Maps

This place is a bar covered in maps (shocking) that only serves cake a grilled cheese. Do you understand how awesome that is?! The grilled cheese is inspired by different parts of the world and they also have funky chairs and a chill vibe. Only reason i’m giving this 4 stars instead of 5 is that they were out of cake when we got there. It was heartbreaking.

Go to Maps. Just do it.
Its a cool little basement bar, maps all over the place, record player, decent beer and wine selection. They sell homemade cakes, and have a cake and port happy hour from 7 – 11.

Love this place! Cozy and casual but classy and hip at the same time. Their vinyl collection is tops, not to mention a free jukebox! Of the best service in town and oh, um THERE’S CAKE and they serve coffee and tea, which seems rare to find but as welcome as the cake. Cheers!

I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT MAPS! The atmosphere is delightful, the music while it could be turned down maybe two notches at times is wonderful, the CAKE, the CAKE, the CAKE is heavenly! It is honestly the best place in town for happy hour! The owners are sweet! If you visit Portland and do not visit Maps you are doing yourself and injustice.

Maps is a pretty quintessential dive bar. They do take the name pretty seriously and stick to the theme– all types of maps on the wall, and globes on the table. Beers were cheap, we sat in a comfy couch, and listened to the juke box for 10 cent songs. A bunch of people came in and out so it was a happening place. Makes me want to open my own dive, thrift a bunch of map themed items, and call it a day.

I came here with a group of 5 friends this past weekend. We had to stand for a few minutes and wait for seats to open up since it is obviously a small and cozy space. But we loved it! Everyone loved their beers and I loved my grilled cheese (no frills, which I was expecting and for which I was actually in the mood.) They have an old-​fashioned jukebox in the corner and I especially liked all the furniture, décor and books. The temperature was very warm, but welcome on a cold, snowy night!

A bar that sells coffee, drinks and cake? Yessssss. We honestly came here because we saw that they had homemade cake and we were very much satisfied. Vanilla cake with salted caramel frosting? Ohhh baby. But really, it was awesome and the atmosphere was pretty cool– it’s in a basement and it’s dark and cozy. Definitely a good place to grab a drink and satisfy your sweet tooth!

A not so quite hidden gem where vinyl rules, the well appointed interior resembles a Wes Andersen set, and the bartenders genuinely know your name. Atmosphere is convivial, lively and never obnoxious. The best bar in Portland.

Go to Maps. Just do it.
Its a cool little basement bar, maps all over the place, record player, decent beer and wine selection. They sell homemade cakes, and have a cake and port happy hour from 7 – 11.
Yeah. It’s pretty cool.

Stopped in for the first time the other night with some friends. I am NOT a bar fan in general, but I LOVED Maps. The atmosphere is so comfortable, that I immediately felt relaxed. The space is also cozy and beautifully lit with the perfect balance of dark and candlelight. I did not try any food, although their happy hour special of a grilled cheese and a beer for $ 5 (sounds worth coming back for). They also had soft pretzels on the menu (which I love) and the delicious looking cakes under glass on the bar (who doesn’t like cake?).
We DID, on the other hand, share a bottle of Sam Smith Strawberry beer. I had never tried this before and it was a game changer! I will absolutely return for more SSS and to order some food. Last night I recommended Maps to a couple from out of town. In the way that sometimes life can be crazy, I ran into the same couple much later in the evening at the Cumberland Farms gas pumps. They told me they absolutely loved everything about Maps, they had ordered the Strawberry beer, sampled two fancy grilled cheese sandwiches and shared a piece of cake. They added that they live in Mass, about a 2 hour drive, that they loved Portland and would considering driving back again just to hangout at Maps! Go maps!

This is small divey, hipster bar with a British feel. There are a couple of couches, some stuffed chairs and seating around the bar. The seating is limited due to the small location. The décor has lots of cool maps, old records and jukebox that reads «piss off». The staff were friendly, polite and attentive. The menu is limited but delightful. They play great music, including classic sing alongs like don’t stop believing.
They have cake, grilled cheese, beer and 2 types of wine, red or white. The ghetto grilled cheese is the only one available after 9pm. It’s classic soft white bread, gooey American cheese with plenty of butter and grilled to perfection. The white wine was smooth with fruity nose and a hint of sweetness. I would definitely come back for some of the scrumptious looking cake.

I’ve only been to Maps once (so far) but I can’t wait to go back! It has everything I want in a bar:
— great beer & wine selection
— excellent prices
— Happy Hour specials
— cake
— grilled cheese
— laid-​back atmosphere
— juke box
— simple, classy décor
When we arrived the bar area was full, but the couches & tables were mostly empty. I got a house wine and the wifey got a Bissell Bros beer. Both of us were happy with our choices, and the price! We also ordered cake, and got the last honking slice of peanut butter chocolate cake. Oh. My. Lord. It was delish! It was my birthday, so I didn’t feel any guilt when a group walked in after us, and promptly left after learning there was no more cake! This slice-​of-​heaven cake was huge in portion and flavor, and I loved every bite.
We put a few songs on the juke box, lounged on the couch, and did some nice people watching in the intimate space. It was a perfect ending to our night and I am excited to return again soon. Perhaps it was the wine, but I have a rose-​colored view of Maps!

Maps really does have almost everything you could ask for. Beer, cake, grilled cheese, kick-​ass music, and maps! I like maps a lot, so Maps is fun place to hang out. My favorite map in the place is the light-​up moving time zone map. It shows you what parts of the world are currently daytime. It’s pretty sweet. But not as sweet as the $ 7 cake and port special. All of the prices at Maps are super reasonable.
The only thing I wish they had that they don’t is liquor. I wouldn’t want them to have a full bar, that would be out of place. But a small selection of whiskeys and brandy’s would fit in very nicely with the ambiance, and the cake.
So go someplace else. Because nobody wants you clogging up Maps.

What a great place!
My friends and I are in town, and Maps was recommended to us by a few different people so we decided to give it a shot. The whole bar is on the small side, but, it has a few tables and the bar can sit quite a few people. Nice chill place, decent selection of beers, and cake!!’ Their cherry and chocolate cake, heaven!!! Totally give it a shot! The bar is decorated with maps everywhere, hence, the name! Bartenders were very sweet and knew a thing or two about the beer!
Enjoy!

Great great local hipster basement bar with a great beer selection. Records playing in the background and dim lighting with vintage chairs give this place a relaxed kick back vibe. Bartender was super nice and gave me a taste of a local beer. Didn’t try the food but the sandwiches looked tasty AF. I could spend a few hours sipping beers and relaxing to the music they have going. Check out if in the area

The cake is great, and at $ 4 a slice, a steal.
The grilled cheese is also great, but at $ 7 or $ 8, a little pricey.
They hit the spot after a couple of drinks though!
I love that maps offers a quick bite if you’re in the mood for salty and savory or sweet.
Atmosphere is quaint, cozy, underground and LOUD. The volume of the music is my only turn-​off with the atmosphere. The music selection itself is good; they even played «Maps» by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs when I was there!

I love Maps.
I don’t know if it’s the hipster vibe or the cozy atmosphere or the cake…
oh wait, its definitely the cake.
I have been here a couple of times. I liked it, but the cake definitely bumped this from a three to a four star review. This cake is (I’m gonna use the m-​word here, sorry) moist, flavorful, and well crafted. I used to bake cakes on the side and sell them for monies (as opposed to other things, like kittens). I can tell when a cake is well constructed and homemade. These cakes are way better than I could ever make. YUM.
As far as the rest of Maps, it has a small but well cultivated stock of beverages and the grilled cheese options are definitely a guilty pleasure. I like that it is small, but the acoustics aren’t great. I like the bar and the cool bartenders are always friendly and knowledgeable about the menu.
Be warned, if it is busy, you might wait for your grilled cheese. They can only make two at a time.
I will definitely be back and I will definitely get more cake.

Strawberry beer. This sums up my experience at Maps. If you haven’t tried it, you are missing out. It’s delicious, not too sweet, and refreshing. Oh, and the rest of Maps is nice too. It’s a small place. It kind of reminds me of what I picture my grandparent’s basement looking like in 1974-​clean, with a lot of maps on the wall, and some vinyl rocking chairs. The menu is beer and wine and some snacks. I’ve only tried the pretzel, but I hear that the rotating layer cake and grilled cheese sandwiches are not to be missed. They also serve coffee and tea if you aren’t in the mood for Strawberry beer… but I can’t imagine that ever happening.

I was in town for work and had read about this place on Unilocal so decided to stop by. What a lovely cozy space. I sat at the bar and had order a grilled cheese and a local brew. As I waited for my sandwich to arrive the barman asked me if I wanted to hear anything from their vinyl record collection. I said I’d pass and that I was enjoying what he was currently playing. Then my sandwich arrived. The bread was buttery and crunchy and the cheese had a nice bite and smoothness. I ordered another local brew to wash down all the cheesy goodness.
I think that if I lived in Portland and not Nashville I would make this place a regular haunt of mine. Great place to grab a drink, meet up with friends, chill out and listen to good music. If they had a working fireplace I would probably move… for the summers.

Maps is the place I want to live above. I want to go down there to grab some Sam Smiths and read, or some Sam Smiths and gab with friends, or some Sam Smiths at the end of a long day… sensing a theme?
I throughly enjoy a place that does drinks and coffee. I have been out with friends, and sometimes I don’t feel like a beer. I want a coffee to perk me up. When they bring you your coffee, you get it on a tray with a small sugar cookie. Yes, sometimes I fall prey to the tiny factor that wows me.
Maps is comfortable and quirky without trying to hard to be either. The grilled cheese is great too. I have yet to try the cake, but that will be just another reason to go again… because I am pretty sure other reasons for me include: It’s Tuesday, or hey look, I am still breathing, Maps sure sounds good right now. I just want to go there a lot!