The Barley Mill - SE

Barley Mill

1629 SE Hawthorne

Barley Mill is either the oldest or one of the oldest McMenamins locations.  It has great tables, and is always mellow inside, or outside in the heated and covered sidewalk seating area.  The questionable food and spotty service may be why it is usually mellow.

General Atmosphere:

7 - Portland Pub/restaurant, casual, low key with a sort-of psychedelic theme. Indoor areas with nice large tables and mostly booth style benches.  The outdoor space is fantastic for some fresh air even when chilly.  The music is loud and the speakers are not great outside which equals... bad (even though we loved the weird 70's, 80's mix.  This may be an issue from those with sensitive hearing/white noise issues.

Lighting:

7 - A little dark inside with a bit of a glare from some lights.  The areas farther from the street are darker than street side with the large windows.

Tables:

9 - Most tables are thick sealed wood and seat 4-6.  A warning to ensure the table is clean before putting your items down.  Ours was filthy and the server just barely dragged a cloth over it which just smeared the grease around.

Food:

5/6 (quality/options) - Food is basically fancy sounding bar food. Menu includes burgers, fries, salads, sandwiches, and some wraps. Vegan option is a veggie burger. Fries and tots are the best thing on the menu, and are both vegan without the ranch sauce.  Average dish $10

Drinks:

8 - Full bar and some beers on tap. McMinamins makes their own beer, wine and some liquors and has a few signature cocktails on their menu. 

Meeple score:

6 - Barley Mill is easy to visit and has nice flat tables, but the loud music and uninterested/game-grumpy servers combined with bleh food makes this an ok, but nothing more than ok, location. 

Hours - open 11-11 mon-thurs, fri-sat 11-1am, sun 12-11

Game nights held as of this post - none regular known

Photos borrowed from yelp - 

Green Dragon - SE

Green Dragon

928 SE 9th Ave

Green Dragon is another great gaming staple for our list of places to play.  It has a large outdoor area and the indoor area has an open pub style seating side with picnic tables and 4-top size tables and a smaller area near the bathrooms.  There is also bar seating.  This place has a lot of beer on tap and can get crowded on weekend eves or if there is an event taking place.

General Atmosphere:

8 - Portland Pub, casual, low key. Indoor areas with various tables, the best size being picnic table size but with slightly uneven surface, possible holes & outdoor patio has similar tables.  Because it can get crowded during certian times, can be a little more of a drinking scene Green Dragon gets one less point than Lucky Lab for gaming purposes.   However, for a pub, it's quite friendly and has a really nice atmosphere.

Lighting:

7 - A little dark inside with a bit of a glare from some lights.  The do have a rollup door and lots of outdoor seating, so the lighting does vary inside.

Tables:

7 - Most tables are thick sealed wood with some wear and varying in size.  Most are picnic tables with somewhat uneven surfaces, possible gaps/holes, but in much better shape than most outside picnic tables and with close together slats.

Food:

8/7 (quality/options) - Food is much better than regular bar food. Menu includes burgers, fries, wings, salads, sandwiches, beer cheese soup and some fish dishes. Vegan gluten free burger. Fries and tots are tasty and good for gaming snacks. Root beer and beet floats!  Average dish $10

Drinks:

9 - Full bar and extensive beer on tap, as well as craft root beer on tap. It is a Rogue Brewery location. A handful of sodas and juices and floats as well. 

Meeple score:

9 - Green Dragon is home to a few game get togethers. Table and counter service, and the staff is friendly and attentive.

Hours - open 11am everyday.  Close 11pm Sunday-Wednesday, and 1am Thursday, Fri, Sat.

Game nights held as of this post - none regular known

Lucky Lab - SE

Lucky Labrador Brewing
915 SE Hawthorne

Of course it makes sense to start our Portland gaming and drinking tour with the grand daddy of board game locations: Lucky Lab on Hawthorne.  There is a regular boardgame meetup here every Thursday. And, Lucky Lab was key in starting us on the adventure to find places to play.  They are casual, clean (for a pub), and friendly. The food is good and beer is great.  Here's the overall breakdown:

General Atmosphere:
9 - Portland Pub, casual, low key. Indoor options, large reservable room & outdoor patio that is puppy friendly. Surprisingly comfortably warm in winter for a larger space.

Lighting:
10 - Ideal - bright enough to see well, but still low enough to feel cozy.

Tables:
9 - Inside tables are thick sealed wood varying in size from 2 person to picnic table size.  Outside are picnic tables, and not good for games with small pieces.

Food:
7/7 (quality/options) - Food is better than average pub style grub. Menu includes meat and vegs, salads, sandwiches, soup specials, strange rice dishes and a few snack-type foods. Vegan options are rice dishes, and a couple of appetizers.  Average dish $7 http://luckylab.com/locations/hawthorne-lucky-labrador-brew-pub/

Drinks:
8 - No mixed drinks.  Extensive beer options, as well as root beer on tap. A handful of reasonably priced wines, sodas and tea.

Meeple score:
10 - It is common to see people with games here. Counter service, and the staff is friendly to gamers.

Hours - 11am-midnight (m-sat)  &  noon-10pm (Sunday)

Game nights held as of this post - Thursday eve

Pics borrowed from yelp:

The mission, if we choose to accept it.

This is a blog about playing games in public in Portland, OR.

I can't take the dreary days anymore, so I am leaving Portland.  But before I do, I've decided to go on a mission that will let me enjoy two of my favorite things about Portland, OR. - The awesomely large amount of game-playing/nerdish/smart/fun people here (aka Meeples)  and the fantastic number of welcoming venues to play games while drinking a pint, or cup, or mason jar of something lovely! (aka Mead).

Well maybe no Mead for me. I'm vegan (8 years vegan, veggie 25+), so I don't drink it, but it sounded good in the title.  But, I do respect my friends' decisions about their own life and eating habits, just like they respect mine.  My goal isn't for this to be a vegan blog, but I will obviously mention things that the whole party attending have talked about.  Please leave any vegan OR meat-eater bashing/judgement/hate comments OUT!   

Lastly - I am also on a mission for the month of May to play 50 different games. Yes, different games, not 50 different games of Set, or No Thanks!  So, the game list is varied this month with some short games mixed in.  I'll keep my list going below and see if I can make it!


Raqui!
http://boardgamegeek.com/user/raquitoppi


50 games in May!?!
(35 so far!)

7 Wonders

Airlines Europe

Amun-Re

Bananagrams

Belfort

Biblios

Citadels

Copycat

D&D 4E Sea of Turina

D&D 4E Scourge Beneath the City

Euphrates & Tigris Card Game

Fearsome Floors

For Sale

Glen More

Incan Gold

Kittens in a Blender

Lords of Scotland

Lords of Vegas

Mice and Mystics

No Thanks!

Pass the Pigs

Rolling Freight

Saboteur

San Juan

Set

Slamwich

Spot It!

Stone Age

Takenoko

The Castles of Burgundy

Thebes

Ticket to Ride: Europe

Tigris & Euphrates

Village

Werewolves of Miller's Hollow: The Village - Games on the list to play - Puerto Rico Hunters and Gatherers Finca Samurai Trajan Dominion Agricola Samurai ??