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1. Advice Booth
5426 N Gay Ave., adviceboothpdx.com. 3-11 pm Monday-Thursday, 3 pm-midnight Friday, 1 pm-midnight Saturday, 1-11 pm Sunday.
Settling nicely into the shell of the old Lost & Found space, this lovely little dive is barely visible from its cross streets of North Killingsworth and Gay. But for being such a little bar, it’s at least half-patio—with awnings and warming lamps. With a perfectly serviceable cheese-based menu and a delightful, unflappable staff, Advice Booth is holding down that lovely feeling of a secret neighborhood bar done just right.
2. Da’Hui
6506 SE Foster Road, 503-477-7224, dahui.bar. Noon-2 am daily.
Want to get away? Head to tiki’d-out dive bar Da’Hui to get a taste of paradise. Sit at one of its handful of picnic tables or snag a barstool beneath its island-inspired outdoor patio and sip one of Da’Hui’s sizable cocktails, like a Lava Flow or Oahu Sunset—both filled with fruit juices and silver rum. Pair that with a classic Hawaiian dish, such as kalua pork or kalbi ribs. It might not be true paradise but it’s pretty darn close.
3. Rontoms
600 E Burnside St., 503-236-4536, rontoms.net. Noon-2:30 am Monday-Friday, 3 pm-2:30 am Saturday-Sunday.
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.
4. Shanghai Tunnel
211 SW Ankeny St., shanghaitunnelbar.com. 5 pm-2 am Thursday-Saturday.
If downtown feels like…a lot right now, try on Portland’s gruff but lovable dive named for the city’s tunnels of urban legend. As it reopened this summer, Shanghai’s focus shifted from its basement to the small street-level bar and patio—located next to the breezeway of the front door. It’s possible that Shanghai is the last chill bar in Old Town where you can hole up—waiting out the weekend warriors—to play a little pool, pinball or Big Buck Hunter Pro.
5. Holy Goat Social Club
1501 NE Fremont St., 503-282-0956, holygoatpdx.com. 2-10 pm Monday-Saturday.
It’d be inaccurate to describe Holy Goat as a “new” bar. Longtime residents of the Sabin neighborhood will remember the tiny watering hole as Daddy Mojo’s, and though it’s undergone a change in ownership and name, the rebrand mostly amounts to more of an aesthetic upgrade than a full-scale remodel. Regulars will still find what they’re looking for: a drink menu consisting of stiff takes on old classics, soul music on the stereo, and soul food in the kitchen.