Bossanova Ballroom

Had the privilege of seeing the Bridgetown Comedy Fest here. Thirty Comedians doing gross out jokes for 3 minutes each. Completely fucking hilarious. The venue is way fucking cool. Audio sounded great and the bar was good with nice bartenders. Go check this venue out if you get a chance mother fuckers.

They slid in rating with me after last night.
We were part of the Barfly NYE Party bus event and our final stop was the Bosanova Ballroom. The place was packed so we thought we’d get faster service upstairs. Wrong. They only had one server. That was fine though; that was to be expected. However; they had menu’s out with 5 select food items. We ordered the sliders. The bartender told us it would be a 20 minute wait. 20 minutes later, the bartender told us that the order hadn’t even been turned in yet and it might be another 45 minutes. She also did not order a refund. We weren’t sticking round another 45 minutes so we left angry and hungry. That ended our NYE on a low note.

I dance here every Tuesday night. And while the venue itself is not in charge of the dance, they make it possible for us to have the best possible space for our blues dance. There is a bar, although I don’t partake, and the bartender is always helpful if needed.

The Bossanova Ballroom was purchased by a new management team as of spring 2014. They have taken the Unilocal & FaceBook reviews into consideration when remodeling and restructuring the company.
New:
— A/​C
— Sound System
— Coat Check
— Security Personnel
Soon to be improved:
— Drink Menu
— Dining Menu

The layout of this place makes it a great venue for smaller shows. It it actually a pretty cool place. The only problem is after a half dozen or more shows I have learned they cannot get good sound quality. It is bordering on awful. If you want to just party with loud white noise in the background then perfect. If you want to enjoy the band and are into music I would wait until they play at a different venue. This place will ruin a band for you.
(If the guys working the doors have not already pissed you off acting like total DB’s).

Went to a show here for NYE — it didn’t start well, their scanner was broken so unless you had printed out paper tickets you were stuck waiting outside in the cold in a 20+ person lineup.
When we got in we again got in line to check our coats and this took another 25 minutes as the coat check was tiny and although manned by 3 hard workers, it just didn’t do the job.
After midnight the line started back up at the coat check so we tried to wait it out… but even at 2am it still took 40 minutes to get our belongings.
The rest of the night was really good, with great lights, sound, lots of water and multiple fans cooling off the dance floor. The upstairs lounge and bar is a nice touch and we liked the little stage upstairs. All in all I would go back but try not to need or use the coat check… that needs to be updated!

Went last night for NYE event. The entertainment and music were great. I really enjoyed the layout of the place, and appreciated they plentiful water supply.
Getting in was a pain – as another reviewer mentioned their scanner was broken. If you pre-​purchased tickets, you had to wait outside in the freezing cold. They had folks wait on the sidewalk instead of snaking them in the warmer long hallway. It doesn’t make sense to treat your customers this way.
Second issue was coat check. Maybe everyone was new, they were understaffed, or management didn’t delegate correctly, but it was terrible. Twenty minutes to check our coats. When we tried to head out early we waited a full hour to get our coats back. It appears as though at some point they stopped keeping the coats in number order. Yikes, guys.
If they figure out their coat check situation, I’m happy to return. Or I’ll come back when it’s warmer.

Worst staff ever. Don’t count on anyone here treating you like a human being. I have overheard them verbally abusing paying patrons on multiple occasions. Not to mention physical abuse in the form of excessive force to remove people from the venue, even for minor infractions. There are so many other way better venues in Portland, so I will not be returning until they realize that their self-​loathing employees need to be replaced, and take action to do just that.

Went here for a Halloween party last night and had a great time! BUT: this place is so hot it’s almost unbearable. It was 50 degrees last night and probably 90 inside. I feel terrible for the staff having to prepare drinks in those kind of temperatures. The bartenders were on top of it and made drinks quickly and accurately. There was a set shot list ($ 3) and wells were $ 5. Sadly though, Bossanova was understaffed for the few hundred people inside the place. Although they did a great job, 4 bartenders weren’t enough and I waited 25 minutes in line for a vodka cran. Otherwise the venue has a nice layout, roomy dance floor and good stage space. Kind of reminds me of a mini Crystal Ballroom-​VIP upstairs with a view of the stage. I will come back again, albeit with fewer layers of clothing.

Just another cool venue for me to go to now. I’ve been to several shows now around the town. The Wonder, The Star, The Alhambra and I haven’t found a bad place to see great music.
NOW, when you are seeing a legendary band such as the Skatalites… well it was nice that I was right there at the front of the stage to see them at work. Great sound, nice acoustics and the alcohol wasn’t too bad on the price.
Can’t wait to see what other shows will be there. I’ll be back for more great music.

Boo hiss bossonova! We ordered our tickets in advance for 80s night. The band didn’t show and there were no refunds. I’m so disappointed! At least keep it going for people who paid instead of shutting it down. Never again.

Cool space, fun times to be had at a variety of events. Be careful to mind the stairs on your way out. They can be tricky after a few drinks!

Awesome staff and bartenders, nice layout, good acoustics.

I work at West Coast Automotive Group up the street and have attended Several of their Events and shows. The Managers kept the venue running prime! The security guards were friendly but help authority and made me feel safe. The Bar service was great, they worked fast and made great drinks!
The building itself is Beautiful! It has wonderful carpets, brick walls, and the lights were glowing with a unique light.
Thanks Bryan and Phil! Keep up the great work!

This is a great little ballroom with a lot of character. It would be perfect for a group event, like a wedding reception or high school dance, as long as it’s sometime between late fall and early spring. Why do you ask? There’s no air conditioning. We went there on a warm 70+ degree and the venue became so uncomfortable, that we ditched out early for a somewhere cooler.

I like the venue, it looks like a spectacle from upstairs, however they can still use some upgrades to make it fancy.
Things to improve —
A/​c or fans, it does get really hot and sweaty with a ton of people there.
Sound system — need some decent amplifiers and speakers.
A bigger bar — so reduce the lines of people.
Parking is always a challenge in that neighborhood for some big events.

For what it is, Bossanova is a pretty cool space, but I don’t mean that literally so don’t take it that way. If you plan on an event here in the summer you also need to plan on sweating… a lot! You would think they could spend the money to invest in air conditioning. There are better venues in the city for summer events if you need to do that.
Another detraction is all the stair-​climbing. If you’re out of shape, this might not be the place because you will be huffing and puffing by the time you get to the top.
It’s fine, a little on the smaller side, and I’ve been to some great parties here. Just know what you’re getting into before you rent it or attend an event.

Too. Dang. Hot.
Was here for an event. But left early because I was melting. Need water…
Aside from the heat, this place is small. There were a couple hundred people mingling in here. I would not want any more than that.
Could be good for a small birthday or reception.
I don’t think I’ll be attending anymore events here unless it is in the winter.

Dont leave any valuable in the car. Not because of the ballroom. It’s just area itself. I heard a couple of stories of the car got broken into in the past couple of months. Now, back to the real review.
I’ve visited Bossanova Ballroom back when it’s still called Viscount Ballroom. It’s a cool place, especially after the renovation. I can’t say much about the food and drink. They seem to vary from time to time in terms of prices and taste. One time, my friend told me that their long island ice tea was very strong. That’s like eight years ago. Another time, somebody said that the drink was kinda expensive (this is more recent).
Anyway, I think you should checkout the place. Especially if you like dancing.

I took half the family here to watch my stepson’s first fight at the Valhalla Gala 8 Kickboxing event. I’d never been to the Bossanova Ballroom before, although I’ve driven past it at least a zillion times. First things first, I’m an old guy with bad knees and an achy back. I don’t do well in venues where-​in the spectators are expected to stand during the duration of the event. I’m all bust up and need a chair, okay?
Luckily, we were almost at the head of the line to get into the place. We found a spot against a wall and I was able to lean semi-​comfortably against said wall during the fights. I am glad I wore my steel toe boots – I barely noticed all those other feet stomping on mine.
I’ll break out the pros v. cons for the rest of my review because I’m tired and need to get to bed.
Pros:
1) Full bar
2) Decent security
3) Reasonably clean and tidy
4) Stripper ring girls
Cons:
1) Standing room only
2) Lots of stairs
3) No food
4) Stripper ring girls when you’re there with your daughters
My kid did not win his fight, but he put on quite a show. Brought a tear to my eye watching him kick that other fellow repeatedly in the face. We all had to leave immediately after his fight was over because the event was 21+ and the boy is only 19. That’s okay, we took him on a well-​deserved trip through the Taco Bell drive-​thru on the way home.
Would I go back to this place for a concert or other to-​doings? Probably not. To watch the fights again? Sure thing.

80s night here was pretty fun! They have a big dance floor, music videos and inexpensive drinks ($ 5).
–1 star for not playing «Like a Virgin» as requested (to go with my costume!) and for charging $ 5 cover.

So they’ve really made some significant updates to the space and I’ve since been to some really fun events in here (mostly private events). The management has made a few changes that are also positive. I said I’d dole out the 5^th star for updates, and there have been quite a few.
While this venue is somewhat specific, meaning that its setup is unique and is more well-​suited for some events than others, for the events I have attended, and those that I’ve thrown here, the space is pretty much perfect. Dig it.