Bramhall

What an awesome place! My friend and I stopped in here when we were on vacation (after doing some research on Unilocal,of course!) and it did not disappoint. We got a little charcuterie platter that was SO good. And we got cocktails that were made with pink grapefruit, which I have been remembering and craving. Possibly the tastiest drink I’ve ever had.
And obviously, the atmosphere was extremely cool, too, which is the whole point I guess, but in this speakeasy’s case, not the only point.

The drinks were ok, I have had a lot better in Rhode Island and Boston for about the same price or cheapr. Got something with the word Witches in it and the Night Ryeder. However they had an assortment of complete games which was great, and they weren’t super crowded, we got spots right away on a Friday night.

Located in the West End neighborhood, Bramhall is unassuming from the outside and beautiful on the inside. With exposed stone and candles burning everywhere, it gives off an intimate and possibly romantic vibe. The cocktails are well prepared and really tasty. The only reason for the lack of a star is the extreme volume of the live music on my visit. We met up with some old friends to catch up, and unfortunately the couldn’t begin to hold a conversation even while seated at the other side of the building. When you’re underground and surrounded by stone, the electric guitar amp doesn’t need to be on 11. I must also mention that the music was really good and I still enjoyed it.

Such a lovely spot to hang out! Space is flexible to accommodate 2 to 10 people comfortable. Noise level is perfect for conversing, place is lit up with candles hence a soft light. I had the cheese and ham plates here and they were always good. My friends come here every week and they never get tired of it. Friday night can be crowded but it gets thin out around 10:30pm.

Nice space, ok food, good service, absolutely ridiculous seating. The stools are so small you may want to bring your own thimble to sit on so you can spread out a bit more than their seats will allow. May go back and sit at the bar for a drink but this is mostly a place to come with your friends and get drunk.

Being from NJ it was a blessing to find this place because its one of the few places in Portland that is actually open past midnight! The atmosphere is obviously speakeasy and the bartenders are very friendly make fantastic cocktails!

Awesome speakeasy tribute! The atmosphere is perfect, great knowledgeable employees, and their menu is spot on. Plus their whiskey selection is to die for. Can’t wait to go back the next time I’m in the area!

Maybe it’s just a coincidence instead of my prediction about Bramhall coming true — in any case, I’ve been here many times since writing my initial review and I’ve grown to love it! The service is consistently friendly and prompt, and the cocktails continue to impress. They usually have Maine Beer Co. Peeper on the menu — a plus for when I’m in the mood for some liquid gluteny goodness. I haven’t eaten a meal at Bramhall — just some snacks with drinks — but the food has been solid. The reason I keep coming back and bringing friends from out of town is really the atmosphere — the brick and stone, low lighting and tons of candles, and general rustic vibe make me very, very happy. Happy to have Bramhall in my life…

Great atmosphere, candles music brick… interesting menu, delicious unique drinks! I got the smoked salmon on everything bagel with whipped goat cheese, yum!!! I think the drink was rosemary and grapefruit :)

Love love love Bramhall (or as I call it with my friends Brammer) I try to go as much as I can to Bramhall and tell everyone I know about it. The wine selection is superb, in fact I discovered my now most beloved Sauvignon Blanc there two years ago and have yet to find one that compares! The food… so effing good, can’t really think of another way to put it. Their frito pies are little nuggets of happiness and don’t even get me started on their homemade chips! Nothing but good things to say about my favorite hidden treasure in Portland :)

Incredible atmosphere. Cool spot in a basement. My cocktails were good, but not mind blowing. The service was great. Craft beer was great. We had the nachos and they were excellent. So delicious. I would come back here and bring people just for the atmosphere.

This is one of my go to bar’s for food and drink! Always great atmosphere and good beer on tap always. Oh and the food is good too! I miss the old style burger but the new one does taste good… just not as good. I now just order other things on the menu where before I use to only ever want the burger!
The service can be a bit slow, even when not super busy, but the drinks aren’t usually slow ha ha

I’ve been wanting to try Bramhall for months based on my friends stories of the «dungeon-​esque» type feel. It does kind of feel that way with the brick interior and melting candle display in the center. Unfortunately unless you’re literally sitting at the table right next to it you can’t really see it. Bramhall is located in the basement in what used to be The Roma (or was it La Roma?) restaurant. I love that this place is far enough away from the old port that you don’t get the drunk 20 something’s that are finding out what it’s like to have their first drink. I also love their cocktail menu, yes they have beer and wine too but the cocktail menu is the star. My favorite drink so far is the «nurses aide». (Disclaimer: I’m a nurse so I had to try it when I saw it on the menu). Cocktail prices are $ 8 – 11, pretty typical for this area. Also, no parking lot or garage that I know of in this area. You have to take your chances finding street parking or illegally parking somewhere.
They have a couple of food items, too. I’ve tried the peanut butter marshmallow bars, and get this: They have bacon in them! I absolutely loved them. One of my friends really liked them too and another friend thought they were «meh». We also had the loaded crisps which were BBQ chips covered in sour cream, bacon, cheez whiz, and scallions. We all loved this. I would definitely order both of these food items again. The service here has been great here too, they will come to your table and take your order if you don’t want to wait at the bar.
My only complaint is that about half of the seating here are tiny metal un-​cushioned barstools. After about an hour sitting on one I was so uncomfortable that I had to stand up. My butt was numb! My girlfriend offered to switch seats with me because she had a cushioned seat. We stayed another hour or so and my friend said her butt was hurting from sitting on the stool too. Get comfy seats so your patrons will stay and drink longer and spend more money!

I’ve heard about this place and thought it was supposed to be more of a dive. If you see stairs leading to an abyss you’re in the right spot.
We heard it was redesigned-​seems almost trendy-​hard to tell.
Only down side to the amazing 80’s jams was that at 11 they turned it up so loud that you couldn’t hear the person next to you. Maybe they wanted us to leave-that’s my only «yeah – no» moment & reason for lack of full stars.
Great brick, lighting and it feels like you really are in a dungeon or Harry Potter book. The bartender was super friendly.

This place is a really cool spot. You enter through basement like doors to go downstairs in what seems like a dark dungeon. Okay, I’m sold on that idea. The bar is a whole is awesome, covered with bricks and stones, with dim lights and candles on every table. There is a great centerpiece in the middle with candles and wax dripping about. I was really digging the vibe in here– it could be a perfect place to hang with friends or an excellent place for a date. The first time I came here the Jerks of Grass were playing, who were great, and as far as I know they play here on Thursdays still? Only thing that I wasn’t too fond of were the chairs– little barstools for the tables that were not too comfortable, but I got over it.
So originally, like many places, we just came here for a drink, but natural had to order food as well. They have really good drinks here and the prices are fair too. There are good craft beers on tap and domestics in bottle. They also have Downeast Cider in a can, which I love, and don’t see a lot of places.
We were just snacking so didn’t get much but they have a decent sized menu, for a place I thought was just a bar with «light snacks». There are sandwiches, appetizers, salads, and desserts. I got the wedge salad, hold the bacon, and it was a lot better than I expected it would be. Not that I thought it would be bad, it was just really good. It was huge, came with a red wine vinaigrette, blue cheese, tomatoes, and garlic breadcrumbs. Yum yum yum. My friend got loaded crisps, which were also so delicious. I don’t eat bacon but I picked around because they looked awesome, and they were. The base tasted like bbq lays chips but I do believe the menu said «house seasoned crisps». I don’t care what they were, they were good. They were coated with cheese wiz, smoked bacon, sour cream, and I think scallions. We all inhaled them after saying we weren’t going to eat much. My other friends got these bacon infused rice krispie treat things covered in a peanut sauce. They were on special and a few people were intrigued over these. I didn’t try them because they certainly did not appeal to me. Other friends were not fans though, and they were happy they were cheap and on sale.
All in all, good food for the snacks we tried, great drinks, and one of my favorite bar atmospheres I have been in. Will absolutely always return to Bramhall when I am home visiting.

Do you like drinking beer and fancy cocktails? Do you like dungeons? Do you like drinking beer and fancy cocktails IN a dungeon? (I know, who doesn’t, right?) If your answer is ‘yes’ to at least two of the three questions, then this is the place for you.
If you use Google maps to find Bramhall like I did, trust that your iPhone has not accidentally lead you to the gates of hell like I initially suspected; the entrance is a nondescript and completely unmarked stairway leading down into an underground abyss. Perfect for those who like speakeasies, but a nightmare for those who have a low tolerance for ambiguity.
Bramhall is a much warmer and cozier lair than one might think for a basement space made almost entirely of brick — especially on a cold February evening that delves into the single digits. A group of us came for happy hour on a Friday night. It was really the perfect, laid back vibe we were looking for. Nooks and crannies hide tables throughout, providing a space for quiet, candlelit conversations over a pint. Pro tip: Don’t come soaked in kerosene or apply an excessive amount of hairspray, because there are seriously a lot of candles everywhere.
Happy hour is decent — discounted beers ($ 3 or $ 4?) and food menu. They make homemade crisps (chips), either plain or smothered like nachos. We also tried a hummus plate — both great value for $ 4. Service was OK — nothing special but not bad either. I wasn’t a great fan of their beer menu on that particular night, but they had the local staples like Substance. The taps’ll rotate, so I’m sure it’ll be different when you check it out! Next time, I’ll be taking a longer look at their food menu.

First Experience: 4 stars. We had my sister’s birthday party here. Granted, I already had several gin martinis and we had people saving us a table, so it was easy-​going to say the least. Our server was super friendly though absent most of the night. Eh, we are a group of servers so we understand a busy and new restaurant working out the kinks. Food was good, well-​priced and the atmosphere is the real seller here. Speak-​easy vibes and cool basement décor makes for a unique experience.
NEXT TWO TIMES: I come in with a friend or two, no one talks to us, we have to look for a place to sit, all seats are full. Am I mad that I didn’t get a table without a reservation? Of course not! Am I turned off by the fact that both times when I came in NO ONE talked to us. I actually stood at the bar and stare at the two gossiping bartenders, still to be ignored. I had to say «excuse me» to even get the conversation started. Both were unhelpful and visibly annoyed that I interrupted them.

Yet another 5-​star venue in this foodie /​bar-​ie town! Enter (another) basement venue… hang your coat and join in the buzz of a brick basement with little nooks and crannies and coves with yet more brick and arches with candles and benches and chairs.
I didn’t like the menu one bit, as it was highly whiskey-​oriented, but the bar tender was immensely patient with me in devising options based on what I liked (but he didn’t quite know how to make) and what he knew how to make. In no way did I feel like I was holding him up from someone else waiting to order a drink, which was awesome given I’m that person who loses a great parking spot because of the fear of holding up traffic to parallel park. Instead, he saw it more as a challenge to solve a problem and please a customer.
Better yet, the dude at the door checking ID noticed we were hanging out without chairs and grabbed us the moment a table opened up. What service!
And, better yet… the server in the back of the bar was just as awesome as the bartender! He took the time to chat, to challenge, to educate and worked with the bartender to create my menu for the rest of that night. I have no idea what I drank – they likely weren’t really drinks out of a book (aside from my chocolate martini), but they all tasted good and were priced very fairly (same as an uncustomized drink). And, although at one point the bricks were spinning a little, the server kept us hydrated with water on the side, so we left with a thoroughly great night in the back of our minds.
Bottom line: I rarely give 5 stars, and this place deserves it hands down.

Portland finally has some decent bars. Bramhall included.
The atmosphere at the bar was on point– soft lighting, comfortable stools, good music, good selections.
I was particularly impressed with the bartender, he was attentive and friendly.
I was not particularly impressed with the food. I got the «famous» crisps for $ 2 at happy hour– great price but really couldn’t tell the difference between these and some lays BBQ chips.
I also got the «garden nibbles» or some other cute name– which was house made hummus with pita, and some vegetables on skewers. The hummus tasted like nothing; literally had no flavor. The pita was alright– but the grilled vegetables weren’t anything special.
Bramhall is still deserving of 4 stars because the bar is so great. Its like drinking in a cozy dungeon.

Yes! Bramhall is exactly what Portland’s been missing… well at least since it closed it’s doors. However re-​opening was exactly the right move. The ambiance in here is perfect if they can keep these candles lit every night. It’s got a midievil vibe without being too kitschy. They don’t have a cocktail list — or at least didn’t when I went in, but after ordering a Manhattan for $ 7 (I did not stutter.) I was pleased as a peach. Even more pleased was I when the Manhattan was ON POINT (real cherries and all folks).
This place was packed for opening night and Jerks of Grass playing, but I will definitely be back to enjoy more delicious spirits. I also heard from a friend that the chips are delicious (made in house!). The service was extremely attentive. The new wood bar also compliments the stone interior extremely well. Bravo Bramhall!