Neighborhood Happy Hour Crawl: Inner Buckman

It’s hard to find an area in Portland more jam-packed with bars than the inner part of the Buckman neighborhood. From Stark to Belmont, Water to Sandy, the area is part industrial district, part residential. It’s also veritably littered with restaurants, cocktail bars, dive bars, and dance clubs; you could spend an entire evening bar-hopping and still not make it to all of them.
 

Many of these places are newer (Bit House, Loyal Legion), while others have been around for longer than most of the people visiting them have lived in Portland (Montage, My Father’s Place, Produce Row). Some of these places, like Loyal Legion, lack a happy hour. Here are just a few of our favorite happy hours in this busy, fun district. Careful—what starts as an innocent drink or two for happy hour could potentially turn into an entire evening of debauchery. Just remember to get home responsibly. Multiple bus lines and street-cars run through this area, and we have cabs, Uber, and Lyft now, too.
 

Did we miss your favorite spot in this area? Hit us up on our Facebook page or our Twitter to share your favorite happy hour spot.
 

If you’re starting a bar crawl, might as well start fancy. Trifecta has fantastic food and drinks, but they can be a bit spendy. Luckily, the happy hour here helps with that. Glasses of house wine and cocktails, such as a Negroni, Old Fashioned, or Sazerac, as well as a few other options, are available for $6. They’re perfect to pair with Trifecta’s signature bar snacks, like grilled levain with chicken liver ($6), oyster sliders ($3), deviled eggs ($4), or you could splurge and grab a pimento double cheeseburger for only $10 or steak frites for $16.
 

Happy Hour: Monday–Thursday, 5–6 PM; Friday, 4–6 PM; Saturday, 4–5 PM; Sunday, 4–6 PM (726 SE 6th Ave.; 503-841-6675)
 

Rum Club is an anomaly. We obviously love it here at Drink Portland, but it’s not just because it’s a great cocktail bar; It’s because it’s a great cocktail bar that feels like a fun, rowdy neighborhood bar. It’s often crowded, but the staff is so fast and professional you’ll never wait long for your daiquiri. Happy hour here focuses less on the craft cocktail bent, opting for highballs such as gin/vodka tonics ($5), Palomas ($6), and, of course, a rum & coke ($5), though expect high quality versions of all these drinks, as even the well liquor is good. There is also a drink of the week for $7. All food is a dollar off.
 

Happy Hour: Monday–Sunday, 4–6 PM (720 SE Sandy Blvd.; 503-265-8807)
 

This Cajun inspired restaurant located under the Morrison Bridge has been serving its mac n cheese and oyster shooters to the late night crowd for decades. Its inappropriately named bar, La Merde, opened in 2005 in a space that used to be a storeroom for Montage. La Merde features a great way to try the mac n cheese—during happy hour, it’s only $5.95 for the Portland staple. Well drinks, beers, and glasses of house wine are all available for $4, and house cocktails are all a dollar off.
 

Happy Hour: Monday–Sunday, 4–6 PM (301 SE Morrison St.; 503-234-1324)
 

Oso is an amazing wine bar, featuring Old World and Oregon wines, cocktails, and Spanish and French inspired cuisine. Furthermore, the space doubles as a wine market, with a large array of wine bottles for purchase. Retail bottles can be drank in house for a $10 corkage fee. Happy hour sees a number of wine friendly bites, like oysters, olives, and lamb meatballs, as well as drink specials. Well drinks and drafts are a dollar off, and wine pours are all $2 cheaper. Plus, all retail wine is marked down 10% for in-house drinking, though the corkage fee still applies. It’s a great way to come in and sample Oso’s amazing wine list without breaking the bank.
 

Happy Hour: Tuesday–Saturday, 4–6 PM; Sunday, 4 PM–Close (726 SE Grand Ave.; 503-232-6440)
 

For a more low key happy hour, try happy hour at My Father’s Place, one of our favorite dives in the city. $1.50 PBR, $3 micros, and a $1 off whiskeys make up the drink specials. Cheap bar food is also available during happy hour, including a variety of slider duos, housemade chimichangas, and a baked potato, all for under $5 (save the spicy chicken sliders just over $5 at $5.25). The best part is if you don’t start your night at My Father’s Place, you can end it with a late night happy hour, every night from 10 PM to midnight.

Happy Hour: Monday–Friday, 4–6 PM & 10 PM–12 AM (523 SE Grand Ave.; 503-235-5494)
 

It’s back! One of the oldest bars in the city, an essential spot that helped build our beer culture to what it is today, Produce Row was renovated a few years back, only to be shuttered indefinitely last summer. Now, Produce Row has reopened, and seemingly unchanged from what it was before it was closed. The beautiful wooden bar, tufted black leather booths, and wide patio are all there. The food is still “gastropub” style, and beer/whiskey pairings are still a major aspect of the menu.

Produce Row has a happy hour and a late night happy hour. Both feature great food specials such as BBQ wings for $6, “District Tots” with caramelized onions, herbs, and house-made beer mustard for $5, and more. For drinks, try a discounted glass of house wine ($5), an aperitif spritz ($6), or even one of the famed beer and whiskey pairings—$6 gets you a George Dickel Rye and a glass of Trumer Pilsner.
 

Happy Hour: Monday–Sunday, 4–7 PM & 10 PM–Close (204 SE Oak St.; 503-232-8355)
 

As stated, the bar scene in lower Buckman mimics Portland’s housing density. Here are a number of other restaurants and bars in the immediate neighborhood that feature happy hours:
 

Dig A Pony is a hipster dance by by night, and during happy hour you can find the only vegan po boy in town, as well as a dollar off wells, beers, and house wines. Happy Hour: Monday–Sunday, 4–6 PM (736 SE Grand Ave.; 971-279-4409)
 

Slow Bar, just down the street from My Father’s Place, has its signature burger for just $5, as well as ceviche, sliders, and other items. All booze, beer, and wine is a dollar off during happy hour. Happy Hour: Monday–Friday, 3–6 PM & Sunday–Thursday, 12–2:30 AM (533 SE Grand Ave.; 503- 230-7767)
 

Kachka, next to Dig A Pony, offers amazing Russian fare. Happy Hour is the perfect time to grab a moscow mule ($5), some fish jerky ($4), and dumplings ($8-$9). Happy Hour: Monday–Sunday, 4–6 PM & 10 PM–12 AM (720 SE Grand Ave.; 503-235-0059)
 

Bit House: Next door to Slow Bar is Bit House Saloon, which we’ve written about a number of times. The House of Bamboozle, mentioned in our sherry article, is on the happy hour menu as well as a few other drinks and wine. Happy hour food includes nuts, fries, chicken wings, and more. Happy Hour: Monday–Sunday, 3–7 PM (727 SE Grand Ave.)
 

Voice Box: Next door to Trifecta is the Voice Box, a karaoke bar that features a full bar, menu, and private rooms. Happy hour includes discounted food and drinks, as well as $5 an hour karaoke. Things get real crazy on Wednesdays with all day happy hour. Happy Hour: Monday–Sunday, 3–7 PM; Wednesdays, all day (2112 NW Hoyt St.; 503-303-8220)
 

Star Bar: Around the corner from Trifecta and Voice Box is the punk rock and metal bar Star Bar. Happy hour is every day here with plenty of cheap beer and cheap food. Vegan and gluten free options are available, including vegan bbq ‘wings’. Happy Hour: Monday–Sunday, 4–8 PM (639 SE Morrison St.; 503-232-5553)

Trifecta photo (top) by Alan Weiner; Produce Row photo by Alexander Frane