Nick's Famous Coney Island
3746 SE Hawthorne Blvd Portland, OR 97214Phone: (503) 235.4024
Located in: Southeast Portland - Visit Website
BarFly's Review of Nick's Famous Coney Island
A fixture on the Hawthorne strip for decades. Now, considerably cleaned up, and with a few modern touches (HD tv x2), new counters and new booths. Retains its vintage feel in 50s-style fixtures, and its marvelous array of old-timey sports memorabilia. Former patron, now owner, Ty, frequently seen chatting up the bar, will be happy to give you a tour. Young staff is quick and lively, serving up a still heavily Coney Island-centric menu, and everybody's favorite - booze (it used to be a beer bar, only).
$2 wells, $2 beers 3:30-6pm every day.
Former review:
Likely the only sports bar to divide passions equally between the Trailblazers and Yankees - and that's ignoring the Neil Diamond shrine - Nick's Coney Island may best be understood as a mysteriously-subsidized living history, something like a storefront VA Williamsburg hidden within NY Williamsburg, where kids would learn Americans once cared about baseball.
Whether an eccentric industrialist's private joke or a secretly-funded Chamber Of Commerce project, the marvelous anachronism makes most sense as a museum; that'd explain the lighting and hours, anyway. It's too expensive to be an old man's bar, fits Hawthorne as well as a queer boutique midst downtown Gresham and the restrained food options ... well, you'd be best in the mood to pay top dollar for super-sized Coney Island Dogs. Which has to happen, right? Right?
Tuesdays: Trivia
| Nick's Famous Coney Island's Happy Hours | |
|---|---|
| Monday | $2 wells, $2 beers 3:30-6pm |
| Tuesday | $2 wells, $2 beers 3:30-6pm |
| Wednesday | $2 wells, $2 beers 3:30-6pm |
| Thursday | $2 wells, $2 beers 3:30-6pm |
| Friday | $2 wells, $2 beers 3:30-6pm |
| Saturday | $2 wells, $2 beers 3:30-6pm |
| Sunday | $2 wells, $2 beers 3:30-6pm |
Backstage Bar, Bagdad Theater, Balcony Bar at Hawthorne Theatre, Bread and Ink, Bridgeport Alehouse, Chez Machin, Greater Trumps, Hawthorne Theater, Mulligan's, No Fish Go Fish
I never made it to the old one -- but I'm ok with that.
After meeting an employee of the place in a bar up the road a peice, I asked what the deal was. The response, swirled with the evening's intake, must not have made much sense. I say this because my response-in-turn was something along the lines of "no, that doesn't sound right".
A few weeks later, I was walking by and the relevant parts of the conversation came back to me. Hot dogs, lively crew ... liquor!
I picked up my sweet, sweet lady and we checked it out. NOM, NOM, NOM! Sub-$30 for a couple of dogs with sides, freakishly triumphant mac-n-cheese and four tasty cocktails have all made return customers of us both.
Oh -- Despite being a born-and-raised midwesterner, I never really "got" baseball (or Kevin Kostner's mom and apple pie sensibilities). Regardless, the decor was clean and fun. We found the experience a great get away from the more pretentious PDX dinner destinations.
I lived in Portland from 2000-2003 and i drank beer everyday and ate dogs at Nicks...someone called my after I moved to New Orleans and said they were gonna close it. I'm glad to see it's open. I just visited for the first time in 2008 and it was KILLAH!!! I think I like the old mushey weinies a bit better , but i aint complainin and hope to get back in when I visit in 2009!!!
The girl and I went in here on a whim, one rainy day a weekish ago. I just wanted to eat. I didn't even know this place had a bar. Normally, if I just wanted a dirty veggie dog, I'd just head up to Zack's Shack further up. BUT we were down here and needed to stay close by so Nick's it was.
Lets start with the reason we arrived in the first place. The veggie coney was devine. I ended up having several bottles of High Life and the girl approved of the black russian and Long Island we shared. She also approves of the food.
We were very pleased with the whole joint and will make an effort to try out one of their many later-night themes through out the week (and there are many).
I was out with my girls the other nite when we walked by nick's. And some how we ended up staying there all nite. It was really fun. The mac and cheese is so good and the guys working were really cool. I'll def be back for another cocktail soon!
Tried the newly spruced up Nick's recently, having the classic coney and fries washed down with a couple of pints of cold Coney Island Lager. The sauce was good and meaty; dog had a nice snap to it; and surprisingly, the bun held up throughout and never became overly soggy. Cheese was freshly shredded cheddar, as opposed to bagged government style found elsewhere. The fries were excellent and beer was well matched with frosty frozen pint glasses. The people running the show were friendly and easy on the eyes.
I think the rehab's great and the food up to par.
As for the comments about Frank, the basic idea was to put your money on the bar, including a good tip and then you got service. Just like Coney joints in Detroit or New Yawk.
Without a question this bar has the hottest-tightest chicks serving. Oh the coneys are dyno-o-mite. Better than the old regime. Hey..and they have Mythos beer for cryin out loud. Burgers also rock.
I know there will be a backlash from the older regulars but the place is so much better now. Frank should have left a long time ago. He probably never spent a dime on paint in all the time he owned it and his surly attitude was not much fun to be around. Service is way better, much cleaner, expanded menu, and actual plates instead of the damn wax paper that would tear when you tried to cut your coney.
We (husband, me, two boys 12 and 10) went in to Nick's so excited they re-opened. What a disappointment. Maybe they don't like kids, maybe they don't like Keens, but we were totally shunned. The hulk at the bar actually hid in the kitchen and stirred stuff until we left - followed by a hostile glare. How sad for a place in the 'hood.
I went one last time before he closed and was sadly disappointed. Frank was a JERK ( it was time for him to go) I always wished he would dry wiener off before placing on bun, it made the bun soggy. Also the wax paper would tear and you ended up with a mess unless you ordered it on a plate. Good Coney Sauce though.
Sadly, Nick's is no more. The only friggin' place in town to get a proper coney is no more.
Sadly, Nick's Coney Island is no more. It was a bummer when they switched from Heidelberg to Bud, but more of a bummer when they switched from existing to not existing.
Grew up going to Nick's with my family. Loved the Coney Islands and burgers! But what's going on with this place? I'm finally 21 and every time I'm on Hawthorne and walk by, it's closed!!! :(
I grew up in Portland and always go back to Nick's for his Coney Island hot dogs but the last two or three years whenever I go there the place ce is never open. It says open Tuesday thru Saturday but most of the time it is hit or miss if he is open. I want a Nick's Coney Island! yea!!!
Oooopsss....Did I not log in??? That least review is/was mine! :) Sawy! I try to remember to log in. This new site is very fun Kyle...so KUDOS!
I am all girl, all the time, there was no baseball game on and Nick so happened to be very nice to me. We had a Heidelberg chat and then one about how the area has grown and he was not mean or rude in the least. Everytime I venture over to the "Hawthorne" area I am sure to hit his place up for at least one beer!
Surly owner doesn't particularly want you here if you happen to be female or you're not in for a baseball game. Lovely original and historic bar, however, and Heidelberg on tap is always delicious.
the owner used to drop by some of my other bars and drink a heidelberg beer. he seemed cool. the one time i dropped by his bar a sox-yankee series was on. i'm from boston so of course i was rooting for the red sox. a couple guys asked me if i knew where i was (nicely). if you are a yankee fan, probably a very good place to watch a game.
Looks as if nothing has changed in this place in 50 years! Kind of like a Back to the future type of 50's cafe. But well worth going in for a brew. I didn't eat so I have no idea about the food. But the bartender was very nice and the place just felt old/cool/retro and chill. A place made before times got so crazy. Blast from a past most of us never knew. It made me want to jump in my Deloreon (sp) and drive back to 1985 :)
