It was nice getting something different, but the grease taste was overpowering and it seemed like the oil for the fries was old and everything tasted the same. The burger was nice, I enjoyed the flat-iron style. Unfortunately, the fries were overcooked and the flavor for both the fries and burgers wasn't good. I will try again in hopes that it was a fluke...but I have my doubts on it changing. Nevertheless, you can't judge a place by one meal alone. It was meh. read more

Don't, whatever you do, make the same mistake I did. Don't move to Sellwood and walk by Kay's a million times and write it off as The Neighborhood Bar I Will Eventually Get a Drink At Someday. It's better than that. Sure it looks like a dive bar. Because it is a dive bar. But it's a dive bar that's going to impress your finicky ass. The drinks, let's start there. Happy Hour is crazy accessible, especially on Mondays when you need it the most, and full of options. You want a beer? $3. You want a mixed drink? $3. You want it to be extra potent? No charge, included in the price of your beverage. That's how I like it. And that's how they do it. Because they're rad. I keep trying to tell you that. The food, let's go there next. The Governor is a wrap stuffed with chicken so juicy it should be wearing a velvet track suit. It's making friends with creamy avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, and some saucy garlic herb mayo. Ask them to hold the mayo. Get a side of the salsa roja instead; it's superior and you'll be glad you did. Throw down another dollar and get a side of their house made chips, like Doritos but better because they're delicious. If that sounds like not your thing, it's cool. Their HH menu is expansive and you have my personal guarantee that it will contain something you'll get excited about: salads, burritos, burgers, wraps, sammies, fries, soups, bowls, all that good time chow. If I haven't sold you already, let me twist your arm some by saying the service provided by the button-down shirt wearing waiter is top notch, above and beyond what anyone might expect during a warm weather lunch rush at a dive bar. Off the charts good, that's the truth. read more

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Zach, the tall bartender, is rude to the point of socially awkward. Honestly unsure how he makes a living as a bartender. Food is decent for bar food, but honestly that guy was such so condescending and seemingly annoyed by our presence. I sincerely wondered if he had a personal issue with our table. Won't be returning. read more

Update: After having come to Kay's many, many, times, as well as exploring the greater Portland area for quality drinking holes, I can conclude that Kay's is- by far- my favorite bar in the greater metro area. Excellent bartenders. Excellent food. Excellent prices. Excellent vibe. Simply the best. Please don't change. read more

Kay's Bar - Best happy hour in PDX. - Burgers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

An open love letter to Kay's: Dear Kay's -- October 25th went down something like this: about 4:45 on a stormy afternoon, our power goes out in Milwaukie. No big deal. It's Saturday night. I figure I'll light some candles, poor some wine, and plan on cereal for dinner. The evening progresses romantically enough until the spouse and I get sick enough of each other's profiles in shadow puppets to devise another plan. Off we go to Kay's for a promised fabulous burger. The Kay's burger did not disappoint. Neither did the chicken wrap whose name I promptly forgot in the throes of budget well drinks. Kudos to two separate servers who actually brought extra lime with my G&T when requested. Yummy food all the way around. Delicious shoe string fries. Two full tummies + 3 drinks for $30? You betcha. Thank you for making my evening complete. Here's to more power outages. read more

"Sometimes you wanna go, where everybody knows your name..." Dum-Dum-Dum-Dum... Okay, I know you know the song, but it's true. Sometimes we do want to go to a place where we're recognized--where we are almost guaranteed to see a friend or make a new one. That's what Kay's is all about. It's got a great neighborhood bar feel, and the staff always treats you like you're in their home having a couple of drinks. If I could think of what my perfect bar would be, it would come pretty close to Kay's. And the food menu? Much better than you would find in most other pubs or bars. Gorgonzola tots, bento, killer mac and cheese, all the stuff a neighborhood drunk like me loves. read more

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I have always wanted to come in here after hearing it is an incredible and dive bar and wow is it ever! Super dark and cozy, staff that knows its usuals, and fair prices. I came in on a Sunday and NFL games were on every screen with plenty of fans from all over! Love the vibe of this spot! We each had a bloody Mary, pretty average but great flavor and so filling! I had the Sellwood Benedict and the other part of my party had the Da Vinci bowl- we loved how many vegan and veggie options there were! The hollandaise sauce on my benny was slightly runny, but man this dish was top notch! Also the homefries were some of the best, not greasy at all, just good ole potatoes! Super cool spot, I will for sure be back! read more

Kay's Bar - Sellwood Benedict with vegan chorizo! - Burgers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Great neighborhood spot. Has a real classic feel. Great service, goid vibes. This my go to bar. read more

A solid 4 stars. Pros: Happy hour menu was awesome and everything was good quality. (Contrary to the outside appearance, this isn't actually dive nor greasy spoon.) The special cocktails were awesome. Cons: Space is limited and so is parking during busy hours. Food could have been more flavorful. read more

Kay's Bar - Portland Burger (B+), Kay's Mac (B), Natchos with beef (B), Buffalo Wings (B). Prices were good, Happy Hour menu was good. Flavor was ok. - Burgers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Great small bar in Sellwood! We went for happy hour, boyfriend got a burger--which he says is one of the best burgers he's ever had. French fries were awesome. I got the veggie bean burger...very good! I love the vegan options on the menu and we will be back! read more

Kay's Bar - Happy hour menu! - Burgers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Lick a potato, not a tomato! If there's potatoes in it, it's got veggies, right??? Love this place, the perfect dive bar and a great antidote to some of the Sellwood yuppies. Met a friend here for happy hour and had a great time. The drinks were good, but the food--wowza! I had the Motor City nachos, which are like fries topped with cheese, pulled pork, slaw and more! So delicious! My friend had the fries topped with poutine. Hers was tasty, but mine was even better! The portions are humongous, we both love food and could only eat about a third of our orders, took the rest home in boxes. The bartender/server was super, super friendly and terrific. She made us feel very welcome and at home. Here's to lovely fried potatoes and booze! read more

It's a dive bar, and the food is pretty good. I'll be back. everyone loves a good dive bar. My fellow yelpers have spoken highly of this and for the most part they do not leave me astray. I was in the neighborhood and needed something to tide me over so I stopped in. I got the fries with mole and tinga chicken (it had some spanish name, but it's escaping me now.) It was really flavorful. The mole had lots of good spice and i could have used maybe a little more sweetness and a little less salt, but pretty darn good. It had mounds and mounds of chicken cooked in a flavorful sauce. The fries were actually pretty good too. Kind of a better version of those old style McMenimans fries that you shove in your face five or six and a time. My only complaint was the value. I would have preferred a little less for a smaller price. But then again maybe most people don't eat alone in a dive bar...or do they. If I'm in the neighborhood I would not hesitate to try some of their other faire. read more

What a great local bar with a great happy hour. I feel l walked back into time with the signs that are on the wall. The service is great, good pour on the drinks and the 1934 burger with shoestring fries on happy hour is excellent. I would just love to see a little more variety on the happy hour menu. read more

What can I say about my favorite bar in the world! Kays is a Portland gem! The history of the place is let alone mind blowing Established in 1934. The craft cocktails are unique and flavorful. The ever rotating beer selection is outstanding. And the oaxacan style / Tex Mex is worth coming back for over and over again! You can't go wrong with The wet burrito or derby nachos and don't pass up the spicy black Mac! Plus the weekends they have brunch! The service here is like no other,these people treat you like family always going above and beyond no matter how busy it gets . It's such a cozy atmosphere Inside for a nice warm drink on a winters night. Or pick one many varieties of Moscow Mule's and sit outside and people watch in the summer . Just go and you can thank me later. read more

I love the Burgers and Fries! Kay's is a dark little quant place! It has a great feel! It's Dark and reminds me of the old Chinese restaurant bars. They have good Cocktails - but, I enjoy a cold Sessions with my food. They have a great Happy Hour too! I love taking someone there if they have never been there! read more

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I love their cocktail menu and the food is always delicious. Only downside is they aren't able to keep up if it does get a little bit busy. read more

Kay's Bar - Cucumber mule - Burgers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I love how safe this place is during the COVID. Masks and social distancing is enforced. At the same time the staff is friendly and attentive as ever! Keep up the hard work in these crazy times. read more

Love this place. Great beer. Best burger in town. New bartender (mullet, glasses) kind of sucks, but it so good u can can look past her ugly personality. It's that good. Long live Kay's! read more

I used to come here all the time when I was younger and I brought some friends by and had a incredibly rude and racist bartender. It was a Wednesday evening and he was tall, white, and had short hair or a shaved head. i found out from Kay's Instagram is name is ZACH. I've worked the service industry for over 10 years and I've never encountered such rude service. I absolutely hate Yelp but this experience was so horrible and he was so rude I thought I'd share. It is important to note that a separate group of my friends came in a few minutes earlier and sat inside (three white women) and reported that they were treated fine and he was nice to them. We were a group of 7 people of color and he treated us like shit. We came in on a weekday evening and asked to sit outside. We sat at one table and the bartender came by and said "you chose the only dirty table, huh?". And I said we didn't wanna set near the door (to limit Covid traffic) but we were happy to deal with the crumbs or wait for it to be wiped we were easy. He rolled his eyes and said no I guess I can go back inside and get a rag (he went inside and came back out without a rag) and with much snark pointed out that there was a secondary door near the same table. We get it dude-- you're an asshole that's fine. When he came out after he checked IDs I guess he counted that it was seven people and told us he couldn't sit groups over 6. That's fine we get a company policy. I also have an OLCC license and understand we can't stand with drinks-- but when I asked if we could split tables he said "nope". And walked away and slammed the door without another word. Regardless we went to cosmic lounge and had a great time. Never going back to Kay's ever again. He clearly did not want to serve us-- and made this very clear to us. It was nowhere close to close it was before 9pm. read more

Order the Kay burger. Make sure you get some extra pickles. Order some fries and definitely get the vegan sauce. Get extra because mama didn't raise no dummy. read more

I've been to this place twice and it's always so good! The Derby nachos are to die for. So flavorful and good. The chips have some sort of spice which is so bold and the mix of ingredients is just perfect. Plus it's a huge portion. Big enough to share. The fries are super flavorful also and again, the portion is huge so beware. Plus the fries are very very small so unless you share you're likely not gonna be able to finish them. The service is usually good but they're always busy and have only one person working the floor so they can come across a little curt and pushy. read more

Great neighborhood spot. This Westmoreland dive bar has an easy vibe, a throw-back style and stiff drinks for a reasonable price. $5.50 for a well whisky ginger. Where can you find that in Portland these days?! Love their 'derby nacho' served with seasoned chips, nacho cheese and all the toppings. :P shoestring French fries with s&p and fresh herbs complement the cocktails for a pre dinner snack or late night craving. recently expanded outside seating makes this chill spot extra appealing right now. read more

Concerned about what safety precautions are being taken during uncertain times? We've only ventured out to a few places in the last few months and Kay's bar does it right. The food and drinks are amazing as always but the attention to detail with regards to safety measures, second to noon. We felt safer here with the processes they've implemented than the grocery store or anywhere else. Also, order the Derby nachos with pork. Edit: bartender Zach is amazing. He's definitely got safety in mind AND he's got all the best recommendations on food/drinks. read more

We come for the Mole burrito, the Bernie Mac n cheese and Amy Lockhart. We haven't been to Kay's in the 16 months since we moved out of Oregon but when we returned she remembered not only our names, but our drink orders and our regular food. The customer service alone ranks Kay's above every other Bar & Grill in Sellwood and the delicious, filling food is the icing on the cake. We will always return to Kay's when we're in Oregon. Thank you for the memories and the good times, Amy. Good luck in all you do. read more

DO NOT come here. This place is cool but the customer service is terrible. Customer service is so important. Happy satisfied people come back and keep coming back. The server was disrespectful, bossy and had major attitude. No concept of good service or making an experience memorable. The first night I came to this bar it was packed. I was standing in the middle of the restaurant drinking an amazing Moscow mule. This time the server was pissed we we were standing for maybe 2 minutes. We ordered an old fashion that was 80% ice. We ordered two more but asked for nob creek instead. We got 6 drinks and asked to be comped for the below sub par old fashioned. The server was horrible and asked us never to come back because we drank too much of the first drink. Plain and simple, don't come here save your time and money. read more

Great burgers. Nachos are unbelievably good. Great staff with excellent service skills. Dog friendly tables outside. What else do you want?

Local neighborhood place with a great vibe and knockout food. If your vegan or other go there! The meats they can add to your food are delish if you like. Drinks are always rolling. The locals hang out here and it's hard to get a table at times. Lunch is a great option as sandwiches and salads are fresh! Bowl, wings and burger are our GOTO! Give it a shot. Oh and Shoestring fries w garlic mayo! read more

Came here on a Wednesday night and it had more people that I would've guessed inside!! Attentive service, and AMAZING BLACK MAC N CHEESE. You cannot go wrong with it (unless you aren't a fan of spicy ie jalapenos). This was my first time visiting and will definitely come back! read more

I appreciate the outdoor seating! Got brunch and a bloody and it was good the service was okay

I love to frequent the Sellwood bars when I can but I am disabled and have a registered service dog and apparently Kay's bar doesn't want any dogs for any reason in their bar. I know it's a violation of the ADA but the bartender on 9/4/21 didn't care about the law. I was polite but even after showing a government issued ID he still wasn't very nice and we had to leave. I feel sorry for anyone disabled who decides to go there. read more

The best gem we found, top notch service, very well diverse alcohol selection. And the pulled pork nachos are banging.

Go to place for food... They have so many delicious options on their menu. As well as a great beer list. The house salad is so good. read more

Kay's Bar - House salad and verde burger - Burgers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Cool, divey old Portland bar. Some of the best burgers in Portland. If you like a good mule, check out their extensive menu of Moscow mule variations. read more

Fun environment on Saturday night. Nachos were fire and two of us couldn't finish them ! I will be back.

Great (no beef) burger and ridiculously huge amount of fries. Had a drink while waiting for take-out. Good vibe.

Weak. If you want to go to a real bar in Sellwood, go to Limelight or Cosmo. They close early, staff is subpar and menu is mediocre.

There was a waitress there tonight (2/22/2019) who insisted that my friend and I move from the bar. Her exact words were "I can't have you guys sit here, it's my work space." We were in the middle of the bar in the only two spots available. Not only was she SO rude, what the heck? Not able to sit at the bar on a FRIDAY night? I'll be telling everyone I know not to go to this pathetic place. read more

I'll admit it: I'm totally addicted to the Governer! But all the food I've had here is good with a few exceptions, which always had to do with it being over-salted (the fries from time to time and the pulled pork on the nachos one time). But when everything else is soooo good? I'm not going to complain about that! My only grievances are that it's so small, it's hard to get a table any time they're busy (which is often) and they weird women's restroom. It's not dirty... it's just... weird. I guess you'd have to see it to know what I mean. But it's nice to be able to sit outside from time to time! And the booths are cozy inside. I've always had friendly, attentive service there, too. Thanks for being awesome, Kay's! read more

I loved this place, their food is amazing! I had the Blackened Jalapeno burger and SO GOOD. Their fries are amazing too. My mouth is watering as I'm writing this post. I want to go back and try their other burgers. My boyfriend had the Wet Burrito and he really enjoyed it. We will be going back for sure! read more

Kay's Bar - Burgers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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I ordered the diablo burger and fries and shared an order of the mac n cheese because I wasn't too excited about the fries. I was most excited about the mac n cheese because I LOVE mac n cheese, and I was surprised that they had a whole section on the menu devoted to mac n cheese! The fries turned out to be the best part! They were unlike any fry I've ever had. And I know what you're thinking, 'how can a fry be that good.' Well, let me tell ya, you could tell they cut the fries themselves because they were uneven like a real potato. Plus they top them with herbs and spices which takes it to an unexpected level! Needless to say, if they fries are that bomb, then you know this place is the real deal! (Pic isn't the best, I was hungry.) read more

Kay's Bar - Burgers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

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