The Jack London Bar

Quirky place in the basement of the Rialto. Great drinks and lots of music! It was quiet when we arrived, but quickly filled up. I’ll go back.

This place is decent otherwise, but I have to whip out the two star smackdown here because I was there last night and it smelled like a fucking urinal cake in there, really really strongly. Seriously gross guys, this is a place where people are eating and drinking — if I wasn’t there for my friend’s event I would have bailed. Maybe someone had an accident with the cleaning supplies or something, I’m not sure, but I hope it doesn’t always smell like this, it’s just not right.

It was about that time, so I checked the Unilocal app and found a Happy Hour at the Jack London Bar not too far from my hotel. Something easy, cheap and not too fancy — Jack London was exactly what I was in the mood for.
Waiting for my guy to get off work, I decided to grab a drink and watch sports. I sat at the bar all by myself and was served by this awesome bartender. I wasn’t sure of her name, but she had some awesome tattoos and a great personality.
The Happy Hour cocktails are around $ 3.25 for a full pint pour of your favorite. They have a pretty good menu as well. Overall lively clientel, excellent bar service and a nice tall drink on the cheap. What’s not to like?

$ 3.25 Well drinks!
Two floors with pool tables, jukeboxes, and more!
SOLD.

This place had some amazing tater tots! I can’t remember what they did to them but I remember mowing them down! They had some sort of seasoning on them. Oh, and the beer seemed cheap! :D

Lots of pool tables, bartenders in best and tie, moderate priced drinks, video poker, and lots of TV screens… not bad ;)

New Comedy Show opened last night «Show Us Your Wits!» and is billed as a new comedy showcase.
The show wasn’t professional produced and the comics were working off written jokes placed on a chair at the side of the stage. I suspect that this would have been a better show if it was just an «Open Mic Night».
Just 2 words to sum up this entertainment experience:
EPIC FAIL!

As I was wandering the streets of downtown Portland, I decided it was time for a cool, refreshing beverage or two. After pulling up the handy Unilocal app and searching for the closest bars to where I was at, I quickly realized this was going to be the best option available. When you walk through the door, you get the feeling that this place has been here forever although without looking all run down and ready to be demolished. There is just a comfortable feel to the place which is most likely due to how big of a space it inhabits.
Fortunately, I was just in time to enjoy the happy hour menu which was packed full of tasty bar food options and plenty of drink specials. I’ve been on a cider kick lately so I tried a couple different versions that they had available. As I was enjoying my soup and cider, I was able to enjoy several different sporting events on what seemed like hundreds of TV’s covering just about every available wall and pillar. There was also pool tables, video games, and all the standard accouterments you might expect at a place like this.

Love this place. I frequent here on Wednesdays for Proper Movement DnB.
Nice little basement bar with very dim lighting, okay sound and awesome bartenders. (I have yet to try any food, but I hear good things)
Love it!

This place was fine for a dive bar. I went there for a Meetup History lecture. The place was big and spacious. Could have had a better beer selection. No pale ales? Hmm. Porter was fine, but wanted an Ale for a change. Ah well, the bartenders were cool and friendly… so they were great. I didn’t eat there but it seemed like typical pub food fare.

I just came back from Proper Movement tonight. Did you know one of the DJs (Dirt Merchant) made 15 pounds of bacon? For everyone! It was pepper bacon and it was darn delicious. It was the good bacon too. None of that cheap, paper thin stuff.
The Jack London Bar is a really cool basement bar under Rialto. I wasn’t even really sure what to expect. One side of the wall is full of drawings and graffiti art. The ceiling is low. The room is dimly lit. Candles glow on every table. The bar has its own coolness going on and the bartender was on it. The all around effect makes for a really cool vibe.

Just got back from my first «Authors in Pubs» at the Jack London Bar in the basement of the Rialto. Cool place with a good energy. The Authors sharing their craft were ALL solid Wordsmiths, ranging from Dramatic offerings to Comedic. Each one captured the audience for themselves and they were well appreciated. Unfortunately, I had to run early and missed a few at the end, but I will come again. The event is scheduled for the first Monday of each month. Mark your calendar if you are a person of letters.
As for the Facility and Staff, the place had an «At Home» feel and the Bartenders were both on top of things. They even put the NBA playoffs on a little TV they didn’t even know was over the bar so I could watch the game having come early. I ordered a Prawn Cocktail and the «Seared» Ahi appetizers. The ONLY negative word I have to share is do NOT order the Ahi, fore it came in a unappetizing state of overdone I would describe as «Ugly Shades of Grey»!! Tough, unappealing, and in DESPERATE need of a BIG Ice Cream scoop of Wasabi to give the paltry slices some taste!!!
Other than THAT, the place is great!
The favorite thing I came away with was the recognition by Mr. Johnathan Ems of how a Writer sometimes reaches a moment of epiphany as the writing takes on a life of its own and the wordsmith simply becomes a vessel for the story.
Great thought. Love the ride…

Cool basement bar, below the Rialto Pool Room ~ and historic Jack London single-​room occupancy Hotel. The JL offers a dark and somewhat divey space for live music and alternate entertainment. I like the monthly Authors in Pubs with Gypsy jazz combo nights — for mellow unusual entertainment, and Oregon History nights are interesting enough to make my monthly calender and FB wall.
There are occaisional live music offerings, too. The literary/​history events start early on weeknights, allowing you to get enough sleep to party again the next night… or head straight to another venue — which I normally do.
Table service is hard for them to keep up on down there, so go to the bar for what you want. Capable and down-​town trendy BarTenders will do their best to make you happy… but i usually get my Brew upstairs and carry it down, because they have more taps and offerings than the small er bar downstairs. I usually eat first, so scan othereviews if interested in food. There are MANY options in the neighborhood… as Portland is number 1 in Happy Hour offerings… so i usually start soemwhere else, come here, then go check out a band elsewhere for a full evening out. Count your brews — try a soda-​lime, and drink water for survival, lol.

I love The Jack London Bar. It is a the best hidden gem in the city. The bartender is the best and the place has a great vibe. You’ve got to check it out. Careful though it isn’t open all the time, usually open Thursday — Saturday after 5 pm.

Great little basement bar in the Rialto. A dark and quiet little place with comfortable seating on some vintage couches and seats. The bartender this night definitely knew how to poor a drink! A great place to get yourself a drink and get away from the world if only for a little while.

What a fun place! I had never even known the Jack London Bar existed until the other night.
$ 6 to see a typical show and dance your booty off aint too bad!
Walk down the mysterious stairs in the back of the Rialto and your transported to what reminds me of Old Vegas a bit.
Dark room, high tables, couches, loungy vibe with some wacky paintings/​drawings on the wall.
Bar in the back yeilds some pretty cool bartenders that will make ya a stiff drink.
The accoustics in the small place make for a loud evening. Come here to dance for sure!
I also hear that they hold other events besides music here.
Certainly recommend if looking for a bit out of the ordinary.

I like! I shall return…

I really like that The Jack London Bar has no windows and no TVs. It’s in the basement below The Rialto and it’s dark and kinda gritty, with lots of seating – from wooden chairs to sprawling couches. I visited for the first time on First Monday last for the Authors in Pubs event. AIP started at 7:30, but I went straight from work so I had to get my martini upstairs and take it back. That was fine, though, because not only did the bartender make it correctly (up, dry, two olives), it was only $ 8.75 with Aviation!
Everyone was friendly. I’m definitely going back.

It would be impossible to NOT give Jack’s 5 stars. From it’s super secret bat cave entrance in the back of the Rialto Pool room to its finger snappin’ support of the arts, this is one cool little dive that is a must go and do. This has been a great locale for Authors in Pubs every first Monday of the month (gotta plug it), however check out their schedule of events when you decide you just can’t get enough of Jack London the first time you go.

AWESOME venue! Jack London Bar, thank you for making Portland a cooler city. The Stumptown Stories and Authors in Pubs series are both steps in the right direction in terms of community building. Your bar can provide the perfect location for artists of any discipline to be able to present their work in a safe, supportive venue. The lighting, mood and audio all worked well together. Oh, and did I mention, it’s free!
Hearing powerful words from intelligent people who actually execute their ideas into projects is some kind of wonderful. It’s engaging, exciting and titillating!