Bucket Brigade

We have been here plenty of times over the years and I keep coming back for their shoe string garlic fries. The place is really cold inside and I needed to keep my jacket on to eat, but that is my only complaint. I had an incredible steak sandwich that was worth every shiver.

Good, clean sports bar with great service. Nice happy hour menu and stuff drinks. Lots of games and MMA on the tvs. Good outdoor patio seating with some sketchy chain smoking customers hanging around. Love the sweet, cute bartender/​cocktail waitress. Good Caesar salad and bar food.

$ 9 for 6 undercooked and slimy chicken wings. It seems like they were boiled instead of fried because they came out pale, soft and not crispy at all. You are a sports bar and you don’t know how to make chicken wings? Turn up your fryer guys. I won’t be coming back here again. Shame because it’s really close to my house and I was hoping to have a spot to watch games on Sunday’s. The server was responsive though.

Good selection of taps for a sports bar, but feels too much like a corporate chain for a neighborhood bar… maybe they’re used to doing high volume on game day, or maybe sports types expect a generic feel to their watering holes…3 solid stars for Rogue Farms 7 Hop Ale on tap…

PYRRS
In order to maintain a consistent and honest assessment of my visits to various businesses, I developed my own Personal Unilocal Review Rating System
1 star = Harsh & Disrespectful
2 stars = Low Rent Low Brow
3 stars = WhatEvs — Eye Candy gave it a boost.
4 stars = Exceptional
5 stars = The Cat’s Pajamas!!!
With that said…
Nice bar with plenty of tables, booths. Not real thrilled with pool table jammed in there. Pretty bartenders though.

This place is awesome. Gizzards where bomb and the cucumber press was a bomb ass drink.

This place has quickly become my new favorite hangout. Any place that let’s my pups come and play while I drink a beer is a win! I just started eating there and have enjoyed nothing but amazing food. Zero complaints!

This place is awesome. My lady told me about how amazing this place was and I didn’t really believe it, being that it’s on 80^th and Powell. They have a ton of tv’s, a awesome smoking area with a large brick wall keeping the riff raff far away.
The lottery machines are also far away the rest of the bar, and they have a separate window to cash out lottery tickets, a bartender’s dream! They have an excellent menu of bar food. The burgers are half pound ground chuck and incredible.
The bartender’s are super nice and really cool. I wish I lived closer, I would be here all the time!

I’ve been here several times now. Not just for their amazing burgers, but for there unforgettable salads!
The atmosphere is of a slightly cutier biker bar, but the staff welcomes you in and gets your drinks when they aren’t busy, so just sit right down. There really isn’t a theme to the place. It’s actually quite dark, so I’ll sit by the windows.
The menu isn’t terribly big, but it’s enough. Burgers ranging from the common burger to more sightly unique. There’s only three salad choices, and a few more items that I can’t quite remember. The drinks are strong, they have a back patio for smokers, or if you want to eat in the sun.
Since the first time going they’ve gotten a new cook and the food has become something out of this world. Same menu but the food is 10x better then before. I go here for just the food.

It was OK, the food was decent for bar food. It was an average bar, the service was average and the prices were a bit high. We were there on a Sunday afternoon, so it was quiet and that made for a good visit so we could hear one another. It was obviously an establishment that has been there for many years as the ambiance was OK and so was the décor. It was a very typical sports bar.

One bad apple spoils the whole bunch. Such is the case with Bucket Brigade. I was not thrilled with the name, but some new young friends wanted to go here for a cocktail and who am I to sully the moment with my snobbery. So the place is certainly a place to watch sports. Not a bad size, if tight in spots. There is a very large outdoor smoking area. It’s quite nice but so filled with locals I kinda thought I’d crashed the party.
My drink was $ 3.50 on a sunday — works for me. But my new friend asked the bartender to make her something. She sat there with the drink for a couple minutes drinking maybe 2 sips. I asked her if she didnt like it. She didnt. I let her know it was fine to return it and get something else. Just ask for something specific this time. She brought her boyfriend with her for support, but I was pleased she was encouraged to stand up for herself. Bartender said no, flat. Denied. Are you kidding? So was it worth you treating my new friend and a customer poorly for this review? I hope so.

Well, this is how it is. I ordered potato skins over the phone as a pick-​up order. No problem. Cheery girl. Went to pick them up, had a $ 2 cash tip waiting on the bar. Said cheery girl was quick and polite AND pointed out that there was already a To-​GO tip added to my tab. My problem: if a business is going to add a to go tip, it should be mentioned on the phone. I made sure I had cash to tip. I understand that some folks suck on the tip level (more than most, as I waited and tended bar for over 20 years), and more power to you for adding it on, BUT TELL PEOPLE ON THE PHONE WHAT THEIR ACTUAL TOTAL IS. Then the cheery girl said that tipping the kitchen was out of her pocket. I get it. I’ve lived it. BUT HELLO!!! Woman, you make way more than the kitchen. It should not be a burden to tip the kitchen!!! Even if every to go order stiffed you, you still have plenty to reward the kitchen. This place has WICKED AWESOME potato skins and A TERRIBLE, NOT WORTH $ 12 pulled pork sandwich. I will only revisit when I need the potato skins, and I will be sure not to bring cash.

Really good, large sized Party Melt and fries. I was surprised. Clean bathroom, though small and well used. My Partner-​in-​Dine had a grilled chicken salad. She eats it often. She loves this place. Service was friendly, attentive, and efficient.
I do, however, hate sinks with short-​necked faucet spouts. It is hygienic because, it forces your hands, which are supposed to be in motion, to bump the back of the sink wall or underside of the spout that others have, as well. So far, my favorite sink/​faucet, hand towel set-​up is at the New Seasons at 3210 Broadway.

Love Coming to this neighborhood pub. It is specious with backyard style in the court. The outdoor seatings are heated as well. The service is good as well. We normally buy drinks only so I can’t say much about food. Price is right, free pool, and lots of games on TVs.

Best bar in Portland IMHO! First time there, I was visiting from the Canadian Navy back in 89. 25 years later, it’s my only hangout. Great crowd, regulars, staff, and owner Debbie! Never dissatisfied with the food, drinks, or service. I’ve made many new friends at the bucket in the past year. If you see me out on the deck in my wheelchair, say hello ;) Spent my summer river rafting the Clackamas with the owner, staff, and friends, while I provided transportation on my party bus. Fun times!

Been here a few times always good service, good prices, nice atmosphere. However; I will say there’s only one pool table that’s usually taken but if you ask nicely they’ll let you play a game. And it is a sports bar so they have a lot of Tvs, but I would suggest staying inside to watch because there seems to be a lot of regulars quite inebriated and somewhat hard to watch games/​be secluded or hear. But hey for a sports bar it’s good and food is definitely decent for competing with portland grub.
Will be back.

What an adrenaline rush ! Hopped up patron made my visit extremely uneasy. It was like a scene, (almost) from the movie «roadhouse»! Multiple televisions everywhere, but I sat at the bar, alone. But that wouldn’t last. I had the bacon cheeseburger which was extremely good. The fries were very tasty, too. And I downed two pints of microbrews, too. All through my visit, the regular, (who was very animated) was at a constant state of: «I’ll kick anybodies ass who threatens me!!!» What a downer. The food there is quite exceptional, as I have been there before. They also have lottery. All in all, a challenging place to visit.

My boyfriend and our friends came here for the Blazer game (game 2) against the Spurs. We sat at a table close to a smaller tv. We asked our waitress to please change it to the Blazer game so we could watch it like the rest of the bar. But no. Some chick ALL THE WAY across the bar was watching some hockey game. Who watches hockey on the west coast… really!!! Finally at the second half the chick left and we could watch the game on the tv closest to us. Clearly they only care about the regulars and aren’t accommodating to the younger crowd. The food was also sub par. They also left the door to the back deck open to the entire bar and everyone on the deck was SMOKING. The smoke was billowing in the bar. But hey, we get it you should accommodate the junkie regulars. Thanks Bucket Brigade.
Next time. There won’t be a next time.
Xx

Best neighborhood… nope. Would you find me here real late at night… nope. Was I happy when I learned I parked where the camera in the back kept an eye on my car… yep.
That said, we found Bucket Brigade to be a charming, divey bar for lunch. Lotsa brews on tap, including a holiday ale, (not gonna lie, bars aren’t on top of having at least one seasonal option are losing stars all over my reviews… c’mon man!!) which was Snow Cap… and that’s a fine choice in my book.
We were cold and famished and ordered accordingly. Wife had a monster burger of some sort (point is, it was huge!) and tots, I had the French Dip (see photo) with the garlic fries. Not a huge garlic fries guy so not 100% sure why I ordered them… so saying they weren’t my favorite is less on the fries and more on me.
Kara was working the bar and tables by herself… super nice and attentive to our table!
Lots of TVs for sports viewing. One pool table, some arcade games, and a full complement of lottery games.
Stopping for lunch again? Wouldn’t hesitate for a second!

Came here on a Friday and we just missed happy hour. Doh.
The staff was friendly and prompt. I ordered the miso-​styled grilled salmon with rice and vegetables. It came with a side salad. I like that the side salad wasn’t your typical iceberg salad mix. The salmon was grilled beautifully and moist. The miso sauce was lathered on pretty thick. If that is what you mean by «miso-​styled» then I’ll pass on the miso. My S.O. ordered the peanut butter burger. I had a bite of that. It was good. I like the bacon they used. Smokey.
We also played on the video machines while waiting for our food. I did pretty darn good. It paid for dinner, drinks and I had a little extra. Yay! That was an awesome plus.
There are TVs all around the place too so for those that like to watch a little ESPN while eating or even to watch the UFC fights, this is a good place to do that. All in all, a good day and good dinner.