The Big Legrowlski

Awesome place with a cool Portland vibe. Bartender here is exceptionally knowledgable about craft beer in Portland.

Stumbled upon this bar while walking around one night. Really glad we did, it was friendly and cozy. Great beer selection! Small plates such as hot dogs, popcorn, pretzels all for a decent price.

Spaced out bartender who struggled with her job.
Weak pour on the Caucasian, more half and half with a small shot of Vodka for $ 8.
Check out the Lowbrow round the corner for a stiffer drink.
Worth a try but more pretentious Pearl District shite

The last night in town had to culminate in a few more drinks, so my friend and I dropped off the spouses at the hotel and walked over to The Big Legrowlski. Despite being a holiday weekend, it was quite empty when we wandered in around 11 PM or so — just a few folks seated at the tables and the bars. It feels deceptively small when you get in, as the side room isn’t as obvious (especially when there aren’t many people around). The bar had dim lighting and has walls painted black, which perhaps contributed to the rather hushed atmosphere as we grabbed our drinks from the front and took a seat. I do wish I took more of a look around, but being as lit as I was, I was content just putting my butt on a stool and struggling through some high ABV IPAs. The selection here is quite broad, if not as large and impressive as other spots in Portland I had been to, and the Notorious IIIPA from Boneyard, in particular, was a mean brew that is absolutely delicious.
You can get glasses to drink, and you can also take away growlers of the beer to savor on your own premises — mostly of the local variety, and something I would have probably attempted if I didn’t mind checking a bag on the way home. While the bar’s quite unassuming, and the bartender was a bit less chatty than at other spots, I’d definitely come back here again to try some more brews and the food next time… hopefully at an earlier time!

We came in solely because of the punny name of this bar, and of course, for drinks. The place is hilarious. You can either look at the bar as a joke… or take it way too seriously. I love the thematic art through out the bar, and it only makes sense if you’ve watched The Big Lebowski. All the artwork points to references in the movie. There are two rooms — the main bar area & extended drinking area over to the left of the bar. It’s fun to walk around and try to recall the scenes of the movie that each artwork references.
They had a great beer selection that has something for everyone. Their cocktail menu is decent, but its nice that they have a full bar for non-​beer consumers.

Came late Friday afternoon. Good crowd but not too packed. Love the tasteful Lebowwski references. Kind of modern industrial feel. There was one bartender who managed a line of individual orders in addition to several of us seated at the bar. She was attentive and kept an eye on us.

Great selection of beer and a décor that I find pleasant. I may come back, but I definitely won’t be running a tab. I ran a tab secured with my credit card which is typical, but, disturbingly, they kept my card through my stay. I don’t understand that practice in general. Other places just scan the card and give it back to you, securing their payment while maintaining the security of your card by keeping it in your hands.
Tonight, the friend I was with, for whom I was paying for beer, went up the the counter for a second. After ordering his beverage the bartender asked him to close the tab because it was a «shift change.» That’s tacky. Much more disturbingly, however, the bartender asked him to sign for my card. Even after my friend said «that’s not me» the bartender responded «can’t you just sign for it?»
An employee of The Big Legrowlsky asked my friend to commit fraud by signing for a transaction on my credit card. That is totally unacceptable, and illegal. Using a financial instrument that you are not authorized to use, as the bartender asked my friend to do is a crime.
Of course my friend refused to sign. I was not aware of this exchange when that bartender walked up to our table and demanded payment because of the shift change. If I’d of known I would have chastised him and not left the tip that I did. I will not trust a company whose employees ask their customers to commit fraud by asking them to sign for another person’s credit card.
This has taught me one great lesson. I will never again leave my credit card with a merchant. I will close every round.
Unlike any of previous reviews on Unilocal,I ask the merchant direct questions. Please explain yourself: Why did your employee ask my friend to sign my name to a transaction knowing full well that he was not me? Also, less importantly, why do you ask customers to close their tabs at shift change? It’s rude to do so. Can’t you account for tips another way like almost every other bar I go to?

A work in progress that feels like it’s heading in the right direction. It’s really a 3, but the theme makes it a 4 on general principle. Love all the décor homages to Lebowski, the glassware, as well.
Overall, this is a cool place to hang out, especially when beer drinkers want to hang with liquor folks. The tap list is generally well curated, and the prices are about avg for the area.
Bailey’s is still the better beer bar, but the addition of liquor here has made it a more frequent stop in our rotation.

Very chill spot to hang out and taste some good beers. I got some tasters of a few different, and all excellent, brews. Nice mix of local stuff and others. Great music, good vibe, cool folks. Just about everything I look for in a spot to enjoy a beer or two!

This has been due for a while, due to my laziness. An establishment in itself, legendary for the area — with appropriate edginess — history in the making. Fit for the finest of beer connoisseurs, yet inviting for someone that wants to enjoy a smooth single malt. You crave the local brew, dying for doubles and triple Belgians or a bad ass IPA or DIPA? Seek no more. Indulge yourself, then immerse yourself. Let go! BE ONE.

good beers, but the bartender (some dude with glasses and mutton chops with the beard part shaved off) was super obnoxious and had a superiority complex about him. way too uppity to be even closely associated with The Big Lebowski. The Lebowski Bar in Reykjavik, Iceland is far better than this place.

This place is well worth it. The bar staff, Zack I particular, represents this place very well. Talks to you like a person not a customer, knowledgable about the beers, and best bar conversation in most places in Portland. Get the Ballast Point Indra Kunindra Curry beer and tell him Matt from the STL told you to get one.

This place gets an auto bump to three stars just for the name. If I lived in Portland this would be my goto spot for brews; yes of course they serve White Russians too. Great selection of brews on tap, tons of space to sit due to the adjacent room, and always a great bartender behind the bar who’s willing to chat about… whatever, including the beer.

Stopped by this place for some drinks because what else is there for us to do before we go night night right? LOL
WICKED APPLE CIDER is to die for! I am exaggerating but it is good. I wish they have it in vegas.
I also got the BRAT DOG because I’m the biggest brat you’ll ever meet kidding!
why not try some dogs while in portland right? I give the dog 5 stars too!
The bartender doesn’t smile but once you talk to him he is actually nice lol +1 for being helpful gave us some more info on what we should do in portland because we pretty much went to every place possible.

This was a find! I stopped in both days i was in Portland. First night, really enjoyed a few nice beers, and they serve me 8oz which is my pref, since 16’s really limit you. 2^nd day, Brendon was awesome. He made us right at home, and guided us to all the best selections. He also made one hell of a cocktail. I’m from San Francisco, and dream about a place like this in the city. Like having a killer bar (and tender) in your living room. And they have a sputnik! Just awesome. If you’re a local, or visiting, i cannot recommend anywhere in Portland more highly to just hang out, and sip. I’ve been all over the city, and this is def a 5 star spot. Clean everything with just a little bit of grit. Perfect for a couple or groups (nice roomy back room with comfy seating). They had some great sausage dog selections and other lite bites which we tried. All good. We asked for our dog no bun. See pics. Nice presentation.
See you in the Spring…

Great options. I had the Marionberry cider which was perfect. They let you taste the options they have which I really appreciated because the Meade was tempting but after tasting both I was very happy with the cider. The Meade they had was just not quite for me. Nice atmosphere. Really enjoyed all the Big Lebowski stuff. The most unfortunate element was they have karaōke and after suffering through three girls with the worst voices ever cackle through «I’ll make love to you» we were outta there. Nope nope nope.

I liked this place!
I enjoyed my drinks and the service. I loved the rug hung on the wall and the clean design inside. At twilight, tea lights were lit and set a warm, cozy mood.
Prices were Pearlescent.
Bathroom lighting was not flattering for me at all.
Pay by Square is always a nice option.

For being fans of the film, there was no way we could NOT stop in for a drink.
The interior is dark and sexy. The overall bar is small and intimate. We stopped in around 2pm on a Friday, and sat in the entry area by the windows. I ordered the Finriver Habanero Cider, and my friend the Pfriem Wit. It was a perfect location to charge our phones for the day, people watch along the street — AND most importantly, it was a best time of the day to study for my Anatomy exam. It IS always more fun to see people’s responses when you study genitalia in public, and doing it at a bar is extra exciting.
I can see how this place would get absolutely insane at nights — and since it’s a very small bar, it’d be packed. My suggestion? Stop by earlier in the day for a drink or two and then continue on your way. It’ll be a more enjoyable experience.
And I gotta say, the lighting in the bathrooms? Perfect for drunk or sober selfies.

A familiar destination such as Bailey’s Taproom or Deschutes seemed like it would do on this trip, but I received a call from above leading me elsewhere that was like a divine intervention. I initially thought it may have been from Portland’s Church of Scientology on 3^rd and Oak (likely due to my uncanny resemblance to Tom Cruise), but nope, it was The Church of the Latter-​Day Dude telling me that Dudeist Priests converge at The Big Legrowlski on Couch St. to fill their growlers and pound down some pints!
I had some hesitance at first about entering, since I don’t usually walk around with a growler on me, especially when I’m traveling (it doesn’t seem to fit in the fanny pack very well).
Fortunately, I was more than content with the 18 drinks they had on tap to keep me occupied. They’re mainly from OR, WA, and CA, with several of them being IPAs. Sorry, no drugged White Russian Cocktails here though.
The first taster is free, the rest are a dollar. Pints are $ 5. First up was a Pilsner. While I had no issue with it, I felt like something different this day.
And then I found it. Upon sampling the 2 TOWNS MADE MARION MARIONBERRY CIDER (6% ABV) I was well on my way to converting to Dudeism. This cider was ripe and juicy, made with fresh-​pressed NW apples and Oregon-​grown marionberries, and in addition to being an amazing drink, was extremely easy to take in.
That was made all the easier in a cozy taproom with a relaxing environment. I took great satisfaction in knowing that I was really drinking at a placed called «The Big Legrowlski.» When a cover of «Girls Just Wanna Have Fun» by a male vocalist played in the background it felt like it was my destiny to be in this bar on this day.
As my last drink set in, I realized they had all begun to have a cumulative effect on me. My mind drifted into a daydream in which I had visions of a sequence of events involving a stolen car, a case of mistaken identity, plenty of deception, and a young nymphomaniacal gold digging trophy wife named «Bunny,» who it turns out has a hidden life as a porn star. I couldn’t help but wonder if I was just recalling several twists and turns in the plot of The Big Lebowski movie, or if this was life imitating art and I was reliving moments in my own life.
I had the bartender add some souvenir pint glasses to my tab to commemorate the experience, and headed back to my hotel room. When I turned on the TV and it featured stories about Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders leading in the polls for their party’s nominations, I wondered if I had unknowingly consumed a drugged White Russian after all, perhaps from someone trying to give me a hot Cosby.

We searched «brewery» on Unilocal and this appeared. It is a taproom, not a brewery. Fix the algorithm.
Visiting the taproom, it is a taproom, and that is it. We sat at the bar which did not feel inviting.
The beer selection was from various breweries from around the country. I recognized beers from DC, San Diego, Colorado variety, and local to Portland.
If you are looking to purchase a growler of beer, you can here.
I suppose I don’t get the hype this place garners. Prices were reasonable. No ability to purchase a flight so it’s a constant ask for a two ounce pour or settling on a pint or goblet.
Overall assessment: there are so many breweries in Portland, why do you need to come here? I would suggest visiting a brewery and tasting the flavor that is harder or impossible to find. I could get some of the beers poured here somewhere else, in certain cases nationally. Nothing super unique about this place. I will spend my time elsewhere, although it is a cool place.