Happy Hour Crawl: NE Concordia and Cully
Obvious neighborhoods for bar hopping in Portland might be Hawthorne, Alberta, Belmont or even Division, but don't sleep on the Concordia and Cully area — you'll find a essential mix of establishments: bars created by chefs with celebrity status, a Japanese after-work bar, French cuisine, a hybrid supper house/market/bakery and divey neighborhood bars. This crawl is sure to please everyone in your party, from the foodie to the chicken wing and karaoke connoisseur.
Cocotte: Begin the crawl at the corner of Killingsworth Street and 29th Avenue for French-inspired fare with a Pacific Northwest twist. Enjoy $1 off beer and cocktails, $5 glasses of wine and $5 food specials during the bright and airy bar’s happy hour, which runs from 5–6 PM, Tuesday–Friday (2930 NE Killingsworth St.; 503- 227-2669).
Head south down 30th Aveune toward your next destination.
Yakuza Lounge: Located just around the corner and about 100 feet from Cocotte is this Japanese izakaya. The beverage program includes more than just sake: look for cocktails using well-rounded and local ingredients such as in the Pink Pepper (Aviation gin, pink peppercorns, grapefruit, bitters, and lime) in addition to wine and beer. Affordable happy hour bites such as the Yakuza burger ($8) are available during the lounge’s early happy hour (5–6 PM) and late night too (5411 NE 30th Ave.; 503-450-0893).
The next stop in your crawl will be across the street.
Expatriate: Around the corner from Cocotte and across from Yakuza, this bar made our list for new Portland bars this fall. Trussed up lowbrow eats like Chinese sausage corn dogs and the James Beard onion and butter sandwich are just a few of the drinking snacks you’ll find to accompany upscale drinks such as the Queen Elizabeth (Noily Prat vermouth, fresh lime, Benedictine) (5424 NE 30th Ave.; 503-805-3750).
Now that you’re done with your mini-tour of up-and-coming NE 30th Street and Killingsworth, head toward 42nd Avenue. If you’re walking, this will be your opportunity for a 15-minute blood-moving break.
Nepo 42: On the edge of Concordia and Cully there’s a spot that is not only a great Trail Blazer’s bar, it also has free pool every day, $3 7 and 7s and a $5 burger during happy hour. We reccomend not hopping on the night of a Trail Blazer's game, whether you're a fan or not, you'll get too cozy with its cheap chicken wings and never want to leave (5403 NE 42nd Ave.; 503-288-8080).
Old Salt: This is your last chance for fancy pants-cocktails and dessert, at the much-talked-about supper club and marketplace owned by the purveyors of Grain & Gristle. Try the plum and walnut crisp and the Old Salt Old Fashioned (brown butter bourbon, sugar, bitters) before poking your head into the don't-miss marketplace (5027 NE 42nd Ave.; 971-255-0167).
Spare Room Restaurant and Lounge: Dark, large and somehow still divey, this 42nd Aveune bar manages to commingle the most peculiar mix of folks on one dance floor. On any given night, karaoke will be lasting memory that can’t be unheard — in a good way. Take it down a notch with some well liquor and cheap water-beer like PBR; you’ve just explored the vast spectrum of dining and drinking (in one crawl) that Portland has to offer (4830 NE 42nd Ave.; 503-287-5800).
