Migration Brewing Rooftop at Canvas
1750 SW Yamhill St., 503-939-4164, migrationbrewing.com. 1-9 pm daily.
Rooftop bars are a relatively rare phenomenon in Portland—a bit baffling, given the proliferation of new towers altering the landscape. This second outpost of Northeast Glisan Street mainstay Migration Brewing is the peak realization of the form. You’ll want a reservation: Waits can be an hour on clear evenings, even if the Thorns aren’t playing a match at the stadium next door. An elevator whisks you up nine stories of the Canvas building, and you’ll instantly see the reason for the demand. A 180-degree view takes in downtown, the West Hills and the Alphabet District. The panorama stretches all the way to the St. Johns Bridge and Mount St. Helens. Migration’s beers are cups of sunshine, each one $7. After a round, it’s easy to understand why people keep moving to Portland: Above the din and discord, this city seems like paradise. So this is how the other half drinks. AARON MESH.
Features: Good for Large Groups, Heated.
Tiny Bubble Room
2025 N Lombard St., 503-208-2660, tinybubbleroom.com. 3-10 pm daily.
Growing up in Northeast Portland, Jeremy Lewis remembers family dinners at the Lung Fung Chinese restaurant on North Lombard. Now, the place is his. His new bar, Tiny Bubble Room, is named for Lung Fung’s adjoining old-school lounge. It is something like a NoPo version of Roscoe’s, the Montavilla craft beer bar Lewis and co-owner Quyen Ly opened in 2006. Like their other bar, this one has a Cajun-Creole-leaning menu, and 30 taps of mostly Northwest beer, as well as more in bottles. But the new spot has a cocktail, wine and whiskey focus, giving Arbor Lodge and Kenton something in that same don’t-call-it-a-dive-bar category as the Fixin’ To, the Old Gold or Tulip Shop. It’s also got an elaborate patio arrangement, including a big tent with picnic tables and three shipping containers with roll-up doors and individual dining pods. Initially set up to weather the COVID winter, it’s now as much a feature as the vintage rooftop clock sign. JASON COHEN.
Features: Covered, Heated.
Tope
15 NW 4th Ave., 503-770-0500, thehoxton.com/portland/tope-restaurant. 4-11 pm Thursday-Sunday.
While Tope is only a short elevator ride nine stories up the Hoxton Hotel, once you arrive, it feels as though you’ve traveled much farther. Having shed the grit of Old Town-Chinatown at the ground-level entrance, this rooftop patio is a lush delusion—even the air is a little cooler and refreshing at that elevation. Were it not for the presence of pandemic emblems—masks, QR code menus, hand sanitizer—the swanky taco bar almost seems to exist in its own immunity bubble. While most of the neighborhood’s surrounding nightclubs remain locked up tight, four speakers blast hip-hop at a dance floor’s volume, while breezy beige wicker chairs and sofa sets along with tropical cocktails like the Opening Day—a swirl of citrus, vanilla and coconut—create a poolside vibe. Even though there is no water to admire, a clear blue sky isn’t a bad substitute, particularly on a day when you can see the crown of Mount Hood peering over Powell Butte. ANDI PREWITT.
Features: Dog Friendly, Good for Large Groups.
Shine Distillery & Grill
232 N Williams Ave., 503-825-1010, shinedistillerygrill.com. 4-9 pm Wednesday-Friday, 10 am-9 pm Saturday-Sunday.
It’s Shine’s time to shine. The distillery and restaurant opened in late July 2019 with big plans for its liquor, cocktails and food menu. Then came 2020, when it was best known for giving away housemade hand sanitizer and last winter’s takeout “drag-thru.” The two-story space, with a bar on each floor and the working copper still for scenery, cries out for an indoor party crowd, but for now there’s sidewalk seating and the cozy, dramatic balcony, with four tables directly overlooking North Williams Avenue and music pumping from an outdoor speaker. On a recent sunny Saturday, a banging brunch crowd downed frittatas and “Moremosas”—sparkling brut, with orange, strawberry or peach-lychee juice, plus a shot of “Northwesty Vodka.” You’ll find Shine’s straight bourbon blend in both Jonny’s Old Fashioned and alongside a soft pretzel in both a mustard and a cheese sauce. Save liver space for the seasonal yuzu-and-lavender Starshine Gin, a collaboration with Blue Star Donuts. JASON COHEN.
Features: Heated, Dog Friendly, Good for Large Groups.
Produce Row
204 SE Oak St., 503-232-8355, producerowcafe.com. 4-11 pm weekdays, 11 am-11 pm weekends.
Produce Row was doing patios right long before the pandemic made them essential. The 44-year-old inner Southeast stalwart’s is 2,500 square feet, and it’s fenced, covered and heated. The Row has always exuded a perfect balance of comfort and chic—famous for its beer-cheese macaroni and cheese, but also willing to play with carrot juice, egg whites and blueberry basil peppercorn shrub as drink ingredients. With such a huge outdoor space, it’s a slam dunk to find a seat for weekend brunches or after-work (from home) drinks. ANDREA DAMEWOOD.
Features: Covered, Heated, Good for Large Groups.