Bagdad Theater & Pub

02/14/2008 Posted by sb601

Several years ago I received poor service at the Bagdad, so I decided to spend my money elsewhere. However, they were the only theater playing the movie my boyfriend wanted to see, so I caved. I was pleasantly suprised to receive such great service! My waitress was very sweet, efficient, and knowledgeable about the food/ beer selection, and even told us interesting tidbits about the history of the theater. She recommended the chicken enchiladas, which were delicious! Every time our beers were low, she made sure we had a new round before our old glassed were empty. She also made a killer Spanish coffee for dessert. She offered to put our movie tickets on our tab, and made sure we were all cashed out in time to get in to the movie. We tipped her considerably well- and she deserved it! Before we left, my boyfriend told her that it was the best service we had received at McMenamins. She explained that there was a "weeding out" of the bad servers, as well as a new training program that is helping to change their reputation. It must be working! We highly recommend the Bagdad to anyone.

Pros: great service, beautiful place, great beer.

07/06/2007 Posted by christie43

i love the theatre at this place. the service and the food are horrible. i've had muliple bad experiences. the servers are rude and innatentive. for those of you ordering food and carrying it into the theatre, be sure to check your order first because it's likely to be wrong. i discovered a fried egg on my veggie burger (i asked for a plain, dry boca burger) just before heading into the dark theatre. i am so thankful i did not bite into that unexpectedly. the food is always of mediocre quality and typically comes out cold. you're better off dining at the little pizza joint across the street before the show. oh- i alomost forgot. i once asked my waitress if the ipa was very hoppy (i like bitter, bitter beer) and she goes, "uhhhhh... yeah, it's pretty hoppy... it's sort of like an amber ale....." i'm serious. you'd think if you;re working in a place that serves it's own microbrew you might want to know SOMETHING about beer. but i keep going back cause the theatre is AWESOME.

Pros: $3 theatre admission, usually good films

Cons: service, food

03/19/2007 Posted by ChezSmiley98

When we went into Bagdad on Saturday afternoon, we arrived as business was picking up for the dinner rush. We only ended up waiting for a few minutes but due to the set-up of the restaurant/bar, we were left standing awkwardly in the corner next to a bar that is essentially impossible to navigate from one end to the other. The unfortunate folks who arrived after us were left crowded at the other end of the bar, a number of them standing within two feet of the table that we ended up seated at. It was kind of creepy to have hungry diners hovering over our table for almost half of our meal. We ordered fish & chips (both soggy w/ unremarkable tartar sauce, though the halibut did seem to be of decent quality), a tofu burrito, a chicken burrito & a roast beef sandwich. The chicken burrito was almost 2X the size of the tofu burrito & both came with a startlingly small amount of sour cream. None of the food was good enough to warrant returning even if we hadn't (later) had some of the the worst service I've ever experienced (& we tipped well!). We had left & stopped by a store close by to continue our shopping but realized shortly that one of our party had left behind a bag from shopping early that day. One friend ran back across the block to see if it could be found, the waiter who had served us had said it would be just a moment. The rest of us caught up about a minute later & proceeded to wait another 10 minutes while the waiter completely ignored us. He took orders for probably three tables, fiddled around on the computer & attended to something in the back of the restaurant. It wasn't as if it was busy, we had turned down help from another waitress thinking that he would be back soon. Finally the bartender returned & asked us if we needed something. We explained that we had thought someone else was helping us, but he was incredibly helpful and it took him less than 2 minutes to retrieve the bag and get us on our way. None of us will be returning to Bagdad for food.

01/07/2007 Posted by pdxjon

As far as a McMenamins location goes, the Bagdad certainly does not disappoint in their offering of tasty microbrewed creations. You'll get your Rubys, Hammerheads, and Terminators alongside standard McMenamins fare (sans the oil-drenched fries, sadly; I mean, does Kettle chips really have to go with everything?) If you are like me, and have a penchant for nostalgia, you may not like the recent renovation that they'd introduced that included relocating the bar away from the windows and toward the back wall--which used to be home to an array of elaborately muralled booth seats (with awful, yet funky light fixtures). They've added more multiseat tables toward the 'front' of the bar, which now feature floor-to-ceiling glass-paned accordion doors that can be opened during the warmer months of the year, making the joint 'al fresco' in less time that it takes you to get the server's attention. And, speaking of service, good luck. Thankfully, I'm a single alcoholic, and find solace resting my behind on a tall barstool. At the bar, you'd be impossible to be ignored by the bartender. At one of their tables, you will either suddenly develop invisibility that you never knew you had the talent of and/or the servers instantly go blind and deaf to your presence. In the random times that I've ended up at this joint, I've personally witnessed more episodes of 'I want to speak with your manager!' than I would've liked to have seen. These complaints are normally lodged by kids-totting parents, who failed to recognize the fact that the Bagdad only appears to be family-friendly. Ah, but the Bagdad Theater will continue to benefit from my visits--if not for the brew-and-grub, it would be to satisfy my craving to people watch, even if it is to be rudely reminded how beautiful Hawthornites truly aren't.

11/18/2006 Posted by sdtransplant

Like everybody else, I think the theater is amazing (although to look at the ceiling, evidently in need of repair). The restaurant/bar, however, is lacking. Firstly, the service [is bad]. I've sat for over 15 mins just waiting to get my drink ordered, and then have actually had to physically get up from my seat (twice!) and track down my server just to get a refill and the check. Secondly, as McMenamins go, I didn't think the food was that great. Overpriced and mediocre would be my description. My advice is to not even bother with the restaurant, and just go get a beer from the theater counter, and watch a movie.

Pros: great historic theater

Cons: restaurant service is a joke

11/13/2006 Posted by dsnichole

Great date idea. Go here get food, drink and a movie for not too much money plus you get all in the same place.

Pros: Good date place

Cons: Not always great movies

06/04/2005 Posted by marisky23

I agree with other reviewers that this theater is beautiful. Worth the few dollars just to see the inside and you get a movie too. We went and sat at the bar before the movie since we got there early to beat the lines. Service was good here. In addition to ordering food and beer here (avoid lines??) we could also buy movie tickets (bartender offered). Can't wait to go back and see a movie that I missed when it was the new release.

02/06/2005 Posted by singin

this theatre really is beautiful. . . I'm grateful for McM's bros for preserving and expanding on a great thing! try the 'rubenator': ruby and terminator stout.

10/23/2003 Posted by portland_mike7456

This was a fun place to go to and get pizza and drinks. I went with a small group and we had fun, but didn't like any of the movies available. I would like to see a movie there, but will take into consideration the comment made by one user to buy a pitcher of beer and bring it next door. So, I finally made it to a movie there (American Wedding)! Oh my gosh! The movie and drinks were great and my girlfriend and I love the style of the theater! The pizza isn't the freshest, but it went down ok with a beer.

Pros: Fun atmosphere, Inexpensive, Unique

Cons: Bad parking, Crowded at times, Poor quality pizza

07/24/2003 Posted by mrs_jo

The Bagdad is my favorite theatre. Your experience here is a genuine one. The old fashioned paramount theatre has an elegant appeal and the audience makes you feel at home. Viewers are relaxed and have a more interactive attitude than at the usual sterile surroundings you experience at general theatres. You can have a choice of pizza and other excellent foods, as well as have most any drink you desire, hard or soft alcohol included. I say you have to experience it if you want to experience Portland~

Pros: great environment, better foods, cheap, cheap cheap!

Cons: parking