Great dive bar! Went on a night featuring "Karaoke from Hell": you sing with a live band!

Small neighborhood bar. Cheap food. I love the breakfast options. Waitresses are like family and so friendly.

If you're looking for an unforgettable night out in Portland with exceptional music and diverse talent, look no further than The Spareroom. This venue boasts a range of talents, from DJs spinning deep house, techno, and hip hop mashups, to live music performances that will leave you breathless. The production guy named Cowboy at The Spare Room was awesome and made the experience what it was. He knows how to deliver a top-notch experience for his customers, and with years of experience in the industry, he has crafted a space that offers a fantastic blend of great drinks, delicious food, and a welcoming ambiance. It's no surprise that some of the greatest talent around have performed at The Spare Room. The energy is contagious, and the atmosphere is electric. Whether you're looking for a night out with friends or a romantic date, you won't be disappointed. In summary, if you want to experience some of the best music and talent in Portland, head over to The Spare Room. You'll be treated to a quality experience that will leave you coming back for more.

Great drinks and food. Relaxes atmosphere. Haven't been for the karaoke or bingo yet but I'm excited.

This is food from the year 199X. It's absolutely amazing. From the prices, the atmosphere, the food, the patrons (and everything in between) - it's the best kept secret in Portland.

We had our Red Hat meeting at the Spare Room last Saturday. I coordinated everything with Mandy. The process was very easy and smooth. Our group is small but that did not affect the service we received. Everything is was great. The staff was very accommodating and our server Nicole was the best. Lori was my point person Saturday and even though there was a crowdin the place, she made sure our table was ready and in a well lit area in the room. We had a very good, enjoyable and relaxed time in the establishment. The ambiance in this place is condusive for a great time! My memebers were pleased with my choice to meet here! The food was as very tasty so I can give the Spare Room an 5 star as they were overall worth every star!

They were setting up for live music, seemed like a lot of fun, wish I'd been able to stay for it!

It is what it is...a NE 42nd Ave "institution" that combines good drinks with okay food and lots of live music. Awesome place for people watching and getting to know a great cross-slice of NEPDX... Edit to add: their system is broken. If you get there at the wrong time, the bartender will be your server. Then, as the place gets busy and more staff appears, the bartender is too busy. The person who opens the ticket gets the tip, so good luck getting service from anyone else. I'm sitting in the spare room right now and have had an empty glass for over half an hour. I know it's easy enough to walk to the bar, but sometimes I just want to veg out and have someone bring me stuff... that's what I'm paying for. This has happened repeatedly, so shame on me for participating... it's the only really annoying thing about this place.

Really fun spot! Old school Portland still alive here!!! Came here with my buddy for karaoke from hell. Good sound and good drinks. Good prices. And cool atmosphere!!!

The staff were fantastic, and the music was incredible. It's been awhile since I got out on a dance floor for some live blues, and the whole band really knew what they were doing.

Great place for live music and dancing! Reasonable priced drinks and food! Karaoke with a live band on the first Thursday of each month!!!

Love love love this off the beaten path wonderful place a must see esp on the weekends got hot bands live Dj s play the best of the best bingo nights big area for any occasion gaming big bar lots of seating excellent food staff and owners very clean bathrooms and establishment cover charge on the weekends is worth it come down say hi to the famous Dj cowboy 🤠 and all the other entertainment staff and ppl that make this place so wonderful

My soulmate and I went here tonight on a whim .. from just walking by. Willy was our first vibe of the place. He was awesome, inviting & showed us the ropes on singing with an actual band on karaoke night??!!! Whaaat? We heard they do it every Thursday night from 9-12. Again- WHAT?! I had a great time. Will return. Thank you for reading.

Came in on a whim it was a Friday. Clam/shrimp chowder was most excellent. Definitely a spot I would go back too

LOVE This Joint! Great food plus I won $120 plating Cats!

Super fun, good music, bartender was nice, but servers were surly, inefficient. After 45 minutes I asked her about my order. She said take a number or something like that. Order never came and when I went to the bar she refunded my payment because the kitchen had closed. So I had nothing to eat. I can't just skip meals so I had to leave. Very poor service. Should take the restaurant sign down as they aren't really- its a dive bar with a greasy kitchen that won't even serve dinner

You really can't beat the service here. The special breakfast menu comes out quickly and is a large portion.

The staff was great, the place was beautiful, the stage was really cool and there was lots of room for dancing! My fiance and I went there for non-alcoholic drinks and dancing, we ended up getting an iced tea and raspberry lemonade and they didn't even charge us. Overall it was an amazing time! I highly recommended it.

Good food, and good drinks, but that is overshadowed by the crowd. It is as diverse as any club I’ve been to. The people are warm and friendly, very mellow. They know how to have fun. There is no shortage of Blazer fans . The bands are great, but do not play if the game is close. 😆

The Spare Room never disappoints. 100%. Drinks are always poured/mixed well, food is always done right with great portions, bartenders are fun, interactive (if thats what you want, not overly so), and professional, so many great and welcoming events both reoccurring and not, and so much more. Spacious, pool tables, stage, booths, tables, bar seating, games, and more. Lots of karaoke (both live band nights and non) and trivia. I had a chicken strip basket with tots... very bar food basket, and well worth it. Highly reccomend. Check it out.

Walked right on in which is a giant plus Homey little quiet vibe on a weekday karaoke night. The Chicken fried steak was good.. little salty if I remember Fries good beer good, bartender with amazing purple hair is also an amazing bartender, I don't think I'll be able to come in on a busy weekend but that's okay

I love their food , depending on who's performing their live concerts,The staff who work there are friendly and very welcoming. Since Corona I haven't visit but if this restaurant is reopened I highly recommend visiting. Last but not least they video lottery don't know if they allow people to still enjoy since corona but check this place out.

A surprising discovery, the food was amazing. Had the steak bites with bacon which was delicious, so were the mozzarella sticks and mash potatoes and gravy. Violet was our server and she was lovely, great advice and outstanding service. This place is a lot of fun and great prices!

Great dance floor and sound system. Lots of local bands and dj's.

Are have a janitorial company we provide good quality services we do commercial cleaning residential cleaning corporate carpet construction final cleaning my company name is JIMMY's Touch and Cleaning Services

+6

Super fun local bar. Breakfast all day! Bingo mondays! Had a blast at karaoke after bingo as well!

+1

Dominicke McCord

This is the ULTIMATE Dive Bar! Food is always good along with the service.

Keith Fulmer

Fun dive bar atmosphere. The burhers were super Friendly service, great prices

Giggles

Huge huge fan of their chili and karaoke nights! Love the darkness of the space!

Gary Foster

Nice neighborhood dive bar. Service was good and the food was yummy.

Jackie Orr

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

G C

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

Bryan Paul

What you hope for in a neighborhood joint. The smell of old bowling alley is unmistakable and nostalgic.

Jon Herrick

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.

Casey Campbell

It had been a while since I had been in, but it's still a great bar, and the new stage looks nice.

Felicity F

The Spare Room is a wacky and wonderful Portland gem. With karaoke, live music, and dancing, the place will intrigue all types of humans to step through their front door. The lead bartender/manager waited on our large party and juggled everything (her staff and our party) flawlessly. The ambiance is quirky. Used to be an old bowling alley, hence the name. Booth and table seating, dim, flashy colored lights. A stage and dance floor. Pool tables. TVs and gambling machines. I didn’t eat the food, but my friends seemed to enjoy their breakfast all day (pancakes and bacon with a side of tater tots).

Jessica j

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 🥳🥳🥳

+19

Alex Hammond

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!

Levi Bre

This place is huge! I went during the day but would love to see it at night. There was a DJ booth so I’ll assuming it’s fun! I arrived about 9:45 am and was told all food was available even dinner items. The menu is extensive! Mashed potatoes, tuna sandwich, burgers, salads etc. It’s good place for lotto too. Minors are welcome in the early hours. I like that the restaurant area isn’t completely closed off to the bar area, makes for a fun environment.

-h-serf -Vu

This place is spectacular! Order hot wings and popers, got it pretty fast and it tastes good. Happen to come on a special night where dj Wicked was djing and place was pretty crowded compared to other place during these weird times. Happy to have found this location.

Food is mediocre, but the drinks are strong and cheap. Lots of different dance nights, bingo, live music, and various other events. It's dark and dirty but it's a lot of fun!

* 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!

I have not eaten here but, my folks like the place for dancing and cocktails and boy does it get busy with an older crowd on certain nights and they ALL love to dance and have their cocktails . Pretty busy place with a busy older crowd.... perfect if you are older and love to dance all night !

Real divey bar with a cast of regulars. Great music a lot of nights between karaoke, dj or live. The live acts are always outstanding, often R&B or jazz or blues. Great dancing on Friday and Saturday nights. Cheap drinks, video poker on site. Pretty dirty, did I mention it was pretty divey? But good times are to be had...

Great vibe, nice mix of peoples. Nicely made beverages that went great with the Nachos! Looking forward to some B&G for a nice early breaky at 7am.

This Place Is Very Nice, Very Clean and Very Big Inside. I Was Not There Very Long So I Don't Know How The Food Is But Looked Like a Fun Place.

Looks like a dive bar but the food was good, the atmosphere inside has several cozy nooks, and they had a great band playing with a nice sized dance floor. Could have been a bit cleaner but all in all a good night!

Fun place for live music and dancing, they also have shuffleboard and pool tables. A spacious location that allows for mingling or hanging out at the bar, with plenty to do while you enjoy a few drinks and time with friends or strangers.

The party last Saturday (maybe every final Sat of the month?) was great. Music was on point, packed dance floor, and reasonable drinks. Sadly, they had really bad service at the bar due to POS mishap, I believe, and staff were on their heels. Otherwise, it's a 5er.

The burger was good, the drinks were good and the music was great.

Had a nice experience meeting many of my friends there to watch the football game in the lounge. Tiffany the bartender is a wonderful bartender, waitress, genie in the bottle!!! It was a big crowd and she handled it well, however she could have used a little help. Her attitude and willingness to play verbal volleyball with our group was outstanding! Thank you Tiffany wonderful time with my friends and thank you for doing the wonderful job you did! Give the lady Tiffany, a double raise or get her a bit more help oh, just a thought

This place is really a fun and interesting place to visit. The food is yummy and very affordable, with early bird specials its very affordable. Drinks are some of the best. This place is for 21 and over, so leave the kiddos home. It's a interesting building as it was a bowling alley before it was the spare you. There's pool , air hockey,darts, pinball, and video lottery. Or you can kick back in the game room and watch the news or anything really,which is one of my favorite am practices.

Cool vibe, great dancing. Needs more beer on tap. Super band lineup

- Nice local dive bar - I did not purchase food. Rating was not provided. - Parking is sufficient even during pique periods - Generally, there is a $10 cover for performances or DJ - Dance Floor - Two Bartending areas - There is a gaming/pool table area - Restrooms not well maintained especially during pique periods

I eat here often and they never cease to satisfy. The portions are generous and the food is acceptable + . I eat out more the not and this is my go to for late afternoon breskfast. I have also been surprised by the late night steaks. I am pleased with the food as well as the eager to please service. I highly suggest you try this place , also its a dive , my favorite.

I like my drinks strong and my vibes weird. Looking for a bar to watch the blazers game, check! A dance floor and live funky beats, check! Greasy bar food and video poker, check! They treat you like a regular, even if you’re not one. Bonus points because it’s within walking distance from my house

Wasn't sure what to expect on my first visit there for breakfast, but I wasnt disappointed... Yes, they can definitely improve on their lighting, but as far as breakfast I will definitely be going back again. The food was excellent, the portions were healthy, and the price was right....

This is a bar/restaurant. As such, its dark and feels like a hole in the wall. Only one bartender/waitress on shift but she was hustling and friendly and did great. Food was actually pretty damn good.

Great food service was okay, very friendly but I hate having to go to the bar to get a drink. Hey let's let my food get cold while I stand at the bar for a beer! Otherwise it's a decent spot. Nice projector for viewing the games.

Really seedy, old school bar, but that’s what makes it great. It’s not a nice place by any stretch of the imagination. It is a good place to go and get lost in for a night, though.

Bingo is fun but feels rushed. Karaoke awesome. KJ was talented and kind. Had a great birthday gathering!

Old school dive bar with bands and karaoke. Greasy spoon kinda food.

Came in with a friend to play pool. Pro: free to play. Con: one of the cue balls has a chunk missing and only one cue stick is worth using. There was also karaoke and it seemed like a lot of fun. We thought about putting our names in just a little too late to closing. Next time we'll join the party sooner! Staff were really sweet too. More non-alcoholic options besides O'Doul's or juice would be nice. On Thursdays they do Karaoke From Hell with a live band! Worth checking out 🤘

Consumate dive bar, but in a good way. Great place to play pool for the first time, and the live band karaoke was a blast to hear in the other room! I like that the pool tables are away from the main floor so that there's plenty of space.

Neighborhood bar that was formerly attached to a bowling alley. Hence the name. Haha. Happy hour well drinks suit me just fine. The specials of the night I just fine. It's not gourmet, but that is reflected in the reasonable prices. The staff is friendly and polite.

William Crowe

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.

+7

avalon151

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.

La Wanda Fleisher

Cowboy was truly amazing beautiful person. He made sure everything was perfect for our event. Food was reasonable and delicious! Thank you for great service.

Justin Springer

The bar has a really cool layout, and the servers are awesome. Cowboy is by far one of the best Kj's in town. The pool tables in the back definitely need an update the rails are dead, and the tops are dirty. Having a live band to sing karaoke with was a definitely awesome experience.

C.T. “CombatCritic” Sorrentino

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!

Went there for live music. Didn't have any of the food, but the drinks weren't the best, very light pour. The band was great, but whoever controlled the sounddidn't do a very good job. Could hardly hear the vocalist compared to instruments.

Great place for some fantastic bands and dancing. The service however is ..well, you can sit at a table all night and never get asked if you would like something from the bar or kitchen! That's why 3 stars.

The food is nothing to write home about, but isn't bad either. I don't drink, so I can't comment on cocktails. The whole place is very dimly lit. When I was there, the bartender and waitress was the same person, so I had to go to the bar to order.

It's a dive, if you love true true, old Portland before-it-was-cool type vibes, this is the place.. looked like a neighborhood place, so you'll need to bring your own party or make friends with the locals. This is a true dive, not a cramped bar, but a dive

Dive bar that I have been to several times and keep going back! Fun quirky neighborhood bar. Dark and dated. Cheap drinks & eats. Stage for karaoke and bands. Pool table. Video poker. Mystery shots are an experience!

Food needs work!...... Little overcooked..... breakfast and lunch...good coffee ...booths need replaced..BAD!?

The bartender was nice Megan our waitress was beautiful and perfect and it was her first night and she treated us like princesses which we appreciated! Give that girl a raise go Megan! The food was awful we got it to go for takeout and it was terrible we got a breakfast meal we got a dinner meal it was terrible we had The Omelette and the fish and chips and like I said it was terrible oh and they forgot my friends order of french toast and I know it was on our ticket!

Update: It had been many years since I've been in the Spare Room and thankfully nothing has noticeably changed. Just as duvet and unassuming as it's always been. Great dark neighborhood place to grab a stiff drink and cheap beer. If you want to forget that the sun is out in the middle of the day just step inside here and you'd never know.

I'm a regular, early afternoon, weekdays. nice place ok food and service. Friday, after 5pm bartender needs​ find a different career. Not a service person, a her person. 12/23/17 8:30 pm. What a waist on Saturday night.

Here for an event on a Friday night, they had a single bartender and a single waitress. They should have planned better.

felisha sedacy

Wasn't impressed. Last DJ was ok. Place definitely needs an upgrade inside. Not sure why the cover was $10.

Very slooooow service...unfriendly cook who was "inconvenienced" by me asking about the soup. I ate the fish and chips and had a stomach ache and had to lay down for two hours afterwards... Restaurant overall was not very presentable inside and cook use a massive cleaning!!!

Not at the Spare Room, their service is going down hill every time I go there. You must have been drinking. 😶Sorry. Met my sister and her friends there just over a week ago. It was my birthday week. Service Fair, but the week before. Waited, and waited for service I finally went to the bar, where the bartender was talking loud about some drama. Asked her when we could order? "She stated, I'm the only one here we don't have a waiter. Gave her an order, heard the bell, (meaning order up). After getting food that wasn't right no condiments and waiting several times for her to come back, boy what service. May as well as cooked and ate at home. At least it would be right, hot, good and fresh, clean for sure. Haven't been please with them for a while, I go there only to meet friends, that is a regular hangout. Service is a hit and miss thing every now and then you might get hot food, but most times you get problems, sad.#needhelp #cheapfood #regularspot #witholdfriends

For some reason my coworkers always like to have meet-ups here, so I have on many occasion begrudgingly patronized this bar. The drinks are cheap, but that is the only positive thing I have to say about it. They have a whopping 3 beers on tap. Two of which are piss beer. Their food is terrible, and this is coming from someone who enjoys greasy bar food. The layout of the bar is awkward and dingy. Not in a charming sort of way, but more of a "I'm drinking PBR in a poorly lit bingo parlor" kind of way.

I ordered the classic burger med well...I ordered online, the online options had nothing in a section for veggies. For $11.00 I was handed a cheese burger....a classic burger comes with lettuce, tomato, and onion. I will not be returning...if I had wanted a cheese burger I would have went to McDonald's

Update your hours. This place closes at 1am on Mondays…not 2:30am like stated on this site. We showed up at 12:41am. The bartender was rude and didn’t acknowledge us but continued to pour beer after “last call.” I only knew that they had already did last call because the woman we sat next to told us and recommended the bar Brinks because they actually follow their hours. We are at Brinks now and it is a great bar with a KIND bartender. I highly recommend.

The place needs some remodeling ,, it smells of mothballs and old gym shoes. The waitresses are nice, if you order food stick to the basics, ordered a French dip sandwich tonight that tastes like dog food as a lunch meat. Nice party spot though, mixed crowd which is cool

Went her for a friends party gave my credit card for a tab then paid with cash at the end! The dumb-ass waitress still ran my card and took my cash! then I called the the very next morning go the run around for about 7 hours then I finally talk to the girl how work the morning shift who says she was going to call me after she was off work which I highly doubt she was really going to call me back since she had been brushing me off the whole damn day tell me that that Manager/ Owner Trish says that there is nothing that can be done since that have no record of me being there even though I have all the proof that shows I was there. Not to mention I paid $30 for some nasty ass over cooked chicken tender,hard ass fries that I could even pay someone to eat and the water down ass drinks. On top of all that I the Stupid Waitress a nice tip the at dummy couldn't even give me the respect of not running my card as I asked!!!! I would not recommend this place to my worst enemy !!!!! stay away from there don't wast your time or money

This is the worst experience I've ever had at the spare room. The new people at night are horrible. I paid 20 dollars for 6 wings and fries didn't realize it until I looked at my messages from my bank no one said 6 wings and fries were 20$.

The food was not bad.