Every McMenamins in Portland, Oregon, and Its Suburbs Ranked (2025)

Why are you here? Couldn’t face the food court at Clackamas Town Center, just on the other side of I-205 from this strip mall? Got bad news at the nearby hospital and this seemed like an anodyne place to process? Needed a bar TV to catch the end of the game, and this was there? Lunching with an overeager coworker and really don’t want them to think it's a date? Or are you just lost? 9757 SE Sunnyside Rd, Clackamas —Margaret Seiler

If McMenamins weren’t emblazoned across its sides (including one facing the freeway to lure in anyone stuck in traffic), you’d mistake it for a medical building. We wouldn't fault you, as McMenamins 205 shares walls with an urgent care and eyeglasses store. There’s a general lack of ambience coupled with atrocious ceiling paneling, but, hey, maybe you just really need the famed Communication Breakdown burger after that cheap mall haircut. 9710 SE Washington St —Sam Stites

Open since 1990, the Broadway Pub sure doesn't feel like an institution. There’s nothing memorable, notable, or neighborhoody in this generic corner bar and grill, up a set of stairs from an entryway shared with a barre workout studio. You go there once, maybe, when you and a friend need to pick a meeting place halfway between your homes, and then you never return. 1504 NE Broadway —MS

Its “Scottish-frog inspired interior” consists of dark wood booths and nods to the UK and the existence of music: portraits of Queen Victoria, Crystal Ballroom show posters, a painting of a bagpipe band of kilt-wearing frogs. Outside, it’s a low-slung strip mall shared with dental, eye, and pet clinics, next to a Hobby Lobby. If we were hungry, would we just hit the Super Deluxe drive-thru a stone’s throw away and call it good? Yes. 15976 SW Tualatin-Sherwood Rd, Sherwood —MS

There are exceptions, but locations with signs that have “McMenamins” spelled out in a sans-serif font tend to be low on our must-visit list. Here, several of the blocky letters, atop a former Chinese restaurant in a shopping center just off I-205, no longer light up. Opened in 1992, this location plays an interesting role in the chain's brewing history as its first “small house” brewery to use a glycol system for temperature regulation, and it’s a perfectly pleasant place to pop in for a pint and a view of the McDonald’s sign across the street. But unless you’re picking up a few things at the Ace Hardware next door, there’s not much reason to stop here. 2090 Eighth Ave, West Linn —MS

It’s highly likely Rams Head isn’t your final destination in a sea of shops on NW 23rd, but it kind of could be. Outside the historic Campbell Building—which was once a speakeasy—the sidewalk patio makes for an excuse to have a late lunch or an advantageous happy hour throwing back Ghost Rabbit pilsner and people watching. If outdoor dining isn’t an option (because rain) the inside will serve as a time machine, with ample seating and a thrift store-esque stench that’s light enough to tolerate. 2282 NW Hoyt St —Dalila Brent

Did we just stumble upon the ultimate McMenamins gift shop? There’s not much ambience to speak of, but there are over 800 kinds of canned and bottled beer on offer here, and a handful of tables and chairs that you can drink them at. McMenamins beers, of course, are well-represented, but so are many other breweries from Portland and the rest of the West Coast. This is also the place to stock up on McMenamins spirits, wines, and merch, from T-shirts to glasses to exorbitantly priced fanny packs. 2290 NW Thurman St —Katherine Chew Hamilton

An oasis in the disorienting grid now occupying former farmland way out past I-205 (wait, you’re telling me we’re not in New York City but the streets are numbered and the avenues are numbered?), the 162nd Place Shopping Center has us covered with a sushi place, a Walgreens, a Starbucks, and a McMenamins outpost. Inside, verdant hanging plants and the usual jumble of light fixtures pretty up the strip-mall setting, and the staff seem happy to have customers. 1900 NE 162nd Ave, Vancouver —MS

This is a bright patch in an otherwise sterile and uninteresting corner where downtown meets Portland State University. Its location makes it a perfect meeting point for grub and drinks before seeing a show at the Keller Auditorium just down the street or Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall a few blocks north. It features one of the more truly bizarre paintings of any McMenamins (a lofty feat for a chain known for its weird artwork) depicting bewitched hammers dancing to music played by a pair of gypsy violinists while a pretty witch and her catch look on. Perhaps there’s a metaphor here? Drink enough hammerheads and you might find out for yourself. 1526 SW 10th Ave —SS

The only hint of authenticity at this McMenamins is the creaky floor at the entrance, which supposedly owes its noise to the fact that the building was constructed on a base of sawdust. Otherwise, it has the ’80s-by-way-of-the-’90s vibes of Buca di Beppo: cheesy paintings, hanging plants, lots of empty booths, a wood-burning stove mysteriously lit even on 80-degree days. But the bar is not without its merits, including pool tables, shuffle board, and a cider bar in the back room. 1716 NW 23rd Ave —KCH

The theme of this smallish restaurant and bar is wood: the entire pyramid ceiling is wood, as is a structure built around the bar, the indoor tables and bar, the window framing, and much of the patio. The magic of McMenamins ignites when its designers and marketers apply their skills and shtick to a former church or school or lodge; this is simply a local watering hole on a busy road with a friendly ambience, well located for a consistent lunch crowd. Its outdoor garden-and-firepit seating is limited but pleasant. Should you stop there when you’re hungry on a busy day of errands, a warning that you might find it understaffed. 4495 SW Scholls Ferry Rd —Arianne Cohen

Despite opening in 2017, McMenamins Cedar Hills still somehow nails the ’90s décor perfectly, sans smell. The massive location comes with an equally massive menu with not-so-common McMenamins offerings including a handful of pizzas and seasonal milkshakes. Sit outside and sip a Hawthorne kölsch while listening to nearby Nike employees discuss work woes and wins, or take your talents inside and park your tush in one of the green suede booths. 2885 SW Cedar Hills Blvd, Beaverton —DB

What this unassuming location, tucked away in a shopping center, lacks in curb appeal, it makes up for inside … somewhat. If you can get past the ’90s carpeting and wood furniture and look up, you’ll notice the 20-plus chandeliers are like snowflakes, no two are the same. Of course, the real draw is the on-site brewery, which curious diners and drinkers can view thanks to massive glass windows. 14740 NW Cornell Rd —DB

This former homestead turned deli turned pub sits at the bustling intersection of SW Murray and Allen boulevards, but don't let the traffic or the lack of imagination in the naming process deter you. With its cozy booths, large open windows, shuffleboard, and hand-painted sun smiling down at you from the ceiling, it's a dependable spot for conversation and relaxation after a long day’s work.6179 SW Murray Blvd, Beaverton —Isabel Lemus Kristensen

This long, narrow building was once a parish hall but feels like it could have been a place to wait for a train. The river-inspired artwork is a little less trippy than your average McMenamins, and the mismatched hanging lanterns lend a pleasant glow to the wooden booths and a central bar in this cozy space. 102 Ninth St, Oregon City —MS

Local history buffs know that when the McMenamin brothers opened this location in 1985, it was Oregon's first brewpub since Prohibition; city hall watchers will giddily share that its parking lot was the site of the infamous Portland-mayor-pepper-sprays-dairy-heir incident in 2021. With the pub’s whole kitchen sitting just behind the counter, the bar here is a good spot for budding line cooks, those in search of some practical #kitcheninspo for their own pantry organization, and anyone who just finds it calming to stare at tubs of to-be-fried tater tots and handled jugs of Cajun seasoning. (Hey, everyone has their own Zen—don’t judge.) There are also carriage booths and a covered outdoor area if you don’t want to watch the full meal prep.1505 SW Sunset Blvd —MS

Built in 1912 by the Swedish Evangelical Mission Church, the Mission Theater was the epicenter of Portland’s Swedish community for more than 40 years before it became a meeting hall for local union dockworkers. Today, the theater is bustling with entertainment, from film festivals and variety shows to local bands cutting their teeth and benefit concerts. 1624 NW Glisan St —SS

Several nooks and crannies expanding outward from the oval-shaped bar in the center of this pub make it a great place for date night, catching up with an old friend, or a working lunch where you don’t want anyone (besides the waiter refilling your beer) to see you. This location—which formerly housed Little Chapel of the Chimes, a local mortuary chain—also serves as McMenamins headquarters. When the North Portland Library reopens in 2024, you can drop the kids off for programming while you run across the street to pick up some Scooby Snacks (mini corn dogs) for the littles and Cajun tots for you.430 N Killingsworth St —SS

Tucked into a teeny shopping center in the shadow of Powell Butte, the Highland was technically Gresham’s first post-Prohibition brewpub when it opened in 1988. Its nautical theme might feel slightly aggressive, but the Seven Seas decor does a good job of making diners feel a little less landlocked than one might expect in a teeny old-time shopping center in the shadow of Powell Butte. 4225 SE 182nd Ave, Gresham —MS

The pocket-size Fulton Pub is not a place to divulge state secrets, or utter anything you don’t want your neighbors to hear, really. But with dog-friendly sidewalk seating just off Macadam, a back patio crisscrossed with string lights, a classic bar top backed with wooden coolers, and a cozy set of booths and tables under a skylight hung with plants, it offers a variety of backdrops for your “solo drinker with a beer and a book” photo shoot. A long chalk mural on one wall is a welcome departure from McMenamins’ usual hippie sun and spooky jester. 0618 SW Nebraska St —MS

McMenamins locations rarely feel like neighborhood bars, but Blue Moon meshes nicely into this bustling area of NW 21st. During the day, folks sit in big wooden booths, typing away at their laptops, or perched at sidewalk tables sipping beers. By night, shuffleboard, pool, and pinball machines make the space feel lively, a worthwhile stop after dinner or a movie nearby. 432 NW 21st Ave —KCH

Built in 1996, this lively Tigard spot feels like a cross between a vineyard barn (the ceiling is made from old wine barrels) and a church (pew-like banquettes line some walls) but is actually modeled after a Hawaiian pump station. Indigenous art, subtle TVs, disco lights in the beer cooler, a lovely shaded patio, and a wood-burning potbelly stove make things memorable inside and out. If you're hungry but not up for the McMenu, you can hit the nearby Hush Hush or Sesame Donuts on your way home. 14610 SW Sequoia Pkwy, Tigard —MS

We admit it. On all those summer days we longed for a riverfront spot to sip on a patio and admire the boats puttering by and the sunlight gleaming off the water, we forgot this place existed. But there it is, right next to a Beaches restaurant and one of those fake-new-urbanist condo developments. Décor includes World War II–era shipyard aerial photos, a hanging light fixture made from old wooden crab traps, and the requisite “No Rollerblading” signs, as the restaurant is right on the multiuse path that connects to downtown Vancouver. 1801 SE Columbia River Dr, Vancouver —MS

Is the Crystal Ballroom your favorite place to see a show? Probably not. But have you seen some of your favorite concerts ever there, as you bobbed up and down on the bouncy floor and awkwardly navigated the all-ages/21-plus barrier? Indeed you have. Throw in the greater “Crystal Blocks” with their the bevy of eating options, downtown hotel in a former gambling den turned gloryhole maze (an attraction when the space was known as Club Portland, before McMenemins bought the property), a basement soaking pool, and the multilevel Ringlers Annex bar, and the Crystal complex makes you want to pretend to be a tourist in your hometown just to have an excuses to take it all in. W Burnside St between 12th and 14th Aves —MS

This domed theater was built for a cash register company exhibit at the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition, and then barged down the Willamette and hauled up the hill to its current spot, where is spent decades as a succession of churches and an American Legion hall before McMenamins took it over in 1998. With the main door in the front next to the screen, it's not a movie lover’s dream cinema by any means, but the cozy two-story bar and shady patio make for a pretty dreamy neighborhood pub. 8203 N Ivanhoe St —MS

With ionic columns to greet you at its entrance, 90 one-of-a-kind guestrooms, multiple restaurants, a movie theater, and a spa, the Grand Lodge lives up to its name. Guests can get a massage at Ruby’s Spa and Salon, take a dip in the heated outdoor soaking pool, or visit one of the property’s on-site bars––the Doctor’s Office stays open until midnight, and offers pinball, pool, and shuffleboard. There’s plenty to keep visitors occupied, including secret rooms and passages. (Want a hint? Press on the walls of the “Attic” floor.) 3505 Pacific Ave, Forest Grove —ILK

A rare strip-mall success story: this tiki-inspired, fish tank–filled space manages to be its own world, miles away from the Orange Theory gym and Dollar Tree it shares a parking lot with. A shiny bamboo bar sits on one side, and on the other, a pool room with a drop-down screen for the game opens to a covered, heated patio—the effect is similar to the sprawling campus feel of a place like the Kennedy School, in only a fraction of the area. 12272 SW Scholls Ferry Rd, Tigard —MS

A low-key neighborhood tavern on the outside, a dimly lit, musician-friendly space with hanging carpets and a glorious oak back bar on the inside, the White Eagle feels like a secret treasure that just happens to be a McMenamins. The second floor of the allegedly haunted building has 11 rooms for rent. With shared bathrooms, it sure ain’t the Ritz, but it’s a handy spot for a post–Moda Center concert staycation—the White Eagle is just one MAX stop away from the Rose Quarter on the Yellow Line. 836 N Russell St —MS

If the Grateful Dead posters, Shrek pinball machine, and assortment of wacky light fixtures didn’t tip you off, this pub is much cooler than your average McMenamins—fitting for being located at the western edge of the most lively stretch of SE Hawthorne Boulevard. It’s also one of the local chain’s oldest pubs having opened in 1983. We typically wouldn’t include a McMenamins as required drinking for a bar crawl, but Barley Mill is the exception to the rule.1629 SE Hawthorne Blvd —SS

Opened in 2011, this McMenamins includes a sprawling new two-story building made to look like a hop barn, full of nooks and crannies and beams and a Maurine Neuberger Easter egg hidden in the archival photos on the walls. It’s next door to a century-old church that can be rented for events, with a basement bar that opens onto a terraced lawn. For a family restaurant that shares a parking lot with a Fred Meyer, it’s surprisingly pleasant, with lots of tucked-away spaces inside and covered, heated patio seating. 30340 SW Boones Ferry Rd, Wilsonville —MS

This onetime neighborhood school closed in 1975 due to maintenance neglect and declining enrollment. Opened as a McMenamins in 1997 following an extensive renovation, it holds endless corners to eat, drink, and chill, plus a theater hosting movies as well as history lectures and other events, and hotel rooms in the former classrooms. The Boiler Room bar is a fave, with clever iron pipework decor, but the true gem, in a space that was once part of the teachers’ lounge, is a hippie-dippie soaking pool in which Concordia neighborhood residents float for free. 5736 NE 33rd Ave —Michael Novak

On the way to nowhere but on the way back from everywhere—the coast, a box store, a pumpkin patch, or a Christmas tree farm—this tavern mixes forest sprite vibes, magic mushroom décor, and, um, vintage French street signs? Somehow, it all works at this rustic wooden building, made from reclaimed barn timber after a 2002 fire destroyed the former blacksmith shop turned pub. 10000 NW Old Cornelius Pass Rd, Hillsboro —MS

The Bagdad Theater opened as a grand movie palace in 1927 at the tail end of the silent-film era. It’s been a McMenamins since the 1980s and offers the best moviegoing experience, by far, among the company’s cinemas, with 20,000-watt sound and cushy seating. It has noncinematic draws, as well: tucked just down the block, Greater Trumps capitalizes on the cigar-bar exception to Oregon’s indoor smoking ban, and the Backstage fills the soaring space behind the movie screen with a gorgeous mirrored bar, shuffleboard, two pool tables, and antique neon signs. 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd —MN

Nestled in a grove of trees, this 19th-century farmhouse is now a hideaway and wedding destination in Hillsboro’s tech corridor. McMenamins took over the property in 1986, and today visitors enjoy the Cajun tater tots in the rustic, laid-back atmosphere of Imbrie Hall, and then take a stroll around the grounds to check out the Octagonal Barn and the Little White Shed or grab a pint, or whiskey and a cigar, and hang out by the outdoor firepit. 4045 NE Cornelius Pass Rd, Hillsboro —ILK

Built in 1911 as the county poor farm, which saw its population swell through the Great Depression, Edgefield is now home to a winery, distillery, brewery, hotel, hostel, gift shop, restaurants and bars, pool hall, spa, soaking pool, movie theater, golf course, and concert venue. In a single mosey, a visitor can hear top bands blasting from the concert stage, the Grateful Dead on the speakers at Jerry’s Ice House, and the Star Wars theme beaming through the gardens to soundtrack a couple’s vow renewal ceremony. It’s just far away enough to be an adventure, and more vacation than staycation for a Portlander, but still served by TriMet and not terribly far from the Marine Drive bike path. 2126 SW Halsey St, Troutdale —MS