Sissy Bar | |
---|---|
![]() | |
![]() The bar's exterior, 2022 | |
![]() | |
Restaurant information | |
Established | June 2022 |
Owner(s) |
|
Food type | Colombian |
Street address | 1416 Southeast Morrison Street |
City | Portland |
County | Multnomah |
State | Oregon |
Postal/ZIP Code | 97214 |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 45°31′02″N122°39′04″W / 45.5171°N 122.6511°W |
Website | sissybarportland |
Sissy Bar is a gay bar in Portland, Oregon. Truman Cox and Derek Palmer opened the video lounge in southeast Portland's Buckman neighborhood in 2022, near another LGBT establishment Crush Bar. Sissy Bar hosts drag shows, dance parties, and other themed events, and plays video montages from films and music videos by popular recording artists. The bar serves Colombian cuisine such as ajiaco, arepas, and empanadas.
Sissy Bar is a gay bar on Morrison Street in southeast Portland's Buckman neighborhood, near the LGBT establishment Crush Bar. Sissy Bar's name is a reclamation of the slur "sissy". The bar hosts themed events, [1] drag shows, and dance parties. [2]
According to Eater Portland 's Brooke Jackson-Glidden, the interior pays homage to Barracuda Lounge, which she described as "a classic New York drag bar with low lounge lighting and a lengthy bar". Sissy Bar has a similar backbar and long banquette, [1] as well as illuminated cubes described by Willamette Week 's Andrew Jankowski as "the color of panels on the electronic memory game Simon ." [3]
Walls display photographs of "gay divas" such as Paris Hilton, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, and Dolly Parton. [3] [4] Televisions play video montages from films [1] and music videos by artists such as Azealia Banks, City Girls, Grimes, and Megan Thee Stallion. According to Jankowski, "The volume of the music videos is loud enough so that you can enjoy the songs, but not so noisy that conversations need to be yelled." [3]
Sissy Bar uses recipes from the Colombian family of the husband to one of the bar's owners. [1] In addition to cocktails, the bar serves Colombian cuisine such as ajiaco, [3] arepas (chicken and hogao), [5] croquetas de pescado (Colombian fish croquettes), empanadas, frijoles antioqueños, [2] and sudado de pollo (a spiced chicken stew). [1] [6] The nachos have Juanita's chips with cheese, jalapeño, sour cream, and tomato, and the avocado salad has guacamole with cucumber, lime, and scallion. [5]
Among the "fruit-forward, pop culture-packed" cocktails are: the Baby Got Back; the In the Heat of the Night; [2] the She's All That, which has tequila, elderflower, and berry syrup; [4] the Sissy Galore, which has grapefruit and lemon juice with orange bitters and Aviation American Gin; the Sissy Mule; the Sissy MANhattan; and the Will Smith Punch, named after the Chris Rock–Will Smith slapping incident (2022). [3]
In December 2021, Jackson-Glidden described plans for Truman Cox and Derek Palmer to open Sissy Bar in February 2022. Both owners experienced bullying in their youth and said the bar's name was to reclaim the pejorative slur "sissy". [1] [7] The bar opened in June, shortly after Portland's annual pride parade and festival. [3]
Among events the bar has hosted are Ingenue, a lesbian dance party by DJ Lavender Menace's, and Shape of Drag, described as a "high concept" show by Silhouette. [2] In June 2023, the bar hosted Lacefront, a three-day drag show and charity event showcasing local drag performers, including Imperial Sovereign Rose Court titleholders. [8]
Andrew Jankowski of Willamette Week compared the bar to nearby establishment Crush Bar, writing: "Although run by different teams, Sissy Bar and Crush seem like sister bars, serving comparable menus and clients. Both dish out Instagrammable entrees and fruity cocktails, and play queer-friendly music from across the ages, but Sissy Bar's crowd seems to trend younger than Crush's." [3] Jankowski said Sissy Bar's drinks "pair well with picturesque, savory Colombian dishes", which he said "are comfortably filling, but would benefit from a dash of additional seasoning". [3] Separately, the newspaper has recommended the Will Smith Punch. [9] In 2023, Willamette Week's Thom Hilton said the nachos were the best snack for a group in his "Pride Fuel Guide". [5]
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.
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.
Eagle Portland is a gay bar catering to bears and leather enthusiasts, located in north Portland, Oregon, United States.
Scandals, or sometimes Scandals PDX, is a gay bar in Portland, Oregon, in the United States.
Crush Bar is a gay bar and restaurant in Portland, Oregon's Buckman neighborhood, in the United States. Established in 2001, the bar was scheduled to permanently close at the end of 2023, until an employee's investment kept Crush open into 2024.
Bit House Saloon was a bar and restaurant in Portland, Oregon, United States. Established in 2015, the business operated in the Nathaniel West Buildings in the city's Buckman neighborhood. The high-energy squad "Team Riff-Raff" managed the bar from 2016 to 2021, hosting pop-ups and inviting other chefs to collaborate.
Shine Distillery and Grill is a distillery which previously operated a bar and restaurant in Portland, Oregon's Boise neighborhood, in the United States.
The Roxy was a diner serving American cuisine in Portland, Oregon. Located on downtown Portland's Southwest Harvey Milk Street, the restaurant was established in 1994. The Roxy was popular as a late-night food destination and had a diverse clientele. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the diner operated 24 hours a day, except on Mondays. The Roxy has been described as "iconic" and a "landmark", and was known for being an LGBT-friendly establishment because of its employees' community involvement and its location within the historic hub of LGBT culture and nightlife. Following a forced six-month closure due to the pandemic, the diner opened under new public health and safety guidelines in November 2020. The diner closed in March 2022.
Expatriate is a restaurant and cocktail bar in northeast Portland, Oregon's Concordia neighborhood, in the United States.
Aalto Lounge is a bar in Portland, Oregon. Named after Finnish architect and designer Alvar Aalto, the bar opened in 2000.
Local Lounge was a gay bar in Portland, Oregon, operating from 2010 to 2021.
Botanist House, or simply Botanist, was a cocktail bar and restaurant in Portland, Oregon's Pearl District. The business opened in 2018 and closed in 2021.
Vault Cocktail Lounge, previously Vault Martini Bar, was a cocktail bar in Portland, Oregon's Pearl District, in the United States.
Santé Bar is an LGBT-friendly bar in Portland, Oregon.
Raven's Manor is a cocktail lounge in Portland, Oregon. Inspired by haunted houses, the bar was founded by Jared Bradley and Rebecca Vega in 2021 and has been compared to Disneyland's Haunted Mansion.
Flawless Shade is the stage name of Tajh Jordan, an American drag queen and make-up artist based in Portland, Oregon. A former Miss Gay Oregon, Flawless Shade has been featured in campaigns by Adidas, GLAAD, and Top Level Design. Jordan competed under their real name on the subscription-based streaming service WOW Presents Plus's competition series Painted with Raven.
Daniel P. Elliott, known professionally as Bolivia Carmichaels, is an American drag performer based in Portland, Oregon. Since 1995, she has performed at LGBT establishments such as CC Slaughters, Darcelle XV Showplace, and the defunct Embers Avenue, and has also participated in many community events.
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.
G-Love is a New American restaurant in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. Chef Garrett Benedict opened the restaurant in the Slabtown area of northwest Portland's Northwest District in 2019. Described as a "reverse steakhouse", G-Love has a vegetable-focused menu and has garnered a positive reception.