This place was really cool, until they took all the food and booze away to their new location. Now it's just well, blah.

This place was really cool, until they took all the food and booze away to their new location. Now it's just well, blah.
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I went here for my 21st birthday. Not because they wouldn't let me in before -- but because they would, being a restaurant-pub, and have always been wonderful and friendly. (For the birthday, they... More

I went here for my 21st birthday. Not because they wouldn't let me in before -- but because they would, being a restaurant-pub, and have always been wonderful and friendly. (For the birthday, they treated me to one of their famous beers.) It's one of the first places I ever saw in Portland, being right across the street from the old Hollywood Theatre, where I first visited Portland to attend the Lovecraft Film Festival. The Laurelwood's warm charm has never failed to cheer me. The wood interior and breathtaking views of the glass-sheathed brewery are always visually appealing, and the friendly atmosphere -- family-friendly, but uncrowded -- makes it a good place to go alone or with friends. I think it's either smoke-free or has a big nonsmoking area. Food here includes a decent range of options -- many vegetarian, many meat. It's pub food with a high-quality, Northwest spin. High-quality also bumps up the price. The place is pretty affordable, though; expect a meal for $10, and a fine award-winning beer (brewed about twenty feet away from you!) for $3-4, or a cocktail for more like $7. It's where I'd take a relative in town, or a visiting friend who I wanted to be caught by the heart and stay in Portland for a while. The Laurelwood manages to have a slick look AND a lot of heart -- a rare combination that I'm going for, more and more.
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