Honestly bar maven has the best happy hour in PDX and I love their food. Get the kabobs trust me you won't be sorry that you did! The bartenders are all rad and I'm stoked to have moved into the neighborhood so I can call this my local bar. Thanks y'all! read more

Bar Maven - Bars Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I am going to give it five starts even though it's very very loud in here. The atmosphere is cool and relaxed. The food selection is awesome. They even have Arab food which means vegan selection... There's also a juke box, but it's hard to hear because of the noise. The beer selection is large, but I was pressed to find something that wasn't hoppy. There's also one lonely pinball machine. We've been here three times so far, and parking wasn't bad at all. I think next time I come here, I will choose a less busy time. The owner is very nice and will take the time to chat with you. read more

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----- Burger Week 2017 Review ----- First time I'd been here, and was pleasantly surprised. The establishment itself looked like a fun place to be, with an outdoor patio, garage workshop style doors that opened the interior, and cool decor inside. The staff were friendly and prompt, so I'd probably come here again. 4th burger of the week For the burger itself: Kimchi burger "Juicy": The burger (and everything) was very enjoyable, juicy, flavorful, and the kimchi and cheese added a bit of spice to it. Compared to other burgers that I got this week, I keep recalling this one as "juicy" because many of the others were dry or lacking sauce, or vegetables to keep it moist. It also had a lot of flavor, both from the burger and the toppings. There wasn't much of vegetables other than the kimchi but they likely would have deterred from it as the focal point. I would certainly get another one of these and would like to spend a bit more time here next time. read more

Bar Maven - Burger Week 2017, Kimchi Burger - Bars Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I really enjoy my time every visit to Bar Maven. The times I go, are usually during the Portland food weeks, but I'm always impressed by how composed their staff is, how fast their food comes out, and the quality of the food and drinks. The people working at the bar, and on the floor are really cool, and always friendly, unlike some folks at bars who are obviously overwhelmed by the commotion going on. I came through yesterday for burger week, and although there were only two people behind the bar, they weren't pushy and took the time to explain the burger, and recommend some of their top drinks for us to order. The wait for the burger was a little long, but the patio space creates a great atmosphere for just sharing drinks and hanging out with friends, so the wait time felt like nothing in the end. Good vibes, good people, good food - it's a great bar in SE to hang with friends and grab a bite to eat. read more

really chill bar that has happy hour, even on sundays. awesome music, nice staff, and even better beer selection. very cheap prices on drinks, beer, and food. fallafel sliders were okay, very reasonably priced and filling. the cauliflower was good, unique because they werent breaded or drowned in buffalo sauce like i normally get, but the tahini and seasoning was a nice touch. FYI, i didnt try them, but the garlic fries smelled absolutely. someone came in just for those and got them to go. read more

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This was the first bar I went to coming out of the Pandemic and I am so glad I did. The bar was open and airy with the windows open, plenty of outdoor seating with shade and some table umbrellas. The outdoor seating helped with feeling safer to take my mask off to eat. The service was great, they were very friendly and seemed glad to see us. My drinks were delicious and the food did not disappoint, each dish was excellent. We shared a falafel plate, Baba Ganoush, fried Cauliflower and vegan Dolmas, the two of us ate everything , it really hit the spot!I loved the Huckleberry Gimlet. Thanks Bar Maven for making my introduction back into public spaces such a great experience! read more

The wings were good, fries were soggy though. But cool environment and place to relax. Drinks were good. Try the spicy margarita! Service was friendly as well. read more

Love this place. Service is on point. Prices are great. Outdoor seating almost always available somewhere. Food is good. Unique stuff on the menu. Burgers are crazy good bistro style. Kabob dinners are all amazing but watch out for the garlic. It's authentic style. Great tap list, booze and wine. They even play fun music most of the time. Pretty much love everything about this place read more

Good dive bar, been here several times. Came today for burger week, and it did not disappoint! All burgers featured for Portland Burger Week are $5. Bar Maven is serving the Oregon Black & Blue burger. I will say this burger is really good, considering the fact that I hate blue cheese. The bun is nice and soft but also toasted, just perfect! And the beef patty is THICC (half pounder). You are definitely getting your moneys worth with this burger. Also, we were quoted over an hour wait but got our order in 30 minutes. Overall, would recommend this burger! read more

Bar Maven - Oregon Black & Blue burger- Portland Burger Week 2018 - Bars Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Favorite bar in the outer east side of Portland. They have REALLY GOOD food. Yes, it's a bar but they definitely don't serve "bar food;" the menu has more of a Mediterranean inspiration (think gyros, kabobs but also some tasty burgers). My favorite item is the garlic fries. They will keep you coming back! The bartenders are super friendly and I always feel welcome and taken care of. They have a decent sized covered patio area with tons of greenery/bamboo around, so check that out if you are coming in during the warmer months. They also had an excellent burger this year for burger week. If you like wings, check out Wing Wednesday. When we went, they had super tasty Korean style wings. Happy hour is 4-7 daily. read more

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This review is for Wing Week. Korean style wings by Chris Yu. I think Portland is definitely lacking in the type of wings that they serve in Asia. In Korea and Japan the fried chicken (even KFC) always has immense crunchyness, when you bite into the chicken it's like penetrating a two layer wall of crunch kinda deal. The chicken is slathered in some thick sauce but the wings don't get soggy! AT ALL! And they still retain the juicyness and aren't overcooked. Portland definitely has variety when it comes to food but I feel this is a big market we are missing especially for game day. I mean don't get me wrong Vietnamese style fish sauce wings are still everything. When my meal came I didn't know what to think, the wings had good color and the sauce was very savory ( I tasted the sauce on my plate.) But that first bite. Korean fried chicken was finally brought to Portland last night! Juicy chicken encased in a thick cereal crunchy type of crust (like imagine when you eat corn flakes), the sauce was semi/sweet but the kick of the chili peppers really melded everything together; the textures and the flavor. Now you may be thinking that sounds comparable to POKPOK wings but you are mistaken my friend. Those are Thai wings and tbh they are overly salted with strong fish sauce. If you're craving Korean wings, today 10/29/16 is the last day to get them. I also want to add that this place makes good drinks! And they do fresh squeezed juice wtf. read more

Bar Maven - Korean style wings only available during wing week. $5 for six jumbo wings! - Bars Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Came here for karaoke. It's on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Very friendly bartenders and I have been there a few times. Food is actually pretty good! You can get a can of tecate for $3.50. I don't know why that 50 cents is included and that is really my only gripe with the place. I have not had a bad experience here food-wise and service-wise and sometimes it gets crazy busy! They are good friends with the sandwich shop/convenience store next door so if just want sandwiches, check them out too. Not much else to say about it. Their gyros are pretty bomb and so are their burgers. They also have a back patio too that you can go smoke if you are a smoker. Go check it out! read more

I love Bar Maven. They have really delicious food and a great beer selection. Sometimes when I want to order Togo their phones don't work and it sounds like old school internet dial up, but they might have fixed that since Togo order have become a must have in today's times. The ladies behind the bar always wear cute outfits and are super friendly and the main dude I usually see there has pretty hilarious shirts most of the time. I love the adult button machine they have and their outdoor patio is nice and shady in the summer and cozy with heaters in the winter. read more

was pleasantly surprised by the quality and flavors of the late-night plates we ordered from the bar....got the nachos and fried cauliflower and they were both some of the best I've had. on a side note, I like that there's always been parking available in their back lot when I've come here. I'll be back to try more on the menu. read more

Bar Maven - Favorite nachos in Portland - Bars Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Drinks are good here but the food is AMAZING. I only come to Portland once a year and every time I try to get here for their gyro and falafel dishes. read more

Came here for the Korean wings! (Only on Wednesday's, on thursdays too if they still have any leftovers from wednesday) Super crispy and sweet with a little bit of spicy. Come early and get them, I've been there a few times around 7pm and they ran out. We also got the parmesan garlic fries but they were too soggy for my liking. Wings: $11 Fries: $6.5 read more

Bar Maven - Bars Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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I come here for the gyro nachos. Today was a huge $14 disappointment and I won't be back. Supes bummed out! I CANT afford to go out that often, so when I do, I would hope that I get what I go for. Do better. We are all struggling and just trying to support the places we love read more

Bar Maven - Gyro Nachos - Bars Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Great place with unexpectedly unique menu. Plan to order at the bar and enjoy outside seating or tables inside.

I actually like this place. And I'll update the review when this is fixed. But this place does not have working men's or women's bathrooms right now. Like literally call them and ask if they have flushable toilets. They may not. If this was 1912, which is a possible time a bar might have existed that far out with a poorly serviced outhouse, I might rave about it. But it's 2020 and if you are charging $60 for drinks and dinner have some gd working bathrooms or shut your business until it's fixed. read more

Mostly good but beware of their resident employee/musical talent, Ben. He thinks he is Bob Dylan and will yell at you to shut up so he can have control of the bar. Had always been a cool, fun place but this guy apparently runs the joint and does not want you there if you are going to talk in the bar while he is playing. I would avoid this place if they keep this guy around, he is not special and added nothing to the night other than forcing people out of the owner's bar. read more

Just a standard bar but the outdoor space is abundant and you just can't go wrong with 6 wings for $6! Will be back!

We used to frequent this place on a regular basis, but it's steadily gone downhill over the past few years. The times we've gone to BM this year, the food hasn't been as good. And the music is cranked so loud that EVERYONE in there is yelling, so not a place to go and chill out. Last time, the bartender couldn't hear my order because the music was blasting--She asked if I ordered something that wasn't even on their menu, I shook my head NO and yelled what I ordered again--And when my order arrived, it was the item I told her I didn't order! This place has also stopped giving us an itemized receipt when we settle up--Is that even legal?!?! This year, we stopped by 3 other times and found out BM was closed. There was no sign on the door and nothing posted on fb or ig. One time we arrived, we opened the door and the owner barked at us saying they were closed to do some repairs--Again, no announcement or sign, but the door was unlocked! And not even an apology for inconveniencing us!?! Not sure what kind of clientele this owner is trying to attract, but I can guarantee we won't waste any more of our time and money on this establishment! read more

Most of the servers here are better than before save one angry, arrogant guy that I will walk out the door when I see him behind the bar. I have no idea why Bashir, the owner, doesn't get rid of him. I saw him rip a happy hour menu out of the hand of a customer lat the strike of 7. Unbelievably rude. When asked he said 'yep'. What a schmuck. read more

I came during burger week which wont really give you the best review of what it typically is like. I thought their Kimchi burger was good. The place is super dusty though. They need to clean it up and fix the HVAC system. read more

Bar Maven - Kimchi burger. - Bars Near Me - Portland, Oregon

This bar is so amazing for so many reasons. First, it is always so welcoming! No matter who you are you're met with a warm welcome. The music is fantasically punk, but as my friend pointed out, it isn't sticky and smelly like a stereotypical punk rock bar. The food is phenomenal, the music is always spot on, and everyone is so friendly. I honestly don't know why I don't come here more often. It feels like home and I love it so much. The biggest plus? It introduced me to bacon wrapped dates with ice cream!! I've been making bacon wrapped dates for years, but never even considered adding ice cream to the mix. Mind=Blown!! read more

Bar Maven - Bacon wrapped dates with ice cream - Bars Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Bar Maven is a great neighborhood bar. The service is friendly, the food is fantastic, and the drinks are heavy. On Wednesday nights they do a Korean Wings special and it always sells out - go early if you want to be one of the lucky patrons getting this dish! Really love their outdoor seating and patio on a nice summer day as well. The have the app where you can add your own music to the queue which is awesome if you're someone that likes variety. read more

Bartenders are very friendly, not hints of snooty-ness if you have questions about the beer/cider. I tried a great sour beer (wish I could remember what is was!) and I'll be sure to swing by during Burgerweek next year. read more

This has to do with Hamburger Week Aug 15th through the 22nd. Best burger by far of any of the places we went. Great outdoor covered patio. Excellent beer selections and very good service. This will be our "Go to" place for Burger week and whenever we are in this vicinity! Great job, owners and staff! read more

It'd be a nice dive bar, but their food is too good so must be it's a gastropub, but they don't have a cheese plate or anything coated in gold leaf and they have constantly updated mixology so it's an unpretentious cocktail bar, except for when OR teams are playing then it's on the projector or 3 TVs so it's a sports bar, or burger week phenom, or Halloween costume contest locale, or a summer dance party on their awesome patio or a post work happy hour that actually feels happy (late night too my industry friends), except that most of the time it's just a bartender playing some funky tunes and the rest is up to you. read more

Stuck alone on the 4th. Didn't have the best weekend to say the least. Walked up to Bar Maven right when they opened and it really cheered me up and made me feel human again. Bar tender, Bashar, was amazing and very personable with all. Gyro was definitely above average based on other places I have tried. Go here! read more

Bar Maven - Cascade Lake IPA - Bars Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Went there last night for a glass of wine with a girlfriend, the atmosphere is really warm and welcoming, the bartenders were super friendly and we felt taken care of the entire time. The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the mezza platter which was pita, 3 kinds of hummus, 3 falafels and a kale type salad. The salad tasted like 40 lemons squeezed on top of raw onions and raw kale. The hummus was decent but nothing extraordinary. The pita was dry and crunchy. The falafels were actually the best thing on the plate. I will be back to try some of the other appetizers that looked tasty on the menu as well as to check out the deck in the summer time read more

Ended up here unplanned on Wednesday night after the place we originally wanted to check out was closed. Groupon on phone, my boyfriend and I proceeded to order two gyro burgers, one without onions. Two burgers and fries at bar Maven, on a relatively slow night, apparently takes almost 45 minutes to happen. Over 45 minutes when you add in that they forgot to not add onions to one of them and had to bring it back to the kitchen so they could tear apart my burger and scrap off the onions...could have done that at the table. Burger came back pretty torn up...bun torn...meat falling out. It tasted alright, but had TONS of meat and nothing to offset the 'heart attack waiting to happen' flavor, only a tiny piece of tomato and no lettuce. For the atmosphere and service of a sports/dive bar, and factoring the meh flavor of the burger, I don't think it was worth $11 each. However, if you want a meaty, unhealthy, greasy burger and don't mind paying $11 for it, the gyro burger might be the one for you (1/2 beef patty, gyro meat, and bacon). Poor ingredient quality. Poor service (one small napkin each for a very saucy meal and no water refills the entire time we sat there). Was very cold inside. VERY LOUD TVs...loud even for a bar. Clean bathrooms at least, and an outdoor area that is probably nice in the summer. Oh, and a table top arcade game. Overall poor experience. Probably would be better suited for someone who wants to watch a game at the bar and drink...perhaps pick up some happy hour fries. Not good for much more though. Although it is a bar...so I guess I should haven't expected more in the first place. : / read more

Bar Maven - Gyro Burger - Bars Near Me - Portland, Oregon

The food is sooo good here! Yummm! Their Gyro burger is to die for! Their salads, great, pita wraps, very very good! We have been here quite a few times and really enjoy the food (as you could see form above). We are not very big fans of the people who work here. They are not the nicest or the friendliest to new comers I guess? Or maybe it's just me? But everytime I have gone I have interacted with different people that have worked there. Each time they have been just very flat and not friendly, borderline rude. Borderline. Granted, I am a nice lady that usually has a smile on! (Not a creepy one) The decor is cool, lots of cool things to look at on the walls, and they have a whole wall made up of different types of junk yard wood. Which may sound kind of funny... but it's super cool. read more

Bar Maven - View of the bar - Bars Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Went here last night for the first time. While looking thru yelp to find an upper scale dive bar, we stumbled across this lovely place. Their menu featured bacon wrapped dates and ice cream. That was what sold me! We ordered the pita chips and taizuiki, the mini steak kabobs, the fried mac and cheese, and the bacon wrapped dates and ice cream, plus two beers. All for under 30 dollars. Of course, Sunday is happy hour all day, so that helped. All the food was tasty and the bar was enjoyable. The bar tender was attentive and made the experience top notch. I could definitely see myself coming back! read more

Bar Maven - Mini steak kebabs - Bars Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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Flew in from Charlotte NC. Stopped by for a burger because everywhere was closed. And this burger was amazing. High key recommend. Super super tasty and not too heavy/oily. Would come back when I'm in Portland read more

So I got off work early today and I wanted to try a local brewery and I went to a brewery right across the street which i will not name.. Got ignored for most of my visit by the bartender who was talking to one of his coworkers who stopped in for a drink. I got a few items from the menu but mainly was met with pretention. Decided to check this place out and their list of craft beers is amazing PLUS a super friendly bartender!! Now I know to come here for my after work libations. Really impressed with the casual, friendly vibe here. Come here for your friendly neighborhood feeling! read more

Bar Maven - Beer Menu - Bars Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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It's a low key dive bar here. I like that you can buy your credits for the jukebox via your phone and choose the music on your phone. Sometimes the jukebox is a little quiet though but I think that's up to the bartenders discretion because I know the volume changed when a certain song was played. Hennessy was most requested in my party and they didn't have any during that night. Nice bar quiet bar, various crowds. read more

This was an unexpected but pleasant surprise. We dropped into BM last night looking for a quick dinner. It was Monday Night Football night, baseball playoff night, and apparently music to drown out the first two events night. Yet beyond all of that, we had a pleasant evening. Greek food? Sure - why not. Poutine and fries, their way? Heck yeah. Grilled chicken kabobs? Maybe a bit overdone but still tasty. And Gyro nachos? Danged tasty but needed more pita chips to eat the meat and other stuff with. Gyro burger? Well-cooked with good sauce and red onion, tomato, etc. Yeah - the food was good. But this is a bar, not a high-end restaurant. Don't expect table service - we ordered at the bar - or much other service. Inject a moderately high noise level and sticky tables. As long as you're aware of the pitfalls, this place works. We'll be back. read more

Last time I rated them 4 stars cuz their smoking patio was less than desirable. They've recently renovated & the outside patio is the best outside seating on Foster! read more

I love this bar!!! The food is great, the people are good and the beer rotates so it's always something new. It's an awesome addiction to the Fo-Po neighborhood & if you want a step up from the typical douche-baggery foster has to offer, come here. Don't walk... RUN HERE! read more

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