M Bar

A part of me doesn’t want to review MBar because it’s so small and I want to keep it a secret. But I will sing it’s praises here because the place and people deserve it. This wine bar is really all I want within walking distance of me at that ‘I just need a glass of wine and a table with a candle and my notebook and pen’ point of the evening. The music is never offensive, whoever is behind the bar will talk with you if you want it but also let you be if you need some alone time, and the wine pours are generous for how little they charge you for it. I can come here to catch up on work, have some me time with a book, or chat with a girlfriend for hours. The scene is starting to get a bit more crowded as people learn about it (again, little hole in the wall that I’m hesitant to talk about) but get there right when the clock strikes 6 and you’ll be set to snuggle into a little nook with your glass and create a space for yourself that feels personal no matter how packed the place gets. Thank you, MBar!

Fantastic assortment of wine and beer, they even have some sáke. Great little place that makes the most of its limited space. Nice outdoor seating, heat lamp at one of the tables for those cold nights. All servers are amazing and will remember you, even if you’ve only been in once (I’ve been in countless times and witnessed this first hand). Easily my favorite late night hang out.

Let’s get down to it.
I love this little place. 7 $ bubbles/​14 $ bottle happy hour, great prices. Cool atmosphere, have met some really cool people. Very much a locals place. It’s small so you may have to stand. We hit this place a few times a week. Good wine list, not huge, but something for everyone. The bartender is totally cool, that dude is there all the time! Check it out!

Great location and great service staff. Minus one star from perfect since they don’t serve liquor… beer and wine only. Beers are rotated often.

This place is great. They don’t let you take wine to go but hey, nothing in life is perfect.

Dark, cozy and romantic.
Nice selection of wines and beers in a wonderful atmosphere. Came here while waiting for a table at Smokehouse 21.

The whole bar is about 10 square feet so you’ll know everyone in there in less than and hour, and that’s a good thing. The bartender reminded me of a Samurai in training, making each poor just perfect. Happy hour is a bargain. Very cool hideout.

I just found my new go-​to watering hole in the Northwest!
This place is Sterling Coffee Roasters during the day — and while it’s a bar at night, it has the delicious smell of roasted coffee beans in the air around the clock. It’s only a few blocks from my place, open nightly, and they have an incredible happy hour deal from 6−8pm, which is on the later side for happy hour in Portland.
They don’t serve food here, but I hear you can bring your own. They serve wine, beer, sake, bubbles, and cider. All their drinks are all very reasonably priced too. Glasses of wine were around $ 6-​$ 7, so that means they are 3 BUCKS during happy hour… I know.
The ambiance in here is awesome too. It’s über tiny with only a few seats in the place and is dimly lit by candle, so it is perfect for a date night or with friends (not intimidated by the über romantic setting). It was pretty empty when we showed up at 6pm, but picked up later in the evening and everyone in here seemed to know one another — it felt like a true NW watering hole… or just Portland’s version of Cheers!
The service is friendly and the bartender is fun, knowledgeable about the drinks offered, and also will come and hang out and socialize with the people in the bar.
Love this place and can’t wait to go back!

Sometimes I like hanging out in a sports bar, watching the game on a big screen (or several), talking sports and yelling with the rest of the fans.
And sometimes, not so much.
When the latter mood hits me, the M Bar is the place to go to decompress. It is a TV and electric light free zone that fits about 12 people (3 only at the bar) and is conducive of good conversation. Beer, wine, stout and cider are the full bill of fare, but you can bring in your own food.
Bartenders are the best.

The smallest yet most unpretentious wine and beer bar in PDX. wanna be apart of the community come here. this is where friends are made.

Great selection of beers on tap and my lady says the wines are good too. We both love how low key, laid back, and quiet this cute little bar is. We have only had Nathan as a bar tender and he has been very welcoming and knowledgeable on his beer and wine. I’d recommend this location for small groups (2 – 3). We always end up chatting it up with all the locals. Where everybody knows your name…

Great little gem of a bar in NW 23^rd. No college kids from the suburbs, great prices, and the intimate setting makes for great conversation. Will recommend. Music wasn’t too loud and the candle light is nice and cozy. Nathan was a great bartender. He was friendly and helpful with picking out what to drink. It also had a «cheers» feeling where the bartender knew his regulars and people talked to each other with great ease. Loved it.

The place is small, that’s obvious from the outside — so a small group is a must. This place could be really really cool, however, there’s just something missing.
Important to know they only serve wine, beer, sake, and champagne. No cocktails. The server was lacking enthusiasm, and the music was trance and creepy. Could use a more welcoming vibe in there. There are plenty other substitutes, including my own home to enjoy a glass of vino.
So frustrating because this place has potential!

This place is cozy and intimate – but dang, in Portland, businesses should really invest in AC for the comfort of their clients in the summer months! I can’t wait to come back in the winter/​fall for a romantic drink.
I had a glass of Prosecco, & my boyfriend had a red from Portugal – both were tasty, and only put us out $ 7, since it was happy hour (at 7 pm?!?). We stepped outside, since it was utterly steamy at the bar, and enjoyed our wine out there.
We would’ve stayed all night, but it was too dang hot.

This place is too small for me. It feels like I am an a closet. Also the people there give me a hipster feel that I really am not a fan of.

Great wine spot. Happy hour till 8! So what this means is that all the wine is between $ 3-​$ 7 depending on which one you get. Had a couple glasses-​one Sauvignon blanc and the other a Syrah — both from France. Very good and only like $ 4. Plus they have little outdoor tables, on those clear portland days (they do happen sometimes). Inside is very intimate and cozy: small with very dim lighting. A great little spot to come in and enjoy a nice glass of wine and talk.

Anywhere that has happy hour until 8pm is already 5 stars in my book. But there’s so much more to love about M Bar. The quiet, small, intimate space is perfect for a romantic date or catching up with a friend. The menu is short, but I’ve always been satisfied with the wines I have tried. I’m also a big fan of outdoor seating, so the small tables outside are a very nice option as well in the summer months. Definitely a go to spot!

Their Pinot Noir 12′ was not good and tasted like it had gone bad. The worker there had stated they just received it yesterday and it should be good, but after he tried it, he agreed that has gone bad and gave me a new one. However, the second cup was just as bad =/
I have drank quite a few pinot’s and didn’t think that it would have a «riesling» or semi sparking taste to it on my tongue –_​– Aside from that, I felt that the guy who worked there that night was unfriendly and seems very judgmental.
I dont think I will come back here, despite their HH price. I can get better wine elsewhere.

Big city in a small space…
Everything about M Bar reminds me of lovely haunts in NYC, the kinds tucked away off an alley or down in a basement or up a flight of stairs to what feels like a large but lovely candled closet. No faux-​speakeasy here; just a chalkboard’s worth of drinks, a smattering of bench seats with tiny tables, a few stools at the bar, and outdoor patio furniture scattered along the sidewalk. It’s dimly-​lit, reservedly sexy, and no one will bother you since you’ve got to order your drinks from the bartender: this isn’t an event, and no one’s here to cater to your night out.
And why would they, since happy hour offers $ 4 beer (two taps, but whatever) and $ 3 off your glass of wine? This cheap yet elitist date won’t turn down an $ 8 tab for two drinks. Think of M Bar as the sultry-​yet-​tasteful lounge in the basement of the lovely NW Victorian you’ll never be able to afford, or as the space that transports you to a city so massive that small spaces become homes away from home. Either way, venture in…

This cozy and intimate little space is easy to miss late at night if you don’t know to look for it. I walk by it all the time as I go to and from Trader Joe’s and I have been longing, no, make that obsessed with going. Around 11 PM last night my friend suggested we go. He didn’t have to ask me twice. I was ready and out the door before he could even find his car keys.
It is smaller inside than I imagined and that is just fine. I think that the indoor seating capacity is around 12 persons give or take 2 or 3 or so depending on how well people know and like each other. If the weather is nice there is also some limited outdoor seating as well. I really enjoyed the dimly lit interior and just found the overall atmosphere charming.
Onward to the beverage choices: There were many wines, beer, sake and they also had port. I immediately spied a Malbec and my friend had an expertly poured pint of Guinness. We lingered over our drinks and enjoyed the hospitality of Bar M while toying with the idea of a midnight pizza run to Sizzle Pie. But then my good sense kicked in I told myself that my pants are tight enough already and I quashed my pizza craving.
If you haven’t checked out Bar M, midnight is a sexy time to go.