Portway Tavern — Restaurant in Astoria

Very cool, homey little locals bar that was highly praised and recommended by the hotel we stayed at. We wanted to love it but I think we caught them on a bad night.

Parking lot was dark. We didn’t know the area so we used a flashlight to walk through/find our way.

Waffle fries were delicious. Hands down the best I’ve ever had. I don’t even like fries of any kind but I couldn’t stop eating these. My niece’s chicken sandwich was great too - the “house seasoning” was so good! The blue cheese burger is my go-to at any burger joint but this one was really salty. I couldn’t eat it. Other people obviously love this, so we just chocked it up to a difference in personal preference. No biggie.

The thing that really ruined this for us was the bartender. She was even saltier than the burger. She appeared to be irritated with anyone who took her away from her conversation with her man-friend. She was quite snippy with me when I asked if they were still serving food & seemed annoyed by me being there at all. (It was 10:15… the menu said they cooked til 11:00) She mocked me when I asked for ranch - though I couldn’t tell if she was making fun of my lisp or if she was making fun of the fact I ordered ranch to begin with. Either way it was not a fun moment. She didn’t take a drink order. I sat there ( five feet away) for 15 minutes listening to her conversation with her friend before I finally gave up on a drink. (It was not busy. The only customer she served while I was there was her man friend) I laid my credit card out to pay. She grabbed it & ran it.

The cook (who was so kind and friendly) brought our food out. And then it was time to go.

The world is understaffed & the service industry has been abused so badly over the last few years. I know the people who are showing up to work are actual heroes at this point. I just wish kindness was reciprocated. I was frustrated the entire time but never showed it. I kept smiling, was kind, patient, accommodating… even apologetic because she made me feel so guilty for being there … and I was treated with disdain. It was not a good experience.

Should you go here? Probably - the locals love it. Maybe it just...

I visited this establishment once before, maybe 10-12 years ago during HOOD TO COAST relay. I was waiting for my room to be ready at the hotel nearby that used to be a Red Lion. That time I ordered a burger and a beer. The burger was one of those awesome tavern burgers that are cooked on a flat grill. It was delicious. This time I was meeting my cousin who was driving up from Waldport, and this was the perfect meeting spot. "LITTLE TAVERN ON THE RIGHT- BEFORE THE LONG BEACH BRIDGE, you can't miss it" is what I messaged her. The place was lively with a Saturday lunch crowd. The bar has ample free parking which was awesome. I sat at the bar, ordered a Ninkasi and just took in all the crustiness, history and ambiance this establishment had to offer. It was 🦀 crab festival weekend so there were conversations about that as well as a table of patrons who appeared to be nursing hangovers with some good looking Bloody Mary's or just laying the foundation for a Saturday of fun. All the patrons were relaxed and I am guessing regulars as the barkeepers knew names and their drink preferences. It was really enjoyable to put my cellphone away and just take in the ambiance this place had to offer. I read the menu I believe that had the history of the tavern, and the story about the possible "SHANGHAI trapdoor" under one of the tables. Sooooooo coastal cool! My cousin arrived, she enjoyed some brews on tap....we conversed and repeatedly said we were leaving...and then had one more. For two gals, this place was comfortable, the barmaids kept cold brews within arms reach and were fantastically friendly and fun. We finally closed our tab, thanked the ladies for their great service and made our way to the school bus and crab festival. I look forward to my next visit to the PORTWAY. It would seem it's an Astoria staple, and it has great history and atmosphere to offer a weary traveler, a day tourist or a local. Thanks for the great brews, food...

It literally was a dark and stormy night and my wife was in the mood for dive bar food along the waterfront. After looking at Yelp and seeing the Bowpicker (fish and chips boat across from the Maritime Museum was closed) I acquesesed to my wifes desire to check this place out.

I'm glad she insisted!

Very much a working class / fisherman's / sailors bar like the kind we used to visit years ago when I was stationed in Virginia. It only has a dozen tables, modest sized bar and one big TV, but the beer is pretty cheap and plentiful, the burgers are tasty and the music isn't annoyingly loud.

Jessie was working the bar and waiting tables, but with only a dozen guests he was managing both with aplomb. The Broncos game was on the TV, the fireplace was going full tilt and they had SiriusXM Spectrum playing some good alt-rock tunes (when it got a bit weird he flipped it over to Classic Rewind).

We had the deep-fried ravioli, mozzarella sticks and onion rings for appetizers with a small pitcher of the Wider Hef on tap. We followed that up with a Party Melt for my wife and a Bacon Bleu Burger for myself. We both opted for the salad instead of fries, (which was a good sized side with spring green, half a whole ripe tomato and a dash of red onion). All burgers are cooked medium unless you ask. My wife wanted hers rare and got medium, but it was still very good.

Service was great as Jessie swung by our table every 7 minutes or so as he walked the tables. When we decided we'd had enough, he promptly got a box and our check.

There isn't a military discount offered, but all the food and a small pitcher came up to $50. If we'd skipped the appetizers and beer it would have been around $27 or so. Either way, a reasonable price. So, go to the Portway Tavern and relax, have a few beers (or more with someone else driving) and a big meal. Give the staff a good sized tip while you're at it. You'll have...