Honest review from a Black person new to Portland's gay (club/bar) scene. I've been to bars from Los Angeles, to San Francisco, Memphis, New Orleans, and New York and this LGBT+ bar just doesn't hit the mark. My girlfriend and I visited Crush on Feb 11th, 2023. Initially when entering, the energy was quiet and not as lively as you'd expect of a queer space let alone *any* bar or pub. The main area with the bar had no one. The people who were there were congregated in another quiet room watching a performance. In that room, there was a performer dancing with music playing but no audience member was clapping or verbalizing feedback to the performer. It's not something I'm personally used to nor have I ever seen. Me and my girlfriend walked up and started clapping and shouting to give the performer the flowers we felt they deserved. Despite the awkward vibes, we still decided to give the bar a chance and stayed for a few hours which soon became a regrettable decision. I had brought my gf to Crush (both visited for the first time) to treat her to a good time. Unfortunately, she was made uncomfortable by the bartender who repeatedly gave her intimate glances and leaned in (encroaching on her personal space) trying to initiate more intimate glances when handing her drinks. I'll note that I didn't receive this attention *not that I wanted it*. My girlfriend pointed out to me how uncomfortable she was with this unrequited attention and the disrespect she felt to our relationship as a couple. She wasn't returning that energy and we mutually dislike the discomfort she felt. She's used to being flirted with but this attention was to the point of unprofessionalism and unease. After kissing my girlfriend and comforting her, the bartender gave me negative glances and refused to interact with me and provide basic customer service. She then overcharged us for our food and drinks: 1. For food, we ordered a chili cheese dog with bacon: a) Chili cheese dog ($10) b) bacon ($1) c) lettuce (we were directly informed that this addition would be free and we agreed that it makes sense because it's regular-degular iceberg lettuce) d) chicken strip basket ($13) Amount total: $24 Amount charged: $26 Method of payment: Cash ($25) and Debit card ($1) Discrepancy: $2 (unaccounted for; overcharge was not explained) 2. For drinks, we ordered 2 cascade coffees and 1 lavender lemonade: a) 2 cascade coffees ($10/each) b) 1 lavender lemonade ($9). Amount total: $29 Method of payment: Card Discrepancy: N/A (this charge on my card makes sense). 3. Additional $19 pending charge a) We did not order any other food or drink that would amount to this b) We also welcome an explanation from the business and would love this charge to be revoked When reviewing my bank statement, however, I was charged an additional $19 which I am requesting a removal of in addition to a refund for the $2 aforementioned (and unaccounted for). Honestly, with how my gf was made uncomfortable and how the drinks tasted, we want a whole refund for the experience. The bartender wouldn't leave her alone the whole night and transacted small overcharges when all we wanted to do was love on one another in a safe space. I have attached picture for evidence of the unexplained (pending) charge. The charge is circled in red. As for the quality of the food, the chef killed it when preparing the chili cheese dog (my girl loved it). The chicken strips and fries were also solid and what you'd expect of bar food. The food itself was reasonably priced. No complaints there. The drinks in terms of the alcoholic content and ratio were off and nothing to write home about. The cascade coffees and lemonade were slightly too strong but if you want to get slightly buzzed then they do that well enough. *One star for the chef* and deducting 4 for the bartender's unprofessionalism and quality of drinks. Would we return for the energy and drinks? No. If we aren't contacted, I'm going in for an in-person refund. The chef's food deserv
Billy Grande
Great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Susan M.
An incredibly welcoming bar. No matter who you are, you are greeted warmly as a guest. The food has been a bit uneven over the years (we have been neighbors since they opened) but looking good these days. I always am happy to saunter over for a beer and some lively conversation. So happy they are here.
Yoda Yaddle
This once great place is now run by queer women who hate anyone that's outside of their community. This use to be a cool place for gay men but the queers have driven us out. No problem! There's better places to go! That once packed patio of theirs now has cobwebs on it. I give it til the end of '24 before they close shop.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Letty Lopez
This is not a safe space. It seems like the few regulars that frequent this place own it. The high school mentality and lack of leadership are very obvious. Let's not even talk about how discriminatory they are against Hispanics. Predominantly white queers with a token black or Hispanic queer frequent this place, and their racism bleeds through their pores. The Salem witch hunt is alive and well at Crush Bar PDX. This is a place where they give you poor customer service and make you aware that outsiders are not welcome. IT'S ALL WHITE EVERYONE! ?
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Raychel Russell
On 01/19/24 I witnessed a form of discrimination at this establishment that really left a bad taste in my mouth. A person of color was clearly discriminated on in such a public way that it made me fear for their safety. Clearly this establishment needs some professionalism and deescalation training. Instead of pulling the person aside and explaining the why they were being asked to leave, they publicly humiliated him and kicked him out. It was a public character assasination at it's finest. Treating a fellow gay member of the community in such a deplorable way was not what I expected. I will not be giving them anymore business.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Ryan
Besides the bartender and the tasty drinks, our experience was just okay.It feels like more of a bar for an older crowd.
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 5
Rachelle R.
From what I witnessed, that patron was minding their own business and it wasn't until they were confronted by the extremely rude waitstaff, did they begin to defend themselves. When other patrons decided to join the excitement, no staff intervined to deescalate things. Instead exacerbating the uncomfortable situation. This is uneasy times we live in and turning on folks in our own community is just not something I expected to see. We never know what people are going through in their lives. A friendly gesture or a simple act of kindness even to the person we see as the worst can make all the difference in the world. I just feel adding a character assassination to my reply about a community member as a post is perpetuating the discrimination. It's just not what I would expect from my community.
Eric Bensing
Was higher until I caught them making fun of me behind scenes. They thought I left and when I didn’t they felt dumb. Yeah, I’m not from PORTLAND, but I’m still a customer.
Mark Chase
I have been here twice now. Both times were mid-week. It's a great place for drinks and food. It's been busy each time but not so busy as to slow down the service. There were plenty of tables and a few seats at the bar. I really like this bar.
The blue hair bartender she is so welcoming and impressive for me,such a nice bar!
Service: 5
Blake Palmer
I stopped being supporting this bar the day I watched them call the cops on their queer workers who were just asking for their paychecks and a meeting with the owner.Yep. A bar that proudly displays photos of the Stonewall Riots called the cops on its queer staff.Since then I've watched them be repeatedly and increasingly abusive and dismissive to any of their workers' questions or requests.Support queer workers, and avoid exploitative businesses trying to capitalize off of the movement (like this one).
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Kim Tuttle
Great food, great people, and amazing
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Michael DeLapp
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised to find that the menu was varied and had some very creative drinks. I had the Tricky Nick. Which is apparently they're most popular and I can see why! Very refreshing and packs a punch. Then I ordered the bacon, blue cheese, double-patty Burger. Man it was juicy and delicious, once again another surprise. This bar has been around for a little over 25 years and is queer owned. Everyone is welcome! So I suggest you check out this local neighborhood bar and enjoy some great drinks and food.
Kayla Graves
My wife and I had a couple of afternoon drinks here totally by chance looking for a place to sit for a while.Bartender was very nice, place had a great vibe for a bar on a Sunday afternoon. Hope to wander by again next time I'm driving though Portland.
Honest review from a Black person new to Portland's gay (club/bar) scene. I've been to bars from Los Angeles, to San Francisco, Memphis, New Orleans, and New York and this LGBT+ bar just doesn't hit the mark. My girlfriend and I visited Crush on Feb 11th, 2023. Initially when entering, the energy was quiet and not as lively as you'd expect of a queer space let alone *any* bar or pub. The main area with the bar had no one. The people who were there were congregated in another quiet room watching a performance. In that room, there was a performer dancing with music playing but no audience member was clapping or verbalizing feedback to the performer. It's not something I'm personally used to nor have I ever seen. Me and my girlfriend walked up and started clapping and shouting to give the performer the flowers we felt they deserved. Despite the awkward vibes, we still decided to give the bar a chance and stayed for a few hours which soon became a regrettable decision. I had brought my gf to Crush (both visited for the first time) to treat her to a good time. Unfortunately, she was made uncomfortable by the bartender who repeatedly gave her intimate glances and leaned in (encroaching on her personal space) trying to initiate more intimate glances when handing her drinks. I'll note that I didn't receive this attention *not that I wanted it*. My girlfriend pointed out to me how uncomfortable she was with this unrequited attention and the disrespect she felt to our relationship as a couple. She wasn't returning that energy and we mutually dislike the discomfort she felt. She's used to being flirted with but this attention was to the point of unprofessionalism and unease. After kissing my girlfriend and comforting her, the bartender gave me negative glances and refused to interact with me and provide basic customer service. She then overcharged us for our food and drinks: 1. For food, we ordered a chili cheese dog with bacon: a) Chili cheese dog ($10) b) bacon ($1) c) lettuce (we were directly informed that this addition would be free and we agreed that it makes sense because it's regular-degular iceberg lettuce) d) chicken strip basket ($13) Amount total: $24 Amount charged: $26 Method of payment: Cash ($25) and Debit card ($1) Discrepancy: $2 (unaccounted for; overcharge was not explained) 2. For drinks, we ordered 2 cascade coffees and 1 lavender lemonade: a) 2 cascade coffees ($10/each) b) 1 lavender lemonade ($9). Amount total: $29 Method of payment: Card Discrepancy: N/A (this charge on my card makes sense). 3. Additional $19 pending charge a) We did not order any other food or drink that would amount to this b) We also welcome an explanation from the business and would love this charge to be revoked When reviewing my bank statement, however, I was charged an additional $19 which I am requesting a removal of in addition to a refund for the $2 aforementioned (and unaccounted for). Honestly, with how my gf was made uncomfortable and how the drinks tasted, we want a whole refund for the experience. The bartender wouldn't leave her alone the whole night and transacted small overcharges when all we wanted to do was love on one another in a safe space. I have attached picture for evidence of the unexplained (pending) charge. The charge is circled in red. As for the quality of the food, the chef killed it when preparing the chili cheese dog (my girl loved it). The chicken strips and fries were also solid and what you'd expect of bar food. The food itself was reasonably priced. No complaints there. The drinks in terms of the alcoholic content and ratio were off and nothing to write home about. The cascade coffees and lemonade were slightly too strong but if you want to get slightly buzzed then they do that well enough. *One star for the chef* and deducting 4 for the bartender's unprofessionalism and quality of drinks. Would we return for the energy and drinks? No. If we aren't contacted, I'm going in for an in-person refund. The chef's food deserv
Great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
An incredibly welcoming bar. No matter who you are, you are greeted warmly as a guest. The food has been a bit uneven over the years (we have been neighbors since they opened) but looking good these days. I always am happy to saunter over for a beer and some lively conversation. So happy they are here.
This once great place is now run by queer women who hate anyone that's outside of their community. This use to be a cool place for gay men but the queers have driven us out. No problem! There's better places to go! That once packed patio of theirs now has cobwebs on it. I give it til the end of '24 before they close shop.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
This is not a safe space. It seems like the few regulars that frequent this place own it. The high school mentality and lack of leadership are very obvious. Let's not even talk about how discriminatory they are against Hispanics. Predominantly white queers with a token black or Hispanic queer frequent this place, and their racism bleeds through their pores. The Salem witch hunt is alive and well at Crush Bar PDX. This is a place where they give you poor customer service and make you aware that outsiders are not welcome. IT'S ALL WHITE EVERYONE! ?
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
On 01/19/24 I witnessed a form of discrimination at this establishment that really left a bad taste in my mouth. A person of color was clearly discriminated on in such a public way that it made me fear for their safety. Clearly this establishment needs some professionalism and deescalation training. Instead of pulling the person aside and explaining the why they were being asked to leave, they publicly humiliated him and kicked him out. It was a public character assasination at it's finest. Treating a fellow gay member of the community in such a deplorable way was not what I expected. I will not be giving them anymore business.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Besides the bartender and the tasty drinks, our experience was just okay.It feels like more of a bar for an older crowd.
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 5
From what I witnessed, that patron was minding their own business and it wasn't until they were confronted by the extremely rude waitstaff, did they begin to defend themselves. When other patrons decided to join the excitement, no staff intervined to deescalate things. Instead exacerbating the uncomfortable situation. This is uneasy times we live in and turning on folks in our own community is just not something I expected to see. We never know what people are going through in their lives. A friendly gesture or a simple act of kindness even to the person we see as the worst can make all the difference in the world. I just feel adding a character assassination to my reply about a community member as a post is perpetuating the discrimination. It's just not what I would expect from my community.
Was higher until I caught them making fun of me behind scenes. They thought I left and when I didn’t they felt dumb. Yeah, I’m not from PORTLAND, but I’m still a customer.
I have been here twice now. Both times were mid-week. It's a great place for drinks and food. It's been busy each time but not so busy as to slow down the service. There were plenty of tables and a few seats at the bar. I really like this bar.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
The blue hair bartender she is so welcoming and impressive for me,such a nice bar!
Service: 5
I stopped being supporting this bar the day I watched them call the cops on their queer workers who were just asking for their paychecks and a meeting with the owner.Yep. A bar that proudly displays photos of the Stonewall Riots called the cops on its queer staff.Since then I've watched them be repeatedly and increasingly abusive and dismissive to any of their workers' questions or requests.Support queer workers, and avoid exploitative businesses trying to capitalize off of the movement (like this one).
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Great food, great people, and amazing
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised to find that the menu was varied and had some very creative drinks. I had the Tricky Nick. Which is apparently they're most popular and I can see why! Very refreshing and packs a punch. Then I ordered the bacon, blue cheese, double-patty Burger. Man it was juicy and delicious, once again another surprise. This bar has been around for a little over 25 years and is queer owned. Everyone is welcome! So I suggest you check out this local neighborhood bar and enjoy some great drinks and food.
My wife and I had a couple of afternoon drinks here totally by chance looking for a place to sit for a while.Bartender was very nice, place had a great vibe for a bar on a Sunday afternoon. Hope to wander by again next time I'm driving though Portland.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5