02/01/09

Moon and Sixpence: The Better Choice for an English Style Pub in Portland

by AnotherPubber

This is a nice English style pub that doesn't try to do too much and is a nice place to have a beer. Their selection is very good, with on average about 20 on tap including perennial English favorites like Bass Ale as well as rotating micro brews. The bottled list is endless.

The food is surprisingly good. The half-chicken dinner and shepherd's pie are my particular favorites.

The patio is a great place to hang out once the weather gets nice, though the pick-nick tables are not the most comfortable seating in the city.

Unlike some other reviewers I've never had rude servers at the Moon, and especially on the patio they seem like crew. Recommended, and a far better bet than the rival Horse Brass in every way.

• Pros: nice atmosphere, friendly waitresses, great beer selection, English pub style
• Cons: mixed drinks not a strong point

11/03/08

Bartender yells at me after ignoring me!

by Angela1276

After spending 20 minutes standing at the bar with money in my hand and seeing people keep coming up to the bar and getting served I finally moved down to the other end of the bar and when I told the bartender the beer that I wanted he yells at me saying "you can't just stand there with your thumbs up your as*, why do you have to be so rude?" This is not the first time that this bartender has been rude to me by ignoring me and pretending like I don't exist. I have never had a bartender be so rude in my life and don't plan on going back there any time soon.

07/31/08

I feel so at home!

by moon7

A few girl friends and I have become regulars on Monday nights. The impromptu Celtic jam is so cool. Two friends who have been to Ireland and Scotland tell me this feels authentic. The Irish and Spanish coffees are ideal, the fish and chips are right everytime and my only problem is deciding which entree to try next. I'm so hooked to those beefy fish and chips, but yes, the steak and mushroom pie is just as delicious. Service is prompt. We never worry about where the waitress is, yet we don't feel "stood over" either.

Yes, there is smoking, but I find everyone around quite thoughtful about their smoke...

I brought my 90 year old Mom in one early Friday night, then thought I had made a bad timing choice, but no, she was thrilled with the friendly ambience, the food ( the steak and mushroom pie) the well made drink and the charming staff. Since then, she has enjoyed taking her other elder friends in because they are treated well and feel comfortable. Haven't found a negative here, yet.

• Pros: perfect drinks/fish and chips
• Cons: smoking bar

07/26/08

great beer and ambiance, poor service

by amll

I finally went to check out Moon and Sixpence, and until about the last half-an-hour I thought I found my new favorite pub. It feels authentic without trying too hard, I felt very comfortable and at ease right away. I was impressed both by selection and the better-than-average beer and cider prices (not to say cheap), and the food was good, too. Similarly, the staff were very friendly. The problem? Despite friendliness, they really DO ignore you. I was left with an empty pint for quite some time, I mean, it beat a wait at McMenamins, and that's saying something. After successfully obtaining and going through two pints, I decided to get some bread pudding. Needless to say, I wasn't offered a refill or an opportunity to order for, I don't know, 20 minutes? To make things worse, the waitress managed to take interest in and serve 3 tables all around, but not mine. After some more waiting, I managed to settle the bill (no bread pudding). I will probably be back, the place is too cool to give up on too easily, but I'm hoping somebody from there reads the reviews. Please keep our pints full.

• Pros: great british pub ambiance, great selection of beer/cider/scotch
• Cons: poor service

07/25/08

Tired of being ignored

by pdxwineoh

I am not one to traditionally take a place to task on citysearch. I am a restaurant person and have had too many fired employees take potshots at my place here, under pseudonyms. However, I live near Moon and Sixpence, and have tried for two and a half years to make this my neighborhood bar. Like other posters on here, I can no longer tolerate being ignored.

It was Sunday, July 20th, around 12:30 a.m. Just got done working two 9 hour shifts back to back, one at my day job, the other bartending a wedding. I was really ready for a whisky and a beer. To me, Moon and Sixpence has one of the best beer selections around, and it's location is ideal so I can get home before I feel the effects.

I walk up to the bar, take a seat, and two bartenders are behind the bar. A good sign, as it is generally hard to get prompt service, based on multiple prior experiences. One tender, tall with a t-shirt reminding us all "I'm rick james, b**ch", and the other bartender, short, dark hair, dark beard. Serves the girl next to me, serves the guy next to me, ignores me, then comes back and serves a new guy next to me. In the meantime, I've got my money out hoping to attract some attention, but get nothing. Final straw is he is standing right in front of me, looking out over my head, and doesn't even see me. By now, rick james has dissappeard, and so does stocky bearded guy, into the kitchen. Bar is unmanned for several minutes. I could have poured my own beer, but was afraid of getting 86'd. Stood up, waited by the kitchen entryway hoping to address my displeasure in person, and finally, left in disgust. I can promise you, I will never be back. My husband is bummed, as he tried to love this place even more than me.

In the meantime, we have discovered Concordia Ale House, where we received efficient friendly service, and terrific beer. I'll miss the Irish Bands, and yes, even the smoke, but I won't miss being ignored.

• Pros: Great bands, great selection, great location
• Cons: bartenders who could care less that you need a drink

07/15/08

Just about right...

by ruud

Great selection of beer, friendly staff, eclectic cliental...

It's got the feel of a decent British pub without trying too hard. The food is ok but the portions are a bit on the small side and I was shocked to see the cook had a long beard that doesn't appear to have been washed since the last election.

The waitresses are all friendly and have a good sense of humor. The bar is a bit smokey but not worse than that other 'British' bar on Belmont... and besides, after January that won't matter.

The outdoor patio area out the back is a good size with plenty of picnic style tables.

The saturday afternoon 'jam' sessions wouldn't be missed if they disappeared though...

Great place to go if you like darts.

• Pros: Great beers, friendly locals and staff
• Cons: The awful saturday jam sessions, the chef's long beard, no happy hour

04/30/08

Gunner make this my not so local Pub

by BeerLover37

Well worth the 20 minute drive from Camas. Staff were friendly, helpfull and even pass out bar smokes!!! I dont even smoke and found this cool. A very good selection of beers as well as scotch. (How hard is it to find a nice pub that has a decent scotch!!!) The old and outdated looking menu, disguise the traditional pub fare - the food was excellent.. I was referred here by a patron and will do the same.

• Pros: Beers Scotch Food
• Cons: None

09/21/07

I wish I could rate you higher.

by leequa

I mean, I really do. I used to live nearby and would drive and ride my bike past your darkened facade. From the outside, it looks unfriendly, yuppie, and perhaps, even closed. But a friend of mine took me there, and I knew, it was my favorite pub in Portland. I never had a favorite pub in Portland! I mean, in the four years of living here, I knew of bars/pubs I liked, bars and pubs I could tolerate, and especially bars/pubs I knew I disliked, but I didn't have a favorite. I was transported to another world, outside of the typical Portland scene. It really does feel like your across the pond, with its stained wooden insides covered in old photos and knick knacks, educated intelligent clientele (not bad looking to boot), music of another time, conversations, and solo flyers reading books and writing in their journals. The place has darts, books, and games. There is no video games, no video poker, and especially, NO TELEVISIONS! It's awesome! And ofcourse there is an excellent beer selection. SO what is my problem with the place?

I remember a good staff and good bartenders. They were friendly, not fake or too cool or too bored. Now, there are a couple cocktail servers who are lazy as hell. You can sit there for 20+ minutes without any of them coming by. Sure, they'll see you and maybe come by and clear a table or drop off a tab, but they are too busy smoking, gabbing to one another, possible drinking, and flirting with the bartender, to come by. The bartender fellow doesn't seem to care much if you're standing up at the bar either. He's to busy finishing his flirting with the two terrible beer wenches. This is the third time and Im close to saying "ADIOS" to this place. Good service is important to me, as a server too, and I'm not about to deal with this outright laziness. If you don't want to work there, then apply at McMenamins where they are infamous for their bad service. Don't muck up my favorite pub. I miss the staff of olden days.

• Pros: Ambience, beers, clientele
• Cons: bad service

06/24/07

Best pub in Portland

by rl106

I love this place and frequent it...often. I believe this is the only pub in Portland with Strongbow cider on tap and it's wonderful stuff, just watch yourself if you are not used to it. The drink list is impressive. The food is great too, the soups are hot and hearty (the beef borscht was really good yesterday afternoon) and soak up the alcohol. They serve the soup with local bread and it's really good. The service is always prompt and friendly. It's just like the pubs in the U.K. If you can't handle cigarette smoke and live pub musicians playing, then sit outside or don't come, but for goodness sake do not complain. Nearly every place in Portland is smoke free, so go somewhere else and shut up about the smoke.

• Pros: Strongbow Cider on tap, excellent food and service
• Cons: it gets loud when the musicians play, sit outside if you don't like smoky pubs

06/08/07

the smoke... dear lord, the SMOKE!!

by chemin

this is by far my favorite pub in PDX and i'm a regular... however, the smoke is starting to keep me away. i can't handle it anymore. my lungs are blackening just from the many hours spent at the Moon. i swear, it is absolutely hands-down THE smokiest pub in PDX. even the patio is smokey, believe it or not?! though they do have a nice patio. the only time it's palatable is when the place has JUST opened and they leave the doors open and you sit right by the door and catch some of the breeze. the funny thing about PDX is, the few british pubs here all offer about one or two types of cider. i was in san diego last week and EVERY bar we went to (many) all had a bunch of ciders to pick from. so much for an authentic "british" pub. oh well, the food is killer and the music is great and the people that work there are super nice!

• Pros: the food, the music, the fun!
• Cons: the SMOKE!!!!!!!!!!!