Binks

Always a good time at this small Alberta establishment.
I have been coming to Binks for many years off and on and I have found them to be remarkably consistent in every way. Their drink pours are always right on (never so strong that it is off-​putting). Their single pool table is well maintained and level and the covered area in the back is a welcome respite to the heat that can build up in the main bar.
A well proportioned menu keeps you going through the evening (and their pizza is unreasonably good for a place that is a bar first) and a nice selection of songs (generally refreshed/​rotated) keeps the ambiance feeling fresh between visits.

Love Binks. Probably the most social bar I’ve been to in Portland. People here are nice. They actually talk to you unlike most Portland bars. 2 fireplaces, a pool table and great drinks (love the Spicy Passion cilantro drink!), and great service. The back patio is so nice it actually makes me want to chill out back with the smokers… So sick of bars with antisocial people on their cell phones who don’t even try to turn their heads to look at you sitting next to them. Chill.

A friend of ours had her birthday at Binks and we loved it! The space is cute, catering to all types of folks. There’s a lovely seating area with a fireplace, a smoking room, pool table and a couple of larger tables to accommodate big groups near the front. The drink menu was great — I particularly liked the lavender lemonade and the beet margarita. Bartenders were friendly, diverse patrons and easy parking. Check it out!

Limited Beer selection, small unique cocktails, and I didn’t try any of their food, but going with the average, it was probably A-​Ok. They had a nice fireplace and we were lucky enough to sit by it… just whatever you do, don’t SIT ON THE BENCH IN FRONT OF THE FIREPLACE. It’s actually not a bench, it’s just a table that looks like a bench that likes to trick people that it is a bench… So, yeah it will wobble you and whatever drinks that your friends sat on the «bench”-thing. So, yeah let this be a cautionary table do not Sit there despite how inviting and comfy it looks.

Decent cocktails, tasty pizza, vibe is better in the corner in the back. Would come back. Nothing super wow-​y.

I have been going here since the third day they opened and it has remained a cool hangout. The food is good for the space they have. And over the years the owners have paid attention and only retained charismatic bartenders, which is better than can be said about many bars around town.
Fireplace, heated seats in the smoking area. It is a well laid out, comfortable bar.

From top to bottom, this place is amazing. The food, service, and ambiance keep a fella wanting to come back for more good times with friends old and new. The staff were GREAT! Lauren particularly made our night complete with her attentive service and witty personality. I’d give this place 10 stars if I could.

Omg. The he new pizza crust is AMAZING!!! so freaking good way better than the old awesome pizza …
Git here now!!!

One of my favorite Alberta bars. A house turned into a bar so it’s cozy on the inside. When it’s chilly they have the gas fire place on for an even better ambience. When it’s nice outside there is some outdoor seating as well.
I have been here many times but have only came to drink so I have never tried their food. Every mixed drink I have had here is awesome. I am especially partial to anything they make with mint. My only gripe is they don’t have a ton of beer selections, however they always have Vaporizer from Double Mountain on tap which is one of my favorites so I can live with not as many choices.
Great vibe and good drinks!

Great space and nice drinks. The bartender was busy but we didn’t feel neglected. On a nice summer day, you can sit out on the tables outside or retreat to the cool, dark nook inside. I’ve been here a time or two before and I’m glad I keep ending up here.

My favorite place in the whole wide world. Great drinks, Pizza would give 5 starts but the STAFF is HORRIBLE. rude, made a scene with the foreign ID’s ugh asked for my ID (black woman), but not for my mom who’s white.
I think they may be low key racist
Just rude with the i.d.‘s

Seating out front, pool tables and Little Lebowski in the bathroom. Can’t get better than that.
We rolled in with about 25 people on a pub crawl for a birthday. We brought our cash and patience and things moved along smoothly.
Some of our gang were standing by the outside seating in front drinking. Staff reminded several folks a few times they needed to be seated if they were drinking.
The atmosphere is dark and kinda seedy, staff surly and tattooed. Basically Portland service with a snarl. Could have been our large group though…

this review is based on the pizza alone.
self proclaimed pizza snob! good ingredients and good sauce make a pizza, but the crust, the crust MAKES the pizza.
a delicate balance of thin crispy crust, the right amount of sauce and just a bit of cheese make a really really good pizza.
binks had that all! the crust on this pizza sells this pizza! by far the best crust i’ve had in years. literally perfection.
service was little slow.

Super cool little bar. There is an area just been sitting enjoying being around the bar it’s kind of dark so if you have bad eyesight. Then there’s a pool table room which is totally cool but kind of cramped so be careful of the pill pool cues and the drunk guys they might be hitting you in the head… I got whacked a few times not gonna lie. Inside of the pool room there is a long line, so there’s a chalkboard to keep track of the line. Make sure not to step on anybody’s toes and cut in line!
The last room is super cool it’s in the back and there is a it’s open to the outside there’s a bonfire everybody sitting around, and you just Kaina hang out and in the cool air smell in the fire. So cool excellent.
Didn’t interact with the bartenders much but there are a lot of drinks and there are a few specialty drinks up on the menu, that are pretty cheap and super tasty. I can’t remember what the name of mine was but it had mint in it was citrusy and delicious!

I’ve been to this place a few times and have had mixed feelings. The drinks are usually pretty good and the vibe is nice during the summer. It’s a nice spot to go considering Alberta’s spotty bar scene. However I recently went during the day and the food was sub-​par. It’s a place I would happily stop into if I was on Alberta and wanted to get a drink, but not somewhere I would center my night around.

This is a very chilled little bar. Lots of great bar snacks and good vibes all ofer. Good service and go drinks equal a good time!

Everybody knows everybody at Binks. Nice fire for winter months and Lurve their mojito. A great place for day drinking esp. When sunny and watching the hipsters on Alberta.

I really want to hate this place… sounds horrible, but I do. It’s infested with hipster wannabe people flooding into the streets smoking their clove cigarettes and acting superior. But I am a sucker for good bartenders, jukeboxes, and fireplaces.
Hints for a good experience here:
1. Visit in off hours.
2. Don’t come for food. This is a drinks only place.
3. Feed the jukebox with your favorite tunes.
4. Steal the best seats in the house by the fireplace.
5. Enjoy.

# Overall
I’ve been holding this one back for a while. On Alberta, Binks is kinda the «locals» place. It is intimate, fun, and lets face it the place has some history. I’m a little bitter, though because I’ve lived on Alberta 2 blocks from Binks, and I still haven’t cracked the secret code to get myself in as a local here. I mean, I drink a respectable amount I feel like I show up there often, but still haven’t cracked that code. So maybe there’s a handshake I just don’t know about… If anyone figures it out please let me know.
# Pros
— Open late, and always an awesome social scene.
— Small and intimate, and for the place I think this is actually a really nice thing.
— The bar staff are consistently friendly and nice.
— Jukebox. I mean come on that’s very handy.
— They have a cozy fireplace. If you don’t have one at home, this is a feasible option for first or second dates.
— It’s conveniently located for the eastern Albertans.
# Cons
— The crowd gets a little rough toward the 1−2am mark. I suppose this is any bar, but I literally live close enough to Binks to hear the wild ones during this time. Not pleasant.
— The pool table can get a little contentious. I get the sense that there is an unspoken rule about «locals» getting first dibs. While this isn’t the bar’s issue, and I have only anecdotal proof its something to be on the lookout for.
— If you don’t smoke, don’t hang out in the front. I think they’re working on this, but the second hand smoke will get’cha.
— I disagree with everyone else about the pizza, but I’m a self admitted snob about pizza. Bella Faccia is just a block away and so much better.

Love this bar. Very nice. Love the fire place.
The pizza was excellent. Do yourself a favor and order some!

I loves me some Binks. It’s a GREAT neighbourhood bar, the staff is super nice, and they have delicious nachos and pizzas… DELICIOUS, I SAY.
Their Manhattan was served to me in a tall pint glass with ice, which made me grin from ear to ear b/​c you know… MORE WHISKEY FOR ME!
And if you’re cold and looking for a hot drink, order the cayenne ginger toddy b/​c it will save your life.
Basically, just take a trip to Binks and you’ll see what I’m talking about!

Binks is just one of those bars that I keep getting drawn back to for some reason. It could be the friendly service, or the cozy confines, or the number of outdoor/​open-​air options, or possibly the one pool table… I’m not sure. Whatever it is, it’s all ads up to a fun bar for fun times.
This place can get jam packed at times. Especially prime time on weekend nights, where the crowd is definitely a mish-​mash of various styles, ages and the like. I do like that it doesn’t ever seem to be too dominated by one genre of crowd, so anyone can walk in there and feel fairly well at home.
The cocktails are decent, prices are good, and pours are generous enough. I’m not sure what else I could want? Oh, the food? It’s tasty, but it takes forever. I’ve never had food come in a reasonable amount of time here. But I think that boils down to a small kitchen. Or that’s what I tell myself. The tots are baked, which is not good, but the nachos are massive. And who doesn’t love massive nachos, right?