The Liberty Glass

cozy and warm on a very cold night. the grilled cheese sandwich is silly because the bread is so thick, but the mac and cheese was sublime.

Surprisingly great food. Fantastic service. Love the atmosphere. Sat outside and chilled. Tucked at the head of Mississippi Ave, a bit more quiet, and gives it a retro chill vibe that you won’t find quite as easily up the street. Great for ending a night and chatting with friends.

A warm night in Portland. Its the last time I’ll be here for a while. Its «pink» she tells me. What a strange thing, to see in color. It must be distracting.
We walk in to the old house. Hardwood floors and yellow light, and a golden menu board advertising «Spaghetti Feed, 10 $». Two women outside on the christmas-​light-​lit patio feed each other garlic bread and marinara from tongs in the fading dusk. A man inside offers a taste of his beverage.
We get our drinks and lurch upstairs. Model airplanes, and dark walls, and golden doors, and clear windows that look out to the warm dusk.
The beauty of the place is that someone cared. Someone knew enough to make sure the vinyl chairs upstairs matched the vinyl seats, that the walls were perfectly painted to give the impression of age, to put tiny, blue camping cups atop the mason jars of water, to convert an old closet to a cozy nook for couples, to keep the claw-​foot bathtub in the bathroom, to have a painting of Bob, from the Church of the sub-​Genius.
Ray Charles plays in the background: big band, big voice.
The cocktails aren’t the cheapest in Portland, nor the best, nor the most interesting. But I stared out the window, and stared at my friend, and stared at my drink, and stared at myself in reflection, and wondered if this was the best it could get. I wouldn’t mind if it was.
So we sat, and listened, and drank, and the lights flickered.
I’m a sucker. My generation desires authenticity, yearns for the timeless, are drawn to the feeling of home in an inauthentic world. The Liberty Glass nailed it, and I love it, and I’m alright with that.
There are places in this world that are so perfect, so loved, so beautiful, that they take the breath away. The Liberty Glass is one of those rare spots where time stands still, where every moment is freighted with beauty, where you can find joy on the top floor of an old house in a tiny booth in a vinyl chair in the company of friends.

I don’t think this is a «hipster» bar, even though I can’t believe people still actually use that word? Like, is it 2008?
Anyways, this is «my» bar, even though I have no idea what is going on with the cocktails and the Triscuit Nachos are $ 10. I DON’T CARE.
Here’s why you should go here:
1. Not right on Mississippi.
2. In a HOUSE. Seating on both levels.
3. Competitive and super-​loud bingo on Monday nights. I never win, but I will!
4. Cute outdoor front porch-​y seating with a fire thing and some heat stuff, and picnic tables.
5. Small wine selection that comes in little cups, but their selections are really good.
6. Cute bartenders (especially you, Monday night bingo bartender. You’re so cool!)
7. The grilled cheese is insanely good in a weird bread way.
8. It’s just awesome!
Here’s why you shouldn’t go here:
1. Because it’s small and I want to be able to get a seat outside. Go back to Bar Bar!

The grilled cheese… on point. That’s all that needs to be said.

I have to admit, when I saw my block of mac and cheese I was a little turned off, but omg it was delicious!!! Soo freaking good, and the drinks were really delicious as well. This is a cute little place near Mississippi, I would definitely recommend it to others.

The best date spot in town is Liberty Glass’ tiny golden closet with a teeny table and just two seats. Be a sexy hippie and sip the kombucha cocktail in cozy quarters. Play footsie with your date while everyone else gambles their cash away at Bingo downstairs. Be literal and share the rich, amazing Date Cake. And if you want a truly memorable night make out in the giant claw foot tub upstairs!

Stinks to high heaven of hip. The cult of cool pervades in this extablishment, and you can either take umbrage with that or embrace it. I say embrace it, unironically, and dive in head first. Don you now your trendiest apparel, mount your fixed gear steed, and guzzle campari cocktails and fernet until your bespectacled compatriots and yourself no longer remember whose hot according to Pitchfork and unashamedly blabber about the merits of Brian Eno.

I maybe giving this review a 5 star because in this cool house all lit up, I got to sit with my biggest boy band lead singer crush who I can’t say, but maybe the lead singer of the Old 97’s.
That being said, totally cool and retro upstairs complete with clawfoot tub in bathroom.
Intimate, and I can see why an alt country crooner would choose this place.

Small bar but great vibe. Excellent mixed drink menu. I think I had a beer and then a cucumber margarita? anyway, it’s not in my neighborhood and I prooooobably wouldn’t make a special trip back for it, but if I was back in the area for other shizzle I would def check out Liberty Glass again.

Wow. As a british man of divebar know-​how, I can honestly say I can deal with assholes, bad servers, and even bad food. The server was a rabid she-​dog from hell, there was a huge rat in the kitchen I saw run out of the door upon entry, the lady working just laughed it off, and there were racists talking about their drug business outside. I would not ever think I would see a bar as awful as this. Should be closed down! Ugh! Fuck this place! It looks like you would need prescription of Xanax and a lobotomy in order to stand just walking inside this dump. If I could give this place no stars, I would. because even one star implies there is something decent about a place, but ladies and gentlemen, there is nothing special or good about Liberty Glass. It should be called «Shut up and eat and drink here then piss off you wanker».

Went with a friend here for happy hour. The bartendress made us delicious cocktails and made sure she was fixing them to our liking (she clarified exactly what we meant by a manhattan being perfect and neat). We also ordered some food, which was great. I got the blackened steak salad and the meat was to die for. Spicy, tender so flavorful! And pretty reasonable prices, as well.
The atmosphere is Portland fun while also being cozy. We got a table inside next to a big window. Great way to kick off the weekend.

I probably would’ve given this five stars if I lived in Portland and had the opportunity to go to Liberty Glass more often (I would, if I lived in Portland), but based on my one visit I have to go with the four-​star consensus, which isn’t so bad.
Upsides: The food is spectacular — I shared a beet salad and the f***ing incredible grilled cheese/​tomato soup combo with a friend. Oh man. Guys, they have a grilled cheese sandwich made on TEXAS TOAST. Everything about that is right.
I really like the feel of the place, I like that it’s tucked away and that you wouldn’t think it was a restaurant if you were just passing by. It’s really comfortable and while the porch was a relaxing place to sit on a spring day, I’m sure that the indoor seating would be just as relaxing on a winter day.
Downsides: My gin and tonic was pretty bleh — I don’t know what gin they used but it tasted like hairspray, not gin, although I know to some people the difference is minor. To me it’s not. And we waited a really long time for our food. But still, like I said, if I lived in Portland I’d frequent.

Strictly in terms of bars, Liberty Glass is ok. LG does not have the best selection of beers, make the best cocktails, or have the best food. However, what LG truly excels in is ambiance. If only they could offer 5 more draft beers (I think they only have a few now that are not impressive at all) and lower their prices to make them more competitive to the Mississippi area, then I would be able to give LG 5 stars.
Now that I’ve clarified that the beers and prices here aren’t impressive, we can move on to the ambiance. My friend visiting from San Francisco actually first introduced me to this bar. She said she’d heard a lot of good things about it, and that it felt like you were drinking at someone’s house. This was all I knew, and I’d actually never even seen the place before, as it is kind of hidden off the main Mississippi strip.
When we arrived around 9pm on a Friday night, I immediately liked the feeling there. There’s a large porch area in the front with a fire, and inside, on the first floor of the house, there are several small tables and the bar area. The best part is definitely upstairs. Here, there are several various sized booths and more tables. It all just feels very homey and relaxed, kind of like hanging out at your friend’s house. Also, the last time I was there, they were playing pretty good music, so that is always a plus for me as well.
Liberty Glass is a lovely experience, just not the best of bars.

I stumbled upon this place last night with a friend as we were looking for somewhere to get a drink and a bite, and were unenthused about the offerings on Mississippi’s main commercial drag. Just as we were about to give up, I was delighted to glimpse a glimmer of Christmas lights on a cozy old clapboard house straddled between various salvage yards and industrial detritus. We wandered in and the atmosphere was comfortable and inviting– not too crowded, hip or fancy (my three criteria) with a decent selection of beers, cocktails and food.
I’m a big proponent of the house-​to-​café conversion (see Spiderhouse in Austin), and this was no exception. They even left the bathtub in the upstairs bathroom! Tempting. This is definitely the kind of place you can feel comfortable languishing in for several hours, and the porch must be great during the summer.

An understated and simple spot off the sprouting growth that’s all up and down N Mississippi, The Liberty Glass offers its libations and plates in a couple floors of old creaky house. Hipster hangout? Absolutely (from glances around at the clientele). Sure, there are some old mirrors on the wall, an ancient ATM by the door (they do take cards), and mismatched furniture under the string lights out on the front porch.
But the antlers on the wall are tiny and un-​twee. And I love any bar that pours a Georgetown beer that ISN’T MANNY’S (hellloooo my lady Lucille) for $ 3.25 during happy hour, a time period which my friendly bartender let me slide into during the very final sixty seconds of.
I didn’t sample any food from the menu, but what smells wafted past were tempting enough as far as bar food for beer drinking goes. It’s important to have a back-​pocket list of bars that aren’t scenes per se, have easy parking, and are across the river yet less than ten minutes away from home when you want to be in a neighborhood haunt that isn’t your own. Liberty Glass is on it…

I used to think sandwich boards were silly obstructions to pedestrians who deserve an obstacle-​free journey from point to point. I’d never read them. I’d even go out of my way to patronize spots that didn’t have such obnoxious pleas for business and traffic.
But it’s thanks to the sandwich board that announced there was a bar down the hill, past the park, leading into uncharted and unpopulated territory… and around the corner… that babe and I were able to get tipsy in a classy joint.

OMG. Brunch.
Really all you need to know is that they do Hashbrown omlettes. Breakfast fillings wrapped in crispy browns, no eggs about it. Though you can add them if you really want to.

I enjoyed having drinks here, but there’s something that keeps me from giving it four stars. The bar itself is really small and there’s no table service. That means it can sometimes take ten minutes to get a drink, which is annoying if you’re in a big group of people — it seems like someone is always standing in line.
The downstairs is cozy with wooden tables and chairs. The upstairs is really cool — big plush booths with comfy seating. There’s even an old claw foot tub in the bathroom. The stairs are fairly steep though, so be careful. If you spill your beer, it’ll take you 20 minutes to get another one!
FYI — I read in several older reviews that they only take cash, but they do take cards now.
Overall, it was a cool, kitschy place (and the patio is nice), but the food seemed overpriced and there weren’t enough people working. Come for a drink or two… seek dinner elsewhere.

The Liberty Glass ended up on my list of places to hit up simply because they were the only place I was able to locate out of many places that served GoodLIfe’s Descender IPA. I’m a huge fan of that beer, and being a huge fan, I had to try it on tap.
With a few strikeouts using
, I ran a google search which led me here. A patron checked in 15 hours prior to my Google search, and mentioned he was sippin’ a Descender at The Liberty Glass. I gave them a quick call to confirm the brew was there, and it was. Something else that intrigued me? While calling around to ask about the availability, The Liberty Glass was the only place who didn’t talk to me like I was insane for asking. A few other places must have pictured me in a padded room or something…
We arrived around 2pm on a Sunday. This is a quiet, mellow, laid back place that grew on me minute by minute. Why? The simpleness. They weren’t trying to be something they weren’t. It’s as if TLG says, «Here I am! Love me for who I am, or get the **** out!» Which I doubt they would ever say ****.
The waitress we had was great. What I found humerous was that she somehow knew I was the guy that called and asked if they had Descender on tap from the day before. I laughed and admitted it was me. She actually agreed that it’s hard to find and she was quite a fan of the beer herself. I appreciate you understanding my love for that heavenly beverage.
We didn’t explore the menu since we were stuffed from a large brunch, but that was just fine. Great service with fantastic beer is a win-​win in my book any day.