Bonfire Country Bar Portland — Restaurant in Portland

So you think this is country? Haha... the "hospitality" here is anything but Southern...

I wanted to save review #150 for something special, and I’m going to spend it on expressing my immense disdain for this place, which grows with each visit. I hate continuing to use "good for Maine" phrase, but it's a vibe that echoes throughout this whole state. This bar is a disaster. Bonfire is always crowded and is full of shady people. That fact that people see this as even a decent country bar is a dark mark on this state. A country bar is supposed to be full of delightful characters, unique personalities, and service with a smile (the Southern way). This bar does not have this. This bar does not even come close to that.

The staff here is rude beyond belief. Like 51 Wharf and Old Port Tavern, if you’re a guy trying to order something, good luck. I regularly wait at the bar for 3-5 minutes for a drink, with my personal record being a 12 minute wait. I get no interaction from the staff, and neither do any of my friends, regardless of gender. And this place is always LOUD! I do not see any appeal for coming here. It is an impersonable experience where it is a daunting task to grab a drink or even have a decent conversation with friends.

My last straw with this place was just recently. The door guy and a manager took my ID, looked at each other, laughed, and sarcastically told me I could come in if I could stand on one foot for 5 seconds. Being sober, this was an easy task. They were stunned and reluctantly let me in (I didn't stay long). Also being sober, I noticed they did this to all the guys that walked in, but the girls were fine to come in no matter how intoxicated they were. Also being sober, I easily realized that this isn’t a country bar; this is a nightclub that plays country music and goes to shady tactics to keep their Guy:Girl Ratio at a premium. Lastly, the legality of the self-pour bar is laughable. They make a big deal about keeping intoxicated people outside, but allow the intoxicated people inside to pour themselves their own alcohol…? Notice too that a large majority of the positive reviews focus heavily on the free bacon. I'm sorry, but bacon won't rectify this place for me.

I lived in Tennessee for 6 years. I’ve done internships in Oklahoma and Kentucky. I’m most recently from a rural town in Illinois with 7000 people and one stoplight. The South is full, kind, hospitable people. In contrast, this "country bar" is full of sleazy women and guys that drive big trucks because they're compensating for a smaller body part. The fact that this place shares the same owner as 51 Wharf should be reason enough to never come here. I rarely give one-star reviews, and I thought I’d never do it to a country-themed place,...

I got stuck walking around with a group of people around town. I felt dehydrated and dizzy because of all of the walking and asked a different restaurant for a glass of water. Keep in mind, I’m not from here. I just came from a city that got so badly hit from hurricane Helene that the VP came in to visit us. National guard was everywhere. I was without power for a week before I came to Maine. It was mentally and physically exhausting to deal with house damage and so much loss in my area. I was dehydrated because of the efforts to help mitigate the damage, and because I have other health issues that complicated matters. The first place gave me a plastic cup and let me have endless refills of water. A drank a few cups, and then took it with me to sip on the rest until I felt better. The group eventually went on to this Bonfire bar, so I followed them. I had to show my ID to get in. Shortly after stepping inside, I felt like it was too hot and loud and because I was already feeling unwell, decided to step outside to drink my water. I tried to leave the fenced in area and the ID checker told me I had to give him my cup. I said no, this is water and I got it from a different restaurant.

He wouldn’t let me leave and embarrassed the hell out of me in front of a bunch of people acting like I was committing a crime for leaving with water I came in with. He didn’t warn me about having to take it, or I would never have come inside. I was having a health issue related to a condition I have and this place made it worse. Why make such a big stink about water? At least offer me a bottle if you don’t like my cup. I will...

As someone who works within the hospitality industry, I understand the importance of creating a positive experience for customers, I visited your establishment on a regular comfortable crown Thursday evening with my group and while I may be a bit old school in preferring to use cash when out as it is less common in today’s world, I still expect it to be handled properly.

While I appreciate how challenging it can be to serve, I was disappointed by the conduct of your female bartender. After serving my group’s round of drinks and placing my cash on the counter, she later returned and lifted the change from the counter into her ice bucket, even though we had remained at the same spot and were settling in. When questioned on the whereabouts of the cash, she took her time to review and eventually return the cash but did so by throwing it back rather than handling the situation in a professional manner. Upon further checking, it was found that the exact amount was not returned.

It left a sour taste on our group. In hospitality, respectful service remains the foundation of good guest relations. A bartender is entrusted not only with preparing drinks but also with handling money accurately from the time it is placed on the counter until the customer leaves, ensuring that every guest...