Brightwood Tavern — Restaurant in Sandy

Great locals bar.

A+ for people watching in the winter. Snowflakes falling, the beer is pouring and those passing through from the mountain are bragging about how awesome/crappy the snow conditions are.

A+ for atmosphere on a summer evening when it's hot and muggy outside, but the August sun has sunk below the canyon while you wait for the intermittent breeze from the nearby rivers to pick up for a moment to rustle the trees and tickle your ears.

If you can find an excuse to stay around here, (I assume you don't live here already) it's always worth a stop on the evening, or a bloody mary in the morning.

The staff know what this place is about; knowing the locals keep it afloat, but never forgetting that the 'PDX tourists' push it into the black. Just keep this in the back of your mind if one opts to complain about them being aloof. They ain't aloof, they just get the rules of the game. Be patient, be nice, and strike up a conversation with the regulars. It isn't their fault they have a bad-ass backwoods bar in their backyard, while you have to choose between a TGI Friday's and a Pannera bread within biking distance of your walk-up.

Some just get lucky that way.

This would be an average dive in Sellwood. But if you took that average dive and stuck it into the middle of the Lothlorien in Lord of the Rings, well-- that's what...

We found an ad in the Mountain Times Newspaper that said "Brightwood Tavern, awesome food, great beers, cocktails" etc. so we thought we would give it a try. We asked some friends to meet us there too. We arrived and sat outside with the rest of the patrons engaging conversations with some of them next to us. The propane heater that was next to our table was not light so we asked the barperson if we could light it and she and my husband did it. While my husband was in going to the bathroom I realized that our friend's husband could not sit at the picnic table due to his hip being messed up. So when my husband came back we decided to move to a tall table with barstools. He moved the heater over to the outside of the table on the other side of the open tent. Well by the time I could get over there some patron named "Bob" proceeded to pretty much verbally attack my husband telling him he had no right to move the heater away from the other people over there. it wasn't even on when we sat down. It wasn't even near those other people. Anyway our friends arrived we had one drink each and decided this place does not want business from anyone but their "locals". then we were continued to be harassed even in the parking lot. Reminded me alot of like the movie...

It's a cute little place but there's a few new bartenders there, or maybe they've been there but they definitely acting new. Weak drinks, not well organized. (I had to return later to pickup my card on one occasion) I requested my card back at payout, and dudor was like we don't have your card dude. Thankfully, they found it the day after but it was like seriously... I loved this cute little place but it seems to be a little...