The Press Club

I went to The Press Club with a friend for the first time today and it was a lot of fun. There was a good jazz band and the server was very attentive. I was surprised that it was not busier since it was Saturday night, but eventually more people arrived. Nice atmosphere, creative cocktails, decent food and a good music lineup most days of the week are high points. However, the chairs were not very comfortable, and one could wish for more food choices; it’s primarily a bar so I knew there would not be a full menu, but it seems as though if you don’t want crepes or a sandwich in the evening, you are out of luck. I might try it for brunch one of these days, since what they do make is well done and they should do good job with brunch.

Since I wrote my review this place has changed hands and is quite different. It still has great live music and the food hasn’t changed. The bummer is the hours. It opens much later in the day. No lunch here and not a very laptop friendly environment. However it is still a fun little spot, I just wish it wasn’t a nighttime only kind of place. But I will have to come try the cocktails one of these days!

Go here for the atmosphere and live jazz on Thursday nights. During the summer, it can be a truly magical experience. They have a good beer selection on tap as well.

We stopped here after not wanting to wait in line at Savoy. It was a smart choice by my wife; we had thought about seeing some music and we were able to do dinner and see live music all at the same time.
The menu seems pretty simple, lots of salads and soups. We started with a caprese and then I moved on to a Black forest Ham and Provolone sandwich. My wife had a savory crêpe, but even after looking at the menu I can’t remember the name. The food was solid as were the drinks. We each had a cocktail and then I had a glass of the house red, which I think was under $ 6. Apparently I need to pay better attention if I’m going to write a thorough review!
The server was also the bartender and she was hustling around. We must have gotten there around 7:30 and it was fairly dead. But the first musician came on after a bit and the place filled up quickly. Between the music and the crowd it ended up going from quiet to loud in a matter of 30 minutes.
The Press Club is a nice, somewhat off the radar joint for an evening out without having to wander all over town for entertainment. You won’t see big name singers and you won’t have cutting edge food, but you’ll still be satisfied when you leave.

This is the perfect place in Portland for a great salad or sandwich, a glass of wine, and free live jazz or folk music from 8 – 10 several nights a week. I am amazed that it is not packed every evening when there is music.

This is a great little place nestled between a number of decent bars and restaurants on Clinton.
It’s a simple open space with full bar… reasonably priced and a nice selection of savory and sweet crepes with names an author and or journalist would love (the James Joyce for example).
Frankly I forgot that crepes existed… they had their day in the states 25 years ago… or so it seemed… what’s great is the very friendly server openly offers up customized versions from the menu… hence I had a sweet and yet oh so savory treat.
Another great part of the vibe is the constant flow of local music acts… genre agnostic and a much appreciated support of the musicians in the area.
Cool little spot to meet for a drink or hear live music…

I love this small wine bar with live music and great happy hours. Service is great as well.

BRUNCH — Excellent service, delicious bottomless mimosas, and the crepes are pretty good! Hoping this spot catches on for brunch for their sake, but also hoping not so I can come back and not wait in line!

The food here is crazy good and puts a delicious twist on French cuisine. The service is friendly and the drinks are delightful. If you enjoy live music, hit up the press club! They have fun live music a few evenings every week. Check this place out, you’ll love it!

Hadn’t been here for months, so not sure when the brunch menu was created. Food was great and affordable. Always looking for a place that has French toast and espresso drinks. Staff seemed a little confused by a couple things in the dishes (forgot a couple ingredients on the salad) but they fixed it before we even noticed anything was missing. Nice atmosphere, friendly staff.

I dig this spot.
cool location and i’ve had great meals here every time i’ve been.
wait staff are not the nicest and the food takes a while, but i still enjoy coming.
Plus I saw two dogs outside that had dreadlocks, awesome.

It’s a great neighborhood Bar. Perfect for lunch or afternoon cocktails and wine. The food is superb even if it’s just to fill the OLCC requirement to make delicious craft cocktails. I wouldn’t recommend it for studying as I always feel weird about sitting in a bar or restaurant using up their wifi & electricity unless I’m spending a good amount of money. The local bands Wednesday-​Saturday nights are great for dates or just hanging out with friends having a beer. The espresso machine makes for some very tasty brunch cocktails on their Saturday and Sunday brunch, plus almost bottomless 12 oz mimosa’s and $ 5 Sunday Bloody Marie’s during brunch is awesome! Overall for a unique little Portland Bar I give it 5 out of 5 for great service, good food and laid back Portland vibe!

Couldn’t help but notice that most of the reviews for The Press Club are several years old, so I decided to add my (updated) 2 cents’ worth. This neighborhood spot with perfectly acceptable crepes is an easy-​going place to have a snack, drink a good glass of wine & read a magazine. The service is very friendly, the crepes are all named for various poets & authors, and the variety of beer & wine is really respectable.
The best part of The Press Club for me is that on Tuesday nights you’ll find me there for Trivia Night. While this trend has been going on for awhile, I’ve been slow on the upswing & have just recently gotten into the fun. It’s great to jog the memory cells & especially fun to be able to answer questions from my own life experiences. The other teams are often grad students who are half my age but the old adage of ‘old age & treachery will beat youth & enthusiasm every time’ seems to hold true! Thanks Press Club for hosting fun evenings!

I’ll admit outright that I’ve never eaten their food. I’ve only frequented the establishment for coffee with friends. They have unlimited free refills on regular coffee which is a bonus (though I’ve never had more than 2 refills… the cups are pretty big ~maybe between 12 – 16 oz?). On a quiet day, its really nice to sit outside and just relax over a cup. The servers I’ve encountered have been nothing but great, usually bringing me water or refilling my cup without me having to ask or go inside.
The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because their current table set up inside is really cramped when it gets busy. This, however, in no way reflects the products they serve, or the employees that work there. It’s a cool little spot… check it out!
Oh, and I got a kick out of the fact that they name their food items after famous authors… my friend and I had a laugh trying to determine the links between a dish’s ingredients and their names.

Delicious. Had tea and a sweet/​savory treat. Servers were the perfect balance: polite and attentive but left me to read my book and savor my food.

I mostly like this place a lot.
I like the happy hour– everything I try is delicious!
I like the variety of drinks served.
I like all the magazines.
I like the wifi, the seating, the temperature, and the music.
I like this place a lot, except when I feel ignored. Service has been waaay hit and miss. Sometimes, they are ever so sweet. But sometimes, well, I could use a little more eye contact.

We stopped by the Press Club because the other restaurants in the neighborhood were pretty full and we had a group of about 15 people. The Press Club accommodated us beautifully by letting us take pretty much the whole front area of the restaurant. I read Suzy L.‘s review, we had a friend with two 1 year old boys and I didn’t feel any tension from the staff at all so perhaps they’ve lightened up a bit.
With so many people, we ordered a lot of different things and I was able to sample a lot of the sandwiches and crepes. I have to say, everything I tried was excellent, especially my own sandwich. If I lived in Portland, I would definitely come back and try more things on the menu.

I just had a conversation about the rating system. If I love a place, I want to give it five stars. Giving the Press Club, Little T American Baker, Le Pigeon and Beast all 5 stars might seem strange or misleading, but it’s really not. Here’s what it means: These places do what they do wonderfully.
The Press Club has delicious food, most importantly. To be fair, I always get their sandwiches, not their crepes, but the crepes must be delish if the sandwiches are this good. I highly recommend the Jack Kerouac (prosciutto, brie and walnut pesto on baguette) but ask for an egg on it. YUM.
The atmosphere is great. Casual, a little bit hip without being stuffy, and a little bit romantic without being too dimly lit or sleepy. There are tons of magazines on the wall for browsing or purchasing.
My one question about this place is why the hell isn’t it more crowded?

People were here drinking red wine and enjoying books… yeah it’s that place… and really, the ambiance really begs this of you. It’s serene, relaxing and classy. It’s the kind of place you see in the movies where it’s not totally strange that someone is alone looking like they have all the time in the world to read and sip wine in fancy clothes.
I met a friend to chit chat over Chai Tea. It’s a little quiet for giggling conversations but if you’re looking for some place to unwind with a book or get some work done this is without a doubt the place. They have a wall of magazines for purchase or enjoyment of visitors I’m unsure, but they’re there!
Lets be realistic, this really isn’t my sort of place. I appreciate that some place like this is out there. just in case I ever grow up.

Gorgeous, sensual, delicious.
The Press Club was everything I expected and more. I went here on a spontaneous Wednesday night, and in doing so discovered a local favorite. The décor is simple; dark, wooden & filled with candles (but not in a creepy way).
We had a live band that played while we ate, and in the place being relatively small, everything felt more intimate and personal.
I had a house salad, sweet crêpe and chai tea. My friend, a savory crêpe. All dishes were amazing, as was the ambiance and service.
Definitely a «go back, and soon» kind of place!