The Side Door

Been here 10 years, but let’s called it 100!
Ahh The Side Door. One of those places you’d probably never go seek out or drive any distance to. I’m always amazed how these places keep on going. Stuck on side streets, out of view of drivers, very little foot traffic. Word of mouth is the key here, and this place has the goods.
The building is one of those old beautiful brick wonders that you see driving down SE Grand Ave. Oh what it must have looked like back in the day! Stopped in for an hour or so while waiting on some friends for an early dinner a few blocks down. I just loved this place the moment I sat down. It’s got the charm and charisma of the 1990’s Portland. Dark wood and brick interior, small booths and tables, and great service. Is it a coffee shop, a bagel place, a bar? It’s all three as you would expect and appreciate!!!
I’ll have to eat here on my next visit. This time I just had a few beers and took advantage of the free Wi-​Fi with my laptop. Great selection of taps for a small place, with a couple of rotating ones to keep it seasonal. Food menu looked very good. American classic style, so lots of old fashioned sandwiches (hot and cold), salads, and a few daily specials. I think they do a lot of bagel sandwiches for breakfast as well.
Overall just a fun little place to hang out. It’s certainly full of regulars and I can see why. Big on atmosphere, with good cold beer, warm smiles, and stay a while charm.

Came with a few friends due to the high reviews but feel like people could use more explanation. If you want a local bar where you can watch a game or do some writing with a drink, this is a great place. If you are coming solely for food, this might be just an ok place as it was for us. The food menu seems fairly uninspired but doable, however, when we got there, the actual quality of the food was pretty bland and meh. So if you’re starving and want something delicious, maybe not the best. But I can see this being a great place for people bringing kids or people who prefer their food to have an uncomplicated flavor. All five of us ordered different items, but noticed that our food was ok, but not great. The food is likely only part of why most people are coming here, so this is likely a minority opinion, but just an fyi for everyone.

I randomly ended up in here today and I am so glad I did! For starters they allow minors most of the day, as a mom of a tiny human that is the first thing I have to look for in a restaurant. I was greeted immediately by the friendly staff. Everything on the menu looked great and nearly all of it was available to– go.
I ordered the Washington and the Grinder to go, with a pabst while I waited. The staff continued to be friendly and wonderful, even the other clientele were chatty and fun. Plus I like the hip/​dive feel of the place, and wish I could have stayed to try all of the delicious sounding drink specials!
On my way home, I prayed to the food gods that our sandwiches would be as awesome as the service and atmosphere. I was NOT DISSAPIONTED! Tasty, friendly, full bar, and I can bring my kiddo, win all the way around!

Full bar. Friendly staff. I’m sold.
This place has a warm, intimate atmosphere – soft lighting, wood material all around, and brick walls. They have a full bar, full coffee service, and a great menu. I’m coming back with someone special. It’s that kind of place.

Great place to get a sandwich! Had great customer service and had nice lunch with my friends. Highly recommended

Amazing food and great service by Corrie! Sandwichs are huge and well worth what you pay. Vinegrett was perfectly tangy without the vinegar taste.

The Side Door was nice and quiet! Very dim-​lit but set the mood of a laid back place. The workers were friendly and had nice smiles.

Great stop for sandwiches. They have generous portions and a really laid back atmosphere!

Food is good but not many choices for folks with allergies and intolerances. Interior is cute with a café vibe, & offers a full bar. Server is friendly but seems a bit too busy to give attentive service. Offers board games that are good for 2 or more people! 4/​5, would come here again.

Found this place while waiting for a windshield replacement over at Apple Auto Glass. Cosy little fusion place (Coffeeshop, Bar, Deli) This place has the most AMAZING Arnold Palmers I have ever tasted! They make their own tea and
lemonade here and I can say I’ve never had another as tasty as the one’s here. The sandwich I had «Thin Lizzy» was good and the portion was plenty generous. I enjoyed my americanos as well.
Service was great and they made sure I had what I needed for what was an extended visit for sure.

Umm… Stop here. Do it. You won’t regret it.
First of all, everyone in the building is super friendly and very accommodating to your needs, suggesting delicious recommendations off the menu if you are unsure and letting you know about local happenings to get involved with that day.
Second, the sandwiches and salads are delicious! The taste is fresh and the perfect blend of cheeses and meats for a mouth watering blend. Don’t skip a local beer with your sandwich, definitely hits the spot.
The ambiance on the inside is rustic and trendy, everything you’d expect from Portland. The outside seating is minimal and not the most scenic as it overlooks the gas station.

I come here all the time on my brake and every time it takes 20 minutes for my appetizer to come out and the service is very poor I have to go to the bar to get my silverware and water and my food was also cold and when I asked them to reheat it they were pushy about not wanting to do it I hate this because the food is great and then now I just asked for water and the lady didn’t even acknowledge me and said nothing wth!!!

Super friendly place with a nice atmosphere. I can come here and study in a corner booth or I can bring friends and have a few drinks– very versatile. Also, their chai latte is super sweet and delicious.

The food was amazing! The pickle was super sour and delicious. We had a picky group (dairy free one and no vegetable other also a vegetarian) there was something amazing for each of us. The bacon is thick and perfectly cooked. Yummy bloody mary and fresh squeezed grapefruit mimosa are to die for. Our waitress/​bartender/​barista was super polite, friendly, and attentive. We will come back again and again.

Interesting spot. Nothing special in food or atmosphere. Could be a crazy cool little spot if the upped the food game quite a bit.

The food was real good. The bar itself is real nice. But wow the service sucks. One of the girls was delivering or food and as she was at our table she turns her had to talk to other customers. So rude!

I had a very pleasant lunch here yesterday. It is relatively small. It is priced fairly. It has a comfortable feeling inside. I raised the average age two fold when I entered. Very good service.
We had a couple of sandwiches. Mine was a modified Reuben. It was very good, cooked just right and the right size. I think I will pass on the chips next time. They were too good and not on my diet.
Very good lynch at a fair price. I will come in again.

I love this place for a lot of reasons. It is unassuming, tucked away in the industrial waterfront area of Portland in an area that doesn’t seem like it should have much in the way of coffee/​food places. The atmosphere is really chill, and the place is never crowded so it is easy to sit down and grab a drink or food. They also have a ton of board games and, inside an old army ammo container, pre-​made Magic the Gathering decks which definitely brought back some nostalgia for me.
The place I guess is a coffee shop first and foremost, but it feels like a bar with a lot of wood and booths and such. The coffee is good here, I’ve had drip and some cappaccinos from here and they have always been good. The food is definitely decent, although my favorite thing on the menu is the grilled cheese. They put herbed cream cheese along with other melted cheeses on it, and it is pretty damn good. The other sandwiches I’ve had have been OK but I haven’t had anything comparable to the grilled cheese so I pretty much get that everytime.
To me, this place is a great winter location for when it is rainy out and you want to go somewhere to hang out with friends and have coffee and just bullshit the day away. I went with 3 friends once who all used to play Magic in high school and we had a blast playing 4 player games with the pre-​made decks from the ammo canister and drinking coffee and beers and reminiscing. It was a nice time, and this is a nice place and you should go and check it out sometime.

Stark dip, get at me! I like this place a lot because it’s a laid back group. Reason for 4 stars and not 5 is because I came at 6:20pm on a weekday and the waitress said they only take to-​go orders the last hour now? Which was BS but it seemed like she was in a hurry to leave. I ended up just leaving. The stark dip and beers are the reason I come back tho!

The food is fresh and delicious. Well done. The sandwiches are amazing. The dip is my personal favorite. But the salads are mouth watering as well. The décor is cool. Local art posted everywhere with the price if you like to buy. The have alcohol also. They are open in the morning and make somewhat decent coffee. The staff is usually pretty nice. Never had an issue. Oh and the hummus is amazing! Pretty much it’s all good. Chips are a buy hard I’ve noticed so I always get a side salad instead. If you sit outside watch for bums. They are totally nuts in that area. But Hey. That’s Portland.