The holidays help brighten the gloom of the next few months, but when you’ve exchanged all your gifts or spent the gift-card money (admittedly, a cynical take on gift-giving), you’ll want to find a place to warm you, body and soul.
The following is a list of Eastside Portland eateries and bars where you can stay warm on the outside while filling your belly.
The holidays help brighten the gloom of the next few months, but when you’ve exchanged all your gifts or spent the gift-card money (admittedly, a cynical take on gift-giving), you’ll want to find a place to warm you, body and soul.
The following is a list of Eastside Portland eateries and bars where you can stay warm on the outside while filling your belly.
Produce Row Cafe
204 SE Oak St.
producerowcafe.com
Just over the river, Produce Row is a cozy, well-loved establishment both inside and out. The spacious, heated back patio also provides “golden era” hip-hop dance parties and movie nights.
EastBurn
1800 E Burnside St.
theeastburn.com/play/patio
Maybe you remember the first time you went to EastBurn and wandered out to the back patio while looking for the bathroom. What you found instead was a playground for adults: swings hanging from the ceiling (instead of boring chairs), twinkly lights brightening the corners of the enclosure and actual fires in the middle of tables. How could you not meet your BFF in such a congenial environment?
Circa 33
3348 SE 34th Ave.
circa33bar.com/2012/03/alleyway
The covered, heated patio area of Circa 33 is really just the alleyway between two buildings, improved with lights and flower pots. You may have thought you’d embarked on a caffeine-induced delirium after stumbling out of Stumptown Annex two doors down, but since the hipsters are feeling friendly during happy hour here, you might as well squeeze in and order a round.
Tin Shed Garden Cafe
1436 NE Alberta St.
tinshedgardencafe.com
The Tin Shed is a crowd- (and dog-) pleaser, and a great place to take an out-of-town guest, parents or picky eaters. Best of all, this “garden cafe” has a fireplace and heaters for its outside seating area, and the staff will do their utmost to make you comfortable. But don’t sleep in before brunch on the weekends unless you want to wait an hour for a table.
¿Por Que No?
locations on Mississippi Avenue and Hawthorne Boulevard
porquenotacos.com
¿Por Que No?’s colorfully decorated and partially heated patio, fast and friendly service, and ethic of supporting local food vendors make this restaurant an excellent candidate for your dose of serotonin during the cold and clammy months.
Amnesia Brewing
832 N Beech St.
amnesiabrews.com
Amnesia serves up some of the best beer in town while offering the drinker a warm and dry front-row seat to whatever Mississippi brouhaha might be stirring. While the brewers at Amnesia tend to christen their beers with rather ominous names—Mother Pucker, Dry Hop Desolation, Damnesia—and the staff is less than eager to converse, the loafers outside are a bunch of softies. So relax, order a brew and stay a while.
The Bye and Bye
1011 NE Alberta St.
thebyeandbye.com
Alberta Street surely loves its heated patios, and the hipsters love them too, but the Bye and Bye’s multitude of adorable alcoholic concoctions (served in Mason jars) and the back patio’s friendly crowd of smokers make this bar a good place to strike up a “have you read” conversation with someone.
Corinna Scott
Swing Away at EastBurn, where the patio’s warm.
Lompoc Brewing
several locations throughout Portland
lompocbrewing.com
Lompoc Brewing provides reliable microbrews and bar food to pub lovers in several Portland neighborhoods: Sellwood, North Portland and Division Street (its sweet Nob Hill location is closed until summer 2013). With its “Tightwad Tuesday” specials ($2.50 for a pint) and heated patio (at certain locations), a college student would be remiss to not snuggle in and save a buck at Lompoc’s happy hour.
Bar Bar
3939 N Mississippi Ave.
mississippistudios.com/menu
Bar Bar has fires, at least in the winter months. Dogs, too. And if you can’t afford to see whichever band is currently gracing the stage at Mississippi Studios, you can casually linger at the bar and eavesdrop on the music while ordering your drink. You should try to buy a ticket and get your chilly ass inside, though, because this venue has the best sound in Portland.
