Cheerful Bullpen

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Cheerful Bullpen
Cheerful Bullpen logo.png
Cheerful Bullpen 1 (cropped).jpg
The pub's exterior in 2021
Cheerful Bullpen
Interactive map of Cheerful Bullpen
Restaurant information
Established1948 (1948)
OwnerAmy Nichols-Egge (2008–present)
Location1730 Southwest Taylor Street, Portland, Oregon, 97205, United States
Coordinates 45°31′14″N122°41′26″W / 45.5206°N 122.6905°W / 45.5206; -122.6905

Cheerful Bullpen is a pub in Portland, Oregon, United States. Established in 1948, the restaurant operates in southwest Portland's Goose Hollow neighborhood.

Contents

Description

Cheerful Bullpen is a pub in southwest Portland's Goose Hollow neighborhood, across from Providence Park. Thrillist describes Cheerful Bullpen as "a cozy sports bar that's one of the best places in Portland to watch a soccer match", [1] and a "no-frills sports bar and the OG home of the Timbers Army, with a mural outside depicting the city's sports history". [2] The pub has 21 television screens, as of 2011. [3] According to Eater Portland 's Erin DeJesus, "the bar embraces NFL all the time, with a recurring Monday Night Football bingo game". [4] Cheerful Bullpen is the home Portland bar for the Buffalo Bills. [5]

History

Cheerful Bullpen opened in 1948. [6]

Amy Nichols-Egge has owned Cheerful Bullpen as well as Cheerful Tortoise since 2008, and has worked at both since 1999. The business has been burglarized multiple times; approximately $8,000 was stolen in 2019. [7]

Like many businesses, Cheerful Bullpen faced challenges upon the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing limited the pub's seating capacity to 20 people at times. [8]

In 2024, Nichols-Egge withdrew the bar's sponsorship of the Portland Pickles baseball team for hosting drag performers at games. [9]

Reception

In his 2011 review for Willamette Week , Aaron Mesh wrote: "this sports bar's cozy couch nooks become a kind of Goose Hollow rec room for partisans of the San Francisco Giants or the Washington Huskies, depending on the night. The most reliable contingent, however, is the Buffalo Bills Backers, the most Sisyphean of fan bases and therefore also the most lovable. Their loud Sunday-morning revival meetings are fueled by corned-beef hash, coffee and $5 Bloody Marys; the Bullpen has a rather astoundingly wide menu, including all-you-can-eat penne pasta for $6.95 on Saturdays. Like being a Buffalo Bills Backer, the pasta is not very enjoyable, but it is endless." [3]

In 2013, Eater Portland readers voted to include Cheerful Bullpen in a list of ten "best Portland bars for NFL fans". [4] In 2016, The Oregonian included Cheerful Bullpen in a list of the city's best sports bars, [10] and Michael Russell ranked the pub number 17 in his list of Portland nineteen best soccer bars. [11]

References

  1. ↑ "Cheerful Bullpen". Thrillist . Group Nine Media. 5 October 2017. Archived from the original on August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  2. ↑ Frane, Alex (June 8, 2018). "The Best Places in Portland to Watch the FIFA World Cup". Thrillist. Archived from the original on August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Mesh, Aaron (January 24, 2011). "Drink 2011: Cheerful Bullpen". Willamette Week . Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  4. 1 2 DeJesus, Erin (August 16, 2013). "Readers Vote: The 10 Best Portland Bars for NFL Fans". Eater Portland . Vox Media. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  5. ↑ O'Rourke, Josh (September 8, 2017). "Portland Bars Where NFL Fans Gather to Watch the Packers, Steelers, Bears and More". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Deep Dive: Our Guide to Southwest Portland's Dive Bars". Willamette Week. 2023-09-20. Archived from the original on 2024-06-25. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  7. ↑ Falkers, Brittany (December 31, 2019). "Customers rally around SW Portland pub after break-in". KGW. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Portland restaurants complain about 'high risk' COVID category change". The Portland Tribune. 2021-04-09. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  9. ↑ "Cheerful Tortoise Owner Amy Nichols Withdrew Portland Pickles Sponsorship Over Drag Night". Willamette Week. 2024-09-17. Archived from the original on 2025-04-23. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  10. ↑ "Portland's best sports bars: Claudia's still stands tall". The Oregonian . January 19, 2016. Archived from the original on August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  11. ↑ Russell, Michael (April 16, 2016). "Portland's 19 best soccer bars". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
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