The Hilt

Their indoor atmosphere and outdoor patio are like night and day.
Inside its seedy, gritty and just all around greasy.
In desperate need of a makeover.
The outdoor patio is awesome!
Plenty of large picnic tables and also free water bowels for your dog! Great place to chill out for a crisp cold beer when it’s warm outside.

Friend suggested this place to meet. I saw a waiter and waitress going around the tables but they never came to my table. I waited for my friend for about 20 minutes before I finally just went up to get a drink at the bar. We shared drinks for a while and then we finally had to flag someone down take your order. Before that though, I went up to the bar to inquire about ordering food and they said they would send someone to us. Person never came. Okay so we order and get the food. It’s pretty good but not awesome. Not complaining too hard but typically these places in Portland just always serve the best food so I was a bit unenthused. Waitress was nice but it took a while to get her over to us. Thank you for being attentive with the water!

Great patio area for us and our dogI was stoked that the drinks were affordable. We enjoyed ourselves and the atmosphere

Don’t go to the patio after it is «closed,» you’ll get a rude waitress yelling at you like you should know better. If there’s no sign and the door is open, how are patrons supposed to know? And why be mean about it?

Great brunch, great bloody marys, perfect place for a quiet brunch on mother’s day. Also, loved the punk décor – made me feel like I was in Portland.

Did not like my drink… Tasted like literal throw up. Told the bar tender I was not into it and she rudely said «well it was on the menu so you’ll be charged for it and your new drink.» Then did not make my new drink correctly. I know this is a dive bar… but the rude tude is not appreciated. Any other place would have made me a new drink for free. Will not be back.

I went to the Hilt last night for the first time. The food and drinks were good but the service was terrible. The waitress brought the wrong drinks and kept saying «I don’t know, that’s just what the bar tender gave me.» She was rude throughout the evening.

I like having a local hangout but I wish they’d wash their silverware, wipe their tables, carry our clean glasses without touching every rim, mop the sticky/​stale-​beer indoor area, change the grease in the fryer, ask people with Unilocaling barking dogs to leave or care for their dogs properly and make real food. Other than that, it’s fine. If you smoke.

If you’re looking for a genuine dive bar with patio seating and minimal food service I guess The Hilt would fill the bill. I was not happy with the almost non-​existant food service and the smokers in the outdoor patio area. Our party of 7 ordered pretty simple fare — a couple of French Dips, a couple of burgers and a couple of Chicken/​Lamb Gyros with fries. The chicken in the gyros was tough & very dry and it took 45 minutes for our food to come out even though the place was almost empty. The server never asked us if we wanted refills even on water. I would not go back.

I come here for lunch every weekend when I get my hair cut at Bishop’s up the street. The food is amazingly good. The service, not so much. The hipsters working the bar are very desultory whenever I come in. I had to wait 10 minutes at the bar to order food while the bartender had a smoke.

Smoking allowed on the patio, which wafts inside through the open doors, booths that smell like urine, flies, and a self absorbed bartender with a nasty attitude. A once in a lifetime experience. Forget this place.

I don’t even know where to start on the bad service, first I want to take note I was with a group of seven, we all had simple orders no drinks. The waitress was not happy, quite the attitude. One of my friends laid his head on his girlfriend’s shoulder and closed his eyes for a split second, a normal couple thing to do. Right away a waiter rushed to yell at my friend ‘No sleeping!’ Which is was obvious to everyone he wasn’t. What made it even worse was when we got our check and we’re trying to divide it evenly amongst ourselves because they don’t provide this service, the rude waitress came up and mentioned for us to hurry up with check so she could get out of here and get off work… wow I don’t know if it’s the punk bar atompshere that makes them all so rude, never coming back here again. Don’t like being yelled at or treated with disrespect while eating.

You come to a place 3 times a week for over 4 years and they still ask for your id, i was 21, 21 plus years ago. Lost customers, get your act together idiots

I’m bummed this place doesn’t have a higher review… but then again, maybe not because then it’ll keep the riff-​raff out. If you want a crazy hip, elegant meal, go downtown or something. The Hilt has very legit bar food considering this place is supposed to be a bar, not some tourist restaurant.
In my opinion, The Hilt has one of the most genuine Portland vibes left in Portland. Glad it hasn’t been infiltrated by yuppies just yet.

I ordered the pizza and was super disappointed. I can’t even see myself liking that pizza while super drunk. It tasted like a 6 year old got out her easy bake oven and put pasta sauce all over and then worse quality cheese than pizza hut. They should just remove pizza from the menu altogether.
My boyfriend got a sandwich that looked decent, and the fries were really good!
Fun atmosphere and its always busy enough. Great location too.

A couple of weeks ago, I came across this article in The Skanner Newspaper…
«Second Allegation of Racism at Alberta Street Café»
I read the article with amusement because the woman’s story summed up my many of my eating experiences on Alberta.
When I write reviews (for me) it’s more than just how cute the restaurant looks, how good the food tastes, or how trendy the area is. It’s also about how I am treated. Since research shows people of color/​Black women tend to receive horrible service while dining out, this is very important to me. It’s why I will always mention poor treatment in my reviews. It’s not about «crying racism.» It’s a matter of… it is what it is.
I have visited The Hilt a few times. I actually did a review of the restaurant when my writing group published our zine a few months back. However, my most recent visit left a sour taste in my mouth. The waitress pretty much ignored me. Now, I know some of this nose in the air attitude is typical hipster shenanigans (and even white folks complain about it)…but as a person of color it puts me even more on guard.
I finally had to walk up to the counter to put in my order, after sitting at my table for a bit. When the waitress served my food, she was a tad more pleasant, but really seemed to perk up when some fellow white hipsters walked into the restaurant. This tends to be typical behavior in gentrified areas in Portland. Folks of color are simply tolerated, but we are never treated like customers who «really» belong to the neighborhood. Never mind we were usually there first. But you ain’t heard it from me.
The food at The Hilt tends to be good. I had a lamb gyro with Kasseri Fries. I also had a refreshing ginger ale drink.
Overall, the food at The Hilt rocks. But their attitude kicks rocks and if they keep it up… they just might find themselves with their own story in The Skanner.

Black ceilings, dark maroon walls, cool artwork and a pretty good burger. All the makings of a great dive bar. Oh don’t forget the cheap beer during happy hour. Can’t forget that.
I enjoy a good dive bar. I’ve been to several around town now and even others on this very street. Simply, I was hungry and it was starting to rain and I liked the menu options. The menu is Greek influenced with several traditional dishes plus hummus and gyros. Also kasseri cheese. Yum. It was great on a burger.
I got the happy hour burger with lettuce, tomatoes, mayo and red onion. I also got the prior mentioned cheese. It was gooooood. Meat seasoned right, the saltiness of the cheese and the crispness of the veggies. It was enough, I didn’t need to gorge myself on anything else.
Believe me, I was surprised but then again, in Portland should it? Good food is everywhere. I need to find more of it. Enjoy.

I was a bit torn on my rating for this place. I usually find The Hilt to be a pretty solid bar and a great place to go have happy hour drinks and food. I met a friend yesterday for happy hour and catching up and was less than pleased with the service we received. We sat out on their outdoor patio and the server seemed to be very displeased with either the fact that he was working Monday happy hour, or with the fact that he had to serve customers period.
The food and drinks we ordered were just as we expected. I will continue to patronize this bar as I really like the location, their happy hour, and their patio. I’m hoping that this was just an off night for the lack of good service we received.
If you don’t want to provide table service, make customers order at the bar. I don’t mind… really.

This was a great spot for a casual, mid-​week happy hour with my girls. The menu is small but very well done. My group ordered the calamari, kasseri fries, and hummus for starters and then grabbed the vegetarian burger, falafel sandwich and lamb gyro for the main course (yep, we EAT). The burger and falafel had some spice to it and were very flavorful. It was like bar food but amped up at least one or two notches.
Along with the food, they also have a nice selection of special cocktails (strong!) and rotating taps that are discounted during happy hour.

If you’re walking around Alberta St looking for a place to watch the World Cup game, you might find yourself at The Hilt– and you will like it.
They have some good stuff on tap. I tried a Migration Dry Hop Pale, which was some subtly fruity awesomeness for $ 4.50 *so much cheaper than anything on tap in the Bay Area*
They have a full bar with happy hour every day of the week: 4pm-​7pm Monday through Friday and all day Sunday. Their menu is a Greek spin on standard bar fare. Get a hummus plate, falafel, or Greek pizza with lamb and feta. Every item is under $ 10 (some even cheaper during HH).
The bar staff were so kind and attentive. It looked like every person walking in was a regular or old friend. They’re dog friendly too, so you can come in and get drunk with your pooch… or someone else’s.