Rontoms

I really like Rontoms for specific situations, and not so much for others. Specifically, I like Rontoms for happy hour, and not so much for most any other time. And really, that’s all about the crowds it attracts as opposed to anything the bar itself is doing. This is a really nice place, it just tends to get overran by dudebros. Just go at the right times, and you’re in the clear.
Both inside and out, Rontoms is impressive. They have a serious eye for design! Inside, it looks like somebody just decided to turn a Mid Century Modern furniture showroom into a cocktail lounge. It’s spacious, comfortable, and stylish, and if you’re anything like me you’ll probably want to take home a sofa or a table. They won’t let you. Outside, it has one of my favorite patios in all of Portland! Really, it’s super impressive, with plenty of seating, ping pong, and oodles of plants. i approve. Aesthetically, Rontoms is right up my alley.
The drinks are legit, too. Their cocktail list is quality, and I generally get either the Urban Cowboy (a boozy whisky drink w/​aquavit and orange bitters) or the Bruja (spicy tequila!). All cocktails are $ 9, it seems. The beer list is small-​ish, but not EVERY place in Portland has to be some sort of multi-​tap emporium. They’ve got enough to keep the beer fan happy. Same with wine.
Food is probably what I know least about, but I will say that everything I’ve had has been A-​OK. I enjoy the french dip, which is only $ 4.50 during happy hour. I also liked the chicken skewers, which are all gingery and served with a sweet chili sauce. There’s plenty more to explore here, and I have every reason to think it’s good.
So yeah, good space, drink and food. Great place to hang for happy hour. I avoid weekends and evenings like the plague b/​c it gets so crowded with irritating people 10+ years my junior (who are irritating for reasons beyond simply being younger than me), but I’ll always be up for a sunny patio afternoon at Rontoms!

Check your bank [debit card] statements, as my check got some tip added. I tipped already, but evidently not enough for what our server thought she deserved. Bad service, forgot us completely, and it wasn’t even busy on a Tues. afternoon. Waited almost 15 mins. after requesting the check, then had to walk up to her at the register to get it.
And very regular smell of cigarettes INSIDE.
I will not be returning, and I strongly recommend you don’t even think about it.

Free live music on Sunday and that’s cool. Food is super good and super expensive. The bartender was stressed (busy on weekends including Sundays) and short, totally understandable. Drinks were weak and overpriced coupled with awkward seating. Mixed crowd, but pretty unfriendly overall. I’m probably just too poor and plain for this scene.

Such a popular place! And for good reason too. They have a great menu, good drinks, large patio and indoor space, and musicccc!
The drinks are good, they have some fruity ones and good beer and wine as well. Their food though? So yummy and really not that expensive for the quality. If you are going for quantity, this really isn’t the place to be. For the amount of food you get, it’s not worth it. I was still left hungry after we left. But if you are going for the quality you won’t be disappointed. Their menu changes often so that’s nice.
Service? Well… Slow. When you sit out on the patio it can take a loooong time for your server to get to you, to get your food, and to get your bill… and to process. We had been there for much longer than we wanted, though we enjoyed ourselves, this is not the place to go if you don’t have time to sit for a while.
Music! Live music! Yes! Check out their schedule online, you won’t regret it. It’s really fun in the summer time because they play music outside in the night and it’s cool but the band plays under a covering so the acoustics are great!
Definitely check the place out.

This place has an amazing vibe and is so beautiful with their new patio. They even brought a doggie bowl for my service baby.

The place was pretty busy when I came in with a friend Saturday night. The space is weird. It’s just this huge open space with not much seating. All you can do is drink standing and talk or not much else. Not sure how I feel about the place.

Pretty crowded on a Sunday night. Apparently they have a live band/​performance, so that’s probably why it was so busy. It’s definitely a large place, both inside and outside. The outside was too cold, but they had a fire going on to help keep us warm. They also had heat lamps, but they weren’t on either. There’s also an outside bar, so if the inside one is too packed mosey your way there. This place looks like a cool spot when the weather is warmer.
As for drinks, the Valhalla was pretty strong but still on the sweet side. I couldn’t really taste the cucumber though.

Shhhh…
The quietest spot in town for a drink with great music. I dig it.
It’s dark, has great MCM furniture and has a fantastic roaring fire. It’s a perfect spot on cold days to roll in with a friend, or friends for a cocktail or two to unwind ~especially when you can snag that spot by the fire!
It seems there’s a back area as well for smokers. But I never head back there. I’m an indoor cat. ;)

Hipster, cozy fireplace, interesting art, awkward angular furniture, poor acoustics and low lighting sum up Rontoms.
Lit only with candles — it can be hard to peruse the menu — but they have a full bar and beers on tap. I’m pretty sure there was a happy hour menu — not sure what was on it or the hours it is (forgot my flashlight).
Don’t plan on sitting and chatting with friends — you can’t hear them.
The server was efficient and really very nice.
We got drinks all around and one member of the party got the chicken skewers with salad. They seemed over-​sauced, and it was a pretty sweet sauce.
I would say this is a good end of the night, had two or three already stop. But I may be older than the usual customer and have a different set of expectations for hanging with friends.

Well, I don’t know any Rons but I am a Tom, so I had to go to there! I’ve been to Rontoms a number of times for happy hour and it’s always enjoyable. The atmosphere is large, lounge-​y and dark, which I find comfortable overall. Service is generally excellent and the food has been dee-​lightful! Drinks are well done too! I’ve had the tomato soup and grilled cheese a few times, it’s just that yum-​tastic, they definitely raise the bar on this one! We’ve also ordered their fondue, which was excellent and as good as fondue I’ve eaten in Switzerland. And their sea salted edamame actually made me sort of like edamame. Yay healthy food? Perhaps!
The crowd is probably what made me take off one star. When it’s good, it’s very, very good and when it’s bad, it’s horrid. The first time I came here, I was a bit amused/​scared by all the trendy L.A.-esque types, it was like Real Housewives of Rontoms. But I’ve also been here when it just seems like your typical Portland mixed bag of different types of people.
If you’re not too allergic to trendy, it’s worth coming here for the food and drink!

I really enjoy this place, despite some of its flaws. I’m here every Sunday night for the Rontoms Sunday Sessions. Simply can’t beat the free music from the best local acts.
Absolutely love the atmosphere at Rontoms — the indoor area is cozy, and patio is GREAT in the summer, and just as good in the winter as long as you get a spot under the heaters. One of my favorite patios in Portland. Nothing better during the winter than coming in on a Sunday and warming up right away with a grilled cheese and tomato soup.
The only issue I have with this spot is that the bar can get really backed up, especially on Sundays when the house is packed for the music. I’ve on more than one occasion had trouble with bar tenders losing credit cards, of mine or friends, and being certain you had never given them one, when you had. Can’t put too much negative stock in that with all of the pros about this place though.

We have had an amazing summer of warm dry weather and Rontoms has really been able to capture the spirit of calm warm evenings outside on the patio with friends. Walk around, admire the exposed beam construction of what once was office space and wonder in the vision that Rontoms embodies. #Summer2015

This place was nice. We were meeting up with a friend in the evening. Got a table outside which was awesome, until people around us started to smoke. Yuck. I guess it was our bad for sitting outside, but still. That totally killed the place for me.
The beer selection was good and we enjoyed a couple of brews before fleeing the stink.

Patio was closed for a private party, so didn’t get to check it out. Hopefully next time! Was able to grab a table, which was awesome because it was so busy. Arrived a little before 10, which I think was key! This place is definitely popular.
Table service available and our waitress was awesome! All of the drinks we got were great. Especially with being patient when splitting the bill. I will definitely return.

This place is cool and stylish! Cozy interior, AWESOME back (exterior) bar.
They have $ 3 beer pints on tap! That is freaking awesome!
I went there on a Monday night to a first date. The place was almost empty, which was great because my date and I were able to get to know each other without having to shout.
Server tracked me down to return a tablet I had left behind in a different part of the bar! How awesome is that?!
The woman I met there was not a keeper, but the bar was! Will definitely come back!

I thought this place was amazing! Great patio, with ping pong table, what? Their inside was really good looking too but the action was outside. I don’t really remember the music that was playing, but if anything I didn’t hate it. They might need to do something about their restroom situation. It is unisex and there are only two in the entire place… If you have people drinking that can become an issue really fast.
Other than that, I had a great time. Would go again.

One of my favs! The back patios ambience is the perfect mix of classy and casual. Great spot to bring a date or a group of friends, lots of available seating at their picnic tables. Ping pong in back as well and very friendly staff. Good food too, the Brie fondue is delish!

When we first walked in, the bar looked fairly unimpressive, dark, and cramped. It looked like an underwhelming version of library bar in La. However, when we walked out to the back– I was impressed. A great use of space, plenty of seats, lots of soft candle lights, and beautiful bamboo trees greeted us as we made our way outdoors. The drinks were fairly reasonably priced as well! $ 3 beer, $ 8 cocktails… So much better than LA drink prices!
It was a chill, welcoming environment. :)

I have been to RonToms a hand full of times over the years and today was the first time that I sat inside on a sunny day. It was a bit dirty, there was no server — you order at the bar and then they find you later and give you food.
They used to have an amazing burger on the menu but recently they changed so I got the Caesar and tomato soup with a grilled cheese. It was good for the happy hour price. I wasn’t wowed — but i did eat everything strong 3.

Well this is my 3^rd or 4^th time here and I must say, I like this bar in the afternoon when there aren’t too many people here. The evening gave me a bad vibe in the past but now I’m happy about this place. Specifically the beneath the boughs cocktail. So well balanced and drinkable. Not too sweet, not too bitter, not too dry. This is a gin based drink. But oh so accessible to the non-​gin drinker. Cheers!

Amongst the hipster centric venues throughout Portland, Rontoms might just boast the most impressive and spacious interior of them all. There is plenty of room for groups of all sizes to stretch their limbs and lounge out with imbibing on adult beverages. Along with the bells and whistles of food, games, and an interesting vibe, Rontoms might have just about everything people could want.
An easy way to get in on the fun is to partake in their daily happy hour, which runs from 3:00−6:300pm. Enjoy a discounted bevy of food items at $ 4.50 each, which is a luxury in Portland that I don’t see often in most places (see «food happy hour») along with some actual happy hour pricing ($ 1 – 2) for drinks. The grilled cheese and tomato soup is decent and another reliable option is the french dip sandwich. As appealing as the vegan sloppy joe sounds, don’t be surprised if it’s actually quite mediocre.
To combat chilly Portland evenings, stake out or reserve a seat at the infamous firepits. They don’t work that well as a heat source, but if one is to avoid the crowds of the lounge space, suddenly the outdoor patio seems like a great place to be. Be weary of the cigarette smoke, someone is always bound to light up.
Say what you will about the hipster crowd or the pretentious vibe, the real ding on the star rating for me is the service. On multiple visits the service was just flat out bad. Whether it was bartenders making snafu worthy drinks (though beer is harder to screw up!), it was the waitresses confusing the orders. While mistakes are a norm in the industry, certainly the attitude is not. I’ll still give Rontoms my money, but only sparingly when time has passed long enough for me to return.