The Mash Tun is actually one of my favorite bars in the NE (and one of my favorites in the city, period). I actually found this place on a whim one day when trying to find a bar where a vegan friend of mine and I would be able to eat together. We came in and had one of the best experiences in a Portland bar that we'd ever had. Not only did the bartender provide us with great service, but when we weren't sure what kind of beer we wanted, she was more than happy to bring us samples of each beer to make sure we were getting exactly what we wanted. The food was good and the atmosphere was perfect. (They have a huge roll-up door they open when the weather is nice so everyone can get some fresh air.)

The food can, on occasion, be hit or miss. But for the most part, it's pretty delicious. My vegan friends really like their buffalo wrap and the burgers are excellent. (It's no Slo-Burger, but I've never heard anyone complain about it) I won't lie; Their house brews are not in the same league as a place like HUB or Lompoc, but they're brewed on site and they hit the spot. They also serve up a selection of beers from all over Portland (and beyond). And their house brews are super-cheap on Tuesdays! In fact, they've actually lowered the prices recently. $2 a pint and $8 a pitcher. (Yeah...a pitcher for less than the cost of two pints at pretty much any bar.)

The Mash Tun's set-up is pretty amazing. It's a nice, open space with plenty of varied seating. Showing up with one other person? No problem--grab a small table. Showing up with 10? They can handle that too. There's also a roll-up door that they open up during nice days so everyone gets a taste of the breeze. And the patio also has plenty of seating as well. (They're currently working on expanding the back patio to accomodate larger groups and to make sure the smokers stay happy.) And if you've got a canine best friend, they're more than welcome to hang out on the patio. (This has made The Mash Tun the default meeting place for my friends on more than one occasion.) And if you like pool, darts, checking your e-mail, or plugging in choices into the juke box, then this is the place for you...that stuff is all free! (A head's up on the juke box--it's one of my favorite in the city, but it doesn't play music in order. If a dozen people are plugging in tunes, it tends to randomize the order they play so everyone gets a chance to listen to some of the songs they've picked. It's not broken.)

The service is also good. When I went in the for the first time, the waitress always made sure we had everything we needed and was super-nice and polite. In fact, the service was one of the reasons I came back. (For a short while, the service took a bit of a dive...this was due to one waitress in particular, but I think she's either quit or gotten fired...so the service is back to being where it needs to be at.)

Pros: During happy hour, or on a Tuesday, drinks are super-cheap. The food is above average (get the tator tots during happy hour for sure) and the beer is pretty good (especially for what you pay). Free pool. Free wi-fi. Free darts. Free juke box. They don't care if you have your dog on the patio. Friendly service.

Cons: They only brew 6 barrels at a time. So if there's a beer you really like, drink as much as you can while you have the chance...it might not be there in two weeks--not until they brew another batch. On occasion (it's rare, but it happens), the food is less-than-stellar. If they're really, really busy, service can suffer. (That applies to any bar, though.)

In summation; The food is pretty good, but not the best you can find in Portland. The beer is good, but not the best you can find in Portland. The ambiance is good, but not the best you can find in Portland. BUT, when you add all these things together, add in the service you get, and the overall friendly air of the place, you get something that's more than the sum of its parts--you get a really awesome place to hang out with your friends and drink cold beer. This REALLY is one of my favorite places to have a drink with my friends. (Feel free to write messages of encouragement on their chalkboard walls in the bathroom.)

Love the mash tun. Food it hit or miss, but usually good enough--and lots of veggie options too--Not all fried and greasy. Beer is good, and cheap on Tuesdays. Nice, laid back atmosphere. Love the free jukebox. Not sure what the previous review means about the music. When I'm there at night, I can barely tell if the jukebox has played my songs. But I've never been there for breakfast--maybe there's no crowd noise to drown out the jukebox?

My husband and I stopped in for breakfast at Mash Tun this morning. It was the ultimate disappointment! To begin with, I could hardly wait to get my food and get out of there because the music was so over-the-top loud and grungey. But when the food arrived, that is when things totally went wrong. My over-medium eggs were so way over cooked and rubbery, the potatoes were fried beyond recognition, and the toast never did arrive--not only that, the waitress never returned to give me a chance to ask for the toast. My husband's food was barely edible. With so many good restaurants, places like this have to show some sort of culinary skills to survive. If people go there, it isn't for the food. We will never go back there!

It's too bad because with all the breakfast places on Alberta St. over flowing, Mash Tun has a great opportunity to attract business. But with food and service like that, they might as well pack it in right away!

I live around the corner from the Mash Tun. I have been going since the week they opened. Since the beginning, they have had a great atmosphere with great service and a great jukebox. The food is a bit hit and miss, but definately above average for bar fare.

The problem is the beer. The owner/brewer struggled to get things underway before releasing a long awaited batch of decent brews. The batches that followed were very inconsistent. Same names, but not the same beers. There was a long stretch with no house beers while he tried to remedy the situation. When some new beers finally came online, they tasted like a 19 year old made them in a 5 gallon bucket.

The Mash Tun is a great place. Just don't expect great beer. It's a shame, because the brewing setup is spectacular. I would love to see a talented brewer in there.

Good view for people watching. I like this place, particularly on Tuesday's with $2.50 well drinks (stiff!). We received very good and attentive service and really enjoyed the diverse crowd (for PDX of course).

They have a decent patio as well... The food was average at best however(uninspired hummus plate and fish and chips were not so hot).

house beer is barely drinkable, luckily they usually have Abita Turbo Dog on tap. service is horrible, especially tuesday nights. The mass amount of TV is mind-numbingly distracting in a bad way. And what the hell happened to Darcy? he was the best server ever, real & genuine...not fake nice and ass-kissing like the current obnoxious staff.

The Mash Tun is a few blocks from my house and I pretty much adore it. The staff is always great and attentive, especially Kim. The food has always been tasty and the Tuesday beer nights are a lot of fun. It's a good place to hang out with other folks from the neighborhood and the jukebox is jam packed with perfection. Five stars from me and I'm on my way there tonight. I'll be the girl with orange hair.

The beer is good. It's really cheap on tuesday, and if the kitchen is still open the food is good too. But I thought it was an Oregon law that food has to be avaliable if there are drinks, and last time I tried to order fries at around 10pm they had closed the kitchen! and I had a little trouble with the jukebox-but rad that it's free!

Come in Tuesday nights for one of the better deals in NE: $2 for super pints (20 ozs.) of homebrew all day long, the alcohol cotent of which is posted on a chalkboard. Considering how watery Pabst is, you can probably get just as drunk here on a weekday as you can at The Know's happy hour two blocks down the street for the same price and much better beer.

Mash Tun is easily my favorite place. The staff is beyond attentive, especially Heather and Darcy. The beer is always good and the low-priced totally gourmet menu is refreshing; I don't have to hunt for healthy food, but if I feel like being naughty there are fried dishes too. Free jukebox and pool table. Hands-down the coolest place around!

Beers here are kind of subpar, especially for a micro-loving city like Portland. Good appetizers, though.

Great little pub, this (and the guy who always waits on me is a baseball fan, hard to find many of us in Pdx). Decent enough food, good brews. We've been twice. Good but small patio.