Hobo's Restaurant and Lounge | |
---|---|
![]() | |
![]() Entrance to Hobo's, 2017 | |
![]() | |
Restaurant information | |
Closed | 2020 |
Food type | American |
Street address | 120 Northwest 3rd Avenue |
City | Portland |
County | Multnomah |
State | Oregon |
Postal/ZIP Code | 97209 |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 45°31′27″N122°40′24″W / 45.52420°N 122.67323°W |
Hobo's Restaurant and Lounge, or simply Hobo's, was a restaurant, gay bar, and piano bar in Portland, Oregon's Old Town Chinatown, in the United States. Housed in a building with rare access to the Shanghai tunnels, the establishment served as a starting point for guided tours. The menu consisted of American cuisine including steakhouse fare. Hobo's was featured on the Food Network's Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels and the Travel Channel's Ghost Adventures , before closing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hobo's was a restaurant, gay bar, [1] and piano bar [2] located at 120 Northwest 3rd Avenue in downtown Portland's Old Town Chinatown. The establishment also served as a starting point for tours of the Shanghai tunnels. [3] [4]
In 2008, Willamette Week 's Amanda Waldroupe described Hobo's as a "chi-chi, predominantly gay establishment" and wrote, "Coming here, you may run into the famous or semi-famous (City Council candidate Ed Garren was spotted), or see escaping sailors emerge from the Shanghai Tunnels—the entrance is in front of the bar—in need of a drink". [5] In 2009, the newspaper's Ryan Fleming described Hobo's as a "relaxed and casual place to go before heading to the more hectic clubs nearby". He said the space was "primarily a restaurant" with a bar, pool, and pianists performing live, and described the clientele as "an array of Portlanders, many of them looking to get laid". [6]
In 2002, CNN's Dmae Roberts called Hobo's an "upscale restaurant with a really full and fantastic-looking bar". [7] Christina O'Connor of the Daily Emerald described Hobo's as a "classy and inviting" lounge with candlelit tables and rare access to the tunnels, along with neighboring Old Town Pizza. [3] The tunnels were accessed by a trapdoor and stairs to the restaurant's basement. [8] [9] [10] Lonely Planet described Hobo's as a "classy gay-centric restaurant-piano bar" and a "quiet, relaxed place ... good for a romantic dinner or drink", with live music Thursday through Sunday, starting at 7:00 pm. [11] The restaurant, which Eater Portland 's Byron Beck and Conner Reed called "spacious", had an "extensive" dinner menu, serving prime rib, crab cakes, and other steakhouse "favorites", as of 2019. [2] Hobo's served cocktails, beer, and coffee drinks. [5] Happy hour was available daily from 4:00-6:30 pm, as of 2009. [6]
Michael P. Jones, a historian, tour guide, and founder of the company Portland Underground Tours, [8] used Hobo's as an entrance to the tunnels, as of 2002–2010. [3] [7] [12] Jones also used the tunnel entrance is his capacity as founder of the Cascade Geographic Society, for which he also served as a tour guide. [4] Hobo's staff were reportedly familiar with his work and unfazed by his presence. O'Connor wrote in 2010:
Everyone in Hobo's seems to know Jones. Servers wave as they rush back and forth taking orders and bussing tables. He grants them a nod and continues talking. Everybody who is affiliated with the area beneath Hobo's seems to know Jones, too. [3]
Rachael Ray visited the restaurant for the seventh episode of the second season of the Food Network's Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels , which focused on Portland. According to the network, in the episode she "uncovers Portland's past with a visit to Hobo's for scallops". [13] In 2012, Hobo's was featured on the fourth episode ("Shanghai Tunnels") of the sixth season of the paranormal documentary and reality television series Ghost Adventures . During the episode, ghost hunters Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, and Nick Groff "delve deep into the dingy Shanghai Tunnels to unearth the spirits that still haunt Hobo's Restaurant ... and collect some compelling visual evidence", as claimed by the Travel Channel. [14]
Hobo's closed by October 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. [15]
Amanda Waldroupe of Willamette Week wrote that "especially on a warm night—the intimate lighting and laissez-faire wait staff make this a good place to chill out and enjoy good drinks". [5] The newspaper's Ryan Flemming said the restaurant and bar serve "good" food and "stagger-inducing" drinks, respectively. [6] In 2013, Out included Hobo's on a list of "200 of the Greatest Gay Bars in the World" and said, "Carefully exposed brick, piano leather booths and well-rounded dinner menu tell you right away Hobo's doesn't live up to its name. It's a midscale restaurant and bar that courts a more refined, casual crowd. Perfect for a casual drink." [16] In their overview of the city's "wildest gay bars and hangouts" for Eater Portland, Beck and Reed called Hobo's "one of the best and perhaps last piano bars in town ... where it's at for those who want to kick back to a few show tunes and lounge in the luxuriousness of a true old-school gay bar" and "a must for anyone who wants see what this town looked like before Voodoo Doughnuts and Portlandia ." [2] In the guide book Moon Portland (2019), Hollyanna McCollom wrote:
Had Old Blue Eyes and the rest of the Rat Pack been gay, this is where they would have hung out. Dark and comfortable, each table feels a little bit private, and with the addition of flickering candlelight and the soft piano, it's downright romantic. The Hobo's staff is friendly and attentive, and it's an elegant choice for anyone seeking clandestine conversation over cocktails and delectable entrées. [17]
The Old Portland Underground, better known locally as the Shanghai tunnels, is a group of passages in Portland, Oregon, United States, mainly underneath the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood and connecting to the main business section. The tunnels connected the basements of many hotels and taverns to the waterfront of the Willamette River. They were built to move goods from the ships docked on the Willamette to the basement storage areas, allowing businesses to avoid streetcar and train traffic on the streets when delivering their goods.
CC Slaughters is a gay bar and nightclub located in Portland, Oregon, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The Portland bar is located in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood, and the Puerto Vallarta bar is located in Zona Romántica.
Mary's Club is the oldest strip club in Portland, Oregon, and among the oldest in the United States. In 1954, Roy Keller bought the business from Mary Duerst Hemming, who owned and operated Mary's as a piano bar beginning in the 1930s. Keller initially hired go-go dancers as entertainment during the piano player's breaks, later hiring them full-time because of their popularity. Topless dancers wearing pasties were introduced in 1955. The club also featured comics, musicians, singers and other acts. All-nude dancing began in 1985, after a judicial ruling against City of Portland ordinances banning it in venues which served alcohol.
LGBT culture in Portland, Oregon is an important part of Pacific Northwest culture.
Stag PDX, or simply Stag, is a gay-owned nightclub and strip club in Portland, Oregon's Pearl District, in the United States. The club opened in May 2015 as the second all-nude gay strip club on the West Coast.
Starky's Restaurant and Bar, or simply Starky's, was a gay bar and restaurant in Portland, Oregon's Kerns neighborhood, in the United States. Established in 1984, the venue became a fixture in Portland's gay community before closing in 2015. It hosted LGBT events and served as a gathering space for leather enthusiasts and the Oregon Bears, among other groups. Starky's received a generally positive reception and was most known for its Bloody Marys, brunch, and outdoor seating.
Shine Distillery and Grill is a distillery which previously operated a bar and restaurant in Portland, Oregon's Boise neighborhood, in the United States.
Delta Cafe is a Southern, cajun, and soul food restaurant in the Woodstock neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Anastasia Corya and Anton Pace opened the restaurant in 1995. They sold Delta in 2007 to open another Southern restaurant, Miss Delta, with two of the cafe's cooks. Frequented by Reed College students and neighborhood residents, Delta Cafe has been recognized as a favorite local comfort food destination. The cafe also has a cocktail bar called Delta Lounge. In 2016, a mural was painted on the restaurant's exterior as part of a neighborhood beautification project.
Byways Cafe was a diner in the Pearl District of Portland, Oregon, United States. Owners, Collin McFadden and Megan Brinkley, opened the restaurant in 1999, serving American breakfast and brunch comfort foods such as corned beef hash, omelets, and pancakes. Guy Fieri visited the diner for a 2007 episode of the Food Network show, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Byways received generally positive receptions and was voted the city's "best brunch spot" by readers of The Oregonian in 2016. It closed in late 2019, after the owners were unable to reach a lease agreement with the landlord.
My Father's Place is a restaurant and dive bar in the Buckman neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Housed in the New Logus Block, a building complex completed in 1872, included on the National Register of Historic Places, the diner has a game room and lounge and attracts a diverse clientele. The restaurant opened in 1978, and was later owned by Merrie Ann Dillon, who sold the business to her daughter Linda Moles in 2002. Remaining under the ownership of the Moles family, My Father's Place serves breakfast all day and offers happy hour options. The game room and lounge have pool tables, lottery machines, pinball, and a jukebox. Musicians Elliott Smith and Willy Vlautin frequented the bar, which hosts game nights and other events. Known as a local favorite, it operates every day including holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The reportedly haunted My Father's Place has received a generally positive reception.
Local Lounge was a gay bar in Portland, Oregon, operating from 2010 to 2021.
Bailey's Taproom was a beer bar in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. The bar, which was established by owner Geoff Phillips in 2007, was a popular destination for craft beer tourism and garnered a positive reception. The bar had a second-floor sibling establishment called The Upper Lip, which was also known as Bailey's Upper Lip. Both establishments closed in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shift Drinks was a cocktail bar in Portland, Oregon. The bar opened in 2015 and closed in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Santé Bar is an LGBT-friendly bar in Portland, Oregon.
El Gallo Taqueria was a Mexican restaurant in Portland, Oregon, United States. Owner and chef Jake Brown established the business as a food cart in 2009, in southeast Portland's Woodstock neighborhood. In 2015, El Gallo relocated and began operating as a brick and mortar restaurant in 2015. The business closed in 2022.
Silver Dollar Pizza is a pizzeria and sports bar in Portland, Oregon.
Shanghai Tunnel Bar, or simply Shanghai Tunnel, is a dive bar and Asian restaurant in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Named after the city's Shanghai tunnels, the underground bar serves Asian-themed cocktails and foods such as BLTs, Chinese chicken salad, miso and noodle soup, quesadillas, and veggie burgers. Owned by Phil Ragaway, Shanghai Tunnel is known for its inexpensive drinks and pinball machines. The bar closed temporarily during the COVID-19 pandemic, and later offered street-level service.
Mi Mero Mole was a Mexican restaurant with two locations in Portland, Oregon, United States.
OK Omens is a wine bar and restaurant in Portland, Oregon.
The Queen's Head was an LGBT-friendly pub and lounge in Portland, Oregon, United States. Daniel Bund opened the restaurant in late 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Described as an inclusive drag bar and gay club, The Queen's Head hosted burlesque and talent shows, karaoke, poetry slams, trivia competitions, and other events.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)Jones starts the tours with a descent into the basement below Hobo's restaurant in Old Town
The tour costs $17 for adults and lasts one and a half hours, mostly underground amid dusty silt beneath the creaking floors of Hobo's.
A dozen musicians climbed through the trap door and down the stairs beneath Hobo's restaurant in Old Town