Victoria Bar — Restaurant in Portland

Victoria, found at the bottom of the hill on Albina, with its ample outdoor seating was never my first choice. Perhaps, it was my mistake to order a house cocktail when I just wanted a classic the first time I visited. Perhaps, it was the low lighting, dark wood of its interior and large painting of a ship that made it feel obvious, boring, and Portland. For whatever reason I rolled my eyes at the suggestion for over a year. But then, by the witchcraft of physical proximity, the bar at the bottom of the hill, a ten-minute walk from my house became my bar, and witness to my life in the city of roses. Victoria is where I take the parents, in from out of town, for a non-fussy brunch and the city’s best bloody mary. Victoria is where my little sister had her first drink at 21, a hummingbird. Victoria has been witness to an embarrassment of first dates; innumerable get-togethers; break-ups; make-ups and tears. The bathroom has held sacrosanct a catalogue of lectures delivered in an aggressive whisper to the mirror, and some questionable photography. I have flirted, berated, lectured and cajoled across the property. I shuddered to think of the amount of cigarettes that met their end while I straddled a picnic table bench gesturing wildly, or reading in the late summer sun. It has been a vector on nights out (a must for bar crawls!), rental searches (10-min walk to Victoria! Perfect!) and hair-of-the-dog brunches (that avocado toast tho!). At her counter, I’ve bantered and traded book recommendations, placed bets (no money was exchanged), enjoyed house pours and learned to respect scotch. I feel welcomed in my fantastic best and my dirty workwear. Management started carrying my favourite cognac (I like to think) because I always asked for it– and with it, I toasted to getting my Portland dream job. I’ve dated her bartenders, laughed till I cried, lost friends and found love. On a quiet night, a conversation with a former love becomes a singular event. At the far edge of the landscape, where the light is dim, our heads bend together in increasingly earnest conversation. Our bodies mirror each other's gestures, as we drink the same pilsner, its bitter bite a refreshing edge on the tongue after a hot summer day. We talk freely, as people can only do once they have witnessed, loved, and laid something to rest. As people do once they have completed a cycle of living together. We apologise for the transgressions of silence that injured us. The trespass into one another's solitude. We recognized the unspeakable ways we are the same and looked at each other with wordless knowing. We celebrate each other's accomplishments with a private understanding that leaves us both in tears. We lay heads on shoulders and are silent. We whisper into ears weaving hand in hand. Eye to eye we regard each other, and kiss. And, in the indigo night, we leave together. This is only one story in multitudes, but this is my why. This July Vicky turns 10. I’ll be at the counter raising a glass, to all the life that has come to pass, and all the life ahead. Victoria, I could drink a...

--- drinks --- Indigo Montoya ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ cool and refreshing cucumber

Isla Bonita ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ fruity and islandy

Dread pirates ⭐⭐⭐⭐ warm and comforting

❤️Rous ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ large and easy to drink fruity

Florin ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ delicate fruity and herby

Inconceivable ⭐ could not finish

Jungle bird ⭐⭐⭐⭐ my partners favorite tropical one fruity, sweet and tropical

Irish coffee ⭐⭐⭐ little too sweet for me, wouldn't reorder a little medicinal

--- brunch drinks --- Michelada ⭐⭐ not for me because I'm not a fan of tomato juice but everyone who is adores it

Humperdinks coffee ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ solid coffee option not too creamy or sweet mezcal isn't too smokey

--- dinner --- Buffalo chicken sandwich ⭐⭐⭐ was a little salty and dry to me

House Burger ⭐⭐ (edited from 5 to 2 stars 2023) used to be my favorite menu item, but it definitely isn't anymore It is often too burnt for it to be enjoyable even if you ask for it to be medium and it just isn't good anymore. I've had 3 friends ask to have it sent back and almost every friend question my bar choice after eating it -_-

Mac and cheese ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ perfectly seasoned really gooey it has the tiniest bit of spice so good

Beet salad ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ omg my new favorite salad in the area sweet and spicy so balanced and perfect

Brussel sprouts ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ not overly heavy or saucy. So good.

Grilled cheese and tomato soup ⭐⭐✨ just alright I feel like I could have done a better job for this, feels like a college meal, didn't leave me satisfied for the price, I was hoping for something that was gooey and would blow my mind with the tomato flavor the BLT which is usually my favorite was meh today too so there might be just something wrong in the kitchen

--- sides --- Kale salad ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Parmasian herb fries ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ Caesar salad ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

--- brunch --- Chicken and waffles ⭐⭐ the waffle was a little dry adored the sauces it came with, especially the creamy one the chicken was more like a chicken tender, and it didn't taste vegan, but I also couldn't get over the general dryness

❤️Breakfast burrito ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ the avocado was needed love the hashbrown the salsa and the cream sauce was excellent adored the peppers

Avocado toast ⭐⭐⭐ just ok, I don't love the after taste of the microgreens for some reason and I often love these

❤️BLT ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ it's perfect. I hope this becomes a permanent fixture...

I was racially discriminated against by the dark-brown haired, female bartender with glasses. I waited at the bar for 15+ minutes to try to CLOSE MY TAB, all the while WHITE patrons were walking up, getting served, and walking away. I even heard this bartender tell another bartender to go help patrons on the other side of the bar, when he asked who was next to be helped. After being disappointed and disgusted with the service I was receiving, my partner suggested that I head back to our table and they would close out on their own. Brown-haired and glasses bartender proceeded to ask the patron next to my partner if they had been helped yet. This patron turned to my parent and asked them if they had been helped yet BECAUSE WE HAD BEEN THERE FOR 15 MINUTES, to which my partner responded “no”. Brown-haired bartender then said “No, what can I get YOU” directed at the original patron, not my partner, DENYING THEM SERVICE FOR NO REASON. My partner returned to our table, completely distraught by their experience so I then went back in to once again, TRY TO CLOSE OUR TAB. I waited another 10 minutes before I had to flag down said bartender and demand that we get our tab closed. She responded aggressively with a sassy attitude, asked for the last name on the card, walked away, and never brought me the receipt!! Finally another bartender asked WHO WAS NEXT, a usual question that is asked when there are several people waiting. I had to explain to this bartender that again, I WANTED TO CLOSE MY TAB. After finally being able to close my tab with this new bartender’s help, I went back to my table to finally eat my food. After another 10-15 minutes. Brown-haired bartender comes out to my table and demands that security remove me from the venue. NO EXPLANATION WHATSOEVER. I was refused service, I was racially profiled, I was harassed by this bartender. When I emailed the GM about this situation, his excuse was that they were really busy that night. BUSY IS NEVER AN EXCUSE FOR DISCRIMINATION. Victoria is not a safe, welcoming, friendly environment. Save yourself the toxic, racist energy and go anywhere...