Tony's Old Time Tavern
1955 W Burnside St Portland, OR 97209Phone: (503) 228.4574
Located in: Northwest Portland & near Downtown Portland
BarFly's Review of Tony's Old Time Tavern
There's actually plenty of reasons to frequent Tony's - for even those not 86'd by every surrounding establishment - though, y'know, every bar has its niche.
Their cigarette machine beats mini mart prices, six-packs are sold up til 2:29:59, the pool table's generally vacant, they have a real juke box (that's really good!), they open at 7 AM, and regulars have been long inured to glammier tourists.
Cleaner than you'd expect (excepting the regulars), this shotgun tavern wouldn't even be considered all that divey a few miles east, though a lingering reputation ensures, post-Timbers' games, it's the only staggerable option with guaranteed seating.
$2.50 pitchers 2pm-8pm and $2.50 well 8am-7:30pm daily.
Open 8am-2:30am daily.
| Tony's Old Time Tavern's Happy Hours | |
|---|---|
| Monday | $2.50 well 8am-7:30pm daily. $2.50 pitchers 2pm-8pm. |
| Tuesday | $2.50 well 8am-7:30pm daily. $2.50 pitchers 2pm-8pm. |
| Wednesday | $2.50 well 8am-7:30pm daily. $2.50 pitchers 2pm-8pm. |
| Thursday | $2.50 well 8am-7:30pm daily. $2.50 pitchers 2pm-8pm. |
| Friday | $2.50 well 8am-7:30pm daily. $2.50 pitchers 2pm-8pm. |
| Saturday | $2.50 well 8am-7:30pm daily. $2.50 pitchers 2pm-8pm. |
| Sunday | $2.50 well 8am-7:30pm daily. $2.50 pitchers 2pm-8pm. |
Basta's, Bitter End, Cheerful Bullpen, Commodore, Ella St. Social Club, Kingston, M Bar, Marathon Taverna, Matador, Mazatlan Bar & Grill, Tanuki
ive drunk at tonys for years. It is a fun place. Tony hired me to clean the joint up each morning. He gave me ten bucks a day. He even wanted to take taxes out of my ten bucks that I was spending there anyway.ha ha ha That guy is so tight only a dog could hear him fart. The place is alot of fun with some real characters. Kind of like the movie BAR FLY. Come in and check it out! It is like Disneyland under martial law.
So as we sat for years listening to oldies lost in nostalgic yearning at Tonys tavern, another drama was playing itself out for posterity. The place is not only wired for video, but audio as well. Tony sits on his computer at home spying on his fiefdom from afar. From time to time, he will call with orders to the bartender regarding this person or that. The guy is really a frustrated movie director. Most people in the joint are not aware about the invasion of privacy taking place.
Beers are now $2.50 / pitcher during 2-8pm. Wells $2.50 8am - 7:30 pm (no longer open at 7. Morning beer with price is right blasting always makes my three hours of relative consciousness per day most enjoyable. See you there.
As a Tony's regular I guess I'll pipe in. The main review is mostly accurate, though it made me laugh.
"The Spoken Word" as it is called now is on Thursdays not Mondays.
Just before Tony bought the place around 1990 there were XMAS lights! about an inch apart covering the back room. The fire marshall made them take them down.
"Serious smoking?" There used to be. That's illegal now.
He does have a great jukebox with a bunch of homemade disks. The selection hasn't changed for years. I can't imagine Tony made them himself as quoted above. He most likely had help.
Some time ago, Tony's put up Xmas lights and just kinda never took them down. There is an undeniable warmth to the red lights in this place. Twin TVs play Adult Swim just like its immediate western neighbor, but Tony's has a very calm, very coherent atmosphere. Don't get me wrong- you can get bombed in there. Especially now that they have a real license and have learned how to pour like the best of this city. Come for the atmosphere, stay for the Galaga, come back cause that last time was rad. Or, y'know. It was nice. And you wont find a juke like this place anywhere.
Tonys happy hour is the best, but it's $1.00 pints and $2.00 small pitchers (only have small pitchers) from 12:00pm to 7:30 pm otherwise it's $1.50 / and $2.75 respectively. $2.50 well drinks same time frame also. Thanks.
Dark wood, largely unordained, regulars with that stiff legged kilter as they eyeball a rail shot. Serious smoking. Mirrors every damn where and really no way to set if off on the weird stretch of Burnside. I have mixed feelings. I know that if times got tough, I could drink my liver away in this place and no-one would bat a droopy eye in concern. On the other hand, the monday night open mic is a friggin’ hoot and wholly unexpected, nestled back there amidst the video crack machines. You will always find a seat here and if you look at it the right way, you’re never really drinking alone at Tony’s, because that guy down yonder with the freak tooth and the greasy ball cap has been staring at you all night long.
Free Speech Zone on Monday nites at Tony's in the back. The most happening poets, comics & spoken word artists perform from 8pm til 10ish. Travelling pros, local 1st timers and everything in between. May be the Ginsberg scene of Right Now. Check it out.
Tony's Tavern is the first place I was taken on my 21st birthday and I can't seem to leave it since. I can go there and be bothered by the most awesome drunk old men in Portland! The juke box plays only the best. There's never a song that comes on that I think to myself "man, I hate this damn song..." You can do your homework there with a pitcher or 3 and a pack of smokes and be good all day long. Plus there's no other bars open early enough for me to start drinking when i need to, aka, before noon.
Wanna beer at 7am and feel at home? Tony's is the place. Sit with the locals and drink Happy Hour beer from 7 to 11am, read the paper or watch the morning news. Outstanding juke box, most CDs mixed by Tony himself, and pool in the back. Stop in on your way to Civic Stadium or late night while closing the bars on Burn.
