Duffs Garage Bar & Grill

This was my first trip to the new location of Duff’s. I went once in their old location and never went back. The wait staff was horrible and the experience anything but pleasant. So I finally bit the bullet and decided to give them another chance. I’m glad I did.
The server was on top of his game, the drinks were strong and decently priced, the bathroom was clean, the dance floor was large and the band was smokin’. What more could you ask for when going out on a Saturday night?!
Okay, better parking might be nice. This is the only drawback to the place.

What a gem of a venue for fans of Live Roots Music in Portland, Oregon: Blues, Rockabilly, Western swing, Surf, Soul & Funk bands.
Big dance floor, great sound, good food, lots of seating and friendly employees made it easy for me to want to go back!

Had a great time listening to Candye Kane and could not get enough. Most reviews by Unilocalers hit it on the spot. A couple of things to mention like their is No real place to sit to see the performers and music is very good. No complaints from me.

What a cool, not hipster, not pretentious, just real person bar/​venue. We went here just after looking up blues places close to our house and really had low expectations, used to what things are like living out past 82^nd (lottery after lottery after lottery bar or the alternative, strip clubs). Well, this place was fantastic. Nothing frilly, just pure fun for a Friday night. What we loved the most was the totally mixed crowd of people, young, old, hippie, hipster, you name it — everyone was there for good music, and we got it. There was one table of drunkies, talking loudly through the opening set, and someone even had the nerve to ask them to be quiet and they did! This place is a musicians dream. The cover was a reasonable $ 10, food and beer normally priced. We will definitely go back and tell other about this place. Thanks Duffs!

First time here. I really enjoyed myself for the most part. Fun vibe, live music, friendly staff and the food was above decent. The one complaint on the inside for me is the place is too hot and stuffy. It cut our night short. Once they figure out how to get good airflow this would be a place I would recommend.

Went last Saturday to see the amazing group Soul Vaccination. They’ll get 5 stars all the time. So about Duffs, the menu was bleak with hummus and vegetables, tacos with pulled pork, regular nachos or nachos with pulled pork, etc… My friend ordered nachos with pulled pork. He was served nachos without the pulled pork. He told our server about his order and she INSISTED that he ordered nachos without the pulled pork. Most places would just have given him a small serving of the pork. The drinks were bad and watered down, even the olives in my martini were stale. For three people, the bad service, bad food, bad drinks, and cover, all costing $ 106 was a total ripoff. I will follow Soul Vaccination anywhere except Duff’s Garage.

As a guest, this place bring a much needed live music entertainment venue. The Live music here is great, a view of the stage from almost every table.
Duff’s can use an extra floor server on busy nights. The one person that is the server is really sweet and great at her job, but one person can only be so many places at one time.
As a performer, the stage sound is very loud due to the low ceiling. We have a 13 pc band so that might have played a big part in the stage sound. For a musician about to play here, some tips;
*Keep your volume at a rehersel level, the stage sound can get away from you in a hurry.
*Wear ear monitor or ear plugs on stage to help to hear yourself (drummers who sing, a must)
*The dressing room can also be used to store cases.
*Bring a fan, it gets pretty hot on stage.

Great place for a wide variety of music and dancing.

Bartender was nice and on top of it, but I don’t know that this place will make it in the new location. It looks like they have some descent music occasionally, but I won’t be back. Location is just that bad.

Duffs looks like a dive bar from the outside. The interior could use some sprucing up to lure in new customers. I only went there because they were hosting live jazz music on a Friday night and some family invited us to tag along.
I will say that the music was excellent! We were there for the Bureau of Standards Big Band, which I believe was an 18-​member band. They were dressed the part! It was very classy. We ordered a few drinks and listened/​danced to the music until nearly midnight. There was a decent crowd and the audience danced to most songs.
I had no idea that Duffs offered such great live entertainment. Duffs: I suggest marketing the music better, and you should have no problem bringing in some new faces. I’d go back for the jazz music (& tell my friends)!

I’ve lived a block and a half from Duff’s since they opened at the new location (previously the place was the Red Room). Every time I drove by I thought «That place has got to be super divey». Boy was I wrong!
Came here the other night (also to see The Bureau of Standards) and had a great time. Was surprised that the covers, when they have them, are typically $ 10. Seems high for a small space but I wasn’t paying so it worked for me. Yes, the parking lot is small, but there is a ton of street parking in the neighborhood if you can manage walking around the corner.
Duff’s is a small location. Upon entering, you have the bar on your left and the stage in front on the right. The bar was well stocked with about 10 taps and a solid liquor selection. Hey, if my wife can get an Aviation Gin martini and I can get a beer on draft I’ve never had before, you’re a good bar.
What this place stands out for is the music. They regularly have Blues, Jazz, Big Band, Bluegrass, and Swing bands. Gone are the days of bad punk rock bands in this building. Dancing is highly encouraged! A few of the couples got up to do some dancing and our group did quite a bit. People in the 1930s didn’t listen to Big Band music and sit in the corner. Hell No! They got up and moved their feet and to this band, that was easy.
If you want swanky, go to Jimmy Mak’s downtown. If you’re looking for something a little more casual, this is a great place for it.

Such a disappointment. This was our first visit to the new location, and this review is just about the location/​venue. The staff were nice enough, and of course the bands are great.
The parking lot is super small, and you can’t park behind the building as another business owns that lot. The staff have to come through the audience to warn you even after you see the sign on the front door.
Then you walk in the door and are met with a foul odor — musty/​moldy. Ick! There is a small bar area on the left, then the stage and seats to the right. Typical cheap stools, tables and chairs, and one padded bench along the far wall. The women’s restroom is very cramped, with one stall.
We came to see Bureau of Standards, a wonderful big band, and they were crammed onto the stage. The low ceiling made it super loud. I saw people moving their seats so their ears weren’t blown out, but there aren’t lots of options. The space just isn’t that big.
I looked at the menu, and you can tell it’s stuff that could be prepared in a microwave, certainly not a food destination.
Really let down by this new location. Not sure we will come back, shame as we really like to get out for live music but this place is not what we hoped for.

This place is all about the music, so don’t expect to come for stellar food or service. Drinks are good and prices right. Great jam on Wednesdays, and overall great Blues venue. The owners are really nice folks. A fun place to go with friends, and would feel safe going there by myself to enjoy music with like-​minded people.

We only go there when there is a band we really want to hear. The place is dark there are post all over so it is hard to see the band the food it terrible the parking is not good. If they would fix any of this we would be happier. There are several other clubs we go to that are much nicer.

If you don’t like this place there’s something wrong with you, probably genetic and incurable.

Great Music! That’s it for the good stuff. No table service, yet the help is running around picking glasses off all the tables. (Take my order while you are here.). So after standing in line for 15 minutes you are subjected to a rude and dis-​interested bar keep who makes it clear she would rather be anywhere but here. The new layout is strange, with the band in the middle of the room, which makes every table a lousy seat. Bad parking in a worse neighborhood. If a band you like is playing there, stay home and use the money you save to buy the CD.

Visited for the first time Friday September 19 to listen to some music, which was great. The food was ok, my table ordered a burger and the nachos with pulled pork. Average food. It was rather warm in there but cozy and comfortable with great music. Why just two stars? Well that was the good stuff… There is no waitress so to speak, so no only did we have to go to the bar and get our own drinks but that’s where you order food too. They ran out of cranberry juice by 10 on a Friday night. The worst part is that parking sucks! Didn’t realize that the lot behind the building is not parking for the bar so we got towed. For first timers its just not a very friendly place.

This is my 6^th trip to the new Duff’s. My friends and I come each time to hear Jawbone Flats play on the stellar sound system. This is a music venue/​bar on a mission to support live local music, and I love that.
The beer and wine selections are acceptable and improving. We drink IPAs and red wine blends, and they offer both at decent prices. The food is edible. As in, we can find something on the menu that will suffice if we’re hungry, but no one comes here primarily to eat.
This is a place for ear candy. Easy access off 84. Easy parking in the lot or on NE Russell.
The bartenders are all fantanstic. The décor doesn’t make me swoon. The ceilings are lower than I’d like making the high bar tables a questionable choice, but all the lower tables are comfy. It feels dark, and I’d like them to get rid of the black, put up more art and groovy lighting, but they’re sound people, so it may take them a while to catch up on the décor.
All in all… come for the music and everything else works from that context. It feels like a cool garage with excellent music.

New location sucks for us out of towners. Dark and dreary but music is still great. Too far to go though when visiting from out of town and atmosphere just not on par with the old place

I am a sucker for a good music venue. This venue just moved from downtown to this current location and they are not missing a beat with providing a good night out. They are doing it right, and working very hard to bring great music to the Portland area. I will be back!

oh I am so sad and disappointed. I used to be a big fan of Duff’s; they have great live music 7 nights a week and feature a lot of blues and occasional zydeco/​Cajun bands. Sadly after two visits to their new digs on NE 82^nd I doubt I will ever return. Yes the dance floor is bigger but that is no benefit when the air cooling system is horrible (dance floor & stage hot and bar area cold), I thought the sound was bad last night, the parking lot down the street that is supposed to be for Duff’s customer was still locked up at 9 p.m., there is no safe pedestrian friendly way to walk to the club (over dirt, broken glass, climb over parking curbs to get to entrance), the interior is dark and the ceilings so low I can touch the ceiling and I’m 5’4″, and there were obvious sketchy characters and business going on across the street at the State Motel and on the street. I would not feel safe walking to my car alone after a visit there. The selection of entertainment that Duff’s hosts continues to be unsurpassed as compared to the other blues venues in PDX but I will take my business elsewhere in the future. I really miss the old place, even though the dance floor was the size of a postage stamp it had a great happy vibe. crying in my beer…