The Ship is the best. Period. A nice mix of time-hardened alcoholics and young townies/random Reedies. Always an assortment of regulars and the bartenders recognize you after a few times in. If you're not a douche, you can expect good service real quick. Near enough other bars that it's never too full, either.

Pool sticks sometimes, but they'll fix it for you straight away.

1 of the 3 bartenders is whack. (Won't say which, you can figure that out for yourself---and really quickly, at that.) But the other 2 are great. Good for company when flying solo; good for stiff, cheap drinks always.

(But don't tell anyone.)

They poor nice stiff drinks here and on the 1$ beer nights it is great. You will have a good time here great bar.

this place is rad, if you're a rad person. if you don't like proper bars-- smokey, dingey, heavy pours, pool and pinball, great tunes, destitute and weary clientele-- then you won't like this place. go downtown. or stay home and watch cable and eat organic microwave dinners w/ capers.

Awesome bar. I lived around the corner for a few months and loved going here for the crowd, pinball and bartenders. Lots of really cool, fun people and a very unpretentious atmosphere. A friend I was there with started fucking around with the pinball machines while they were being fixed and got screamed at by the repair guy - good times.

I know the bartenders and I love this place. It's the kind of place where no one cares what you look like or what you drink. It's cheap too.

It not my first choice or even my 10Th but Every one is friendly and the service is fast and delivered with a smile. great place to get some cheap bear and play some pool or sit and talk.

Stopped in on my way down the hill and can't say anything bad. The bartender was friendly and attentive. The beers- standard selection- were fresh and inexpensive. Yes, the regulars are an older crew but they don't bite and they were upbeat. The smoke is a bit thick- not sure if there is ventilation.

*And the men's room is many years closer to code than at PATEOTU.

The Ship is amazing. Yes, it is full of regulars. We are there because we love the bar, the bartenders, the wicked pool-games and the ability of the whole bar to stop and sing along with the jukebox and get up and dance. (And, for the record, not all of us are late-stage barflys.)

But, I'm glad that so few people seem to like it, because the places that everyone else goes to are the places where someone is likely to grab you inappropriately, talk to you pretentiously about some hipster shit you never cared about, or try to out-cool you in one way or another in an amazing display of self-centered, self-consciousness.

So, really, I'll let everyone else have their other bars. I love my dive bar with its awesome and entertaining patrons, rockstar bartenders and smokey-den status.

OK this place is a dive, full of late-stage alcoholics and retired hippies. But one of Portland's best bartenders - Maizy - works here. She is everyone's friend and always has a good joke and a sympathetic ear available.

There is virtually no incentive to go to this bar other than if you live within stumbling distance. Locals only kinda place. Now I know.