Kay’s Bar

Did you know the place is haunted? It’s supposed to be a male individual that
had worked there decades ago. He’s sometimes seen in the kitchen.

Not many bars in the ‘Wood (that’s short for Sellwood, all you Portland transplants) are worth checking out. But Kay’s is. There’s not much to say about it. It’s just a straight up dope «workin’ man’s» bar with cool vintage beer signs, a great tap list, hip bartenders and a pretty worthy food menu. Pull up a barstool, order a double IPA and a double cheeseburger and make friends with someone. Enjoy!

Nice place to stop in for a happy hour beer. I can believe how busy it gets! You’ll often have to wait for a seat or table but if your just having a drink that’s not much of deal. Love the old beer signs and the French fries are delicious!

For a sports bar, Kays actually has really good food! One downfall is the seating — it’s always hard to snag a spot and the set up is kind of awkward. If you’re able to find a good spot for a game, you’ll have a great experience I’m sure! This is a very solid spot in Sellwood.

I currently live in Beaverton and got the opportunity to house-​sit for a coworker who lives in Sellwood from Christmas to NYE. The first place my girlfriend and I checked out was Kay’s and it was the best decision. It’s a classy dive bar with a positive atmosphere and great service. We continued to come back 4 days in a row… That’s how good it was. Best items in their menu: PDX burger (I added a fried egg, pickles, and a side of ranch!) and derby nachos. Thanks Kay’s! You’re the shit and I will definitely be back!

Check out the food and specialty drink menu… delicious!!! Very comfortable atmosphere.

Love this place, but the bummer deal was 6 Bucks for two tiny tacos for the sober driver friend here.
More like, «Rip Off Taco Tuesday »

Had a drink with a group of friends. My buddy Kyle picked up the tab for the table and I left forgetting my card at the bar. Went to pick it up the next day and they handed it back to me. They had charged $ 12 to it! For one drink my buddy picked the tab up for any ways?!? Not going back here again and talking to my bank about getting my money back. :(

I absolutely love this place. There isn’t much to choose from as far as great places to eat in Sellwood. However Kay’s makes up for it. Wether just stopping in for a quick beer after work or coming in for their street taco special on Tuesday you will not be disappointed. The staff are incredibly friendly and take their time to get to know you. Plus anytime the owner is there he goes out of his way to say hi even if you have never met him. A great selection of rotating beers and the best poutine this side of the Canadian border… The only problem I have with this place is that it’s not big enough. Did I mention that they serve one of the best brunch’s ever on Saturday and Sunday!

Hands down the best nachos I’ve had and I’ve been back twice for their nachos and ipa. Kiddos to the bar tender and especially the waitress. On point respectful and fast.

Kay’s is consistent, easy and well, just pretty awesome. The happy hour rocks. They have some really quality food and great service. Hubby and I have been a few times and have been pleased each time. Their classic deluxe cheeseburger was fantastic (classic beef n ‘merican cheese with pickles and onion, how can you go wrong?)This last time around we shared the wet burrito (we got their tinga chicken) and nachos. Mole sauce was on hit and the nachos were loaded. If your looking for cheap drinks, good food and a laid back kick it spot then check out Kay’s when your in the neighborhood.

Great happy hour, and great food too! Enough items to satisfy a vegan, a vegetarian and a meat eater. That doesn’t happen too often. It does look like an okay place not a great place on the outside, but I’m so glad we went in.

We came for the burgers because I was craving one all week. It was my turn to pick a place for date night, did a search, and found Kay’s on Unilocal.We we’re not disappointed. It was honestly the best burger I’ve had in years. Kay’s is definitely on our list of go to paces for a good drink and an awesome burger, we will be back again soon.

This might be my new favorite dive bar. From the outside, it looks like the kind of place you might get knifed and bleed out on the floor with nobody noticing for looking at some guys girl wrong. Actually, it looks the same on the inside. It’s great!

My favorite neighborhood joint in sellwood. I live nearby and I’m ok with that. Good food, good drinks, exploitation beer signs from the 70’s. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a watering hole

The rebirth of an institution. Dont know how many people remember the best Prime Rib in the city but Kay’s was famous for it. Well when they changed ownership the first time. It was a fast down hill slide. No I dont want something just as good, which was not any where near as good, as the Prime Rib. I want the Prime Rib. Fast forward to now. The Dive Bar booths and smoke filled corners are gone. I assume the new owners are upgrading and keeping some of the nostalgia as the signs and memories have all been rearranged. I have to agree with some others I have passed by here so many times thinking that place just isnt the same. Well for me it isnt. It is a better version of what I remember. They feature Sessions Beer. Better than just being the hipster what flavor of the month beer time is it. Good old fashioned good tasting Sessions. Which won beer of the year according to the New York Times so argue with them. Great Happy Hour specials. Wednesday is Burger Day will definitely replace Taco Tuesday. A burger with fries and a beer $ 6.00? who doesnt love that? It was even hard to find a place to sit. Maybe the word is already out. All the food coming out of the back looked good and seemed to keep coming a sure sign something good is being cooked up. I dont know how often I walked on by but now I will be walking on in. This place is shaping up to be the hot corner it once was. I liked all the offerings on the happy hour menu and we had great service. Maybe they met after all the reviews and corrected the situation others have mentioned. We could not think of wanting something before a waitress was there to ask us if everything was okay or if we needed anything. I suggest you make this place one of your regular stops. Other bars in the area take notice Kay’s is back on the rise. I dont see any way of handling larger crowds but maybe that is a good thing. You can walk in see if anything is available and walk out. Stop on in and give something old a new try. You will be surprised in a good way.

It’s a dive bar, and the food is pretty good. I’ll be back.
everyone loves a good dive bar. My fellow Unilocalers have spoken highly of this and for the most part they do not leave me astray. I was in the neighborhood and needed something to tide me over so I stopped in.
I got the fries with mole and tinga chicken (it had some spanish name, but it’s escaping me now.) It was really flavorful. The mole had lots of good spice and i could have used maybe a little more sweetness and a little less salt, but pretty darn good. It had mounds and mounds of chicken cooked in a flavorful sauce. The fries were actually pretty good too. Kind of a better version of those old style McMenimans fries that you shove in your face five or six and a time. My only complaint was the value. I would have preferred a little less for a smaller price. But then again maybe most people don’t eat alone in a dive bar… or do they.
If I’m in the neighborhood I would not hesitate to try some of their other faire.

Don’t, whatever you do, make the same mistake I did. Don’t move to Sellwood and walk by Kay’s a million times and write it off as The Neighborhood Bar I Will Eventually Get a Drink At Someday. It’s better than that. Sure it looks like a dive bar. Because it is a dive bar. But it’s a dive bar that’s going to impress your finicky ass.
The drinks, let’s start there. Happy Hour is crazy accessible, especially on Mondays when you need it the most, and full of options. You want a beer? $ 3. You want a mixed drink? $ 3. You want it to be extra potent? No charge, included in the price of your beverage. That’s how I like it. And that’s how they do it. Because they’re rad. I keep trying to tell you that.
The food, let’s go there next. The Governor is a wrap stuffed with chicken so juicy it should be wearing a velvet track suit. It’s making friends with creamy avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, and some saucy garlic herb mayo. Ask them to hold the mayo. Get a side of the salsa roja instead; it’s superior and you’ll be glad you did. Throw down another dollar and get a side of their house made chips, like Doritos but better because they’re delicious.
If that sounds like not your thing, it’s cool. Their HH menu is expansive and you have my personal guarantee that it will contain something you’ll get excited about: salads, burritos, burgers, wraps, sammies, fries, soups, bowls, all that good time chow.
If I haven’t sold you already, let me twist your arm some by saying the service provided by the button-​down shirt wearing waiter is top notch, above and beyond what anyone might expect during a warm weather lunch rush at a dive bar. Off the charts good, that’s the truth.

I had drunk here before, but this is the first time reviewing it for the food. I happened to see an article on best burgers in PDX, and Kay’s was named. 12 years of owning a home in PDX, and what??? I have to read a millenial exclaim after reading the article on the FB, «see Kay’s has the best burger?» That being said, it is a millenial hipster hangout, darkly lit with old millwaukee and Shlitz signs lit up and dark wood paneling from the 70’s. Happy hour was until 6 pm although on my way out of the rest room on Mondays it goes until 8 pm. OMG — I will start with the burger, hand-​pressed and a third of a pound. I asked for it cooked medium rare, and it was cooked perfectly. It was topped with both tomatoes, fresh lettuce and onions for $ 4 on Happy Hour. But the highlight to me was the poutine! It is way better, saltier and tastier than Potato Champion, but better than that it was better than the Poutine I had in Ottawa, the capitol of all of Canada two years ago. It was also on happy hour for $ 7.
Oh and pints are $ 3 on the happy hour.
Nuff said!

Update:
After having come to Kay’s many, many, times, as well as exploring the greater Portland area for quality drinking holes, I can conclude that Kay’s is– by far– my favorite bar in the greater metro area.
Excellent bartenders.
Excellent food.
Excellent prices.
Excellent vibe.
Simply the best. Please don’t change.