Laurelthirst Public House

2958 NE Glisan St, Portland, OR 97232, USA

Address:	2958 NE Glisan St, Portland, OR 97232, USA
Phone:	+1 503-232-1504
Site:	laurelthirst.com
Rating:	4.3
Working:	4PM–12AM 4PM–12AM 4PM–1AM 4PM–1AM 4PM–2AM 11AM–2AM 11AM–12AM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 15

Jennifer Porter

Id love to be able to give this venue more than one star, but unfortunately the husband and I arrived and were promptly thrown out. We were thrown out by the unfriendly, unhelpful bar staff who took one look at our UK driving licenses and told us we were not welcome to sit in the venue, order a soft drink and eat some food at 6:45pm, as international driving licenses are not considered valid proof of age in the state of Oregon. Fair enough. But Ive checked, and this is true... If you are trying to buy alcohol. This bar does not welcome "minors" after 3pm, and I am fairly confident that this is an establishment decision - not a state-wide law. Worth mentioning at this point that my husband and I are 30 and 28 respectively, but judging by the clientele of this bar, I wouldnt be surprised if the bar staff have forgotten what people in their late 20s/early 30s look like. 90% of customers looked to be in their late-50s/early 60s. If spending your Friday night with OAPs enjoying decidedly average blues, being served by unfriendly and sarcastic bar staff is your bag then check out the Laurelthirst. Just dont forget to bring your passport. However, after travelling from coast to coast over an 8 week road trip (Portland happens to be our last stop), I can guarantee there are better places in Portland where youll find the usual American warm welcome and friendly service.

A Private User

I moved to Portland in 1999 and Laurelthirst was one of the first bars I ever visited. The bartenders were nice and this place had THE best veggie burger I had ever had. My God it was good. Over time I stopped going but recently popped in for a friends birthday. Patrons were having a great time and the live music was fun. That said I did not like the service. There is a $5 minimum on credit cards. My drink was 4.75 and wasnt sure I would be staying too long so decided to settle up. The bartender advised there would be a 50 cent service fee as it was under $5. I said Im ok paying the $5.00 minimum and he replied, no I have to charge you 50 cents on the 4.75 so your total is 5.25. In the big scheme up things it is 25 cents but his approach coupled with the knowledge that he could have offered a double for roughly the same price seems crappy. No more Laurelthirst.

Robert Reid

Laurelthirst is one of my favorite bars in Portland. Theres live music nightly, often free, and a fun mix of generation-spanning locals who are not afraid to dance to bluegrass, country or some goatee blues bands. Sunday open-mic is often a lot of fun too. Its always fun there. If youve not been, I do need to address a couple things though. Laurelthirst is an awful name. I know. Youre right to grimace over it. And Im not sure theres anything we can do about it, so I just try to ignore it. Also the food. Portland is a city where every dive bar SOMEHOW churns out ridiculously good food. Laurelthirst is an exception. The food is pretty cheap, greasy, divey fare -- what youd expect from such a place. Occasionally I have it. Its never remarkable, but hardly the point of being there.

Tony Box

Total gem of Portland. Divey but not too divey. The food is fine, decent beer selection, pretty good bartenders. The real draw to the place is the nightly live music thats not only amazing but most always free. Sunday nights are the "church" crowd--a smorgasbord of dedicated Freak Mountain Ramblers groupies. Its certainly a sight to behold. Expect to see a group of people swing dancing on Mondays to the Kung pao chickens. Music is mostly in the bluegrass/blues/gypsy jazz/folk/rock genres. Second to the music are the people who come here. You wont find a more eclectic group of friendly people and regulars who get together to join in listening to some great jams, with all differences left at the door. Awesome place with awesome talent and great people.

Donald Baldwin

Great bands, delicious food, reasonable prices, courteous staff . . . you just cant go wrong at the Laurelthirst. The mushroom and Swiss burger is to die for and the drinks are always mixed to perfection. Just at SE 28th Street and Glisan its an easy trip from just about anywhere. The crowd is local and varies from band to band. The food is nothing fancy, standard bar food, appetizers, salads, burgers and sandwiches and of course soups. What they serve the serve well. My burger was fresh, hot and nothing short of tantalizing when it arrived at my table. So yes I highly recommended the Laurelthirst to anyone looking for good music, good drinks, fair prices and a casual neighborhood atmosphere.

Eileen Holt

The Laurelthirst offers great music and atmosphere.Unfortunately the bartenders are repulsively unfriendly, arrogant and rude.They never smile or say thank you.Being totally inept,they get irked when required to recall more than one order at a time.I observed many other customers getting a sense of feeling unwelcome.They obviously hate their job and should contemplate putting more joy into their lives by changing occupation.Its a shame such an established Portland venue is tainted by such irritating and soulless people.

Michael Smith-Sardior

It is a fun place to dance and be with friendly people. Many of the patrons have been going there for decades and the place has that family feel to it. The inside has recently had some upgrades done and it feels very comfortable to sit and relax to good music. Theres also a pool room where competitions are sometimes held.

Robyn Schultze

Ive always enjoyed the Laurelthirst because of its neighborhood bar ambiance. It needs updating but thats part of its charm. The staff is hard-working and friendly and they serve decent bar food. Theres always good unplugged roots music there, and if you can get a table, youll want to stay a while.

Jim Guthrie

I book my business trips to Portland around Lewi Longmire & LCR on Thursday. Great selection of brews and the people there are so friendly!! Dave is a little standoffish, but he is very much on top of the bar. The music is just fantastic. If I move to Portland, I will live in that neighborhood!

Patrick Dehler

One of Portlands best kept secrets. This is a small bar where you might not get a seat if youre not there early. There are often multiple bands playing every night and it is usually catering around the old school roots sort of genres like bluegrass, folk, americana, soul, blues, etc.

Hannah Skinner

Always a good time at the Thirst. Staff is friendly and attentive, food is yummy, music is fun (and most of the time free), and everything is reasonably priced. Good atmosphere, friendly vibe, quickly became one of my favorite places.

Tony McCormick

This place is a portland icon of local music 7 days a week. Excellent pub grub, lots of beers on tap and a full bar. Great crowd of every age that just love music.

Joseph Bockrath

They have music here 7 days a week during the day and at night...Since 1988.. that is a hell of a run. Like 5th in Dayton before they cleaned it up.... Lol

Laura Perry

Live, family friendly music thats worth dancing to for no cover in the middle of the day, and clam chowder that tastes like real clams! Love this place.

A Private User

This might be the best kept breakfast secret in town. Never, ever even a second of a wait to sit down and order. Drinks, good food, and again, no wait.