Spare Room Restaurant & Lounge

Fantastic little dive bar. Old bowling alley bar that still has that feel. Great inexpensive food. Stiff drinks. Old school dinner service. Always have football. Often have live music.

Came here for lunch. Love the dimmed lighting and nostalgic bar vibes. The place is very spacious and seats are comfortable. Staff is a friendly bunch and are happy to make sure you feel welcome. I sat and was helped quickly, got my order filled and then got my food - Mushroom swiss burger - in record time! Food was great and I'll be coming back again. The place is kept somewhat cool so you might want to bring another layer if you get a bit chilly!

Great service and ambiance! Delicious breakfast, gravy, burgers.

The Spare Room is definitely a fun place to go. Sometimes they have live bands and other times they have DJ's playing good music and having great energy 🥳🥳🥳 they also do karaoke. The drinks are really good and the staff are amazing!!! They have pool tables and shuffleboard. And of course slot machines. They have a good menu of food and keep the party jumpin! We will definitely be going back and recommending to others 🥳🥳🥳

One of Portland's old time, jumbo sized (dive bar) treasures at NE 42nd & Alberta. Affordable drink and food prices . . and that's saying a lot these days. A much better deal than most of the really overpriced, gentrified establishments all up and down NE Killingsworth & Alberta. Vintage locals bar & restaurant, def worth trying out . . especially for the breakfast food, which is available from open to close! They also have breakfast and lunch specials. The best time to visit for a chill, more relaxed customer/server vibe, is from 7:00am to about mid afternoon. The servers can seem a bit aloof until you get to know them better but it's mainly because they're just really busy and runnin' their tails off most of the time. Server Tiffany, is a real off the wall, hoot! lol ♡♡♡ They feature karaoke, dj's or live music on the weekends.

A very nice place to come and be friendly with real people. Live music on the weeknd's. A good breakfast lunch and dinner situation. And dancing is allowed.

Served great mixed drinks,lovely,friendly bar tender..low key fun place,video lottery too!

Cheap drinks (Jim Beam and Coke - $3 - All Day/Every Day), food (ample menu and specials), and music (live/DJ/karaoke/free/cover) ... what more could you ask for! Around the corner from my new temporary digs, I stopped by on Thursday night for a couple drinks and free, live music, unfortunately country on this night, but beggars can't be choosers. The bartender/hostess/server was very nice, well dressed, attractive and, most important, friendly. She also pours a strong drink ... HOOAH! I did not stay long because I can only handle country in short bursts, but will return soon for one of their dinner specials (surf and turf, prime rib, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, etc.) and, hopefully, some rock and roll, jazz, or blues. The place is big and dark with an old fashioned feel, not extravagant and not seedy, just right. Two bars and dance floors in two adjoining big rooms with other spaces which I did not have a chance to explore. They also have gambling-type machines at the bar although I neither know Oregon's gambling laws nor if these machines are for used betting. Most people seemed to know each other, but other than the bartender/server, nobody said a word to me or even looked like they wanted to although hugs abounded and conversations surrounded me. Not the welcome I would have liked, but as the new kid on the block, I expected little else. CombatCritic Gives Spare Room Restaurant and Lounge An Initial 7 Bombs Out Of 10 With Room To Grow ... More Bombs Are Better!

Great music spot for my favorite groups Mystic Mama and Norman Sylvester Even a dance floor and live music

Loud music great food great drinks great slot machines great pool tables great space for a group event

Great dive bar, food good and reasonably priced, nice servers. It's a neighborhood "in transition" meaning older homes, lower income people and growing gentrification. Be careful at night on side streets.

Only place around with late night food, highly suggest the wings. Solid deal and they're always consistently good. Karaoke is dreamy, Thursday night you can sing with a live band playing behind you. They have a curated set list, but still over 200 songs to choose from. The DJ even had ear plugs for us since we were at the front table.

I love this place and I've been coming here with friends and family for many years. However there's a day shift server whom is working today, now. She's lazy, unwelcoming and seems to be on some serious drugs. I don't know what her issue is, but it's crazy. From now on if I see her working I'm just turning around and leaving going to TikTok or something. If she weren't working here this rating would be a 5 star all the way... I love this place.

Older crowd. Perfect dive. This is one of my favorite neighborhood hideouts. They have live music often and regular bingo nights

The service this morning was very fast and so was the cook, the Denver omelette was excellent and hot! As far as the ambience let's just say that it's always night time at the spare room.

One order of food took a half hour to arrive, the second order took another 45 minutes. Staff member was rude and abrasive when we asked about the order. Seemed like they couldn't care less if we stayed or left, so we left with ease and eagerness.

Really amazing atmosphere and the live music is underrated.. The bar is stocked, food is delicious and there's a pool table and pinball machine What's not to like!!?

Come on a night when Dj wicked is spinning. Great bar with a great vibe. Even the food is good and the service is always on point. Love watching old people dance lol.

Excellent atmosphere. Danny, the guy in charge of queuing the karaoke songs, was hilarious and charismatic. Overall friendly staff. Would definitely come to sing again next time I'm in the area.

Divey old diner spot with a dance floor featuring dancing and live music and DJs on various nights. Always seems to be something going on around the weekends. A neighborhood spot that used to be a bowling alley, way back. Inexpensive drinks and food with booths and table seating. There is a game room in back with pool and shuffle board. There is one pinball machine as of this writing. Poker machines adjacent to the bar. It can be difficult to order drinks at the main bar sometimes when it gets busy. A second bar is opened on especially busy nights, like the popular "Hustle" dance nights.

This bar is a NE Portland classic. The place is large and can get hopping on the weekends. Or you can roll in mid week and see the day drinkers. The bar is large and full of regulars. The drinks are cheap and stiff. The food is "bar like". The bar tenders and servers are surprising friendly. The bar hosts live music and karaoke on weekends. Also they have a large screen for sporting events. The lights stay low for the entire day and there are no windows. So day drink and stay for events at night-you won't have any idea of the time. It is a classic dive bar with all the sides.

10 out of ten people who have been great wait time max is like 5min maxhope all can visit here soon and have a great time

Cheap drinks (Jim Beam and Coke - $3 - All Day/Every Day), food (ample menu and specials), and music (live/DJ/karaoke/free/cover) ... what more could you ask for! Around the corner from my new temporary digs, I stopped by on Thursday night for a couple drinks and free, live music, unfortunately country on this night, but beggars can't be choosers. The bartender/hostess/server was very nice, well dressed, attractive and, most important, friendly. She also pours a strong drink ... HOOAH! I did not stay long because I can only handle country in short bursts, but will return soon for one of their dinner specials (surf and turf, prime rib, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, etc.) and, hopefully, some rock and roll, jazz, or blues. The place is big and dark with an old fashioned feel, not extravagant and not seedy, just right. Two bars and dance floors in two adjoining big rooms with other spaces which I did not have a chance to explore. They also have gambling-type machines at the bar although I neither know Oregon's gambling laws nor if these machines are for used betting. Most people seemed to know each other, but other than the bartender/server, nobody said a word to me or even looked like they wanted to although hugs abounded and conversations surrounded me. Not the welcome I would have liked, but as the new kid on the block, I expected little else. The Tuesday Meatloaf Special was pretty good for $5, but the mashed potatoes seemed to be of the instant variety and the gravy from a can, but I could be wrong. It came with some steamed veggies that were decent as well. CombatCritic Gives Spare Room Restaurant and Lounge An Initial 7 Bombs Out Of 10 With Room To Grow ... More Bombs Are Better!

We went on a random Thursday after seeing that they were running a taco special and karaoke night. Even though we got there fairly early (8:20pm), the tacos sold out already so if you want to get their 2/$1.50 tacos, get there much earlier. Jim Beam & coke is $3 everyday so that was our drinks for the evening and we ordered an omelette off the reg menu. Service was a tad slow so i ended up having to walk up to the bar to order my food and drinks every time, which was a tad annoying but the bartender was super friendly and prompt so all was well. Karaoke started at 9pm and a fairly low turnout, which worked in our favor because we got to sing all the songs we wanted without waiting too long. The KJ and his sidekick were super fun and very much into keeping the energy level up. They have a pretty nice dancefloor too, which was an expected surprise since i thought it was just going to be neighborhood dive bar. Overall, i had a lot of fun, felt super comfortable being in a pretension-free environment, and glad it didn't cost an arm and a leg. Definitely will be back!

Wow! What a find. Spooky at first and then you figure out it's awesome! From service to patrons to the delicious food. Can't wait to come back!!

* This is a review mostly of Monday night Bingo, not the Spare Room as a whole. One of my favorite Cully neighborhood events. I love this place. It's the charm of places your parents used to go when you were a kid except without the smoking. The callers for Bingo are hilarious and lovely and it's a super affordable night of fun. If you go with a group you can go early and snag an entire table and if you all throw your winnings in you can typically pay for most of your bingo collectively over the course of the evening plus some tots if you're lucky. Service is friendly, affordable and swift. The collection of each round of payments for bingo is fast and fun with one of the callers who goes around to collect. These ladies are a hoot! This is one of those fun chill evenings if you get a free Monday open. Come and enjoy the just right sized crowd and fun folks. Grab a few drinks and win a few dolla's. They do have tons of events in this space so if Bingo isn't your thing look up their sched on the website. It's a solid lineup of events, parties and fun activities. If you're in the Cully neighborhood like me come support one of your most awesome local establishments!

When you want a basic-but-satisfying breakfast that cuts to the chase, this is the place. Hot and hearty portions of go-to classics. Our server was a hoot, working the bar and the whole room with speed and jokes flying in every direction. The dark, low-key vibe with lots of broken-in booths is perfect for hiding your hangover or starting work on a new one. Plus, free pool! It'd be a little better without all the TVs but at least the volume was turned down so the music could play. This place probably won't change your life but it might make your day.

Loved the people, loved the atmosphere, the food was good.... Until I got sick... was just bummed...

never had food here, can't comment, but, as someone that's come here to drink alone at a table and listen to my favorite albums while my life is in flux, I can't think of a better spot. Everyone's friendly and the environment is super open and welcoming. This is where I go every time I need to drink alone and listen to tom waits, and they haven't let me down.

Breakfast All Day. Live Music, rarely a Cover charge. Diverse crowd. Get your own water station. Accessible ramp. WiFi Password icyskates925 - come on over! Don't be pretentious in Portland.

A dark, divey spot for a no-frills, greasy breakfast that'll absolutely do the trick. Walk in the door, and you are immediately transported far, far away from Portland into a strange Vegas suburb. That's what it feels like anyway. The server, Tiffany, was a gem! She made our experience quite special. We ordered bloody mary's, which were surprisingly delicious. Omelette and potatoes were fantastic and so was GF's breakfast quesadilla. 10/10 will be back for brunch, drinks, and dance events!

We came in for breakfast and walking in was a little unsure but so glad we stayed. People here are so nice and the food was excellent! Prices are so reasonable! If you are in the area I would recommend stopping to relax and enjoy!

It's unusual to find a dive that's this huge. It almost has the feel of a cocktail era supper club at the end of a long, long decline. They have them in the South and Midwest, and Nevada of course, but Portland missed it. It has 80's chaser lights, pink-orange and blue-green, black walls, dank carpets, funky entryway, lottery games, with signs: don't disturb my game, (I'm in the bathroom or smoking), two dance floors, two bars. The electrical wiring looks surely hazardous. Never benefitted from an architect's eye in each patch or fix, over 60 years, and it shows. It's dark, dark dark. Varied crowd in a good way, too rare in Portland. We will see if Soul Night http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-woods-portland#hrid:6z2AzRqJEqEwbykzVD0xjA finds a home here. I say keep it all, dank, dark, dive! The Spare Room is a great spot that time forgot, but not its old and new partons.

Fun! The Bingo lasted an unexpected 3 hours, but I love the game cards they use. They have sliders so there's no chips you have to place, or run out of, or fall off. This is legit, with a lit up board and air blown balls. Bring lots of cash as it costs to play. I ordered the 8oz Top Sirloin dinner; for only $12.50 it's a really good deal. I was disappointed with the mashed potatoes, which were dry like they had been made long ago and reheated. But the steak was PERFECT. I didn't recognize any of the tequila names the server listed. Who doesn't have Sauza, Don Julio, or Hornitos? It was a mistake to go ahead with the house tequila. The karaoke set up is fine, but I couldn't find anything to sing because the books are listed by song name, not artist. Makes me appreciate venues that have a web page of their offered karaoke tracks.

The Spare room is my go to bar, great breakfast menu, and the portions are healthy, Service is good and the atmosphere is always secret.

The drinks are super cheap & super strong! Came here twice in one day the first time my friend & I had lunch from their happy hour menu, we had gotten the BLT sandwich which came with a side (either French fries, tator tots or salad(?)) I of course got the tots. $4 for this meal! Talk about a great deal!!! The second time I came was for drinks, I had a Jim bean with coke & boy did it put me on my ass lol! One drink & I was glowing. Loved it! More places should be like this! Highly recommended.

Don't offer table service if you don't actually ever intend to 1) offer menus 2) take orders 3) check on the food 4) ask if we want to buy more drinks. Amazingly bad service. Servers took smoke breaks every 7 minutes or so. Food was fine. Music was great. The "servers" were useless.

This is a classic dive bar that also serves good bar food. Sports on the TVs and pool tables. The staff works hard. I have been to the Spare Room 2x for breakfast and enjoyed the food both times.

The Spare Room lives up to its name as one of the top dive bars in the US. Cheap, tasty food, vinyl booths, 70s decor, friendly waitstaff, vintage exterior signage, and respectable Bloody Marys. I first heard about The Spare Room via a link on Facebook. A friend had posted a list of the top 33 dive bars in America (http://www.thrillist.com/these-are-the-33-best-dive-bars-in-america), and The Spare Room was featured alongside a handful of other dive bars I've enjoyed over the years. With a trip to Portland already booked, I figured I'd pay a visit while I was there. Although the bar opens at 7 am daily, none of the Yelpers had elaborated on The Spare Room's breakfast, so my Portland friends and I decided to go for brunch. According to the menu, many of the breakfast entrees aren't much more than $4 before 11:00 am. Alas, it was already 11:30, but my Denver omelette with hashbrowns and toast only set me back about $7.50. My friend ordered bacon and over-medium eggs, which she said were executed perfectly. The four slices of bacon that came with it were thick-cut and crisp. My other friend ordered the chicken fried steak which arrived absolutely smothered in gravy. When we were done, we all ordered sandwiches to go, to be eaten while watching a football playoff game on TV later that day. The California sandwich has thick slices of roast turkey (not luncheon meat), avocado, bacon, and tomato, and it was amazing. From what I saw of the two bars, the huge dance floor, and the stage, I can only imagine how the place comes alive at night. I will have to save that research for a future visit.

If you want to get drunk and eat for cheap, this place is for you. We ordered their special Jim + Coke and split their burger. Our bill only totaled $10. WHAT???!!! The Jim + Coke tasted like pure alcohol, no coke. I didn't like it, but I like drinking. So I downed it anyway. The burger was delicious. It's a good amount for one person, not two like we tried to do. It was cooked well, beefy and juicy. It's about the same amount of beef that In-N-Out serves on their burgers, but the whole portion is a bit bigger. The fries were also crispy, but not too crispy, with a good amount of salt. Great price + value. Not the greatest atmosphere - very divey and dark.

I just got off work and i am a full time bar tender. I had no cash really cause i take my tips to the bank and I make good money because i love all my clients and they in turn take care of me when they can. I had just enough cash on me for a pbr and that left the bartender 50 cents. She walks up and attempts to hand me the 50 cents, i naturally say "oh no keep it" since im about to choose another drink and tip her out. She throws my 2 quarters at her tip jar with one of them falling to the ground all pissy and stuck up with serious attitude. If you are going to be a brat then I wouldnt come to work. Update: She just picked me out of a crowd. Admitted she tossed the quarters in her jar in a way she didn't mean. Was she cranky? Yes. Was she having a bad night? Yes. But she noticed me with out even seeing this yelp revirew and for that compassion i salute you. I am glad i can get back to loving this place and the drop dead Beautiful bartender Stephanie.

The reason I love this place is because it has a similar atmosphere to bars in Reno, NV! That may seem weird but this place is awesome! Great atmosphere! This place has good old German beer for cheap and I like the whiskey! Happy hour has $2 wells. Can't beat that. The music though is what I LOOOOVE!!! Always amazing!!! Old school blues bands. Usually they don't have a cover. The staff rocks. Always a good time.

So I love this place.. but it took 15-20 minutes to get our drinks.. the bartender is to busy talking sports with the 4 people at counter..and while she was making them reprimanding waitress for not keeping up in coffee.. make the drinks and then talk to waitress .. the waitress was fantastic and on it.. every time we come in this happens.. a major wait with this bartender.... I guess I should not come in with her here..

What an eclectic group of patrons at this kind of cool dive bar! First the place is huge. Scattered tables in a weird arrangement. Large dance floor, small stage area. A back bar that isn't open and then an area with a tv and some couches. The regulars seemed to be sitting in the area nearest the working bar. When we arrived the blazer game was on. There was a pull down projector type screen over the dance floor. The crowd age 21-40, rough estimate. Then the blazer game over, screen goes up and a 2 person band/singers were on the stage singing a variety of music. The tables by the dance floor suddenly had a 45-65 type age group dressed up and ready to dance! Loved watching them!! The couple singing sang popular songs but occasionally were so bad I didn't even recognize the tune right away!! Lol! Bathrooms definitely not great, but reasonably clean for a dive bar. Service was adequate. Drinks cheap! Great people watching!!!

We walked in, and the bar was quite full. No one greeted us, so we walked around to the restaurant area and found that it was empty. We were finally able to locate someone that worked there (turned out he was the cook), and we asked him if the restaurant was open. But, he did not speak English. He motioned us towards the bar. We returned to the bar, found the bartender, and made eye contact. She looked directly at us, we smiled at her, and then she walked away. We were so shocked by her demeanor that we literally paused in place for a few minutes. Once we composed ourselves, we walked out.

I went to the Spare Room last night to sing karaoke with some friends. It was a Wednesday night. There were two bar tenders working and it took forever to get a drink even though it wasn't super crowded. I stood there forever and the server kept helping customers that came to the bar after me. This happened both times I went to get drinks. I would usually order 3 drinks, but I was so frustrated that I just stopped drinking. I have encountered this problems at a handful of bars in Portland, and I have not returned to any of them. I will not go back to Spare Room again.

Omg finally checked this place out and it is amazing mixed strong drinks live amazing music and the clientele are great all cultures having a great time together. Wow loved it

Oooh, I'm getting that feeling again...that feeling I get when I happen upon a super amazing bar to which I've never been and totally adore. I usually recognize this feeling within 1 minute of being in the establishment. I usually won't shut up about how much I "love this bar, already!" for like, 30 minutes. But the Spare Room is not just a bar. The Spare Room is a sweet symphony of fun, class, and old-timey goodness. Also fantasy. What it definitely is is an old bowling alley. What it feels like is an old roller-skating rink. It's begging to play host to a fantastic party, birthday or otherwise. It's totally big with big tables, and big booths, and a mirrored wall. Seriously, is your birthday coming up? Silver Anniversary? Think about it. First of all, there's BINGO on Mondays. They have a giant light-up Bingo board. I will undoubtedly be in attendance. How I will play, drink a cocktail, and eat a tuna melt at the same time will be tricky, but I'm sure I'll manage (oh my god, I just had a glimpse into my elderly years...it looks good). Also, there's karaoke Monday thru Wednesday. By a super nice gal who came up to us after and invited us back next week. There's no pretense, and songbook is not too shabby. There are cordless mics. There's a dance floor. Party. Allegedly this dance floor also plays host to some crazy-fun-time dancing nights. There's a duo that go by the name of 'Larry and Teri' who are world-class entertainers. I can't vouch personally, but I'm willing to venture that they're classy as the day is long. Other than that, there's a full menu (you know, of bar food), they open @ 7 for breakfast, the bartender's super nice, and Wednesday is Ladies' Night. I don't know what that got me, but I'm sure I liked it. This little rascal is the real deal. And she's not apologizing for it. UPDATE: BINGO is, in fact, amazing. i imagine i'll be there every monday. it's at 7. you should come.

Last Saturday I saw Prince... well, Erotic City - a Prince tribute band - basically the same thing right? For $5 I got to hear most of my favorite Prince songs performed by a guy in a purple trench-coat and black lace.. Fast forward to Sunday morning... weird-ass dreams thanks to cheap tequila, my legs were a little sore from DANCING, and I am happy to report no bruises from the old man who hit me when he either slipped on the dance floor from someone's spilled drink or maybe he was just really awful at break dancing? We'll never know. They don't particularly shine for having a great audio system or food or decor, but I like the atmosphere - one side is basically a bowling alley cocktail lounge where old timers can talk about the good old days while getting drunk. On the other side, you can hit the dance floor (while also getting drunk). There's something for everyone (who likes sitting in dank bars), including easy access to bus line 75 which could take you anywhere from St. Johns to Milwaukie. I'd like to thank the folks at the Spare Room for providing me with a great night of entertainment, a dive bar with table service, strong drinks, and for just existing. I need more moments like last weekend.

I am unfortunately writing this review after a very negative experience at one of my favorite bars. Spare room is usually a really great time. I go for karaoke which they have Monday to Wednesday. The karaoke is fun, a simple book with nothing too special, but a good crowd and friendly kj's...MOST of the time. I usually go on Wednesday night when the KJ is friendly and his side kick, rockin Raymond is hilarious and so sweet. This time some friends and I ended up there on a Monday, Raymond was there being friendly as was one of my favorite bartenders, but he KJ host was very rude and honestly nasty. I will admit that they were VERY busy and clearly not set up to handle the 60 plus people there for a birthday party, but what this KJ said to my friends was completely uncalled for and unacceptable. First of all, he talks over singers WHILE THEY'RE SINGING, and makes comments about them. It's already nerve wracking enough for some folks to bear their soul and sing their favorite song in front of strangers, it's unneeded to have some guy TALKING OVER YOU while you do it. One of my friends requested Killing Moon, which wasn't in the books, he called her up to ask her to pick another song. She chose Baker Street, knowing it was in the book and the host snickered at her. As if that wasn't enough when she came up to actually sing he literally said "I f*king hate this song" right to her! Part of karaoke is that we all end up listening to songs we don't like sung by nice folks who probably aren't great singers. The whole point is that it's fun and this guy was a total dick to her, sucking all the fun out. I've NEVER seen a KJ be so incredibly rude to a singer ever before in my life. He was also VERY rude to my other friend, literally yelling at him for putting in a song "under a different name" even he hadn't put in a song at all before that moment. It was accusatory and rude, honestly very nasty and uncalled for. I understand it was busy and there were a lot of singers, but there's no needed to get aggressive with patrons. Luckily this experience will not keep me away from Spare Room, but I will likely never return for a Monday night karaoke session unless I know that this host will not be there. I hope to never encounter them again. They made me feel unsafe because of their aggressiveness and it was a huge bummer to have such a nasty experience at what is otherwise a very laid back, friendly, awesome dive bar.

I LOVE this place. It's in my neighborhood, it's cheap and easy - winning! The atmosphere is much like other fun dive bars. Strings of lights all around this place, cheesy decorations and mirrors make it feel like home. They have a decent sized dance floor which holds karaoke at times, an actual stage for bands separate from the dance floor, big projector that they show movies on, smaller TVs as well, pool tables, the usual. I would have easily given this place 5 stars but my experience with one person really continues to screw it up. There is a server, Sarah T, who is unlike any other friendly staff there. I hope management reads this. She is always so overworked and complains about it. She is always complaining about how exhausted she is. She's without a doubt the sloooowest at serving us. Everyone else is awesome!!!!...but she is dismissive, has little manners and should really consider another field besides customer service. Honestly when I walk in and see her, I often turn around and leave. And the times that I stay, I regret it. The thing is I don't usually complain about service but she's just bad and leaves me wanting to not go back...to one of my favorite spots. I'm sure she's a good person, she just needs to not be working there. So if u see her, turn around! Otherwise, enjoy!

Best bacon and breakfast in town. Amazing bartenders and one of last old school bars in the rose city.

Classic dive bar with a great crowd. Two pool tables, nice staff, and fun events. The karaoke was a real treat. There are some talented people in Portland of all ages.

Upon moving here, I thought I was stuck with this place like having to live with an undesirable relative. You see, it's only a block away from where I live, and I like to drink. You have to understand that to me, the cheesy signage and seedy locale were off putting at first. Kind of like your great aunt's lipstick hue or gaudy floral dress, it was an eyesore. It's dark and has no windows, due to once being a bowling alley. That and the fact that there are a few older casualties at the bar just waiting to die, adding pepper to their beer immediately made me give it the name "the Spare Tomb." It didn't take me long to feel comfortable, though. The thing is, I like to walk into a juke joint and bust the balls of the bar dwellers and play old rock songs from a cheap box. You see, Im originally from Cleveland and almost every juice stand back home is reminiscent of the "Tomb." Actually, the drinks are close to being as cheap without the strict "Boston pour" hand of the eastern half if the country. The food is just OK, but really good for price and portion. The 4 dollar breakfast and lunch special will definitely fill your gut. Every day of the week has a different cheap special, too. Two tacos for a buck on Thursday? Stop living off ramen, college kids! There is also always a new soup each day with the exclusion of the reoccurring Friday clam chowder. Not my personal favorite! My favorite portion of the bar is an area that looks like your rad uncle's rec room. It houses two pool tables and a Williams pinball table "The Machine:Bride of Pinbot" (which is a solid table from the early 90's.) A huge dance floor is smack dab in the middle of this huge emporium if debauchery and includes a stage that hosts karaoke Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights as well as bands on the weekend. The area to the right of the stage is set up like a living room with couches, recliners, coffee tables, and a tv. Perfect for an intimate gathering of friends! The down to earth staff, slow at times, make you feel like you're just rapping with another bar regular. As mentioned before, their hands are made of lead! A hint: if you're a video poker addict the machines pay out often due to high traffic. It's safe to say that this bar has grown on me and is now my "Cheers" and is not a bad relative, but a fun pal.

Yet another Great Portland dive. Bar food and breakfast under $10. This is a real Portland bar, not a hipster joint. Cheap drinks, huge room. I love the dives.

This was probably my 4th or 5th trip to the Spare Room. I've always thought it was alright - still do, really. But this trip kinda torqued me off due to really, really bad service. Yes, yes, I know they were understaffed. This was a Thursday (2/27/14) and I think there was only one woman working the floor. What bothered me was that she made several trips around to the tables in the bar, but purposefully avoided ours. What the??? I'm still not really sure what the deal was. Perhaps because we were two women? I know there is a "thing" about women being bad tippers so consequently women get bad service (and then consequently women tip badly). I don't think that's it as there was a table of women behind us who were being served. Because we were mixed race? The same table behind us were of various ethnicities, so that probably wasn't it. Maybe one of us reminded her of someone she hated? We had made a number of trips to the bar, but when we wanted to order some food, I flagged her as she walked by -- she ignored me. I yelled at her--she ignored me. I yelled louder--she ignored me and walked faster. I yelled a bit more--she ignored me, but another patron stopped her and told her "hey those ladies are trying to get your attention" She couldn't seem to find a way out of that, so... Success!!! So I hate to give the Spare Room only two stars, but I'm note sure how to otherwise voice my displeasure. Really, the management shouldn't have such a sourpuss working for them in a customer service role. In the past they have had amazing wait staff. And by the way, I still tipped well, because once she waited on us, our service was adequate. Too bad she missed out tips she would have received by serving us our drinks throughout the evening.

Very interesting place. It doesn't seem to be in the greatest neighborhood, but that doesn't matter once your inside(right?). I guess it was a bowling alley at one point. Very funky yet appealing decor. At the time we stopped in there was a jazzy/blues cover band that rocked the electric guitars and slammed the drums. The vocalist was killing it! Throwing in top hits from the 90's like 2pac and other hip hop artists and it was very live. A nice size dance floor to and people were dancing. The age group was of all ages. There are plenty of good tables for people watching and comfort. The only and terrible thing about this place is trying to get a drink or service is damn near impossible. At least a 20min wait for a drink. That made it very unpleasant, since most of the time your waiting in an informal line hoping to be picked.