McMenamins Rams Head

Cool and nice brewpub! The beer and cider samples is the perfect option to initiate a dinner with several flavors. The music and atmosphere is super enjoyable. Churros are highly recommended! The staff is woo nice!

Ah, Rams Head—the legendary Portland institution that’s been around longer than my commitment issues, now preparing to close its doors in June 2025 after three glorious decades of burgers, brews, and, apparently, bewildering bar service. I pulled up a seat at the bar, full of hope, wonder, and thirst. The kind of thirst only a cold beer and a warm smile from a bartender can quench. I waited. And waited. I grew older. Wiser. I contemplated the meaning of life. I watched other people get their drinks, their food, their second mortgages processed, while I sat there like a ghost who died holding a beer menu. To be clear, I wanted to love this place. I came ready to toast its long, storied history—maybe even cry a little in my IPA. But alas, I never got the IPA. Or water. Or eye contact. After enough time to knit a scarf, write a memoir, and emotionally bond with the bar stool, I finally left. Still thirsty. Still beerless. A sad, sober man in a town known for craft brews. So Rams Head, I salute your 30 years. But I raise my imaginary glass—because it never arrived—in loving memory of what could’ve been.

We stopped in on a Monday for lunch. Be prepared to have to pay for street parking. Although there were only two other people in there, the service was a bit slow. We had to wait a couple of minutes at the door before even being greeted and seated. The atmosphere is definitely unique and has a cool, comfy vibe. There are couches to sit on and even board games to play. I ordered the chicken sandwich and it was loaded and tasted great! The honey mustard that I ordered on the side was super watery and did not taste right. My 3 year old got the kids chicken strips and it only comes with 1 strip. I thought that was a little strange seeing that any other place will come with several.

Beer and Wine tastings here are a must try. The food is comfy and tasty and fits well with their beers an wines. Great atmosphere and fun place to hang out and chill. Happy hour prices here are also great and quite affordable.

Really good food and a chill atmosphere. I liked how they set up shop in an old hotel. It was really nice. It gave me the feeling of being in a speak easy in the 1920's. If you are like me and value quantity as well as quality you will NOT be disappointed! I'm a big dude and I was stuffed when I left. Go with the tots over french fries. "You're welcome!" ;-)

It's always an amazing bartender that really makes a bar worth frequenting. Kaela, forgive me if I butcher the spelling, is that kind of bartender. McMenamins is a very cool, niche little place. Great atmosphere, good food and good cocktails. However, this bar-artist, bartist if you will, really made it a watering hole worth remembering. I tried every recommendation she had, to include an entire off-menu, secret society cocktail menu that was out of this world. Promote that girl. She has the kind of passion you only find once in a blue moon if you're lucky. Cheers!

Beautiful pub with gorgeous decor. Stopped in for drinks. Had one of the best old-fashions I've had in a while. Bartender, she was great with a nice smile. Definitely be back again for dinner.

Aesthetically pleasing, if you're a history nut then you'll love it here. Make sure you go soon as their lease ends in June! We just had drinks 😉

Was a fun, friendly little cozy bar in the Uptown neighborhood on NW 23rd Ave with a history of being a former speakeasy during Prohibition when they served booze in teacups. Service was good at the bar. Food was ok. They were there over 30 years. Just closed last night - 6-30-25, Farewell Rams Head!

This is such a cool little bar! We came in because we heard they will be closing later this year. I felt bad for the barkeep, because he was covering everything! Even though he was the only one covering all the tables, he did an awesome job. We got a nice booth in the corner and he had our drinks to us pretty fast. We ordered a couple of light options, I had the slider trio and my wife had the Coconut Curry bowl. The burgers had a nice fresh char to them, and the curry had a nice flavor to it. It would have been nice if the tomatoes were grilled too, it would have been a nice little kick. It's a shame this location couldn't stay open longer (lease isn't getting renewed), because the food, service, and the vine inside were all fantastic!

Our first time here was great, we live down the street and wanted to give it a try. Service was very friendly and food was delicious. That experience was 10/10. We came again a few nights ago and when we walked in some hollered welcome back it never said to seat yourself or anything. No sign either so we stood there like dummies for what felt like 10 minutes? Was probably 5... so we sat ourselves. A minute later another couple walked in and immediately they said sit anywhere you'd like! Okay........ So we put our order in and drinks and it was just "okay" service. Didn't feel the love but still said please and thank you. The food was great cause it's just yummy. The drinks were good of course. Seating is really good here they have little couches, booths, bar area.

Very cool atmosphere. Cozy couches, dark color vibe. 35 years in Business and they are closing. They rent this building and isn't worth the cost to keep it open. That's a pity but glad we made it before it closed! Got a half pint of my favorite Ruby and of course the Cajun tots! Sad to see it go! Very friendly wait staff and got our passports stamped, too

Been here 3 times in the last couple months, and each time has been good food--cajon tots and the sliders are my favs. Also came here for happy hour with some work colleagues. Great chill places to lounge in back and talk without loud music (plus for me). Service was fine. Parking is paid street parking.

Great service. Fun atmosphere. Comfortable and great place to hang out. Food was great too!

Stop by here while you still can! So sad they're closing their doors after 34 years. I love the cozy atmosphere, the tables in the back are perfect for lounging with friends or opening your laptop and getting some work done. Some of the staff here have worked at this location for years. I'm happy this is the only location closing but still so sad to see it go. Food here is amazing as always! I will be back here as much as I can before they close

Didn't order any food this time, but what a great place to sit, relax, and wait out the rain! Servers were amazing and made sure that my Thundercone was kept topped off while waiting comfortably in plush lounger chairs.

I went to Ram's Head with my husband on a busy day last weekend and Jay was so helpful and on top of things. He was friendly, making us laugh almost every time he stopped by to check on us, and efficient in his service. We were greeted right away with menus, got waters, and drinks within the first 10 minutes. Our food took awhile but he was very on top of updates and our drinks so the time flew by. Gonna miss this place! Hope Jay doesn't run off too far!

My first time being in Portland, and before coming out, I heard a lot about the McMenamins beers and food that we had to stop here as we explored Portland during the Fall. We came by and decided to sit outside and take a break from our day in Portland. As we were here, we saw so many interesting people and their pups walking all around the neighborhood. I was happy to see plenty of small tabletops for us to sit at, and the waitress came out to us to provide us with the menu and run down of what beers they had on draft. We had some appetizers that paired well with our flight of McMenamins beers that was presented so nicely on a wooden board. We left it up to our waitress to choose the best round of sample beers for us to try, and we were not disappointed! All of the beers were great and made for a very lovely afternoon out. The inside of Ram's Head looked interesting as well! There was plenty of seating inside for big and small groups too. There was so much to look at with the variety of interior decor and pictures. Even though it was daytime inside made you feel like it was nighttime as it was dark - and that is a compliment! What a great time visiting and a nice break from our hustle and bustle of making sure we do ALL of the things in Portland, including visiting a McMenamins spot.

Unfortunately this location did not hit the mark for us. We ordered the fish and chips and it was literally the smallest 2 pieces of fish they could've found with a whopping price of $22. I had a small Bleu Bayou salad which is now $11.50. Of course we will always order the Cajun tots with ranch. The Raspberry cider was nice and refreshing and hubby enjoyed his beer. Service wasn't the best we have had nor on the friendly side and that surprising for a McMenamins. Got our passport stamp so we will probably never return to this location.

Went in with a Starbucks coffee and the made me dump it out. I was going to order food and a drink but I also can't have a yummy coffee. This is the pnw and we love our coffee. Very rude

Absolutely horrible service and clueless management too. The prices have gone up in the last few years but u would pay them just fine. The waitstaff, bartender and manager acted clueless. Never going back. What a shame because it is a great location and so cozy and lovely inside too.

Stopped in for lunch yesterday, Rams Head is closing soon and its such a cozy, comfortable place. Want to give a shoutout to Jalen, our server, a personable guy who gave us great service and was very attentive to our needs. Be sure and stop by before it closes, we will miss it.

Apparently if you ask nicely you can get things not on the menu like fish and chips... and then a salad instead of coleslaw. McMenamins always has such delicious fish and chips though this location doesn't have it listed on the menu. You'll have to ask about it and if you can get it. I loathe coleslaw so I get a side salad instead and just pay extra for what I want. The building is old and awkward so their Restroom is a bit strange - you leave the restaurant out a back door but the restroom was clean and spacious. The folks here are very helpful and I do love the booths!

This McMenamins pub is situated in a perfect spot, about halfway down the interesting parts of 23rd Avenue, making it a regular stop while shopping, when it's time to take a load off. The "den" area on the left (East) side of the restaurant is the best place to sit, if you can snag a table: the dim, ambient lighting, leather chairs and bookshelves give it a warm, homey vibe. If you're just here for drinks, skip the booths and grab a couch or lounger instead. Most of what is on offer here is standard McMenamins fare, although there are a couple of sneaky, unique drinks on the menu, if you look for them. I ordered "Something Blue", not knowing what I was getting into, and ended up with a cocktail reminiscent of a blue Cosmo with a hint of cotton candy. Our server and the bar staff were all on point, taking orders quickly, turning around and delivering them in less time than it took us to figure out what we wanted. On our part, time slipped away from us, and quickly realizing that we had a pre-existing engagement for which we were about to be late, we were able to make a graceful, hasty exit thanks once again to our server's attentiveness. For that alone, we'll be back again to take our time and enjoy everything to fullness. Expect to find us on a couch or leather chair in the den.

Nice and relaxing place for a drink and some good food. There's plenty of space outside or in this is the second location I've been to and both places are great in my opinion. This is my second time coming back when visiting the area. Definitely a place I'd return and recommend to anyone.

McMenimans keeps the history of the region going by basing their restaurants in unique locations and keeping the "soul" of the building intact. Rams Head is an old speakeasy found in downtown Portland. This location is filled with leather furniture, old photos, and a beautiful bar. Its dark and unusual and if you are looking for a modern gastro pub you won't find it here. What we love about McMenimans is authenticity. They make their own booze, have a scratch menu, and pull it together in a cool place unique to the region. You could find better food or drink, but you won't find many who put the "whole package" together better. The food is basic pub fare and overall the service was great. We enjoyed burgers, flights of beer, and a good time. We will be back.

If I lived in Portland, thus would be my place. Good drinks, decent food, super fantastic staff. It appears to be in a historic building and there is a mural that spans across all of the walls showing the timeline of what the building was used for and when, which I found to be quite charming. I'll stop by again next time I'm in Portland for sure!

Nice spot to chill and catch-up with friends! We came too late for their happy hour, but their deals seemed pretty good at first glance. We ended up getting a pitcher of two ciders mixed together per our waitress' recommendation (apple and blackberry) to share between the 5 of us, and it was great! The cajun tater tots were also a great app to nibble on.

Went there needing something for a good price, and with protein, as I was about to pass out from lack of energy. Was seated very quickly, ordered the Gyro with chicken (including adjustments) and a ginger beer with bitters. My friend got a bacon cheeseburger. Everything was delicious, the food came out very quickly and was exactly as ordered. The waitress (whose name I am forgetting) was courteous and friendly, and even answered my rather stupid questions in good humor. The ambience is very unique as well. It gives off the early 1900's vibe with some updated decor, and it wasn't too loud for conversations. Would very much recommend.

i love eating raw vegetables, don't get me wrong, but this salad is severely underdressed which is not something i would be opposed to if it was a human being that brought me home at the end of the night after a long night of tequila shots and ciders. alas, as i was munching on the raw veggies i drew towards the middle of the plate and realized that this salad was not underdressed, only under-tossed and suddenly related so hard to this specific salad sitting in front of me, lying in wait for me to toss it myself. too bad i'm also a bottom lying in wait to get my salad tossed and kept eating this salad as is.

Great place,beer,food, and ambiance. Nice people working at this really pretty old hotel restaurant. Nice and cozy.

Normally I LOVE McMenamins, if you don't know about McMenamins or if you haven't been to any of their locations, you're seriously missing out. Typically anyway. This place, however, fell short. I mean by a mile. The interior was cool and funky as is the case with all the other locations, but there is no dedicated parking and the staff seemed pretty uninterested in my partner and I even though there was just a handful of other customers. We waited a while until the barkeep nonchalantly took our order for drinks. A server who was passing by took our order for tots (to be fair, the tots are delicious and pair so well with the accompanying peppercorn ranch). We drank our ciders, shared a rum flight (Frank High Proof was great! Avoid the others, they tasted weird and left a silky conditioner after feel in your mouth. No bueno!), ate our tots, and left after less than an hour. It was really pretty boring and the bartender just didn't seem like he cared we were there which kinda sucked. 3 stars because I loved the interior and the cider was good. I'd only come back here if someone else was picking up the tab AND paid for my Uber ride so I didn't have to circle the block over and over looking for parking.

we've been here before and wanted to return for lunch yesterday, and say goodbye, since the lease wasn't renewed....we love this place...it was rainy and so cozy inside....we picked a booth, and the male staff member came right over and got out drinks order....i had a ruby, and my partner had a rubinator...next, i had the dill tuna sandwich and salad...she had the mystic special patty, beyond patty, and a salad too....the beer and food were excellent....the staff member was alone the first half hr or so, but communicated to those arriving it would be a half hr til food arrived....most stayed and it was packed....we love the environs and wish they would move to another cozy vintage spot...we will miss the rams's head.....thx so much....

We discovered this place when we were staying overnight in Portland. Fun atmosphere. Good food. Very nice service. Pub grub! You can't beat it!

The bar was really limited, and the food was subpar. Waiter was really nice. Ambience was nice.

It gets 5 stars for ambiance alone. Things I love: real pubs. Things I hate: fake pubs. This place is real and this is the most authentically English feeling pub I've ever been to on the West Coast.

An Irish Bar in a quaint spot with excellent finger food, a wide selection of local beers and top notch service. We will go back!

I ordered a Portland dip to go... Not a great sandwich has little bit of turkey and I ordered cajun tator tots to discover when I got home they are the regular ones. Martin wasn't that helpful. He told me he packaged my food. He insisted they were cajun tots. Putting my food container in a paper bag doesn't really say you saw what was in it.

Stopped in with my guy to meet a friend for lunch and drinks. We were greeted by a young lady (later our waitress) who informed us their credit card system was down, so if we wanted to stay then we'd have to accept that our CC info would be written down on paper. Ok fine, we decide to stay, didn't feel like altering our plans with the person we were meeting. A red flag was raised immediately upon entering, a sour smell in the air. The odor smelled like dust, spoiled bar fruit, and old dirty carpet. From our table we could hear everything happening in the kitchen. It was very loud and disturbing. Our ears became unwillingly privy to a slew of casual talk and gossip between the kitchen person and our waitress. When she came to our table she told us she had a very bad hangover, and did not have any professional poise whatsoever. She also told us food would take 45-1hour because there was only 1 person making food. I saw 2 other people come in, sit down, and never get service. All the while we can hear our waitress and the kitchen person grumbling about their circumstances that day. We uncomfortably had 2 rounds of beers and my party and I couldn't wait to leave and get outside for fresh air. We walked down the street to a New York pizza joint and had our lunch there instead. My advice: while in a great location right on the corner, avoid this pub at all costs. Terrible service, rancid air, and assuming the food is made by person we heard back there -- I don't want it anyway.

As usual; super awesome and super cool history! Portland is the land of fun history and prohibition era quirks! We stopped to grab some quick drinks and they did a great job with indoor and outdoor seating! We asked the waiter if he had any suggestions for drinks and got a delish lavender lemon drop and a Moscow mule!

Very very poor service. Ridiculously bad. Taking a lunch break whilst Christmas shopping along 23rd, we waited 30 minutes before our drink order arrived, one of the drinks was wrong, so it took even longer! Our food order took way too long, giving us unwanted stress before heading out onto 23rd again. Its a prime location, and we're huge McMenamin fans, but some of the staff are struggling to keep up with even the most basic demands...won't be returning to this location.

Cozy interior on a cute shopping street. Classic pub food. Everything tasted great and came out quickly.

Always on the hunt for an ESB which is pretty rare in the brewing space but McMenamins does a good one. Sat at the bar, felt like I was in a London hotel. Will return to this unique place.

Meh food, meh service, figured we could grab a quick lunch at 3pm on a holiday afternoon and took about an hour. Seems they didn't have enough kitchen staff.

Raylon was our server. We picked up our menus inside and sat outside. Raylon stopped by with napkins and utensils indicating she'd return to take our order. Since she didn't return, we went inside to order. However, she said she'd be right out to take it. The order wasn't complicated. My daughter asked if she could swap the fries and bun for a lettuce wrap on the burger. No problem. Mine was for a medium cheeseburger. The food was hot and fresh upon arrival. However, she didn't stop by to check on our order. We had to track another server down to have the very rare hamburger exchanged for the medium one that was ordered. When the medium burger was brought out and exchanged with the rare burger, she took the utensils so there was no knife to cut it. Thus, a napkin was needed. We asked for napkins when she was on her way to deliver to another table. We had to go get them ourselves because she never returned with napkins. I was surprised that the replacement hamburger had a new plate of fries and commented on it. I felt her comment was a little "snarky" in that she felt she was doing me a favor by giving more fries. No. It was a huge inconvenience to have my food delivered after my daughter had already finished with her meal. Then, it was time for the bill. Again, we had to ask for it. We noticed there was an additional charge of $1.00 for a Caesar's salad. What? No one ordered a Caesar. I reminded her that the lettuce wrap was being substituted for the bun and the fries. It's obviously not about a buck but we didn't feel she was at all tuned into our table. She printed two new tabs. One showed the original amount and then showed a minus $1.00. Then, there was another tab printed too. It showed the $1.00 was paid in cash! What? We felt she was very condescending. So, we definitely nixed this Mcmenamins off our list. The poor service is what turned the more stars into just 2 stars.

This has been one of my favorite bars here in Portland and I'm so glad they have been able to stay open. I love being able to bring friends here because the staff are very much personable and do their best to accommodate anything (not that we have any complicated requests). The staff have been very conscientious about social distancing and sanitizing, which we greatly appreciate. Love the Rams Head, I'll definitely be back soon. Andy is our favorite server when we have the chance to pop in, too.

McMenamins runs a number of quirky establishments throughout the area, and the Rams Head is a great example. On busy NW 23rd so parking is a pain, but the food is good and the beers are outstanding. This is a great choice for getting together with your friends for a pint or two.

When I moved to Portland a month ago this and the bar across the street (the pharmacy) quickly became my neighborhood favorites. I live a quick 5 minute walk from here so you will catch me here on my days off!

Great service good food and nice people. I definitely recommend this place, it's even a cool place to just come, rest and have a drink if you're in the neighborhood

Fantastic ales and really dig the old world look and feel of the place. Get the London Ale!

Fun stop in a great Pearl Shopping District. We rode the Max in and had the day to stroll and shop at our leisure. Stopped in at Ram's Head and added a passport stamp.

We've been to a bunch of McMenamins so the menu doesn't vary much. The holiday cocktails were a nice touch. The staff was very kind but they were extremely slow during a non-busy time. Aside from that, this space is unique and cute and definitely worthy of a cocktail or two.

You ever stand outside of a public bathroom waiting for your turn...and the person inside is taking so long that you actually don't want to use that bathroom anymore? It's kinda like that.. came in around 12:30 on a Saturday.. there were maybe 1-2 tables occupied when we were seated. The service was incredibly slow and the food was not enjoyable. I was given a pile of lettuce with three croutons, a whisper of parm.... No dressing... And they called it a caesar salad. I would normally say "you get what you pay for.."... But this was nearly $100 to feed two adults and two children.. not a big shocker, as everything is getting expensive these days.. but when the service declines and the quality of the food is barely edible, you have to expect people are going to complain. Charge me extra to sprinkle Cajun seasoning on my tots... Charge me extra to have a side salad instead of fries... You can even charge me extra to refill our sodas.. but when the food takes forever to arrive.. it should be edible.

Oh my gosh did I ever love this place . It's so lovely with cute little cozy couches and chairs to relax in. The drinks where yummy . Def recommend a stop by .

The food was surprisingly good for a bar. The Pear cocktail was delicious! I sat outside and truly enjoyed just watching people pass by. Though the service was slow, it's understandable with this whole COVID thing. Plus, the bartender/server was quite apologetic about the service. I would definitely come back!

fun games but stale fries, cool environment. Fries very stale though. Food pretty good though. Workers nice.

I think I should get my passport, cuz I think I've been to almost every Mcmenamins. I like this one cuz it's simple. I was hungry, wanted a burger with tots and there is was. I walk 23rd Street often so this location was convenient. All I can say I'm never disappointed when I eat at any Mcmenamins.