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Categories: Pool Halls, Lounges
Neighborhoods: Northwest, Alphabet DistrictTue. 4:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Wed-Thu. 4:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Fri-Sat. 4:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Sun. 4:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
"If you want to find me on a Tuesday- I'm here. Along with a buttload of students from campus. Here's the lowdown from a secret oncampus…" read more »
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It's about time for me to update my review of UBC. Their fixed price happy hour is just an incredible value. Last night, each and every course was near perfect. Each and every wine pairing was a real treat.
Used to be you could just walk in and get in on the special happy hour menus. Folks have figured things out and now they seem to regularly serve all of these specials they can prepare. It's often difficult to even get a reservation unless you plan well ahead. As I live much of my life by impulse, this means that I'm often disappointed when I try to make a last minute reservation. The management tries hard to please, though, and I can't blame them for being popular. While waiting for our table last night, I glanced at their menu and realized that there are some good looking happy hour deals besides the fixed price special. Their bar menu food offerings are half price during happy hour. This includes a burger that comes in at $5 and looks killer. Next time I try the last minute thing and I'm too late to get in on the special menu, I'm going to wander down anyway and partake of that burger.
4/10/08: I am editing my review a third time (a first for me) to add back a star. Went back for HH… Read more »
Truly outstanding. Just off Burnside, it's easy to get to, although the front door isn't prominent. I've rarely had such a wonderful first experience, though, and I sorely wish I was in Portland more often to take advantage of this gem. From the time my sister and I came in and up the stairs, we were both incredibly impressed by nearly every aspect - the food, the service, the decor, the sound levels, and of course, the 10 pool tables, 2 of which are tournament-sized.
The 5-course happy hour menu must the the single best deal in the city; each course was beautiful AND delicious and it's built around a weekly theme. (This week was peppers.) For me, the standouts were the savory pan-seared sturgeon with red pepper jus on a bed of basmati rice and the the roasted-poblano pepper chocolate mousse with cinnamon cream and orange chantilly. All that for a mere $10! I definitely recommend the wine pairings for only an additional $10. This deal is only available during the 4-6:30pm happy hour, during which their ala carte dishes are all half price.
Our waitress (Candice) advised that the house-made pate' was excellent but that the bacon/pear/fontina pizza was "life-changing"; she wasn't kidding. She and her counterpart kept our glasses full, our meal perfectly paced, and our empties cleared all without requiring comment. That kind of anticipation and service requires notable attentiveness and dedication, and I greatly appreciated their efforts.
After eating, we stepped across the richly appointed and well-stocked bar (12 single malt scotches!), fronted by a large hardwood floor that would be excellent for dancing. On the far side from the dining area are the main 8 pool tables, rentable by the hour; transferring our tab to the bar was handled seamlessly. Upon request, if it's not busy, they'll also bring out ping-pong and open the dartboards. The lighting was subdued enough for atmosphere while still bright enough to see your menu, food, and companion easily, and the smooth jazz (bordering on Big Band at times) was a perfect background volume.
Again, I was very impressed and could easily become a regular. This venue would be perfect for a fun date or classy party, and would likely make a great place for your wedding rehearsal dinner.
Surprisingly indifferent service. This place is sold as giving exemplary service- But they missed the mark almost entirely on my visit. We went for happy hour and it was very obvious that the room full of the regular dinner customers (read: Higher check average) were being well attended-to while the customers in the bar area- The half off entree diners, were left to flag their server down.. We didn't even get water, we had to ask.
Decor is interesting, very old-school and fits the pool hall aesthetic. The czech pilsner was nice, but a little too warm, many beers are meant to be consumed at a warmer than "Ice Cold American" standard, so this is relative. The "Lovebite" cocktail was amazingly tasty- I wish I'd ordered it instead of a beer. Fantastic and addictive.
I ordered the grilled club- which for 1/2 off ($5.00) was quite lovely for the money. My girl chose the Pizza, which is one of the better "white" pizzas I've had the pleasure to eat. Again, wish I ordered that instead, as well. Marvelous.
Uptown gets thumbs up for the food. However when you've put yourself out there as fine dining with excellent service, and your waitstaff makes your customers (in this case) feel as though they are treated differently than the more affluent folks in the other room- The food only does so much. I'd return for the food, but can't forget the first impression. Most of their yelps are quite flattering, so we were pretty put off but the bad service. That could be part of the culture at your business, and understandable- Plenty of bars do this. I just thought different based on what I'd read about the place. I'd rather not come off as snotty, but I was quite disappointed.
By all means, visit UBC- It is not to be missed. Hopefully you get the full package for your money.
Cool place to hang out!
Well hello 1923. Or maybe it's 1947. Velvet curtains, high-backed chairs, overstuffed armchairs, and Brunswick pool tables transported me back to a time when everyone danced to jazz and men wore hats.
The pool tables can be converted into ping pong tables, if you're into that kind of thing. You can also play darts, but only if Table 10 is open (call in advance if you want ping pong or darts).
I loved that it wasn't very crowded on a Saturday night--it's a nice thing when you don't want to wait for a table or wait 30 minutes to grab a drink. But unless you're planning on teaching some unsuspecting female "how to play pool", don't plan on meeting too many people here in the summer. It's way too low key for that.
This place is really fun, unpretentious and the staff is amazing. The happy hour is an amazing deal and the 5 course happy hour blows my mind every time. you can't pass up a 10 dollar 5 course meal, there is no way to beat it. Just don't be a creep and tip poorly. Think about cost when digging into your amazing meal and realize that they really aren't making big bucks with it. Its only 10 dollars!! They also have an amazing wine list and ping pong. yes... ping pong.
this isn't the first time ive been here and definitely wont be the last. if your looking for a place with class great music and somewhere where u can really just relax and enjoy some great food n drinks, this is the place. Im not great a pool but being in here i defiantly had to step up my game. I've never had anything off the menu that wasnt great. I recommend the hummus.
why i love this place is because its simple food drink company game. no tv's, ni loud music just somewhere where you can enjoy the simplicty of pool and the company of others.
GREAT soulful music, everything from The Temptations to Marvin Gaye to Ella Fitzgerald...recorded, thankfully, instead of another overly-loud, overly-proud yokel band drowning out dinner conversation. A lovely old building in Northwest from a better, vanished time. Billiards, of course. Dark, comfortable surroundings. Tons of wood. Beautiful waitresses in little black dresses. Even if the food sucked, this place would muster at least a three.
Happily, the food is far from sucking. I trust enough people have already raved about the happy hour tasting menu of five mini-courses, optionally paired with (sometimes) matching wines, and about the culinary aptitude of the chef, that I'll just suggest you trust your fellow Yelpers on these points. The only thing I've had that I wouldn't recommend here was the Caesar salad - I'd give it a D-plus, and would gently remind the chef to shred the lettuce by hand, not cut it into tiny pieces, and that one of the first things you learn in culinary school is if you're going to use an ingredient, bloody use it already! - but even that is better than most places, and you'll probably like it unless you're a real Caesar devotee. Little pizzas with pears, bacon, and fontina? Every bit as good as they sound. Club sandwiches served on decent rolls with new potatoes instead of fries? Check. Halibut with pesto en croute? Yep. Braised short ribs on some sort of pureed squash? Roger that.
Don't let the name fool you - Uptown Billiards Club rolls out one solid winner after another.
Quibbles? Oh, if you must. The place SURE ain't handicapped accessible, unless there is a freight elevator somewhere. Otherwise, if you aren't up for two flights of stairs, this isn't the place for you...and that's a shame. Your fellow diners are Portlanders, which is alternately a blessing and a curse: They love good eats, but also love their T-shirts and jeans and wearing their hipster hats indoors, because after all these cats are too cool for school. Except, of course, they're a bunch of gauche morons for ruining a place like this with their Iron Maiden t-shirts and their incessant foul mouths. It deserves better.
Also, as lovely as the waitresses are, the service is pretty casual, and not in a good way. You might find yourself waiting for a drink longer than you'd like at times, and the entire dinner can take two hours from start to finish. Really though, who cares? UBC isn't the sort of place you go when you're in a hurry. It is a place to savor, a solid value, and one of the best places I've eaten lately. You could move the whole joint to Boston and not change a thing...except the patrons wouldn't be so seedy looking and the prices would double. Sho-nuff fine! Four-and-a-half stars, rounded up for value.
FINALLY made it here for happy hour and boy was it worth the wait. The best part may have been being able to make a reservation! Not to many happy hours in PDX that allow you to do that! The 5-course (small, but I was full at the end of the meal) happy hour menu is a steal--only $10. Every 2 weeks a new menu is released with a new theme. Just to add the icing on the cake you can add a 5 course wine flight sampling for an extra $10.
The ambiance is also great... think billiards room from Clue. But no natural light, so if it is one of those rare nice days you might want to go someplace with a patio. The regular menu looks great as well... will be back to sample that sometime soon!
Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum. That goes for all 5 courses of the happy hour menu. Generally happy hour food does NOT lure me to come back for the real stuff--not so here. I would have liked a whole huge plate of the fish course: halibut on spinach on sticky rice with a rhubarb/nori sauce.
It was tres fabulous. Also, the starter: a single oyster with a rhubarb mignonette (which translates to "little cutie" according to my sources.) Yes, they're 5 small courses (except dessert which was full sized), but at $2 each, a great deal: superb food, nice atmosphere, pleasant service.
Fantastic happy hour, some of the best food I've had. Has a sort of upscale vibe without the stuffiness. I was reminded of Iron Chef a little in that the courses have a shared ingredient. Ours was rhubarb, which I never would have even thought to pair with hailbut-buttery goodness. Wild boar and rhubarb, check. Oyster and rhubarb, double check. Each course is served with a wine that compliments the dish...All of this for a bargain, considering what you get.
Totally great! Has the "boys club" feeling of some sort of place that only money would be able to get you into... well... without that "smug" feeling that goes along with it!
We've had company parties here, I've even had a birthday party here. Great for just about any occasion but certainly for groups!
Good food at really great prices and lots of great things to drink!
Their happy hour is such a steal! ($10 for five courses, $10 more for paired wines). Check out their website for the current menu and be sure to visit the calendar to make sure they aren't booked that day (therefore no happy hour). The courses by no means should substitute a meal for big eaters; you'll come away feeling full, but you'll be hungry later.
Oh yes, they have many pool tables you can rent out. I've done this years ago and remember having a great time, but I'm not exactly a pool shark. Tables are $10/hour on weekdays, $12/hour on weekends. Check out their website for all the non-happy hour stuff.
Recommendations:
Be open-minded. The menu is based on a local in-season ingredient and they get creative, but everything is delicious.
Appreciate this unique happy hour format. I'd love someone to point out similar options.
So this review is overdue, but can i say how fantastic this place is in so many words!! I had my wedding reception here about a year ago and they were absolutely fantastic to work with. I believe the planner's name was Stephanie -- she was great! She made things so easy for us.
We had the reception on a Saturday night. We were married in Mexico a month prior and had a separate party hosted here. THe staff was wonderful. I arrived earlier to drop off a few decorations and the staff decided to take it upon themselves to help lay everything out. I had a portion of the room set up for casino gaming tables and the staff that ran the games did such a fantastic job. They had the buffet set up beautifully and had flowers from Zupan's as centerpieces.
Overall, most importantly, they made the process so easy. They worked with me and helped me stay within my budget. They also made my wedding cake exactly how i requested it and it was soo good! The food was fantastic and the pricing was reasonable. They knew we wanted heavier appetizers since we were hosting a full bar. Everyone had a blast and we rec'd a ton of compliments on how great the place was. I highly recommend it for parties! And also, just for a regular weekend night!
The one major downside is parking on 23rd can be tough! Also, be careful, the place is quite popular for parties, so sometimes the place can be closed for a private event!
It's always been non-smoking in this upscale, historic-looking pool room. UBC is one of the best-kept secrets in Portland. It has a tiny green awning to clue you in to its location across from Urban Outfitters on NW 23rd.
The food has always been above average although not inventive. Great price on wine flights - knowledgeable servers who will lead you through the wine tasting - and what a treat.
This is a great place for an event. Pool is expensive - around $12 per hour. Good place to cruise for an upscale hookup minus the creepies you may see at City Grill or Huber's.
Nice tables, nice people working. Bad location and steep stairs.
I've been here three years in a row for a company holiday party where we've rented out the smaller of the two areas. Great spot for our group of about 30 people. It has two pool tables and two dart boards and some cozy seating areas. The larger area has also been booked for another corporate party (same company as well the past three years), so around the holidays you might find yourself out of luck if you walk in from the street and want to play a game.
I do find the stemless wine glasses a little funny. What do you wine afficionados think? Last time our service wasn't as good as we've had in the past, but then these corporate events probably aren't as much of an incentive for the servers to give exceptional service. The food has always been good and I've really enjoyed the salmon entree and shrimp appetizer that were served.
Love that it is non-smoking and the decor is cool. The parking is always a bit of a hassle on 23rd, but thems the breaks.
Pool halls still exist within Portland. But on the south end of NW 23rd there exists a small door with steps that lead to a somewhat hidden establishment unlike any other in the city. Perhaps not the most infamous pool hall to ever grace Portland, but absolutely one of the best modern pool halls in the town today.
The bar itself was built in Belgium, and sent around the Cape of South America to San Francisco before the turn of the 20th century.
In 1908 it was put on a stage coach and moved to Paisley, Oregon. Then in 1936 it was put on a flatbed truck and moved from Paisley to Redmond, Oregon. After a well-used existence, in 1994 (and much to the objection from the residents of Redmond) the bar's current owner loaded it onto a U-Haul and brought it to Portland.
In times past, it was customary for bartenders to throw their small change up on the bar at the end of the night. When the bar was detached from the wall in Redmond, people heard lots of clanking from within. They filled two containers with coins dating as far back as the 1910's, including steel pennies, mercury dimes and even a couple liberty half-dollars.
A resident of Redmond told the owner, before she hauled away the bar, that John Wayne once sat at this very bar. Apparently The Duke was filming a movie in central Oregon (most likely this would have been the famous 'Rooster Cogburn', in which Katherin Hepburn co-starred), and this bar was where he spent most of his off-hours passing the time.
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What's not to love about Uptown Billiards! The atmosphere is dark and sexy, with exposed brick walls and dark wood that make this place feel sophisticated, elegant and classy. This is one of the few billiards places in Portland that is non-smoking, which automatically makes it one of my favorite haunts to visit.
The food and wine list will make you forget you are in a bar. The food on the menu is unique, gourmet and absolutely delicious. However, if you are craving some good ol' bar chow, their mini pizzas will do the trick! Show up early for happy hour and check out their steak and lobster...the meal is half price and a total score for under ten bucks.
I went here for the first time this past Friday night. I was very impressed. This is probably the best happy hour in Portland. I had a five course meal, paired with wines for $20! The food was excellent, the wine was excellent (and it was served in beautiful glassware), and finally I really liked the atmosphere. We ate in the room with the faux bookcase -- which was really cool -- look for the little people that are crawling all throughout that mural.
After reading the happy hour book in Portland, I had to check this place out. One of my friends owed me dinner since I spotted him the night before. I chose this place since I wanted to see how this "5 course" happy deal would be like. I was surprised I could make reservations for happy which normally you can't do for a lot of places. I was afraid the place would be packed yet when we arrived, there weren't that many people. The hostess greeted us promptly and seated us. My friend ordered a Hefeweisen and I decided to get the wine pairing in addition to the food. Both food and wine is $20, $10 for just the food. The wine given for each course is only a small sample but they do pair well with each dish. The restaurant certainly takes their time bringing each dish out. The portions are adequate but quite appealing to the human eye. By the time dessert arrived, I wasn't really full at first but the dessert certainly left me satisfied. The menu changes every other week I believe. By the time we left, the place was certainly filled with people. This place definitely great to impress someone on a date.
An awesome place to play some pool (the atmosphere is terrific) and grab a drink. The non-smoking thing is great as well. Friendly service, and if it's not too busy, you'll have plenty of room to take decent shots without getting in anybody's way.
Great atmosphere when you step in, you feel like you're in a 30's/40's movie. The pool is the main draw here, but the food is great as well. You can even rent the whole place out for a party or corporate event. They used to have a fabulous hostess there. I wonder what happened to her...
This place is okay. It definitely isn't as swank as they want it to be probably because the books are painted on the wall and there are other terrible decoration choices that make this place doomed no matter how lovely of a wine flight they serve for $10 during happy hour. We had the $20 five course tasting and flight and it was pretty good. it was timed really well very relaxing for a happy hour thing and for that I give them three stars but the food was average and again, the 80's wallpaper and faux class was almost unbearable. Why paint a bookcase on the wall? Can't you just have books? I was full after the tasting menu, my husband ate some fries an hour later, but he'll do that. I recommend going for the tasting/flight if you enjoy hanging out between courses and aren't out to get either drunk or full because after a couple of hours you won't be either. Good date venue due to the time between courses to get to know each other (or talk shit about the last course).
Only place I've seen so far in PDX where people go to a pool hall to actually play pool. Nice spacing between the tables, almost never too crowded. Super cheap for a group, as they charge by table instead of person. Service is not bad; they have some really interesting mixed drinks. We had a party once in the private room, which was really nice and reasonably priced, however, it's proximity to the restrooms makes people tend to randomly wander in there and pick up a ping pong paddle--could really use some roping or something. They fall a few steps short of the velvet armchair vibe they are cultivating, but overall, a good place to hang out.
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