Oregon Nightlife

Equipped with everything from pool to shuffleboard, these brotherly bars provide a modest food menu served up with sides of interactive table games and televised sporting games every night of the week. In between lofts at the dartboard, hang a fang on an order of beer-battered onion rings ($5.75) or a savory black-and-bleu burger ($9.25), and then shower your stomach with a refreshing brew ($3 domestics, $4 microbrews) or a spirited mixed drink ($5 from the well). Much like the international dateline, Blitz Pearl refuses to acknowledge time itself, which is why it serves breakfast all day strong with options ranging from french toast ($5) to fruit bowls ($3).

The cozy interior of the lounge provides an inviting backdrop for tossing back classics and discovering new favorites. Peruse the creative menu, or ask a friendly bartender for a suggestion that suits the mood. Soothe a sore throat by gargling an Ambassador—a boozy blend of absinthe, St. Germain, grapefruit bitters, and soda with grapefruit ($9)—or quench a dry mouth with a Corpse Reviver ($7.50), featuring brandy, Menta Branca, Fernet Branca, anise tincture, and a lemon twist. Those who would say something like "Give it to me straight, doc" can slam back The Local ($4), an unadulterated sip of Olympia beer plus a shot of house whiskey. Soak up potency with clever eats that include grilled flatbread sandwiches ($7–$9); spiced nuts ($2); and a green-apple, roasted-garlic, queso-fresco, and blue-cheese pizzeta ($6), among others.

At Encore Club, dealers from the nonprofit Kings of Clubs Dealers' Club slide cards across red-topped tables to poker players exercising their wits in tournaments with $25–$300 buy-ins. The club’s staff pays out 100% of the prize pool to the players, rather than using the money to fill a billionaire’s swimming pool. Bartenders mix classic cocktails for guests to sip as they gamble or sit on leather couches and nosh on small plates, pizza, and burgers. Complimentary WiFi amuses players between games, and big-screen TVs let patrons watch, learn, and mime the poker faces of professionals.

At street level, Diablo’s Downtown Lounge hides behind the guise of a traditional bar. There, hearty burgers and beers culled from 10 tap lines arrive at tables surrounded by subtle red upholstery and a gallery’s worth of local artwork. But tucked away on the pub’s subterranean level is a shadowy nightclub where painted flames race up the walls and repeatedly disappoint revelers trying to light their cigarettes. Formerly Perry’s Nightclub, the downstairs haunt still invites dancing on a large floor infused with ‘80s, hip-hop, or contemporary house music handpicked by DJs and special guests. Each level hosts its own events throughout the week, including karaoke and bingo upstairs and Goth-themed dance nights downstairs.

Beyond a comfortable, classic façade of bare brick and warmly-lit windows, Gridiron Sports Bar & Grill houses revelers hoisting frothy glasses of beer and relishing the smoky, savory aroma of hearty American fare. Traeger grills sear strip steaks until they're ready to share their nutritional value with diners and feed the bar's eight meat-fueled HDTVs, whose large screens flicker with the likes of football, basketball, and celebrity euchre. Beers domestic and imported (including microbrewed options) work with wine and cocktails to keep palates clean and the atmosphere lighthearted. Breakfast hits the tables from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends; patrons under 21 are welcome to hang out in the family-friendly pub until 8 p.m. daily.