Tonic Lounge

01/05/09

keep your expectations low

by sosleepy

This is a rock club. Don't come here for the food (totinos and tater tots), don't come here expecting great service, don't come here hoping to find the "next big thing". You come here to listen to good bands. The sound is really good here, and there are some pretty amazing shows. I was just here to see Pierced Arrows, and they were rediculously good. Fast service, stiff drinks, and a pretty good jukebox. Oh, and don't worry about all the smoking "loosers" now, they'll all be out on the lovely patio.

• Pros: next to Fantasy
• Cons: ??

08/22/08

Avoid at All Times

by ConanDoyle

The owners of the Tonic must be Neanderthals, still knuckle-walking around in their cave, because they still allow smoking in their venue. That is sooo 1940s! Someone please tell them that WW2 ended more than 60 years ago, and nobody with a functioning brain wants to breathe that road-tar anymore. Give the loosers at the Tonic a pass.

Five months from now, it will be illegal to smoke within any public venue in Portland. The people who own the Tonic Lounge just like to be behind the curve, I guess. They should see if Wayne Newton is still available to perform for them at the Tonic Lounge.

• Cons: Allows Smoking

02/10/08

good live music room, ripoff jukebox bar

by dk_pdx

I was in the bar room with friends getting wasted. i asked the barkeep if they can play CDs, he said no. later they did in fact turn off the juke box and play other recorded music. coincidentally i had already programmed a bunch of songs into the juke and therefore lost my $ :-(

some drink prices are outdated, they could use a price drop considering the glass is mostly ice.

bar is not recommended, go there for live shows only.

• Pros: on-site parking

The Northeast side's undisputed king of live clubs.

by Contributor

In Short
There are two sides to this hot spot: one dark and cavernous, featuring live music; the other cushy, lounge-y and quiet. Young adults chat each other up in the lounge area, while the stage area is packed with people bobbing to the beat supplied by DJs or live bands. Many of P-town's bigger alt-rock favorites circulate through here, but new discoveries await also. Live sets are mostly on weekends with DJ nights during the week.

05/13/06

Eh

by mjd503

Used to hangout here often -- it has become too expensive when judging it's location, and lack of consistently good bands in the past year or so. In a poor spot in NE portland so you will not find much else around (except a porn shop or two). The service is really good however. You can often find an eclectic music lineup on any given week. Night to night - it's a toss-up.

• Pros: Service, Eclectic Bands, Good Parking
• Cons: Overpriced drinks, Bad Location

02/09/06

Fun and Loud.

by designdiva49

My sister and I went there as one of the stops for her 21st birthday. It was a Wednesday so great Reggae was playing non-stop. The drinks were pretty good, the atmosphere was cool, but if you're looking for conversation it's not the place for you as the music is extremely loud. If you're just there for music, drinks, a little dancing, and some pool playing--it is a great place for that as well as experiencing some of the different kinds of music Portland has to offer.

• Pros: Good music, Good parking, Good drinks
• Cons: Loud, kinda smoky

07/28/05

where is anyone???

by loudnproud

Sorry, I'm going to make this short and sweet... Having gone to some great hang out bars in P-Town, this is definitely not one of them. The service was fine but something from the place smelled foul, and we had to say enough is enough. I've always dropped by every so often for a drink with the friends but recently have noticed that its just been getting worse, the drinks, the crowd, the draw... Believe me save your money, and hop on to your next stop.

• Pros: Free parking
• Cons: destination bar, smells foul, bad mixed drinks

05/30/03

Nippin' Out

by Beg

We went to see a friend's band play.

It was rainy, windy, and in the 50's outside.

It was so COLD inside the "club" part.

I was there until 2 when they closed and it never warmed up.

There were close to 100 people in there so it wasn't for lack of body heat.

Some of the band members wore their coats on stage!!!!

• Pros: cool atmosphere, good sound, big rooms
• Cons: not a lot of seating, FREEZIN COLD

02/26/03

DJ MattBastard ROCKS

by ryanvirgo

If you are going out on a Monday, you must hit the Tonic Lounge for their S.I.N. (service industry night). All are welcome for great drinks, service, food, and enjoy rock phenomenon-DJ Matt Bastard. Non-stop rock, requests are welcome. I left with a smile. A good time was had by all.

07/24/02

Small, intimate, cool.

by rdidee

The Tonic may be a little more of a challenge to get to than the downtown clubs, but it is worth the trip to see some good live music and hang out. It is quite small, and there's not a ton of seating, but they have a good bar, and a second lounge area in front of the club as well. The stage is practically on the floor, so you can almost hang out on stage with the bands if your up close. They have pool and pinball in back near the bar. Overall it is dark and has a real lounge feel to it, also the crowds are usually small and you avoid the random downtown crowds due to the location. Give it a shot, great place to catch a show!!!

• Pros: intimate, live music, bar
• Cons: drive/location