Ella Street Social Club

I finally visited my namesake!
I thought it was awesome… the bartender was really nice, I was there as she was opening up and she was cool about it. Her friend was nice too… atmosphere is cozy and warm.

Some friend of mine went for trivia night. The drinks were decent, but the service was not good. The fact that the bartender is also the owner/​lawyer means there is only a food menu if he feels up to cooking. When asked about food, he said he wasn’t cooking but there was a great pizza place across the alley and he was cool if you brought your own food in. He spent a good chunk of the night reading a paper at the end of the bar or sitting outside smoking. Even with the trivia night, I doubt I will go back, unless it’s to go with my friend to drool over the aforementioned owner/​lawyer.

I like the spot and they always have new bands that eventually break out to bigger venues. So it’s a great place to see some new music. Always cheap cover and sometimes free. Has a great Juke box and divey atmosphere and generally great staff except one bartender that always has a poor attitude takes forever to serve you when she’s gossiping with her friends.
All in all the sound and shows are usually great, drinks are a bit over priced ($ 3 for a pint of pabst) so there really isn’t any reason to come to the bar unless its a band you want to see.

This place is fine, for a dive their price point is a little high, the name makes it sound fancier that it is i guess. even on HH a well drink is $ 3.50 so eh. The pours are average, nothing to make you crap your pants.
The décor is odd, there’s a little baby stage. kind of reminds me of a smaller grange hall maybe?
it’s a fine hang out, it’s very hipstery, i guess the fact it used to be a mortuary is some how exciting.
The bar is owned by one or two of the lawyers that work upstairs, the service can be spotty. but they do quiz night on mondays so i’ll keep going. although after some weekends it often has a faint wild weekend smell to it, (ie beer and urine)
this is a strictly cash only bar with no atm in sight. I believe the closest one is over at the walgreens across burnside.

Cozy dungeon /​/​go with cash and a few good folk
CASH ONLY
I’ve been on nights that are packed and others completely empty
I’ve seen awful live music and really good live music

It’s a dingy little hole that has it’s charms if you like things a bit «quirky». Quirky like a not so sure of the prices bartender who is equally not so sure what the beer is. I’m actually okay with that. The sound is in need of some upgrades. It’s pretty barebones. Live music kind of stinks when you know the bands would sound better were it not for the system.

This place is so strange, I don’t even know where to start.
They have a menu that includes small bites, drink list, wine and beer selections.
We were going to go see a friend’s band, so we got there a little early to get some drink on. Going to the bar, they don’t have wine, only have one beer, and have no food that evening. (Which, isn’t that illegal?) Supposedly their cooler wasn’t working, and the PBR cooler was the only one working.
After getting our beers, and no food, we got a seat in the corner and waited for the show to start. The band was great, but in a room that is probably 100 square feet, the volume was so incredibly loud, it was unbearable. So, between the service, the lack of food/​drinks, and the headache that started before the show did, I won’t be back.

It’s a dive, and it doesn’t pretend to be anything else. The food is actually surprisingly decent, all things considered. Depending on how busy the bar is, it may be a waste of time to try to get food here, but the cheese plate is pretty okay (I’m cheap, so $ 7 for a cheese plate makes me like it less), there’s bread and oil/​balsamic vinegar plates. The sandwiches are also surprisingly edible.
It’s a dive, and it’s divey. The drinks are reasonably priced, there’s an okay selection of bottled beer, the bartender is a pretty nice guy.
The bathrooms are kind of perpetually manky, but have pretty entertaining graffiti. And no, the climate control is not great: stifling during the hotter parts of summer, and startlingly brisk when the weather turns cold.
Again, a dive. But pretty fun, nonetheless.
Note: no credit of debit cards here, cash only. One ATM in the corner, but comes with a $ 2.50 fee.

The bathroom is behind a completely unmarked door.
The venue is tiny. I think about 25 people attended the concert we saw, and the place couldn’t seat any more (although there was standing room).
Drink prices and drink quality were both decent.
The bartender cracked us up. We were hungry and asked to see a menu. He spent several minutes hunting for one, and finally came up with a battered-​looking scrap of paper. While we perused it, he actually recommended that we eat elsewhere. As he put it, he was the only person working both the bar and the kitchen, so we would probably have to wait a long time if we ordered food. Plus he wasn’t sure what food the kitchen contained. He was good-​natured about it all, and said we could bring in food from outside (which we did, after swinging by Eat Pizza, which he recommended to us).
I felt sad about how the pool table was being wasted: there was a donation jar on it (the concert was free) and the bands’ CDs, which prevented any potential pool playing.
Of course, my positive review of this place is influenced by my positive reaction to that evening’s music (the bands were The Lower 48 and A Leaf, both of whom I had never heard of before but enjoyed thoroughly).
Didn’t have a problem with ventilation; in fact, I distinctly felt the freezing cold breeze of AC from directly above me. Perhaps it becomes a bigger issue if more than 25 people are inside.

I’ve been to Ella Street three times. Whenever I have been there:
1. It was not hot.
2. Nobody threw change in my face.
3. It was an old mortuary.
4. There was a pool table.
5. There was a band playing and it was good.
6. One bathroom door was unlockable.
7. The other humans were pleasant and varied.
8. Drinks were potent and yummy.
Now, I have never been there midday, midsummer like some of the other reviewers. Also, I have never included pennies in a tip.
Happy to have a place that feels like this on this side of the river that isn’t all dressed up or über-​hip…

I love this place. It’s such a huge step up from the bar it used to be (towne lounge). The drinks are all reasonably priced, the service is fast and all the bartenders are nice (and cute). The live music over the past couple weeks has been better and better every time I go in.

I give it the thumbs up. The food is great, the owner/​bartender Richard is nice to chat with (and look at, hubba hubba), juke box or free music via Richard’s iPod, a pool table and trivia on Monday nights. Plus the crowd is chill.

My usual haunt before and after Timbers games! The Ella, formerly the Towne Lounge, creates a comfortable, if dark, space that is great for socializing. They have a very respectable policy for hanging at the bar on show nights as well. Happy hour is fantastic, with PBR going for a $ 1a pint and wells for $ 2.50, I believe. I’ve never had a problem with it being hot there, as others have commented on, but I also didn’t go there during our heat wave.
Stand up place, I hope they are able to stick around!

As it’s already been stated, it used to be a mortuary, so it doesn’t look like your average bar. I like the building, but it feels kind of unfinished inside. I’m not a decorator, so I can’t put my finger on what it needs.
Anyhoo, it has a pool table and a cool booth off to the side to hunker down in with your friends, along with several small tables. It’s not big, but again, it needs some ventilation desperately!
Nice bartender, good drinks, good music on the Ipod. It could easily become * * * * with a few improvements. It’s pretty new, so it could happen.

Ella… Ella…E…E…E…
Sorry, I just had to do that.
Anyway, Ella Street Social Club is a pretty cool and unique social club. It used to be a mortuary and the place has a mysterious vibe to it.
Unfortunately, on a hot day, this place wasn’t as cool as what I thought it was going to be. There’s no air circulation (not even a fan). We were all sweating and unfortunately, when it was hot like that I don’t really feel like having a booze.
I ordered 7up just to cool down and I thought I would ordered more drinks when I didn’t feel so hot any longer. The bartender gave me the look and he said «You know you are at the bar right?» and I said «Uh huh.»
I thought to myself, well bartender sir, if your place had an A/​C or fan and it wasn’t so hot I might get a drink. I was planning to get one after I had my 7UP, but now since you gave me a smart ass backtalk, no thanks.
See ya next time? I don’t think so.

Maybe it was just a fluke that I had two cocktails and a shot and left Ella Street sober as a monk. Other people spoke of the stiffness of the pour, I just did not seem to have been affected the same way. My drinks were otherwise well made… I just didn’t feel the vodka!
The overall vibe is pretty cool though. A Mortuary turned Rock Venue turned Dive bar. I like the underground feel and the bartenders seemed pretty friendly (i.e. being able to laugh about me spilling water all over the bar and floor. Um, oops).
However, Ella Street seems to have some kinks to work out. Like… air circulation. It was like drinking in a brick oven. I’d wager 80% of the evening was spent on the front steps until the sun finally set and a little cool air managed to find its way inside.
Get some ceiling fans or AC and we’ll talk. Or I’ll just have to wait to return until you no longer bake in the hot summer sun.

The space that houses the Ella Street Social Club used to be a mortuary complete with a corpse elevator to the right of where the bar is situated. That means the big round booth where the Yeeps have ended up sitting has been the final display setting for dearly departed loved ones.
If your Six Feet Under radar just pinged, then you are a fan like I am and we should hang out. We can eat BBQ skewers while sitting on the grass slope next to the bar and talk about the futility of most actions, especially any action taking place at Mazatlan across the street. We can order stiff, cheap drinks (except that almost-​Kamikaze concoction made by the otherwise really cool bartender started out at $ 5 and then crept up to $ 5.75 — just no) and toast to all the cool things that make life worth living. And we can play pool, hang out, and dance around to the music stylings courtesy of the bartender’s iPod. I don’t know what it is, but I love it when the people behind the register use their iPods. Plus, their tastes run similar to mine, if the Smiths/​Cure/​Joy Division mix I heard is any indication. Yes, hypothetical new friend, our salad days at Ella Street will be great memories, especially if we self-​destruct in true Alan Ball fashion. This could involve a brain aneurysm, a panther attack, disgruntled former employee with firearms, or plain and simple age. So even if the room is hot and the staff won’t put up with your Smiths obsession for a song longer, it’s more enjoyable than a wooden box any day.

I don’t understand why everyone is giving this dump so high of a rating… so it used to be a mortuary — big deal! That doesn’t overcome the fact that it was hotter inside the joint than outside. Not just that, but I personally don’t need the constant smell of kerosene filling my nostrils while I’m attempting to enjoy a good beer.
All that being said; the place does have lots of potential if it is taken care of the right way. First thing I’d do is add one more pool table, a couple of fans (if you’re not gonna dole out for the AC), and then decide if you want the jukebox or just the ipod thing (they were both playing at the same time).
I haven’t totally given up on the place yet, but anything more than 2 – 3 stars right now seems like an extreme reach.

So it’s maybe a little hard to find initially, but damn… this place is a hidden treasure. It’s a bar with the heart of SE tucked into NW Portland, which I absolutely loved. Cheap drinks that are poured strong, pinball, and nice dimly lit tables to cuddle with your sweetie or a large group of friends.
The food is so far beyond bar food that I am still drooling thinking about the baked brie and garlic panini that I just ate. The portions are large, and it comes with Kettle chips for $ 6, seriously $ 6, it blew my mind. The menu was so fantastic, that I couldn’t decide what I wanted so I asked the bartender/​owner, Richard, what he would suggest, and he pointed me in the perfect direction. Other selections were a seasonal cheese plate for like $ 5, a mixed meats plate for $ 6, and really I think the most expensive thing on the menu was $ 8. You really can’t beat that.
We rolled in later, but we heard people talking about happy hour. Considering I had food and 4 drinks for $ 17, I can’t imagine anything happier then that. Overall a fantastic time. Friendly staff, clean venue, and good food and drinks. Definite 5 star find.

Tucked discretely at the end of a mysterious dark hallway is a dark rich red candle lit room with a friendly bar tender, a pool table, juke box, and a series of tables perfect for an intimate group of two or a group of your seven closest friends.
The vibe is relaxing and unpretentious, aided of course by a full bar lit up in white. There are only three beers on tap, which is a small but sufficient list since the choices are of local and tasty beers. If you come hungry, you won’t be dissapointed, the menu is small, but consists only of fresh local organic foods cooked to order.
I do know the owner, which is how I heard about the re-​opening of the former Towne Lounge in its new reincarnation, but I think this sweet bar is set to be a new favorite.