The Box Social

Portland, United States

4.7

20 reviews

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 503-288-1111
Website:
www.bxsocial.com
Address:
3971 N Williams & Shaver Ave, Portland, OR, 97212
North Portland, Northeast Portland, Boise, Mississippi
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
130 ftNorth Williams & Northeast Shaver
410 ftNorth Vancouver & Shaver
0.2 miNorth Williams & Northeast Skidmore
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Today

Today –
Local time (Portland) 8:22 AM Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

The Box Social is a cozy, warm, romantic neighborhood bar with well made, artisanal cocktails, a sophisticated wine list, a sampling of beers and nice little tasty bites. We have a friendly approachable staff that keeps the vibe mellow & relaxed. The Box Social is open every night of the week from 4pm — 2am and we have both early & late Happy Hours (see menu for details). With our logo being «a drinking parlour» we strive to keep our guests feeling comfortable and at home, while they relax with an amazing drink and/​or a perfect little snack. Except for minors under 21, we welcome all. Look forward to seeing you here…

History

Established in 2011.

Shannon McQuilkin, co-​owner of the Sapphire Hotel and her husband Eric met in a bar and fell in love in a bar and have adored them ever since. They wanted a family business and something a little like the Sapphire Hotel over in their neighborhood on North Williams. A perfect little building on Shaver appeared from having been recycled from the PSU campus. The corner spot is now The Box Social, appearing as a little candlelit jewel box from the street. Come into our bar, relax & we’ll make you a drink…

Meet the Business Owner

Shannon and Eric M.

Business Owner

Shannon has been in the industry for almost 20 years and is currently the owner of the Sapphire Hotel as well as The Box Social. Eric is a local attorney and owner of The Box Social. They are both big lushes who love drinking and having fun. Come on in and say hello!

Vicinity

Near this location:
40
ft
United Bicycle Institute
3961 N Williams Ave
40
ft
Screw Loose Studio
3940 N Williams Ave
50
ft
Soapbox Theory
3940 N Williams Ave
60
ft
Quesabrosa Mexican Cuisine
3965 N Williams Ave
60
ft
Natural Burial
3954 N Williams Ave
60
ft
TreeHouse Children’s Boutique
3954 N Williams Ave

20 reviews of The Box Social

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Raleigh, NC
We stopped here on a whim walking to the bus stop — it was so cute and inviting and I’m glad we did! Great space, and good drinks. I was lame and got a beer, but my husband got an old fashioned which not only tasted amazing, but also the bartender sprayed the orange oil through a flame, giving it a smoky orange flavor and looking awesome. The Parmesan popcorn was super tasty as well. Everyone was very friendly and the place had such a chill, welcoming vibe. I hope we can go back when I’m up for a cocktail!
Place rating: 4
Portland, OR
Love this place!
Came here with a large and fluctuating group for my bday and the staff was amazing and beyond accommodating.
The drinks are stupid good, slightly spendy, but worth it. Sipping a good cocktail for an hour instead of drinking several shitty drinks for cheap is what we do when we grow up, right?! ;)
I had the meat and cheese plate and it was beautiful albeit small, but again, worth it.
The décor is fab but still comfortable and that mural of the waterfront is lovely.
4 stars only because it is a tad pricey for an everyday haunt, but i definitely want to check out happy hour to save a few bucks!
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
great cocktails and wonderful food. Terrific Happy Hour deals
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
Great drinks and great lighting
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
I chose the Box Social for my NYE party. The entire night was flawless and all of my guests raved about the food and cocktails. Everyone had a brilliant time and Shannon and her staff were exceptional. Thanks for making my party so wonderful!
Place rating: 5
Costa Mesa, CA
I had a wonderful experience here! My cocktail waitress was Erica and she was charming, funny and well-​informed on the menu. She guided me to try the «El Guapo» — a delicious blood orange pomegranate tequila cocktail! Even though it was extremely busy, Erica was so outgoing and helpful through my entire experience. The bartender working was David– he can make a
Delicious drink! I couldn’t help but scarf down my ham and Swiss sandwich! I am visiting from CA and I will definitely be recommending box social, Erica and the el guapo! Thank you for a wonderful night, everyone was working so hard in such a busy atmosphere!
Place rating: 4
Irvine, CA
I like that they’re open late. Their tomato soup is delicious. Served chunky and pipin’ hot. Soup and beer? I’m happy.
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
One of my favorite bars ever! The staff is incredibly helpful and welcoming. And the space is so cozy and perfect for the winter! (Also perfect for the summer as they have tables outside!)
Their drinks are outstanding and original. I’m in love with their winter drink menu… The hot buttered rum, wow!!! So happy Box Social is in my neighborhood!
Place rating: 4
Eugene, OR
Delicious cocktails and great service. We came here early on a Sunday evening and sampled some unique and classy beverages made with a skilled hand. The server was able to answer questions we had about ingredients that were new to us, and taking her recommendation, I selected a very, very tasty beverage that was out of my comfort zone and absolutely divine. So, come here for a pre-​dinner cocktail, or after dinner drinks, try something new and enjoy a view of the mural featuring the city skyline at night overlooking the river!
Place rating: 4
Vancouver, WA
The mural on their wall of Portland creates such a lovely ambience. The olives and almonds were 10⁄10. Would go back just for those. Great wine (I had the blend). Also had The Dirty Thief and the cocktail that has a ginger snap with marshmallows which was considerably one of the best drinks I’ve ever had. Great place for a pre/​post dinner drink. Yum.
Place rating: 5
Charlotte, NC
Box Social is one of my favorite happy hour places in Portland. It’s a cozy little atmosphere when you walk in, nestled off of Williams St. They have an extensive and impressive drink menu, separated by liquor ingredient and smaller dishes for pairing and munching. During happy hour, you can get cocktails for $ 4 and wine for $ 5, sit outside and people watch (this is what I enjoyed doing). The drinks are strong but delicious and you’ll see how creative, artsy and original their concoctions are. This is hands down a place I would recommend, great service too.
Place rating: 5
Philadelphia, PA
What a cute place that serves knock your socks off cocktails. And ifs not on the menu they can always accommodate.
With the plethora of fancy Schmancy cocktail places in pdx, this one stood out for me for its lovely service. Easy parking.
Place rating: 5
Vancouver, WA
This place is great. The drink that really gets me going is the one with habanero infused tequila, pineapple, and fresh sage. The also have many other delicious drinks to choose from and their food isn’t bad either. You can’t go wrong with this place.
Good for small groups, romantical dates, or just flying solo!
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
My new fave bar! We love this place. Really the drinks are delicious. We’ve taken numerous out of town visitors to this place and they’re bowled over by how good the drinks are. There’s an extensive cocktail menu and everything we’ve tried is delic. My fave is the Pdx sour and dirty little thief. Just the best bar with super boozy drinks (two and I’m good). Good snack offerings as well. Feel so lucky to live so close!
Place rating: 5
Fairview, OR
Amazing service. Best drinks we’ve ever had.
Very impressed with the specialty cocktails, can’t go wrong with any drink on the menu!
Most favorite drink by far is the Dirty Little Thief.
Place rating: 5
Salem, OR
The atmosphere, food, drinks, service, and everything in between at the box social are amazing. I highly recommend checking out this cozy bar. You’ll be delighted!
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
In the heart of the Mississippi district, this is a must-​try restaurant/​bar.
My friend and I wanted a nice spot for our last dinner and drinks before we headed back to SF, this was the perfect spot. Great ambience, dimmed lighting and cute tables and booths with just enough privacy for great conversation.
We ordered a little of everything — the Caprese appetizer, and shared the grilled tuna with tomato soup and Mac n cheese. The Mac wasn’t for us (not really cheesy, made with wine so that really comes though) our waiter comped it and we ordered the baked Brie instead — delicious!
I got the El Guapo for the tasty beverage and was not disappointed!
Everything was paced well, great service and would definitely go back!
Place rating: 4
Austin, TX
We walked by Box Social a couple of times before realizing that it was indeed Box Social. It’s pretty and subtle, a dimly lit spot on a corner. We were awaiting the infamous Matt E and ordered some cocktails. Wine for me, an old fashioned for her.
Matt arrived and ordered what was clearly the best cocktail — an El Guappoooo! It’s totally amazing. Refreshing with a half lime flipped inside out and filled with mexcal. Two of those bad boys would put anyone in a stupor. We had some charcuterie and popcorn but missed the late night happy hour sadly.
Go here. Take a selfie with the bathroom kitty. Drink an el guapo. Your night will be awesome.
Place rating: 4
Portland, OR
I thought about venturing in around 4pm on a regular olé’ Wednesday, but I thought no, I’ll go to the gym then return and treat myself to a cocktail.
So, I love the name and had seen tons of adverts for it in various local periodicals and wondered where the hell is this place? It just never popped out to me. So, finally I see the Sandwhich Board beckoning me.
I enter around 6pm-6:30pm, Happy Hour is over but this place is packed and full of energy and laughter. I love it! The shrieking laffs — not so much. Michael was very gracious and shook a nice Dirty Vodka Martini. He warned me the Olives have pits, but they are really good. They were outstanding and so was the cocktail. I was really just so impressed with how busy and lively it was. Then I looked at the Happy Hour offers — holy smokes — extremely reasonable cocktails and snacks around $ 4 — $ 8 bucks or so. Really creative idea to offer some quality and value and get people to stay and hang w/​o worrying about a large expense.
Great treatment and the servers seemed engaged and jovial.
I’ll be back for more than just that Dirty Martini. Thanks! It was just a wee bit loud, but then I sound like a fuddy duddy saying that.
Place rating: 5
Vancouver, WA
Thank you Unilocal!Because of you — we had a fantastic evening last night in North Portland. Picked that area of town to find something new to us. We have been fans of Teardrop since opening 6 years ago and love finding new lounges that make cocktails the same way. The Box is a great addition to North Portland! Excellent cocktails. I started with their Reposado Revolver — amazing. My wife’s favorite cocktail is a sidecar — the made a perfect one. We shared the Brie plate which was also delicious. To end we had the mixologist make us whatever he wanted. We were not disappointed. A take on a Manhattan that we shared and thoroughly enjoyed.
We really liked the dark atmosphere and relaxed vibe. Our server was wonderful. Attentive but not overly so. We will be back.