Eric B.
Yelp
Are you wantin' a dive with great mixologists, tasty food, and a friendly atmosphere? I hate recommending this place to you because I don't want people to know about Bramhall. Honestly, it is almost unspoiled for a trendy lil' hip place. The beer and wine and other rare beverage selections are always enjoyable. Then the cocktails are always exciting, and I will be able to find something or four I want to drink. Luckily my favorite moderately priced hotel is nearby, some I can bumble my way home.
The food man! The food is always got something experimental, and there is always a diametrically opposed choice to make to stuff my tipsy face with. Yes, a bunch of it is fried, but the ingredients are farm-to-table.
I often have a couple of good conversations with the bartender and then some locals sitting next to me. This is the bar that the servers in Portland go to after their shift. They won't tell you that unless they are sitting next to you at the bar.
Of all the dives I have been in worldwide, this place has some of the best personalities of any dive. They used to make live music, which is rare nowadays. Now, if you're a wallflower, that's fine; you find it fun to be in a vaulted ceiling speakeasy space with raw brick reflecting the atmosphere all around you. There is some funky-dunky lighting, just saying.
Hey, want a romantic little nook to have the two of you settle into? You can get this here too. They have an outdoor seating area on warm days, I think there's a fire out there sometimes (TBD???), but I come to hang at the bar and soak in the ambiance and a fair amount of good liquor. I'm not done with this place. The sign is hard to recognize! So miss it and make me happy, so there is more for ME! MINE, MINE, MINE!