East End

This is a review of the bar, not the place as a venue. And as a disclaimer: I’ve never been here when it’s busy (is it ever though? I wonder).
I like that their sour is made to order, they have food options for everyone, including a great happy hour for vegans and carnivores, and I enjoy their proximity to my workplace! What I am not crazy about is the lackluster tap list, and the way everything in the bathroom seems wet, oooh and sometimes the DJ plays the most buzzkill music. Boo.
I think another thing worth mentioning that I like about this place is the service. The bartenders are friendly and patient, and even stop by to ask if we’d like another round. That sometimes means me and 4 other people, all on separate checks. And they handle it like pros.

Hipster place, employees are… interesting, as you might expect. Decent place to listen to music.

Forgot to review this a couple months ago on a brief, whirwind visit of Portland, so running with lasting impressions on this review:
Definitely as hipster as it could get. New wait staff was being trained during my visit, and their nervousness showed. Management was friendly and appreciated my patience, but hoped they would eventually also train their new staff to smile now and again… though that may break the hipster vibe.
Burger was fantastic, and they had Pixies on the dial, so I was pretty content. Definitely a PBR style bar, but with an authentic garage rock vibe. If I lived in Portland, pretty certain I’d be a regular.

This place has a cool set up, and I like the grungy bar/​venue area below, but the drinks are weak and I don’t think the sound guy is paying any attention to the band’s levels.
Also, this place opens up at 7 pm, not 4 pm.

Can’t go wrong with cheap beer and a vintage photo booth.

Seems like a damn fine watering hole; further investigation would be a pleasure :)
This place was pretty quiet when I stopped by for a couple of drinks on a Friday night. Friends and I had crossed over the river to check out the Lovecraft Bar down the street, but found the ‘emo-​kid prom party’ or whatever the hell was going on there not to our liking so we wound up at the East End. Decent beer selection, stiff drinks, laid-​back atmosphere, and a pretty cool bartender all verified that this was a good decision. I’d like to come back and try out some of the happy hour specials I’ve now read about here on Unilocal

After frequenting this establishment for a couple of years, some things have changed and some remain the same. The happy hour is definitely one of the main reasons I come here. It goes from 4 – 8 and not only is the food prices cheap, the drink specials are a real steal. The cheesburger and fries is $ 5 now (was $ 4 previously). Painted Hills beef is still used so the good quality is still intact. The drinks are boozy, $ 2.75 for well and no bottom shelf liquor is used! My main drink of choice is old crow whiskey and ginger.
The bartenders are so friendly and attentive. I do not think I have ever received bad service. They can accomodate small and large groups alike. Another reason for visiting happy hour is because it’s never too busy. Once in a while they will have a DJ playing vinyl records, yes you heard me correct. None of that computer Itunes crap but old school hits instead.
The bathrooms downstairs are funky and probably use at your own risk. It has that dive bar setting. There is more room in the bottom level where bands usually perform in the late evening. I do miss the karange japanense chicken strips. The cook who introduced it to the menu a couple of years ago no longer works at the establishment. It was his recipe and he took it with him :(. Other than that, the service along with the food and drink specials keep drawing me back. The nacho’s are still huge and some of the newer items like the risotto balls can feed a person or 2. This is one of my favorite bars along side Grand Ave and surely should be included in a bar crawl!

***Happy Hour 4−8pm? YES PLEASE!
***$ 5 Burger (with local Painted-​Hills beef) and massive portion of well-​seasoned fries? OM NOM NOM
***Cheap drinks? Thanks!
***Centrally located with tons of street parking? No complaints here!
***Super friendly and attentive bartender? Yup yup
This is the epitome of what pub-​grub happy hour food should be. Not pretentious, nor overpriced because it’s hip and trendy.
I definitely want to go back to try the karage fried chicken!!! :-)

This bar is «okay» at best. The photobooth is my favorite thing. The live sound is always way too distorted/​loud (even with ear plugs). After all these years, it still sounds bad. And with how weak the drinks are, why don’t they use those profits to invest in a better sound system or sound-​person? Don’t know why.
The food has improved a little, but is still pretty sub-​par as it is just heavily salted and generally unhealthy.
The drinks are almost always served weak (as I said above).
One of the owners cut me off after ONE beer (my first of the night) simply because he saw me spill half of the beer after walking off the one-​step ledge on the upstairs little corner-​cove… I told him clearly and soberly that I «missed the step» because I didn’t see it – seriously, big deal, I’m only human.
And the door guy will not recognize you, no matter how many times you go in and out. Even if it is 10 seconds later, he needs your ID again, because he’s really not paying attention to anything but his buddies.
Overrated and snobby deathrock kids that stare you down, god forbid you don’t look exactly like them. Hey kids… I was listening to punk rock before much of you graduated from diapers.
Get real.

I totally take back what my shittier, younger self said about East End before. The more I come here, the more I find out that I’m actually deeply in love with this bar in a dramatic soap opera kind of way. (Voiceover: Despite being happily engaged with a bottle of red wine at home, she was secretly in love! With… a dive bar!)
The pours are strong! The bartenders are friendly! The music is loud! The shows are fun! The food is awesome! (Vegan lettuce wraps! Vegetarian buffalo wings!) The hallways are creepy! There’s a vintage store downstairs! The photoboth is cheap ($ 3!), real (none of that digital crap!), and it works ALL THE TIME!
So it’s kind of obvious why I’m having a hot illicit affair with East End. A bottle of red wine and smooth jazz doesn’t compare to a night of punk rock, whiskey, naked photobooth, and PARTYIN PARTYIN YEAH FUN FUN FUN FUN LOOKING FORWARD TO THE EAST END!
East End, you do me right baby.

This is a great Bar/​resturant. Me and my fiancé were in town just relaxing and ran across this bar. I love to go to nice grubby punk bars wherever I go and this one didn’t dissapoint. We went during happy hour and got a great meal at a cheap price. The bartender was DJing a lot of really good music.
Also, there is some type of vintage store in the basment that has some rediculously overpriced records but all and all it was pretty cool as well.
I love this place and next time we are in town I will put in some serious time here.

This is my type of place. It’s not gonna be for everyone and it def caters more towards the underground end of things. There is a good amount of attitude here and it may be hard to break in with the regulars.
It’s a bi level club with a bar both up and down. The photo booth could serve as a quick make out room with any of the millions of hotties you’ll encounter here.
The cozy show space is downstairs and can get pretty cramped, which for this type of club is gonna be a good thing. The sound is «small p.a. in small room» and the band is in your face. There is also a downstairs lounge outside of the live room, which has a cool and more of an «upscale» vibe than the rest of the place.
No bs service was good in my book-​efficient but not gonna kiss your ass.
The barback was cool to me at the end of the night when I gave him the good old «c’mon, just one more minute while i finish this drink».
You could get away looking elegant or street in this place– just make sure you wear your favorite black outfit if you want to blend in a bit better.

My friends and I came here for HH on one Saturday evening and we were the only customers there for a while. I was surprised by how dead the place was considering their Happy Hour menu is on Da Bomb side.
Well drinks special were strong for the price. Happy Hour food were delicious. I had the Kara Age style Chicken Strips with the Jalapeño cream cheese sauce on the side. It also comes with Fries! For $ 6, my belly was full and happy.
Service was just alright. The server/​bartender was a bit confusing. She didn’t understand what I was asking for a drink. I told her 7 up & Vodka and she made me repeat the sentence like three times. That was just odd. I’ve never had any problem with ordering foods and drinks before.
Besides that, happy hour here is a good deal. I’m interested to check this place out at night time when it’s hopping.

To borrow a phrase from Anna B, screamin’ «recession deals» here, people. Screamin’.
Seems they have completely revamped the menu in recent months. I have been in for happy hour, and convenience, price, and value converge to make this a place worth visiting, especially since it’s on the way home after work. HH well drinks are $ 2.75. Plus they have a specialty cocktail list and a heavy pouring hand. Brilliant combination.
I enjoyed a Painted Hills burger the other day with an enormous side of mixed greens with a carrot ginger tamarind dressing. All this for $ 4.00. Not a typo. $ 4.00. I know from past experience that had I ordered the side of fries, there would have been enough to feed a small village. And they are crisped up nicely.
Sometimes there is a DJ here spinning honest to God vinyl from rock and metal bands. I have yet to venture down into the basement, which is rumored to be vast. Happy hour is so chill that it’s easy to grab a seat street-​level by the bar. Bartender has been friendly each time I’ve been in.
I must admit, from prior reviews, I was expecting more of a hipster dive here. While they have «dive» down pat, I just didn’t get any attitude or sense of «What are *you* doing here?» I can’t speak to the «crowd» per se as it has not been crowded during the after work hours. I guess I would describe other patrons as similar Southeast quadrant dwellers like myself, with the occasional hair I wish my corporate job would allow me to sport.

Rock and Roll, boys and girls, I love this place. New menu and HH now goes until 8 pm, yeah!
Mozzarella/​Basil arancine, nachos, veggie ‘chicken’ wings, Painted Hills cheeseburger (for $ 4… with enough fries to feed an entire table), house-​made veggie burger (panko-​breaded, oh hello), pasties (the British pocket pie, not the nipple coverings), and karaage fried chicken strips (Japanese-​style), everything is $ 3 – 6. Cheap wells, cheap PBR, dollar off cocktails, and daily cheap drink special round out the HH offerings.
I had the «Bulleit Proof», a bourbon lemonade made with love before taking a trip down memory lane with an Old Crow.
Made-​to-​order brie/​cream mac and cheese, oh wow. My friend let me sneak a couple of bites of hers, it was pretty sinful.
Never met a bartender there I didn’t like. They are all super rock and roll and down-​to-​earth. I still don’t get the hipster hate on this place. Excellent spot for HH, when it’s pretty empty but the soundtrack’s just as rad as later in the night when this unassuming bar turns club on two levels.
I’ll toss up double devil’s horns for this place any time. Bonus points for music yesterday coming not from the usual jukebox but punk-​rock lookin’ DJ keeping those 7-​in EPs comin’…

This is always where our nights end up or start.
It’s a funky layout, but it’s perfect for all the moods of your night. Feel like mingling with everyone that comes in? Grab a booth up on the top floor. Wanna have a romantic moment alone with the guy/​girl you made seductive eyes with earlier? Sit by the fake fireplace. Wanna gather all your friends and be loud and obnoxious? Head downstairs to the tables. Wanna enjoy a show? Head to the stage.
The owners work hard to make this place awesome and the bartenders/​bouncers are all really friendly. The menu is vegan/​vegetarian friendly and delish. I’ve had a few things, but I definitely crave the BBQ tofu sandwich, which I discovered by accident.
The artwork changes often and the shows are good. They have mini music festivals and larger ones like Dmmr Bmmr that lasted a few days.
I always have a good time there. At least from what I remember…

Okay, so everyone knows this is somewhat of a hipster hangout. But the beauty of portland is that almost anyone can get away with their shenanegans almost anywhere. True, I wouldn’t feel comfortable walking into East End wearing sweat pants, but I doubt I’d feel comfortable anywhere in sweats… Call it a childhood fear of mine… I dunno…
I like people-​watching here. The diversity is beautiful. The bartenders are generally chill. The cocktails are fabulous (though expect to pay $ 6-​$ 8 for ‘em). Any place that has signature cocktails with names like «teenage rampage» and «John Lennon» is good in my book.
There are about 24 rotating beers on tap, mostly predictable but good (like Ninkasi, Deschutes, and Lagunitas). And if you meander in for Happy Hour (from 4pm-​7pm every day!), you can get $ 1 off cocktails and $ 0.50 off draft beer. I was stoked to see they carry sugarfree RedBull and Tazo tea, for those of us who need a five minute break from booze.
The food menu is diverse and supports local business: they use Cascade for their beef, Draper Valley for their chicken, and Grand central for their bread. And the food is yummy. They’ve options you wouldn’t usually find on a bar menu, like shepherd’s pie and pasties (which are both available meatie and vegetarian). Nothing is super cheap, but nor will it bust your budget.
The portions on the fries are huge. And since it was $ 5 for regular fries, I decided to up the ante and try the Disco Fries for $ 7. It’s a huge gooey messy sinful platter of fries, mushroom gravy, and cheese. We weren’t given a fork, so I dared my partner in crime to actually pour the sloppy remnants of french fry goo into his mouth. He gets snaps for effort… i was expecting to bust out with the YMCA, post-​Disco Fries, but I was waaay too gluttonously full. I barely made it out the door.
I like coming to East End as a local music venue. The place is kind of bi-​polar. Upstairs, you have a slim row of booths with a mini-​bar, one bartender, a complimentary old school photo booth, and a sound system that generally plays artists such as the Velvet Underground.
But down the wide staircase in the middle of the upstairs entrance, you’ll find a whole new slightly-​more-​punky world. There are some dimly-​lit tables surrounded by fork art. And off to the side is another bar, a bit darker and grungier, where you can catch some surprisingly good local music acts. $ 5 (or free if you’re lucky) for four local bands isn’t a bad deal. But bring ear plugs. The sound folks tend to go a wee bit crazy with the amps on these gigs. Also, don’t be surprised if you have to stand at a show: seats are limited.
P. S. There are several picnic style tables lining the outside of the building for your outdoor seating pleasure.

I’ve walked past this place for years, but for one reason or another (IIRC, it was a hippy pit for a long time) I didn’t go in.
Well, it’s a hipster joint now, so I still probably wouldn’t have gone in without yeep backup.
The ground level is interesting. Cramped but the space is used so efficiently it doesn’t feel it. I didn’t spend much time downstairs (waiting for food upstairs) but that seemed nice. Although (and I hope I don’t make this a theme in my reviews) I don’t know why the lights have to be off in bars.
Unisex restrooms? Are you kidding me? What kind of B.S. is that? It’s not our fault that most girls take their damn sweet time peeing. Someone needs to talk to the buildings department about codes regarding places to wee relative to capacity. This is the third or fourth time in the last few months I’ve been somewhere with a screwed up pisser sitch like that.
I thought the food took forever to get to me. But I was really hungry so maybe it felt longer than it was. But by the time I’d eaten, most of the GPB crew had moved on.

My entrance into East End was preceded by skipping hand in hand down the street with Kimberly V. singing the smurf’s theme. Lah LA laLAla laah, Laaah lala LA laaaah. Yeah. Something like that. It was smurfy.
We walk in and hit my head on something. I think it was the cloud of smoke. Whoah… smoking in bars… oh yeah! They still do that in places huh! I felt like I was in a weird foreign country or in a Southern state (which is like being in a weird foreign country as well). Welp, whatevah, what’s a little second hand smoke in my lungs and making my clothes smell like ass for a few hours right?
Right in front of me as I entered, once my vision adjusted to the smoky gloom, and if I wasn’t so hammered from mixing alcohol and cold medicine, was a stairway down. I didn’t even notice it at first, which is kind of dangerous with stairways. Later, it occurred to me that I could have pulled a Chevy Chase/​SNL entrance to the downstairs. I probably wouldn’t have felt it, considering the odd state my brain was entering.
I headed over to the bar and realized that there were other Portland Unilocalers that I had just met and danced wildly with at the Green Papaya Elite Event. I dragged Lauren G. into the photobooth (see pics). I like Photobooths apparently.
This is where I think the mixture of alcohol and cold medicine really kicked in. I am not sure what happened or how much time had passed, or even what city or time zone I was in, but I suddenly became aware that I was listening to a band in a very low-​ceilinged, dark basement looking room that looked like it was half under construction. There was a crowd of people around me applauding a girl playing bass and singing, accompanied by a guy playing drums making funny faces, and two other girls playing keyboards. The sound was haunting, and they were just finishing their song, which accounts for the people applauding. I was a bit freaked out. I literally had no idea where I was or how I had gotten there. In a remote part of my brain, I did know that I liked the music, and they began playing another song, and concern about where I was suddenly dissipated…
…I must have slipped again. My memory is very hazy of staring at this girl singing and playing bass. She was green and red. The sound… it was spooky and haunting but pretty cool. There was an EMO guy standing next to me. He had this crazy hair cut that made me think of Echo and the Bunnymen, and he was talking to me about being depressed but liking chicken. I was agreeing with him on the chicken thing. And I got freaked out again as I still didn’t know where I was or how much time had passed, but eating chicken sounded pretty good.
I turned and tried to figure out how to get out of this dark basement-​like room. There was a passage-​way and a line of people. I walked up to them and, feeling sheepish, got into line as well. I asked the guy in front of me, «So… this bar… it’s called what?» He looks at me and smiles and says, «East End.» Ah. Right. Weird. I looked around for the cloud of smoke and the photobooth. Or the windows. The door? The Portland Unilocalers? Anything that would make this make sense. Nothing, though a guy with permed hair walked by wearing leopard print tights and a leather/​denim jacket. I distinctly remember thinking to myself, «Rad.»
It’s times like these that a good pee makes the world an easier place to deal with. I took advantage of my rapidly advancing place in line and did just that. I fished in my pocket for my Listerine breath strip package, thinking that maybe a blast of spearmint would bring me back to the here and now, and if anything I wouldn’t offend anyone with my breath, and came out with the empty package of cold medicine. That little voice that we all have in our head that tells us sensible things like «don’t piss off the big guy with the tattoos» or «don’t pee uphill» broke through for a moment and said, «Hey stupid! You drank excessive amounts and took cough medicine on an empty stomach! That explains why…» and that’s as much as that little voice could say before I started blanking again.
I found myself back out in basement area next to perm hair leopard print guy. I was telling him how much I loved his guitar playing in Night Ranger’s ‘Sister Christian’ video. I suddenly realized there was a stairway leading up next to him. I decided I’d ascend these stairs and see where they went.
I suddenly found myself in the smoky room with the photobooth, with windows, door, and a crowd of Portland Unilocalers. I remember feeling relieved. I think I talked with them, I apologize folks if I was a bit weird. Anyway, aware that I was freaking out and had already probably offended everyone around me, I headed out.
I’m not a fan of smoky bars. So knocked a star off. Otherwise, I’m pretty sure I had fun here. I’d love to come back and check it out when I’m a little more right in the head.

East End is doing me right these days. I prefer to stick with the upstairs (the downstairs is a little cavernous which, in theory, I would think that I’d like, and I do, but it makes me anxious and wanting to leave. But, ahem, enough about my neuroses…).
The bartenders are super cool, but yeah, you have to go to them to get service. On busy nights, there can be a waitress roving about, but it’s not a constant so take your ass to the bar to get what you want.
The bathroom lines are always long, and on show nights the downstairs can get cuh-​rowded! But all is well.
shit’s pretty hip (see what i did there?) so if you are unable to cope, look elsewhere, darlin.