Barlow Tavern

Perfect neighborhood dive bar. The vibe inside is very NW with lumberjack ascetic meets blue collar swan island worker meets NoPo hipster (but not too hip, otherwise we’d be in another neighborhood). Great place to meet friends for a beer or two.
The greasy bar food is greasy bar food. Not gourmet or foodie in the slightest, but it does the trick. I love when they have tomato soup as their soup special– get that with the grilled cheese. The burger fills me up. Their side salad used to be much better– now it is just some baby kale-​ish straight out of a bag with some blah dressing. It used to taste fresher and have some toppings. At least it is real greens instead of iceberg.
My most favorite and least favorite thing about this place is the fact that they sell single American Spirit cigarettes.
One star is removed for the video poker. I wish they would get rid of the video poker, it is super depressing to look at and it takes away from an otherwise mellow vibe and brings a little too much dive into this dive.

Mmmm #friedchickenandwaffles
NoPo neighborhood bar. I like it. Thanks to my pal Seanny Cuff for bringing me in.

So happy to find this place so near our house and can’t wait for another date night to go again! Great atmosphere & great bartender!

I live really close to this bar, and I really want to like it, but this one bartender that always seems to be there always ruins my damn day. I can look past the fact that the pinball machines are in a sorry state of repair (I get that most people don’t come there for that reason), but this particular bartender looks at me with this face, through her thick-​rimmed glasses, like I kicked her damn dog every time I order a drink. I still tip for every drink and try to be polite, but tonight her lack of professionalism and ever-​present (and apparently boundless) bitchiness overrode any chance of me ever wanting to set foot back in this place again. I ordered a whiskey soda with bitters (my usual drink no matter where I am,) and by the first sip, I had to take the drink back. Way too much bitters. I said, «I hate to be this guy, but there is way too much bitters in this, is there anything you can do?» She said, «Well I put four dashes in there, that’s not very much.» FOUR!!! FOUR!!! Are you kidding me? An old fashioned calls for two!!! I’m usually not the type of person that complains when a
minor mistake is made, but the drink was un-​drinkable. She was absolutely unwilling to offer any kind of helpful solution, refused to accept the fact that she doesn’t know what she is talking about, and put the blame on me as if I don’t know how my usual drink of choice should taste. How do you justify that as a business in the service industry?

I used to really enjoy eaten at this place but as of late the last two visits that I’ve had here the chicken was over salty everything is just salt, salt, salt for person trying to watch his blood pressure is not a good place to go but the drinks are still good and the service is great but that dredge or batter that they have for the chicken is just way to salty. I was thinking of giving it only two stars and I am but they still have a great pool table and you have a good time there just can’t eat there

The. Neighborhood. Bar. I’m not sure what I love most about this place: the friendly staff, stout drinks, or delicious food. For the food menu, try the fried chicken, french fries, or fried broccoli.
The place is a dive bar, but the cleanest dive bar I have ever been to… which makes it not a dive? Fun atmosphere, excellent ambiance and décor, pool, and games.

The food is awesome and they serve it all night long! Drinks are just as good! The bartender is really nice and always in a good mood. This is where I want to be after a long day at work. I’m always glad I came.

It’s called fried chicken. It’s amazing. Seriously, as in I crave it regularly.
This is a super fun NoPo dive bar. Cool wood paneled walls, animal heads, billiards and brunch. The staff is friendly, and the clientele is a nice mix of neighborhood locals, Portland hipsters, and a smattering of everyone else.
As I mentioned, my favorite is their fried chicken, which comes in a few versions with tots or side veggies and coleslaw.
Cheap beers is the way to go here, but they have a full bar.
Try it out, we love it and stop by regularly.

I’m still somewhat of a new patron, but over the last few months this place has really grown on me. They make a great Old Fashioned!
The bar itself is kind of NW Hunter Gatherer décor. Lotsa wood paneling and old animal head trophies. Pretty big space with a pool table and sit down area in the back or front depended on which door you come in and fairly big bar at the other end. There is also out back seating and some seating out front on the street. It’s nice and dark with just the right amount of sunlight coming through the window by the bar area.
The bartenders know their drinks and have quite an eclectic taste in music too. Hank Williams to Stiff Little Fingers on any given day. Pretty cool people all the way around.
I have only eaten there once, so I can’t say too much about the food. I enjoyed the burger even though they got the order wrong on the first try. It was quickly fixed with no hassle. They have a brunch offering on the weekends which sounds and looks good.
Looking forward to hanging my hat at Barlow many moons to come.

Great chicken and waffles! My issues are you have to order at the bar (I know it’s the norm now) and your website states you are open at 11am on Sunday’s so I show up at 11:30am for chicken and waffles and the doors are locked. Not cool

LOVE this place! My boyfriend and I come here almost every Friday night to have a beer and play some scrabble before we go out with our friends :). Everyone is super nice and all the drinks and food are on the cheap side!
Fantastic tatter tots too :)

Love the atmosphere and happy hour prices. The fried chicken sandwich is amazing and looking forward to chicken and waffle my next visit.

I can’t give you a good rating just because you have modestly priced drinks (that’s like bribery), but I can give you a horrible rating for the rudest service I’ve ever received. I won’t even make any ‘setting the bar low’ jokes… See you never.

Popular neighborhood dive bar. Very eclectic mix of people (straight, LGBT, various races). We really liked the diversity here!
PROS: Strong drinks, friendly staff, 50¢ billiards, video poker, jammin’ music (ol’ school R&B), good bar food outdoor seating.
CONS: Overpriced food, only 1 pool table, bathroom locations, no parking lot just street parking that’s very limited (we parked 2+ blocks away).

The one, the only, and the original Barlow Tavern. Others have used the a same name, but only go to the one on N Greeley Ave!
Best chicken & waffles in town!
Best staff!
Best place to spend your money at! By far!

Had brunch at the Barlow Tavern today for the first time and was very pleased with the results. I can’t believe I didn’t try this sooner as I am only a couple blocks away.
I had the huevos rancheros and took the cooks advice with getting my eggs sunnyside up. The egg yoke mixing in with the salsa, sour, and black beans was delicious.
I also tried their bloody mary and enjoyed that as well. If you like your mary on the spicer side you should for sure get the jalapeño infused vodka.
They have patio seating out front and also in back. The only thing I could do without are the creepy taxidermy animals that peer down on you from the walls. I will absolutely be back again.
Thanks Barlow, you make a great addition to the neighborhood!

The ups: Amazing fried chicken, decent selection of whiskies, cheap drinks, clean tables, and my favorite painting.
The downs: it’s a bit hipsterish, with a high percentage of the patrons sporting skinny jeans and complicated facial hair, and Trivia Tuesday can get a bit crazy. Oh, and there’s no table service, but I guess you can’t have everything.
All in all, I love this place.

Pleasantly surprised by this very sketch looking bar on Greenly Ave near Adidas Headquarter. Despite not having a full array of alcohol, I still had quite a good time munchin’ on their greasy fries and drinking PBR. Oh so classy.

I suppose this stands for most dive bars, but there’s never a dull moment at this place. My last visit in particular, I was shamelessly entertained by various couples’ interactions. Let’s just say that it was pretty apparent Barlow is a lot of older folks idea of a fine romantic time.
I think this place has more character in the summer when they have picnic tables out and the doors open. It always seems to be steady busy with crowds during this time. Otherwise, for being so close in the neighborhood, it’s an alright place to grab a drink.
I have to say I was impressed with the Cajun tots also, definitely on the more spicy side served with some really good ranch dressing. I actually had to request more ranch and convince myself it wasn’t a good idea to lick the dish.

So far so good. My couple times here I had a great time.
Shaun (owns Vendetta, too)
I came here for first time and drank a couple beers, the bartender was engaging and having so much fun with the small crowd. Made place seem exciting.
Cozy, log cabiny, neighborhood feel. They installed a obligatory TV, understandable, but it’s not taking over the whole vibe.
Heard burger is great. have not had yet.
Good hospitality–