The Gay Man's Guide to Portland
By Jason Hoesing
for Oregon.com

One of the great things about Portland is its diversity, and that is well reflected by the number and variety of gay clubs, bars and taverns that are spread out all across this city. No matter where you are, there's a good chance you'll have somewhere to go if you want to sit back and have a drink, a good meal, go dancing or just kick back and be social for a while.

Oregon's liquor laws state that alcohol cannot be purchased after 2:30 a.m., and as a result, most bars actually close around 2 a.m., in order to allow them time for everybody to finish their drinks and move on to their next destination. Many bars will stop serving between 1:45 and 2 a.m. to ensure that they can close promptly.

And a word to the non-smokers, Portland's bars are still OK with smoking for the time being, and very few have non-smoking sections at this time. Those that do will be noted along the way. So, let's get started!

Darcelle's XV
208 NW 3rd Ave
503-222-5338

Darcelle's, as it's known to everyone, is perhaps the most popular place for a drag show almost any night of the week. Admission is usually $10 at the door, where the home of one of Portland's most well known Rose Court Empresses, Darcelle herself, hosts a Vegas-style cabaret show and dinner theatre with two shows a night on the weekends. The club is popular with a mix of both gay and straight people and even features male strippers on Friday and Saturday nights. Be sure to make reservations if you want to come in early for dinner.

CC Slaughters
219 SW Davis St
503-248-9135

Right around the corner from Darcelle's is Portland's recently remodeled CC Slaughters, which boasts one of Portland's largest dance floors and keeps up to three separate bars open at one time.

Size-wise, Slaughters is one of the largest gay bars in town. Besides the huge dance floor that stretches virtually from the front bar to the back, there's an elevated floor on the side, perfect for people watching, and a lounge in the back where you'll find the third bar and a few booths, tables, and couches. There you can kick back and relax, chat with friends and get away from the noise of the dance floor.

The variety at Slaughters never ceases, with different themed nights throughout the week such as country night, karaoke night and hip-hop night. The crowd varies from night to night, and is very mixed from Thursday to Saturday, nights geared for the dancing crowd. Cover varies from night to night, and is usually only in place from Thursday to Saturday.

The Fox & Hounds
217 NW 2nd Ave
503-243-5530

Yet again, around the corner from CC Slaughters, is the Fox & Hounds. The Fox is a much more relaxed bar, whose strong points include excellent weekend brunches, low drink prices and recent expansions have allowed for the addition of a non-smoking dining room. That room doubles as a great space for banquets or parties during the week. There's also a game room in the back with video poker, darts and pool.

The Fox is favored by a slightly different crowd - men in their early 30s and up - but it can be very mixed at times, especially during dinner or brunch on the weekends.

One word of warning: The drinks at the Fox tend to be a little on the strong side, so you may not want to have as many drinks here as you would anywhere else.

Hobo's
120 NW 3rd Ave
503-224-3285

Hobo's is located one block up from Darcelle's & CC Slaughters on Third Avenue, and is probably one of the classier joints in town. It's a great place to bring a date, have a good meal by candlelight and listen to some good jazz. That's right, jazz. Hobo's is also a piano bar with a live jazz pianist every night. Prices here are a little higher than most places, but it can be worth it to enjoy some quiet drinks with someone special, or a few friends.

Gail's Dirty Duck
439 NW 3rd Ave
503-224-8446

Known as Portland's Bear Bar, Gail's Dirty Duck, or simply "The Duck" to the locals, is a small little tavern hiding down on the corner of Third and Glisan, which is popular with the "bigger" crowd. One of the regular events hosted here is the Oregon Bears Beer Bust, which the local Oregon Bears members get together for a few hours of all-you-can-drink beer and general socializing.

The only potable you'll find here is the beer, with a couple on tap and quite a few varieties in the fridge. The Duck is also home to one of Portland's local all-gay bands, Sneakin' Out, which also uses the bar as a rehearsal space on most Sunday nights. By the way, this bar is cash only.

The Embers Avenue
110 NW Brdwy
(503) 222-3082

A few blocks west on Broadway, this place turns into two bars in one during evenings. The front bar, Embers, is a place for both amateur and somewhat more professional drag shows and a starting ground for many drag queens today. In the back, The Avenue features a large dance floor and pounding dance music.

The Embers Avenue is popular with all walks of life, young and old, gay and straight, almost everybody goes out to Embers once in a while. While the shows and the dance floor are only going at night, the front bar is open all day every day. There's a $5 cover charge at the door after 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Make sure you have cash on hand, or your ATM card, because neither bar accepts credit cards.

Shanghai Steakery
16 NW Broadway
503-228-9325

The Shanghai is another small bar, located just up Broadway from Embers, which boasts cheap well drinks during happy hour from 4 to 8 p.m.. It's also a popular hangout for some of the performers at Embers prior to the show. Some folks even refer to it as the unofficial "green room" for Embers performers.

Drinks here are considered fairly stiff and it's not too crowded most of the time.

Just a hop, skip and a jump across Burnside, we move into Southwest Portland, which is host to another cluster of bars. SW Stark Street is generally referred to as "the strip" in Portland, where the heaviest concentration of the bars are located.

The Eagle PDX
1300 W Burnside
(503) 241-0105

Located near Stark and Burnside, The Eagle PDX - the unofficial Leather Bar for Portland - has recently expanded its selection to serve both beer and hard alcohol. The crowd varies here. Younger, older, skinny, heavy, smooth, hairy … they all come here at times. The music is varied, and a little heavier than in most other bars at times, with a mix of lesser known rock and pop hits. The crowd is a little cruisier than many bars, but roomier, with a main floor and an upper balcony that looks down from high above. There's occasionally a cover charge whenever they're hosting an event, such as an underwear party or a uniform party.

The Silverado
1217 SW Stark St
(503) 224-4493

Silverado is one of the gay strip clubs in town. Six nights a week you'll find men up on stage and taking off their clothes. The club is usually packed to capacity almost every night of the week, even when there aren't any strippers. The bar is full of karaoke singers on Monday nights.

Because the bar features male strippers, you'll find a mixed crowd. That means only one bathroom to share between the sexes on crowded nights. There's a small dance floor in the back for those that want to dance to the music. Drinks are pretty good, but make sure you have cash or an ATM card because this bar doesn't take credit or debit cards.

Boxxes/The Grotto and Brig/Red Cap Garage
1035 SW Stark
503-226-4171

These locations are all grouped together for one main reason - they're all connected together. You can move freely between the two bars after about 10 p.m. on weekends.

Two bars? Each bar is known by two names. Boxxes is sometimes referred to as The Grotto, and the Red Cap Garage, so named for the garage style doors on the side, is also known as the Brig for its dance floor, surrounded by bars. The metal kind, that is.

Drink prices vary from night to night, as does the crowd though it is a bit trendier and younger for the most part. The bars themselves aren't very big so it can get crowded quickly. It's popular with the social crowd, and there's usually a small cover charge on the weekends to get in.

Scandals
1125 SW Stark
503-228-0486

You'll find that just about everybody stops by here at some point in the evening. There's music playing all night, and two bars to serve you, separated by a game area with darts, pool tables and video poker as well.

The drinks are reasonably priced and reasonably well made, serving a full variety of cocktails. A reasonable amount of seating allows people watching both in and out of the bar - with a row of stools placed along the outside window looking out onto the street as well as various levels of seating on the floor and on raised decks within the bar. Make sure to have cash or your ATM card, since they don't accept credit or debit cards here.

Klub Z
333 SW Park
503-241-1153

Known by many names over time, Klub Z is the local underage club for Portland. Anyone under 21 is welcome here for a smoke-free, non-alcoholic environment. The address is listed as 333 SW Stark, however the entrance is actually on Park Avenue around the corner. The club is open only on Friday and Saturday nights and the cover can be a bit steep, around $8 a head. But the DJ is spinning music from 9 p.m. until closing, around 4 a.m. Around midnight each night there's a drag show, usually featuring the younger drag queens and other performers, sometimes with special appearances from older Rose Court veterans as well.

The Roxy
1121 SW Stark
503-223-9160

Not a bar, not a club, but in fact, a nearly 24-hour gay owned and operated restaurant, conveniently sandwiched between several of the gay clubs. Closed only on Mondays, but open the rest of the week, the Roxy is extremely popular as an after-bar stop to wind down, have a burger, a sandwich or just a big plate of fries smothered in cheddar cheese. You can even get a full carafe of coffee for just a buck if you want.

Be sure to get in early on Sunday nights; they close at 4 a.m.

Starky's
2913 SE Stark
503-230-7980

Located out of the way, off SE 28th & Stark, the bar itself is fairly popular with both gay and lesbian crowds. It features a formal dining area and a non-smoking section during dinner hours. They have a full menu with a variety of great food and a full bar with reasonable drink prices all night.

Mounted on opposite walls in the main lounge are two huge high definition plasma televisions with a smaller one set up above the bar, often playing various live concerts or music videos. The night crowd is fairly social, especially the ones sitting around the bar, and it can get fairly full at dinnertime. The food itself is excellent, and it's a great place to bring friends as well.

Joq's
2512 NE Broadway
503-287-4210

Situated on NE Broadway near 25th Avenue, Joq's is a small bar situated among the various shops and restaurants around the edge of the Hollywood district. Joq's has drink specials almost every night, as well as serving their full menu of food almost until closing time. Regular drink prices aren't too bad either.

It's not too big, but they do have a pool table. You can even shoot a game with the bartender if it's reasonably empty, especially on Sundays when it's free. The drinks aren't too strong, but they're still fairly inexpensive, so it won't hurt your wallet to stop in for a visit.

Jason Hoesing is a freelance writer and native Oregonian, originally from Scio, Oregon, and currently residing in Portland.