Montavilla Station

One of Portland's classic dive bars with live music just completed it's renovations! Brand new tap system, new bar-top, new logo! Same great vibes!

Bartender nice, friendly customer's. Stopped by for a game of pool, was slightly disappointed with tables, as very poorly cared for. 😪 looking around, i found the table brush. I guess if you want a lump free table, you are going to have to do it yourself!!! 🤷

Recently remodeled, and it looks great! Music Fri-Sun. Blues Jam on Sunday. Great comedy on Tuesday. Friendly neighborhood vibe. Karla and Tammy are the weekend bartenders, and they are super personable. I attended a potluck for Super Bowl Sunday, which was also the last day before The Station closed for the five week long remodel; and it was a welcome community atmosphere.

Tiny stage, food all prepared in air fryer, only 1 person working on a busy Friday night. Bartender, hostess, cook, was fantastic and juggled a lot, but place could definitely be better.

Very much in neighborhood bar very relaxed everyone welcome 😁 good music on the weekends.

Dang. Karaoke and kickin local hot sauce?!! Yeeeeea buddy! Bout to remodel so don't be a brat about food and stuff :)

Very quiet Saturday night. Chad Rupp and The Boyz were heating it up. Chad doing Lloyd Jones covers! You go Chadd. Good to be out listening to great live music with my pal Dover Weinberg.

If you like music, you should check this place out.. This a “go to place,” for me on Sunday’s.. They will continue to be on my list for things to do... The locals make this little hole in the wall, one of my favorite dive bars.. Love the food, music, dancing and fun.. You automatically feel like you are part of the local family here.. The place is kind and inviting, with superior musicians..

The food and drink prices, the music, Tammy & Karla, and some patrons, make it VERY hard not to keep coming to this place! One of the last places here in Portland that has not become greedy and has kept prices as close to pre-covid and pre-shipping-strike prices. Bartenders Tammy & Karla are the coolest about the bar, and the junk they deal with is amazing! They can do without the fill-in/third bartender, Kevin, who is also a regular patron. He complains about making, verbally begrudges prior to making, and even refuses sometimes to make certain cocktails, and never makes food. I have been informed he complains about patrons, including me, while bartending, to other regulars (assuming those he complains to are more loyal to him and are not sharing what he is saying about the patrons... we hear a lot) and he makes it a point to let you know you are NOT one of the welcomed patrons. Other regulars make it a point to not welcome everyone either. They are rude when you introduce guests/friends you bring in and also get offended if you choose not to introduce your guest/friend, or choose not to play their game or call them on it, or ignore their junk. Some regular patrons, who are the male bartender's friends, are the some harsh bar-bullies. Reminds me of middle school! Other than the above junk, the LIVE music is awesome! Bartenders Tammy and Karla, as stated before and an understatement are the coolest about the bar, those two are awesome! Drinks and food less expensive than most places, when you get the two bartenders who do not mind making cocktails or food. It is one of the few family-run businesses here in Portland Oregon that has kept their love for the community going by not needlessly gouging at our pocketbooks! Unlike My Father's Place, Lotsa Luck and Tom's Bar... The regular patrons that believe THEY own the place are THE ONLY reason this place gets a 3-Star rating, or it would get 5-stars!

Comedy at Montavilla Station has become THE Tuesday destination in SE Portland. It's hilarious host Lucas Copp makes sure that an entertaining evening is guaranteed even if the comedians stray into controversial material. The best part? It's a FREE show so you can spend a little more at the bar. Do yourself a favor and make your Tuesday night better with Lucas Copp Comedy at Montavilla Station!

It's everything you'd expect and a really nice hidden gem as far as ambiance and food.. I love seeing friends performing on the stage and the beer is cold and delicious High Five!

Recently remodeled. Music Fri-Sun. Blues Jam on Sunday. Comedy on Tuesday. Friendly neighborhood vibe. Karla and Tammy are the weekend bartenders, and they are very personable. I attended a potluck for Super Bowl Sunday, which was also the last day before The Station closed for the five week long remodel; and it was a welcome community atmosphere.

Stopped in for a quick drink to kill some time before our showing of Top Gun: Maverick at the Academy, and honestly, I wasn't expecting to like this dive bar as much as I did. For one thing, it's far more spacious on the inside than it would appear from the street, with three separate sections containing the bar and some slot machines, a dining area, and a gaming area (with pool, shuffleboard, and pinball), respectively. Live music is apparently a regular thing here as well, which always gets you bonus points in my book! My drink was stiff...real stiff...and yet surprisingly cheap. Seems like a great place to get wasted, listen to some tunes, forget where you parked, and inevitably end up taking an Uber home, on a weekend night. Heck, I might just do that here, sometime in the future!

If you like overly crowded bars with terrible sanitation, but low prices, you've found your place. I came here to see a band play, and the PA is honestly the worst I've ever heard. The placement of the speakers in the room is a big part of the problem...the dimensions and layout are not at all ideal. The PA also shut itself off twice during the show. How's the food? I have no idea. I ordered, but never got my food. The sole employee there (yes, there only appeared to be the one bartender handing all duties and all customers) told me that they only had one air fryer working, and there was an order ahead of mine, so it would be a while. When I went to close my tab at the end of the night (which amounted to zero because all I had was a half of a glass of water), I was only offered an, "Oops...it's still in the fryer" (some 2 1/2 to 3 hours later). Why did I only have half of my glass of water? Because there were large pieces of some sort of white foreign matter at the bottom of the glass. In my photo, it may look like an almost melted ice cube, but it is not. Most of the patrons seemed to be happy with their alcoholic beverages, and it was very crowded, so if you're an alcohol drinker, Montavilla Station would probably be to your liking, but I have zero incentive to return, even if a band I want to see is playing there.

The comedy open mic on Tuesday is the best night of the week to go here. Great food. Cheap drinks. Lots of laughs.

I have never experienced something like this before. Please help me understand. The lady with blonde hair said "you are to close to me back away"! I was dumbfounded! What? You have been creeping up on us back away! I'm sorry what? I was so lost! I didn't know what to say, so I politely walked away. After my first drink I noticed her behind the bar and asked the bartender if she worked at Montavilla Station, which she replied "No". I asked why she was behind the bar, which she replied "she had complained that I was extremely rude and I needed to stay away. Yet I noticed that you havet said or gotten close to them- They are drama queens" once again. Why? I have made zero contact with this person. Please help me understand why this person treated me this way. When walking out of Montavilla station I was called a COCK SUCKER by the man in the black hoody sweatshirt. Why? Business owners perhaps? I will call OLCC 11/15/23 10:45pm Please share! This is not cool. Have you been treated this way at Montavilla station? I honesty won't be coming back and I suggest you don't! This is a toxic place be aware of your soundings and KAREN!

Eh this place needs some work. The men's bathroom is like the choky from Matilda. It's extremely dated especially for a music venue. The bartender made horrible drinks waaay too strong. IMO you can't have a neighborhood dive bar that's a music venue on the side you gotta be both or either or. It just didn't work also I'm just not mentioning the food lol. This place is nothing but a place you'd wonder in and stop by for a beer or two then head somewhere else nothing to see here.

I've drove by this bar several times but never stopped in. You will see guitars hanging from the ceiling & records. The "Passion Cats" put on a great show last night and they played until midnight.

I really like this bar. It may not always go right, but the facts are there is no cover to see live music. The drinks are cheap and strong. Sometimes you have to wait for the bartender to finish her cig, but whatever. There is no cook, so do not go there for the food...lol

This is a solid dive bar. Dark and with the appropriate socially distant tables inside. I had a Pendleton neat and they gave me a really generous pour. Probably more than two shots. That was the only drink I needed. Me and my boyfriend sat outside on one of the picnic tables. They have three but the middle one is off limits. The staff is good about policing the middle table. I really enjoy coming to this bar. It's a short motorcycle ride in the summer which is awesome. We are now regulars. 2020 - Review #10

I live in the neighborhood and just started hanging out at the Station. Love all the gals that run it single handedly nightly. I partake in their fabulous ice water and video gaming mainly. They all treat me like family and I enjoy the atmosphere. R.S.

The good: --I like the vibe of the patrons of this neighborhood haunt - nice folks or at least people with character come there --2 Pool tables --Often good live music The not so good: --The food selection is typical greasy bar food (although cheap) --There has only been one barmaid every time I've been there and she's understandably swamped, so it often takes around 10 minutes to get a drink or pay off the tab when leaving. Not her fault, but the fault of the owner. --The music, although often good, is so loud, conversation is difficult at best

Montavilla Station is a true dive and I mean that in the best way. It's full of locals who know each other; some ride motorcycles, others chain smoke and start drinking at 9AM. It's a cool spot. I came in for HH with my friend and the prices were great especially on the food. I would not come here super hungry or expecting a grand meal because again, dive bar. Although, they do have a wide variety of different friend snacks for extremely affordable prices to the point where I wanted to order everything just because it was so cheap. We ordered mozzarella sticks and a small pack of almonds. The mozz sticks were just what I wanted/needed after a couple drinks. The bartender was super friendly despite us not being one of the locals. This place just felt like home and I look forward to coming back!

Karaoke and bar review: Scott runs great sound, keeps rotation going, our Wednesday/ Thursday spot to go. Tammy is a great bartender, patient with my indecisiveness and came up with an alternative to a margarita with a pink beauty, see pics!

Wow drinks are so be affordable! $3 happy hour well drinks. A couple of pool tables, some digital slot machines, and a friendly dive bar crowd. I only had 1 drink, but enjoyed my time. Live music Fri and Saturday nights 9-12, but I like to be in bed before 9, so don't ask me about what happens after then! Solid neighborhood dive bar. Will definitely go back.

I really like Montavilla Station. For a dive bar with characters it doesn't get much better than this. The best part of this place however is their menu. Great for us plebeians. You won't find cheaper food anywhere in Portland. Cheapest guac-and-chips in the whole town, and it's rather decent tastin'. If you're drunk (or wanting to get drunk), poor and want some bar food, this is your place. Only have a dollar fifty and want to go out on the town? Come here and get a Cup O'Noodles. $1.50 (And! to boot meet a beautiful middle-aged woman that's missing teeth. She may be upset enough with her ex (Hank) that she'll flirt real nice with you.)

Great bar, amazing live music and dancing. I truly miss it, there's a lot of folks I care about who frequent it often. Tammy and Carla are some of my favorite. We'd have random talks about al kinds of things. Its a great dive bar and the prices are legit.

Montavilla Station is the new incarnation of Sassy Jack's... but with booze! A typical pool/darts/beer/booze hall with green carpet, dark wood, ample lighting and plenty of beer tchochkes on the wall, at first glance this place could be any one of a generic hundred spots in Portland. But upon closer inspection, you can tell that they've gone with a theme here - classic rock. There's a Johnny Cash painting on the wall, a small stage for live music and karaoke (Thurs-Sat nights), and the back wall is completely wallpapered with old LP covers. This place has a theme! Hilary B and I stopped in on a Sunday night to grab a quick drink and check the place out. The scene was pretty dead, with a few regulars (so regular they appear in a mural painted on the wall) hanging at the bar, a couple of guys playing video crack, and some old timer with a 2' long white beard on stage playing guitareoke (basically playing guitar along with the music while singing karaoke). He said it was supposed to be an open jam night, but nobody else showed up. Other than the 9 people +bartender, the place was dead. We grabbed ourselves some $3.75 micros (wells are always $3) and headed back to play some free pool and some electronic darts. The guitareoke dude belted out some great renditions of Elvis, Dylan, and some other classics to serenade our 501 dart action. The locals chatted us up a bit, and the friendly bartender was more than happy to share the story of the place. Overall, I don't know why I wouldn't spend more time in here pubbing it up. It's a classic neighborhood watering hole. Oh, and the food looks like it's basically there to comply with OLCC regulations. Tacos, frito pie, etc. Easy crock pot/microwave stuff. Not sure I'd ever dine in, if you know what I mean. Also - They have a KOOL cigarettes neon sign. I want.

Great spot to have a stiff drink and some cheap food. The bartender is always nice and they have live music on some nights.

I usually go to Roscoe's or The Observatory when I'm in this area but I'm so glad we came into this bar. Super friendly bartender and the vibe is super chill. I can't wait to go back on a Sunday evening to hear the band.

The reason I give the Station only 4 stars is that some of the people that go in there make it uncomfortable for the rest of us. I have seen people making out in the open so the rest of us were forced to watch or leave (I chose the latter) and there is a group of questionable women who think they run the place. Thankfully, some of them have been 86'd and no longer come in there. Hopefully, the others will fade away too. As for the bartender, Karla is awesome. I don't know Tammy or a male bartender both I have only encountered briefly a couple of times. Karla though is very laid back and patient. She has helped to clean out the people who cause the problems there. She is great! The crowd is an eclectic mix, I think, mostly from the neighborhood. I go to MS mostly on Sunday nights because they have a late jam and it is on my way home from an earlier jam. Occasionally I will go to the Station on a weekend night if they have rock and roll music. There are enough blues bars in Portland. It would be nice if the Station would stick with rock n roll or R&B at least. However, the Sunday night jams include all sorts of different music. Last Sunday, Gigi, a local very talented singer, who sang Aretha and Chaka Kahn ROCKED the house!. If more singers like her were to appear at MS, I would frequent the place more often. Another band that I have seen at MS is Edge of Eether. They are an awesome rock n roll band! More of them and Gigi and I would give the place 5 stars even though they do not serve food that is edible or offer a large variety of non-alcoholic drinks.

One of my favorite kareoke dive bars in my neighborhood. I love the atmosphere and the sound here. This is a place where locals and regulars unite. They have pinball, shuffle board,video poker, darts and pool tables. The KJ Scott has a wide variety of songs and Tammy and Karla are awesome bartenders.

This stop on the UYE Montavilla Thrilla!™ Pub Crawl was ridiculously fun and at the same time odd, confusing and a little frightening. The awesome: a bunch of tipsy yelpers rocking the karaoke stage, and the ZZ Top look-alike KJ who would jam out to every single song sung ranging from the Doors to the Black-Eyed Peas. The confusing: the karaoke booklet. It is arranged by musical genre (not alphabetical by song title or artist like every other karaoke joint in town.) When I asked the KJ where in the book I might find George Michael, I was told to look in country music! WTF? I hope this was a miscommunication and he thought I said George Strait or he's in some serious need of some musical genre schooling! The awful: the beer. I think the taps have not been cleaned since this place opened. None of the three tap beers I tried were remotely palatable, and I returned them and started drinking Hamm's out of the can, which is pretty much unacceptable in my circles. The way awesome: Don and Hilary B. singing and rocking their Thriller dance to close down the Montavilla Station segment of the pub crawl!

Upon first inspection, I would have called this a "no frills" neighborhood pub. But truth is, it's full of frills. Pinball. Darts. Pool. And best of all, no-lines, no-waiting weekend karaoke with an awesome KJ that looked like he could rock a double neck guitar. Sure, the book and song "organization" leaves much to be desired, but we all managed to find something worth singing. The regulars here are fun, and a few are even terrific singers. They were very hospitable to our minor Yelp invasion. I enjoyed their singing and their willingness to get up and dance when the mood struck. Zero pretense here at the Station. I would go back for the $3 wells and the entertainment.

I have come here quite a few times since my first trip when I was oh-so-enamored. I still like it! But I can't really justify the 4 stars, so it's A-OK 3 for montvilla station. Drinks are pretty cheap, but I'm never sure how much they are. The brand of juice they use is really bad. If you are a woman who likes her vodka all mixed up with her juice (pineapple, cranberry.. wherever the mood takes me), than you know how disappointing it is when the drink tastes bad and the reason isn't even the cheap vodka you prefer. Food barely exists here. I have had a taco that was decent and I kind of liked the frito pie they microwaved for me! A couple other items were abysmal. And the menu changes so I never know what to expect. I still like the folks, and I will still go back. I may even like it better if I try it on a more fun night - like karaoke, instead of just before a movie....

Definitely a 35+ age group. Meh beers on tap. Gotta admit that regular band Bolt Upright has some real soul, even in the covers. Competent, live music beats the best jukebox 90% of the time, so 4 solid stars for that.

Montavilla Saloon is something special. If you like the booze, and don't mind the occasional old drunk hippy dancing alone and owning the jukebox with Jim Morrison. They have live music every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, karaoke every Thursday night, a couple pool tables, and 5 video poker machines - YAY! Divey is a great word to describe the place. Tuesdays they have 2 tacos for $1.50. Booze!

Cute, lots of space, drinks can go outside and smoker friendly. Decent drinks costs and nice bartenders. Bathroom is... Lil small but has lots of wall words written about. I think it might be difficult to use if your handicapped, so heads up. Never eaten there. No free pool. When live music plays its nice. Modern juke box.

I like going here on the weekends and drinking tall cans. While a random band plays full blast. Its a great old school bar. Everyone is always nice, and good company. Great beer selection, reasonably priced. And their is always a bar stool available!

I have attended many jam sessions over the years there... But tonight I sat alone at the bar for my date to arrive. It is a neighborhood haute, however there was a real sense of slimy there this evening. Loud drunk, no very drunks clinging to their bar stools slurring and cussing at each other. A real young and yang gag.... it was insane and the bartender co tinier to pour.... I had one Drunk come place himself next to me I engaged in general banter... Just being cordial... well he equated that to step closer and lean in....GROSS! The door swung open wide my date smiled. I lite up, I nearly climbed his body like a bean stock. Timing was everything... we ordered Taco's, never again! Raw corn tortillas? Yes you suppose to warm and soften them. It was such a let down... However I was in great company and just got lost in his eyes... I am not sure I would ever return. Unless my date was there, purrr kitty purrr.

Sweet little spot. Wish food option was a bit wider, and they actually had a kitchen....the bartender made our food. Other than that, place was a gr eq t place to grab a drinl, and the service was great...if I needed a sweet spot for a drink, I would come back!

Was there last night for a Meetup, and it was fun. The place was clean and the beers were decent that were on tap. Nice people there and great music too!

On Father's Day, as anticipated, we had a two hour wait at brunch down the street. We spent that time hanging out here playing pool and most of the group had several drinks. The atmosphere was great, the jukebox was rockin, our bartender was awesome and the pool and shuffleboard were great. And that was all at 10 AM on a Sunday morning!

Best hangout in the se Montavilla area, 80th. Stark, . Karaoke on Wednesday & Thursday night starting @ 9:30- 1:00 come and have fun, Friday, Saturday, Sunday live music come and enjoy wile u waiting for the train , .

Carla was a horrible server. Drink was not good. She was playing on her phone while we tried to order. We are very well seasoned travelers and we also do love a good bar and cocktail but she is not a mixologist and we felt really poorly treated. But hey, check my yelp reviews I don't give many bad reviews... that should be enough.

This place keeps getting better and better! It has the old soul of Portland. Mostly an older wiser crowd, which is refreshing to see amongst so many damn hipsters! The music scene is really starting pop off thanks to Ash and friends. If you show up Sunday at 9 for the Blues Jam you will be spoiled!

If you're looking for blues, this is the place. I have been there twice on Sunday nights. The first time was the best time music-wise. The second time, a couple of the regulars actually spoke to me. The first one was the guy that is in charge of the whole Sunday night blues jam. In fact, he made it a priority to tell me he paid the musicians. Looking back, I think that was a hint that I should put something in the tip jar, and I would have, but I go to listen to live music for pretty much one reason: to dance. Both times, there were men sitting around or dancing on the sidelines and me (as well as several other women) sitting wishing one of them would ask us to dance. I know I could have made the first move, but I am of a generation where we were taught not to chase the boys. This guy (I have forgotten his name) who was in charge and I discussed the lack of dancing before he started the first set. He told me to hang around until after the first set and if no one asked me to dance, he would. I did. He didn't nor did anyone else. I don't know what has happened. When I was younger, if a woman was sitting in a club not dancing and a man wanted to dance, he would ask her to dance. Did I miss something at Montevilla Station? Do the regulars there only dance with regulars. Sad. I might have become a regular, but I am not so sure that I was even welcome. The guy in charge actually told one guy to dance with me, but instead of asking me to dance, he sat and stared at me in a creepy way. Many may be laughing at what I said, but there were other things that made me not feel very welcome at Montevilla Station. For instance, I was driving so I did not order alcohol. I asked for juice, but it had sugar in it. The only thing that I could order that was sugar free was diet soda, which I also do not drink. I guess they do not keep up with the health reports. Don't think I'll be back unless I bring a male friend to dance with and take mass transit so I can drink something besides unhealthy diet soda. It's a shame because Montevilla Station is right on the edge of being cool. It just needs to be a little bit warmer.

Weak drinks. Weak ass drinks. Tons of ice and no booze.

Love the Montavilla area anyway but this is definitely a fun bar. They bring in fabulous bands on the weekend with no cover charge. Nice dance floor also. The crowd is a smattering of just about everything, but there is definitely a hippie vibe about the place.

This place is awesome in a dive bar kinda way. Saw two (I assume regulars) cut off in the 10 minutes it took me to drink my Rainier. Live blues band was playing that was surprisingly quite good. Good place for some cheap drinking and pool.

Wow nice dive bar was told it's one of the oldest bars in Portland 1880 good music last night good band, bartender was very friendly .I met a old timer last night Had a good time thanks

I'm torn. Part of me realizes this place is a bit like an actual hell on earth. A very well-lit hell on earth with gross bathrooms, borderline-homeless clientele (at times), and bartenders that don't give a crap and do a one step nitro pour. On the other hand, most of the above is so in-your-face it's kinda like a car wreck. Oh, and believe me, I'm rubbernecking this one.

Really cool little local hangout. Reminds me of my old neighborhood bar when I was back in Laguna. They have live bands on the weekends and a great creamy Stout that was just excellent. If you are on a budget and need a beer they also have same for only 1.50 for a Tall Boy.

Loved it! Went for the Sunday night blues jam and the musicians that were there were awesome! Everyone was friendly, staff was great! Didn't eat, but I was there for drinks and music. :) Decent drink selection, and a great vibe!

Now this is a hang out for local blues musicians of excellent caliber for a bargain price. It seems they love to perform for a tip jar and are the finest in Portland. Love it, although it can get really crowded, it might take you forever to get a beer, the music is outstanding.

Cheap beer, decent live music, video poker.

Great little whole in the wall. Came in on a open mic night. Love the old timer acoustic music. Good vibe all around. Also has karaoke and went in a second time for that. Was not disappointing. KJ has a good sound system and there is a little dance floor area by stage. Did not notice any crack heads. Place smelled good and bathroom was very small but clean. Also bartenders were friendly.....