Vendetta

I live a few blocks up the street, so have probably been here at least 500 times over the several years I’ve lived on Williams. Here’s a Unilocal review, cause I’m bored.
Booze: mostly beer. Good selection of rotating low volume microbrews, cheap Rainier pints always, cans and bottles of most commonly requested items.
There’s a smallish offering of key spirits and liquors sufficient to get a decent (and poured stuff) whiskey, or make a simple standard-​ask cocktail. Not much of anything in the wine department, mostly there in case someone asks for it.
Food: edible, to accompany the booze. Menu was recently augmented and situation has gotten better. Nachos and quesadillas are common orders and are well executed.
Ambiance: inside, it is a converted garage — simple, clean, low lighting, un-​updated 2009-​hip. Suggest sitting at the bar. Shuffleboard and pinball if you dig those vibes.
Outside there is a big patio out back which gets fucking bonkers crazy in the summer. Not sure where all those people come from because they don’t live in the neighborhood. If you’re looking for a low key casual time it can sometimes be too much as the patio crowd transforms the cozy atmosphere into a high volume service destination.
Staff: low turn over, appears to function as a well knit team, generally reasonable and friendly people with interesting stuff going on outside their bar gig. Owners are friendly and frequently stop in.
Patronage: lots of neighborhood folks, occasional stop ins from local celebrities. Total fucking wild card on busy warm summer days when the patio is blowin off the chainz. Average age probably like 32. Various different styles of people copratriating, nothing too crazy.
Use: suitable as a hang zone, and perhaps as a date destination depending on your budget /​interest in the person.
Friday and Saturday nights can get a little cray cray, and turn more into a standing room only thug nasty club times kinda vibe, so I recommend going during the week, or like, before 9pm.
Overall, this is a stronghold of what North Portland used to be like (after it was already known to be cool, but before New Portland took off). And at this point a definitive staple bar in the neighborhood. Would certainly recommend a visit, if the above description matches that of a location you are seeking.

Great neighborhood bar with good people bar tending and hanging out. Shuffleboard is pretty sweet as well. They poor good drinks and also serve some pretty good food. However there are now some towering apartments or condos on all sides of it. It’s pretty scary.

Fun place on a Saturday night. There are people, DJ, outside patio and inside tables. Typical bar with music that is almost trying to be club-​like that you’ll find in every major city. While the chalkboard offers some impressive sounding beers, there is no actual drink menu with mixed drink specialties. That night I felt like having a mixed drink and asked the bartender for a «creative spin on a whisky sour». I got Makers Mark shaken with mashed oranges that came out to be $ 11. Quite pricy for a Portland spot. The next bartender gave me well whisky with OJ for $ 4. I guess drink prices here are whatever they feel like pricing them.

Entered, turned around, and left when the bartender said, «Those f*ckers think I’m going to come out and serve them.»

I’m surprised this doesn’t have better reviews. Doesn’t look like much from the outside but don’t judge a book by its cover, to be cliché. Really cute bar and a huge outdoor area. Drinks were well poured and cheap for what you get. The service was what you’d expect on a Friday night. Staff did a good job at picking up empty glasses and keeping the bar clean. Definitely hitting this place up more often.

Dark neighborhood bar that pours em strong. Shuffleboard table inside, and a couple pinball machines. There is a large patio with covered and uncovered seating. Lots of greenery and space to chill outside. Usually open outside until 11 or later. This is adjacent to houses and sound levels are taken into account. A fun casual place to drink and socialize. The have a dj spinning 80s or something else some nights and there is a digital jukebox that is usually playing good music. The pulled pork quesadilla is great and they do take out. Small food menu, and drink specials every day.

The food and drinks here are fairly good, but the service leaves much to be desired. Even though there was only 5 or 6 other people in the bar, it took about 10 minutes each time we ordered drinks to get our drinks (there was a group of about 6 of us). And this is ordering at the bar. The bartenders would literally ignore us standing in front of them to do dishes, sweep, or chat with each other. We were summarily kicked off the patio long before close because «We close the patio early», and the server tried to pick up and throw away half-​full drinks of people that had gone to the restroom. Later, five minutes before close, the server came to our (now inside) table and said «Time to go» and abruptly picked up all of our food and drink. Mind you, this is when we were tipping anywhere from 25−40% on each order. Will not go back, ever.

Perfect neighborhood bar. Staff is friendly and efficient. Good selection of beers on tap and in the bottle. I was in need of a good cocktail, but a drink menu was not to be seen so I went with a conservative choice of a Stiegl Lager on tap and a scotch neat (scotch selection is lacking a bit, if that’s your speed). However, the pours were very generous!
The bar has a great vibe and energy that made you want to kick back and hang out. It was a full house on the night of my visit, but it never felt too crowded or long waits for service at the bar. Our party of six had plenty of room at the pinic table outback.
They have a quality shuffle board and a delightful patio set up with plenty of tables and shade while you imbibe. The patio is a hidden oasis away from the action on N. Williams with trees, plants and pavers breaking up the large space into different sections. There was also a DJ doing his thing in the bar on my Saturday night visit.
Vendetta is a classic spot to congregrate with friends and stangers alike to drink the day or night away!

This is my first time at Vendetta. I just told the bartender they have ants. She gave me a look, rolled her eyes at me and said dismissively, «every bar has ants.»
So there you have it… Vendetta’s ant policy. I wonder what their rodent policy is. Consider yourselves warned.
This is my last time at Vendetta.

A few things I like about Vendetta: A List by Matt
— A huge patio with plenty of seating options. Wanna be covered? Plenty of tables with umbrellas for that. Want some sunshine? They’ve got you covered there too, cowboy!
— Just stupid cheap beers. $ 6 pitchers of Rainier on Sundays Make day drinking economical!
— The best bar game on the planet, Shuffleboard.
— Great tunes.
Seriously, what else could you want? I’ve found my new summer hangout.

one of my favorite neighborhood bars. period.
shuffle board! liberal clients. good drinks. nice bartenders.

Vendetta is one of the few spots on N Williams that doesn’t try so desperately hard to be «new Portland.» It delivers up an awesome space and friendly bartenders with unpretentious charm.
So, sometimes I order wine at bars. It’s weird, I know. The bartender at Vendetta poured me a sample to help me decide, which is a much appreciated act of hospitality that is rare these days. Drinks are reasonably priced– my glass of shiraz was $ 7.
Vendetta’s space is some pre-​fab awesomeness, complete with tons of raised pub table seating and a back patio that is ideal for those hot Portland summer days. Note: it’s unheated, so you’ll really want to save it for summer. Put a pin in it. It looks like a Japanese garden back there and they even have a separate outside bar they use in the summer months.
There’s two pinball machines inside and they were making their way through Sonic Youth’s discography the night I stopped in. My kind of place.

Excellent little bar, dark atmosphere, shuffle board, juke box, nice art, dank brews. Weird guy doing interpretive dance moves in the corner. What more could you want in a portland bar?!

Server hooked us up with a plate of burnt nachos w/​a few shreds of cheese that stood maybe ½ inch high. I used to live around the corner from the V, I thought they’d treat me a lil better. Not worth my time or money.

great bar. what to expect here: solid draft line up, sometimes they mix it up, direct bartender, seating outside is charming. They have shuffleboard.
Keep it in mind. Not trendy, not hipster, no TVs, but a legit spot for a pint/​cocktail.

Go for the really great large patio and enjoy a drink with a really great cheese pretzel. You won’t be sorry.
I have never spend any time inside because there is such a great back patio filled with tons of picnic benches.
Sometimes the lines for the bar can take a while but its worth the wait and the staff are fun and fast.

I’ve been back after some years. They have made some adjustments with their service. It’s gotten better, they are more prompt.
The rocks/​gravel are far friendlier to my non-​sober friends. There are shades available at the patio.

They have a couple of pinball machines and a beautiful back patio. Nice everyday drink prices too! At first I thought their food menu was typical bar food, but the tofu sandwich I had was definitely better than average. The citrus cilantro marinated pan fried tofu by itself had a nice subtle flavor. The sandwich seemed to be missing the yummy sounding garlic habanero sauce, but a bite of pickled veggies (the side I chose) with each bite of sandwich really made it a treat. Plus, I realized that Vendetta carries the Radler Grapefruit beer that I discovered at a recent Beerfest — it’s surprisingly refreshing. :)

I got the tofu sandwich. It was on good bread and was a solid sandwich. What really made it stand out was the pickled veges on the side. I could have gotten chips, but I would have really kicked myself.
I thought the drink prices were reasonable and this is a solid join.

I’m definitely rating this place higher than I would have in the past. The main reason I steered clear of the joint earlier even though it’s around the corner is the lack of beer choices… but that has definitely changed! They have a variety on tap, make strong drinks, have shuffleboard and have one of the best outdoor yard areas for drinking in the city. it is hipster… but you could bring your own crew and take over easily! The nachos are good as well. It would be nice if they had a happy hour food menu!
Can’t wait for the warmer weather to come so I can enjoy this place even more!