The Side Street Tavern

Been here a few times. Not much happens here, really. When the other bars are full, it seems like this is the last resort to get your drink on. And they do serve some solid drinks. $ 8 is the magic number for cocktails. They have local draft beer. Stayed away from the menu. One pool table. Average hipster crowd. As you can tell from my review, not much of anything really exciting to talk about. They have t.v. to watch. thats what I did. With my wife. We left after two drinks. I don’t care if they have Wi– Fi. I don’t care if they have parking for bikes. I just don’t care if I come back.

Solid beer selection and great cocktails, all served by very friendly bartenders. A chill place that attracts a friendly clientele.

Typical SE ‘divester’ establishment:
Drinks are decent.
Food is dreadful.
Trivia night (Tuesdays at 8) is (usually) outstanding, though it takes forever and the prizes are lame.
Enough said/​written.

Cool little hipster bar. Was super packed on a Tuesday night and we later learned it was trivia night. Fun times! The pizza sucked though. $ 8 for a personal sized supreme pizza that tasted like nothing. Sauce wasn’t memorable (maybe from a can?). It tasted like the cheapest ingredients put on top of a thin crust. I can make this at home for cheaper and taste better. Skip the pizza. Beside it being trivia night the Rainier beer rep was there so free rainier! Best part of the night and why I gave 3 stars instead of 2.

Sweet staff, great selection on tap, roomy pool table, good music playing, clean, dark and cozy.
Only complaint would be that the ashtrays outside needed more frequent attention.

Very quickly becoming my favorite local spot. I am never disappointed by the service, tap list or ambience. Also, great for people watching as with Belmont traffic, it sees a varied crowd throughout the night.

Nice bar on the east side. The best part is their cocktails which they make with fresh fruit which gives it a nice taste. The cat’s pajamas and the lucha libre were what I tried and they were both good.

If you’re a newly minted hipster with a well manicured lumberjack beard and a new OR license plate on that vintage car mom bought you, this is your place.
From the «bar in a box» interior to the untrained or downright rude staff this place seems like its target group is 21 – 25 year olds with shallow roots in Southeast. In an area with many fine neighborhood bars this place is worth skipping. The Schlitz wallpaper is cool though so two stars it is.

A pretty nice comfortable bar. Tots are pretty enjoyable and a good tap list. One of my favorite bars in the belmont and 34^th area.

To the bearded, skinny jean wearing, perm-​annoy looking «bartender» working at the Side Street Tavern during the Belmont St Festival on Saturday September 12^th, 2015, around 2:00pm. You’re a full on douche who has completely fallen into the wrong line of work. I’m sure you were hired because of your ridiculous hipster look and entitled attitude. You were beyond rude to my friend who you assumed was going to use the restroom and leave without ordering, (there were loads of port-​a-​potts outside due to the festival), then you were rude to me when I tried to order a drink. I pointed at the tap I wanted to try, I told you, «the second from the last tap, the one that says „Hard Cider“ on it!». Yet you still refused because there are «so many ciders on the beer menu». Well guess what freak, I had no idea what the name was!!! I just wanted to try something random!!! I don’t care what the name of the damn thing is, I saw hard cider on the tap and that is what I wanted to try! I pointed, I described, it was right there in front of you, second from the last tap, it said HARD CIDER!!! That’s all I wanted, but you and your horribly negative typical holier than thou hipster attitude could not fathom the thought of pouring a cider without the exact name, alcohol content and whatever else kinda useless information you wanted from me. You need to find another job… IMMEDIATELY! Bartending is NOT for you in any way. You are rude to your customers, you take about 10 minutes between customers doing God knows what, and you are not a pleasant person to deal with.
To the manager or owner of this tavern: everything else about your bar is great. It looks nice, it has outdoor seating, it feels like an old time tavern. I love it, but you need to either can that bearded hipster idiot, or send him to the back to cook, AWAY from the customers. This guy does not deserve the honor of serving people drinks. A bartender is a person who not only serves you a nice cold one after a long day, but also a person who you actually look forward to seeing after that long day, a welcoming smile, a great attitude, and an open ear. This bearded freak is the complete opposite of all that, and frankly gives bartenders a bad name.
Would I recommend this place to friends? Yes, but I will tell them about this bartender and warn them to walk right out if he is tending bar.
Would I come here again? Yes, only if there is someone else tending bar.

My friends and I were visiting from CA. We stopped by this bar while we were on our way to go somewhere else. We all got beer from their tap. My friends both got IPAs. One of them said it tasted like Lagunitas but better and she loves Laguinitas. I got their Elysian Split Shot Coffee Stout and it was only $ 4.75. It was delicous! It was the best coffee stout, I’ve tasted.
The bathrooms were clean. They have outdoor seating. Some pool tables inside. Our bartender was really nice too. Definitely would come back here if I’m in Portland again.

They have a clever PBR menu, complete with a Polaroid picture of yourself, a fake mustache, etc. and that wins me over. Otherwise, their food leaves a lot to be desired. Don’t order garlic tots or any of their pizzas. There are awesome giant chalkboard walls in the bathroom, though.
Drink, don’t eat.

Side street is your friendly neighborhood bar, that actually knows how to make a good drink or two. The cocktail menu is good, the rotating tap list never disappoints, prices are spectacular, you can get a PBR and a mustache for less than $ 5, and Tuesday night trivia is the best in the city. Best of all, the people working behind the counter are just good people. And that, my friends, adds up to 5 stars.

Left The Nest, for here.
Drinks are great here.
Food? Forget it.
I wanted a greek plate, and a pizza.
It’s not even midnight, and legally, they have to serve food.
But to be told it’s going to take 30-​an HOUR for them to slap olives together, with hummus, what?
Then, to be told there’s a good pizza place down the street (taking business from them), I’m confused.
Yes, it’s a Friday night.
No, this place is not crowded.
The bar is not swamped (the register is actually broken atm).
Unilocal, you’re letting me down.

Screw all these 4 star postings. Side Street is a firm 5.3! With some of the best cocktails in the city and some impeccable service, side street is top notch. Be sure to order the Cat’s Pajamas from the bartender Shaw. He loves making em and is by far the best at it.

Great cocktails at good prices! I got the Lucia libre and it is quite possibly the best tequila drink I have ever had :)

I stopped here for a glass of wine before going for a haircut across the street. I was greeted by Jose, who was very nice and friendly. As it was really hot out I decided on a glass of white wine and it was surprisingly not too bad. Dry and not to sweet. The food selection didn’t seem too appetizing, but i did munch on some peanuts. so I was happy. Seemed like an eclectic mix of folks who visited while i was there. I would have sat outside, but as usual when I want to sit outside it is taken up by smokers. Ugh! Anyhow, I’d go here again. It was mellow, and friendly, and had a decent glass of wine. Many others ordered cocktails and/​or beer. Cool!

I really liked this place but their beer pours are horrible. Not only do I often get a «pint» full of head but they use cheater pint glasses. Not cool.
That said, they have a great beer selection and they play blazer games on a single silent tv above the bar. Great for a closeted sports fan like myself. Also their jukebox is excellent. But seriously, get some real pint glasses. Really disappointed by this. It’s dishonest and disrespectful of your customers.

I was looking for a late night beer, some food, electric outlet & wifi.
They came to the rescue. Pleasant bar, open late with food, beer & wifi.
Good selection of draft beer, a ok choice of food — mostly salad and pizza.
WiFi clocks in at 77% — better then many places.

Hands down… my favorite bar in Portland. I love the atmosphere and themed drinks… the bartenders are always very friendly with us — even when we weren’t regulars, they treated us nicely.
Also, for being on Belmont, this has a nice mix of all sorts of people from different walks of life. The *only* complaint I have about Side Street is that the drinks ARE a little on the expensive side if you get a custom made one — they run about 7 – 8, however we’re talking quality, fresh ingredients, so it makes sense. Just a little on the steep side IMO.