Katya L.
Yelp
I was so excited for Bar Rione to open as I adore Piazza Italia and I couldn't wait to try their bar. I've had a wonderful evening here with my girlfriends, a charcuterie board, and several bottles of wine, but after my last visit it's unlikely that I'll return again.
It was my birthday and I was trying to think of a place in the Pearl to meet my mom for happy hour. Bar Rione came to mind, so I headed over. I let the bartender (Lucy) know that it was my birthday and I'd like a glass of something nice, and she suggested a Barolo she'd just opened. She let me try it, I liked it, so I ordered a glass. She didn't offer anything special for my birthday - it's certainly not expected, but it would have been appreciated.
I slowly sipped on my wine as I waited for my mom, who was stuck in traffic. Happy hour wound down to its close, so I asked the bartender if I could order a couple more drinks for myself and my mom before happy hour ended. This, in my experience, is a fairly standard practice and never have I been rejected when placing a last order in for happy hour, even if my previous drink wasn't completely empty.
Well, because I hadn't slammed my glass of fancy wine and still had about half a glass left, the bartender refused to serve me. She claimed that the practice, "stacking", was illegal in the state of Oregon. Which it isn't. It's a suggested policy to help bars serve responsibly, but it is not a law. It's also the first I've ever heard of it after drinking in the state of Oregon for over a decade. I have never been refused a drink because I hadn't finished my previous one. Quite frankly, I was shocked.
Happy hour ended, my mom finally arrived, I finished my glass of wine, paid (after being charged full price for the glass despite it being happy hour and having to ask for it to be corrected) and we left. Having had such great experiences at both Piazza and Rione, I was surprised and saddened by how unwelcome I'd felt. I'm pretty bummed and see no reason to return to Bar Rione.