Note the points on this map, like all Eater PDX maps, are not ranked rather, they are organized geographically. For more specific Pride events in Portland, check out this guide. The bars may not be as packed and the party may end much earlier nonetheless, these gay bars are still kicking, even after yet another brutal year. June is normally a period of time when queer Portlanders cram themselves into bars for drag shows and dancing, and as restrictions begin to loosen, some bars are bringing back their drag brunches, scantily-clad performers, and long-awaited festivities. Still, not all is lost - there are still a slew of spaces that offer adult beverages, food, and great company, as this map to Portland’s best LBGTQ-friendly bars and restaurants attests. In 2020, Pride was a much milder affair - a necessity, given the circumstances - and the city’s few gay bars held on, in attempt to make it to the other side of the pandemic.
Even before COVID-19 decimated much of the restaurant and bar industry, gay nightlife spots in Portland, Oregon were an endangered species - In fact, bars catering to local lesbians are nearly extinct, and in recent years, Portland’s queer community has said goodbye to holdouts like Fox & Hounds, Sullivan’s Gulch, and Embers.
