Holy-foo' X.
Yelp
Damn, but there are a lot of sh*t-hole taverns in No Po! Considering the brackish, perma-stink bog popularly called the Columbia Slough, perhaps its only natural that the nearby watering holes would be awash in the brine. Whether you're new to the neighborhood or a NoPo lifer, that's one thing we can all pretty well agree on: the nearly uniform low quality of these old-timer bars. I know I can't be the only one that's glad to be able to say that Gorgeous George's is most definitely NOT among these.....
This place has been serving 'em up cold, cheap and fast since the 1940s, when the original George used seed-money he'd scratched together after WWII ended to open the place. George's apartment used to be in the back of the building, and a lady's beauty salon used to be the "conjoined twin". Old George was clever about multiplying the streams of income. The salon of course is long gone, as is the old apartment, both in favor of an ambitious remodel.The place has had some outstanding turns in the Juvenation machine, at least on the inside; the outside still looks worn and withered and like it last saw a fresh coat of paint before any of us were born.
[Note: I'm sure the exterior has been painted numerous times, including in recent years. Between the weather and the fumes from traffic and the numerous shhhmokers huddling outside George's, much good is un-done, quickly]
Other than the friendly, low key vibe and attentive staff, what sets George's above most of the rest of the heap in NoPo is their outstanding menu, and they are open till beer thirty all week. Many places close by ten or midnight at the latest. George's also lacks utterly the trying-so-very-hard-to-be-rock'n'roll posturing so common elsewhere (uh, Slim's). This is a great place for a variety of burgers or appetizers (I really like the quesadillas, and steak fingers w/queso!). It's great to see the natural way the old and new guards sidle up to the bar, side by side. Apparently we CAN all just get along...
Until I can think of a worthy challenger to the title, George's is the de-facto king of the hood. He gets one fool's vote, any way. 5 stars for a humble pub in No-Po, you might say? In terms of best of its class, well, yes. Unless you have a better candidate in all of North Portland, lose the attitude, and raise a toast w/me to Gorgeous George's.....