Nice bar setup with cool woody decor and a long counter but.., just okay on the service. Gotta say…read moreour bartender was pretty checked out, slow to walk over to take our order even though we were the only ones at the bar. Stoned or just unclear about his customer-facing job description? Who knows. Anyhoo, Decent menu, with burgers, salads, sandos and pizzas (small). You have to order away from the bar, weirdly, then pick up and bring your food into the theatre. Unwieldy. It's a bit spendy for what you get food-wise, though that seems to be the case everywhere these days. I like this place but haven't been in years so am happy to reconnect. Comfy seating in the theatre but screens are a bit dated. I will say the sound was pretty good. A decent movie-going experience with good enough food and drinks. Parking can be a bitch in this neighborhood though, with the new rules.

I was excited to visit this theater for the first time but unfortunately I left disappointed…read more We ordered food at the bar, our dinner, to be delivered to us in the theater. The bartender who took our order didn't write it down as he was taking it, which always makes me wonder if they will remember it correctly. He didn't. Carelessness. The bartender asked us which auditorium and our seat number and we were told that it would be delivered to our seats. Still no food an hour and 15 minutes into the movie so my partner went to check on it. He was told that they couldn't find us, which makes no sense unless the bartender entered the seats wrong. The cost was refunded but no dinner for us. Other than that the auditorium and seats are pretty nice but not better than any other theater. I doubt that I'll go back.

I came here on a date twice to see an improv show. It was a super chill vibe with tons of laughs…read more I had two cocktails while here but nothing stood out. They also offer a free improv class to trial before signing up. If you always wanted to try it out, I recommend signing up. It was not for me but it allowed me to get out of my comfort zone.

-Review for the Annex Theater- a friend of mine invited me to watch an improv comedy show here,…read morePunchlines and Piledrivers, and what a show it was. The actors were so silly and comical, and really poured their all into the characters! The staff seemed friendly enough although my interactions were extremely limited. It is a small room with lots of chairs crammed into a few rows. There is a little concession stand that sells snacks, popcorn, canned beverages including a couple different beers. I am giving the venue 3 stars because of my very limited view -- I sat in the front row, at the furthest point, on the side of the room opposite the entrance. The chairs are small and positioned right next to each other, offering very minimal personal space to the individual seated. The cast however would get 5 stars all day!

My hubby took me to the mystery dinner for our 2nd month anniversary date. It was an amazing…read moreexperience and he ended up being the murderer! We went to the Old Spaghetti Factory on South Waterfront. The location was beautiful for date night. Loved about it: It was nice to get into the character and be on the set of a real life clue game. Loved how we everyone was dressed for the Masquerade Billionaire Club Ball. It really added to the whole ambience. People actually got into character! Loved to see how everyone acted and showed emotions. Drawbacks: The people on our table were a little shy (on their 2nd/3rd date) and weren't participating as much so that was a drawback for us. Food was so/so but again we were there for the experience and not the food and that is where I took away a star. They were a little loose with the directions with what to do with money or who should respond how. Now we are looking forward to next time because we know what to do. They took mugshots in the beginning and during the event and promised to send us the link to the pictures via email. We never got them :( take your own pictures! Tips: Its all about the guests! Be involved in it and have fun. Going in a group would be fun. Its fun to see how your friends/other couples act/react in different situations. Talk and mingle with other.

Our first dinner murder mystery experience and we had a blast. The characters were fun and…read moreengaging and the food was delicious. The only down fall was the lack of all the clues, as well as short amount of time to solve the mystery. After the killer was revelaed and the reason why it was evident that the evidence we would have needed to come to that solution was in the killer's hand most the night. We are definitly going to go again once there is a new "show".

I was recently invited to attend a live music performance at the Mission Theater…read more McMenamins is of course known for converting historic buildings into venues and restaurants, and this location is no different. It used to be the Swedish Evangelical Mission Covenant Church. There's some cool millwork, antique light fixtures, and large curved staircases, but overall this is on the tamer side for McMenamins properties. The venue had standing room and high-tops on the same level as the stage. Upstairs is theater style seating that was decently comfortable and had a counter spot to put your drink. There weren't any bad views, and the sound system was better than I expected. I think there are two bars, one on each floor, but the upstairs one was closed for the small event I attended. They serve drinks and small bites, not full meals. Parking is challenging nearby.

Fantastic experience! Was here 20 years ago when it was still a movie theater. Now it's a concert…read morevenue and so much fun. Lined up outside about 1.25 hours before the concert. The doors opened up and hour before and we were able to get a seat in the balcony on the first row. The venue was small so every seat was great. The later people came had to stand up on the floor but they came to dance. Listened to Petty Theif...a Tom Petty cover band and had a lot of fun. Pizza, hotdogs, popcorn was the food offering and beer, cider and wine you can eat in your seats with the tables. Got the Mission Theatre stamp for our passport.

Absolutely fantastic performance. The jokes were hilarious, Kelsey, Ethan, Savannah, and Nancy did…read morea fantastic job. If I kept going on about how incredible they did, this review would be way too long. I would love to do this with another group, and I hope that your experience is as good as mine. Thank you again to The Murder Mystery Company for an amazing evening.

My boss hired the Murder Mystery Co to come to our work halloween party, and it was awesome. The…read moreactors were super funny, had great improv, and somehow found a way to include/involve our very large group of people. I would highly recommend hiring them for your work event, or party- because it was a great way for colleagues to work together in a way they dont usually work together, and it was really fun.

How many times do you think the restaurant portion of this business has closed and reopened since…read morethe new owners took over the Venetian? The answer? A surprising number, even this year alone. The narrative around Downtown Hillsboro business has several villains. There's the city itself, which does absolutely nothing to help businesses half a block off of Main Street and considers simple implements like A-frame signage an affront to aesthetics--though city officials have publicly voiced their aspiration to have Main Street be more like NW 23rd Street in Portland, which is littered with said signs. And when it does intervene, it's often to do something outlandish like hand control of an entire arcade complex it owns to one business person and drive a dozen others out of the building. Speaking of landlords, the private owners do a fine job of spiking rents whenever there's a slight whiff of economic upturn and squashing any growth by pummeling margins and rendering storefronts regularly empty. Then there's the "Downtown Hillsboro Demographic"--not the Pacific students, young professionals, and parents who flock like dehydrated desert travelers to any new Oasis, but the doddering fossils who complain about any parking more than eight feet from their destination, any menu item with a slightly "ethnic" lilt to it, and any noise, temperature, or light reading that is a hair too high or too low for their liking. They wonder why downtown can't just be the pharmacy, a hardware store, a mortuary, nine dying barbers, and roughly 18 antique shops. But there there are the business owners, who are far more difficult to generalize because no one is like the other. You have a famed baker propping up a bakery, bagel shop, cooking school, seasonal cart pod, and winery space and adapting to every foolhardy left turn this town throws at her, market owners who've turned tables of local offerings and a little coffee counter into a small community of their own, a pub owner who's basically transformed a tweaked-out lottery bar into a gastropub with $95 bone-in ribeye and $18 seasonal cocktails, a theater company that's holding down a full schedule as well as event space and a film festival, a wine shop owner we basically stole from Downtown Portland who's tailored his knowledge and whole life to this town, and a pizzeria owner who provides not only downtown's most stable source of live music by a headquarters for its run club Then there are the businesses that close, and all for different reasons: 1. Sometimes, your pet store owner's family is going to move out of town. 2. Sometimes, your arcade owner has a very distinct vision of an 80s-only place that's generally 21+ with limited hours despite soaring rents and no pandemic aid. 3. Sometimes, your food cart owners want to help a landlord launch a local pod, but don't have the resources to hang around until the pub opens and the foot traffic follows. 4. Sometimes, you're a giant holding company bringing a heavy-metal pizza slice shop to a town still actively listening to Southern Rock on cassettes. 5. Sometimes, your cocktail menu, regional Mexican cuisine, signage, and portion of the upstairs seating just baffle the locals. But that isn't the case at the Venetian. No, The Venetian still likes to trot out a menu straight out of Oswego Grill and price the thing like a night out at Janken. It genuinely thinks that all of those Intel deep pockets want to come downtown and overspend on uninspired dishes and poorly curated tap and wine lists. Oh, and then you're going to argue to anyone who'll listen that nobody goes to Portland anymore. Well you know those Intel folks? Well, if they haven't been laid off, most of them actually live in Portland. Their homes in Irvington and the Pearl are featured in Oregonian articles. And those who live here? Well, I can say from experience that they have their car or their driver pull out of Fishback Creek or up in Helvetia, jump on 26 through the tunnel at around 5 and are home by 11. Pandemic's over, chuckles, and a table at Kann or Republica's not so easy to get to get anymore. That you've had to close the restaurant multiple times after nobody bit on $16 gin-and-cucumber and $40 steak frites tells me you haven't been reading up lately. So let me put it in terms you'll understand: Magna in Beaverton? Gone. Pip's Donuts? Gone. Big's Chicken? Gone. At least one of the Cedar Mill breweries from Portland? Also about to be gone. Unless you're a ChefsTable offering, nobody's bringing Portland out to the 'burbs anymore. It's frankly unsurprising that the one transplant that worked here, Backwoods, made a pub more akin to its Carson location that the one in the Pearl... because that's essentially who's here. The Venetian's continued failure to read the room with its restaurant isn't on Downtown Hillboro's leaders, landlords (in this case, the same folks), or patrons: It's on one owner who's absolutely refused to adapt the model.

A friend and I were shopping in downtown Hillsboro and wanted just a small bite. We stumbled across…read morethe Venetian for some ice tea and an appetizer. You guys - this is a hidden gem. It's not only a restaurant but offers two venues for events. We were the only ones in the restaurant as it just opened. We asked to tour the spaces which were gorgeous. The staff was so accommodating and informative. Our dip and hand made chips were super yummy too!

Gresham Little Theater was little :-). The stage itself is in the gym of an elementary school in…read moreGresham. Half the actors were kids, which is cool. Most of them did as well as the adults. I was also pretty impressed with the props, as I know they had next to zero budget. The gym itself was freezing, but they had some snacks. At least it gave you some energy to try and stay warm The fee was $8 per person. The parking lot was dark, and we thought there is nothing going on inside the building.

From the owner: Gresham Little Theater - Where the Community Plays!…read more Gresham Little Theater presents "Alice in Wonderland" May 5th, 6th, 12th, and 13th @7:00pm. Tickets: $8/Adults and $6/Youth (17 and Under) Fun for those whole family!