Amanda Wilson
Google
More like 3.5 stars, but rounding up since I keep unexpectedly finding myself here. The space is large, with an exposed, high ceiling and long tables in a beer hall inspired setup, while the walls border on kitschy with a mix of pictures of dogs and bulletin boards full of pictures of folks with Lucky Lab shirts all around the world.
So why do I like the place?
* the space - whether it's sitting out back on the large patio (surrounded by folks with their dogs), inside with a large group for a MeetUp, or just tucked away solo in the corner with my laptop, there's plenty of choices, and the large space makes it very adaptable. It's not unusual to walk in and see people running D&D campaigns, playing chess/Go/Scrabble/etc,
* wide beer selection - while not my favorite Portland brews, I don't think I've had a "bad" beer here. They've always got something on the cask, as well as a nitro pressurized brew as well. No "great" beers in my opinion, but plenty of very serviceable brews.
* "bento" plates - For $7, you get a big plate of white or brown rice topped with veggies and a choice of sauce (peanut, spicy peanut, or a sweet chili), and you can get chicken and tempeh versions too. Nothing fancy here, no subtleties, just a filling plate of rice and some toppings.
* sandwiches - okay, I'll admit, I've never ordered a sandwich here, but I'm always tempted (though the lure of the bento plates, which are a few bucks cheaper, tend to lure me in)
I find this Lucky Lab location frequently being a coffee shop alternative for me when I'm looking to get a little work done on my laptop. It's a 10 minute walk from home and while there are also a number of coffee shops in the area, it often wins since it's open late and has beer.