The Big Game
Everyone’s got their own ritual on Game Day. Some people watch at home in the comfort of their own den, where they can shout, scream, howl, sulk and then retreat to their garage to “fix something” aka “cry alone.” Others like to plunk down on a barstool, order a frosty pint of liquid merrymaking and a cheeseburger with fries or giant plate of nachos, and share their team spirit and passionate opinions with friends, bartenders, televisions, maybe even the empty barstool next to them. If you’re seeking a place where everybody might not know your name, but they know your pain, er, joy, check out one of these sports-friendly spots around town.
Bridgeport Brewpub
When my dad’s in town and there’s an important game on, sometimes we’ll all be walking along doing one of those touristy family things you do when your parents are in town, a streetcar will whistle by, and Dad will disappear faster than Nightcrawler. We don’t worry much, because we know where to find him– upstairs at Bridgeport Brewpub, watching the game on one of the bar’s televisions and munching a Bridgeport Burger, a cool pint of Blue Heron at his right hand. And we know he can’t get lost, because Bridgeport is right on the streetcar line, which is also handy if you’d like to celebrate your team’s win with vigor and not have to worry about driving home.
Grand Central Bowl
“Grand Central Bowl is good. Big portions. Dude Food.” This was my friend Heather’s reply when I put out an inquiry as to favorite local game-watching destinations. Teeming with more plasma than a Ghostbuster’s containment unit, at any given time Grand Central’s probably playing any game you want to watch, whether it’s good old American football or fancy footwork football. Watch the game at the bar or make an event out of it and reserve a private dining room. The menu’s a mixture of pub grub and more sophisticated fare like the Pacific Crab Stack and Seared Ahi Salad, there are a dozen beers on tap, and a full bar in case your pint of Rogue Dead Guy Ale just isn’t strong enough to drown your losing sorrows in.
- Location: 808 SE Morrison St. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.236.2695
- Hours: Mon-Tue 11:30am-12am, Wed 11:30am-1am, Thu-Fri 11:30am-2am, Sat-Sun 9am-2am
Henry’s Tavern
With nearly 100 beers on tap, a frozen drink rail to keep them cold, upscale pub grub to prevent your growling stomach from drowning out game day chatter, and flat screen and plasma TV’s strategically positioned so you’ve got a view of the game from the bar or the booth that cute group of Pearl Girls invited you to share with them, you’re pretty much in ballgame heaven at this grand new-old Pearl District tavern.
- Location: 10 NW 12th Ave. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.227.5320
- Hours: Sun-Wed 11am-12am Thur-Sat 11am-1am * Happy Hour Daily 3-6pm, Mon-Wed 9pm-close, Thu-Sat 10pm-close, Sun All Day
North 45
Big bowls of steaming hot mussels, a chilled Chimay Grand Reserve Blue, and a seat at the bar makes for a pretty good game day at North 45, a Northwest Portland “travel pub,” which sports a menu of mussels and other robust pub grub, an exceptional selection of Belgian beers, and an internationally inspired drink menu. I’ve been known to spend a fair amount of time at North 45 back sipping their signature California Chillum (vodka, fresh grapefruit, cranberry, soda water) and lounging on the comfortable back patio. Sometimes North 45 brings the game to you, with rollicking good in-bar celebrations like their annual Kentucky Derby party.
- Location: 517 NW 21st Ave. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.248.6317
- Hours: Mon-Fri 4pm-2am, Sat-Sun 12pm-2am * Happy Hour daily 4-6pm Happy hour 4-6pm daily.
On Deck
I have to state upfront that On Deck isn’t listed here for the food–I’ve had some real misses here. But they know how to pour a pint, the nachos are tasty enough for me and Special Correspondent April to have once wolfed an entire order down faster than Michael Phelps swims the 100-meter butterfly, and the televisions are big. As their name would suggest, they also have one of the largest and nicest outdoor terraces in Portland, and are located right in the heart of the swanky Pearl District.
Saraveza
Saraveza is THE place to watch the big game–if you’re a Green Bay Packers or a Milwaukee Brewers fan, that is–fiercely loyal Saraveza broadcasts nothing else in their laid-back, kitsch and memorabilia-laden North Portland pub. Whatever your own loyalties may be, you might want to consider joining the Cheesehead ranks for the afternoon, if only to view the brilliant bottle cap art and partake of Saraveza’s fist-pump-inducing selection of beers–there are over 200 different kinds in the old-fashioned coolers and 10 rotating beers on tap. Write Devin Frischknecht a get well card while grazing on beer-compatible snacks like pickled deviled eggs, summer sausage, and the spud melt, and nothing goes with a cold Schlitz quite like a The Nater–a hearty golden half moon-shaped pasty stuffed with Porter braised beef and root vegetables. Add a bold garlicky Spence’s Caesar and a Sugar Pimp almond poppyseed cupcake to this balls n’ beers bash and the only thing missing is eye candy–where’s that super hot Benedict Arnold Brett Favre when you need him?
- Location: 1004 N Killingsworth St. Portland Map it!
- Phone Number: 503.206.4252
- Hours: Wed-Mon 11am-midnight
