Shanghai Tunnel

03/20/2008 Posted by plushie1

Shanghai is a really cool bar. It's different from most in Portland because it lies below street level. It has a funky vibe and low-key. Plus, drinks are cheap :-) However, the reason I cannot go back there is because of the smoke. I have barely walked in the main door upstairs, and I can already smell the cigarette smoke down below. By the time I've walked down stairs, my clothes, hair, skin is hopeless. I stopped going because of that. I realize that Oregon will be smoke-free in 2009, but it's not too early to start. Especially when competing bars in the area are smoke free, or have established and well-ventilated smoking areas that don't waft into the main bar. I look forward to visiting Shanghai again once it's smoke-free.

Pros: dive, ecclectic, downstairs, cheap beer

Cons: SMOKE SMOKE SMOKE

06/18/2007 Posted by chelseabree

So I've been going to the tunnels for about 3 years now and it is hands down my favorite bar. We go there about twice a month, and the guy at the door remembers us everytime we walk up. (And greets us with smiles.) The bartender pours the STIFFEST drinks that I've had since moving to Portland. (Reasonably priced too.) I've never had bad service here...the bartenders have always been friendly and respectful. And the food is awesome too! They have a great menu with alot of variety. Not your usual "pub grub." (Try the potstickers and a noodle bowl!) The food, like the drinks are reasonably priced... The tables out front are great for people watching on a nice day. Keep in mind this isn't a frou-frou frat type hangout. The downstairs decor is dark and eerie. It has a certain spooky "dungeon" feel to it. The smoke gets pretty thick when it gets packed later at night. (For cleaner air, try the upstairs bar.) The jukebox ROCKS with some of the best music I've heard on any jukebox in town. I would highly recommend this bar to anyone looking for stiff drinks, no frills and a kind of dark "edgy" feel.

Pros: Great service, good food, stiff drinks, reasonably priced

Cons: none

05/07/2007 Posted by skc711

This is a terrible bar. The staff is incredibly rude and unfriendly and the doorperson is aggressive and unnecessarily confrontational. When I spoke to the manager, she was just as unfriendly and clueless. Yes, it is a dive bar, but to have a staff that is on the whole, completely awful, makes the bar unwelcoming and completely unhospitable. There are plenty of places in Portland where I can spend my money and be treated with respect and common courtesy, however, this is not one of them. Don't waste your time or money.

Pros: nothing

Cons: rude belligerent staff, watered down drinks

01/28/2007 Posted by jjjdog28

I dont get downtown much, but when I do about the only bar I go to is the tunnel. Great history, looks great and feels like you went to another country. The service has come leaps and bounds from a few years back and is a joy now. The prices for drinks and all the expansive import drafts cant be beat for downtown. The food, while be it good, is a little pricey for a bar, but if you are hungry at 1am its worth it. They porbably have the nicest door staff in town and the bartenders are knowledgeable, quick and easy on the eyes....mmeow!! The next time you are downtown and want the closest thing to an eastside bar go to the tunnel have a great time.

Pros: Feels like you've left town.

Cons: Its downtown.

01/15/2007 Posted by sarah503

It's become tradition now for my work-folk to go here for after work cocktails. Its usually quiet on an off night down there, the drink are really good, the appetizers are delicious. The Luna is my favorite. The bar tender has a good smile, and it quick with the drinks, just what I want after work.

Pros: Food/Drinks

10/25/2006 Posted by jeffreyyoung78

This place is what it is - a dive bar (and a very very good one at that!). Dark, dimly lit space, downstairs in a "dungeon", great service. If you are looking to get away from the same old "trendy" scene, and you don't want to worry about what you are wearing and grab a beer, come here. A+ dive bar... and it's not even really that dingy a "dive" bar.

01/16/2006 Posted by cwagner55

Cool place...I am an out-of-towner from Phoenix that was visiting friends, and I have to say that this is a cool place to hang out. A little mysterious at first, but a good place to have a few cocktails with friends.

11/15/2004 Posted by elindeman

Shanghai Tunnel is a very unique bar with unexpectedly killer good food (try the rice or noodle bowls). Hint: Make sure you go to the downstairs bar, not the upstairs bar big difference. Ive been to many bars in the US and Europe and this is definitely one of my all-time favorites. Its a punkish joint with no frills, but it has a very unordinary ambience. It feels like a seedy bar straight out of the sci-fi flick Blade Runner. They always play good tunes here, stuff most folks wouldnt hear in a bar. This place definitely wont appeal to everyone so yuppies and metro-sexuals consider yourselves warned. For a cool spot to drink with your friends or kick-it with your lady this is the place.

Pros: food, atmosphere, music

07/17/2004 Posted by VavoomKitty

had only been one other time a year ago, but I didn't have food last time. What a mistake! This time I had the Whang, fried tofu and veggies w/ jasmine rice and it was freakin' good! And not just because I had had a lot to drink! There were lots of vegan options which I'm not used to especially when at a bar. Our server was very nice and brought us food and new drinks quickly. It seemed to have a bit of a different vibe than when I was there before... the spooky shanghai feeling was gone. But we still had a great time! Nice and strong gin and tonics.

Pros: strong well drinks, great staff, tasty food

Cons: , spooky feel missing

06/20/2004 Posted by kienbien

I loved the fact that it had a mixture of everyone in the bar. Not one crowd or another. music was harder and edgier than other places. drinks were potent! and our server was great!

Pros: cozy, good atmosphere, strong drinks