Places to dance in Portland
Ararat
Specifically: Until 6am
Armenian disco that attracts the whole eastern Euro bloc sect, often open until 6am on weekends.
Aura
Good happy hour, decent food, lovely design, professional service...the crowds however, kill it.
Aztec Willie
Specifically: Salsa
Kid friendly Taqueria/bar with Pan-Latin dancing/lessons.
Bar Bar
Mississippi Studios attached bar.
Beech Street Parlor
"Tiga 2"
Blitz Ladd
Enormous sports bar with good food and lots of games.
Boiler Room
Karaoke bar in the heart of the of the Old Town's amateur zone.
Boxxes Video Bar
Dancing, videos, boys.
Branx
Rotture's downstairs pool/gaming room.
Bushwackers Dancehall & Saloon
Specifically: Swing / Line / Waltz / Two Step
Huge country dance club with free lessons on Saturdays and poker night on Tuesdays.
Candlelight Room
Downtown blues bar known as a hook up spot for the over 40 crowd. Slated to close Febuary 26, 2012, due to the future Milwaukee light rail.
CC Slaughter's
On a scale of 1-10, 1 being there may be some gays holding hands here, and 10 being you will definitely see naked gay boys, this is an 11.
Crush
Chic, gay/gay friendly bar with excellent food and creative drinks.
Crystal Ballroom
Even if you hate'em, the McBros have a great downtown music venue.
Cuda Beach Club
New name for Barracuda - the longstanding mainstay of Portland's very own Jersey Shore set.
Dante's
Classic Portland Bar.
Dirty
Meat market for suburban set, located in the heart of the date rape district.
Dixie Tavern
Rock/urban cowboy themed bar is neither a tavern nor a rock bar, teeming with suburban 20 somethings eager to swap DNA and exotic diseases.
Dublin Pub
Irish pub with live music 6 nights a week and 59! taps.
Duke's Country Bar & Grill
Specifically: Free lessions Tuesday-Saturday
Country bar complete with a mechanical bull brought to you by CEG.
East Chinatown Lounge
Upscale bar with DJs nearly nightly.
Embers
Queer-ish Dance Club
Fez Ballroom
Big dance club with big personality.
Flirts
Specifically: Weekends
Cougar hotel bar! Who could want more!?
Good Call
Dance club with Asian food that advertises free shots!? for some events.
Goodfoot Lounge
Split into 2 separate areas: upstairs pool hall & an downstairs funk-tified dancing kind of place.
Gossip Lounge
Upscale sports bar bathed in blue light.
Groove Suite
Multi-room lounge with dancing and sofas thrown in intermittently.
Holocene
Pretty much only open during events. Runs the gamut of live music, DJs, cartoon breakfasts and gay dance parties. Oh, and hipsters galore clog the sidewalk while waiting for admission or smoking.
Irish Town
Irish bar in a strip mall in Vancouver that also serves Asian food?
Jack London Bar
Specifically: Wednesday / Jazz & Swing / Friday / DJ Gregarious / Saturday / Sunday
The Rialto's dark swanky basement lounge.
Jimmy Mak's
Long standing Pearl District jazz club.
Local Lounge
Long struggling location finally found it's pace, casual, gay friendly environment.
Lola's Room
Bouncy floor dance club, heavy on the 80s, set beneath the Crystal Ballroom.
Lotus Cardroom
Perfect around happy hour, CEG's finest establishment slowly transforms from downtown 9-5 drone lunch crowd, to bump'n'grind meat market in a span of 6 hours.
McFadden's
In the heart of the Jagerbomb district, the 20something suburban throngs descend to shake to a surprisingly decent DJs.
Momo Bar Maximo
Not exactly a destination, though considering it's location, solid for sneaking a post downtown shopping happy hour drink, as evidenced by the crowd.
Mount Tabor Theater
Fantastic, spacious Barmuda venue with nice dark sidebar with a reputation for dooming each successive owner to financial ruin. Still, it is a Portland institution.
Mudai Lounge
The marriage of Ethiopian restaurants and hipster/rocker hangouts is becoming a common theme in Portland, Mudai is no exception.
Plan B
Large, vinyl and babydoll adorned punk joint (loosely, that is, the music varies slightly) with a HUGE patio.
Ponderosa Lounge
Specifically: Lessons / Friday & Wednesday
Huge truckstop honky-tonk, offers free dance lessons, all things C&W.
Prime Time Bar & Grill
Specifically: Thursday / Friday / Saturday
They have a punching bag?
Red Cap Garage
Mainstay of the "Vaseline Alley," with loads of cheap offerings and debauchery.
Red Room
Live music venue with a rock and roll memorabilia decor and $1 mystery shots. A good reason to go to 82nd Ave.
Refectory
Huge restaurant and bar with attached ballroom on the edge of Gresham where you never know what type of entertainment you'll encounter.
Rialto Poolroom Bar & Cafe
Sister bar of downtown's Rialto
Ringlers Pub
Huge McMenamins pool hall and weekend dance club below Crystal Ballroom.
Rock Creek Tavern
Yet another McMenamins, this time in Hillsboro.
Ron Jeremy's Club Sesso
Downtown swingers/sex club.
Rotture
Live music venue, lounge and bar in industrial SE.
Santa Fe Taqueria
Specifically: Thursdays / Salsa Lessons Salsa Lessons free 9:30pm
Tiny bar attached to a popular Mexican restaurant on NW 23rd.
Saucebox
Specifically: Wednesday / Thursday / Friday
Upscale lounge famous for its book of specialty cocktails featuring a pan-Asian menu.
Scandals
Since 1979 Scandals is one of Portland oldest continuously gay owned and operated bars in Portland.
Silverado
Portland's only all male strip club (after 10pm), catering to men. Women are welcome, but not exactly encouraged.
Society
Two level nightclub that's probably exactly the same as the other zillions of clubs that have been housed in this space.
Someday Lounge
Two level lounge by day/evening, music venue or dance club by night.
Spare Room
Specifically: Line And Partner Class / Thursdays 7:30pm / DJ / Thursdays 9pm
Huge bar with many cheap specials throughout the day and a wide variety of entertainment at night including bingo, karaoke, movies and live music.
Studio 503
Specifically: Latin / Reggaeton / Salsa
Miami-Style Latin Dance Club & Sports Bar.
The Crown Room
Extremely loud bar/venue that's awkwardly designed in layout, but has a wide variety of events that cater to a wide crowd.
The Know
Cheap small bar on Alberta that's full of hipsters and loud music.
The QuarterDeck
Dancing, sports and karaoke in the 'Couv.
Thirsty Lion Pub
"British" themed nightclub by CEG.
Tiger Bar
Self proclaimed rock and roll bar on the fringe of the Pearl
Tillicum Club
What's in a name anyway? Certainly, a worthwhile spot if you have a DD to take you to Portland's fringes.
Tony Starlight's Supper Club & Lounge
Tube
Tiny little future chic turned hipsta-matic irony trailer. Always lovely 20 somethings, always good tunes spinning.
Twelve 22
Specifically: DJ LV / Friday / Saturday
Now LV's Sports Bar and Grill.
Wonder Ballroom
Northeast Music Venue
XV (15)
Hipster joint in downtown's 4 block hipster/bridge and tunnel square.
