Victory Bar

I’m not sure what demographic in Portland likes to throw money at too-​cool-​to-​acknowledge-​your-​existence bartenders and over-​sweet, over-​priced happy hour drinks, but I’m not in it. Oh, and their credit card minimum is $ 10. Maybe they were once-​upon-​a-​time deserving of their «best of» title on some listicle, but they’ve since let their popularity get to their head.

How have I not been here before? It’s so cozy and retro with the Gemütlichkeit of a German Kneipe.
We kept it it simple with pints and fries. And those fries – so thick and so, so good.

Went here with a group of friends after dinner for some late night drinks. Found it on Unilocal and were pleasantly surprised by the drink selection. The beer selection isn’t extensive but their cocktails are well worth the visit! The staff was friendly and the inside has a comfortable feel. Recommended for groups small and large.

Visited during a business trip in the city.
The beer selection on tap is second to none for sampling new beers.
Try the Muskoka Mad Tom IPA… awesome!
The staff were very helpful and attentive and they know their stuff when it comes to beer.
The atmosphere was top notch and the food was tasty too — try the tempura meatballs. mmm.

We stopped by for the first time the other night. Food was good. Fried but good. That was our decision. It’s like blaming fire for being hot. Good beer list. They were out of a number of beers but there was something for us. Margarita was excellent. The place was nice and dark. Stay away from watching the TV unless you are a Fallout 4 fan.

One of my favorite bars in town — the ambience, vibe and décor just «get me» — a nice flashback to an older time. The staff is pretty neutral, though I’ve never had a bad service experience. My all-​time favorite place for a whiskey ginger — and let’s just be frank — you can find me here most nights in the corner, writing. though the lighting is somewhat low.
Also, a wide selection of outdoor seating!

The «Victory Bar» stand amongst itself in an extraordinary way.
Walking into the flourish of Chinese feeling décor only to be greeted by 80’s music and music videos on the antique television sets. Then to find on the «order from bar» menus… GERMAN style food and drinks, although delicious quite the change of atmosphere, and only to be filled by you guessed it, Americans.
Victory bar is definitely a place to stop in to and grab a drink and especially a bite to eat if you love cheese and a good burger.

I came here on a pub crawl and had a great time! Victory Bar is one notch above a dive bar… in all the best ways.
This place is dimly lit with a quirky décor and friendly staff. The happy hour drinks were cheap (especially beer and well drinks) and the food was hearty and greasy… everything I needed on a pub crawl.
Some favorites were the Spatzle, Beef Bourguignon Frites (these were addicting!), and the Bacon Cheese Fries.
Overall, a fun and casual bar on Division that is worth checking out!

The décor is great, the tap list is solid, the staff members are either neutral or polite when they serve your drink. I haven’t eaten here so I can’t personally speak to the food, but my friends seem happy with it.
Why the one star? I’ve been here several times and I’ve never had a bar or restaurant staff so consistently pull drinks that aren’t finished and plates with food on them, regardless of how busy the place is. On my last visit, early on a weekday evening, a server grabbed an unfinished drink and then debated the point with me when I pointed out that it wasn’t empty and asked for it back.
I’m always polite and respectful to the staff members. I tip well, I don’t get loud or wasted, I don’t linger excessively. I sincerely believe I’m doing my part to be a good customer, and I don’t have this issue with other businesses. I’ll take my business elsewhere.

The Victory Bar is in an older building for Division. It has been evolving over years.
It is a bar to sit at a table and converse with your sweetie rather than a mob of unknown standers spot.
They have fixed up the décor to dark, red, the use of patterned tin ceiling material all over, and dim vintage artisan lighting fixtures. A good revolving tap list and many bottles. Up to date restrooms. The night I was there they played music videos on a few non-​obtrusive screens. Not noisy.
They are a bar, not a restaurant, so food and drink is ordered at the bar, with food delivered to the table when ready.
They have a simple but quality menu in the gastropub tradition with occasional food special menu items. I had the venison burger, one of Portland’s more unusual. The patty is tasty. It includes a slightly salty dilled and pleasingly chilled mayonnaise slaw, with sour pickle red peppers and a sweet vinegar mustard. On the side, housemade sweet cinnamon pickles. Also included are a few unsalted house made potato chips.
All and all, a fine spot with unique eats. Even on a weekday evening, it has a good crowd.

The Victory Bar is a a strange place, with dark themes, good drinks, a novel way of playing music, and fancy bar food. I’ve never been to a bar quite like it before, in Portland or elsewhere.
In this dimly lit Division establishment, you can get a venison burger for $ 5.75 during happy hour from 5 – 6 (one drink minimum). It comes with cheddar, some kind of slaw, and what I think were slices of pickled onion. Also ketchup, if that’s your thing. I like this burger, but have sometimes thought that it could be richer. Perhaps more cheese? Or maybe cooking it a little less? Still, though, that’s one helluva deal (and it’s half what you’d pay for it outside of happy hour).
The cocktails are very good here. I’m particularly partial to the Victory Gin, which is basically the best gin & tonic you’ll ever have (dry hopped bitters and house-​made tonic really help it shine) and the Corpse Reviver #4, which has a nice mix of gin, some kind of citrus, and Fernet. The «Milano Rita» is good, too – like a Margarita, but with a nice bit of added bitterness from grapefruit juice and Campari.
The Vic also has a good rotating list of microbrews, frequently including some rare Belgian ales and new projects by local brewers. This list is well balanced, with hoppy, malty, sour, infused, strong, and refreshing options always on hand. Their boilermaker special combines one of these brews with a shot of a rotating whiskey (I’ve seen bourbon, Irish, and scotch listed at different times) for $ 8. Not a bad deal at all, considering the strength and quality of what you’re getting. Or you can get a $ 2 tallboy of Old German, which, too, serves a noble purpose.
Music is a big thing at the Victory. It’s very loud, and tends to be good. What’s cool is, the TVs in the bar are set to «Victory Vision,» which broadcasts all kinds of strange, propaganda-​like images and old-​school scenes. It matches up well with the music, sometimes with real discord and other times with eerie similarity. The music is usually divided between British garage rock from the ‘60s, doo-​wop and soul, glam rock, and ‘80s New Wave. When Victory Vision isn’t in full effect, they play music videos of said tunes. You’ll never see a commercial, soap opera, or sporting event at the Victory.
The music nicely compliments the vibe of the bar, which is decidedly political and a little bit spooky. It features a large Shepard Fairey mural, a Soviet Mosin Nagant rifle, silk-​screen curtains depicting Orwellian themes, an antique cash register, and dim red lighting. Oh yeah, and the Victory Vision is broadcast on TV monitors that look like something out of a ‘50s sci-​fi, and it’s frequently in either black-​and-​white or black-​and-​green, rather than in full color. But this adds to the place’s funky charm. Word has it that the owner is a reclusive artist (he designed the intricate silk-​screens all over the bar), and his flair for decoration and design is apparent.
Unlike some other bars in Portland I’ve reviewed, the Vic isn’t a place that fits every night. Sometimes you want something a little more upbeat. But other times, when you’re craving an intense experience, it’s just what Big Brother ordered. Come here when the night’s reaching its peak, or for an afternoon where you want to step out of the world of Southeast Portland and into a quasi-​dystopian cocktail lounge and microbrew bar where everything is part of the artistic experience.

On a balmy night the place looks packed, only to go inside and realize there’s no one inside because everyone wants to be out in the weather.
Calm and relaxed joint with chill staff. The special is a microbrew and a shot of whiskey for 8 bucks. Just the right amount of fuck yeah. Not so much that you’re like, «Whoa, take some back»! But enough that you’re like, «Oh, this is nice.»

Yeah, it’s busy. On the weekend. But it’s a popular bar in Portland. Popular bars in Portland get popularly busy on the weekend. Expect that.
But you want to know why it’s busy? (aside from the ‘hipster’ appeal)
Because they had the most mind-​blowing Belgian filled tap list I have ever seen aside from Abbey Bar and the two that we tried, we ended up going back for a second round, despite the prices (but they’re Belgian beers, so the price is worth the quality). The lighting was dark and dim, TV monitors were playing retro, oddball music videos and I was most certainly a fan. Lastly — the Spaetzle! This is *WHY* I’ve been dying to get to Victory Bar. Holy moses. So rich, so creamy, not salty, and so good. So much good, delicious Spaetzle and a yummy sausage to boot. Don’t under estimate the deliciousness.

Went on a weekday night to check this place out. There’s a ton of places on Division to try. For a weekday night, the place was pretty crowded and loud. We opted for a little table to the side.
Everything has to be ordered at the bar. Which is a little annoying, having to order and wait around for your drink when you’re trying to enjoy your conversation. We got the spaetzle, which was pretty tasty. They have different variations of spaetzle, which seem interesting. I definitely would like to come back and try the venison burger.

I love bars like this, art work on the walls old black and white TV programs of Betty Page wrestling and old classic Motown singers playing on all the TV screens. No table services though. ya got to order at the bar. not sure what that was about. its a strange place to kick it. Love or hate kinda place. I dug it
Love to see old Don Kershner Concert footage or Soul Train.

This is my favorite bar in Portland. If you haven’t checked it out yet and you have a chance to, do it!
It’s one of the most interesting bars I’ve ever been to. Not very fancy and a little dive-​y but more Orwellian, 1984 themed than any dive bar that I’m aware of. Super unique and awesome. The music was on point with the theme. They even played music videos to accompany the 1980 and back music on custom made Orwellian style televisions. Awesome place to hang and people watch imo.
Drinks are amazing. We tried the Bourbon Ginger because I heard great things. I’m not usually a fan of Bourbon but I really liked how this cocktail was generous with the ginger to balance out the intensity of bourbon. The highlight though was their tap selection. I was sooo happy about the Clos de ducs cider on tap, which is a french style cider that i’ve only been able to find at a specialty european style market by my house. Also a Flemish sour ale and a lambic that were amazing too.
Food wise we had the gruyère cheese spaetzle and the beef bourguignon fries. They were both out of this world.

I have been wanting to try Victory Bar for a long time to try their Gruyère Cheese Spatzle. On this, our first visit we tried that and their special of the day, a Beef Stroganoff Spatzle.
I guess the build up was greater than the dish itself. It wasn’t a cheesy as I thought it would be, it was a little on the dry side. Don’t get me wrong, it was good but I was expecting great.
The service was good and no other complaints to speak of. I do want to come back and try the Venison Burger.

«In a time of universal deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act» quote by George Orwell. The bar décor is inspired by Orwell’s novel 1984, written in 1949 and I read in high school is about a dystopian society and Big Brother (gov’t) keeping an eye on us. I felt as though Big Brother was observing me drinking beer in the bar, no just kidding, it was a very intriguing tavern!
I’m here as a first timer for happy hour. Beer on tap $ 3.75. I ordered corn beef and cabbage, housemaid pickles and potato chips. See my pics. It may be the most scrumptious looking sandwich I’ve ever screen – open face, piles of red cabbage on top of shredded corned beef with a zesty mustardy «stellar» sauce and rye bread with a crispy crunchy crust – a delicious pallet pleaser bite by bite. Nice going Victory bar. I will be back with friends.

Before going to art class at The Drawing Studio a block away, I decided to enjoy some nourishment and liquid refreshment. Victory Bar is in a renovated area of Division Street. It’s kind of a quirky place with an interesting and hip retro vibe going on. Everything from the funky curtains to the dark hardwood floor to the 50’s chic suited the place. Leave it to Beaver on Acid TV cartoons added to the ambiance. Outside chairs and tables are always great to enjoy in the summertime, too.
A vodka tonic and the Venison Burger (HH price) seemed like a good choice. And, damn, if that wasn’t one of the prettiest burgers I’ve ever had. I wanted to paint it and preserve the moment forever. But I decided on a photo, instead… a Picasso burger isn’t quite as appetizing. The meat was well done and tasty, the greens were fresh, and the magenta-​colored cabbage was excellent. And it had a bit of a spicy kick to it – not overwhelming, just complementary. Plus, the venison was especially enjoyable because deer have decimated my parents’ garden and flowers many times. Pay back, sweet delicious pay back!

I lurve that this place has happy hour until 7pm. I had a fabulous 5.50 manhattan complete with cherry. I followed it off happy hour with two fabulous 6 margaritas, and I honestly have to say the prices and bar tenders rock! With the ever-​expanding division this is a little off the congestion of the expansion. I plan every Friday night here in the sun for happy hour after work and my workout.
PS Standout items on the menu, my partner loves the venison burger.