Ash Street Saloon
225 SW Ash St. Portland, OR 97204Phone: (503) 226.0430
Located in: Downtown Portland - Visit Website
BarFly's Review of Ash Street Saloon
Indelible mainstay of the downtown spiral, the Ash Street roared to life more than a decade ago as the first area bar to properly exploit video poker, but, though a couple machines remain busy, recent clientele tend toward different vices. The seemingly annual devolution of the menu has resulted in a handful of options best avoided, happy hour crowds have largely moved around the corner, but the concerts, with shruggable covers belying the size of the stage or quality of sound, draw better than ever.
Even during the less-attended performances, neighborhood mainstays prowl the two bars and back patio, and, when the throngs overfill the venue for bigger (likely local, still) acts to shout and preen and stagger approval, hard not to believe a vibrant community of rawk yet exists.
$2.50 menu, $1 select doms, $2.50 well & micros 4-8pm daily.
Mondays: Open Mic.
Tuesdays: Mixed Social (9 PM, FREE!) + $2.50 MacTarnahan's and Haymaker, 8pm to close.
| Ash Street Saloon's Happy Hours | |
|---|---|
| Monday | $2.50 menu, $1 select doms, $2.50 well & micros / 11am-8pm: $2.50 Jack & Coke 4-8pm |
| Tuesday | $2.50 menu, $1 select doms, $2.50 well & micros / 11am-8pm: $2.50 Jack & Coke 4-8pm |
| Wednesday | $2.50 menu, $1 select doms, $2.50 well & micros / 11am-8pm: $2.50 Jack & Coke 4-8pm |
| Thursday | $2.50 menu, $1 select doms, $2.50 well & micros / 11am-8pm: $2.50 Jack & Coke 4-8pm |
| Friday | $2.50 menu, $1 select doms, $2.50 well & micros / 11am-8pm: $2.50 Jack & Coke 4-8pm |
| Saturday | $2.50 menu, $1 select doms, $2.50 well & micros 4-8pm |
| Sunday | $2.50 menu, $1 select doms, $2.50 well & micros 4-8pm |
15 (fifteen), Alexis, Barracuda, Beauty Bar, Berbati's, Berbati's Pan, Boiler Room, C.C. Slaughter's, Cabaret Lounge, Captain Ankeny's Well, Club Rouge, Couture Ultra Lounge, Dan & Louis's Shucking Room, Dante's, Darcelle XV, Davis Street Tavern, Dirty, Dixie Tavern, Fifteen, Fox and Hounds, Ground Kontrol, Hobo's, Huber's, Invasion Cafe, Kells Irish, Kelly's Olympian, Kincaid's Fish Chop and Steak House, Magic Gardens, Mama Mia Trattoria, McFadden's, Mother's, Mucho Grande, Old Town Pizza, Pasha, Portland City Grill, Qube, Republic, Rialto, Roseland, Satyricon, Shanghai Tunnel, Silverado, Someday Lounge, Spyce, The Crown Room, Thirsty Lion Pub, Tube, Valentine's, Whiskey Bar & Lounge, XV, Yes and No
Ash Street Saloon Calendar | |
|---|---|
| Sun 03/21 @ 9:30 pm | Negative-Zen, WHIPCORD Door: $5.00 |
| TODAY! @ 9:30 pm | Pinkzilla, St. Elias Door: $5.00 |
| Tue 03/23 @ 9:15 pm | Mixed Social every Tuesday Sons Of Soil, Gabby Holt Band, The Bright Midnight Door: FREE! |
| Wed 03/24 @ 9:30 pm | Neon Culpa, Apophis Theory, The Asylum, Closureyes Door: $5.00 |
| Thu 03/25 @ 9:30 pm | TallBoy ShotGun, Super Happy Story Time Land, The Athiarchists, 3B Door: $5.00 |
| Fri 03/26 @ 9:30 pm | Album Cover Night! Sleepwalk Kid, Drop Dead Legs, The Fashion Nuggets Door: $5.00 |
| Sat 03/27 @ 9:00 pm | The Heartbeat Concert Series Kenny Mack, Diezel P, T & E, Gen.Erik, Serge Severe, Mack Dub Door: $7.00 |
Both my friend and I enjoyed the $1 PBR, $2.50 wells, and $2.50 food - light on the wallet. Good atmosphere at the bar or tables to relax with friends. Friendly people as well.
Roc is correct, Ash's clock runs 15 minutes fast and HH is over at 7:45, but HH also starts at 3:45 so you get the whole 4 hours. And in defense of the staff here, they don't care if you are "cool" or not, they care if you TIP. During HH the staff is constantly pouring $1 PBRs to the scum (me included) of downtown which don't tip even a quarter (well, at least i tip) the whole 4 hours.
Great happy hour deals, and a good selection of beer for those of you who cannot stomach PB Two problems...their clock is like 15 minutes fast so don't try to order anything from the ahppy hour menu after 7:45 pm, and the servers tend to ignore or give bad service to anyone who is not dressed "cool" enough for them...so if you plan to go after work for a beer, I'd take off the collared shirt and maybe put on a rub-on tattoo. It is a cool place for the most part.
Ash now has one of those downloadable jukeboxes. normally, i really don't like them ... but this is a huge upgrade from the previous jukebox here and the hard drive selections by Heather were spot on
been hanging out there pretty regularly since the first time i moved here in 1998. great happy hour grub, awesome staff, stiff drinks, etc. ive noticed that the music calendar isn't quite what it used to be the last time i was in portland, but several of the shows ive seen in the last few months were kickass, especially elvis birthday extravaganza. perhaps the summer will bring about more of a variety. good to know that some things never change too much..
... at least for those who are not beer snobs. Matt the PBR rep is now back in town 100% (recently he was spending a lot of time in Seattle). ran into him at the Ash and he bought me a few PBRs. nice guy. so look for him and score a few free pints
I think that they should rename it to the "ASS STREET" because I've got more ass out of that joint then any bar in town! call me "LUCKY" or just can me a "STUD"
Josh G
Yummmmiiiieeeee
Ash St rocks my world!
Great local bands, heavy handed drink pour-ers and a dark atmosphere...How much more could a music lovin parton ask for? Maybe a lifetime pass? Hint Hint
ASH street... Great place I think that the various ghosts of dead rock and rollers live on in there walls. The music has been turned up to help the auditoryly challenged musicians and crowd alike. the walls are tastefully painted dark colors so that even in your palest moments you can still seem to have some color. the little courtyard that is a trap for the pidgeon poop and the VLT games oppisite the banos which trap unsuspecting waiting patrons. Its all part of the package and its the reason I continue to return to the Ash st. pub. I dunno why I allow myself to think that I'm regaining some lost to time part of my life by returning to the punk rock roots ...but it works... I feel younger and older and VERY drunk every time I go.. the stiff drinks are subjective to the amount of drinks you have had and the mood of the service.. remember tipping like your from england is a good way to get watered down drinks.. and the pool of leaking sesspit water in the bano is to keep the weak from staying!
CHEERS! --- GET YER DRINK ON!!!
Ash is the only remaining TRUE rock club in downtown. Cheap beer and stiff drinks, loud as hell live music, friendly as shit employees. You want to be seen or look cool, don't come here, go somewhere else so we don't have to deal with your ass. This place is all about the Rock, booze, and good times, the way a PDX rock club should be.
we go here so much... its just such a friendly bar with good happy hour deals. that makes shopping or having to have dinner with the inlaws so much more tolerable!
I think you guys should go back to Ash St and make note that things have changed there dramatically, I've been enjoying it much more as of the last year. Shows are great, cover charges are much lower then other clubs, and there's a ton of new faces working there, very familiar ones ;) and you can still smoke there, unlike some of the other clubs. Not dissin anyone, but come on, no smoking? Anyway, Long live the rawk, baby! Can't we all be more positive?
The dudes who work here pour great drinks but what is with that chick that is always there? The skinny one with curly hair? She sucks! Nice girl but a friggn' weak ass pour! I mean, do her parents own the bar or something? After like 5 jack and cokes I barely had a buzz. I don't even like beer but at least I know there is some alcohol in there! Anyways, cool bar, lots of stinky drunks, alternative portland people and one of the best happy hours I know of.
uhh the above comments pretty much sum up the clientele at the ash street.. sub moronic for the most part.. cant even spell the name of the cheesy novelty act they are hyping
perhaps this is why the staff all look so unhappy like someone pooped in their wheaties
when i tip at the ash street i just do so because the bartenders already seem superbummed, not because anything about approaching the bar was a pleasant experience
would it kill you people to smile and say thank you?
we are *not* always drunk!
i was there sober ... hmmm, last tuesday.
great BTs, decent happy hour, so-so jukebox, bands vary from "all my gawd are they serious" to "okay"
Ash St. has decent shows, and the sound system is usually good. The main bar room is pretty cool, but the other room with the stage is waaaay too dark. It's hard enough to socialize over a live band but more so when you can't even see the expressions on peoples faces. It can be fun if there's a decent crowd dancing up front, but otherwise, people are just sitting at tables in virtual darkness like their holed up in some Vietnamese POW camp awaiting torture.
Shit, motha fucka. That Levon shit was tyeeet. Motha can pump seed into the air like a motha fuckin Peter North air compressor. Don't say nothin' but the shit was sorta turnin my shit on. Damn, motha fucka. Let me bleep one out to the DL shiz nizzles.
i saw levon levan there too! i think the singer thrust his way into MY heart! he just keeps thrusting and thrusting and thrusting! i love him.
saw these guys here the other night. they rock, the place rocks,and the night rocked on! the cooks opened and were boiling hot too!