The menu of elevated pub fare and cocktails (some pop-media themed) is among the best in Portland’s queer-run dining scene. Guests can marvel at Shine’s custom two-story, 130-gallon microstill, or head up to the second-floor patio overlooking North Williams. Shine Distillery & Grill is Portland’s only gay bar making its own spirits. Image: Thom Hilton Shine Distillery & Grill Speaking of vibes: if guests are feeling friskier than the dance floor allows, they need only hop over to neighboring sex club Sanctuary for a raunchier time. daily 317 NW Broadway CandyĬandy is a glossy, relatively new dance club on the edge of the P earl District with a wide-open vibe that seems to attract (21+!) Gen Z patrons, who care less about labels and more about vibes. Alas, the nights showcasing transgender and nonbinary dancers hadn’t yet made a comeback at press time-here’s hoping they return in time for trans and enby hotties to shake their assets for Pride. Portland’s newest male strip club changed management in May 2021, and the club feels infused with fresh energy compared to its pre-lockdown years. Lined with paintings, dark leather, and bordello velvet, Stag’s space looks like what might happen if Interior Illusions decorated a ski cabin. The bar’s unpretentious, welcoming environment extends to straight retirees and PDX passengers who need an infusion of brunch, drag, and board games. Tucked just down the road from Dav Bingo Hall, and practically in the shadow of Catholic shrine the Grotto, Escape (no relation to the downtown all-ages gay club from the aughts) is a convenient stop for queers living east of 82nd Avenue. The North Portland spot is a den of testosterone that attracts freak daddies of all genders and their admirers it hosts kink nights for every uniform, from leather and latex to pup hoodies, coded hankies, and neon warehouse vests. Portland’s Eagle isn’t affiliated with other leather bars bearing the same name in major cities across the country, but the atmosphere is so similar that it might as well be. Fri–Sat, midnight Sun 1400 SE Morrison St Eagle Portland Southeast Portland’s longest-running queer bar tends to attract a more middle-aged crowd than some of its contemporaries, ranging from elder millennials to silver-hued Gen X’ers tak ing in artisa n old-fashioneds and citrus-infused cocktails. daily 610 NW Couch St Crush BarĬrush has pivoted away from its reputation as a cabaret bar since the pandemic started, leaning instead on its kitchen and cocktail menu.
Established mid-1970s open until 2:30 a.m. The stage is small, the ceiling low, and red-lit private booths lend to a utilitarian, industrial fantasy vibe. Its newest iteration is a street-level bar with twice-weekly karaoke and music played low enough to hear people around you, with a basement strip club hosting a cast of well-toned dancers. Portland’s longest-running male strip club began in the building that now houses the McMenamins Crystal Hotel, before moving first to the edge of Vaseline Alley and finally to Old Town in 2018. Established 1981 open until midnight Mon–Wed, 2 a.m. The drinks are cheap, the music’s fun, the resident drag queens are among the city’s best, and there are regular trans talent nights. The club is still one of the city’s largest LGBTQ+ venues, and sits just outside the cordoned-off Entertainment District of straight clubs including Tube, Shake Room, and Dixie Tavern. daily 1125 SW Harvey Milk St CC SlaughtersĬC’s is many Portlanders’ first gay bar-for good reason.
The bar has mellowed out over the past few years, but a lively mix of downtown office workers, college students, tourists, and residents keeps the place busy and worth popping into. The bar still hosts karaoke, drag shows, dance parties, art receptions, jazz concerts, and brunch, and started serving a small menu of bar staples shortly before its next-door neighbor the Roxy closed in March.
Scandals is the last surviving gay bar along the stretch of Harvey Milk Street once known as Vaseline Alley.