The Watertrough Saloon

I went to this place with my brothers in law when I visited Portland over spring break. This place is the epitome of a dive bar/​pool hall. The bartender was cool, I cannot remember his name but yeah.
The décor looked like a 1980s saloon. The carpet was on point, animal heads everywhere and you’re vibin’. I think I remember seeing some arcade games as well. Perhaps the best part was that they had Hamm’s beer on tap. I could be mistaken but I’m pretty sure we got two pitchers of Hamm’s.

Had an amazing time playing pool with my buddy. The bar tender Ashley was incredibly friendly and accomidating. This place is the jam if you want good drinks, pool and darts, come!

UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP
Best bar in town. Cool owners, cool atmosphere. New owners didn’t ruin the soul, just took a little rough off the edges from the long years of being loved hard and fixed up some broken parts. Not overly posh and shiny like a lot of new Portlandy bars, but also not a shithole. Just a perfect neighborhood bar that’s down to earth, clean, quality and comfortable. A rare gem in a city that is being overrun by swanky new places that cater to people who want to wait in long lines in the rain for overhyped mediocrity. Shuffleboard, darts, pool, pinball, fresh squeezed juices, and nice TVs with a staff and owners who want to watch the game with you. If you don’t like it here, please, leave this town.

Ethical dilemma: Are you required to remember all of your experience at a place in order to review it here on Unilocal?
What if you vaguely recollect portions of the evening? For example, you had a pleasant exchange with the bartender before it all went beautifully to shit.
What if your friends have photographs of you clearly having the time of your life, even if it’s at their expense?
Okay fine then… Unilocal Disclaimer: I have no clue what all went down at the Watertrough a couple weeks ago, but I’ve heard enough about the night to conclude it was fucking awesome.
I might have chosen to bitch about the cleanliness of the women’s restroom, but apparently, at some point in the evening, I cleaned it. You’re welcome.

Yes it’s a dive bar. The interior looks like a ¹⁄₅ scale model of the bar from the movie Roadhouse starring Patrick Swayze, only without the provocative dancing and bar fights.
Pros: Shuffleboard and pool.
Cons: Limited beer selection and atmosphere. It’s a decent place, just not my thing.
Not applicable: «His nights are filled with fast action, hot music and beautiful women. It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it.» ~ Roadhouse

This place has become my go-​to bar in Portland. It’s cheap, friendly and chill. There are 4 pool tables so it’s nice to go play and watch some TV. Awesome bartenders too.

So we were out to find a new local bar in the area at one point. There are so many places in the Barmuda Triangle, and each of them offer something that might have its time and place (except for Sewickley’s, which is only good if you feel like being roofied.) In these quests, we generally just didn’t even see the ‘Trough. Sure, there’s a sign and a door, but to the unassuming eye, it might as well be a leftover from a bygone era, like so many buildings in town that have preserved the signage of a business long gone that once stood in that space.
We ventured through the door and discovered this whole new world. Pool tables, shuffleboard, darts, pinball machines, a non-​internet based jukebox. This place had it all. Drinks were a bargain, especially for how well they were poured. The menu is fairly basic and microwaved, but you won’t mind this for the price and convenience, especially after you’ve already had a few of the aforementioned beverages. Service is always incredibly fast and pleasant, no matter how busy the place may be.
It’s been a while since that initial introduction, and it’s still my favorite place in that part of town, as well as one of my favorites over-​all. Many a late night, early evening, afternoon hiding from the sun or rain have been spent there, and I always look forward to going back.

The watertrough is the most honest spot in Portland. It’s an honest dive bar that’s been there forever, the owner still wear corduroy bell bottoms and spiffy button ups. I’m proud of this place, it’s a staple on Hawthorne and if you’re in mood for dimly lit cheap beer, small tv’s that aren’t intrusive, darts, or lottery, this is the spot for you.

After scouring much of Hawthorne looking for a reasonably quiet place to watch the Ducks in the Championship Game, we ended up here after walking in and seeing only 3 people in the whole joint. We cozied right up to the bar and enjoyed having a small TV all to our own.
The bartender was nice, and quick to refill our whiskeys. I thought «I’ve found my go-​to dive bar!» — that is, until I visited the ladies’ room. Good lord, that’s one of the most horrific bathrooms I’ve ever seen. Terrible 1970s brown disco linoleum, an ancient bright blue sink sitting atop a cabinet missing it’s door, and a single stall with a wooden door that has had holes kicked through it. I squatted, peed, and ran. (BTW, be careful when you run in this place. The floor is amazingly uneven. There are several areas with a 1-​inch change in elevation and if you’re not looking –there is no warning tape or anything– you might be in for a fall.)
Back in the bar, though, the vibe is relatively cozy and nice. 4 pool tables and shuffleboard made for great halftime fun.
In short, the service was good, the prices more than reasonable… If the bathroom was halfway decent I might come back.

I went here for the first time ever this past weekend. A group of friends and I were out celebrating a birthday and wanted to play some shuffleboard. I must admit I enjoyed myself and had a great time here. The inside does have some great western décor and while the bathroom isn’t anything I would want to spend a long time in, it was fine to get in and out.
The bartender was great, she was very nice and dealt with a bunch of orders at one time. And, she was the only one working so I give her a lot of credit! The drinks were good and cheap! Shuffleboard was also cheap. The next night I want to just kick back and relax I will be heading here.

For all the years of hanging out between bars on the «Barmuda Triangle» of east Hawthorne Blvd., I’ve been here twice. To be honest, I’m usually never inclinded to visit because, in comparison to the bar three doors to the left, it’s pretty gross outside with the layer of cigarette butts spread all across their portion of the sidewalk, and even onto the front door. That, coupled with the fact there’s no window to peek in and see what you’re getting into, doesn’t flip the switch in my mind to tell me, «you know what? Let’s go there this time.»
A group of close friends encouraged me to walk down and knock back a few beers at «The ‘Trough» last night, so, after stalling for a little bit at the aforementioned bar three doors to the left, I decided to enter damn-​near-​uncharted territory. And I have to say, it’s nicer on the inside than it is outside.
The ambiance (funny using that word to describe a dive bar) inside seems to fit the bill of the whole Western-​trough thing. Reminds me of the generic southern Oregon pizza joints that also strive to bring back the wild, wild west theme. There are plenty of pool tables to be utilized, and video lottery as well. I was sitting at the bar watching my pals play pool for the most part, so I didn’t see what else there was to be had.
Ballin’ on a budget as usual, my pint cans of Pabst were $ 1.75, cheaper than most a) Pabst, or b) pint cans on the block. And I did notice they had a few other beers on tap, bottled, and canned. (Some malt liquor also.)
The bartender was very polite, especially considering she was the only one working there, and business wasn’t by any means slow.
Some pretty cool knick-​knacks on the wall, like an early 90’s Trail Blazers/​Miller Genuine Draft glass portrait, and a more recent Kasey Kahne Budweiser-​NASCAR replica helmet.
I will say that I still would not randomly decided to come here by myself, as it’s well obvious what bar my loyalty lies at on Hawthorne. However, if at least five of my friends were here, like they were last night, I’d stop in without hesitation.
Keep doin’ your thing, ‘Trough, maybe I’ll come back soon.

Haven’t been here in about 6 years and it hasn’t changed one bit. Cheap beer, pool and darts. The best 70 style free standing fireplace to boot. Had a good time and would definitely go back in the future…

Shuffleboard, Shuffleboard, Shuffleboard! The shuffeboard was the smaller version with bumpers, but Don the bartender was nice and they have cheap beer. Cool place.

The Trough is even better. They have booze now!

The bartender had the coolest white jeans I’ve seen on an old person since, well, ever.
The pool was cheap and so was the Hamm’s that went down a little too easily. I stopped being shankasaurus on the pool table long enough to wipe the smug grin off of Matthew B.‘s face.
We attempted to do some dry land training for the upcoming bocce season using shuffleboard as a substitute. He won, all hail the king, blah blah blah. Funny how he had immediately suggested we switch to shuffleboard after I beat him at pool. Definitely coming back for more shuffleboard — will channel Julie from the Love Boat in the future.
Juke Box: Dinosaur Jr, T Rex, Beatles «Revolver,» Velvet Underground and Prince. Hells yeah.

No frills. Interiors that know not the notion of an ‘update.’ Brews served in either bottles or cans. And people who wholeheartedly subscribe to the ‘Keep Portland Weird’ mantra, including a guy sitting in the corner emphatically arguing with himself the entire time we were there. My friends and I tried to join in his tirade but were unceremoniously ignored. I suppose none of us made more sense to him than himself.
The section of Hawthorne at which Watertrough is situated certainly has something for everybody. When you get tired of any of the other joints, whether they be Angelo’s or Space Room or BOG– whatever scene you began with– come to the Watertrough to simply unwind. It’s definitely the perfect place to get your drink on with nary the pretenses.