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If you attended Portland State University, more than a few study sessions likely ended with greasy food and a round of drinks at the Cheerful Tortoise. Or Suki’s. Or the bar on the ground floor of the Vue Apartments that now holds a Rogue but went through several iterations as a cafeteria-meets-smokers’ patio named Paccini and a diner with rotating pie cases.
In other words, the campus is surrounded by dives—many of them delightfully dark and seedy. However, students taking classes in Portland’s urban core now have another option if they seek a brighter interior and more school spirit than a head cheerleader.
This week, the University Place Hotel & Conference Center announced it has remodeled and rebranded its restaurant space, now dubbed Viking House Bar & Grill. Named after the institution’s mascot, the space pays tribute to PSU’s origins in 1946 Vanport—which was once Oregon’s second-largest city and home to World War II shipyard workers and their families, many of them people of color, before a flood wiped it off the map.
The restaurant’s walls are adorned with historical photos of the community as well as Portland, charting its growth over the years. A wood ceiling pays tribute to Oregon’s natural resources. But this is also a sports bar, which means it’s equipped with eight televisions and one projection screen that will show a wide variety of events, including PSU games, matches and meets. Through a partnership with Viking Athletics, the restaurant will function as a pep rally, with plans for watch parties as well as pre- and postgame celebrations.
“The Viking House Bar and Grill at University Place Hotel & Conference Center strives to be the gathering place for our Portland State University and Downtown Community,” Martin Dishman, general manager of the University Place Hotel, stated in a press release. “As stewards of PSU’s motto ‘Let knowledge serve the city’ we look to build a diverse and respectful workplace for our employees to expand their knowledge of the restaurant industry while contributing to the spirit of Portland’s food scene.”
You can expect a typical pub grub menu, with dishes like 16-inch pizzas, burgers, mac, and fish and chips. Viking House Bar & Grill is open 4-9:30 pm Monday through Thursday and 4-10:30 pm Friday and Saturday, though it plans to operate seven days a week in the future.