The Matador

Come here. Play some pinball. Drink some beers on tap. Listen to some random good Djs. Eat some giant nachos. All in all impressive enough to keep returning to. Definitely a late night staple.

Matador:
Stiff Drinks.
Pub Grub.
Well Worn Décor.
Strangest Toilet of any Dive Bar.
Awesome!

This mainstay of Portland is closing and its a sad day for old Portland bar scene lovers. I will always remember the cheap drinks that make one choke and the excellent old jukebox that was there! The absolutely awesome mix of true Portlanders that frequented this bar made it what it was. There is no other mens room in Portland that has a PINK double heart sink!

Nothing beats it. It’s just the best you know. Dark. Dingy. Pool tables with faint stains. Cracked red leather chairs. Beer. Tots. Juke box. Cheap, cheap thrills. What do you want? What do you want man? What more could you need? What filthy needs could you possibly have that can’t be met by the Matador? You filthy dog. You dog, you.

I really wanted to check this place out after researching on Unilocal for a place to drink before my virginal Timbers game last Saturday. Convenient it certainly was. But I just can’t see fit to offer up anything for than 2 stars because, frankly, «Meh, I’ve had better».
Drinks not too expensive. The place itself is roomy and has fun games and shit in the room behind the bar. BUT, after deciding to not sit next to video poker, we opted for the front booth. As soon as Toby went for drinks, a woman began playing basketball behind me (one of those games with a real ball) and every shot was like a shock to the system. She played and she played and I soon realized that neither booth would suit, so we sat at a table instead. Mostly 30’s and such on a weekend. Black and white, not too tough a crowd, and certainly not snooty. Sporty, I suppose.
Next — bartender charged Leslie $ 4 for her drink, and didn’t give her back her $ 1 change. WHAT? I went to get drinks next and the guy next to me (who was obviously before me) ordered as I patiently waited. Then he took orders from every other person at the bar before he got back to me. My friends had come up for drinks by the time I was getting served.
I LOVE a black & white photo booth!!! They have one. But it took three tries of getting all three of us to walk over and squeeze in the booth before it actually successfully took pictures. And Toby wouldn’t be bothered by that time — so we didn’t get all 3 of us!
The food was very very very mediocre. I have nothing to say about it. It wasn’t horrible, and it certainly wasn’t good. The folks here were really cool — that’s certainly the best thing about this place — and for the customers — this place deserves a 4! But for all the other bullshit, a 2 will have to suffice until next time.

Oh Matador, my Matador. My only complaint about the Matador is that it is too damn far from my house. However, it is close to my work and is my go to bar whenever I’m on the westside. The Matador, with its updates and all, is still a dive, but a very nice dive. Black velvet paintings still adorn all the walls, the bathrooms haven’t been updated since possibly the 30s. Those giant urinals in the mens room really add to the atmosphere. Best of all, it still has a real jukebox! So hard to find an actual jukebox these days and not just a glorified iPod charging $ 1 to play a top 40 song. It’s also packed with great CDs, well at least if you like punkesque music. However, you may not even need a jukebox when you’re there. They have great DJs spinning vinyl there most nights. This isn’t some local yokel plugging his Mac Book in, these are passionate individuals that show up with dozens of milk crates full of actual records. You just can’t find that kind of passion anymore outside of a community/​college radio station.
This place also stays true to the dive mantra of being cheap. It’s almost unheard of getting a $ 2.50 PBR or $ 4 micro on the westside anymore. Sadly when they updated their menu they got rid of the King Tot. It wasn’t particularly good or anything, but it was something to talk about and look forward to after a few pitchers of beer. Never had any substantial food at the Matador, but I’ve had plenty of tots and nachos and they come out piping hot and are quite bountiful in quantity.
Don’t forget to check out the photobooth.

I have been coming here on and off for six years, has never been my favorite place but I have friends that adore it. This last trip just pissed me off though… I put money in the jukebox played some songs, I guess the bartender didn’t like them, so she went over and cancelled all my songs. I asked her for my dollar back, and she told me ‘that’s not going to happend’.

Atmosphere is great. Drinks are decent. DJ was awesome. Service is pretty good. Prices are aight.
I’d suggest this place almost just for the tone. It’s chill and big enough to get some privacy, but you still have the option to mingle.
Over all, if you’re in the NW I’d say check it out.

My favorite local rock N roll dive bar with good bar food. Most of the time decent music and it has lots of character. My favorite NW bar that seems more like a SE bar.

Friendly service, decent bar food, good beer and liquor choices.
Try the coconut margarita. It is delicious and not sweet.
And they have a photo booth!
A little grimy but it’s a dive bar.

Pretty cool dive bar. Drinks are crazy stiff, like order a second soda to water it down with stiff.
If the goal is tying one on, the Matador should be able to help you out with that.

This dive-​y place is actually ok. When you first come in, if you’re not used to dive-​y it can feel like a «huh?» kind of experience. But it has everything you need for a good night out: drinks, pool, and music. It’s your average neighborhood bar, which I like.

Time has passed and with it this bar’s charm. You can never go back home. I blame the smoking ban.

Every once in a while, it does the soul good to hang for a while in what some might call. a dive bar… and Portland has a few indeed.
One of my favorites is the Matador. it provides a little bit of everything. it can be a dive pool hall… a dive gaming center… and they have a flat screen that actually works!
I love the diversity of the clientele… it really has a one of a kind personality, this personality is only enhanced by the spins of DJ Trixie. where else will you hear Slade, Deep Purple, and The Toilet Boys back to back to back?!!
A full bar, but this place just hollers out pitchers of beer.
Food is edible… staff in congenial in a way that fits the personality of this place… and it’s always a good time.
I said, everyone needs to love a dive bar from time to time… The Matador deserves your affection.

Probably the favorite of the bars I visited on a recent trip to Portland.
vintage photo booth, Guinness on tap and plenty of games.

First off, this is your average neighbourhood dive bar. We like the place often enough to go at least once a week. Drinks pour strong. Happy hour starts early and ends late (7pm). During HH, food menu is small (chips & salsa are pretty good and super inexpensive). The main menu is fine with respect to what one could expect. Plus you can play games: Pinball, Basketball and Punching Bag. There are two Pool Tables when live music isn’t playing. There is also a Jukebox and Photo Both as well.
I have to give snaps to Elizabeth. Ok, hands down: best bar tender in PDX. No BS, will chat (if not too busy) and will make special request drinks. She knows my drink and caters to my indecisiveness (be careful & respectful if you fall into this category too, i.e. nice, cash tip). You want her generosity so be generous in return.
Food. Must try: Hummus Plate, Nachos (they’re a lot bigger than you’re going to expect, even HH size), and King Tot (locally made giant tater tot w/​all the fixings). Nachos are the best I’ve ever had from a dive. I want to order the Totchos (nachos but tater tots instead of tortilla chips). I hear the left overs make an awesome egg scramble in the morning!
Josh is their most undiscovered talented cooks (honestly). If he’s in the kitchen, order a bite to eat! He has made exceptional salads, nachos and sandwiches for me. Tonight, he made my order: Veggie Style sandwich-​hummus, choice of cheese, lettuce, olives and cucumbers, w/​side of fries. I asked for XXX cucumbers and lettuce. What I got was a beautifully toasted como bread perfectly stacked with everything I asked and a generous portion of fries. Bread is made by Grand Central. Hummus is house made. (Vegan cheese is an option.) This sandwich gave great mouth!
Often enough, this dive is confused with the «other Matador» that has a Seattle sister restaurant. These are two distinctively different places: dive vs. meat market.
Start and/​or end your night here. You might become a regular too!

I had a great time with a friend o mine. We went in wanting the giant tatter tot, but they were out, so they upgraded us for free. A hobo came in and pestered us for our food, I didn’t wanna give but my friend insisted, and the bar tender came over and kicked the hobo out. Fuck yeah good service all around.
Been in here a few times and would like the staff more at a divey bar environment, but I guess the reason they work where they do is they are too good for that noise.

Eh… not that impressed… got an ok drink for an eh price which I had to wait 20 minutes for even though there were two people in front of me. A DJ was spinned some 80’s for drunk college kids… again eh…

First timers to one of Portland’s seediest and oldest Northwest bars are sure to find themselves for a series of surprises.
First off, this bar isn’t an ode to anything remotely Latin (minus some bull art and some pseudo red themes throughout the establishment). Minus some greasy nachos, don’t be coming in to find any chorizo, carnitas, or paella. The same goes for the drinks, it’s not a haven for sangria, mojitos, or, hence don’t be expecting mojitos or sangrias flying across the bar counter any time soon. Tequila on the other hand, is a different story.
Secondly, the place is much larger than it looks from the outside. Folks thinking small and dingy have it all wrong. This is a place where heaps of friends can partake in cheap drinks together, without having to fight for table space or chairs. As a result, all sorts of folks from all backgrounds will be coming to diversify the scene up a bit.
Thirdly, it’s not just a libation spot, it’s a gaming spot. Not the average shoot-​some-​pool kind of games either. We’re talkin an arcade basketball hoop, darts, punching bag, pinball, video poker, and a photo booth. Eat your heart out Chuck E Cheese.
Fourthly, they actually serve food. Sure a lot of it is bar quality food, but slightly creative compared to the average dive. It took more than a few visits for me to realize they offered a patty melt ($ 5.50), grilled cheese ($ 5.50), or totchos (tator tot nachos — $ 6). And of course for our vegan friends, there are options here too (vegan cheese ya’ll).
And to no one’s surprise, the service is spotty and the (men’s) bathrooms are downright whack. I can’t bring myself to eat much here whenever I have to stare at a urinal that looks like it has a face with its own bad breath to match. Maximizing a great time here means scoring a sweet bartender (totally possible) and surrounding one’s self with great company (always a requirement).

I dig the Matador. It is classified as a «dive bar». Ok, it is sorta sketchy sometimes and maybe a bit divey but it is also so much more.
It is also a college bar, a gay bar, a hipster bar, a funkster bar and a neighborhood bar. It is my neighborhood bar. It is where I go when I don’t want too much soda mixed with my vodka on the cheap and some damn good people watching.
You can document your good times by making memories in the photo booth, play around with arcade games or shoot a game of pool. If you need to, you can fill up on some cheapo fried food to ward of any potential hangover due to aforementioned too much cheap, I mean, inexpensive vodka.