I am writing this review not regarding to the performers, but rather to the absurd policies and…read more unwilling to accommodate concert goers who do not have a personal vehicle to store items. I traveled from Seattle to Portland by train and bus on a day trip, in order to attend the Cultura event on May 10, 2026. I bought a to-go vermicelli entree at Van Nien Temple ( https://vannienvegan.com/ ) earlier in the day. It was a Sunday and Van Nien Cafe closes down at 4pm (hours 10 - 4pm) so I planned to save the entree for my late dinner after the concert, because I did not feel hungry before going to the event. The security rejected me, telling me that 'outside food could not be brought in, you can either discard it or finish it outside' (it was not listed on your policy, and I am not the type of person that would bring outside entree to eat in a music venue). Not wanting to waste the food, I was forced to eat the entree on the street while I was not hungry. I personally feel it is quite insulting, and the venue and their security staff could have done a better job to accommodate event goers who don't have a vehicle to store the food.

I've given Crystal Ballroom multiple chances, and every time I leave wondering why I keep coming…read moreback. (I've only come back for my favorite bands) The layout of the main performance area is honestly baffling. The floor is completely flat and the stage is barely elevated, so unless you're tall or fighting your way to the very front, you're not actually seeing the show--you're just listening to it in a crowded room. At my first concert here, I genuinely couldn't even locate the stage from where I was standing. Then there's the temperature. At a recent show, the AC was kicked on a few songs in and was blasting so aggressively it felt like standing in front of an open freezer door--or just fully being outside in the 40° weather. People's hair was literally blowing around, and a good chunk of the crowd had to put their jackets back on... indoors. Not exactly the vibe. And the bar situation? Rough. Only serving their own beer might make sense at a brewery, but this is a music venue. Having any alternative--Rainier, PBR, literally anything--would be an improvement. Instead, you're stuck with their terrible, terrible beer (for context--I am a professional beer brewer of +10 years). I want to like this place because the building itself is iconic, but between the terrible sightlines, the chaotic climate control, and the lack of drink options, it's hard to justify coming back I'd recommend opting for another venue in town to see your favorite bands.

A night at the Crystal Hotel? We took a stay-cation night and it was really fun!…read more Our room was truly one of the best hotel rooms we've experienced. Having the two balconies just made the view spectacular! It's so cool to watch Portland, at that location. And that's part of the point, the location. The hotel is fun and very cool. The soaking pool is quite a surprise! We got great customer service during check-in and out. We definitely plan to do this on a summer night... take a look at my photos... $164.00 for one nite, we took the MAX to avoid parking fees.

Great place, amazing/central location, friendly staff with lots of character and charm. My biggest…read moreconcern were the shared bathrooms which ended up not being a huge deal. They were clean and private. Our room was in the middle of the floor, if you do the same, take the extra steps to use the bathrooms at the end of the hallways. They are used by less people and tend to be cleaner in my opinion. We had breakfast downstairs with a great meal but buyer beware, it gets pricey quick! Otherwise I would definitely stay here again. Free WiFi was nice and be aware there is no tv in the room.

I came here for a 2000s dance party night. The bar can get kind of backed up. There are different…read moreoption to include beer, mixed drinks, and cider. The dance floor gets a little bouncy which is definitely a lot of fun. This is definitely a smaller venue comparative to the crystal ballroom. However, it was nice and not too packed when I was there. The bathrooms are located outside of Lola's room. The bathroom is never too busy in comparison to how many people were there.

We went here for the first time to get a stamp . It was another interesting location but kind of…read morecramped. Not really easy to navigate. We succeeded in getting the stamps we could get and it was good to finally check this location out!

Truly all I thought it would be... celebrating my daughters 35 bday ...hope next time I visit it'll…read morestill be blaring Joan Jett! On screen....it was crazy fun

I barely found out about this and I love it. The most recent venues are: Show Bar at Revolution…read moreHall and sometimes the big room, Lolas Room at Crystal Ballroom, and Polaris Hall. I have been going since 2024 and the music is fun, everyone is dancing. Great drinks. Excellent time. Still going strong.

I joined this space a few months ago and am absolutely in love. Everyone here is wonderful and such…read morean inspiration . I am so grateful to be a part of this community. I feel like this place is truly a gem, and I am excited to be surrounded by such wonderful creative artists.

Rebecca's performance (aerial silks and hoop) as part of a Showcase presentation at the Northwest…read moreBallroom Dance Competition awards presentation last night was stunningly beautiful....graceful, artistic, entrancing! She brought a lovely dimension to the dance floor, her movements blending perfectly with those of the elegant ballroom dancers below her.

Heads up, looking on the maps it'll show the place but it's been recently renamed to Abide. Food is…read moregood, first time eating vegan and wow-get the nuggets and get two batches! Service is good we had one guy doing the serving and the bar, but he did his best. Ambiance is punky and got by so if that's not your style, then you may not like it

The Big Legrowlski is split into two separate areas by a sliding door, with one part being the…read moresmall bar / eatery and the other being a music venue. This review is strictly for the music venue section. If you look at my reviews, you'll see that I frequent a LOT of music venues, well, frequently. As a music destination, I'm sure many would like this, but I didn't care for it at all. Why not? 1. The music area is TINY (about the same size as my living room), and is basically a standing room only venue. There are literally a couple of chairs and one tiny table right in front of the stage (and against the wall facing the stage), so prepare to be standing if you see a show. 2. The volume levels are deafening (112 dB on my phone's SPL meter app with me standing beside the stage), which is far too loud for that tiny of a venue 3. There is a rotating red laser sort of "disco ball" which pretty regularly blasts patron's eyes out as the laser beam passes and enters one's pupils. It was difficult to find a location that prevented this from happening. Another low note for the evening was the single restroom in the area not having a "vacant / occupied" indicator nor any toilet tissue (not that I needed any, but I felt empathy for any who did need it). If you like music that's far too loud in a cramped and tiny venue adorned with all things Lebowski that seems to function chiefly as a personal performance space for the house band, you'll probably like this (and I'm sure some would), but it was definitely not to my liking.

Doug Fir was closed during the pandemic and the restaurant/bar part of it was closed for quite a…read morewhile after the pandemic. This place is a nostalgic favorite as it's where my husband and I had our first date. Our experience this weekend was much better than our last pre-pandemic visit and definitely deserves an update. We arrived a little after 7:00 and had no trouble getting a table. An hour later, the place was getting busy. I think it depends on what band is playing, a lot of people seemed to know each other. Very attractive servers and bartender, our female server was very sweet and generally efficient. Things were slightly odd though. We ordered drinks, we usually each have one double and were told, "oh, we don't do doubles." This was both funny and strange as restaurants all over town do a double for us and we eat out almost every Saturday night. But whatever. I ordered a vodka cranberry and was told they were out of cranberry juice. Also odd, as it's a bar staple and they weren't all that busy. But I rolled with the flow and had grapefruit instead. The drinks were well mixed. We started with the deviled eggs, which were wonderfully delicious. Probably the best we've had in town. For dinner, I had the chicken strips. They were very tasty, but there were only three and they were pretty small. They look larger in my pic than they actually were. This seemed a bit cheap on their part. The fries were very plentiful, so I was full, but still.... My husband had the Notorious P.I.G., which is a pulled pork sandwich. His portion was great and he shared a couple of bites, it was really, really good. Wish I'd gotten that instead. Overall, a good experience but they need to work a bit on the drinks situation and better portions of some items. We're looking forward to going again, I know they are changing their location soon, but not sure how soon. Definitely worth a visit.

Location: In a fun location with hotels and bars around the area!…read more Drinks: So good! I had a watermelon cooler which was refreshing but also had a little spice from the jalapeño! They also do a great job with the presentation of the drinks Vibe: the atmosphere and decor make this place special. I haven't found a place in Portland like this yet! It seemed very mid-century, but it also gave a cozy cabin feel. There is also an underground concert venue! We didn't get tickets in time but will need to come back and visit.

My daughter has been getting into the Cure lately and so we went to see a Cure cover band called…read moreThe Lovecats. The opening band was a Depeche Mode cover band called Hiding from Love (lots of "love" in the air tonight). My daughter has been on restriction, but we took a break from it as tribute bands are my guilty pleasure. I used it as an excuse to dive deeper into both bands beforehand. I know most of the hits although not always by name. My daughter and Sarah went up front to dance at the show and we had fun. Something interesting i found out was that Personal Jesus by Depeche is not even in their top 2 songs on Spotify currently. The other two songs are hits that i've heard, and i understand Depeche Mode is not a one hit wonder, but i was shocked to find out their song Enjoy the Silence has twice as many plays as Personal Jesus. Personal Jesus in my experience has always been the stand out hit, even at the show the crowd loved that one the most. Also Personal Jesus was released first as b-side in 1989, and was later released on a studio album the following year. The other big hits on the studio album (Enjoy the Silence, Policy of Truth, and World in my Eyes) although very 80's sounding, were released in 1990, which i had forgotten. Weird, i think of them as 80's songs. Not only that, but Depeche Mode, I learned very recently, has multiple other great songs that sound like they are from the 80's but were released years or decades after the 80's ended. Last note: They have an album (at least on streaming and it's listed as a "single" even though the collection is 3 hours long) of remixes called Violator: The 12 Inch Singles, and although i generally dislike remixes there are quite a few good ones on there. Many of them could fit well in a movie score.

My boyfriend and I came here to see Margaret Cho for a Saturday night late show. Tickets were super…read moreeasy to buy online. Tbh, that's always a bonus so I can pick my seats that I want. I'm an aisle girl. I will say parking around here is kind of hit or miss. But you can find parking like we, about a few blocks away from the theater We had seat tickets up in the balcony and because it's a smaller theater it was pretty decent seats in my opinion. The actual seats themselves are old and uncomfortable. Just wanted to note that if you have problems like me. We ordered some drinks from downstairs and prices were typical theater prices. They do have a full bar and cider and beer draft. Also have bathrooms upstairs. Overall, I'll probably be back to see another show

I like the new setup. Easy to move between bar and show and merch. Leroy from the North was fire!…read moreSound was surprisingly better than I recall but I don't think I've been here since Covid. Did *not* like the female who two-handed straight shoved my friend into the front row just because we dared to fill in empty space. It wasn't even showtime yet! she got beer all over the people in front of us! I think she got kicked out, because security was on it as soon as we made them aware. Uncalled for aggression and entitlement. Thanks for reminding me what it's like in 'Murica right now. Sad to see such behavior in Portland that reinforces stereotypes of outlaw country fans. Thumbs up Wonder Ballroom. Thumbs down that female.

Long time show-goer, but first time at Wonder and won't be back. Arrived a few minutes after the…read moredoors opened, we're talking almost an hour before showtime. There were all of 20 people in the venue when we arrived and we COULD have been right at the stage but since we don't like to stand we wandered up to the balcony. There was an employee up there but he didn't say a word. Got balcony seats, bought our beverages, balcony fills up, show starts. Did you get that? We are half way through the FIRST SONG and THEN management starts pulling people out of the balcony (which was full by now) telling us it was RESERVED. What the absolute fuck. Not a single sign, no ropes, nothing. You've got, what, 60-80 plus people up there and you wait until THE SHOW STARTS??? Where were all the people with reservations for the balcony? No sign of a single one. So I'm asking, why wasn't there a sign on the stairs or at the entrance to the balcony? Why didn't the guy who was WORKING the upstairs say anything? And if, as the "manager" told me, we needed to have purchased balcony tickets, why wasn't there anything on the website that said "Balcony is sold out, these tix you are buying mean no seats." It was an absolute cluster fuck and it left me so angry that I felt like I was going to puke. So we left. Sorry Bertha, the Grateful Drag band. I bet you were a good time. We got one song. And Wonder Ballroom, fuck you.

Gray Gables Estate was the perfect venue for our wedding. The entire property is absolutely…read morebeautiful with stunning gardens, peaceful pathways, and romantic spaces that made our day feel magical from start to finish. Everywhere you turn feels like a picture perfect moment and our photos turned out breathtaking. The staff was exceptional. They were organized, kind, and truly invested in making our day everything we dreamed of. Every detail was handled with care and professionalism which allowed us to relax and fully enjoy the day. We felt supported and cared for the entire time. Our guests could not stop talking about how gorgeous the venue was and how smooth everything felt. It is rare to find a place that brings together such beauty, great service, and a warm welcoming atmosphere. Gray Gables gave us the wedding day we always hoped for. We are so grateful to Gray Gables Estate for making our celebration unforgettable. I highly recommend this venue to any couple looking for a stunning and stress free wedding experience.

Attended a gala and dinner fundraiser earlier this year and had a wonderful time! The wait staff…read morewas very accommodating and attentive; the food - superb, which as a vegetarian guest, I rarely can offer such accolades. The presentation and audio/visual - was easy to see and hear - no matter where you were seated in the ballroom of 200. Brava! We will return. Thank you!