Skip to main content
Putt it all on the line
BIRDIE TIME PUB AND MINI GOLF | 925 SE Main St., 971-346-2034, birdietimepub.com. Noon–10 pm Sunday– Wednesday, noon–11 pm Thursday, noon–midnight Friday–Saturday.
Within the Candyland–hued walls of a Central Eastside ware- house, a Sasquatch wielding a hockey stick presides over a nine-hole, Portland-themed mini-golf course where you can putt-putt across the Fremont Bridge while sipping on one of the 35 beers, ciders, and wines on tap. Game show–style wheels switch things up by challenging patrons to, say, putt using a Swiffer or baseball bat; elsewhere, golf enthusiasts can level up with a golf simulator that lets you drink and drive with no risk of danger to anything but your handicap.
Go where it’s on like Donkey Kong
GROUND KONTROL | 115 NW 5th Ave., 503-796-9364, groundkontrol.com. 5 pm–midnight Monday–Thursday, noon–midnight Friday–Sunday.
Portland’s original arcade bar is still going strong after 25 years. Sure, Ground Kontrol now slings cans of Liquid Death and Mint Mate in addition to PBR and Rainier, but the vast, two-story bar/arcade is still the best place in town to belly up to classics like Donkey Kong, Galaga, and Mortal Kombat. Load up a game card, challenge your date to a few rounds of Dance Dance Revolution, get flipping on a selection of vintage pinball machines, and remember that one Princess Peach cocktail (vodka, hard cider, and peach schnapps) is plenty.
Get back to bar-game basics
LIFE OF RILEY TAVERN | 300 NW 10th Ave., 503-224-1680, lifeofrileyportland.com. Noon–2 am daily, basement open 7 pm–2 am.
A no-frills Pearl District neighborhood bar, Life of Riley has been serving up wings, tots, brews, and Red Sox games to roving packs of 20-somethings since 2006. A steep concrete staircase leads to a spacious basement with pool, darts, and shuffleboard—all free to use—as well as a separate bar with 20-plus rotating taps.
Chop it up
PIPS AND BOUNCE | 833 SE Belmont St., 503-928-4664, pipsandbounce.com. 4–10 pm Wednesday– Thursday, 4 pm–midnight Friday, noon– midnight Saturday, noon–10 pm Sunday.
Pips and Bounce is less of a game bar and more of a ping-pong parlor with a bar. Named for the dimples on the rubber coating on ping-pong paddles, the Central Eastside space is bright and airy, but can definitely get heated when the balls start flying. At $16 per half-hour of play, it’s not a cheap date, but you’ll still want to spring for the Pip’s Pimm, a sporty “pong-tail” that just might elevate your table-tennis technique.
Go back in time
RETRO GAME BAR | 6720 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 971-271- 8079, rbgpdx.com. 5 pm–midnight daily.
It’s 8-bit heaven for Gen Xers and elder millennials at this Woodlawn bar where you’ll feel transported back to your childhood basement—this time with adult beverages instead of Sunny D. With a wealth of Atari, Nintendo, and Sega console games pulled from the owners’ personal collections, cocktails with names like Ocarina of Thyme and The Floor Is Guava, and video-game music DJ nights, RGB is a sweet escape.
Hurl some heavy metal
STORMBREAKER BREWING ST. JOHNS | 8409 N Lombard St., 971-255-1481, stormbreakerbrewing.com. 11 am–9 pm Sunday–Thursday, 11 am–10 pm Friday– Saturday.
You kind of have to respect a drinking establishment that says Fuck darts— we’re throwing axes, baby. And it makes sense that StormBreaker’s St. Johns location, with its wood and concrete interior and burly house IPAs, is that place. That said, don’t mistake this for Lumberjackass—the hurling is overseen by Portland Axe Throwing (a member of the International Axe Throwing Federation) and done in lanes separated by chain-link fencing.
Roll the (12-sided) dice
TPK BREWING | 5051 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 503-231-6354, tpkbrewing.com. 11 am–11 pm Wednesday– Monday.
“Brewery dedicated to tabletop role-playing games” is such a destined-for-Portland venue concept that it’s a little hard to believe TPK has only been open since spring 2023. Located in the homey former Tabor Bread building, the queer- and BIPOC–owned TPK (Dungeons & Dragons–speak for the bummer outcome known as Total Party Kill) aims to be a space that’s as accessible and inclusive as it is proudly nerdy. In addition to brews like the Fog of War IPA and Labyrinth Lager and food from South American eatery En Vida, TPK offers weekly Tabletop Role-Playing 101 sessions for curious newbies, a roster of staff gamemasters, and in-house D&D campaigns complete with beer pairings.
Flex your flipper fingers
WEDGEHEAD | 3728 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-477-7637, wedgeheadpdx.com. 4–11 pm Monday– Thursday, 4 pm–midnight Friday, noon– midnight Saturday, noon–10 pm Sunday.
Ball don’t lie, and though Wedgehead isn’t the only pinball spot in town, it’s definitely the one where the real heads congregate. A rotating spread of 21 machines pulled from the owner’s per- sonal collection of more than 150 spans the decades (you can check to see what’s in residence on the venue’s Pin- ball Map page), and $12 buys you a day of play. At the bar, housemade ingredients like vegan horchata and tamarind purée round out enticing cocktails.
This story is part of Taster Magazine, Willamette Week’s new guide to the best of beer, wine and spirits in Portland. It is free and can be found all over Portland beginning Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Find your free copy at one of the locations noted here, before they all get picked up! See more copy from Taster magazine here.