Swan Dive — Restaurant in Portland

Bad experience with the downstairs bartender here. Walked in, got right into a line at bar with two couples ahead of us. Bartender condescendingly yelled at us "come up to the bar, don't form a line." So we moved to an open space towards the far end of the bar and bartender immediately shouted at us for what we want from the opposite end of the bar. Hadn't even had a second to look at beer or cocktail list and weren't ready, so he moved on.

He proceeded to then serve about 8-10 more groups who had come in after us and got into a new line. Blasted one by one through the same line he yelled at us for being in. It felt like he purposely decided to not come back to us down the end of the bar simply because he was pissed off that we didn't already know what we wanted when he ushered us up to the bar. Perhaps if we had the extra time in the line of 6 people, we would have had time to see the menu and been ready to order when we got to the front. He didn't even apologize when he saw us back in the original line, which likely confirmed the snub was on purpose to be an a-hole.

I'm all for not having lines in bars but, but if you have one bartender with an impatient bad attitude or who can't keep track of customer order (like every good bartender should be capable of) maybe stick to the line format or hire a better, or more than 1 bartender for a Friday night? 🤷‍♀️ Why have a signature cocktail list if you refuse people time to read it? Not to mention once we moved back over to the line to finally get served 15 minutes later, they were "out" of the menu cocktail we wanted (note it was a draft cocktail, so they weren't out of the drink, just the pre-made one, which means bartender just didn't want to make it from scratch). It actually felt scary to then have to come up with a plan B in seconds so as not to piss him off again for needing a second to think. What a crappy experience.

Shout out to the bartender upstairs who was kind, patient,...

I was really excited to come here but left disappointed. We sat in the back patio and we were the only ones and waited 20 minutes before going inside and asking for a menu and waters. After that, it took awhile for our server to greet us or take our order. It wasn't until two other tables got seated after us that our server came. My boyfriend and I came because of the Magna menu we saw on their website. We showed up and were told the menu and kitchen had changed that day but their online menus and QR code menus on the table were not up to date. It was no big deal and we figured we'd just get something else. Three things we ordered after that were also not available. After waiting an hour for food and watching other tables that came after us get their food, our server asked if we had ordered food. We thought it had taken awhile but with a new kitchen, we were pretty understanding that maybe they were getting accustomed to the kitchen or something. When our food did come out, someone new brought it and apologized and told us we wouldn't have to worry about the next round of drinks and that she'd put in that order for us. Our old server came back and asked if we needed anything and we said we were waiting for our drinks. She said the drinks never got put in. Our original server never came back to our table after that and we had to ask someone else...

Full disclosure that I was already a fan of the magical mixologist Natasha, so when coming into the revamped Bit House Collective, I was fairly confident I was in for a treat, but they still managed to blow my mind with their fantastic cocktail concoctions. The drinks are an explosive, unique, sensory experience! I haven't found one I don't like. Some extra special treats would be the Pandam Pandan Pandan Old Fashion, seriously, drink this. The Tokyo-a-go-go is also a crazy delicious and original cocktail, which also pairs well with the delicious Sisig! Another favorite is the Strawberry Soup, (it's a cocktail, not a soup). These go down really easy and are going to be a favorite summer beverage. The food is also quite a treat. The Sisig is a tasty little rice dish with fatty bits of pork, a perfectly cooked egg and a couple of spicy little chilis on top. I crave this dish in my sleep. The vibe is also very fun, it's an eclectic little spot with beautiful exposed brick walls, a tropical plant mural and comfortable seating. They usually have some good jams going and I forsee some dancing happening here post-Covid. The staff here are also very friendly, attentive and fun. This is going into my rotation as a new regular spot! They are also very Covid safe and have a patio out back as well as some outdoor seating...