Cheerful Tortoise

Claim
marker

1939 SW 6th Ave
Portland, OR 97201

marker
(503) 224-3377
Incorrect info? Correct your listing
Main categories:

Bars, Pubs & Clubs

,

Happy Hour

Related categories:

Food & Dining

,

Restaurants

Reviews
( 14 )
( 6 )
( 1 )
( 0 )
( 1 )

Best

Standard college kids sports bar on PSU campus. Many professors hold their office hours there. Cheap beer and lots of sports coverage. If you are looking for a fancier place I...

Worst

Not the best place to go if you are not college student. This place is crowded, smoky, loud and service is the worst, and they have a dollar beer day (only cheap beer of course (...

Cheap beer, college atmosphere 5/16/2011

Standard college kids sports bar on PSU campus. Many professors hold their office hours there. Cheap beer and lots of sports coverage. If you are looking for a fancier place I wouldn't recommend it as it's directed towards broke college students. more
Reply | Report abuse |

Example: great place for good bread 3/17/2009

............................................................................................................... ........................................... Pros: Good Place Cons: Nothing more
Reply | Report abuse |

awesome people, awesome food 12/6/2008

the cheerful tortoise is a great place to go watch a game or knock back a few beers. the service is quick and friendly; likes to joke with you and whatnot. the $2 breakfast is too DIE FOR. if you're strapped for cash, you can go to the cheeful tortoise and drop $2 and expect a full meal: two eggs, good portion of hash browns, and toast. goes down great after a night of drinking. :D Pros: cheap food/beer Cons: getting rid of smoking (con in my opinion :P) more
Reply | Report abuse |

Excellent food and beer selection! 10/12/2008

Pretty good atmosphere, except when there's a popular game and all the retarded sports fans come in. Aside from that, the food is EXCELLENT, and the beer selection is amazing. Good value, nice people, great place. more
Reply | Report abuse |

poor service, smoky 9/18/2008

Not the best place to go if you are not college student. This place is crowded, smoky, loud and service is the worst, and they have a dollar beer day (only cheap beer of course (coors light, bud light)), but yo pay $3 dollars cover, ( do the math) so go there if you are planning to get wasted with cheap beer, other wise for just one beer is not worth it. good for unexperience college students that they dont know what a good sport bar service is, i dont recomend it. Pros: lots of tv,s Cons: service, smoky, more
Reply | Report abuse |

Great place for a solid bloody mary 5/5/2008

Back in my drinking days I would come down to the tortoise and meet up with fellow drinkers for a cheap bloody mary at nearly nest to nothing... The drinks are cheap and the service is always good. And the happy hour is good too for a tasty cheap bite to eat. more
Reply | Report abuse |

customer service and atmosphere 10/26/2006

This is one of the best sports bars around . They have great NASCAR coverage, along with fine felted tables more
Reply | Report abuse |

Great staff, lots o' TVs (incl. HD), huge menu, relaxed atmo 10/21/2006

Not a bit sport bar guy, but this place was outstanding! My friends and I were looking for a place that got HDNet so we could watch a televised roller derby bout and after many dead ends, the CT came through. Bartender Amy was super friendly and accomodating - definitely earning a spot on my list of some of the best barkeeps in town. Great low-key atmosphere, a ton of TVs with loads of sports packages, and a very big menu make this place a winner! Pros: Great staff, lots of sports, fun/relaxed atmo Cons: Perhaps could be a bit cheaper more
Reply | Report abuse |

Food and Fun 10/6/2006

The Cheerful Tortoise has a wide array of games being shown on many TV's. These games vary sports, states, and sometimes countries. They have a decent selection of drinks and food. The Tortoise needs to get Big Sky TV so PSU students such as myself can see the PSU away games. That would bring the Tortoise a lot closer to a 10. They also have some of the best chicken strips in the city. more
Reply | Report abuse |

I love you, Turtle Dew 9/28/2005

I'm from Pennsylvania, and my friends and I were in Portland visiting PSU. Our hotel desk clerk directed us to this little joint. The staff and crowd were extraordinarily friendly, catching these cynical East Coasters off-gaurd. We LOVED the house brew, tasty tasty tasty tasty Turtle Dew, and the $1.99 was everything a hung-over traveler could ever desire. Thanks for showing us a great time, we love Portland!!! Pros: good beer, nice staff, cheap breakfast Cons: wood paneling more
Reply | Report abuse |

NEW Plasma TV's 9/15/2005

Don't think I could find a better sports bar. All the game packages, plus 16 new plasma hdtv's what more do you want? Pros: 35 - 40 TV's, SPORTS, MORE SPORTS Cons: smoking more
Reply | Report abuse |

Anything You Want it to Be 7/10/2005

I've only been here one time during the night. The second time I was at the Cheerful Tortoise, it was 7am the next morning! Closed it one night, and opened it the next. It was great. I love the "Best Deal in Town." But honestly, I didn't so much like it the first time... I've since then figured out how to perfect my order to leave me 100% satisfied. I'm a vegetarian, and somewhat health-conscious... so when you're with your meat-lovin' pals and they want their greasy-spoon breakfast... you have to deal (with the "best deal"). I get scrambled eggs (since they don't poach), DRY wheat toast, and sub in steamed veggies for the hash browns. MMMMMM... the coffee is a bit wonky, but it sure hits the spot after a drinking night. Pros: cheap eats, accomodating Cons: wonky coffee more
Reply | Report abuse |

Not really remarkable 7/1/2005

I guess I must not be beautiful enough, because the cute waitresses people say are friendly treated me like I had leprosy. Sports bars don't do it for me anyway, and this was no exception. PSU is my semi-permanent home, and I'm still going to avoid this place in the future. The food seemed good though, and plenty of drink selection. If you aren't going alone, it might be a decent place to hang out for awhile. It didn't seem smoky at all to me, but that might be because I've been in some nasty dives lately. Pros: clean, cozy, good food Cons: lonely more
Reply | Report abuse |

The Best Bar in Town! 3/15/2005

The Cheerful Tortoise is the best bar in town, especially if you go to PSU. The Best Deal in town breakfast for 1.99 and a bloody marry will cure any hangover. Thirsty Thursday you can get $1.00 beer and they even play music on the weekends. I have not been there in a few months since I don't live downtown, but recently went there and noticed they have all new big screen tv. The perfect place to hang out before, after or during class. Pros: Best Deal in Town, Thirsty Thursday, NEw TV's more
Reply | Report abuse |

Breakfast!!! 7/29/2004

Nobody mentioned anything about breakfast. The best deal in town $1.99 & up. Good breakfast for that "morning-after" feeling. Couple that with a bloody mary or beverage of your choice and you will be good to go. Staff is friendly, especially for a Sunday morning. Good times all around. more
Reply | Report abuse |

Good place to drink....... not eat 4/23/2003

A good bar right next to PSU, cozy sports bar feel. The drinks are cheap but watered down. They have a decent selection of beer. The service was very good. The food is just mediocre but at happy hour prices not a bad deal. A good place to catch a game, lots of sports fans around. Two pool tables in back are only 50cents. Pros: Good value, Good service Cons: Mediocre Food, Mixed Drinks more
Reply | Report abuse |

Best Little Bar =) 3/12/2003

We're regulars on Thursday nights. From 8:30-9:30 ALL beers are just a buck, and then after 9:30 all of the domestics (Bud, Coors, Etc.) are STILL just a buck! If you're into mixed drinks, try the Hurricane or the Elizabeth. They have cute, friendly waitresses, and REALLY good food. My favorite is the Mexican-style food, and my friends rave about the $1.99 breakfast, served all the time. Thursdays are definately very crowded, but squeezing past someone every 5 sec. is a great way to meet people (ladies, there are more guys than girls at this bar)! The age range of Cheerful-goers varies, and so does the style of people, which keeps things interesting. Check it out!!! Pros: Dollar Beer Night!!!, Awesome Food, Great Mixed Drinks Cons: On buck beer night,, the mixed drinks are, made in smaller cups. more
Reply | Report abuse |

The best dang bar! 11/5/2002

If you live at Portland State - this bar rocks! You can crawl home from it! And I have - trust me! more
Reply | Report abuse |

Karaoke!!!!! 10/17/2002

This place just keeps getting better all the time. I went in on a wednesday night this place was rocking. The staff was friendly and quick. One of the best things was KARAOKE. It starte at 10pm and keep going until 2am. Everyone was drinking & having fun! So now in addition to $1.oo beer on thursdays. The Cheerful has KARAOKE Wed, Sat, and Sunday nights! (10-2am)! Every Wed $100 cash prize. Addiance Applause! Yahoo! Pros: friendly staff, inexpensive, total cheers bar Cons: happy hour (food) more
Reply | Report abuse |

Wings are getting better! 10/2/2002

I am updating my prior rating because things are changing at the Turtle. Being an avid fan of buffalo wings as well as a relatively frequent patron of the Turtle, at first I was not very happy. Their wings were small and consisted of all drummies. Now however, thanks to Chef Chris (who I believe works Mon-Thurs) you can get the best plate of chicken wings in all of Oregon. The wings are meaty, non-breaded, and covered with great tasting buffalo sauce (not too hot, not too buttery). This place is stepping it up in regards to the wings, now if we could only do something about the disgusting smoke... Pros: buffalo wings, friendly waitresses, lots of tv's Cons: too much SMOKE, not a good happy hour, lack of outdoor area more
Reply | Report abuse |
< Previous 1 2 Next >
Menu for Cheerful Tortoise


Summer SALE!!!:
15% OFF all yearly plans
Use year15 at checkout. Expires 1/1/2021

This college bar is a study in nightly specials and televised sports.

Editorial

  • In Short
    Just-legal folks from nearby Portland State University come here for cheap drinks and sports watching. Loads of TVs broadcast major-league sports, while a digital jukebox plays a variety of tunes. Patrons haphazardly pack into what feels like a party in a shed; the wood-shingled interior hosting an explosion of beer companies' promotional signs. A full bar serves house cocktails (the Purple Hooter is a grown-up's Kool-Aid), but there's also a bevy of draft beers.

  • 8/14/2006 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: 7am to 2:30am M-F 9am to 2:30am Sat & Sun
  • Payments: American Express, Master Card, Visa
  • Neighborhoods: Downtown, Neighbors West - Northwest
badge