The Blitz Pearl is an excellent place to catch your game. During the football season, staff always made sure my team was on the big screen. Enough televisions around the pub to have plenty of different games on. No worries if your not into the games on the screen, there are always pool tables (free on Sunday), darts, shuffleboard, and air hockey to pass the time. Booze is fairly priced with good specials from time to time. Food is standard pub fare..excellent happy hour food prices. Atmosphere could be improved...started by taking down the ragged Colts and Steelers flags outside the door! Good dive bar in the over-trendy Pearl.

Been here a few times, and let me tell you the bartenders are great, very professional. On the other hand the bouncers not so much, in need of a reality check!

You neglected to mention in your lengthy lecture how it pertains to Blitz. Shouldn't it have been under the Montage heading? And, yes it's true there is a fair amount of rude servers who should not be serving. But there is a difference between them and good servers, who like their jobs, but will not slurp up people's shit with a smile. I'll take them over stressed out, fake-smiling corporate ass-kissers any day.

Personally, I don't like the way most bars operate. What baffles me is that so many people seem to care what the bartender or server thinks of them. It's as though people need the approval of someone pouring drinks to feel "cool". And most people will pay a dollar per drink in tips for the privilege.

I'm not bashing the job - I've done it myself. But, I certainly never believed that I was too cool or important to be polite and courteous to those who paid my rent.

Because of this kind of crappy attitude which can and does happen in any bar around town I have decided I am not putting up with it. I tip based on the service. If you're an ass I will tip you $1; if you do your job properly then 15%; if you're exceptionally nice then I'll consider more.

TIPS no longer seems To Insure Prompt Service.

Serving tables/drinks is not at all difficult. One thing I hated the most about the job was how much the staff bashed paying customers and complained about everything imaginable. No one owes you anything and your customers are not all idiots.

Sad fact of the job is that "server" really means "servant". So, yes, you're somebody's bitch and that is the job you took. If you hate it so much then find another job.

And before you want to blast me, I also recognize how incredibly crappy the restaurant industry can be to its employees.

They'll call you onto a shift having you drive from home only to say, "we're slow - go home without any pay."

You work holidays and nights when most others are relaxing.

You don't get health care in most cases, and when you do... it's a lot of money for little benefit.

You deal with a-holes who are hungry. That hunger makes them bigger a-holes.

One part I hated was listening to the managers tell me how prestigious my job was. And I guess it was somewhat prestigious in the sense that a lot of people wanted the job. Of course, this leads to all sorts of political games with little regard to the employee, their schedule and their overall livelihood. Shame on the industry for that one.

Nevertheless, with those worries I still don't believe it's reasonable to detract from someone's meal with their family/friend/clients or whomever.

So, please, I ask all of you bartenders and servers to stop acting like you hate your job/me/everyone and remember that I'm paying at least 300% markup on a damned hamburger. I'm paying for the service to be delightful, prompt, attitude free and with as few errors as possible!

Don't do the following: -speak industry lingo -sit down at the table -kneel -complain about how many tables you have -complain about anything else -tell me you dumped out the iced tea because closing time passed 2 minutes ago. You take tables until that closing time and then you give them service until they are satisfied. Otherwise, why don't you just stop taking tables 30 minutes earlier? Grow up. -bring a straw with your barehands -forget waters when they are clearly ordered -come to my table without knowing the menu -take 30 minutes to refill drinks, get the check, take payment, etc. -forget all your manners because you're unhappy with your job.

Have some damn self-respect and just do the job you agreed to take. No one forced you. If it's so bad - and this is for anyone who is starting to write a reply complaining that I don't get it - then find another line of work. I hated the industry when I worked it years ago and I left; I'm much happier now. But stop taking your frustrations out on my social events.

Tip for local restaurant owners:

Your losing out on a fair amounnt of business because much of the time I hear people say they want to go to a corporately run restaurant because of some of these reasons:

-cleaner -consistent menu and service -better parking -more space to sit and feel comfortable (I know the space is not cheap and you have to get as many tables in as possible, but when I spend $75 on a meal I would to be free to move my elbows!) -less attitude from servers -recourse if your meal is bad - They actually seem to care!

I would personally prefer to eat at a locally run establishment but I usually do not. Especially when I'm entertaining clients! I take them somewhere that I know the service will most likely be better than some place like the Montage (had to throw that in there - they're not cool, they're just have the worst customer service in Portland).

Peace.

Blitz is a great addition to the Pearl. Almost a 'working man's bar' in the middle of all the snotty, wanna be bars in the Pearl. Split level offers a quieter gig upstairs for those who don't want to yell to talk. Downstairs features a central, rectangular bar that is accessable from all sides. Booths offer great seats along one side but fill up quick on weekend nights. Pool, air hockey and other games are a nice distraction. Low ceilings combined with full crowd does make the lower bar area extremely hot on weekend nights. Dress in layers as you will want to shed some clothes when the temp gets above 85. An updated AC system would do wonders for the lower bar. Good bar staff that humps even during busy times. Strong drinks at fair prices. Great mix of people. Ages, fashions and walks of life all mix well at Blitz. Door staff is professional, but friendly. A nice change. Probably wouldn't spend the entire night here, but it's a great place to start or finish. I would recommend Blitz to anyone who enjoys the Pearl or NW as a nice change from the other stuck up bars in that neighborhood. Keep it up.

Sad that I can't say much more about Blitz than that the food items on the menu looked like. Dropped in with my girlfriend around 2:30 PM Saturday November 15. People in the bar, but no wait staff, and no one at the bar in the lower level. Waited about 5-10 minutes, and no one entered the placed to see if we wanted to order anything. Left down stairs, and went up stairs. Several people seated on the upper level, someone in back making lunch, but again, no one approached us about serving us. Someone who worked there came in from outside, cellphone to ear, walked into the back where the cook was making things, and then went downstairs all without letting the cellphone go.

Needless to say, since the business wasn't interested in our business, we took it elsewhere. Hadn't tried the one in SE Ladd Addition area, but might not bother now, even if it's closer geographically.

Hello all... My name is poe and I'm the new manager here at Blitz. Good to see some reviews on here... I hope to see more in the future :) We have an updated menu and are always taking free table reservations for any game that you want to bring your party to see. Come down and say what's up to me and you may just get a treat.

The place was packed this weekend. I love the bartenders. Drinks were stiff and cheap with no smoking. Loved it. Shannon was so accommodating downstairs. We will be back for sure. Highly recommended.

I found Blitz a few months ago and my roommate and I go in at least a few times a week. It's close to my work on NW 23rd. The bartenders are all super nice and fun to look at and it just has a good vibe. I freakin' love their billy goat hazelnut salad and the drinks are cheaper than other places in the Pearl. It's a lot like a dive bar, but not, and the people are really cool.

This Place cracks me up. Someone determined they needed a new dive bar in the pearl, so here comes blitz. With beer signs, pool tables, and particle board walls it sure looks like it... The many things that a dive bar is preferable is missing... expensive drinks, no smoking, and general charm.

Its the kinda new dive bar that could only be in the pearl :)

I'm not socially awkward. If you want a great crowd of "regular guys and gals", this is the place to go in the Pearl. It's a bit less intense in douche-baggery than Henry's, and the atmosphere is MILES ABOVE Lowbrow. I recommend it for a solid weekend band (Tony Smiley was playing the two nights I was there), HUGE sports area (pool, shuffleboard, HDTV sports) and even a quieter booth section to avoid the loud sports crowd. Food is standard, and drinks range from inexpensive to top shelf. What you really get out of this is a chill, HUGE, "fraternity basement" feel.

I avoided this place at first due to its location (Pearl) as well as its general appearance of snootiness (the outside reeks of every other snooty retail /restaraunt / gallery in the area).

And while finding out that I'm actually in a sports bar doesn't usually inspire enthusiasm-- my visit was chill enough that the ragin' sports-tubes might as well have not existed at all. It was a weekday afternoon, post-lunch-rush, and the waitress said they'd been swamped. But at the moment I was the only person in the bar, and this alone made it a pretty awesome reprieve from most other affordable lunch options in the 'hood.

I'll take a $6 burger any day over a whored-out $8 one, and what Blitz served up for the former price was pretty decent. I'll be going back, but I'll sure-as-shit make sure it's not playoff season.