Bear Paw

two stars because first visit was awesome but last night, my second visit, the bartender went from hostile to volatile without cause or reason and no amount of kindness or patience on my part changed the sh! tty attitude… i hope it was an off night!

What an amazing night of Karaōke!
The bar is dive-​y but the food is great, the service is solid, the crowd is hip and really nice. Karaōke was divine. Great host, great selection, great singers.
In regards to service, don’t come into here expecting white glove, table service; they’ll laugh you out the door at best. This is a bar, not a club. But respect that and the staff will respect you. (and they’re pretty nice if you’re not a dick!)
If you want to get a little ripped and sing your heart out, Bear Paw is highly recommended.

Horrible rude service! 3 women working and not one tells us while we’re sitting at a table for 10 minutes that they you need to order at the bar. So rude when asked too. No bueno! :(

Best kj in town on Friday and Saturday nights. Really good steak fries and ranch dressing. Full bar. Good tequila selection. Great beer selection. Place is divey but in recent years renovations have been made. There are two outdoor patios. A lot of regulars hang out and the joint can get a little rowdy at times. Check it out, you’ll have a good ol’ time. If nothing else, go for Big Buck Hunter or the pin ball machines. They also have a couple pool tables and dart boards. Video poker as well.

Good staff, good beer and busy on the weekends. Great local spot for beer, Living literally on the same block, this is my go dive bar! fun spot to just kick it when you dont want to deal with the cab ride DT!

Great friendly hard working staff. Was in here before a show at Aladdin last night and even the patrons were all friendly. Made me wish this was my local haunt! Bi will definitely be back! Fair prices compared to the place attached to Aladdin for sure. Cheers to Bear Paw!!!

Our lovely neighborhood dive bar who pour stiff drinks. Mostly nice bartenders. VERY eclectic crowd on the weekends for karaōke (especially during winter, summer tends to be dead). One of the few karaōke nights I thoroughly enjoy and don’t feel judged when I (try to) sing. Cheap bar food, nothing to write home about, but large portions. 2 outdoor areas to sit, along with ample indoor seating, juke box, pool table, pinball, and cornhole!

It’s a dive bar, but it’s right next door so I love it! Their grilled cheese’s and tater tots are perfect to eat when you’re drinking, or to cure a hangover. They have great patios, strong drinks, a pool table, bean bag games, and gambling machines. Really can’t go Aron at this place!

Yes, it’s a dive bar. But drinks are strong, food is good and they have a great selection of top notch tequilas. The bartender was very attentive even when she got quite busy. If your going to a show at The Alladin theater avoid the crowds at The Lamp and come here.

Portland dive bar… check.
Ambiguous name… check
Several beers on tap… check
Decent pool tables… meh
Patio seating… check
At least 3 mustaches visible at all times… check
Planning to visit monthly… Not my style of bar

Yes — dive bar.
But how many times have you been headed to the Aladdin for a show, been hungry, and see the LONG line to get into the venue — only to be told that the Lamp restaurant is at capacity, so no way? Me? Many.
So we looked for another option, and I’m pleased to say we did! Plenty of seating, dive bar, super nice staff — and I have to say, their Garden Burger was super tasty. Plus you can get it with tots, and really, who doesn’t love tots? Lots of selection of beers, and of course ciders for those of us who dig beer but it doesn’t dig us back so we have to go with cider.

cool selection of tap beer.
friendly service
basic dive bar, with some good old sigange, pool tables and darts
go here before and after the aladdin shows and try and avoid, The Lamp. Sorry Lamp.

It just keeps growing on me. It’s a four star dive bar, but don’t go here to have a fancy dinner.
Do get the tater tots. And tequila. Also check out the cans of beer. There’s a surprisingly large selection.

I like this place because it serves it’s purpose to serve the community with their drinks and entertain you with pool. Actually, I think the pool is free. We haven’t had to pay for it the two or three times I’ve been there.
I got spanked with a belt my second time there on the smoking patio. It wasn’t at random, but she was talking about spanking someone with her belt, so I let her. She bought me and my friends a drink for it. I wouldn’t say that I’d do anything for a free drink, but a little pain never hurt ;)
Like I said, this place serves it’s purpose. It doesn’t stand out to me, but if I’m in the area and someone asked of a place to go, I’d recommend them to the Bear Paw.

«Absolut Mandarin, please. And pool balls!»
I’ve said this too many times. I’ve fallen in love with Bear Paw.
Did you know there’s karaōke on Friday and Saturday nights?
Yeah, me either until last week.
I like to think my song was the best, though everyone probably thinks similarly after 2 shots.
Pool costs $ 3/​hour, and there are two tables.
If pool isn’t your thing, how about pinball, Buck Hunter, or video lottery?
The jukebox has an excellent array of bands, yet a limited quantity of songs, (narrowed down to top hits).
It’s fun to take over and play the occasional party hit, (and get away with it since it’s my birthday month). ;)
There’s a big chalk board in the ladies room, on which you may express whatever thoughts cross your mind.
The bartenders have always been super nice and attentive.
Save for the lady who kept asking if I wanted another shot, even though I had already drank 3 and had a beer in hand.
Of course I WANT another shot, but I don’t NEED another shot.
Will I return? Well, yeah, I’ve become a regular at the Bear Paw.

A friend and I were going to see a show at the Aladdin. The Lamp (the bar next door) was pretty well packed so we headed down to the Bear Paw. The Bear Paw is an old man bar. Nothing special about the place, but nothing bad about it either. They had a nice tap list, but their spirit list was a bit lacking for my friend. He wanted a certain gin that they didn’t have as well as a few other things which was disappointing to him, but he ordered the same beer I had and quite enjoyed it. We sat out in the back courtyard area and it was a fine experience.

Finally went to the Bear Paw the other night as an invite from a neighbor having her birthday there. As usual with many bars, what you’re looking for will influence what you get out of it. The Paw is a fairly no frills place, but like it’s neighbor, The Brooklyn, they do things well where it counts.
There were 8ish taps (didn’t count) and they had HUB, Burnside, Double Mountain, Lompoc, and Lagunitas from what I recall, so a nice choice of local brew. They also specialize in Tequilas and my wife had 2 margaritas made to her liking. There’s food available, but I didn’t really look at the menu on the wall.
As for entertainment, there are 2 pool tables, darts (real, pointy steel darts), and a selection of Golden Tee and pinball. Also a few lottery machines.
The décor and cleanliness factor is fairly dive-​y, but I wouldn’t say it was dirty, just well used. Also there’s a t least one patio and some sort of game/​patio space out the back doors that I didn’t get a close look at.

LOVE IT!
So, for my birthday, I was looking for somewhere I could rock some karaōke on a Saturday night. After looking at Voicebox, and realizing it would cost a small fortune, I looked into finding some divey karaōke. Oh what is Bear Paw? It is a 7 minute walk from my house? SCORE!
Hardly a wait to sing, very accommodating when I was tipsily moving tables around for my party, and an eclectic crowd of people.
The outside smoking section was cool, as you could watch people karaōke through the glass.
Will be back again!

We’re all aware of my deep, abiding love of dives and karaōke. Thus, the Bear Paw. the Bear Paw deserves more than its 2.5 average rating. Why? Because of karaōke. And pool. And TOTS! And the scary neck-​tattoo bartender lady who could. not. keep. from batting her eyelashes at my girlfriend. Seriously, I’ve never seen anyone so badass-​looking BAT their eyelashes before. Surly to me, sweet-​as-​pie to my ladyfriend. Go figure.
All that aside, the karaōke here was BOMB. There was a core group of what appeared to be regulars singing their little hearts out and a good time was had by all. The giant speakers need to be re-​aimed or turned down just a teensy bit so we karaōke enthusiasts can sit closer to the stage, but other than that this place was an all-​around winner.

Exceeds (my) expectations.
I’m not a seasoned drinker, for the most part. Alcohol hasn’t been a prime motivator in my life since my freshman year in college. So to go to one bar repeatedly is highly unusual for me. I certainly have never had a bar I would call «my place». I might not have one now but this place feels about as close to one I can call my own as can be.
I came initially for some Tron pinball and, to be honest, that’s why I come back. But the place has an intangible charm to it that makes it comfortable. The karaōke nights give me a smile because there’s no proper stage; it’s just immediately to the right as you walk in the door. That somehow makes it less intimidating right off the bat. I believe they hold the bingo night in the same area. It’s very informal and that gives it some kind of authenticity with me.
They have a nice selection of taps. I was a little disappointed recently when Guinness was replaced by some other stout that I don’t really like. But, hey, guess what, AG, they have your second favorite, Trumer Pils. That’s nearly a win-​win right there. They also have a decent selection of tequila, AG’s favorite booze! It’s like they know who I am, alcohol-​wise. I’ve only had food once and it was a burger. The fryer was out as it was being replaced the next day or I woulda gotted me some tater tots to go with it. As it was, the burger was very serviceable. I may end up trying some other offerings in the days and weeks to come. I’ve always received very friendly service as well.
As for the pinball, there are only two machines but I come for Tron. It’s the one I’m most familiar with and it works with me. It’s become my first pinball girlfriend, really. I’m learning how to push all her buttons to make her purr. It probably helps that it is easy (ooh, pardon?) but I pretty much know what I’m doing when I get stuck in. One thing that’s nice is the playing area is a nice temperature. Other bars I’ve been to, the pinball machines are in such an enclosed space that it gets hotter than Mercury, especially when you’re waist-​deep in a multiball frenzy. Here, it’s the same temp as the rest of the joint. I can keep my coat on or take it off. The important thing is that it’s MY OPTION.
I’m sure this place could be fancier but that’s not that important to me. I almost prefer to go to a place where I can be somewhat anonymous although that may well change as I return to drop more quarters on the pinballs. I can go, get my game on, have some beers and relax. It’s close enough I can even walk home so that pretty much seals it..