My wife, Kate and I have been in the habit of going to nice restaurants at happy hour to take advantage of the discounted small plates of very good food. It's been our cheap date for years. By chance, while picking up some chinese food recently I discovered a dive bar, a lounge. I was immediately taken by the strong, inexpensive drinks and the neighborhood feel of the place. I told Kate that we should explore neighborhood bars as an alternative to the restaurants. She thought it sounded like fun. I looked up some places and we were off and running. Here’s what we came up with on our first outing.

Our intent was to go to a dive bar in Multnomah Village called “The Ship”. When we got there, Kate said, “it smells like hair in here.” Gross. There weren’t any redeeming qualities that we could see, so we scouted out another bar we’d seen as we drove up. Renner’s Grill was just around the corner. As soon as we walked in we were happy.

Bill says:
It was clean, comfortable and quirky. The feeling was like entering a family reunion. Ages ranging from 20s - 70s, mixing and mingling. We were greeted by one of the charming waitresses. She was happy to answer questions about the menu and the history of the Renner’s.

We sat in one of the three comfortable booths, separated by beveled and leaded glass panels. Past the main room, there is the Suburban Room Lounge with its secondary bar and more small tables and stools. There are many cozy corners throughout the joint for parties of two or four to share.

Happy hour well drinks are $2.50, and go to $3.50 thereafter. I had a couple of solid bloody marys, offered at $2.50 all day every day. The oyster shooter was jam packed with goodies including horseradish, carrot and celery. We were very happy to have discovered Renner’s Grill.

Kate says:
Reneer’s Grill is a destination dive bar. A place we’ve already recommended to friends. The sign on the wall says “This is Portland’s Original Five-Star Dive Bar." The feeling is happy, the servers are up and the food is fantastic. We shared the Clubhouse Sandwich. It was huge, with thick-cut turkey and crisp bacon. The jalapeno slaw was fresh and spicy.

My vodka martini was good and stiff for $3.50. I followed it with a Pinot Gris for $5. We enjoyed looking at all the quirky old framed menus, black and white photos and liquor licenses dating back to 1954. There were art deco lighting fixtures, wood paneled walls and corrugated metal on the ceiling. The music ranged from country to alternative rock at a comfortable level. Next time we’ll sit at the boomerang shaped bar.

Renner’s Grill and the Suburban Room Lounge
Open Daily, 11 AM — 2:30 AM
Historic Multnomah Village
7819 SW Capitol Hwy.; (503-246-9097)

In the '80s, Bill Wadhams was a rock star and Katherine Hammond was a top model and actress. He sang "Obsession" while she worked with Calvin Klein. Unlike many of their peers, they did not join AA. Cheers!