Sidecar 11

I recommend trying the Gin Gin Mule. So yummy and refreshing! They also have really great tapas. A must try when visiting Portland!

Went last night with the husband and friends (I was the only first timer.) Had the «Working Man» cocktail — I suggest renaming it to the «Holy Smooth Balls this is Awesome» cocktail. Some magical combination of brandy, sherry, and bitters was divine. I can’t speak to anyone else’s drinks due to my total devotion to my own. Also got the tapenade plate — super yummy, but the real money was the mac&cheese which (admittedly after my first drink of awesome) was transcendent. Plus the space is cute and chill, with a wine and whisky/​whiskey list surpassed only by the physical presence of said bottles displayed library style floor to ceiling.

Really enjoyed the drinks and service. Although, we both noted that they weren’t as strong as we would have hoped.

We very disappointed with our drinks. They are at a price point where we were expecting interesting bold flavors. Instead we had flat drinks with poor execution. The décor of the place was nice, and the staff friendly, but for a place that is selling cocktails in the $ 10 range it is ultimately underwhelming.

In terms of service and quality drinks, this place was superb– the fellas working the bar were attentive and the drinks came out fast and perfect. Furthermore, their signature cocktails featured local spirits and flavours which I think is great.
Where things sorta fell short for me were the space– and I want to preface this by saying, I’ve never been in a cocktail bar with multiple TVs playing sports before. I was a little surprised by the fact that the space is elegantly and intimately designed yet tucked under large sports screens. This made for that the enthusiasm of the sports fans in the room often made it tough for me to hear my date.
Needless to say, I think this is a great bar, for the higher-​brow-​cocktail-​drinking sports fan, but probably isn’t for me.

Great ambiance and amazing drinks. Huge whiskey selection. Excellent service. A must try for the cocktail aficionado. Highly recommend

This was one of our stops on the Forktown Food Tour of Mississippi Avenue. We really loved this stop. The «Gin Gin Mule» was probably one of the best cocktails I’ve ever had — a mixture of pineapple juice, sage, cucumber, ginger, gin, and other ingredients I can’t remember! The snacks served were unique and tasty. We chatted with the owner for a bit; he was super friendly and welcoming. We’ll definitely be back!

Came for happy hour, and also because I needed to earn some frequent flyer miles (they participate in dining programs that earn you miles). Service was meh. Food was meh. Half off a bottle of wine was pretty good, but that’s about it. I should have checked out the place next door (on the left) it was bumping!

Amazing bourbon list, craft cocktails and delicious small plates made fresh and not from a box — this is my favorite cocktail bar in the Mississippi. Try the jalapeño poppers and the Flying Pig to get your evening off to a great start.

What a fun & cute little place! And such a friendly bartender! I had the gin gin ricky, which was his take on a Moscow Mule meets Gin Ricky — yum! You could tell he really put some thought and effort into his cocktails — there were fresh ginger bits in the drink! I think he’d made his own ginger beer, and if you love ginger as much as I do — you would appreciate the extra effort.
I wish we had some more time to stay as this place really was cool. It’s decorated with stuff from the recycling center down the street and seems like a fun place to hang out.

The best Manhattan I’ve ever had!
Low key, no frills, phenomenal selection, and friendly service. Everything you like, nothing you don’t.
This place came as a recommendation from two friends which I now get to say that I’ve verified personally. I highly recommend a visit.

I’m breaking this review down into two parts, the first covers Sidecar 11 and the second covers their Whiskey Club.
…I’ve hesitated writing a review for a while. Not because of the food or service, but because I didn’t want other people to find out what a neat place this was and ruin it. Of course, I realize that it’s not really fair to the business, so here we are…
First let me say, Sidecar 11 is everything that the Whiskey Library is not; a nice down to earth place where whiskey fans can try very reasonably priced hard to find bottles without all the pomp and elitism. The owner John and manager Aaron are genuinely friendly people who give you their honest opinions and recommendations rather than trying to sell you on the most expensive bottle in the bar.
With so many options in Portland, it’s rare that I hit a bar twice. That being said, I’ve been stopping by Sidecar 11 for a little over a month and this place has become a regular hang out.
While it’s a little disturbing that there’s a bar in Portland where «everyone knows my name», at the same time it’s kind of nice to have a home away from home to unwind and try new whiskeys without the pretentious BS.
So, before I jump into the club review I’m going to recap by saying this is one of the coolest places that a genuine whiskey lover can find. The staff is friendly, the selections are phenomenal (they even have hard to find vintage bottles) and the prices are extremely reasonable.
On to the Whiskey Club:
First, I think it’s important to mention that I wasn’t given the «hard sell» to join the club. I had to ask them about after seeing a poster on the bathroom wall (great placement btw!). Honestly, I was probably a little snarky about it too, since I was still pissed about the outrageous membership prices that other local whiskey joints are charging for the privilege of being seated.
Now, I’m not a big fan of «clubs» for two main reasons:
They require commitment and to be frank, I don’t run across many bars I want to visit twice.
They cost $$$ and rarely provide value (after all, I could be drinking with that cold hard cash!)
So after giving them the 3^rd degree, we found that the base membership was actually free. Huh? That’s pretty cool. The second membership tier had a cost associated with it, BUT was nowhere near as expensive and actually provided value if you want to try their special Tuesday night bottles.
I’m somewhat frugal, but even I popped for the second membership tier. It’s actually fun to taste through the card and I know that personally, gives me something to look forward to on a Tuesday night besides binge watching Netflix. On that note, members can use the card whenever I just prefer Tuesdays because because its something to look forward to on Monday and the special bottles they bring out.
So, If you’re a whiskey fan, give this place a try and if you like the atmosphere then I definitely recommend trying the membership.

Super cozy, friendly bartenders, and their drinks are on point (my fav: whiskey sour). Love having this place in the neighborhood!
Like other reviewers said, the space is long & skinny, which is a little weird for seating purposes, but the high ceilings and amazing bar make the space. They even have a library-​type ladder they use to grab bottles off the shelf. Ask the bartender about it; if I remember correctly, the wheels are made from roller derby shoes.
In short: great place for HH with a friend or for a date night.

Mint was closed at 4pm on a Wed so I pinged Unilocal.The reviews said good drinks, and stiff drinks were needed for these two gals. Happy hour manhattan and the vanilla lemon were all $ 1 off — strong and good. We sauntered into the smell of roasted hazlenuts on this rainy Portland day. Bar tender was super helfpul. On Wednesdays all wine bottles are half-​off. The small plates are rather small for $ 5.50 a piece, but the highlight here is really the cocktails.

Came here for late night HH on Wednesday. Cosy bar for a nice drink or even a date. Owner is super friendly & gave us great recommendations on things to try.
Might make this my local!

A totally worthwhile visit. I checked them out first on one of those PDX food tours and brought my husband back during our child-​free weekend of booze and debauchery.
Sidecar was probably the highlight of the whole weekend. If you were to lie down horizontally and reach your fingers high, you may be able to touch both ends of the entire space. It’s a skinny little bar that makes use of its height with a towering liquor cabinet accessible by a ladder.
Sit so that you have a view of the bar so you can enjoy watching the (seriously awesome) bar tenders bust-​ass up and down, fling the ladder from side to side, and toss one another bottles of booze. What’s so wonderful about the show is that it’s not contrived – the moves are functional and necessary to get around in what is a truly unique space.
My only complaint was our bar tender forgot to place our food order. He was busy. I wasn’t hungry. All in all, not the worst thing to happen on such a fun night.

a sophisticated whiskey collection. Interactive owners and staff that bust their ass to serve you.
It’s not a big space, one long corridor and no space to really sit at the bar. High top tables for you to mingle with your friends.
Always a couple local beers on draught. This is a fantastic place for a date (I haven’t been on one). But I imagine it would be.
They offer small plates, charcuterie type, mini pizzas. I like how they pack a lot of personality, vibe, specials, and character in such a small space.
It often smells like garlic when you walk in. I like that.

On the N. Mississippi stretch, Sidecar 11’s a spot I hold as an old faithful. A dimly lit long, narrow, and intimate space, excellent for somewhere to stop in and have a drink or two (without needing to order food, or feeling like — at a more food-​centric bar — you’re taking up table real estate if you aren’t dining). Don’t get me wrong: there is a food menu with some tempting items! But Sidecar feels more in the bar-​than-​restaurant territory, which is where I like it.
Especially if you’re into whiskey, you’ll love Sidecar even more than I do. Wine bars are my favorite bars, and Sidecar only has about four or five glasses (of reds at least) on offer — though they do have many more solely by the bottle. (They do host wine tastings on Tuesdays, which are always a good time!) The cocktail and spirits menu is much more substantial, and they have whiskey flights as well. If you’re traveling with a spender, check out the vintage cocktail list where you can spend dozens of dollars on a drink — think MWL territory but without the horrific wait. I mean, any spot with a dozen different Manhattans is doing RIGHT. Sometime when either I’ve been really good or the day’s been really bad, I’m rolling in for that Hocus Pocus.
Best of all, this spot never feels like a scene in a bad way. It’s just easy, friendly, and full of the drinks you want in an ambiance perfectly reminiscent of some small NYC bar: elsewhere in the best of ways.

Before heading to Bar Bar for one of the Mercury’s Fashion Week fashion shows, we dropped in here for their free 6 pm tasting. What a pretty little gem of a wine bar!
I wish I could review the food as well, but we stuck with the 5 tastings, because we’d eaten dinner before coming down to Mississippi Avenue.
I also wish I had written down the names of the wines we sampled, because I thoroughly enjoyed each. Mostly the red, but I’m biased because that is what my pallet prefers.
I absolutely loved the high topped tables out front and the fact that they are so accommodating and let you use them even if you are just there for the tastings.
Behind the bar is wood shelving to the ceiling. Accompanied by a ladder and it reminds me of a lovely old library.
The wine rep who gave us the tastings was personable and never once made us feel intrusive when we’d sneak in for another tasting while he was pouring for others.
With summer here, I can’t wait to drop by Sidecar 11 again and order food pairings this time.

Sidecar is a must go Portland place with the best tasting cocktails. If you like Manhattans: there are plenty concoctions to choose from with the Bourbon taste. I am in love with the Best Night Ever: complete with bison grass vodka, mint, lime, sugar, cock & bull ginger beer. Omg! It is one of the best drinks to ever touch my lips! I could probably drink a gallon of this and feel pretty woozy. I had one and I had to sip slowly because I wanted to savor the taste. Kudos to the mixologist! The happy hour choices were ehhhh… But there were a couple worth mentioning items Ike the tapenade dish with olives, 3 different spreads, and bread. The Anaheim stuff peppers is something quite tasty! That is a must order item! I can see myself coming back, by myself if necessary and ordering one best night ever for myself and one for me!
Bonus: charcuterie and cheese plates available!