The Clinton Street Pub

Such a cute little hole-​in-​the-​wall. This is everything I like in a dive bar: they had a really nice, friendly and hardworking bartender, cheap and good drinks and a really relaxed atmosphere.
We brought in food from Tidbit a couple blocks away and Nohos across the street. Also, they had about 5 pinball games. This place was just very chill and comfortable. I really liked it.

Good beet selections and open late. We had a great time there people watching as a nightcap. Cute spot.

In a town with rising rent and condos going up everywhere, it’s nice to find a down-​to-​earth bar with reasonably priced booze and sincerely friendly bartenders who remember your name and your drink. Other perks: free pool, pinball, great selection of beers on tap and a surprisingly vast assortment of bourbons and tequila. The bartenders definitely don’t put up with any rude people or nonsense so what’s left are cool, level headed people to share a drink and conversation with.

In short, what’s not to like?
A little hole in the wall right next to the Clinton Street Theater, this joint has good music, good drinks, and good people.
The bartenders are all very friendly and prompt. Additionally, they play DJ; expect anything from soul to electronic to funk to hip hop, depending on the day and time.
The drinks are inexpensive and pair well with the free pool (you’ll have to speak up and interact with humans to get on the table, just a heads up :)).
Snacks are typical bar food, deep-​fried to golden brown, greasy perfection.

Typical dive bar, waitress had a little attitude, the food selection looks terrible, not impressed.

I was nearly assaulted at this bar by another female patron while seated outside, after ordering from the bartender with friends and heading straight to the single sidewalk patio table. She came out about 20 minutes after I had been seated outside, accusing me of «urinating all over the seat» in the restroom. She was agitated, stating this was «her bar» after I told her I had not used the facility and hadn’t even been inside in half an hour. She became aggressive, threatened me. I pulled the two glasses on the table towards me fearing she would use them as a weapon. Things escalated verbally amd she was held back from assaulting me. She went inside after I threatened to «Yelp!“about this, since she presented herself to me as an employee of the bar. Then I saw her through the window pounding a beer at a table with a male companion. After a few minutes the bartender I had ordered from came outside. I explained that we were leaving as I had been threatened by his customer who was violent and drunk. He said he knew who I was speaking of and would handle it. We walked to my car, shaken, and as I left i saw her seated at the table we previously occupied smoking and drinking, laughing with her partner, obviously not ejected. I have been going to the Clinton Street Pub for over 11 years, on occasion, 3 – 10 x a year, long before this young woman — not a lady– was even menstruating. Yet, she said this was HER bar. I thought the owners should know, I will not be back soon. If I am, I will have camera ready to document this kind of behavior. For the staff there to choose to not immediately and permanently eject (86) someone (who was clearly over served) after verbally assaulting and attempting to physically assault (my pacifist husband had to hold the «crazy» back with a straight arm and 2 other friends created physical barriers) another customer is just criminal and disrespectful to the extreme. This is not a good sign of what is to come for the Clinton neighborhood. for us as patrons or for local business. We must set a bar of acceptable behavior. Even if she did think I was the one who «pissed all over the seat».

I was here on a date. We got hungry. I explained the situation to the bartender, offering to pay top dollar for some snacks. «You sure?» she questioned. «They’re pretty gross.»
This place is ducking amazing. God damn it autocorrect!

This place was just what we needed! They have interesting photographs on the walls and an intimate but casual feel (it’s not ritzy but I wasn’t afraid of getting shanked or anything). It’s actually not THAT divey but has dive bar prices! We ordered 4 whiskey gingers (2 of them with Makers Mark) and 2 PBR’s and got out of there for 21 $! (I was almost worried but they hadn’t entered a couple of the drinks or something LOL). Here’s to not having to pay almost 10 bucks for each drink we so enjoy!

I. Love. This. Bar.
From the dive-​vibe, to the bartenders, to the cheap seats and the shitty pool table — this bar is perfect.
If you’re lucky enough to be in the bar when Phil is working, who we adoringly refer to as «circle glasses,» be ready to enjoy some amazing music, stellar service and an adorable, cartoon-​like smile. He does a great job keeping drinks full and the bar clean.
Cheers.

Ya gotta love Clinton St. Pub, in fact, if you don’t you may be dead inside… although who am I kidding, I’m probably a little dead inside and I STILL love it. THis unpretentious but accidentally stylish little place warms the cockles of my heart. The pinball selection is plentiful, they have a great selection of beers and a cider on tap, the bartenders are amazing and the patrons friendly. Sounds like bartopia, right? If you live within walking distance its worth a checkout, even if you live within driving distance and want to experience the neighborhood vibe this place won’t let you down. Maybe I’ll see you there, I’ll be the one at the end of the bar, corner seat…

I liked this bar until tonight the bartender is ridiculously rude. Someone is obviously too cool to b tolerating people that aren’t her personal friends will not come back.

Down and dirty bar. Love the vibe, Great Beer on tap, friendly bartender. Good patrons chillin’ inside. Spoooky halloween decorations, too — but not too much.
I was going to try the Workshop or the Savoy, but they were both packed out.
Was glad to stumble in here. Couple of seats at the bar.
Old School kitschy décor from ye’old. Bartender that was way tall, so tall you couldn’t even see him.
Pinball, good art, humble.

Clinton street pub is within walking distance. Cozy dark little dive bar.

This is a small, neighborhood bar with a couple of pool tables and several nice pinball machines. It’s very relaxed and comfortable. I like it. I also like that they have Anthem cider on tap.

I think I might like this bar.
The bar was small and quaint. Great service and decent drinks.
There are pinball tables and a pool table.
Will return, love the area.

Great dive bar in a happening spot in SE.
Granted, this is my type of bar: not pretentious and typically not too busy. And frankly, even when it does get busy, it never seems to get too busy (as in I can always find a seat and I can always order a drink). The Clinton Street Theater regularly puts on interesting events that always attract a fun crowd afterword.
This bar meets my personal dive bar criteria:
Cheap drinks
Stiff pours
Friendly bartenders
Eclectic crowd
Pinball machines (again, my personal criteria)
And as if that’s not enough, they have a table version of Ms. Pac-​Man that I regularly drop money on while I’m there trying to beat the high score (185,000?! Really?! C’mon!).
If you are a connoisseur of dive bars, I recommend you give this one a try. You won’t be disappointed.

This is EXACTLY what a dive bar should be. Charles Bukowski would have loved this joint if he had lived in Portland instead of Hollywood. The Clinton Street Pub is gnarly, gritty, weathered, aged, dated, and that is exactly what it should be. And the bartender could not have been friendlier!
The walls are wood paneling covered in cheesy old American beer memorabilia, signs and the like from Pabst, Hamm’s, Old Milwaukee, High Life, etc. The drinks here are CHEAP, especially at Happy Hour! Happy Hour lasts pretty much the entire night on Sundays. The tap beer selection is awesome, including microbrew from Everybody’s Brewing, Terminal Gravity, etc. There is a pool table and handful of pinball machines in the back corner. There is a motley mixture of people in here too, which is great.
My favorite dive bar in Portland, located on one of my favorite corners/​intersections in Portland. This is definitely your quintessential «neighborhood bar.»

Clinton Street Pub is a perfectly decent and utilitarian dive bar. Good for a round or two while waiting on a Friday evening for the crowd to disperse a bit from Dot’s across the street.
Graffiti everywhere, even on the bottom side of the toilet seats. At least three pinball machines, with some very avid players going to town here.
We came here with two friends and enjoyed some brews (they have cocktails too). I enjoyed my Black Bear Stout. You do need to go up to the bar to get your drinkies.

Listen, I got a problem. With pinball. Back in January, I had to self-​inflict a pinball ban because it was interfering with my life. I was spending days on end holed up in this fine establishment and other pinball bars around town, wasting away my savings and respectability on a silly little game, getting emotional over watching a shiny ball travel up and down ramps and a playing field inclined three to seven degrees for varying difficulty. I have come up with more random, curse word-​filled phrases as reactions to my lack of skillfulness than appear in a Tarantino film (such as, «You son of a bee-​sting, trash-​loving whore, I will cut you!»).
I memorized the entire soundboards of several games and found they had sneaked into my subconscious. Running late for work? My mind would default to, «No time for tea!» from «Attack From Mars». Didn’t do so hot on that special project at work? «That was, umm… that was pre-​ttty good», sayeth Stewie on «The Family Guy». Nothing good on TV? «I HATE commercials», in my best mental Elvira voice from «Scared Stiff».
You get the idea. So, last night, during a perfectly-​timed UYE, I lifted the ban and euphorically popped a few quarters into «Scared Stiff», ready to say goodbye to normal, responsible, adult life again. It was a total bust. I was like an addict scoring some bunk dope. No high. Until my old standby machine opened up and I did a 187 on the Duke of Bourbon in Medieval Madness. Ahhhh, there was that feeling again. Within minutes, I had Royal Madness and all was right with the world.
You know what else was alright? Bartender Phil recommending and describing to me in great detail the slight nuances of Evan Williams Single Barrel ($ 5) as an alternative to Bulleit, despite being really busy, with a long line of customers behind me. I love this place because it’s laid back and the few times I’ve seen some attitude walk in the door, it promptly walks right back out, because it’s just not that kind of place.
Overheard leaving, from a couple in search of some snacks, «Wow, that’s like the only place in town I’ve been where they tell you to go across the street to eat, even though they have food. At least they’re honest.» Yep. Honest to goodness awesome, that is. It’s a genuine neighborhood gem and I vow to love it forever, whether I’m in or out of The Pinball Recovery Program.

If a place like this existed in LA, it would be overrun by pretentious hipster douche bags, that’s why I am glad its in Portland and not here in LA.
I was surprised to meet genuine and friendly folks who were there simply to drink some drinks, play some free pool and quarter pinball.
I dig the graffiti in the bathroom. Friendly uplifting quotes and smiley faces.
In LA the graffiti talks shit about your mother, gang stuff, killing people and its sole purpose is there to make you cry.