The Alleyway

The Alleyway Cafe and Bar, located on NE 25th and Alberta, is a local dive spot featuring laid back yet friendly staff, competitive food and drink prices, and food that's actually pretty decent compared to a vast majority of dive bars in Portland. Their drink selection ranges from your average wells and macro-brews straight up to top shelf scotch and local micro-brews such as Ninkasi and an Irish Red Ale, the name of which I can't pronounce. Amenities include a single pool table, a few pinball tables, for some reason a photo booth, not a tremendous amount of seating indoors, but the covered outdoor patio has several more picnic-style tables, room to roam, and a Foosball table set on uneven gravel to give it a little extra thrill. While especially pleasant during the warmer summer months, they do have heating units built into the outdoor patio to help take off the chill during the wet, cold, rest of the year.

The Alleyway has made a few different transitions in management, each one changing the feng shui slightly. The ambiance, the music, sometimes the layout of the bar itself. Most recently the music selection has been more Metal-themed, with live bands that occasionally play on a tiny stage. The background music is usually Metal-themed as well, though the bar does have a weekly Karaoke night which of course is customer's choice.  Being located right in the heart of the constantly-evolving Alberta District, it stands up to the myriad of neighboring bars and restaurants.

The Alleyway is a great spot to bring a few friends, host a birthday celebration, drop in to grab a beer and a bite to eat, or add to a list of stops on an Alberta Street bar-hopping escapade. If you ever find yourself in this area of Portland, make sure to at least check out this dive bar gem.