New to PDX

By: Richard D. Oxley

Portland loves its cheap beer and bites

You name a hot spot or a hole-in-the-wall, chances are they offer a happy hour, a delightful fraction of the day when cocktails and food suddenly become affordable. The time varies, but you can bet on bars offering deals during their non-peak hours to attract extra patrons.

Chopsticks Express is a good example. Sitting off of 26th avenue on East Burnside, it is a favorite among Portland’s hipster crowd, and a karaoke Mecca. Happy hour here runs from 4pm to 7pm, Mondays through Fridays. Cans of PBR will only costs you a buck and their well liquor is only $2.

Or you could take the Virginia Café (820 SW 10th avenue) in the heart of downtown. Here, happy hour is different every day, except on Thursdays and Saturdays when they don’t offer one. From 4pm to 7pm the rest of the week you can count on getting $1 off microbrews and alternating deals on cocktails and food.

However, hands down, the best place in town for happy hour is the Ringside Steakhouse at 2165 West Burnside. By far one of the swankiest establishments in the city, and winner of awards both locally and nationally for being an exceptional steakhouse. Any other time, you would drop at least $100 on a tab. But every night from 9:45pm to close, (from 4pm to 6pm as well on Sundays) you can have their amazing steak bites, oyster shooters, fancy caesar salads, prime rib dip, or a selection of other delights for only $2.25. The happy hour menu is only offered in their humble sized bar, so be there early, or be prepared to wait, secure in the knowledge that it is well worth that wait.