McMenamins Backstage Bar

Twice, now, ordered cheeseburger, they forgot the cheese, burger was worse than fast food, fries were just horrible. Not worth $ 9. I wont eat here again, drink? Maybe.

Cajun tots — ⁴⁄₅. Was definitely unsure when it was suggested to me by my friend, but they are delicious! Would have these again.
Tuna Sandwich — ³⁄₅. It’s a tuna sandwich :] Tastes like what’d you expect. Wasn’t planning for this to be an amazing sandwich, but it’s A-​OK

High ceilings, yummy drinks, beautiful décor, amazing sound system, pool tables… One of my favorite bars in Portland for sure.

McMenamins is a great one-​stop shop for the family, and the Bagdad Theater and Pub is no deviation from the classic formula. A great selection of beers, food, entertainment, and venues makes Bagdad an ideal location for a complete Friday evening out. We usually catch happy hour from 4 – 5 then catch whichever movie is showing at the time. If we don’t feel like a movie, we can just jump to one of the adjoining bars/​parlors. Our baby is welcome in all but the cigar bar (we wouldn’t bring her in there anyways), so there no need to hire a babysitter. The food is nothing to write home about and it generally feels overpriced, but their selection is wide so the choice is worth the premium. Definitely not a 5-​star location but a good choice if you’re looking to kill time in Southeast.

Food. Drinks. Great service. Great atmosphere. It’s a bar. But it’s a really good bar.

Great venue, especially if you are into unique interior spaces. It was a real treat once the hockey game ended and the projection screen was retracted to see the Aladdin themed painting that was hidden earlier. The food is good, the beers are fairly priced, but the staff was not friendly and at times very rude. Didn’t interact with one staff member that made me feel welcome and for that reason I will not be back.

It’s my favorite place to chill and grab a beer/​relax, the atmosphere is so chill with amazing people around…

Chill vibes. Great service. Cool environment. We’ll be back!

As for as McMenamins’ bars, Backstage is one of my favorites. Tucked behind Baghdad Theater, this beautifully adorned bar has a great vibe with lots of pool tables (including two private pool table rooms tucked away upstairs) and a long shuffleboard table. The reason I rate it ⁴⁄₅ stars is because I’m not super impressed by McMenamins’ food and drinks but this bar is top notch.

High, vaulted ceilings that echoes your voice if you occasionally let out a cheer or disappointing «aw» while watching the game or playing pool or shuffleboard. They have 4 official-​size pool tables, which are completely free to use on Sundays, and 1 full-​length table shuffleboard. They apparently have a projector set up that can display a big game on the wall, but it wasn’t on while I was there.
This place is a nice place to kick-​back at after catching a movie at the neighboring MecMenamins Bagdad Theatre.
Happy hours are twice a day and gives you great deals on their food (ie. cajun tots), but require that you buy a drink. Well, you’re at a bar, so grabbing a drink shouldn’t be too hard! I highly recommend ordering a Rubinator, a mix of their Terminator Stout and Ruby Ale. It creates a delicious brew that has the dark undertones with the smoothness of their ale. Delicious!

This little bar is just plain fun! The usual good food and great beer, but in a very unique spot being behind the Bagdad theater. Definitely worth checking out if you’ve never been!

Actually kinda magical space. There aren’t many places that make me stuck on stupid but this is one. I have lived in the neighborhood for over a decade and I am just finding it now? WHY?! WHY?!
The space has the most ridiculously high ceilings and as can be expected from mcminnimens classic/​vintage type decorations but also cute little tucked away tables including a few on what looks like a 2 story staircase to nowhere but leads to a little birds nest view of the whole bar. The shuffleboard tables are glorious. Honestly the best I have seen in town. The drinks were weak so boo on that but the space inspired. I’ll be back for sure.

I am, once again, on a quest, a quest to see every McMenamins. Thats right every one from Bothell to Roseburg. Why? I am doing another passport. Another? Yes I have already been to all of them and there are a lot and most have lots of character and some they have tried to give character with varying success.
This one is in the first category. Tucked behind the Bagdad theater this place is cool and has lots of McMenamins art and well done, What appear to be antiques. And really, really high ceilings (as a rule I don’t talk about ceilings but these are I am guessing about 3 stories high and look higher.)
Whenever I have been here the staff has been great and they have a good selection of games. Pinball and video is exiled to the entrance but the main bar has pool and shuffle board.
The food is McMenamins standard with burgers, tater tots and such, that is to say it is good though nothing really special. Happy Hour is 3 – 6 and 10 to close has some good selections I had the happy hour burger which was good enough I wanted more (they weren’t kidding about the mini…)
So food 3 stars, space 5 stars, atmosphere 5 stars and staff 5 stars overall I rounded to 4 stars,

Next to Voodoo Donuts, PDX locals seem to enjoy nothing more than bashing McMenamins. To that, I say nay! I will stand up and declare right here and right now, that I really, REALLY like McMenamins Backstage Bar.
First things first, the space is fantastic! It’s a long, skinny bar with absurdly high ceilings, thanks to the fact that they really are behind the stage/​screen of the theater. Because of the unique shape of the space, it’s cozy but not claustrophobic. It has wonderful lighting. This would be a great second date spot. Not a stuffy first date, but the «fun» date before you’ve done The Adult together.
AND FUN IT IS! There are a couple of pool tables, but more importantly they have what is probably the most glorious shuffleboard table on which I’ve ever played. I’m not sure what the regulation length shuffleboard might be, but this table is HUGE! It’s 100% manual, in great condition and just about my favorite thing on the planet. I love this shuffleboard table more than some family members.
So, they serve beer. And food. McMenamin’s stuff. You know what you’re getting. I haven’t been completely blown away by my selections, but they’ve all been fine. Really, the star of this show is the atmosphere, of which it has heaps.
4 stars. –1 for the terrible music that was playing the entire time I was there. +1 for teaching me to love, even if it was only a bar game on which I could share that feeling.

As far as McMenamins Bars go, this one is pretty cool. Located behind the Baghdad theater, the bar shares a wall with the silver screen on the other side. Consequently, Backstage is the perfect place to watch sports as its wall can be turned into it’s own theater-​sized screen. Come here early for major sporting events as it can get packed.
You know the drill when it comes to McMenamins food and drink. Nothing spectacular, nothing disgusting. Sometimes a bit slow, but not Comcast customer support line slow. Backstage is dependable, you know what you’re going to get. With the right expectations, it’s the perfect place to catch a game or just catch up.
As for atmosphere, it’s a pretty cool place. With high ceilings, an up-​stairs area (that can be booked for private events FOR FREE), shuffle board and pool tables, Backstage is a great no-​fuss place to relax.

Awesome awesome. It’s places like this make me love portland. Sky high ceilings flooded with neon fluorescent lights, every inch hand painted with something awesome.
Quite a few pool tables and a new addition of a shuffle board. They also have viewings for popular shows such as walking dead and American horror story.
I had a Bloody Mary. Extra spicy. And boy did she make it extra spicy. So good!

On a whim, my boyfriend and I headed out on our quest to obtain some more stamps for our McMenamins passports and came here since it was basically 5 minutes away. This place is fantastic! You enter and can already feel the vibe that you’re in a great bar. There are three pretty rad pinball machines right upon entrance, and then you make your way into this cavernous bar with a gigantic theater screen and several pool tables. On the first landing heading upstairs is a bar on the railing that seats probably about 6 people, and then continuing further up the stairs is a private room with more booths and another pool table. The lighting and ambiance in this place is great — some pretty unique chandeliers — and the bartenders are super friendly. Can’t wait to get back to this place for a Ducks game on the big screen!

This is a great venue! I love the location and ambiance. They offer your typical McMenamins fare which, along with service wait time, really contributes to my 3-​star rating. The food can be good when they’re not too busy, and can be rather ghastly (e.g., cold, limp, oily) when they’re busy. The open seating and being able to remain indoors, protecting my delicate porcelain skin from unwelcome (if rare) sunshine, while also people-​watching with friends is much appreciated. More often than not, I have a nice time here, and I encourage people to try it out later in the evenings when they’re less busy.

What a fantastic secret to stumble upon! Not that the Backstage bar is some sort of speak-​easy; I just didn’t know it existed, and I’d walked right past it a hundred times.
Looks can be very deceiving, because from the outside, one would think this was some hole in the wall that seated maybe 30 people. However; upon stepping inside, there is a door which leads to the actual bar — and entering it is like walking the rough the armour door in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. It was literally an explosion of a gigantic, 30 foot ceilinged room with chandeliers, pool tables and a large dining area.
We came here after an event at the Echo theater, which does not sell alcohol — and being a McMenamins — I knew exactly what to order: a Ruby Red Ale. I’d already eaten but my friend ordered a rice bowl that was covered in avocado, which looked scrumptious.
This place would also be a great hiding spot if a zombiepocalypse were to ever occur. lol

The McMenamins kingdom is 80-​some bars, theaters, and hotels strong and ever growing. Some of them rock, and some of them suck. Their beer and spirits are universally pretty good, and I’m a fan of their happy hour (3 – 6 here). This review attempts to highlight what makes this McMenamins property unique from the others.
While this gem behind the Bagdad Theater doesn’t have as many beers on tap or as extensive a menu as the Bagdad Pub out front, the ambiance more than makes up for it. The Backstage Bar is one massive, high ceilinged room (must be 6 or 7 stories tall). It’s a great play to play pool, shuffleboard, or watch a game on their massive theater screen. They show Seahawks and Trailblazers games here with sound, as well as the occasional TV show (Walking Dead, etc.).
It’s worth coming at least once just to see it. This building is unique and historic.