I would probably give this place 5 stars if we hadn't been there with a group of 13! The size of the group totally overwhelmed their kitchen and it took them an hour to get our food out. But when they did... OMG it was wonderful!! The hash browns are so so crispy, I don't think anyone in town can match it. The fried eggs were perfect, the pancakes.. yummy! My grandson usually eats two bites of a meal and declares he's 'all done'. He ate nearly his entire HUGE pancake (possibly because he was so hungry from the long wait!). It was truly a delicious meal. I'll be going back, but in a smaller group.
(4)
Pedro L.
Super cute place with great service! The food is great and the location for me is perfect! It's right across from the apartment and right on the waterfront. It looks much nicer inside and the people are very friendly and attentive. There are TVs to watch sportsball and great breakfast food!
(5)
Dr R.
Great place! It's a classic dive, clean, good food and great service. It doesn't have much curb appeal, but it's larger inside than it appears.
(4)
D.J. L.
Best breakfast place for the money I have found in portland. Great food great service I will keep coming back... the best part is the hash brown's are always crispy and cooked on both sides!
(4)
Aimee F.
This establishment has good drinks, good food, and good service. There's not much more you need. I recommend anything on the menu, especially the breakfast burrito and the Bloody Mary! Enjoy.
(5)
Kelly P.
Love eating breakfast at any hour here and of course this is the spot for a great Bloody Mary! The staff is super friendly and you will never have bad service.
(5)
Halvdan M.
, they close at 10 p.m. what kind of bar in Portland in damn near what used to be the industrial district. Closes so early
(1)
Educated Consumer M.
Hash browns lived up to the hype. I had the eggs florentine. Quite good. English muffins could have been toasted more. This place was hopping at 9am on a Friday morning, with a nice, local, casual vibe.
(4)
Sarah W.
Food and drinks are good enough for a dive bar. Service is sooo slowwww it's actually mind-boggling. I've sat at the counter and can see the guys back there cooking away, but it still takes way longer than I think it should. On the plus, the Bloody Mary's are good.
(3)
Stacy C.
You can come here with bedhead! (yeah, its a long book-like review but you have nothing better to do) The 'ambiance' This is the one place I'll throw on clothes and head out the door for without getting myself all proper and such. (well this place and work). You'll find folks in their Patagonia attire, hard core bike riders clunking through in their bike shoes, construction types in flannels and some like me- you'll spot the bedhead. I hate to call it a dive bar, but some do. (btw what makes a place 'a dive bar' for you? cause this ain't it for me) Dockside is a comfy, relaxed joint. No stiff service, la tee dah crap that so many think they are owed anytime they grace a doorway. When you come in the waitress with a coffee pot might wave it your way and call out to 'sit anywhere'. Don't get all jacked up and offended. Go to the Benson if you need fawned over. They don't need to have a matching beer selection to every other joint in town- it's the Dockside. Hit the easy button and order something. They don't strive to, or need to, meet or surpass other joints in town- it's the Dockside and it will be what its been since 1986. Get in, find a seat, read the history of the place, watch one of the many TVs, people watch, read a newspaper, talk to your friend, slow the F down and dont think you're all that- you'll have a dandy time. Parking For YEARSSS, perhaps since 1925, parking has been easy. Jam your ride into any spot you find. Now construction is taking place all around this little eatery, the fences have gone up and the new kid in town isn't playing nice. Parking is a going to be tricky but here comes the good neighbor part (so far I cant find them on YELP to give them a big atta). There is a flooring business just to the north across the street from Dockside and THEY are playing nice. They are allowing Dockside patrons to park in their lot and I say GOOD FOR YOU! I just might march in there someday and tell them that. If you park there be a good citizen, no trash or whizzing. In our world where everything is becoming MINE and YOURS here is a fine example of OURS. Food? OMG THE HASHBROWNNNNSSSSSSSSSS Specials are always a great selection and the regular menu you cant go wrong with. Many of their items are named after the bridges in Portland (this is a local joint folks- not a chain) and I dig it. I had blueberry pancakes just last Sunday and YUM. This is the first time I havent ordered the hashbrowns which was a real struggle but I reeled myself in from ordering both. Re having a wait for food? If they are behind they will tell you. Last Sunday the place was SLAMMING (remember this is a good sign) and their stoves and cooks can only cook so much at one time. It was worth the wait. Ive only been here for breakfast. Please go. Please chill out. Please take in some Portland history. This isn't a new joint that puts old pictures up and pretends to be historic...this is historic. You will be sitting in history and knowing how we mow our history down and pave over the spaces... it will be gone someday. I could go on- but I wont.
(5)
Janet M.
What do you do when you have two hours without your barnacle baby ( er, tween) on a Saturday? Grab a buddy. Go to Dockside and have some breakfast. Yummy blueberry pancakes with fluffy eggs, crispy bacon, sausage links and an orange slice for $8.95. Yay. Small oj for $2. Coffee ( it was ok) for $2. Service was friendly, casual. Good. Vibe is cool. Plenty to look at. Good people watching.The place has some charm. I watched in amusement as a pitcher of beer and glasses were set up on an empty table next to us. Three bicyclists ( slightly older gentlemen) arrived shortly after their brew was set up for them. I think they've been there before maybe ;) Sweet! I'll be back. Totally.
(4)
L S.
Some of us eat lunch here several times a week. It's like coming home to your own club. Friendly staff, solid diner food and some pretty outrageous breakfast specials on the weekend. Extremely consistent and you know exactly what you are getting. Many business people from the NW area have been eating there for years... quite a mix. highly recommended if you want a normal place with good food and not all foo-foo. Great place!!
(4)
Eric M.
I've been here 4 times now over the last year. Service here is very good. The waitress does not come over and bother you every 5 minutes like other restaurants. Service is a 5 and food is about a 3...average of a 4 ranking for the price and value of meal/service. I come here because it's quiet and close to my hotel for work. I have yet to have anything that blows me away but all the food I have had is good enough to have me coming back
(4)
Ashley B.
My husband and I popped in here on Saturday night to have a cocktail. I had never been in before but I love a good dive bar and had driven by a few times so we decided to try it out. We walked in and it was gloriously divey with a hint of diner. Love it! The crowd was a bunch of construction dudes who must have just gotten off work and were all having a good time. Great conversation to hear if you happen to be sitting close or walking by. Our bartender/server was an adorable blonde lady, I wish I got her name because she was just fabulous. She was extremely attentive, super nice and very personable. And...get this! She got our orders right which quite frankly is a rarity these days. She had made a comment about an older more "uppity" type couple that had come in and were just appalled by the crowd/conversation so they left. I thought that was kind of funny because I felt like this was the exact type of crowd I WANTED to be around. We didn't eat there but we did look at the menu. Really great standard diner-type options. Greasy spoon deliciousness. We'll be going back for breakfast for sure. Loved the bartender. Loved the crowd. Loved the Dockside.
(5)
Cornelious N.
I realize that this place is charming... but honestly... this is diner food... and not even good diner food... just diner food. Think about it... diner food. It's greasy, inadequately or overseasoned, salty as hell, and simply not unique. Yet again, this is not some gourment Portland take on diner food... this is simply good ol' mediocre food that mediocre people and old tourists eat.
(2)
Michael P.
wow. dockside, amazing. was visiting porltand for a few days with my friend and we needed a breakfast spot after a night of drinking. yelp did not dissapoint from the bloody marys, to the food , to the awesome waitstaff. everything was perfect had the chicken fried steak and my friend had corned beef hash. both were amazing both bartenders working there 25+ years were awesome and made the visit a pleasure. would definitely come back and recommend this to anyone else who was in portland
(5)
Rebecca R.
I love Dockside. The place is a little divey, the servers are friendly and seem to know everybody, and it is crazy affordable. They also have one of the best patty melts that I have tasted in a long long time. I want to come for the spaghetti night but I have a feeling that it is packed. I love the back story of the place. It's a great place to take out of towners for a meal.
(5)
Laura C.
Dockside is what it is; a dive bar. A very good one. Thus my rating is to say that's it's one of the better ones I've been to in town. I can't say I've been here for anything other than breakfast, but then, to me, breakfast is the best meal of the day. The joint is located just a bit north of downtown, towards all the new condo's on the waterfront. It's the perfect spot to go for a hang-over breakfast. However; it's across town from where I live, so unless I crash at a friends place nearby, I don't normally make the trek. Not that it isn't worth it, I'm just not the person to ask to cross town for food, when there is acceptable - albeit not as good - dive bar closer to home. I also spent 5 hours here on Superbowl Sunday. They closed the place down for a private party and I got an invite. Lucky me! The place is teaming (no pun intended) with plasma screen TV's - for the sports fanatic. I was there for the large portions of yummy food. This is a no-frills bar with lots of parking in their private lot.
(4)
Curt B.
Solid white trash breakfast food at a cheap price. What's not to like? Mix in fast, friendly service and the fact that I've never had to wait for a spot to sit (although they are always busy on the weekends) and this becomes one of my favorite breakfast spots when I'm downtown. It will be a sad day when this place gets bulldozed to make way for the tsunami of condo's headed that way.
(4)
Annie S.
A standard brunch spot for us. Super yummy hashbrowns and omelets. Great service. Great bloody Mary's
(5)
Rebecca H.
Delicious! Down home food, big portions, well cooked, in a divey but not dirty old style bar. Great waitstaff, closed the curtains in the lotto so we could eat at a table, not a booth. Split my order so my daughter could share it with me, they filled her sippy cup and were very sweet to her. The blueberry pancakes with eggs, bacon and toast were great. Lots of blueberries! Everybody finished their plates and were happy! They are open during all the construction around them, stop by! On weekends you can use the parking lot across the street.
(5)
Tamara C.
Yes. Just hell yes. When hungover, and I suspect even when feeling superb, this place puts out an awesome brunch. At the time, just the idea of having another drop of alcohol was nauseating so I was unable to order one of the amazing looking Bloody Mary's. My brunch buddies though, they ordered their fair share and mine too. Next time I go back, I really must have one of those Bloody Mary's. My Ginger Ale was pretty satisfying though and our server kept them coming. The menu and the specials menu is quite extensive and made it difficult for me to choose but I ended up ordering the chicken fried steak and a side of bacon. When it arrived I felt rather daunted as it was freaking huge and even the plate of bacon was huge. In my delicate state, I barely put a dent in it all and ended up with huge amounts of left overs. When I woke up from my food coma and hangover cure later in the evening, everything was just as awesome the second time around. Dockside RULES.
(4)
Andrew R.
This place is awesome. It looks like its about to just fall apart, or be blown away, and there's not really anything else around it, it's just sitting by itself on its own little block. The wait staff here is hilarious, and super friendly! They're very talkative and fun, and they alone are a reason to come back, but then you get the food, and you're hooked! Tuna melt, on an English muffin. Pretty marvelous. While you wait for the food you can read about their funny "claim to fame" on the back of their menu. The whole experience is just great. A fun little Portland landmark
(5)
Kat ..
Great staff and ugly Burger but OMG surprising Yummy!!!!!
(4)
Jordan D.
My Family lives across the way and I tend to come here with my parents and have bought some friends out as well on the weekends. Taco Tuesday are always a must! The STAFF is AMAZING, outgoing, friendly, talkative and makes us always feel like we're part of this family owned Dockside Saloon.
(4)
JW R.
OMG! They're going to film a scene from a movie here!!!!! Five years ago. Don't let the sign on the wall fool you, that movie sucked and the scene didn't even make it into the DVD extras. The Dockside, however, is full of win. From the outside it looks, uh, ramshackle I think is the nice word. But the inside gives no sense that collapse is impending. And as someone pointed out (in disgust, but I thought it was pretty awesome) there are 8 TVs in there. They seem to close at 8pm on weeknights normally. Be warned. I didn't eat, but the food I saw looked good. Jeff's burger looked awesome (in the greasy/crusty category), there were some tostadas a few of the WAG girls had that would have been good with some animal upon them. Same for the quesadillas. The drinks were tasty and the service, well, it was just us so it's hard to say what the service would be like on a normal night. I just hope those ritzy yuppie condos going up on the river don't wreck this place. But they probably will. Enjoy the Dockside while you can.
(4)
Alex L.
I had a very delicious breakfast here at Dockside and good dranks. Sooooo delicious and greasy. Plus they gave me free toast! What's not to love. This place is the jam if you're in the neighborhood. The staff is super cool too. If you don't like it you're probably just too uptight.
(5)
Brian H.
I love this place. It is unpretentious, friendly, comfortable, and Good! I've eaten breakfast here probably 30 times. The food is good, not fancy but good. I don't like bloody mary's but my friends swear that the Dockside has some of the best in town. The wait staff is top notch. They are efficient , friendly, and often hillarious. This is one of my mainstays in Portland.
(4)
Samantha S.
I went to Dockside for Sunday brunch. It felt a bit like home. As others have mentioned, this is not a white table cloth, sparkling crystal kind of place. It's a shack on the side of the road with vinyl covered booths and long menu. It's the kind of neighborhood place that I would happily go to for a few beers and football. I has the Huevos Ranchos special and was happy with the salsa and overall taste. I did find the corn tortillas on the bottom to be a bit impossible to cut, but everything else was delicious. I was in an out for under $20, including a Bloody Mary and tip.
(3)
Valerie W.
Dockside = my divey new breakfast love Lots of wood, old decor, TVs playing sports, great staff, good menu....perfect. HUGE plus is that they have their own parking lot. Score. Here's some of my reasons for loving this place: 1. The breakfast menu is excellent. Many of the meals named after local bridges. 2. Prices are fair and you get a lot for your $$ 3. Full bar. Good beers on tap. $5 mimosas 4. Staff will treat you like family. Super nice and accommodating. 5. Food overall is good....here's the run down of my 'Vista Bridge' meal: $9.95 for Chicken Fried Steak, 2 eggs, Hashbrowns, and toast (or my choice of homemade biscuits. Biscuits = pure love. Buttery, fluffy, and great with honey. Hashbrowns...tasty. Crispy outside and not overcooked. Just the way I like them. Eggs...I asked for over medium. Got over easy. No biggy. Chicken fried steak...not bad. Not great. I was having troubles cutting it with a knife. The outer 'fried' layer was tough. Meh. It tasted OK but was just really hard to eat and I could not finish. The gravy however made up for it. Overall I would say definitely give this place a try. I did notice that the ground was uneven in the place and if you aren't seated in a booth you are slanted. Odd. You likely won't leave here hungry though. Everything was overall tasty.
(4)
E M.
From the random decor to the awesome story on the back of the menu, I love this place. No, it's not fine dining. It's a diner. It's an awesome diner. Pros: * Good service and friendly staff * Great price point (portions are generous) * Plenty of menu options * Laid back vibe Cons: * No milkshakes (apparently there's no ice cream machine)! * Beer selection is decent, but has some room to grow
(4)
Zoe T.
Excellent breakfast spot in industrial NW -- plenty of parking and no wait when we went at 9am on a Saturday. This place has a cozy diner feel. Service was friendly and attentive. Food was simple and well-prepared. Very crunchy, toasty hashbrowns, yum!
(5)
Cheryl D.
We rotate who picks family breakfast and my lovely Sister In Law picked this place. We pulled up and went OH MY GAWD what a dump, I was scared. We got inside and our worries were for nothing, it is a very sweet little place. . The Servers were happy and good at their jobs, they juggled things very effectively. They sure seem to have alot of regulars which is cool, many hugs were exchanged. The food, oh my god was it good. The Hash-browns are to DIE for, I don't know what they do to them but they are the best I have eaten, seriously. I had the Taco Omelet and it was seriously delicious, full of meat and onions, sour cream and a homemade salsa on top. The Biscuits are homemade and they split them for you and brown them on the flat top. YUM. Overall I think we were all pretty tickled about our breakfasts, by the time we left the place was hopping. How they put out such good food in such a small space is really quite amazing. I cant wait to go back and try something else!
(5)
Denny S.
Love the "Vista bridge", chicken fried paradise. I can't bring myself to order anything else, why mess with perfection. The hash browns are crispy and fried with butter, toast is toast, but I hear the biscuits are pretty good. I passed on the eggs and it still ruined my lunch plans, wouldn't fit. No health food here, just really well done home style chow, in a cool place, with a fantastic wait staff to match.
(5)
Bob M.
It was decided when I was 12 that I was too old to sit around the house during the summer and that I should go work with my Uncle, the plumber. A pivotal time in my growth. In one summer, I decided that there was no way in hell I was going to be a plumber when I grew up. Sewers stink. Sweating is over rated and I hated my Uncle with the fire of the twenty suns. He did, however, turn me on to workingman's diners. A few of our Yelpish friends decided that this morning's overcast was too bright. Before anything productive took over the day, we should meet at Dockside, drink and eat big piles of starchy fat ladened carbos until such thoughts passed. It did. I went home with a big goofy smile on my face and did not wake up for coming on six hours. Perhaps it was the couple lovely vegetable juice drinks that I had with it? I love a Bloody Mary with produce in it. Fully armed with a tasty pickled green bean, lime, a salted rim and a platoon of speared manzanillas, just getting into the cocktail took a little effort. Once past the infantry there is a lovely peppery cocktail well worth the effort. At $2.50 a throw, one can throw many back. The company was lovely, and I recommend bringing your own troops, but it looks like a place that you can just start conversations with what begin as strangers and have a good ol' time. To the food: I had the country fried steak, pan gravy and hash browns. Gravy was a little thick, but peppery, a breaded steak the size of a manhole and very, very good diner hash browns; those kinds with a uniform crunchy gold crust and soft potato-ey goodness inside. The whole shebang? A good solid workingman's joint. Wish it and all my pals were a little closer to the Land of the Bland.
(3)
Jeannie J.
I just found out a week ago that they don't have a deep fryer. How? Why?!? Sometimes a girl needs some fries damn it!
(4)
Mac M.
Favorite cheap breakfast in Portland. And, the waitresses are awesome. Huge menu full of great food. Have never had a bad time here ever!
(5)
Eric P.
I dropped a friend off at the airport and had some time to kill before work. Figured I'd check out the Dockside for breakfast. I'm glad I did, as it was just what I was looking for. I had The burnside: two eggs, hash browns, choice of toast or biscuit. Good stuff for cheap at 6:30am. Friendly waitress, and a bunch of cops eating there. Has to be a good place.
(4)
Scott S.
Dockside is an institution. With all the fancy restaurants in the Portland area, this is ALWAYS the place I want to take newbies and visitors. The staff is incredible. The food is good (and plentiful). The Bloody Marys (in case your doctor told you to eat more vegetables like mine did) are sublime.
(5)
Peter T.
Tucked away in one of the industrial sections of Portland, directly underneath where the 405 crosses the river, the Dockside serves the working stiffs that ply their trade in the various businesses in the port. Open from 5AM - 8PM M-F, and with earlier closing times on the weekend, the Dockside features a lengthy breakfast and lunch menu daily food and soup specials. I was doing some work in the area, and my client suggested we pop in for a bite. I went with a bacon/cheeseburger, which is served with your choice of a wide variety of sides, and dressed with sauce, tomato and shredded lettuce. Ample thick-sliced bacon and gooey cheese topped the burger. While the food doesn't particularly make the Dockside a specific destination for diners, it is ample, fast, inexpensive, and served by a really friendly staff.
(3)
Del O.
Fast, friendly service, great food at an exceptional price, and you can even enjoy a cigar outside. I often come here for lunch, and you can get most breakfast items all day long. If you're in the area - stop by and you won't be disappointed!
(5)
Greg B.
Dockside Saloon is alluring. It sits on the base of Front Avenue as the street goes further into Industrial Land. There are no other eating establishments that lie before it. It exists on that corner. It should be noted for its existence. The waitresses are helpful. The dish of the day ("taco salad") is offered. The food is quick and prompt. It sits there on the table waiting to be eaten. Then there are the cookies, which I gathered, could be a daily treat. I had the coffee cookie and it was very well done. The taco salad was cheap. It's one of those places that doesn't disguise the fact that it's a dive bar mashed in with a diner with a constant flow of people coming in. There is parking on the street. There's wood everywhere and it's a great place.
(4)
Matt L.
Now, I don't know how much I can actually comment on their food, because I ordered two eggs, fruit and a side of yogurt when I went, but from what I could tell my friends' food looked AMAZING. I literally wanted to bury my face in the biscuits that came along with the chicken fried steak that one of them was eating. They just looked so golden, crispy and delicious ... I better stop there before I make myself unnecessarily hungry. Ain't nobody got time for that. I was actually surprised to see that this restaurant actually existed. it's tucked away in an unsuspecting part of the NW Industrial District, and unless you really knew what you were looking for, you'd miss it. It has it's own parking lot, which is pretty much unheard of downtown, they have a wide variety of food (each of their signature plates are named after city bridges, which is pretty awesome), their servers are wickedly funny and really like to engage you in actual conversation beyond what your order is. It's almost like having a little slice of small-town America right in downtown. The prices are pretty reasonable, and the little quirks are lots of fun to discover. Like the WWE Wrestling action figure we found wedged behind one of the televisions. Next time I go, I'm going to have to maybe run a few miles beforehand so I don't feel guilty when I order the massive plate of food I actually want to.
(3)
Jennifer W.
Very chill and old school! Breakfast is AMAZING and the bacon.... Oh the bacon! You'll love it, take my word on it;)
(5)
Kevin M.
It's on the periphery, but Dockside is not the Pearl -- reminding that working docks remain nearby. It feels like a place you'd stop at in the mountains, where "locals" (in this case, dock workers) and visitors (Pearl people) find sustenance in an ancient-looking wood edifice. The food is straight up and indulgent; you can get a chili omelet. It's greasy, it's good, it's friendly and it's not expensive. And they were open during the snowstorm.
(4)
Ben R.
Yes, this is a dive-y sports bar in a 90 year old saloon with pot holes in the parking lot. BUT, inside you will be pleasantly surprised inside by the service, food and homey all-wood interior. All of the food is scratch made home style; they are an American traditional breakfast/lunch diner. This is one of my favorite Sunday brunch spots because we always get there late afternoon after the rush and have great service. On the weekend they serve breakfast all day and also have brunch specials that are favorites such as blueberry pancakes, breakfast scramble, and perfect eggs benedict. Weekday favorites include chicken fried steak, omelet, and the kids love the strawberry waffles. They have good coffee (Bridgetown) but I haven't tried the espresso yet. The portions are slightly generous. The staff is fast and friendly, and tends to toe their own in the banter with the M-F lunch regulars. This is a family favorite for weekend brunch, but I was also on a streak for a few months going there for a quick lunch almost everyday. They have a rotating daily lunch special that was always excellent and a great way to try something new that isn't on the menu. This can be a good place for groups, but I would call ahead if you have more than 10. This is a small place. They have 10 booths, 10 tables, and about 6 people can sit at the bar. Walk in and grab a table, there is no hostess seating. The menus are on the table. You can pay your server or up at the bar if you're in a hurry. They can be very quick during lunch if you are in a rush. They are also open very early for breakfast (5am). While you are waiting for your order, read their story on the back of the menu.
(4)
Andy K.
I go there once in a while for Breakfast.. They are very close to my place and are open at 5 am. The staff is nice and the place has a old time diner feel even though it looks like a dive bar...
(4)
Olivia T.
They handled our reservation for 12 people very well. We got a long table towards the back of the restaurant. Our server was very nice. She's attentive, didn't mind the split checks, got our orders right, and she even took our family group pictures multiple times. Too bad I didn't get her name because she deserved the employee of the year award. They serve really great food here. I had the Spicy Pasta dish and it was delicious. It was very basic comfort food and it hits the right spots. Everybody else raved about their food; Reuben, Chicken Salad, Fish & Chips, and more. If you are in St Helens and looking for a nice restaurant without breaking the bank, this place will suit you. We left happy and with full bellies.
(5)
Scott P.
Love the dockside! Do not be put off in anyway by the location, or the exterior. Actually, go ahead, be put off. It will increase my chances of getting a table next Saturday morning. This place is great. They crank out some serious breakfasts. I liked the huveos racheros but i LOVED the breakfast burrito! Finally someone who cooks commercial hash browns up right! Crispy as all get out on the outside yet perfectly hot and moist on the inside. Oh btw, the best bloody mary ever in my book.
(4)
Emily V.
This place is amazing. I used to live close to it so I found it out of convience but now that I have moved and live a good distance from it I still make the trip. It is a hang over cure on a plate if you make it for breakfast. My best friend and I love meeting up here. Its kind of like a Portland version of Cheers..... "where everybody knows your nammmeee." The staff are so nice and friendly, the owners are workin behind the bar or waiting tables and are super kind people. I really have fallen in love with this place over the years and encourage YOU to go fall in love with it. You won't be disappointed :-) I recently even had my graduate school graduation lunch at Dockside, my guests were all stoked to enjoy lunch with me at such a great spot! Keep up the good work Dockside.
(5)
Melissa P.
Yumm! Now that was a good breakfast. Now I know why the parking lot is always full when I drive by this place. I don't know anything about the quality of the dockside as a bar and evening destination. But four of us stopped in for a post paddle brunch, and every meal was great. The service was attentive and casual. And the bloody mary's were in pitchers ready to be poured. This might be a new weekend habit.
(4)
MaryBeth D.
A definite dive bar but that's ok cause it is a really cool place to eat. All of the food is named after like all of Portland bridges or something else local. The wait staff does an awesome job of being very attentive to everyone. FYI.....they have the most buttery, crispy taters I have ever eaten.
(4)
Neil W.
There is a cancer in Portland. A disease eating our gastronomical sense of relativism from the inside out....specifically from the inside out of our bank accounts. Have we become so blinded by the almighty appeal of the hip and new that we can no longer value that which is inherently valuable? Have we lost all sense of pragmatism in entertainment? I sure hope not, and I charge you, fair reader, to join in effort to support a movement away from judging establishments on their proximity to the Pearl or Belmont Station. A renewed premium on the intrinsic value that a table is just sometimes just something my elbows and drinks sit on, and NOT a work of art. That on any given Tuesday I would rather hear from a bartender that she has "Miller, Coors Light, and some local shit that's hoppy on tap." That I don't need confit; that I may not want compound butter; and that sometimes I want to be curious as to why my jeans stuck to my bar stool for a second. I urge our community to stand up against a shifting paradigm that may create our own tower of babel here in Portland, leading us heathens to be the victors of our own spoils and lose such truly valuable establishments as the Dockside. But I digress. While I would hardly consider myself cheap or frugal, I am a SUCKER for a good deal. And here's a what I call a good deal. Hamburger w/ Cheese and Fixins Chips 3 Jack and Sodas = $15 That what I had at Dockside on a Wednesday night. Rave reviews also came in for their $3 chicken Quseodilla. Great, friendly service, good location, parking lot, TV's EVERYWHERE. Doesn't get any better in the world of dive bars than this. Amazing.
(5)
Todd G.
Sat at the bar literally a few feet from the wait staff. I had been sitting for easily five minutes but no greeting. Sadly, the server greeted a "regular" that came in 5 min. after I did...still no greeting for me. Terrible customer service. Can't give them anything more than a single star...didn't have a chance to try the food. I get it...good servers greet their regulars...they should also greet NEW customers. Shame...
(1)
Bill T.
So I ended my wonderful weekend in the Pacific Northwest at the Dockside Saloon and Restaurant. I had the Dockside Omlette wich you should try, you can also get it with three different meats which is just silly, but a great idea. The ambiance is that of a blue collar's idea of a good time, which is what it is, and they are just what you would be looking for if you want to put aside all "chic" and "cool" things and just go to a place that will make feel like a normal human being again. Thank you guys for ending my trip on a great note! See you next time!
(4)
Amado L.
I sort of promised my buddy Dickey that I wasn't going to Yelp about this place because he feared that it will then no longer be his 'secret find' when hordes of Yeeps try it out for themselves. But it would be un-Yeeplike of me to review a new place-- and a breakfast place at that-- so...sorry, Dickey. This is one honest-to-goodness diner that would've been difficult to spot unless you knew what you were looking for or lived in the area (or checked Yelp beforehand). In fact, I kept taunting Dickey about whether or not he really knew where we were going as we seemed to be simply driving endlessly on North Front Avenue, to which he replied: "Would you shut the f*ck up? I've been going to this place for years; of course, I know where the f*ck it is!" (Clearly, he needed some breakfast. Pronto...) We finally get there, and find immediate parking in its nondescript lot. The restaurant's diminutive exterior belies the spacious yet cozy interior, replete with booths, tallboys and bistro style seating. The dark woods are reminiscent of a place that's been around forever and, indeed as stated on the back of their menu, the structure was built in the late 20's. The breakfast menu was extensive with nomenclatures tinged with Portland landmarks. I cannot remember now the name of what I'd ordered but it's their chicken fried steak breakfast, which came with hashbrowns, two eggs any style and toast. It was heavenly-- the breaded steak and the country gravy had just the right amount of saltiness to make it savory without being overpowering; the eggs over easy were nearly perfect, as if God had fried them; and the hashbrowns were crispy yet light. There wasn't a lot of grease coming out of this greasy spoon. And, at $7.25 USD, it was affordable. The coffee ($1.85 USD) was diner quality but with enough cream and sugar tasted alright. It was ten thirty in the morning and I was starving, so the grub hit the spot, but I wouldn't necessarily say I was blown away. But, I'll tell you what, I'll definitely be back if only to try their other creations, especially the ones served with bacon strips, which seemed to have been extracted from incredibly gargantuan swines-- them bacon strips were enormous, yo! The breakfast servers were of the mature lot and it was at once arousing and revolting to see them slither through the tables in their Daisy Dukes. At least they kept my cup of decaf flowing... I see a bevy of 'four star' reviews for this place but I'd have to think that something's gotta tip them over to make them earn that fifth star. I intend to find out what the something is when I come back again. And again. And again...
(4)
April E.
Dockside is the 'ol standby for breakfast. The staff is wonderful, friendly and efficient. The food....well...it's pretty darn good! Nothing fancy, just simple items done right. I would definitely reccommend this place. It's great!
(5)
John F.
Looks scary in the outside, nice surprise on the inside. Our breakfast was generous, well-prepared, and hearty without being greasy. The staff was friendly, fast, and knowledgeable. A good place to grab an old-school breakfast or burger.
(3)
Kimberly V.
For the rowdy gentlemen group at table #3-ish: I Spent My Last $10 On Birth Control and Beer by Two Nice Girls I did not drink, I did not smoke I did not say goddamn I was polite I was sensitive before I loved a [bar] My family, they were proud of me were proud of what I am But then along came [Dockside] and my tale of woe began I spent my last ten dollars on birth control and beer My life was so much simpler when I was sober and queer But the love of a strong hairy [bar] has turned my head I fear And made me spend my last ten bucks on birth control and beer I think the above song uses wry irony to point out the casual, desperate nature implicit in the hooking up at bars procedure, particularly of the breeder persuasion. So what happens when it's the bar itself that brings the drinkin', devil-may-care side out of me? I swear I wasn't like that at all (last night) until I descended upon Dockside. All would be fab if it weren't for the 8:30 closing time (1). Uh oh, you guys, I think I just had a breakthrough. I'm baryamorous. (1) I should point out that Dockside regularly closes its doors around 8:30 (on Wednesdays) but they made a three-hour exception for the thirsty Yelp and WAG folk. Isn't that reason enough to drop your drinking drawers?
(4)
Todd R.
I love the diners and this one is true to the genre with the added plus of a low grime factor, well lit and welcoming, if you consider that a plus in a diner. You gotta give any downscale joint in super-gentrifying NW kudos just for staying alive. The Dockside squats right on the line between the steel mills and shipyards of the NW industrial district and the million dollar condos rapidly surrounding this shack of a restaurant. As you walk up to the wooden planked boxy building, it looks like the entire structure is leaning forward. Dockside? Hell it looks like the dock itself, right before they tear it down to build some soul-less concrete monster. Once you're in the door, it's bright and warm. Blue collar types sit around tables sipping coffee and chowing down. More wide, old-growth planks, TVs blink at you from all directions, black and white photos invite you to come closer and inspect: enormous bundles in huge warehouses, the St. Johns bridge sans roadway. You'd swear it's a bar, not a restaurant, and they do serve beer, but not hard licks (I think). Sit down and soak up the atmosphere, try to ignore the hypnotic flicker of the tvs (I'm totally against tvs unless I'm specifically there to watch a game). The food? Just what you'd expect, cheap- eggs, sausage and a side of toast, weak coffee, friendly, efficient, older "I've seen it all, let's chat" waitress. Just the place on a rainy Oregon morning.
(4)
Jay C.
Classic greasy spoon breakfast. Great eggs Benedict and a bloody Mary that hits the spot. We never have to wait for a table, and I hope all these great yelp reviews don't ruin that. :)
(4)
Sabrina H.
What a comfy little bar. There are tons of tables and booths with a friendly staff to make you feel very welcome. The happy hour also has some good prices. I enjoyed a vodka cranberry and a chicken quesadilla. Both of which are very tasty. However, I didn't realize that the quesadilla had jalepenos but I found out in my first bite. At least I was able to pick some of the bigger slices out. It comes with a side of salsa and sour cream too. The only thing I don't like about it is the fact that it is in the middle of nowhere. There isn't anything around it to make it worth the trip unless there is an event going on down there.
(4)
Michelle H.
Will someone please tell me where the secret room is? You know the kind that houses some sort of secret society, secret fight club, or secret gambling? That's the feel of the Dockside. Super super cool. A damn tasty happy hour quesadilla [for $2.55!] can be had, let me tell you. Just make sure you scope out the jalepenos if that's not your thing. If it weren't so randomly out of the way, I'd love to come back for breakfast or lunch. There is a lot of tasty looking stuff on that menu. Big TVs in a couple spots were touting sports games for the interested. I think I saw some video poker type stuff. Bathrooms were clean. Lots of tables and booths to seat you. Lots of cool stuff on the walls to look at. Really friendly service. It's an all around good deal. PS - Please keep your PPDs at home.
(4)
Coral C.
I understand that it's out in the middle of nowhere, but why must a bar close so early? For shame. Edit: Andrew C. pointed out the fact that all the workers go home early. Okay, yeah, I guess that's a good enough reason. (dammit)
(4)
Jim C.
Despite numerous claims of my co-workers about Taco Tuesdays and the like, I've never made it over to the Dockside for anything other than lunch. Having said that, the lunch is great. In addition to the standard menu, the specials are occasionally quite inspired... macaroni and cheese soup and a breaded pork cutlet sandwich were both excellent and quite a surprise from an unashamed saloon. The sandwiches are universally good, and the macaroni salad is a nice accompaniment to almost anything. The worst part about the Dockside is that sometimes you simply can't get to it. We waited on the wrong side of the tracks for 15 minutes as a train slowly wended its way through Portland before giving up and heading the other direction... literally as well as figuratively, we ended up at Wildwood for lunch.
(4)
Ariel S.
Come here for the incredible breakfast (the hashbrowns are unbelievable!), the beer, and the douchebag neighbors who live in those new condos across the street !
(4)
Libby G.
After driving past the Dockside for years and hearing wonderful reviews from clients I finally decided to give it a try. I LOVED IT. I give them a 5 star for breakfast. Breakfast is fantastic. The ambiance takes me back to a forested Lake Mackenzie in Wisconsin. I did stop for lunch and the waitress recommended a steak sandwhich which had no flavor... and i sent it back and asked for chili instead. They did not charge me for the chili but left the steak sandwhich on my bill. I will stick with going there for breakfast.
(4)
Vanessa R.
Went to the Dockside today, and was totally stoked for some breakfast. Unfortunately, we didn't get there until about 1pm, and they stop serving breakfast at 11. I was pretty crushed, as I hadn't read that in any of the reviews (how did I miss this?) I ended up going with a bacon and egg burger and the potato salad. The salad was pretty meh, but the burger was pretty darned great! No french fries, maybe they're considered too fattening? .. We also had the cookies, fresh out the oven, and hit the spot after the yummy burger. I had a root beer, which had a twangy taste to it (can't find a good word to describe it...twangy is the only word that comes to mind...)..We were really wanting to try the lemonade, but it was sitting on the counter and was almost brown....so we took the safe route.. The waitress was fairly young, but was totally cool. My rowdy friends caused quite a ruckus with another patron, an older gentleman that didn't like our topic of conversation, but the waitress kept her cool and didn't kick us out. All in all a pretty decent place that had good food. Fast and friendly service, I'll definitely be going back, even if it's out of the way. I passed a few abandoned buildings that need to be explored... :)
(3)
Allison D.
Cheap beer and daily specials, not a very big menu but a very lively place. More suited for the working man tho, not a typical trendy spot to meet people. Last I count they had 9 TVs, playing sports or news. Parking is ample but warned of the huge pot holes and rough surfacing. Note they do not have FRENCH FRIES!!! A side note about they're cleanliness, they do leave food out. But I haven't gotten sick so far.
(3)
Kristin S.
The Dockside is completely free of pretenses which can be a real treat and surprise in a sea of fancy localvore, pinky-in-the-air brunch spots in Portland. They have typical diner fare but are still consious of people who might be eating a bit healthier or vegetarian. The staff are super-friendly. I wouldn't eat here all the time since I can't handle such hearty food.
(4)
April B.
My husband was craving a good diner breakfast and we'd heard The Dockside was a local place of interest so we rode our bikes up there Saturday morning and barely squeaked in under the 11:00am breakfast cut off time. We sat at the counter and were informed it was the "construction area" as in the construction guys usually sit there. Saturday morning, though, it was free. The Dockside is not hard to find--on NW 17th and Front Street. If you're in NW PDX, just take 17th street all the way north? I had a veggie omelet and my husband had chicken fried steak. Both breakfasts were exactly what we were looking for. This is not high-end, but it is good! And the bill for the 2 of us came to less than $20. The waitresses were super nice, checked on several times, and you could tell that they definitely have a loyal regular crowd. They were making jokes and it was overall a really nice friendly atmosphere. The decor is super suitable for a movie set, if the movie takes place in a dive bar. It kinda reminded me of a set on Northern Exposure. Also, there's a lot of TVs, if that's your thing, also lotto. We're moving in 2 weeks and I'm kinda glad we didn't find this place sooner because I'd be tempted to fill my belly with Dockside breakfast too often for my own good. It was constantly busy while we were there, so I think they're probably one of those places that you keep coming back to.
(5)
Patrick A.
I love heading over to Dockside whenever I'm in the mood for a salad. Their Chili Dog salad, in particular, is great. It's not so much a salad really. It's more of a large hot dog with chili on it (don't forget the cheese and onions). In fact, I don't think they call it a salad at all. Anywho, when I'm not in the mood for a salad, the Club, Italian Club, and Chili Burger always hit the spot too.
(4)
Sarah B.
This place has got spunk (um, no gross innuendo intended). Where else can you get 3 tacos (just like mom made 'em--ground beef seasoned from a packet, lettuce, salsa and a hard shell) for $1, beer for $2, and be able to claim you were hanging out at the place where the evidence that damned Tonya Harding was found? That's a special place in my book. Seriously, their happy hour is great--I think it runs from 4-7:30pm (I know it ends at 7:30, just not when it starts exactly). Taco Tuesday's are the best--that's when you can get the afore mentioned 3 for $1 deal. Any other night of the week you can choose from a number of delicious options (they are all good) like a burger, chicken quesadilla, flour tostada (yeah, had no idea what the hell this was so I had to try it--turns out, it's yummy and greasy) all for $2.55 each. They also have drink specials every night for happy hour. I've also gone for breakfast, which is equally great--huge portions for cheap! If you're not afraid of a gem of a dive, you should definitely give Dockside a try.
(4)
Jesse G.
Please be sure to stop in here before it's demolished for condos.
(4)
Aimee F.
This establishment has good drinks, good food, and good service. There's not much more you need. I recommend anything on the menu, especially the breakfast burrito and the Bloody Mary! Enjoy.
(5)
Kelly P.
Love eating breakfast at any hour here and of course this is the spot for a great Bloody Mary! The staff is super friendly and you will never have bad service.
(5)
Halvdan M.
, they close at 10 p.m. what kind of bar in Portland in damn near what used to be the industrial district. Closes so early
(1)
Mac M.
Favorite cheap breakfast in Portland. And, the waitresses are awesome. Huge menu full of great food. Have never had a bad time here ever!
(5)
Eric P.
I dropped a friend off at the airport and had some time to kill before work. Figured I'd check out the Dockside for breakfast. I'm glad I did, as it was just what I was looking for. I had The burnside: two eggs, hash browns, choice of toast or biscuit. Good stuff for cheap at 6:30am. Friendly waitress, and a bunch of cops eating there. Has to be a good place.
(4)
Stacy C.
You can come here with bedhead! (yeah, its a long book-like review but you have nothing better to do) The 'ambiance' This is the one place I'll throw on clothes and head out the door for without getting myself all proper and such. (well this place and work). You'll find folks in their Patagonia attire, hard core bike riders clunking through in their bike shoes, construction types in flannels and some like me- you'll spot the bedhead. I hate to call it a dive bar, but some do. (btw what makes a place 'a dive bar' for you? cause this ain't it for me) Dockside is a comfy, relaxed joint. No stiff service, la tee dah crap that so many think they are owed anytime they grace a doorway. When you come in the waitress with a coffee pot might wave it your way and call out to 'sit anywhere'. Don't get all jacked up and offended. Go to the Benson if you need fawned over. They don't need to have a matching beer selection to every other joint in town- it's the Dockside. Hit the easy button and order something. They don't strive to, or need to, meet or surpass other joints in town- it's the Dockside and it will be what its been since 1986. Get in, find a seat, read the history of the place, watch one of the many TVs, people watch, read a newspaper, talk to your friend, slow the F down and dont think you're all that- you'll have a dandy time. Parking For YEARSSS, perhaps since 1925, parking has been easy. Jam your ride into any spot you find. Now construction is taking place all around this little eatery, the fences have gone up and the new kid in town isn't playing nice. Parking is a going to be tricky but here comes the good neighbor part (so far I cant find them on YELP to give them a big atta). There is a flooring business just to the north across the street from Dockside and THEY are playing nice. They are allowing Dockside patrons to park in their lot and I say GOOD FOR YOU! I just might march in there someday and tell them that. If you park there be a good citizen, no trash or whizzing. In our world where everything is becoming MINE and YOURS here is a fine example of OURS. Food? OMG THE HASHBROWNNNNSSSSSSSSSS Specials are always a great selection and the regular menu you cant go wrong with. Many of their items are named after the bridges in Portland (this is a local joint folks- not a chain) and I dig it. I had blueberry pancakes just last Sunday and YUM. This is the first time I havent ordered the hashbrowns which was a real struggle but I reeled myself in from ordering both. Re having a wait for food? If they are behind they will tell you. Last Sunday the place was SLAMMING (remember this is a good sign) and their stoves and cooks can only cook so much at one time. It was worth the wait. Ive only been here for breakfast. Please go. Please chill out. Please take in some Portland history. This isn't a new joint that puts old pictures up and pretends to be historic...this is historic. You will be sitting in history and knowing how we mow our history down and pave over the spaces... it will be gone someday. I could go on- but I wont.
(5)
Scott S.
Dockside is an institution. With all the fancy restaurants in the Portland area, this is ALWAYS the place I want to take newbies and visitors. The staff is incredible. The food is good (and plentiful). The Bloody Marys (in case your doctor told you to eat more vegetables like mine did) are sublime.
(5)
Luanne S.
I would probably give this place 5 stars if we hadn't been there with a group of 13! The size of the group totally overwhelmed their kitchen and it took them an hour to get our food out. But when they did... OMG it was wonderful!! The hash browns are so so crispy, I don't think anyone in town can match it. The fried eggs were perfect, the pancakes.. yummy! My grandson usually eats two bites of a meal and declares he's 'all done'. He ate nearly his entire HUGE pancake (possibly because he was so hungry from the long wait!). It was truly a delicious meal. I'll be going back, but in a smaller group.
(4)
Pedro L.
Super cute place with great service! The food is great and the location for me is perfect! It's right across from the apartment and right on the waterfront. It looks much nicer inside and the people are very friendly and attentive. There are TVs to watch sportsball and great breakfast food!
(5)
Dr R.
Great place! It's a classic dive, clean, good food and great service. It doesn't have much curb appeal, but it's larger inside than it appears.
(4)
D.J. L.
Best breakfast place for the money I have found in portland. Great food great service I will keep coming back... the best part is the hash brown's are always crispy and cooked on both sides!
(4)
Janet M.
What do you do when you have two hours without your barnacle baby ( er, tween) on a Saturday? Grab a buddy. Go to Dockside and have some breakfast. Yummy blueberry pancakes with fluffy eggs, crispy bacon, sausage links and an orange slice for $8.95. Yay. Small oj for $2. Coffee ( it was ok) for $2. Service was friendly, casual. Good. Vibe is cool. Plenty to look at. Good people watching.The place has some charm. I watched in amusement as a pitcher of beer and glasses were set up on an empty table next to us. Three bicyclists ( slightly older gentlemen) arrived shortly after their brew was set up for them. I think they've been there before maybe ;) Sweet! I'll be back. Totally.
(4)
L S.
Some of us eat lunch here several times a week. It's like coming home to your own club. Friendly staff, solid diner food and some pretty outrageous breakfast specials on the weekend. Extremely consistent and you know exactly what you are getting. Many business people from the NW area have been eating there for years... quite a mix. highly recommended if you want a normal place with good food and not all foo-foo. Great place!!
(4)
Eric M.
I've been here 4 times now over the last year. Service here is very good. The waitress does not come over and bother you every 5 minutes like other restaurants. Service is a 5 and food is about a 3...average of a 4 ranking for the price and value of meal/service. I come here because it's quiet and close to my hotel for work. I have yet to have anything that blows me away but all the food I have had is good enough to have me coming back
(4)
Educated Consumer M.
Hash browns lived up to the hype. I had the eggs florentine. Quite good. English muffins could have been toasted more. This place was hopping at 9am on a Friday morning, with a nice, local, casual vibe.
(4)
Jennifer W.
Very chill and old school! Breakfast is AMAZING and the bacon.... Oh the bacon! You'll love it, take my word on it;)
(5)
Kevin M.
It's on the periphery, but Dockside is not the Pearl -- reminding that working docks remain nearby. It feels like a place you'd stop at in the mountains, where "locals" (in this case, dock workers) and visitors (Pearl people) find sustenance in an ancient-looking wood edifice. The food is straight up and indulgent; you can get a chili omelet. It's greasy, it's good, it's friendly and it's not expensive. And they were open during the snowstorm.
(4)
Ben R.
Yes, this is a dive-y sports bar in a 90 year old saloon with pot holes in the parking lot. BUT, inside you will be pleasantly surprised inside by the service, food and homey all-wood interior. All of the food is scratch made home style; they are an American traditional breakfast/lunch diner. This is one of my favorite Sunday brunch spots because we always get there late afternoon after the rush and have great service. On the weekend they serve breakfast all day and also have brunch specials that are favorites such as blueberry pancakes, breakfast scramble, and perfect eggs benedict. Weekday favorites include chicken fried steak, omelet, and the kids love the strawberry waffles. They have good coffee (Bridgetown) but I haven't tried the espresso yet. The portions are slightly generous. The staff is fast and friendly, and tends to toe their own in the banter with the M-F lunch regulars. This is a family favorite for weekend brunch, but I was also on a streak for a few months going there for a quick lunch almost everyday. They have a rotating daily lunch special that was always excellent and a great way to try something new that isn't on the menu. This can be a good place for groups, but I would call ahead if you have more than 10. This is a small place. They have 10 booths, 10 tables, and about 6 people can sit at the bar. Walk in and grab a table, there is no hostess seating. The menus are on the table. You can pay your server or up at the bar if you're in a hurry. They can be very quick during lunch if you are in a rush. They are also open very early for breakfast (5am). While you are waiting for your order, read their story on the back of the menu.
(4)
Andy K.
I go there once in a while for Breakfast.. They are very close to my place and are open at 5 am. The staff is nice and the place has a old time diner feel even though it looks like a dive bar...
(4)
Olivia T.
They handled our reservation for 12 people very well. We got a long table towards the back of the restaurant. Our server was very nice. She's attentive, didn't mind the split checks, got our orders right, and she even took our family group pictures multiple times. Too bad I didn't get her name because she deserved the employee of the year award. They serve really great food here. I had the Spicy Pasta dish and it was delicious. It was very basic comfort food and it hits the right spots. Everybody else raved about their food; Reuben, Chicken Salad, Fish & Chips, and more. If you are in St Helens and looking for a nice restaurant without breaking the bank, this place will suit you. We left happy and with full bellies.
(5)
Samantha S.
I went to Dockside for Sunday brunch. It felt a bit like home. As others have mentioned, this is not a white table cloth, sparkling crystal kind of place. It's a shack on the side of the road with vinyl covered booths and long menu. It's the kind of neighborhood place that I would happily go to for a few beers and football. I has the Huevos Ranchos special and was happy with the salsa and overall taste. I did find the corn tortillas on the bottom to be a bit impossible to cut, but everything else was delicious. I was in an out for under $20, including a Bloody Mary and tip.
(3)
Neil W.
There is a cancer in Portland. A disease eating our gastronomical sense of relativism from the inside out....specifically from the inside out of our bank accounts. Have we become so blinded by the almighty appeal of the hip and new that we can no longer value that which is inherently valuable? Have we lost all sense of pragmatism in entertainment? I sure hope not, and I charge you, fair reader, to join in effort to support a movement away from judging establishments on their proximity to the Pearl or Belmont Station. A renewed premium on the intrinsic value that a table is just sometimes just something my elbows and drinks sit on, and NOT a work of art. That on any given Tuesday I would rather hear from a bartender that she has "Miller, Coors Light, and some local shit that's hoppy on tap." That I don't need confit; that I may not want compound butter; and that sometimes I want to be curious as to why my jeans stuck to my bar stool for a second. I urge our community to stand up against a shifting paradigm that may create our own tower of babel here in Portland, leading us heathens to be the victors of our own spoils and lose such truly valuable establishments as the Dockside. But I digress. While I would hardly consider myself cheap or frugal, I am a SUCKER for a good deal. And here's a what I call a good deal. Hamburger w/ Cheese and Fixins Chips 3 Jack and Sodas = $15 That what I had at Dockside on a Wednesday night. Rave reviews also came in for their $3 chicken Quseodilla. Great, friendly service, good location, parking lot, TV's EVERYWHERE. Doesn't get any better in the world of dive bars than this. Amazing.
(5)
Libby G.
After driving past the Dockside for years and hearing wonderful reviews from clients I finally decided to give it a try. I LOVED IT. I give them a 5 star for breakfast. Breakfast is fantastic. The ambiance takes me back to a forested Lake Mackenzie in Wisconsin. I did stop for lunch and the waitress recommended a steak sandwhich which had no flavor... and i sent it back and asked for chili instead. They did not charge me for the chili but left the steak sandwhich on my bill. I will stick with going there for breakfast.
(4)
Vanessa R.
Went to the Dockside today, and was totally stoked for some breakfast. Unfortunately, we didn't get there until about 1pm, and they stop serving breakfast at 11. I was pretty crushed, as I hadn't read that in any of the reviews (how did I miss this?) I ended up going with a bacon and egg burger and the potato salad. The salad was pretty meh, but the burger was pretty darned great! No french fries, maybe they're considered too fattening? .. We also had the cookies, fresh out the oven, and hit the spot after the yummy burger. I had a root beer, which had a twangy taste to it (can't find a good word to describe it...twangy is the only word that comes to mind...)..We were really wanting to try the lemonade, but it was sitting on the counter and was almost brown....so we took the safe route.. The waitress was fairly young, but was totally cool. My rowdy friends caused quite a ruckus with another patron, an older gentleman that didn't like our topic of conversation, but the waitress kept her cool and didn't kick us out. All in all a pretty decent place that had good food. Fast and friendly service, I'll definitely be going back, even if it's out of the way. I passed a few abandoned buildings that need to be explored... :)
(3)
Allison D.
Cheap beer and daily specials, not a very big menu but a very lively place. More suited for the working man tho, not a typical trendy spot to meet people. Last I count they had 9 TVs, playing sports or news. Parking is ample but warned of the huge pot holes and rough surfacing. Note they do not have FRENCH FRIES!!! A side note about they're cleanliness, they do leave food out. But I haven't gotten sick so far.
(3)
Kristin S.
The Dockside is completely free of pretenses which can be a real treat and surprise in a sea of fancy localvore, pinky-in-the-air brunch spots in Portland. They have typical diner fare but are still consious of people who might be eating a bit healthier or vegetarian. The staff are super-friendly. I wouldn't eat here all the time since I can't handle such hearty food.
(4)
April B.
My husband was craving a good diner breakfast and we'd heard The Dockside was a local place of interest so we rode our bikes up there Saturday morning and barely squeaked in under the 11:00am breakfast cut off time. We sat at the counter and were informed it was the "construction area" as in the construction guys usually sit there. Saturday morning, though, it was free. The Dockside is not hard to find--on NW 17th and Front Street. If you're in NW PDX, just take 17th street all the way north? I had a veggie omelet and my husband had chicken fried steak. Both breakfasts were exactly what we were looking for. This is not high-end, but it is good! And the bill for the 2 of us came to less than $20. The waitresses were super nice, checked on several times, and you could tell that they definitely have a loyal regular crowd. They were making jokes and it was overall a really nice friendly atmosphere. The decor is super suitable for a movie set, if the movie takes place in a dive bar. It kinda reminded me of a set on Northern Exposure. Also, there's a lot of TVs, if that's your thing, also lotto. We're moving in 2 weeks and I'm kinda glad we didn't find this place sooner because I'd be tempted to fill my belly with Dockside breakfast too often for my own good. It was constantly busy while we were there, so I think they're probably one of those places that you keep coming back to.
(5)
Patrick A.
I love heading over to Dockside whenever I'm in the mood for a salad. Their Chili Dog salad, in particular, is great. It's not so much a salad really. It's more of a large hot dog with chili on it (don't forget the cheese and onions). In fact, I don't think they call it a salad at all. Anywho, when I'm not in the mood for a salad, the Club, Italian Club, and Chili Burger always hit the spot too.
(4)
Sarah B.
This place has got spunk (um, no gross innuendo intended). Where else can you get 3 tacos (just like mom made 'em--ground beef seasoned from a packet, lettuce, salsa and a hard shell) for $1, beer for $2, and be able to claim you were hanging out at the place where the evidence that damned Tonya Harding was found? That's a special place in my book. Seriously, their happy hour is great--I think it runs from 4-7:30pm (I know it ends at 7:30, just not when it starts exactly). Taco Tuesday's are the best--that's when you can get the afore mentioned 3 for $1 deal. Any other night of the week you can choose from a number of delicious options (they are all good) like a burger, chicken quesadilla, flour tostada (yeah, had no idea what the hell this was so I had to try it--turns out, it's yummy and greasy) all for $2.55 each. They also have drink specials every night for happy hour. I've also gone for breakfast, which is equally great--huge portions for cheap! If you're not afraid of a gem of a dive, you should definitely give Dockside a try.
(4)
Jesse G.
Please be sure to stop in here before it's demolished for condos.
(4)
Sarah W.
Food and drinks are good enough for a dive bar. Service is sooo slowwww it's actually mind-boggling. I've sat at the counter and can see the guys back there cooking away, but it still takes way longer than I think it should. On the plus, the Bloody Mary's are good.
(3)
Ashley B.
My husband and I popped in here on Saturday night to have a cocktail. I had never been in before but I love a good dive bar and had driven by a few times so we decided to try it out. We walked in and it was gloriously divey with a hint of diner. Love it! The crowd was a bunch of construction dudes who must have just gotten off work and were all having a good time. Great conversation to hear if you happen to be sitting close or walking by. Our bartender/server was an adorable blonde lady, I wish I got her name because she was just fabulous. She was extremely attentive, super nice and very personable. And...get this! She got our orders right which quite frankly is a rarity these days. She had made a comment about an older more "uppity" type couple that had come in and were just appalled by the crowd/conversation so they left. I thought that was kind of funny because I felt like this was the exact type of crowd I WANTED to be around. We didn't eat there but we did look at the menu. Really great standard diner-type options. Greasy spoon deliciousness. We'll be going back for breakfast for sure. Loved the bartender. Loved the crowd. Loved the Dockside.
(5)
Cornelious N.
I realize that this place is charming... but honestly... this is diner food... and not even good diner food... just diner food. Think about it... diner food. It's greasy, inadequately or overseasoned, salty as hell, and simply not unique. Yet again, this is not some gourment Portland take on diner food... this is simply good ol' mediocre food that mediocre people and old tourists eat.
(2)
Curt B.
Solid white trash breakfast food at a cheap price. What's not to like? Mix in fast, friendly service and the fact that I've never had to wait for a spot to sit (although they are always busy on the weekends) and this becomes one of my favorite breakfast spots when I'm downtown. It will be a sad day when this place gets bulldozed to make way for the tsunami of condo's headed that way.
(4)
Annie S.
A standard brunch spot for us. Super yummy hashbrowns and omelets. Great service. Great bloody Mary's
(5)
Rebecca H.
Delicious! Down home food, big portions, well cooked, in a divey but not dirty old style bar. Great waitstaff, closed the curtains in the lotto so we could eat at a table, not a booth. Split my order so my daughter could share it with me, they filled her sippy cup and were very sweet to her. The blueberry pancakes with eggs, bacon and toast were great. Lots of blueberries! Everybody finished their plates and were happy! They are open during all the construction around them, stop by! On weekends you can use the parking lot across the street.
(5)
Tamara C.
Yes. Just hell yes. When hungover, and I suspect even when feeling superb, this place puts out an awesome brunch. At the time, just the idea of having another drop of alcohol was nauseating so I was unable to order one of the amazing looking Bloody Mary's. My brunch buddies though, they ordered their fair share and mine too. Next time I go back, I really must have one of those Bloody Mary's. My Ginger Ale was pretty satisfying though and our server kept them coming. The menu and the specials menu is quite extensive and made it difficult for me to choose but I ended up ordering the chicken fried steak and a side of bacon. When it arrived I felt rather daunted as it was freaking huge and even the plate of bacon was huge. In my delicate state, I barely put a dent in it all and ended up with huge amounts of left overs. When I woke up from my food coma and hangover cure later in the evening, everything was just as awesome the second time around. Dockside RULES.
(4)
Valerie W.
Dockside = my divey new breakfast love Lots of wood, old decor, TVs playing sports, great staff, good menu....perfect. HUGE plus is that they have their own parking lot. Score. Here's some of my reasons for loving this place: 1. The breakfast menu is excellent. Many of the meals named after local bridges. 2. Prices are fair and you get a lot for your $$ 3. Full bar. Good beers on tap. $5 mimosas 4. Staff will treat you like family. Super nice and accommodating. 5. Food overall is good....here's the run down of my 'Vista Bridge' meal: $9.95 for Chicken Fried Steak, 2 eggs, Hashbrowns, and toast (or my choice of homemade biscuits. Biscuits = pure love. Buttery, fluffy, and great with honey. Hashbrowns...tasty. Crispy outside and not overcooked. Just the way I like them. Eggs...I asked for over medium. Got over easy. No biggy. Chicken fried steak...not bad. Not great. I was having troubles cutting it with a knife. The outer 'fried' layer was tough. Meh. It tasted OK but was just really hard to eat and I could not finish. The gravy however made up for it. Overall I would say definitely give this place a try. I did notice that the ground was uneven in the place and if you aren't seated in a booth you are slanted. Odd. You likely won't leave here hungry though. Everything was overall tasty.
(4)
E M.
From the random decor to the awesome story on the back of the menu, I love this place. No, it's not fine dining. It's a diner. It's an awesome diner. Pros: * Good service and friendly staff * Great price point (portions are generous) * Plenty of menu options * Laid back vibe Cons: * No milkshakes (apparently there's no ice cream machine)! * Beer selection is decent, but has some room to grow
(4)
Zoe T.
Excellent breakfast spot in industrial NW -- plenty of parking and no wait when we went at 9am on a Saturday. This place has a cozy diner feel. Service was friendly and attentive. Food was simple and well-prepared. Very crunchy, toasty hashbrowns, yum!
(5)
Cheryl D.
We rotate who picks family breakfast and my lovely Sister In Law picked this place. We pulled up and went OH MY GAWD what a dump, I was scared. We got inside and our worries were for nothing, it is a very sweet little place. . The Servers were happy and good at their jobs, they juggled things very effectively. They sure seem to have alot of regulars which is cool, many hugs were exchanged. The food, oh my god was it good. The Hash-browns are to DIE for, I don't know what they do to them but they are the best I have eaten, seriously. I had the Taco Omelet and it was seriously delicious, full of meat and onions, sour cream and a homemade salsa on top. The Biscuits are homemade and they split them for you and brown them on the flat top. YUM. Overall I think we were all pretty tickled about our breakfasts, by the time we left the place was hopping. How they put out such good food in such a small space is really quite amazing. I cant wait to go back and try something else!
(5)
Denny S.
Love the "Vista bridge", chicken fried paradise. I can't bring myself to order anything else, why mess with perfection. The hash browns are crispy and fried with butter, toast is toast, but I hear the biscuits are pretty good. I passed on the eggs and it still ruined my lunch plans, wouldn't fit. No health food here, just really well done home style chow, in a cool place, with a fantastic wait staff to match.
(5)
Bob M.
It was decided when I was 12 that I was too old to sit around the house during the summer and that I should go work with my Uncle, the plumber. A pivotal time in my growth. In one summer, I decided that there was no way in hell I was going to be a plumber when I grew up. Sewers stink. Sweating is over rated and I hated my Uncle with the fire of the twenty suns. He did, however, turn me on to workingman's diners. A few of our Yelpish friends decided that this morning's overcast was too bright. Before anything productive took over the day, we should meet at Dockside, drink and eat big piles of starchy fat ladened carbos until such thoughts passed. It did. I went home with a big goofy smile on my face and did not wake up for coming on six hours. Perhaps it was the couple lovely vegetable juice drinks that I had with it? I love a Bloody Mary with produce in it. Fully armed with a tasty pickled green bean, lime, a salted rim and a platoon of speared manzanillas, just getting into the cocktail took a little effort. Once past the infantry there is a lovely peppery cocktail well worth the effort. At $2.50 a throw, one can throw many back. The company was lovely, and I recommend bringing your own troops, but it looks like a place that you can just start conversations with what begin as strangers and have a good ol' time. To the food: I had the country fried steak, pan gravy and hash browns. Gravy was a little thick, but peppery, a breaded steak the size of a manhole and very, very good diner hash browns; those kinds with a uniform crunchy gold crust and soft potato-ey goodness inside. The whole shebang? A good solid workingman's joint. Wish it and all my pals were a little closer to the Land of the Bland.
(3)
Jeannie J.
I just found out a week ago that they don't have a deep fryer. How? Why?!? Sometimes a girl needs some fries damn it!
(4)
Peter T.
Tucked away in one of the industrial sections of Portland, directly underneath where the 405 crosses the river, the Dockside serves the working stiffs that ply their trade in the various businesses in the port. Open from 5AM - 8PM M-F, and with earlier closing times on the weekend, the Dockside features a lengthy breakfast and lunch menu daily food and soup specials. I was doing some work in the area, and my client suggested we pop in for a bite. I went with a bacon/cheeseburger, which is served with your choice of a wide variety of sides, and dressed with sauce, tomato and shredded lettuce. Ample thick-sliced bacon and gooey cheese topped the burger. While the food doesn't particularly make the Dockside a specific destination for diners, it is ample, fast, inexpensive, and served by a really friendly staff.
(3)
Del O.
Fast, friendly service, great food at an exceptional price, and you can even enjoy a cigar outside. I often come here for lunch, and you can get most breakfast items all day long. If you're in the area - stop by and you won't be disappointed!
(5)
Greg B.
Dockside Saloon is alluring. It sits on the base of Front Avenue as the street goes further into Industrial Land. There are no other eating establishments that lie before it. It exists on that corner. It should be noted for its existence. The waitresses are helpful. The dish of the day ("taco salad") is offered. The food is quick and prompt. It sits there on the table waiting to be eaten. Then there are the cookies, which I gathered, could be a daily treat. I had the coffee cookie and it was very well done. The taco salad was cheap. It's one of those places that doesn't disguise the fact that it's a dive bar mashed in with a diner with a constant flow of people coming in. There is parking on the street. There's wood everywhere and it's a great place.
(4)
Matt L.
Now, I don't know how much I can actually comment on their food, because I ordered two eggs, fruit and a side of yogurt when I went, but from what I could tell my friends' food looked AMAZING. I literally wanted to bury my face in the biscuits that came along with the chicken fried steak that one of them was eating. They just looked so golden, crispy and delicious ... I better stop there before I make myself unnecessarily hungry. Ain't nobody got time for that. I was actually surprised to see that this restaurant actually existed. it's tucked away in an unsuspecting part of the NW Industrial District, and unless you really knew what you were looking for, you'd miss it. It has it's own parking lot, which is pretty much unheard of downtown, they have a wide variety of food (each of their signature plates are named after city bridges, which is pretty awesome), their servers are wickedly funny and really like to engage you in actual conversation beyond what your order is. It's almost like having a little slice of small-town America right in downtown. The prices are pretty reasonable, and the little quirks are lots of fun to discover. Like the WWE Wrestling action figure we found wedged behind one of the televisions. Next time I go, I'm going to have to maybe run a few miles beforehand so I don't feel guilty when I order the massive plate of food I actually want to.
(3)
Jay C.
Classic greasy spoon breakfast. Great eggs Benedict and a bloody Mary that hits the spot. We never have to wait for a table, and I hope all these great yelp reviews don't ruin that. :)
(4)
Sabrina H.
What a comfy little bar. There are tons of tables and booths with a friendly staff to make you feel very welcome. The happy hour also has some good prices. I enjoyed a vodka cranberry and a chicken quesadilla. Both of which are very tasty. However, I didn't realize that the quesadilla had jalepenos but I found out in my first bite. At least I was able to pick some of the bigger slices out. It comes with a side of salsa and sour cream too. The only thing I don't like about it is the fact that it is in the middle of nowhere. There isn't anything around it to make it worth the trip unless there is an event going on down there.
(4)
Melissa P.
Yumm! Now that was a good breakfast. Now I know why the parking lot is always full when I drive by this place. I don't know anything about the quality of the dockside as a bar and evening destination. But four of us stopped in for a post paddle brunch, and every meal was great. The service was attentive and casual. And the bloody mary's were in pitchers ready to be poured. This might be a new weekend habit.
(4)
MaryBeth D.
A definite dive bar but that's ok cause it is a really cool place to eat. All of the food is named after like all of Portland bridges or something else local. The wait staff does an awesome job of being very attentive to everyone. FYI.....they have the most buttery, crispy taters I have ever eaten.
(4)
JW R.
OMG! They're going to film a scene from a movie here!!!!! Five years ago. Don't let the sign on the wall fool you, that movie sucked and the scene didn't even make it into the DVD extras. The Dockside, however, is full of win. From the outside it looks, uh, ramshackle I think is the nice word. But the inside gives no sense that collapse is impending. And as someone pointed out (in disgust, but I thought it was pretty awesome) there are 8 TVs in there. They seem to close at 8pm on weeknights normally. Be warned. I didn't eat, but the food I saw looked good. Jeff's burger looked awesome (in the greasy/crusty category), there were some tostadas a few of the WAG girls had that would have been good with some animal upon them. Same for the quesadillas. The drinks were tasty and the service, well, it was just us so it's hard to say what the service would be like on a normal night. I just hope those ritzy yuppie condos going up on the river don't wreck this place. But they probably will. Enjoy the Dockside while you can.
(4)
Alex L.
I had a very delicious breakfast here at Dockside and good dranks. Sooooo delicious and greasy. Plus they gave me free toast! What's not to love. This place is the jam if you're in the neighborhood. The staff is super cool too. If you don't like it you're probably just too uptight.
(5)
Scott P.
Love the dockside! Do not be put off in anyway by the location, or the exterior. Actually, go ahead, be put off. It will increase my chances of getting a table next Saturday morning. This place is great. They crank out some serious breakfasts. I liked the huveos racheros but i LOVED the breakfast burrito! Finally someone who cooks commercial hash browns up right! Crispy as all get out on the outside yet perfectly hot and moist on the inside. Oh btw, the best bloody mary ever in my book.
(4)
Michael P.
wow. dockside, amazing. was visiting porltand for a few days with my friend and we needed a breakfast spot after a night of drinking. yelp did not dissapoint from the bloody marys, to the food , to the awesome waitstaff. everything was perfect had the chicken fried steak and my friend had corned beef hash. both were amazing both bartenders working there 25+ years were awesome and made the visit a pleasure. would definitely come back and recommend this to anyone else who was in portland
(5)
Rebecca R.
I love Dockside. The place is a little divey, the servers are friendly and seem to know everybody, and it is crazy affordable. They also have one of the best patty melts that I have tasted in a long long time. I want to come for the spaghetti night but I have a feeling that it is packed. I love the back story of the place. It's a great place to take out of towners for a meal.
(5)
Laura C.
Dockside is what it is; a dive bar. A very good one. Thus my rating is to say that's it's one of the better ones I've been to in town. I can't say I've been here for anything other than breakfast, but then, to me, breakfast is the best meal of the day. The joint is located just a bit north of downtown, towards all the new condo's on the waterfront. It's the perfect spot to go for a hang-over breakfast. However; it's across town from where I live, so unless I crash at a friends place nearby, I don't normally make the trek. Not that it isn't worth it, I'm just not the person to ask to cross town for food, when there is acceptable - albeit not as good - dive bar closer to home. I also spent 5 hours here on Superbowl Sunday. They closed the place down for a private party and I got an invite. Lucky me! The place is teaming (no pun intended) with plasma screen TV's - for the sports fanatic. I was there for the large portions of yummy food. This is a no-frills bar with lots of parking in their private lot.
(4)
Andrew R.
This place is awesome. It looks like its about to just fall apart, or be blown away, and there's not really anything else around it, it's just sitting by itself on its own little block. The wait staff here is hilarious, and super friendly! They're very talkative and fun, and they alone are a reason to come back, but then you get the food, and you're hooked! Tuna melt, on an English muffin. Pretty marvelous. While you wait for the food you can read about their funny "claim to fame" on the back of their menu. The whole experience is just great. A fun little Portland landmark
(5)
Kat ..
Great staff and ugly Burger but OMG surprising Yummy!!!!!
(4)
Jordan D.
My Family lives across the way and I tend to come here with my parents and have bought some friends out as well on the weekends. Taco Tuesday are always a must! The STAFF is AMAZING, outgoing, friendly, talkative and makes us always feel like we're part of this family owned Dockside Saloon.
(4)
Emily V.
This place is amazing. I used to live close to it so I found it out of convience but now that I have moved and live a good distance from it I still make the trip. It is a hang over cure on a plate if you make it for breakfast. My best friend and I love meeting up here. Its kind of like a Portland version of Cheers..... "where everybody knows your nammmeee." The staff are so nice and friendly, the owners are workin behind the bar or waiting tables and are super kind people. I really have fallen in love with this place over the years and encourage YOU to go fall in love with it. You won't be disappointed :-) I recently even had my graduate school graduation lunch at Dockside, my guests were all stoked to enjoy lunch with me at such a great spot! Keep up the good work Dockside.
(5)
Brian H.
I love this place. It is unpretentious, friendly, comfortable, and Good! I've eaten breakfast here probably 30 times. The food is good, not fancy but good. I don't like bloody mary's but my friends swear that the Dockside has some of the best in town. The wait staff is top notch. They are efficient , friendly, and often hillarious. This is one of my mainstays in Portland.
(4)
Todd G.
Sat at the bar literally a few feet from the wait staff. I had been sitting for easily five minutes but no greeting. Sadly, the server greeted a "regular" that came in 5 min. after I did...still no greeting for me. Terrible customer service. Can't give them anything more than a single star...didn't have a chance to try the food. I get it...good servers greet their regulars...they should also greet NEW customers. Shame...
(1)
Amado L.
I sort of promised my buddy Dickey that I wasn't going to Yelp about this place because he feared that it will then no longer be his 'secret find' when hordes of Yeeps try it out for themselves. But it would be un-Yeeplike of me to review a new place-- and a breakfast place at that-- so...sorry, Dickey. This is one honest-to-goodness diner that would've been difficult to spot unless you knew what you were looking for or lived in the area (or checked Yelp beforehand). In fact, I kept taunting Dickey about whether or not he really knew where we were going as we seemed to be simply driving endlessly on North Front Avenue, to which he replied: "Would you shut the f*ck up? I've been going to this place for years; of course, I know where the f*ck it is!" (Clearly, he needed some breakfast. Pronto...) We finally get there, and find immediate parking in its nondescript lot. The restaurant's diminutive exterior belies the spacious yet cozy interior, replete with booths, tallboys and bistro style seating. The dark woods are reminiscent of a place that's been around forever and, indeed as stated on the back of their menu, the structure was built in the late 20's. The breakfast menu was extensive with nomenclatures tinged with Portland landmarks. I cannot remember now the name of what I'd ordered but it's their chicken fried steak breakfast, which came with hashbrowns, two eggs any style and toast. It was heavenly-- the breaded steak and the country gravy had just the right amount of saltiness to make it savory without being overpowering; the eggs over easy were nearly perfect, as if God had fried them; and the hashbrowns were crispy yet light. There wasn't a lot of grease coming out of this greasy spoon. And, at $7.25 USD, it was affordable. The coffee ($1.85 USD) was diner quality but with enough cream and sugar tasted alright. It was ten thirty in the morning and I was starving, so the grub hit the spot, but I wouldn't necessarily say I was blown away. But, I'll tell you what, I'll definitely be back if only to try their other creations, especially the ones served with bacon strips, which seemed to have been extracted from incredibly gargantuan swines-- them bacon strips were enormous, yo! The breakfast servers were of the mature lot and it was at once arousing and revolting to see them slither through the tables in their Daisy Dukes. At least they kept my cup of decaf flowing... I see a bevy of 'four star' reviews for this place but I'd have to think that something's gotta tip them over to make them earn that fifth star. I intend to find out what the something is when I come back again. And again. And again...
(4)
April E.
Dockside is the 'ol standby for breakfast. The staff is wonderful, friendly and efficient. The food....well...it's pretty darn good! Nothing fancy, just simple items done right. I would definitely reccommend this place. It's great!
(5)
John F.
Looks scary in the outside, nice surprise on the inside. Our breakfast was generous, well-prepared, and hearty without being greasy. The staff was friendly, fast, and knowledgeable. A good place to grab an old-school breakfast or burger.
(3)
Bill T.
So I ended my wonderful weekend in the Pacific Northwest at the Dockside Saloon and Restaurant. I had the Dockside Omlette wich you should try, you can also get it with three different meats which is just silly, but a great idea. The ambiance is that of a blue collar's idea of a good time, which is what it is, and they are just what you would be looking for if you want to put aside all "chic" and "cool" things and just go to a place that will make feel like a normal human being again. Thank you guys for ending my trip on a great note! See you next time!
(4)
Kimberly V.
For the rowdy gentlemen group at table #3-ish: I Spent My Last $10 On Birth Control and Beer by Two Nice Girls I did not drink, I did not smoke I did not say goddamn I was polite I was sensitive before I loved a [bar] My family, they were proud of me were proud of what I am But then along came [Dockside] and my tale of woe began I spent my last ten dollars on birth control and beer My life was so much simpler when I was sober and queer But the love of a strong hairy [bar] has turned my head I fear And made me spend my last ten bucks on birth control and beer I think the above song uses wry irony to point out the casual, desperate nature implicit in the hooking up at bars procedure, particularly of the breeder persuasion. So what happens when it's the bar itself that brings the drinkin', devil-may-care side out of me? I swear I wasn't like that at all (last night) until I descended upon Dockside. All would be fab if it weren't for the 8:30 closing time (1). Uh oh, you guys, I think I just had a breakthrough. I'm baryamorous. (1) I should point out that Dockside regularly closes its doors around 8:30 (on Wednesdays) but they made a three-hour exception for the thirsty Yelp and WAG folk. Isn't that reason enough to drop your drinking drawers?
(4)
Michelle H.
Will someone please tell me where the secret room is? You know the kind that houses some sort of secret society, secret fight club, or secret gambling? That's the feel of the Dockside. Super super cool. A damn tasty happy hour quesadilla [for $2.55!] can be had, let me tell you. Just make sure you scope out the jalepenos if that's not your thing. If it weren't so randomly out of the way, I'd love to come back for breakfast or lunch. There is a lot of tasty looking stuff on that menu. Big TVs in a couple spots were touting sports games for the interested. I think I saw some video poker type stuff. Bathrooms were clean. Lots of tables and booths to seat you. Lots of cool stuff on the walls to look at. Really friendly service. It's an all around good deal. PS - Please keep your PPDs at home.
(4)
Coral C.
I understand that it's out in the middle of nowhere, but why must a bar close so early? For shame. Edit: Andrew C. pointed out the fact that all the workers go home early. Okay, yeah, I guess that's a good enough reason. (dammit)
(4)
Todd R.
I love the diners and this one is true to the genre with the added plus of a low grime factor, well lit and welcoming, if you consider that a plus in a diner. You gotta give any downscale joint in super-gentrifying NW kudos just for staying alive. The Dockside squats right on the line between the steel mills and shipyards of the NW industrial district and the million dollar condos rapidly surrounding this shack of a restaurant. As you walk up to the wooden planked boxy building, it looks like the entire structure is leaning forward. Dockside? Hell it looks like the dock itself, right before they tear it down to build some soul-less concrete monster. Once you're in the door, it's bright and warm. Blue collar types sit around tables sipping coffee and chowing down. More wide, old-growth planks, TVs blink at you from all directions, black and white photos invite you to come closer and inspect: enormous bundles in huge warehouses, the St. Johns bridge sans roadway. You'd swear it's a bar, not a restaurant, and they do serve beer, but not hard licks (I think). Sit down and soak up the atmosphere, try to ignore the hypnotic flicker of the tvs (I'm totally against tvs unless I'm specifically there to watch a game). The food? Just what you'd expect, cheap- eggs, sausage and a side of toast, weak coffee, friendly, efficient, older "I've seen it all, let's chat" waitress. Just the place on a rainy Oregon morning.
(4)
Jim C.
Despite numerous claims of my co-workers about Taco Tuesdays and the like, I've never made it over to the Dockside for anything other than lunch. Having said that, the lunch is great. In addition to the standard menu, the specials are occasionally quite inspired... macaroni and cheese soup and a breaded pork cutlet sandwich were both excellent and quite a surprise from an unashamed saloon. The sandwiches are universally good, and the macaroni salad is a nice accompaniment to almost anything. The worst part about the Dockside is that sometimes you simply can't get to it. We waited on the wrong side of the tracks for 15 minutes as a train slowly wended its way through Portland before giving up and heading the other direction... literally as well as figuratively, we ended up at Wildwood for lunch.
(4)
Ariel S.
Come here for the incredible breakfast (the hashbrowns are unbelievable!), the beer, and the douchebag neighbors who live in those new condos across the street !
(4)
Mac M.
Favorite cheap breakfast in Portland. And, the waitresses are awesome. Huge menu full of great food. Have never had a bad time here ever!
(5)
Rebecca R.
I love Dockside. The place is a little divey, the servers are friendly and seem to know everybody, and it is crazy affordable. They also have one of the best patty melts that I have tasted in a long long time. I want to come for the spaghetti night but I have a feeling that it is packed. I love the back story of the place. It's a great place to take out of towners for a meal.
(5)
MaryBeth D.
A definite dive bar but that's ok cause it is a really cool place to eat. All of the food is named after like all of Portland bridges or something else local. The wait staff does an awesome job of being very attentive to everyone. FYI.....they have the most buttery, crispy taters I have ever eaten.
(4)
Laura C.
Dockside is what it is; a dive bar. A very good one. Thus my rating is to say that's it's one of the better ones I've been to in town. I can't say I've been here for anything other than breakfast, but then, to me, breakfast is the best meal of the day. The joint is located just a bit north of downtown, towards all the new condo's on the waterfront. It's the perfect spot to go for a hang-over breakfast. However; it's across town from where I live, so unless I crash at a friends place nearby, I don't normally make the trek. Not that it isn't worth it, I'm just not the person to ask to cross town for food, when there is acceptable - albeit not as good - dive bar closer to home. I also spent 5 hours here on Superbowl Sunday. They closed the place down for a private party and I got an invite. Lucky me! The place is teaming (no pun intended) with plasma screen TV's - for the sports fanatic. I was there for the large portions of yummy food. This is a no-frills bar with lots of parking in their private lot.
(4)
Kimberly V.
For the rowdy gentlemen group at table #3-ish: I Spent My Last $10 On Birth Control and Beer by Two Nice Girls I did not drink, I did not smoke I did not say goddamn I was polite I was sensitive before I loved a [bar] My family, they were proud of me were proud of what I am But then along came [Dockside] and my tale of woe began I spent my last ten dollars on birth control and beer My life was so much simpler when I was sober and queer But the love of a strong hairy [bar] has turned my head I fear And made me spend my last ten bucks on birth control and beer I think the above song uses wry irony to point out the casual, desperate nature implicit in the hooking up at bars procedure, particularly of the breeder persuasion. So what happens when it's the bar itself that brings the drinkin', devil-may-care side out of me? I swear I wasn't like that at all (last night) until I descended upon Dockside. All would be fab if it weren't for the 8:30 closing time (1). Uh oh, you guys, I think I just had a breakthrough. I'm baryamorous. (1) I should point out that Dockside regularly closes its doors around 8:30 (on Wednesdays) but they made a three-hour exception for the thirsty Yelp and WAG folk. Isn't that reason enough to drop your drinking drawers?
(4)
Todd R.
I love the diners and this one is true to the genre with the added plus of a low grime factor, well lit and welcoming, if you consider that a plus in a diner. You gotta give any downscale joint in super-gentrifying NW kudos just for staying alive. The Dockside squats right on the line between the steel mills and shipyards of the NW industrial district and the million dollar condos rapidly surrounding this shack of a restaurant. As you walk up to the wooden planked boxy building, it looks like the entire structure is leaning forward. Dockside? Hell it looks like the dock itself, right before they tear it down to build some soul-less concrete monster. Once you're in the door, it's bright and warm. Blue collar types sit around tables sipping coffee and chowing down. More wide, old-growth planks, TVs blink at you from all directions, black and white photos invite you to come closer and inspect: enormous bundles in huge warehouses, the St. Johns bridge sans roadway. You'd swear it's a bar, not a restaurant, and they do serve beer, but not hard licks (I think). Sit down and soak up the atmosphere, try to ignore the hypnotic flicker of the tvs (I'm totally against tvs unless I'm specifically there to watch a game). The food? Just what you'd expect, cheap- eggs, sausage and a side of toast, weak coffee, friendly, efficient, older "I've seen it all, let's chat" waitress. Just the place on a rainy Oregon morning.
(4)
Jay C.
Classic greasy spoon breakfast. Great eggs Benedict and a bloody Mary that hits the spot. We never have to wait for a table, and I hope all these great yelp reviews don't ruin that. :)
(4)
Eric P.
I dropped a friend off at the airport and had some time to kill before work. Figured I'd check out the Dockside for breakfast. I'm glad I did, as it was just what I was looking for. I had The burnside: two eggs, hash browns, choice of toast or biscuit. Good stuff for cheap at 6:30am. Friendly waitress, and a bunch of cops eating there. Has to be a good place.
(4)
Scott S.
Dockside is an institution. With all the fancy restaurants in the Portland area, this is ALWAYS the place I want to take newbies and visitors. The staff is incredible. The food is good (and plentiful). The Bloody Marys (in case your doctor told you to eat more vegetables like mine did) are sublime.
(5)
Peter T.
Tucked away in one of the industrial sections of Portland, directly underneath where the 405 crosses the river, the Dockside serves the working stiffs that ply their trade in the various businesses in the port. Open from 5AM - 8PM M-F, and with earlier closing times on the weekend, the Dockside features a lengthy breakfast and lunch menu daily food and soup specials. I was doing some work in the area, and my client suggested we pop in for a bite. I went with a bacon/cheeseburger, which is served with your choice of a wide variety of sides, and dressed with sauce, tomato and shredded lettuce. Ample thick-sliced bacon and gooey cheese topped the burger. While the food doesn't particularly make the Dockside a specific destination for diners, it is ample, fast, inexpensive, and served by a really friendly staff.
(3)
Del O.
Fast, friendly service, great food at an exceptional price, and you can even enjoy a cigar outside. I often come here for lunch, and you can get most breakfast items all day long. If you're in the area - stop by and you won't be disappointed!
(5)
Greg B.
Dockside Saloon is alluring. It sits on the base of Front Avenue as the street goes further into Industrial Land. There are no other eating establishments that lie before it. It exists on that corner. It should be noted for its existence. The waitresses are helpful. The dish of the day ("taco salad") is offered. The food is quick and prompt. It sits there on the table waiting to be eaten. Then there are the cookies, which I gathered, could be a daily treat. I had the coffee cookie and it was very well done. The taco salad was cheap. It's one of those places that doesn't disguise the fact that it's a dive bar mashed in with a diner with a constant flow of people coming in. There is parking on the street. There's wood everywhere and it's a great place.
(4)
Ben R.
Yes, this is a dive-y sports bar in a 90 year old saloon with pot holes in the parking lot. BUT, inside you will be pleasantly surprised inside by the service, food and homey all-wood interior. All of the food is scratch made home style; they are an American traditional breakfast/lunch diner. This is one of my favorite Sunday brunch spots because we always get there late afternoon after the rush and have great service. On the weekend they serve breakfast all day and also have brunch specials that are favorites such as blueberry pancakes, breakfast scramble, and perfect eggs benedict. Weekday favorites include chicken fried steak, omelet, and the kids love the strawberry waffles. They have good coffee (Bridgetown) but I haven't tried the espresso yet. The portions are slightly generous. The staff is fast and friendly, and tends to toe their own in the banter with the M-F lunch regulars. This is a family favorite for weekend brunch, but I was also on a streak for a few months going there for a quick lunch almost everyday. They have a rotating daily lunch special that was always excellent and a great way to try something new that isn't on the menu. This can be a good place for groups, but I would call ahead if you have more than 10. This is a small place. They have 10 booths, 10 tables, and about 6 people can sit at the bar. Walk in and grab a table, there is no hostess seating. The menus are on the table. You can pay your server or up at the bar if you're in a hurry. They can be very quick during lunch if you are in a rush. They are also open very early for breakfast (5am). While you are waiting for your order, read their story on the back of the menu.
(4)
Andy K.
I go there once in a while for Breakfast.. They are very close to my place and are open at 5 am. The staff is nice and the place has a old time diner feel even though it looks like a dive bar...
(4)
Olivia T.
They handled our reservation for 12 people very well. We got a long table towards the back of the restaurant. Our server was very nice. She's attentive, didn't mind the split checks, got our orders right, and she even took our family group pictures multiple times. Too bad I didn't get her name because she deserved the employee of the year award. They serve really great food here. I had the Spicy Pasta dish and it was delicious. It was very basic comfort food and it hits the right spots. Everybody else raved about their food; Reuben, Chicken Salad, Fish & Chips, and more. If you are in St Helens and looking for a nice restaurant without breaking the bank, this place will suit you. We left happy and with full bellies.
(5)
Scott P.
Love the dockside! Do not be put off in anyway by the location, or the exterior. Actually, go ahead, be put off. It will increase my chances of getting a table next Saturday morning. This place is great. They crank out some serious breakfasts. I liked the huveos racheros but i LOVED the breakfast burrito! Finally someone who cooks commercial hash browns up right! Crispy as all get out on the outside yet perfectly hot and moist on the inside. Oh btw, the best bloody mary ever in my book.
(4)
Matt L.
Now, I don't know how much I can actually comment on their food, because I ordered two eggs, fruit and a side of yogurt when I went, but from what I could tell my friends' food looked AMAZING. I literally wanted to bury my face in the biscuits that came along with the chicken fried steak that one of them was eating. They just looked so golden, crispy and delicious ... I better stop there before I make myself unnecessarily hungry. Ain't nobody got time for that. I was actually surprised to see that this restaurant actually existed. it's tucked away in an unsuspecting part of the NW Industrial District, and unless you really knew what you were looking for, you'd miss it. It has it's own parking lot, which is pretty much unheard of downtown, they have a wide variety of food (each of their signature plates are named after city bridges, which is pretty awesome), their servers are wickedly funny and really like to engage you in actual conversation beyond what your order is. It's almost like having a little slice of small-town America right in downtown. The prices are pretty reasonable, and the little quirks are lots of fun to discover. Like the WWE Wrestling action figure we found wedged behind one of the televisions. Next time I go, I'm going to have to maybe run a few miles beforehand so I don't feel guilty when I order the massive plate of food I actually want to.
(3)
Jennifer W.
Very chill and old school! Breakfast is AMAZING and the bacon.... Oh the bacon! You'll love it, take my word on it;)
(5)
Kevin M.
It's on the periphery, but Dockside is not the Pearl -- reminding that working docks remain nearby. It feels like a place you'd stop at in the mountains, where "locals" (in this case, dock workers) and visitors (Pearl people) find sustenance in an ancient-looking wood edifice. The food is straight up and indulgent; you can get a chili omelet. It's greasy, it's good, it's friendly and it's not expensive. And they were open during the snowstorm.
(4)
Michael P.
wow. dockside, amazing. was visiting porltand for a few days with my friend and we needed a breakfast spot after a night of drinking. yelp did not dissapoint from the bloody marys, to the food , to the awesome waitstaff. everything was perfect had the chicken fried steak and my friend had corned beef hash. both were amazing both bartenders working there 25+ years were awesome and made the visit a pleasure. would definitely come back and recommend this to anyone else who was in portland
(5)
Ashley B.
My husband and I popped in here on Saturday night to have a cocktail. I had never been in before but I love a good dive bar and had driven by a few times so we decided to try it out. We walked in and it was gloriously divey with a hint of diner. Love it! The crowd was a bunch of construction dudes who must have just gotten off work and were all having a good time. Great conversation to hear if you happen to be sitting close or walking by. Our bartender/server was an adorable blonde lady, I wish I got her name because she was just fabulous. She was extremely attentive, super nice and very personable. And...get this! She got our orders right which quite frankly is a rarity these days. She had made a comment about an older more "uppity" type couple that had come in and were just appalled by the crowd/conversation so they left. I thought that was kind of funny because I felt like this was the exact type of crowd I WANTED to be around. We didn't eat there but we did look at the menu. Really great standard diner-type options. Greasy spoon deliciousness. We'll be going back for breakfast for sure. Loved the bartender. Loved the crowd. Loved the Dockside.
(5)
Stacy C.
You can come here with bedhead! (yeah, its a long book-like review but you have nothing better to do) The 'ambiance' This is the one place I'll throw on clothes and head out the door for without getting myself all proper and such. (well this place and work). You'll find folks in their Patagonia attire, hard core bike riders clunking through in their bike shoes, construction types in flannels and some like me- you'll spot the bedhead. I hate to call it a dive bar, but some do. (btw what makes a place 'a dive bar' for you? cause this ain't it for me) Dockside is a comfy, relaxed joint. No stiff service, la tee dah crap that so many think they are owed anytime they grace a doorway. When you come in the waitress with a coffee pot might wave it your way and call out to 'sit anywhere'. Don't get all jacked up and offended. Go to the Benson if you need fawned over. They don't need to have a matching beer selection to every other joint in town- it's the Dockside. Hit the easy button and order something. They don't strive to, or need to, meet or surpass other joints in town- it's the Dockside and it will be what its been since 1986. Get in, find a seat, read the history of the place, watch one of the many TVs, people watch, read a newspaper, talk to your friend, slow the F down and dont think you're all that- you'll have a dandy time. Parking For YEARSSS, perhaps since 1925, parking has been easy. Jam your ride into any spot you find. Now construction is taking place all around this little eatery, the fences have gone up and the new kid in town isn't playing nice. Parking is a going to be tricky but here comes the good neighbor part (so far I cant find them on YELP to give them a big atta). There is a flooring business just to the north across the street from Dockside and THEY are playing nice. They are allowing Dockside patrons to park in their lot and I say GOOD FOR YOU! I just might march in there someday and tell them that. If you park there be a good citizen, no trash or whizzing. In our world where everything is becoming MINE and YOURS here is a fine example of OURS. Food? OMG THE HASHBROWNNNNSSSSSSSSSS Specials are always a great selection and the regular menu you cant go wrong with. Many of their items are named after the bridges in Portland (this is a local joint folks- not a chain) and I dig it. I had blueberry pancakes just last Sunday and YUM. This is the first time I havent ordered the hashbrowns which was a real struggle but I reeled myself in from ordering both. Re having a wait for food? If they are behind they will tell you. Last Sunday the place was SLAMMING (remember this is a good sign) and their stoves and cooks can only cook so much at one time. It was worth the wait. Ive only been here for breakfast. Please go. Please chill out. Please take in some Portland history. This isn't a new joint that puts old pictures up and pretends to be historic...this is historic. You will be sitting in history and knowing how we mow our history down and pave over the spaces... it will be gone someday. I could go on- but I wont.
(5)
Luanne S.
I would probably give this place 5 stars if we hadn't been there with a group of 13! The size of the group totally overwhelmed their kitchen and it took them an hour to get our food out. But when they did... OMG it was wonderful!! The hash browns are so so crispy, I don't think anyone in town can match it. The fried eggs were perfect, the pancakes.. yummy! My grandson usually eats two bites of a meal and declares he's 'all done'. He ate nearly his entire HUGE pancake (possibly because he was so hungry from the long wait!). It was truly a delicious meal. I'll be going back, but in a smaller group.
(4)
Pedro L.
Super cute place with great service! The food is great and the location for me is perfect! It's right across from the apartment and right on the waterfront. It looks much nicer inside and the people are very friendly and attentive. There are TVs to watch sportsball and great breakfast food!
(5)
Dr R.
Great place! It's a classic dive, clean, good food and great service. It doesn't have much curb appeal, but it's larger inside than it appears.
(4)
D.J. L.
Best breakfast place for the money I have found in portland. Great food great service I will keep coming back... the best part is the hash brown's are always crispy and cooked on both sides!
(4)
L S.
Some of us eat lunch here several times a week. It's like coming home to your own club. Friendly staff, solid diner food and some pretty outrageous breakfast specials on the weekend. Extremely consistent and you know exactly what you are getting. Many business people from the NW area have been eating there for years... quite a mix. highly recommended if you want a normal place with good food and not all foo-foo. Great place!!
(4)
Eric M.
I've been here 4 times now over the last year. Service here is very good. The waitress does not come over and bother you every 5 minutes like other restaurants. Service is a 5 and food is about a 3...average of a 4 ranking for the price and value of meal/service. I come here because it's quiet and close to my hotel for work. I have yet to have anything that blows me away but all the food I have had is good enough to have me coming back
(4)
Aimee F.
This establishment has good drinks, good food, and good service. There's not much more you need. I recommend anything on the menu, especially the breakfast burrito and the Bloody Mary! Enjoy.
(5)
Kelly P.
Love eating breakfast at any hour here and of course this is the spot for a great Bloody Mary! The staff is super friendly and you will never have bad service.
(5)
Halvdan M.
, they close at 10 p.m. what kind of bar in Portland in damn near what used to be the industrial district. Closes so early
(1)
Educated Consumer M.
Hash browns lived up to the hype. I had the eggs florentine. Quite good. English muffins could have been toasted more. This place was hopping at 9am on a Friday morning, with a nice, local, casual vibe.
(4)
Sarah W.
Food and drinks are good enough for a dive bar. Service is sooo slowwww it's actually mind-boggling. I've sat at the counter and can see the guys back there cooking away, but it still takes way longer than I think it should. On the plus, the Bloody Mary's are good.
(3)
Denny S.
Love the "Vista bridge", chicken fried paradise. I can't bring myself to order anything else, why mess with perfection. The hash browns are crispy and fried with butter, toast is toast, but I hear the biscuits are pretty good. I passed on the eggs and it still ruined my lunch plans, wouldn't fit. No health food here, just really well done home style chow, in a cool place, with a fantastic wait staff to match.
(5)
Janet M.
What do you do when you have two hours without your barnacle baby ( er, tween) on a Saturday? Grab a buddy. Go to Dockside and have some breakfast. Yummy blueberry pancakes with fluffy eggs, crispy bacon, sausage links and an orange slice for $8.95. Yay. Small oj for $2. Coffee ( it was ok) for $2. Service was friendly, casual. Good. Vibe is cool. Plenty to look at. Good people watching.The place has some charm. I watched in amusement as a pitcher of beer and glasses were set up on an empty table next to us. Three bicyclists ( slightly older gentlemen) arrived shortly after their brew was set up for them. I think they've been there before maybe ;) Sweet! I'll be back. Totally.
(4)
Cornelious N.
I realize that this place is charming... but honestly... this is diner food... and not even good diner food... just diner food. Think about it... diner food. It's greasy, inadequately or overseasoned, salty as hell, and simply not unique. Yet again, this is not some gourment Portland take on diner food... this is simply good ol' mediocre food that mediocre people and old tourists eat.
(2)
Curt B.
Solid white trash breakfast food at a cheap price. What's not to like? Mix in fast, friendly service and the fact that I've never had to wait for a spot to sit (although they are always busy on the weekends) and this becomes one of my favorite breakfast spots when I'm downtown. It will be a sad day when this place gets bulldozed to make way for the tsunami of condo's headed that way.
(4)
Annie S.
A standard brunch spot for us. Super yummy hashbrowns and omelets. Great service. Great bloody Mary's
(5)
Rebecca H.
Delicious! Down home food, big portions, well cooked, in a divey but not dirty old style bar. Great waitstaff, closed the curtains in the lotto so we could eat at a table, not a booth. Split my order so my daughter could share it with me, they filled her sippy cup and were very sweet to her. The blueberry pancakes with eggs, bacon and toast were great. Lots of blueberries! Everybody finished their plates and were happy! They are open during all the construction around them, stop by! On weekends you can use the parking lot across the street.
(5)
Tamara C.
Yes. Just hell yes. When hungover, and I suspect even when feeling superb, this place puts out an awesome brunch. At the time, just the idea of having another drop of alcohol was nauseating so I was unable to order one of the amazing looking Bloody Mary's. My brunch buddies though, they ordered their fair share and mine too. Next time I go back, I really must have one of those Bloody Mary's. My Ginger Ale was pretty satisfying though and our server kept them coming. The menu and the specials menu is quite extensive and made it difficult for me to choose but I ended up ordering the chicken fried steak and a side of bacon. When it arrived I felt rather daunted as it was freaking huge and even the plate of bacon was huge. In my delicate state, I barely put a dent in it all and ended up with huge amounts of left overs. When I woke up from my food coma and hangover cure later in the evening, everything was just as awesome the second time around. Dockside RULES.
(4)
Andrew R.
This place is awesome. It looks like its about to just fall apart, or be blown away, and there's not really anything else around it, it's just sitting by itself on its own little block. The wait staff here is hilarious, and super friendly! They're very talkative and fun, and they alone are a reason to come back, but then you get the food, and you're hooked! Tuna melt, on an English muffin. Pretty marvelous. While you wait for the food you can read about their funny "claim to fame" on the back of their menu. The whole experience is just great. A fun little Portland landmark
(5)
Kat ..
Great staff and ugly Burger but OMG surprising Yummy!!!!!
(4)
Jordan D.
My Family lives across the way and I tend to come here with my parents and have bought some friends out as well on the weekends. Taco Tuesday are always a must! The STAFF is AMAZING, outgoing, friendly, talkative and makes us always feel like we're part of this family owned Dockside Saloon.
(4)
Emily V.
This place is amazing. I used to live close to it so I found it out of convience but now that I have moved and live a good distance from it I still make the trip. It is a hang over cure on a plate if you make it for breakfast. My best friend and I love meeting up here. Its kind of like a Portland version of Cheers..... "where everybody knows your nammmeee." The staff are so nice and friendly, the owners are workin behind the bar or waiting tables and are super kind people. I really have fallen in love with this place over the years and encourage YOU to go fall in love with it. You won't be disappointed :-) I recently even had my graduate school graduation lunch at Dockside, my guests were all stoked to enjoy lunch with me at such a great spot! Keep up the good work Dockside.
(5)
Melissa P.
Yumm! Now that was a good breakfast. Now I know why the parking lot is always full when I drive by this place. I don't know anything about the quality of the dockside as a bar and evening destination. But four of us stopped in for a post paddle brunch, and every meal was great. The service was attentive and casual. And the bloody mary's were in pitchers ready to be poured. This might be a new weekend habit.
(4)
Bob M.
It was decided when I was 12 that I was too old to sit around the house during the summer and that I should go work with my Uncle, the plumber. A pivotal time in my growth. In one summer, I decided that there was no way in hell I was going to be a plumber when I grew up. Sewers stink. Sweating is over rated and I hated my Uncle with the fire of the twenty suns. He did, however, turn me on to workingman's diners. A few of our Yelpish friends decided that this morning's overcast was too bright. Before anything productive took over the day, we should meet at Dockside, drink and eat big piles of starchy fat ladened carbos until such thoughts passed. It did. I went home with a big goofy smile on my face and did not wake up for coming on six hours. Perhaps it was the couple lovely vegetable juice drinks that I had with it? I love a Bloody Mary with produce in it. Fully armed with a tasty pickled green bean, lime, a salted rim and a platoon of speared manzanillas, just getting into the cocktail took a little effort. Once past the infantry there is a lovely peppery cocktail well worth the effort. At $2.50 a throw, one can throw many back. The company was lovely, and I recommend bringing your own troops, but it looks like a place that you can just start conversations with what begin as strangers and have a good ol' time. To the food: I had the country fried steak, pan gravy and hash browns. Gravy was a little thick, but peppery, a breaded steak the size of a manhole and very, very good diner hash browns; those kinds with a uniform crunchy gold crust and soft potato-ey goodness inside. The whole shebang? A good solid workingman's joint. Wish it and all my pals were a little closer to the Land of the Bland.
(3)
Valerie W.
Dockside = my divey new breakfast love Lots of wood, old decor, TVs playing sports, great staff, good menu....perfect. HUGE plus is that they have their own parking lot. Score. Here's some of my reasons for loving this place: 1. The breakfast menu is excellent. Many of the meals named after local bridges. 2. Prices are fair and you get a lot for your $$ 3. Full bar. Good beers on tap. $5 mimosas 4. Staff will treat you like family. Super nice and accommodating. 5. Food overall is good....here's the run down of my 'Vista Bridge' meal: $9.95 for Chicken Fried Steak, 2 eggs, Hashbrowns, and toast (or my choice of homemade biscuits. Biscuits = pure love. Buttery, fluffy, and great with honey. Hashbrowns...tasty. Crispy outside and not overcooked. Just the way I like them. Eggs...I asked for over medium. Got over easy. No biggy. Chicken fried steak...not bad. Not great. I was having troubles cutting it with a knife. The outer 'fried' layer was tough. Meh. It tasted OK but was just really hard to eat and I could not finish. The gravy however made up for it. Overall I would say definitely give this place a try. I did notice that the ground was uneven in the place and if you aren't seated in a booth you are slanted. Odd. You likely won't leave here hungry though. Everything was overall tasty.
(4)
E M.
From the random decor to the awesome story on the back of the menu, I love this place. No, it's not fine dining. It's a diner. It's an awesome diner. Pros: * Good service and friendly staff * Great price point (portions are generous) * Plenty of menu options * Laid back vibe Cons: * No milkshakes (apparently there's no ice cream machine)! * Beer selection is decent, but has some room to grow
(4)
Zoe T.
Excellent breakfast spot in industrial NW -- plenty of parking and no wait when we went at 9am on a Saturday. This place has a cozy diner feel. Service was friendly and attentive. Food was simple and well-prepared. Very crunchy, toasty hashbrowns, yum!
(5)
Cheryl D.
We rotate who picks family breakfast and my lovely Sister In Law picked this place. We pulled up and went OH MY GAWD what a dump, I was scared. We got inside and our worries were for nothing, it is a very sweet little place. . The Servers were happy and good at their jobs, they juggled things very effectively. They sure seem to have alot of regulars which is cool, many hugs were exchanged. The food, oh my god was it good. The Hash-browns are to DIE for, I don't know what they do to them but they are the best I have eaten, seriously. I had the Taco Omelet and it was seriously delicious, full of meat and onions, sour cream and a homemade salsa on top. The Biscuits are homemade and they split them for you and brown them on the flat top. YUM. Overall I think we were all pretty tickled about our breakfasts, by the time we left the place was hopping. How they put out such good food in such a small space is really quite amazing. I cant wait to go back and try something else!
(5)
Jeannie J.
I just found out a week ago that they don't have a deep fryer. How? Why?!? Sometimes a girl needs some fries damn it!
(4)
JW R.
OMG! They're going to film a scene from a movie here!!!!! Five years ago. Don't let the sign on the wall fool you, that movie sucked and the scene didn't even make it into the DVD extras. The Dockside, however, is full of win. From the outside it looks, uh, ramshackle I think is the nice word. But the inside gives no sense that collapse is impending. And as someone pointed out (in disgust, but I thought it was pretty awesome) there are 8 TVs in there. They seem to close at 8pm on weeknights normally. Be warned. I didn't eat, but the food I saw looked good. Jeff's burger looked awesome (in the greasy/crusty category), there were some tostadas a few of the WAG girls had that would have been good with some animal upon them. Same for the quesadillas. The drinks were tasty and the service, well, it was just us so it's hard to say what the service would be like on a normal night. I just hope those ritzy yuppie condos going up on the river don't wreck this place. But they probably will. Enjoy the Dockside while you can.
(4)
Alex L.
I had a very delicious breakfast here at Dockside and good dranks. Sooooo delicious and greasy. Plus they gave me free toast! What's not to love. This place is the jam if you're in the neighborhood. The staff is super cool too. If you don't like it you're probably just too uptight.
(5)
Brian H.
I love this place. It is unpretentious, friendly, comfortable, and Good! I've eaten breakfast here probably 30 times. The food is good, not fancy but good. I don't like bloody mary's but my friends swear that the Dockside has some of the best in town. The wait staff is top notch. They are efficient , friendly, and often hillarious. This is one of my mainstays in Portland.
(4)
Samantha S.
I went to Dockside for Sunday brunch. It felt a bit like home. As others have mentioned, this is not a white table cloth, sparkling crystal kind of place. It's a shack on the side of the road with vinyl covered booths and long menu. It's the kind of neighborhood place that I would happily go to for a few beers and football. I has the Huevos Ranchos special and was happy with the salsa and overall taste. I did find the corn tortillas on the bottom to be a bit impossible to cut, but everything else was delicious. I was in an out for under $20, including a Bloody Mary and tip.
(3)
Neil W.
There is a cancer in Portland. A disease eating our gastronomical sense of relativism from the inside out....specifically from the inside out of our bank accounts. Have we become so blinded by the almighty appeal of the hip and new that we can no longer value that which is inherently valuable? Have we lost all sense of pragmatism in entertainment? I sure hope not, and I charge you, fair reader, to join in effort to support a movement away from judging establishments on their proximity to the Pearl or Belmont Station. A renewed premium on the intrinsic value that a table is just sometimes just something my elbows and drinks sit on, and NOT a work of art. That on any given Tuesday I would rather hear from a bartender that she has "Miller, Coors Light, and some local shit that's hoppy on tap." That I don't need confit; that I may not want compound butter; and that sometimes I want to be curious as to why my jeans stuck to my bar stool for a second. I urge our community to stand up against a shifting paradigm that may create our own tower of babel here in Portland, leading us heathens to be the victors of our own spoils and lose such truly valuable establishments as the Dockside. But I digress. While I would hardly consider myself cheap or frugal, I am a SUCKER for a good deal. And here's a what I call a good deal. Hamburger w/ Cheese and Fixins Chips 3 Jack and Sodas = $15 That what I had at Dockside on a Wednesday night. Rave reviews also came in for their $3 chicken Quseodilla. Great, friendly service, good location, parking lot, TV's EVERYWHERE. Doesn't get any better in the world of dive bars than this. Amazing.
(5)
Todd G.
Sat at the bar literally a few feet from the wait staff. I had been sitting for easily five minutes but no greeting. Sadly, the server greeted a "regular" that came in 5 min. after I did...still no greeting for me. Terrible customer service. Can't give them anything more than a single star...didn't have a chance to try the food. I get it...good servers greet their regulars...they should also greet NEW customers. Shame...
(1)
Bill T.
So I ended my wonderful weekend in the Pacific Northwest at the Dockside Saloon and Restaurant. I had the Dockside Omlette wich you should try, you can also get it with three different meats which is just silly, but a great idea. The ambiance is that of a blue collar's idea of a good time, which is what it is, and they are just what you would be looking for if you want to put aside all "chic" and "cool" things and just go to a place that will make feel like a normal human being again. Thank you guys for ending my trip on a great note! See you next time!
(4)
Sabrina H.
What a comfy little bar. There are tons of tables and booths with a friendly staff to make you feel very welcome. The happy hour also has some good prices. I enjoyed a vodka cranberry and a chicken quesadilla. Both of which are very tasty. However, I didn't realize that the quesadilla had jalepenos but I found out in my first bite. At least I was able to pick some of the bigger slices out. It comes with a side of salsa and sour cream too. The only thing I don't like about it is the fact that it is in the middle of nowhere. There isn't anything around it to make it worth the trip unless there is an event going on down there.
(4)
Amado L.
I sort of promised my buddy Dickey that I wasn't going to Yelp about this place because he feared that it will then no longer be his 'secret find' when hordes of Yeeps try it out for themselves. But it would be un-Yeeplike of me to review a new place-- and a breakfast place at that-- so...sorry, Dickey. This is one honest-to-goodness diner that would've been difficult to spot unless you knew what you were looking for or lived in the area (or checked Yelp beforehand). In fact, I kept taunting Dickey about whether or not he really knew where we were going as we seemed to be simply driving endlessly on North Front Avenue, to which he replied: "Would you shut the f*ck up? I've been going to this place for years; of course, I know where the f*ck it is!" (Clearly, he needed some breakfast. Pronto...) We finally get there, and find immediate parking in its nondescript lot. The restaurant's diminutive exterior belies the spacious yet cozy interior, replete with booths, tallboys and bistro style seating. The dark woods are reminiscent of a place that's been around forever and, indeed as stated on the back of their menu, the structure was built in the late 20's. The breakfast menu was extensive with nomenclatures tinged with Portland landmarks. I cannot remember now the name of what I'd ordered but it's their chicken fried steak breakfast, which came with hashbrowns, two eggs any style and toast. It was heavenly-- the breaded steak and the country gravy had just the right amount of saltiness to make it savory without being overpowering; the eggs over easy were nearly perfect, as if God had fried them; and the hashbrowns were crispy yet light. There wasn't a lot of grease coming out of this greasy spoon. And, at $7.25 USD, it was affordable. The coffee ($1.85 USD) was diner quality but with enough cream and sugar tasted alright. It was ten thirty in the morning and I was starving, so the grub hit the spot, but I wouldn't necessarily say I was blown away. But, I'll tell you what, I'll definitely be back if only to try their other creations, especially the ones served with bacon strips, which seemed to have been extracted from incredibly gargantuan swines-- them bacon strips were enormous, yo! The breakfast servers were of the mature lot and it was at once arousing and revolting to see them slither through the tables in their Daisy Dukes. At least they kept my cup of decaf flowing... I see a bevy of 'four star' reviews for this place but I'd have to think that something's gotta tip them over to make them earn that fifth star. I intend to find out what the something is when I come back again. And again. And again...
(4)
April E.
Dockside is the 'ol standby for breakfast. The staff is wonderful, friendly and efficient. The food....well...it's pretty darn good! Nothing fancy, just simple items done right. I would definitely reccommend this place. It's great!
(5)
John F.
Looks scary in the outside, nice surprise on the inside. Our breakfast was generous, well-prepared, and hearty without being greasy. The staff was friendly, fast, and knowledgeable. A good place to grab an old-school breakfast or burger.
(3)
Michelle H.
Will someone please tell me where the secret room is? You know the kind that houses some sort of secret society, secret fight club, or secret gambling? That's the feel of the Dockside. Super super cool. A damn tasty happy hour quesadilla [for $2.55!] can be had, let me tell you. Just make sure you scope out the jalepenos if that's not your thing. If it weren't so randomly out of the way, I'd love to come back for breakfast or lunch. There is a lot of tasty looking stuff on that menu. Big TVs in a couple spots were touting sports games for the interested. I think I saw some video poker type stuff. Bathrooms were clean. Lots of tables and booths to seat you. Lots of cool stuff on the walls to look at. Really friendly service. It's an all around good deal. PS - Please keep your PPDs at home.
(4)
Coral C.
I understand that it's out in the middle of nowhere, but why must a bar close so early? For shame. Edit: Andrew C. pointed out the fact that all the workers go home early. Okay, yeah, I guess that's a good enough reason. (dammit)
(4)
Jim C.
Despite numerous claims of my co-workers about Taco Tuesdays and the like, I've never made it over to the Dockside for anything other than lunch. Having said that, the lunch is great. In addition to the standard menu, the specials are occasionally quite inspired... macaroni and cheese soup and a breaded pork cutlet sandwich were both excellent and quite a surprise from an unashamed saloon. The sandwiches are universally good, and the macaroni salad is a nice accompaniment to almost anything. The worst part about the Dockside is that sometimes you simply can't get to it. We waited on the wrong side of the tracks for 15 minutes as a train slowly wended its way through Portland before giving up and heading the other direction... literally as well as figuratively, we ended up at Wildwood for lunch.
(4)
Ariel S.
Come here for the incredible breakfast (the hashbrowns are unbelievable!), the beer, and the douchebag neighbors who live in those new condos across the street !
(4)
Libby G.
After driving past the Dockside for years and hearing wonderful reviews from clients I finally decided to give it a try. I LOVED IT. I give them a 5 star for breakfast. Breakfast is fantastic. The ambiance takes me back to a forested Lake Mackenzie in Wisconsin. I did stop for lunch and the waitress recommended a steak sandwhich which had no flavor... and i sent it back and asked for chili instead. They did not charge me for the chili but left the steak sandwhich on my bill. I will stick with going there for breakfast.
(4)
Patrick A.
I love heading over to Dockside whenever I'm in the mood for a salad. Their Chili Dog salad, in particular, is great. It's not so much a salad really. It's more of a large hot dog with chili on it (don't forget the cheese and onions). In fact, I don't think they call it a salad at all. Anywho, when I'm not in the mood for a salad, the Club, Italian Club, and Chili Burger always hit the spot too.
(4)
Vanessa R.
Went to the Dockside today, and was totally stoked for some breakfast. Unfortunately, we didn't get there until about 1pm, and they stop serving breakfast at 11. I was pretty crushed, as I hadn't read that in any of the reviews (how did I miss this?) I ended up going with a bacon and egg burger and the potato salad. The salad was pretty meh, but the burger was pretty darned great! No french fries, maybe they're considered too fattening? .. We also had the cookies, fresh out the oven, and hit the spot after the yummy burger. I had a root beer, which had a twangy taste to it (can't find a good word to describe it...twangy is the only word that comes to mind...)..We were really wanting to try the lemonade, but it was sitting on the counter and was almost brown....so we took the safe route.. The waitress was fairly young, but was totally cool. My rowdy friends caused quite a ruckus with another patron, an older gentleman that didn't like our topic of conversation, but the waitress kept her cool and didn't kick us out. All in all a pretty decent place that had good food. Fast and friendly service, I'll definitely be going back, even if it's out of the way. I passed a few abandoned buildings that need to be explored... :)
(3)
Allison D.
Cheap beer and daily specials, not a very big menu but a very lively place. More suited for the working man tho, not a typical trendy spot to meet people. Last I count they had 9 TVs, playing sports or news. Parking is ample but warned of the huge pot holes and rough surfacing. Note they do not have FRENCH FRIES!!! A side note about they're cleanliness, they do leave food out. But I haven't gotten sick so far.
(3)
Kristin S.
The Dockside is completely free of pretenses which can be a real treat and surprise in a sea of fancy localvore, pinky-in-the-air brunch spots in Portland. They have typical diner fare but are still consious of people who might be eating a bit healthier or vegetarian. The staff are super-friendly. I wouldn't eat here all the time since I can't handle such hearty food.
(4)
April B.
My husband was craving a good diner breakfast and we'd heard The Dockside was a local place of interest so we rode our bikes up there Saturday morning and barely squeaked in under the 11:00am breakfast cut off time. We sat at the counter and were informed it was the "construction area" as in the construction guys usually sit there. Saturday morning, though, it was free. The Dockside is not hard to find--on NW 17th and Front Street. If you're in NW PDX, just take 17th street all the way north? I had a veggie omelet and my husband had chicken fried steak. Both breakfasts were exactly what we were looking for. This is not high-end, but it is good! And the bill for the 2 of us came to less than $20. The waitresses were super nice, checked on several times, and you could tell that they definitely have a loyal regular crowd. They were making jokes and it was overall a really nice friendly atmosphere. The decor is super suitable for a movie set, if the movie takes place in a dive bar. It kinda reminded me of a set on Northern Exposure. Also, there's a lot of TVs, if that's your thing, also lotto. We're moving in 2 weeks and I'm kinda glad we didn't find this place sooner because I'd be tempted to fill my belly with Dockside breakfast too often for my own good. It was constantly busy while we were there, so I think they're probably one of those places that you keep coming back to.
(5)
Sarah B.
This place has got spunk (um, no gross innuendo intended). Where else can you get 3 tacos (just like mom made 'em--ground beef seasoned from a packet, lettuce, salsa and a hard shell) for $1, beer for $2, and be able to claim you were hanging out at the place where the evidence that damned Tonya Harding was found? That's a special place in my book. Seriously, their happy hour is great--I think it runs from 4-7:30pm (I know it ends at 7:30, just not when it starts exactly). Taco Tuesday's are the best--that's when you can get the afore mentioned 3 for $1 deal. Any other night of the week you can choose from a number of delicious options (they are all good) like a burger, chicken quesadilla, flour tostada (yeah, had no idea what the hell this was so I had to try it--turns out, it's yummy and greasy) all for $2.55 each. They also have drink specials every night for happy hour. I've also gone for breakfast, which is equally great--huge portions for cheap! If you're not afraid of a gem of a dive, you should definitely give Dockside a try.
(4)
Jesse G.
Please be sure to stop in here before it's demolished for condos.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Breakfast Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Divey Noise Level : Average Good For Dancing : No Alcohol : Full Bar Happy Hour : Yes Best Nights : Wed Coat Check : No Smoking : Outdoor Area/ Patio Only Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Luanne S.
I would probably give this place 5 stars if we hadn't been there with a group of 13! The size of the group totally overwhelmed their kitchen and it took them an hour to get our food out. But when they did... OMG it was wonderful!! The hash browns are so so crispy, I don't think anyone in town can match it. The fried eggs were perfect, the pancakes.. yummy! My grandson usually eats two bites of a meal and declares he's 'all done'. He ate nearly his entire HUGE pancake (possibly because he was so hungry from the long wait!). It was truly a delicious meal. I'll be going back, but in a smaller group.
(4)Pedro L.
Super cute place with great service! The food is great and the location for me is perfect! It's right across from the apartment and right on the waterfront. It looks much nicer inside and the people are very friendly and attentive. There are TVs to watch sportsball and great breakfast food!
(5)Dr R.
Great place! It's a classic dive, clean, good food and great service. It doesn't have much curb appeal, but it's larger inside than it appears.
(4)D.J. L.
Best breakfast place for the money I have found in portland. Great food great service I will keep coming back... the best part is the hash brown's are always crispy and cooked on both sides!
(4)Aimee F.
This establishment has good drinks, good food, and good service. There's not much more you need. I recommend anything on the menu, especially the breakfast burrito and the Bloody Mary! Enjoy.
(5)Kelly P.
Love eating breakfast at any hour here and of course this is the spot for a great Bloody Mary! The staff is super friendly and you will never have bad service.
(5)Halvdan M.
, they close at 10 p.m. what kind of bar in Portland in damn near what used to be the industrial district. Closes so early
(1)Educated Consumer M.
Hash browns lived up to the hype. I had the eggs florentine. Quite good. English muffins could have been toasted more. This place was hopping at 9am on a Friday morning, with a nice, local, casual vibe.
(4)Sarah W.
Food and drinks are good enough for a dive bar. Service is sooo slowwww it's actually mind-boggling. I've sat at the counter and can see the guys back there cooking away, but it still takes way longer than I think it should. On the plus, the Bloody Mary's are good.
(3)Stacy C.
You can come here with bedhead! (yeah, its a long book-like review but you have nothing better to do) The 'ambiance' This is the one place I'll throw on clothes and head out the door for without getting myself all proper and such. (well this place and work). You'll find folks in their Patagonia attire, hard core bike riders clunking through in their bike shoes, construction types in flannels and some like me- you'll spot the bedhead. I hate to call it a dive bar, but some do. (btw what makes a place 'a dive bar' for you? cause this ain't it for me) Dockside is a comfy, relaxed joint. No stiff service, la tee dah crap that so many think they are owed anytime they grace a doorway. When you come in the waitress with a coffee pot might wave it your way and call out to 'sit anywhere'. Don't get all jacked up and offended. Go to the Benson if you need fawned over. They don't need to have a matching beer selection to every other joint in town- it's the Dockside. Hit the easy button and order something. They don't strive to, or need to, meet or surpass other joints in town- it's the Dockside and it will be what its been since 1986. Get in, find a seat, read the history of the place, watch one of the many TVs, people watch, read a newspaper, talk to your friend, slow the F down and dont think you're all that- you'll have a dandy time. Parking For YEARSSS, perhaps since 1925, parking has been easy. Jam your ride into any spot you find. Now construction is taking place all around this little eatery, the fences have gone up and the new kid in town isn't playing nice. Parking is a going to be tricky but here comes the good neighbor part (so far I cant find them on YELP to give them a big atta). There is a flooring business just to the north across the street from Dockside and THEY are playing nice. They are allowing Dockside patrons to park in their lot and I say GOOD FOR YOU! I just might march in there someday and tell them that. If you park there be a good citizen, no trash or whizzing. In our world where everything is becoming MINE and YOURS here is a fine example of OURS. Food? OMG THE HASHBROWNNNNSSSSSSSSSS Specials are always a great selection and the regular menu you cant go wrong with. Many of their items are named after the bridges in Portland (this is a local joint folks- not a chain) and I dig it. I had blueberry pancakes just last Sunday and YUM. This is the first time I havent ordered the hashbrowns which was a real struggle but I reeled myself in from ordering both. Re having a wait for food? If they are behind they will tell you. Last Sunday the place was SLAMMING (remember this is a good sign) and their stoves and cooks can only cook so much at one time. It was worth the wait. Ive only been here for breakfast. Please go. Please chill out. Please take in some Portland history. This isn't a new joint that puts old pictures up and pretends to be historic...this is historic. You will be sitting in history and knowing how we mow our history down and pave over the spaces... it will be gone someday. I could go on- but I wont.
(5)Janet M.
What do you do when you have two hours without your barnacle baby ( er, tween) on a Saturday? Grab a buddy. Go to Dockside and have some breakfast. Yummy blueberry pancakes with fluffy eggs, crispy bacon, sausage links and an orange slice for $8.95. Yay. Small oj for $2. Coffee ( it was ok) for $2. Service was friendly, casual. Good. Vibe is cool. Plenty to look at. Good people watching.The place has some charm. I watched in amusement as a pitcher of beer and glasses were set up on an empty table next to us. Three bicyclists ( slightly older gentlemen) arrived shortly after their brew was set up for them. I think they've been there before maybe ;) Sweet! I'll be back. Totally.
(4)L S.
Some of us eat lunch here several times a week. It's like coming home to your own club. Friendly staff, solid diner food and some pretty outrageous breakfast specials on the weekend. Extremely consistent and you know exactly what you are getting. Many business people from the NW area have been eating there for years... quite a mix. highly recommended if you want a normal place with good food and not all foo-foo. Great place!!
(4)Eric M.
I've been here 4 times now over the last year. Service here is very good. The waitress does not come over and bother you every 5 minutes like other restaurants. Service is a 5 and food is about a 3...average of a 4 ranking for the price and value of meal/service. I come here because it's quiet and close to my hotel for work. I have yet to have anything that blows me away but all the food I have had is good enough to have me coming back
(4)Ashley B.
My husband and I popped in here on Saturday night to have a cocktail. I had never been in before but I love a good dive bar and had driven by a few times so we decided to try it out. We walked in and it was gloriously divey with a hint of diner. Love it! The crowd was a bunch of construction dudes who must have just gotten off work and were all having a good time. Great conversation to hear if you happen to be sitting close or walking by. Our bartender/server was an adorable blonde lady, I wish I got her name because she was just fabulous. She was extremely attentive, super nice and very personable. And...get this! She got our orders right which quite frankly is a rarity these days. She had made a comment about an older more "uppity" type couple that had come in and were just appalled by the crowd/conversation so they left. I thought that was kind of funny because I felt like this was the exact type of crowd I WANTED to be around. We didn't eat there but we did look at the menu. Really great standard diner-type options. Greasy spoon deliciousness. We'll be going back for breakfast for sure. Loved the bartender. Loved the crowd. Loved the Dockside.
(5)Cornelious N.
I realize that this place is charming... but honestly... this is diner food... and not even good diner food... just diner food. Think about it... diner food. It's greasy, inadequately or overseasoned, salty as hell, and simply not unique. Yet again, this is not some gourment Portland take on diner food... this is simply good ol' mediocre food that mediocre people and old tourists eat.
(2)Michael P.
wow. dockside, amazing. was visiting porltand for a few days with my friend and we needed a breakfast spot after a night of drinking. yelp did not dissapoint from the bloody marys, to the food , to the awesome waitstaff. everything was perfect had the chicken fried steak and my friend had corned beef hash. both were amazing both bartenders working there 25+ years were awesome and made the visit a pleasure. would definitely come back and recommend this to anyone else who was in portland
(5)Rebecca R.
I love Dockside. The place is a little divey, the servers are friendly and seem to know everybody, and it is crazy affordable. They also have one of the best patty melts that I have tasted in a long long time. I want to come for the spaghetti night but I have a feeling that it is packed. I love the back story of the place. It's a great place to take out of towners for a meal.
(5)Laura C.
Dockside is what it is; a dive bar. A very good one. Thus my rating is to say that's it's one of the better ones I've been to in town. I can't say I've been here for anything other than breakfast, but then, to me, breakfast is the best meal of the day. The joint is located just a bit north of downtown, towards all the new condo's on the waterfront. It's the perfect spot to go for a hang-over breakfast. However; it's across town from where I live, so unless I crash at a friends place nearby, I don't normally make the trek. Not that it isn't worth it, I'm just not the person to ask to cross town for food, when there is acceptable - albeit not as good - dive bar closer to home. I also spent 5 hours here on Superbowl Sunday. They closed the place down for a private party and I got an invite. Lucky me! The place is teaming (no pun intended) with plasma screen TV's - for the sports fanatic. I was there for the large portions of yummy food. This is a no-frills bar with lots of parking in their private lot.
(4)Curt B.
Solid white trash breakfast food at a cheap price. What's not to like? Mix in fast, friendly service and the fact that I've never had to wait for a spot to sit (although they are always busy on the weekends) and this becomes one of my favorite breakfast spots when I'm downtown. It will be a sad day when this place gets bulldozed to make way for the tsunami of condo's headed that way.
(4)Annie S.
A standard brunch spot for us. Super yummy hashbrowns and omelets. Great service. Great bloody Mary's
(5)Rebecca H.
Delicious! Down home food, big portions, well cooked, in a divey but not dirty old style bar. Great waitstaff, closed the curtains in the lotto so we could eat at a table, not a booth. Split my order so my daughter could share it with me, they filled her sippy cup and were very sweet to her. The blueberry pancakes with eggs, bacon and toast were great. Lots of blueberries! Everybody finished their plates and were happy! They are open during all the construction around them, stop by! On weekends you can use the parking lot across the street.
(5)Tamara C.
Yes. Just hell yes. When hungover, and I suspect even when feeling superb, this place puts out an awesome brunch. At the time, just the idea of having another drop of alcohol was nauseating so I was unable to order one of the amazing looking Bloody Mary's. My brunch buddies though, they ordered their fair share and mine too. Next time I go back, I really must have one of those Bloody Mary's. My Ginger Ale was pretty satisfying though and our server kept them coming. The menu and the specials menu is quite extensive and made it difficult for me to choose but I ended up ordering the chicken fried steak and a side of bacon. When it arrived I felt rather daunted as it was freaking huge and even the plate of bacon was huge. In my delicate state, I barely put a dent in it all and ended up with huge amounts of left overs. When I woke up from my food coma and hangover cure later in the evening, everything was just as awesome the second time around. Dockside RULES.
(4)Andrew R.
This place is awesome. It looks like its about to just fall apart, or be blown away, and there's not really anything else around it, it's just sitting by itself on its own little block. The wait staff here is hilarious, and super friendly! They're very talkative and fun, and they alone are a reason to come back, but then you get the food, and you're hooked! Tuna melt, on an English muffin. Pretty marvelous. While you wait for the food you can read about their funny "claim to fame" on the back of their menu. The whole experience is just great. A fun little Portland landmark
(5)Kat ..
Great staff and ugly Burger but OMG surprising Yummy!!!!!
(4)Jordan D.
My Family lives across the way and I tend to come here with my parents and have bought some friends out as well on the weekends. Taco Tuesday are always a must! The STAFF is AMAZING, outgoing, friendly, talkative and makes us always feel like we're part of this family owned Dockside Saloon.
(4)JW R.
OMG! They're going to film a scene from a movie here!!!!! Five years ago. Don't let the sign on the wall fool you, that movie sucked and the scene didn't even make it into the DVD extras. The Dockside, however, is full of win. From the outside it looks, uh, ramshackle I think is the nice word. But the inside gives no sense that collapse is impending. And as someone pointed out (in disgust, but I thought it was pretty awesome) there are 8 TVs in there. They seem to close at 8pm on weeknights normally. Be warned. I didn't eat, but the food I saw looked good. Jeff's burger looked awesome (in the greasy/crusty category), there were some tostadas a few of the WAG girls had that would have been good with some animal upon them. Same for the quesadillas. The drinks were tasty and the service, well, it was just us so it's hard to say what the service would be like on a normal night. I just hope those ritzy yuppie condos going up on the river don't wreck this place. But they probably will. Enjoy the Dockside while you can.
(4)Alex L.
I had a very delicious breakfast here at Dockside and good dranks. Sooooo delicious and greasy. Plus they gave me free toast! What's not to love. This place is the jam if you're in the neighborhood. The staff is super cool too. If you don't like it you're probably just too uptight.
(5)Brian H.
I love this place. It is unpretentious, friendly, comfortable, and Good! I've eaten breakfast here probably 30 times. The food is good, not fancy but good. I don't like bloody mary's but my friends swear that the Dockside has some of the best in town. The wait staff is top notch. They are efficient , friendly, and often hillarious. This is one of my mainstays in Portland.
(4)Samantha S.
I went to Dockside for Sunday brunch. It felt a bit like home. As others have mentioned, this is not a white table cloth, sparkling crystal kind of place. It's a shack on the side of the road with vinyl covered booths and long menu. It's the kind of neighborhood place that I would happily go to for a few beers and football. I has the Huevos Ranchos special and was happy with the salsa and overall taste. I did find the corn tortillas on the bottom to be a bit impossible to cut, but everything else was delicious. I was in an out for under $20, including a Bloody Mary and tip.
(3)Valerie W.
Dockside = my divey new breakfast love Lots of wood, old decor, TVs playing sports, great staff, good menu....perfect. HUGE plus is that they have their own parking lot. Score. Here's some of my reasons for loving this place: 1. The breakfast menu is excellent. Many of the meals named after local bridges. 2. Prices are fair and you get a lot for your $$ 3. Full bar. Good beers on tap. $5 mimosas 4. Staff will treat you like family. Super nice and accommodating. 5. Food overall is good....here's the run down of my 'Vista Bridge' meal: $9.95 for Chicken Fried Steak, 2 eggs, Hashbrowns, and toast (or my choice of homemade biscuits. Biscuits = pure love. Buttery, fluffy, and great with honey. Hashbrowns...tasty. Crispy outside and not overcooked. Just the way I like them. Eggs...I asked for over medium. Got over easy. No biggy. Chicken fried steak...not bad. Not great. I was having troubles cutting it with a knife. The outer 'fried' layer was tough. Meh. It tasted OK but was just really hard to eat and I could not finish. The gravy however made up for it. Overall I would say definitely give this place a try. I did notice that the ground was uneven in the place and if you aren't seated in a booth you are slanted. Odd. You likely won't leave here hungry though. Everything was overall tasty.
(4)E M.
From the random decor to the awesome story on the back of the menu, I love this place. No, it's not fine dining. It's a diner. It's an awesome diner. Pros: * Good service and friendly staff * Great price point (portions are generous) * Plenty of menu options * Laid back vibe Cons: * No milkshakes (apparently there's no ice cream machine)! * Beer selection is decent, but has some room to grow
(4)Zoe T.
Excellent breakfast spot in industrial NW -- plenty of parking and no wait when we went at 9am on a Saturday. This place has a cozy diner feel. Service was friendly and attentive. Food was simple and well-prepared. Very crunchy, toasty hashbrowns, yum!
(5)Cheryl D.
We rotate who picks family breakfast and my lovely Sister In Law picked this place. We pulled up and went OH MY GAWD what a dump, I was scared. We got inside and our worries were for nothing, it is a very sweet little place. . The Servers were happy and good at their jobs, they juggled things very effectively. They sure seem to have alot of regulars which is cool, many hugs were exchanged. The food, oh my god was it good. The Hash-browns are to DIE for, I don't know what they do to them but they are the best I have eaten, seriously. I had the Taco Omelet and it was seriously delicious, full of meat and onions, sour cream and a homemade salsa on top. The Biscuits are homemade and they split them for you and brown them on the flat top. YUM. Overall I think we were all pretty tickled about our breakfasts, by the time we left the place was hopping. How they put out such good food in such a small space is really quite amazing. I cant wait to go back and try something else!
(5)Denny S.
Love the "Vista bridge", chicken fried paradise. I can't bring myself to order anything else, why mess with perfection. The hash browns are crispy and fried with butter, toast is toast, but I hear the biscuits are pretty good. I passed on the eggs and it still ruined my lunch plans, wouldn't fit. No health food here, just really well done home style chow, in a cool place, with a fantastic wait staff to match.
(5)Bob M.
It was decided when I was 12 that I was too old to sit around the house during the summer and that I should go work with my Uncle, the plumber. A pivotal time in my growth. In one summer, I decided that there was no way in hell I was going to be a plumber when I grew up. Sewers stink. Sweating is over rated and I hated my Uncle with the fire of the twenty suns. He did, however, turn me on to workingman's diners. A few of our Yelpish friends decided that this morning's overcast was too bright. Before anything productive took over the day, we should meet at Dockside, drink and eat big piles of starchy fat ladened carbos until such thoughts passed. It did. I went home with a big goofy smile on my face and did not wake up for coming on six hours. Perhaps it was the couple lovely vegetable juice drinks that I had with it? I love a Bloody Mary with produce in it. Fully armed with a tasty pickled green bean, lime, a salted rim and a platoon of speared manzanillas, just getting into the cocktail took a little effort. Once past the infantry there is a lovely peppery cocktail well worth the effort. At $2.50 a throw, one can throw many back. The company was lovely, and I recommend bringing your own troops, but it looks like a place that you can just start conversations with what begin as strangers and have a good ol' time. To the food: I had the country fried steak, pan gravy and hash browns. Gravy was a little thick, but peppery, a breaded steak the size of a manhole and very, very good diner hash browns; those kinds with a uniform crunchy gold crust and soft potato-ey goodness inside. The whole shebang? A good solid workingman's joint. Wish it and all my pals were a little closer to the Land of the Bland.
(3)Jeannie J.
I just found out a week ago that they don't have a deep fryer. How? Why?!? Sometimes a girl needs some fries damn it!
(4)Mac M.
Favorite cheap breakfast in Portland. And, the waitresses are awesome. Huge menu full of great food. Have never had a bad time here ever!
(5)Eric P.
I dropped a friend off at the airport and had some time to kill before work. Figured I'd check out the Dockside for breakfast. I'm glad I did, as it was just what I was looking for. I had The burnside: two eggs, hash browns, choice of toast or biscuit. Good stuff for cheap at 6:30am. Friendly waitress, and a bunch of cops eating there. Has to be a good place.
(4)Scott S.
Dockside is an institution. With all the fancy restaurants in the Portland area, this is ALWAYS the place I want to take newbies and visitors. The staff is incredible. The food is good (and plentiful). The Bloody Marys (in case your doctor told you to eat more vegetables like mine did) are sublime.
(5)Peter T.
Tucked away in one of the industrial sections of Portland, directly underneath where the 405 crosses the river, the Dockside serves the working stiffs that ply their trade in the various businesses in the port. Open from 5AM - 8PM M-F, and with earlier closing times on the weekend, the Dockside features a lengthy breakfast and lunch menu daily food and soup specials. I was doing some work in the area, and my client suggested we pop in for a bite. I went with a bacon/cheeseburger, which is served with your choice of a wide variety of sides, and dressed with sauce, tomato and shredded lettuce. Ample thick-sliced bacon and gooey cheese topped the burger. While the food doesn't particularly make the Dockside a specific destination for diners, it is ample, fast, inexpensive, and served by a really friendly staff.
(3)Del O.
Fast, friendly service, great food at an exceptional price, and you can even enjoy a cigar outside. I often come here for lunch, and you can get most breakfast items all day long. If you're in the area - stop by and you won't be disappointed!
(5)Greg B.
Dockside Saloon is alluring. It sits on the base of Front Avenue as the street goes further into Industrial Land. There are no other eating establishments that lie before it. It exists on that corner. It should be noted for its existence. The waitresses are helpful. The dish of the day ("taco salad") is offered. The food is quick and prompt. It sits there on the table waiting to be eaten. Then there are the cookies, which I gathered, could be a daily treat. I had the coffee cookie and it was very well done. The taco salad was cheap. It's one of those places that doesn't disguise the fact that it's a dive bar mashed in with a diner with a constant flow of people coming in. There is parking on the street. There's wood everywhere and it's a great place.
(4)Matt L.
Now, I don't know how much I can actually comment on their food, because I ordered two eggs, fruit and a side of yogurt when I went, but from what I could tell my friends' food looked AMAZING. I literally wanted to bury my face in the biscuits that came along with the chicken fried steak that one of them was eating. They just looked so golden, crispy and delicious ... I better stop there before I make myself unnecessarily hungry. Ain't nobody got time for that. I was actually surprised to see that this restaurant actually existed. it's tucked away in an unsuspecting part of the NW Industrial District, and unless you really knew what you were looking for, you'd miss it. It has it's own parking lot, which is pretty much unheard of downtown, they have a wide variety of food (each of their signature plates are named after city bridges, which is pretty awesome), their servers are wickedly funny and really like to engage you in actual conversation beyond what your order is. It's almost like having a little slice of small-town America right in downtown. The prices are pretty reasonable, and the little quirks are lots of fun to discover. Like the WWE Wrestling action figure we found wedged behind one of the televisions. Next time I go, I'm going to have to maybe run a few miles beforehand so I don't feel guilty when I order the massive plate of food I actually want to.
(3)Jennifer W.
Very chill and old school! Breakfast is AMAZING and the bacon.... Oh the bacon! You'll love it, take my word on it;)
(5)Kevin M.
It's on the periphery, but Dockside is not the Pearl -- reminding that working docks remain nearby. It feels like a place you'd stop at in the mountains, where "locals" (in this case, dock workers) and visitors (Pearl people) find sustenance in an ancient-looking wood edifice. The food is straight up and indulgent; you can get a chili omelet. It's greasy, it's good, it's friendly and it's not expensive. And they were open during the snowstorm.
(4)Ben R.
Yes, this is a dive-y sports bar in a 90 year old saloon with pot holes in the parking lot. BUT, inside you will be pleasantly surprised inside by the service, food and homey all-wood interior. All of the food is scratch made home style; they are an American traditional breakfast/lunch diner. This is one of my favorite Sunday brunch spots because we always get there late afternoon after the rush and have great service. On the weekend they serve breakfast all day and also have brunch specials that are favorites such as blueberry pancakes, breakfast scramble, and perfect eggs benedict. Weekday favorites include chicken fried steak, omelet, and the kids love the strawberry waffles. They have good coffee (Bridgetown) but I haven't tried the espresso yet. The portions are slightly generous. The staff is fast and friendly, and tends to toe their own in the banter with the M-F lunch regulars. This is a family favorite for weekend brunch, but I was also on a streak for a few months going there for a quick lunch almost everyday. They have a rotating daily lunch special that was always excellent and a great way to try something new that isn't on the menu. This can be a good place for groups, but I would call ahead if you have more than 10. This is a small place. They have 10 booths, 10 tables, and about 6 people can sit at the bar. Walk in and grab a table, there is no hostess seating. The menus are on the table. You can pay your server or up at the bar if you're in a hurry. They can be very quick during lunch if you are in a rush. They are also open very early for breakfast (5am). While you are waiting for your order, read their story on the back of the menu.
(4)Andy K.
I go there once in a while for Breakfast.. They are very close to my place and are open at 5 am. The staff is nice and the place has a old time diner feel even though it looks like a dive bar...
(4)Olivia T.
They handled our reservation for 12 people very well. We got a long table towards the back of the restaurant. Our server was very nice. She's attentive, didn't mind the split checks, got our orders right, and she even took our family group pictures multiple times. Too bad I didn't get her name because she deserved the employee of the year award. They serve really great food here. I had the Spicy Pasta dish and it was delicious. It was very basic comfort food and it hits the right spots. Everybody else raved about their food; Reuben, Chicken Salad, Fish & Chips, and more. If you are in St Helens and looking for a nice restaurant without breaking the bank, this place will suit you. We left happy and with full bellies.
(5)Scott P.
Love the dockside! Do not be put off in anyway by the location, or the exterior. Actually, go ahead, be put off. It will increase my chances of getting a table next Saturday morning. This place is great. They crank out some serious breakfasts. I liked the huveos racheros but i LOVED the breakfast burrito! Finally someone who cooks commercial hash browns up right! Crispy as all get out on the outside yet perfectly hot and moist on the inside. Oh btw, the best bloody mary ever in my book.
(4)Emily V.
This place is amazing. I used to live close to it so I found it out of convience but now that I have moved and live a good distance from it I still make the trip. It is a hang over cure on a plate if you make it for breakfast. My best friend and I love meeting up here. Its kind of like a Portland version of Cheers..... "where everybody knows your nammmeee." The staff are so nice and friendly, the owners are workin behind the bar or waiting tables and are super kind people. I really have fallen in love with this place over the years and encourage YOU to go fall in love with it. You won't be disappointed :-) I recently even had my graduate school graduation lunch at Dockside, my guests were all stoked to enjoy lunch with me at such a great spot! Keep up the good work Dockside.
(5)Melissa P.
Yumm! Now that was a good breakfast. Now I know why the parking lot is always full when I drive by this place. I don't know anything about the quality of the dockside as a bar and evening destination. But four of us stopped in for a post paddle brunch, and every meal was great. The service was attentive and casual. And the bloody mary's were in pitchers ready to be poured. This might be a new weekend habit.
(4)MaryBeth D.
A definite dive bar but that's ok cause it is a really cool place to eat. All of the food is named after like all of Portland bridges or something else local. The wait staff does an awesome job of being very attentive to everyone. FYI.....they have the most buttery, crispy taters I have ever eaten.
(4)Neil W.
There is a cancer in Portland. A disease eating our gastronomical sense of relativism from the inside out....specifically from the inside out of our bank accounts. Have we become so blinded by the almighty appeal of the hip and new that we can no longer value that which is inherently valuable? Have we lost all sense of pragmatism in entertainment? I sure hope not, and I charge you, fair reader, to join in effort to support a movement away from judging establishments on their proximity to the Pearl or Belmont Station. A renewed premium on the intrinsic value that a table is just sometimes just something my elbows and drinks sit on, and NOT a work of art. That on any given Tuesday I would rather hear from a bartender that she has "Miller, Coors Light, and some local shit that's hoppy on tap." That I don't need confit; that I may not want compound butter; and that sometimes I want to be curious as to why my jeans stuck to my bar stool for a second. I urge our community to stand up against a shifting paradigm that may create our own tower of babel here in Portland, leading us heathens to be the victors of our own spoils and lose such truly valuable establishments as the Dockside. But I digress. While I would hardly consider myself cheap or frugal, I am a SUCKER for a good deal. And here's a what I call a good deal. Hamburger w/ Cheese and Fixins Chips 3 Jack and Sodas = $15 That what I had at Dockside on a Wednesday night. Rave reviews also came in for their $3 chicken Quseodilla. Great, friendly service, good location, parking lot, TV's EVERYWHERE. Doesn't get any better in the world of dive bars than this. Amazing.
(5)Todd G.
Sat at the bar literally a few feet from the wait staff. I had been sitting for easily five minutes but no greeting. Sadly, the server greeted a "regular" that came in 5 min. after I did...still no greeting for me. Terrible customer service. Can't give them anything more than a single star...didn't have a chance to try the food. I get it...good servers greet their regulars...they should also greet NEW customers. Shame...
(1)Bill T.
So I ended my wonderful weekend in the Pacific Northwest at the Dockside Saloon and Restaurant. I had the Dockside Omlette wich you should try, you can also get it with three different meats which is just silly, but a great idea. The ambiance is that of a blue collar's idea of a good time, which is what it is, and they are just what you would be looking for if you want to put aside all "chic" and "cool" things and just go to a place that will make feel like a normal human being again. Thank you guys for ending my trip on a great note! See you next time!
(4)Amado L.
I sort of promised my buddy Dickey that I wasn't going to Yelp about this place because he feared that it will then no longer be his 'secret find' when hordes of Yeeps try it out for themselves. But it would be un-Yeeplike of me to review a new place-- and a breakfast place at that-- so...sorry, Dickey. This is one honest-to-goodness diner that would've been difficult to spot unless you knew what you were looking for or lived in the area (or checked Yelp beforehand). In fact, I kept taunting Dickey about whether or not he really knew where we were going as we seemed to be simply driving endlessly on North Front Avenue, to which he replied: "Would you shut the f*ck up? I've been going to this place for years; of course, I know where the f*ck it is!" (Clearly, he needed some breakfast. Pronto...) We finally get there, and find immediate parking in its nondescript lot. The restaurant's diminutive exterior belies the spacious yet cozy interior, replete with booths, tallboys and bistro style seating. The dark woods are reminiscent of a place that's been around forever and, indeed as stated on the back of their menu, the structure was built in the late 20's. The breakfast menu was extensive with nomenclatures tinged with Portland landmarks. I cannot remember now the name of what I'd ordered but it's their chicken fried steak breakfast, which came with hashbrowns, two eggs any style and toast. It was heavenly-- the breaded steak and the country gravy had just the right amount of saltiness to make it savory without being overpowering; the eggs over easy were nearly perfect, as if God had fried them; and the hashbrowns were crispy yet light. There wasn't a lot of grease coming out of this greasy spoon. And, at $7.25 USD, it was affordable. The coffee ($1.85 USD) was diner quality but with enough cream and sugar tasted alright. It was ten thirty in the morning and I was starving, so the grub hit the spot, but I wouldn't necessarily say I was blown away. But, I'll tell you what, I'll definitely be back if only to try their other creations, especially the ones served with bacon strips, which seemed to have been extracted from incredibly gargantuan swines-- them bacon strips were enormous, yo! The breakfast servers were of the mature lot and it was at once arousing and revolting to see them slither through the tables in their Daisy Dukes. At least they kept my cup of decaf flowing... I see a bevy of 'four star' reviews for this place but I'd have to think that something's gotta tip them over to make them earn that fifth star. I intend to find out what the something is when I come back again. And again. And again...
(4)April E.
Dockside is the 'ol standby for breakfast. The staff is wonderful, friendly and efficient. The food....well...it's pretty darn good! Nothing fancy, just simple items done right. I would definitely reccommend this place. It's great!
(5)John F.
Looks scary in the outside, nice surprise on the inside. Our breakfast was generous, well-prepared, and hearty without being greasy. The staff was friendly, fast, and knowledgeable. A good place to grab an old-school breakfast or burger.
(3)Kimberly V.
For the rowdy gentlemen group at table #3-ish: I Spent My Last $10 On Birth Control and Beer by Two Nice Girls I did not drink, I did not smoke I did not say goddamn I was polite I was sensitive before I loved a [bar] My family, they were proud of me were proud of what I am But then along came [Dockside] and my tale of woe began I spent my last ten dollars on birth control and beer My life was so much simpler when I was sober and queer But the love of a strong hairy [bar] has turned my head I fear And made me spend my last ten bucks on birth control and beer I think the above song uses wry irony to point out the casual, desperate nature implicit in the hooking up at bars procedure, particularly of the breeder persuasion. So what happens when it's the bar itself that brings the drinkin', devil-may-care side out of me? I swear I wasn't like that at all (last night) until I descended upon Dockside. All would be fab if it weren't for the 8:30 closing time (1). Uh oh, you guys, I think I just had a breakthrough. I'm baryamorous. (1) I should point out that Dockside regularly closes its doors around 8:30 (on Wednesdays) but they made a three-hour exception for the thirsty Yelp and WAG folk. Isn't that reason enough to drop your drinking drawers?
(4)Todd R.
I love the diners and this one is true to the genre with the added plus of a low grime factor, well lit and welcoming, if you consider that a plus in a diner. You gotta give any downscale joint in super-gentrifying NW kudos just for staying alive. The Dockside squats right on the line between the steel mills and shipyards of the NW industrial district and the million dollar condos rapidly surrounding this shack of a restaurant. As you walk up to the wooden planked boxy building, it looks like the entire structure is leaning forward. Dockside? Hell it looks like the dock itself, right before they tear it down to build some soul-less concrete monster. Once you're in the door, it's bright and warm. Blue collar types sit around tables sipping coffee and chowing down. More wide, old-growth planks, TVs blink at you from all directions, black and white photos invite you to come closer and inspect: enormous bundles in huge warehouses, the St. Johns bridge sans roadway. You'd swear it's a bar, not a restaurant, and they do serve beer, but not hard licks (I think). Sit down and soak up the atmosphere, try to ignore the hypnotic flicker of the tvs (I'm totally against tvs unless I'm specifically there to watch a game). The food? Just what you'd expect, cheap- eggs, sausage and a side of toast, weak coffee, friendly, efficient, older "I've seen it all, let's chat" waitress. Just the place on a rainy Oregon morning.
(4)Jay C.
Classic greasy spoon breakfast. Great eggs Benedict and a bloody Mary that hits the spot. We never have to wait for a table, and I hope all these great yelp reviews don't ruin that. :)
(4)Sabrina H.
What a comfy little bar. There are tons of tables and booths with a friendly staff to make you feel very welcome. The happy hour also has some good prices. I enjoyed a vodka cranberry and a chicken quesadilla. Both of which are very tasty. However, I didn't realize that the quesadilla had jalepenos but I found out in my first bite. At least I was able to pick some of the bigger slices out. It comes with a side of salsa and sour cream too. The only thing I don't like about it is the fact that it is in the middle of nowhere. There isn't anything around it to make it worth the trip unless there is an event going on down there.
(4)Michelle H.
Will someone please tell me where the secret room is? You know the kind that houses some sort of secret society, secret fight club, or secret gambling? That's the feel of the Dockside. Super super cool. A damn tasty happy hour quesadilla [for $2.55!] can be had, let me tell you. Just make sure you scope out the jalepenos if that's not your thing. If it weren't so randomly out of the way, I'd love to come back for breakfast or lunch. There is a lot of tasty looking stuff on that menu. Big TVs in a couple spots were touting sports games for the interested. I think I saw some video poker type stuff. Bathrooms were clean. Lots of tables and booths to seat you. Lots of cool stuff on the walls to look at. Really friendly service. It's an all around good deal. PS - Please keep your PPDs at home.
(4)Coral C.
I understand that it's out in the middle of nowhere, but why must a bar close so early? For shame. Edit: Andrew C. pointed out the fact that all the workers go home early. Okay, yeah, I guess that's a good enough reason. (dammit)
(4)Jim C.
Despite numerous claims of my co-workers about Taco Tuesdays and the like, I've never made it over to the Dockside for anything other than lunch. Having said that, the lunch is great. In addition to the standard menu, the specials are occasionally quite inspired... macaroni and cheese soup and a breaded pork cutlet sandwich were both excellent and quite a surprise from an unashamed saloon. The sandwiches are universally good, and the macaroni salad is a nice accompaniment to almost anything. The worst part about the Dockside is that sometimes you simply can't get to it. We waited on the wrong side of the tracks for 15 minutes as a train slowly wended its way through Portland before giving up and heading the other direction... literally as well as figuratively, we ended up at Wildwood for lunch.
(4)Ariel S.
Come here for the incredible breakfast (the hashbrowns are unbelievable!), the beer, and the douchebag neighbors who live in those new condos across the street !
(4)Libby G.
After driving past the Dockside for years and hearing wonderful reviews from clients I finally decided to give it a try. I LOVED IT. I give them a 5 star for breakfast. Breakfast is fantastic. The ambiance takes me back to a forested Lake Mackenzie in Wisconsin. I did stop for lunch and the waitress recommended a steak sandwhich which had no flavor... and i sent it back and asked for chili instead. They did not charge me for the chili but left the steak sandwhich on my bill. I will stick with going there for breakfast.
(4)Vanessa R.
Went to the Dockside today, and was totally stoked for some breakfast. Unfortunately, we didn't get there until about 1pm, and they stop serving breakfast at 11. I was pretty crushed, as I hadn't read that in any of the reviews (how did I miss this?) I ended up going with a bacon and egg burger and the potato salad. The salad was pretty meh, but the burger was pretty darned great! No french fries, maybe they're considered too fattening? .. We also had the cookies, fresh out the oven, and hit the spot after the yummy burger. I had a root beer, which had a twangy taste to it (can't find a good word to describe it...twangy is the only word that comes to mind...)..We were really wanting to try the lemonade, but it was sitting on the counter and was almost brown....so we took the safe route.. The waitress was fairly young, but was totally cool. My rowdy friends caused quite a ruckus with another patron, an older gentleman that didn't like our topic of conversation, but the waitress kept her cool and didn't kick us out. All in all a pretty decent place that had good food. Fast and friendly service, I'll definitely be going back, even if it's out of the way. I passed a few abandoned buildings that need to be explored... :)
(3)Allison D.
Cheap beer and daily specials, not a very big menu but a very lively place. More suited for the working man tho, not a typical trendy spot to meet people. Last I count they had 9 TVs, playing sports or news. Parking is ample but warned of the huge pot holes and rough surfacing. Note they do not have FRENCH FRIES!!! A side note about they're cleanliness, they do leave food out. But I haven't gotten sick so far.
(3)Kristin S.
The Dockside is completely free of pretenses which can be a real treat and surprise in a sea of fancy localvore, pinky-in-the-air brunch spots in Portland. They have typical diner fare but are still consious of people who might be eating a bit healthier or vegetarian. The staff are super-friendly. I wouldn't eat here all the time since I can't handle such hearty food.
(4)April B.
My husband was craving a good diner breakfast and we'd heard The Dockside was a local place of interest so we rode our bikes up there Saturday morning and barely squeaked in under the 11:00am breakfast cut off time. We sat at the counter and were informed it was the "construction area" as in the construction guys usually sit there. Saturday morning, though, it was free. The Dockside is not hard to find--on NW 17th and Front Street. If you're in NW PDX, just take 17th street all the way north? I had a veggie omelet and my husband had chicken fried steak. Both breakfasts were exactly what we were looking for. This is not high-end, but it is good! And the bill for the 2 of us came to less than $20. The waitresses were super nice, checked on several times, and you could tell that they definitely have a loyal regular crowd. They were making jokes and it was overall a really nice friendly atmosphere. The decor is super suitable for a movie set, if the movie takes place in a dive bar. It kinda reminded me of a set on Northern Exposure. Also, there's a lot of TVs, if that's your thing, also lotto. We're moving in 2 weeks and I'm kinda glad we didn't find this place sooner because I'd be tempted to fill my belly with Dockside breakfast too often for my own good. It was constantly busy while we were there, so I think they're probably one of those places that you keep coming back to.
(5)Patrick A.
I love heading over to Dockside whenever I'm in the mood for a salad. Their Chili Dog salad, in particular, is great. It's not so much a salad really. It's more of a large hot dog with chili on it (don't forget the cheese and onions). In fact, I don't think they call it a salad at all. Anywho, when I'm not in the mood for a salad, the Club, Italian Club, and Chili Burger always hit the spot too.
(4)Sarah B.
This place has got spunk (um, no gross innuendo intended). Where else can you get 3 tacos (just like mom made 'em--ground beef seasoned from a packet, lettuce, salsa and a hard shell) for $1, beer for $2, and be able to claim you were hanging out at the place where the evidence that damned Tonya Harding was found? That's a special place in my book. Seriously, their happy hour is great--I think it runs from 4-7:30pm (I know it ends at 7:30, just not when it starts exactly). Taco Tuesday's are the best--that's when you can get the afore mentioned 3 for $1 deal. Any other night of the week you can choose from a number of delicious options (they are all good) like a burger, chicken quesadilla, flour tostada (yeah, had no idea what the hell this was so I had to try it--turns out, it's yummy and greasy) all for $2.55 each. They also have drink specials every night for happy hour. I've also gone for breakfast, which is equally great--huge portions for cheap! If you're not afraid of a gem of a dive, you should definitely give Dockside a try.
(4)Jesse G.
Please be sure to stop in here before it's demolished for condos.
(4)Aimee F.
This establishment has good drinks, good food, and good service. There's not much more you need. I recommend anything on the menu, especially the breakfast burrito and the Bloody Mary! Enjoy.
(5)Kelly P.
Love eating breakfast at any hour here and of course this is the spot for a great Bloody Mary! The staff is super friendly and you will never have bad service.
(5)Halvdan M.
, they close at 10 p.m. what kind of bar in Portland in damn near what used to be the industrial district. Closes so early
(1)Mac M.
Favorite cheap breakfast in Portland. And, the waitresses are awesome. Huge menu full of great food. Have never had a bad time here ever!
(5)Eric P.
I dropped a friend off at the airport and had some time to kill before work. Figured I'd check out the Dockside for breakfast. I'm glad I did, as it was just what I was looking for. I had The burnside: two eggs, hash browns, choice of toast or biscuit. Good stuff for cheap at 6:30am. Friendly waitress, and a bunch of cops eating there. Has to be a good place.
(4)Stacy C.
You can come here with bedhead! (yeah, its a long book-like review but you have nothing better to do) The 'ambiance' This is the one place I'll throw on clothes and head out the door for without getting myself all proper and such. (well this place and work). You'll find folks in their Patagonia attire, hard core bike riders clunking through in their bike shoes, construction types in flannels and some like me- you'll spot the bedhead. I hate to call it a dive bar, but some do. (btw what makes a place 'a dive bar' for you? cause this ain't it for me) Dockside is a comfy, relaxed joint. No stiff service, la tee dah crap that so many think they are owed anytime they grace a doorway. When you come in the waitress with a coffee pot might wave it your way and call out to 'sit anywhere'. Don't get all jacked up and offended. Go to the Benson if you need fawned over. They don't need to have a matching beer selection to every other joint in town- it's the Dockside. Hit the easy button and order something. They don't strive to, or need to, meet or surpass other joints in town- it's the Dockside and it will be what its been since 1986. Get in, find a seat, read the history of the place, watch one of the many TVs, people watch, read a newspaper, talk to your friend, slow the F down and dont think you're all that- you'll have a dandy time. Parking For YEARSSS, perhaps since 1925, parking has been easy. Jam your ride into any spot you find. Now construction is taking place all around this little eatery, the fences have gone up and the new kid in town isn't playing nice. Parking is a going to be tricky but here comes the good neighbor part (so far I cant find them on YELP to give them a big atta). There is a flooring business just to the north across the street from Dockside and THEY are playing nice. They are allowing Dockside patrons to park in their lot and I say GOOD FOR YOU! I just might march in there someday and tell them that. If you park there be a good citizen, no trash or whizzing. In our world where everything is becoming MINE and YOURS here is a fine example of OURS. Food? OMG THE HASHBROWNNNNSSSSSSSSSS Specials are always a great selection and the regular menu you cant go wrong with. Many of their items are named after the bridges in Portland (this is a local joint folks- not a chain) and I dig it. I had blueberry pancakes just last Sunday and YUM. This is the first time I havent ordered the hashbrowns which was a real struggle but I reeled myself in from ordering both. Re having a wait for food? If they are behind they will tell you. Last Sunday the place was SLAMMING (remember this is a good sign) and their stoves and cooks can only cook so much at one time. It was worth the wait. Ive only been here for breakfast. Please go. Please chill out. Please take in some Portland history. This isn't a new joint that puts old pictures up and pretends to be historic...this is historic. You will be sitting in history and knowing how we mow our history down and pave over the spaces... it will be gone someday. I could go on- but I wont.
(5)Scott S.
Dockside is an institution. With all the fancy restaurants in the Portland area, this is ALWAYS the place I want to take newbies and visitors. The staff is incredible. The food is good (and plentiful). The Bloody Marys (in case your doctor told you to eat more vegetables like mine did) are sublime.
(5)Luanne S.
I would probably give this place 5 stars if we hadn't been there with a group of 13! The size of the group totally overwhelmed their kitchen and it took them an hour to get our food out. But when they did... OMG it was wonderful!! The hash browns are so so crispy, I don't think anyone in town can match it. The fried eggs were perfect, the pancakes.. yummy! My grandson usually eats two bites of a meal and declares he's 'all done'. He ate nearly his entire HUGE pancake (possibly because he was so hungry from the long wait!). It was truly a delicious meal. I'll be going back, but in a smaller group.
(4)Pedro L.
Super cute place with great service! The food is great and the location for me is perfect! It's right across from the apartment and right on the waterfront. It looks much nicer inside and the people are very friendly and attentive. There are TVs to watch sportsball and great breakfast food!
(5)Dr R.
Great place! It's a classic dive, clean, good food and great service. It doesn't have much curb appeal, but it's larger inside than it appears.
(4)D.J. L.
Best breakfast place for the money I have found in portland. Great food great service I will keep coming back... the best part is the hash brown's are always crispy and cooked on both sides!
(4)Janet M.
What do you do when you have two hours without your barnacle baby ( er, tween) on a Saturday? Grab a buddy. Go to Dockside and have some breakfast. Yummy blueberry pancakes with fluffy eggs, crispy bacon, sausage links and an orange slice for $8.95. Yay. Small oj for $2. Coffee ( it was ok) for $2. Service was friendly, casual. Good. Vibe is cool. Plenty to look at. Good people watching.The place has some charm. I watched in amusement as a pitcher of beer and glasses were set up on an empty table next to us. Three bicyclists ( slightly older gentlemen) arrived shortly after their brew was set up for them. I think they've been there before maybe ;) Sweet! I'll be back. Totally.
(4)L S.
Some of us eat lunch here several times a week. It's like coming home to your own club. Friendly staff, solid diner food and some pretty outrageous breakfast specials on the weekend. Extremely consistent and you know exactly what you are getting. Many business people from the NW area have been eating there for years... quite a mix. highly recommended if you want a normal place with good food and not all foo-foo. Great place!!
(4)Eric M.
I've been here 4 times now over the last year. Service here is very good. The waitress does not come over and bother you every 5 minutes like other restaurants. Service is a 5 and food is about a 3...average of a 4 ranking for the price and value of meal/service. I come here because it's quiet and close to my hotel for work. I have yet to have anything that blows me away but all the food I have had is good enough to have me coming back
(4)Educated Consumer M.
Hash browns lived up to the hype. I had the eggs florentine. Quite good. English muffins could have been toasted more. This place was hopping at 9am on a Friday morning, with a nice, local, casual vibe.
(4)Jennifer W.
Very chill and old school! Breakfast is AMAZING and the bacon.... Oh the bacon! You'll love it, take my word on it;)
(5)Kevin M.
It's on the periphery, but Dockside is not the Pearl -- reminding that working docks remain nearby. It feels like a place you'd stop at in the mountains, where "locals" (in this case, dock workers) and visitors (Pearl people) find sustenance in an ancient-looking wood edifice. The food is straight up and indulgent; you can get a chili omelet. It's greasy, it's good, it's friendly and it's not expensive. And they were open during the snowstorm.
(4)Ben R.
Yes, this is a dive-y sports bar in a 90 year old saloon with pot holes in the parking lot. BUT, inside you will be pleasantly surprised inside by the service, food and homey all-wood interior. All of the food is scratch made home style; they are an American traditional breakfast/lunch diner. This is one of my favorite Sunday brunch spots because we always get there late afternoon after the rush and have great service. On the weekend they serve breakfast all day and also have brunch specials that are favorites such as blueberry pancakes, breakfast scramble, and perfect eggs benedict. Weekday favorites include chicken fried steak, omelet, and the kids love the strawberry waffles. They have good coffee (Bridgetown) but I haven't tried the espresso yet. The portions are slightly generous. The staff is fast and friendly, and tends to toe their own in the banter with the M-F lunch regulars. This is a family favorite for weekend brunch, but I was also on a streak for a few months going there for a quick lunch almost everyday. They have a rotating daily lunch special that was always excellent and a great way to try something new that isn't on the menu. This can be a good place for groups, but I would call ahead if you have more than 10. This is a small place. They have 10 booths, 10 tables, and about 6 people can sit at the bar. Walk in and grab a table, there is no hostess seating. The menus are on the table. You can pay your server or up at the bar if you're in a hurry. They can be very quick during lunch if you are in a rush. They are also open very early for breakfast (5am). While you are waiting for your order, read their story on the back of the menu.
(4)Andy K.
I go there once in a while for Breakfast.. They are very close to my place and are open at 5 am. The staff is nice and the place has a old time diner feel even though it looks like a dive bar...
(4)Olivia T.
They handled our reservation for 12 people very well. We got a long table towards the back of the restaurant. Our server was very nice. She's attentive, didn't mind the split checks, got our orders right, and she even took our family group pictures multiple times. Too bad I didn't get her name because she deserved the employee of the year award. They serve really great food here. I had the Spicy Pasta dish and it was delicious. It was very basic comfort food and it hits the right spots. Everybody else raved about their food; Reuben, Chicken Salad, Fish & Chips, and more. If you are in St Helens and looking for a nice restaurant without breaking the bank, this place will suit you. We left happy and with full bellies.
(5)Samantha S.
I went to Dockside for Sunday brunch. It felt a bit like home. As others have mentioned, this is not a white table cloth, sparkling crystal kind of place. It's a shack on the side of the road with vinyl covered booths and long menu. It's the kind of neighborhood place that I would happily go to for a few beers and football. I has the Huevos Ranchos special and was happy with the salsa and overall taste. I did find the corn tortillas on the bottom to be a bit impossible to cut, but everything else was delicious. I was in an out for under $20, including a Bloody Mary and tip.
(3)Neil W.
There is a cancer in Portland. A disease eating our gastronomical sense of relativism from the inside out....specifically from the inside out of our bank accounts. Have we become so blinded by the almighty appeal of the hip and new that we can no longer value that which is inherently valuable? Have we lost all sense of pragmatism in entertainment? I sure hope not, and I charge you, fair reader, to join in effort to support a movement away from judging establishments on their proximity to the Pearl or Belmont Station. A renewed premium on the intrinsic value that a table is just sometimes just something my elbows and drinks sit on, and NOT a work of art. That on any given Tuesday I would rather hear from a bartender that she has "Miller, Coors Light, and some local shit that's hoppy on tap." That I don't need confit; that I may not want compound butter; and that sometimes I want to be curious as to why my jeans stuck to my bar stool for a second. I urge our community to stand up against a shifting paradigm that may create our own tower of babel here in Portland, leading us heathens to be the victors of our own spoils and lose such truly valuable establishments as the Dockside. But I digress. While I would hardly consider myself cheap or frugal, I am a SUCKER for a good deal. And here's a what I call a good deal. Hamburger w/ Cheese and Fixins Chips 3 Jack and Sodas = $15 That what I had at Dockside on a Wednesday night. Rave reviews also came in for their $3 chicken Quseodilla. Great, friendly service, good location, parking lot, TV's EVERYWHERE. Doesn't get any better in the world of dive bars than this. Amazing.
(5)Libby G.
After driving past the Dockside for years and hearing wonderful reviews from clients I finally decided to give it a try. I LOVED IT. I give them a 5 star for breakfast. Breakfast is fantastic. The ambiance takes me back to a forested Lake Mackenzie in Wisconsin. I did stop for lunch and the waitress recommended a steak sandwhich which had no flavor... and i sent it back and asked for chili instead. They did not charge me for the chili but left the steak sandwhich on my bill. I will stick with going there for breakfast.
(4)Vanessa R.
Went to the Dockside today, and was totally stoked for some breakfast. Unfortunately, we didn't get there until about 1pm, and they stop serving breakfast at 11. I was pretty crushed, as I hadn't read that in any of the reviews (how did I miss this?) I ended up going with a bacon and egg burger and the potato salad. The salad was pretty meh, but the burger was pretty darned great! No french fries, maybe they're considered too fattening? .. We also had the cookies, fresh out the oven, and hit the spot after the yummy burger. I had a root beer, which had a twangy taste to it (can't find a good word to describe it...twangy is the only word that comes to mind...)..We were really wanting to try the lemonade, but it was sitting on the counter and was almost brown....so we took the safe route.. The waitress was fairly young, but was totally cool. My rowdy friends caused quite a ruckus with another patron, an older gentleman that didn't like our topic of conversation, but the waitress kept her cool and didn't kick us out. All in all a pretty decent place that had good food. Fast and friendly service, I'll definitely be going back, even if it's out of the way. I passed a few abandoned buildings that need to be explored... :)
(3)Allison D.
Cheap beer and daily specials, not a very big menu but a very lively place. More suited for the working man tho, not a typical trendy spot to meet people. Last I count they had 9 TVs, playing sports or news. Parking is ample but warned of the huge pot holes and rough surfacing. Note they do not have FRENCH FRIES!!! A side note about they're cleanliness, they do leave food out. But I haven't gotten sick so far.
(3)Kristin S.
The Dockside is completely free of pretenses which can be a real treat and surprise in a sea of fancy localvore, pinky-in-the-air brunch spots in Portland. They have typical diner fare but are still consious of people who might be eating a bit healthier or vegetarian. The staff are super-friendly. I wouldn't eat here all the time since I can't handle such hearty food.
(4)April B.
My husband was craving a good diner breakfast and we'd heard The Dockside was a local place of interest so we rode our bikes up there Saturday morning and barely squeaked in under the 11:00am breakfast cut off time. We sat at the counter and were informed it was the "construction area" as in the construction guys usually sit there. Saturday morning, though, it was free. The Dockside is not hard to find--on NW 17th and Front Street. If you're in NW PDX, just take 17th street all the way north? I had a veggie omelet and my husband had chicken fried steak. Both breakfasts were exactly what we were looking for. This is not high-end, but it is good! And the bill for the 2 of us came to less than $20. The waitresses were super nice, checked on several times, and you could tell that they definitely have a loyal regular crowd. They were making jokes and it was overall a really nice friendly atmosphere. The decor is super suitable for a movie set, if the movie takes place in a dive bar. It kinda reminded me of a set on Northern Exposure. Also, there's a lot of TVs, if that's your thing, also lotto. We're moving in 2 weeks and I'm kinda glad we didn't find this place sooner because I'd be tempted to fill my belly with Dockside breakfast too often for my own good. It was constantly busy while we were there, so I think they're probably one of those places that you keep coming back to.
(5)Patrick A.
I love heading over to Dockside whenever I'm in the mood for a salad. Their Chili Dog salad, in particular, is great. It's not so much a salad really. It's more of a large hot dog with chili on it (don't forget the cheese and onions). In fact, I don't think they call it a salad at all. Anywho, when I'm not in the mood for a salad, the Club, Italian Club, and Chili Burger always hit the spot too.
(4)Sarah B.
This place has got spunk (um, no gross innuendo intended). Where else can you get 3 tacos (just like mom made 'em--ground beef seasoned from a packet, lettuce, salsa and a hard shell) for $1, beer for $2, and be able to claim you were hanging out at the place where the evidence that damned Tonya Harding was found? That's a special place in my book. Seriously, their happy hour is great--I think it runs from 4-7:30pm (I know it ends at 7:30, just not when it starts exactly). Taco Tuesday's are the best--that's when you can get the afore mentioned 3 for $1 deal. Any other night of the week you can choose from a number of delicious options (they are all good) like a burger, chicken quesadilla, flour tostada (yeah, had no idea what the hell this was so I had to try it--turns out, it's yummy and greasy) all for $2.55 each. They also have drink specials every night for happy hour. I've also gone for breakfast, which is equally great--huge portions for cheap! If you're not afraid of a gem of a dive, you should definitely give Dockside a try.
(4)Jesse G.
Please be sure to stop in here before it's demolished for condos.
(4)Sarah W.
Food and drinks are good enough for a dive bar. Service is sooo slowwww it's actually mind-boggling. I've sat at the counter and can see the guys back there cooking away, but it still takes way longer than I think it should. On the plus, the Bloody Mary's are good.
(3)Ashley B.
My husband and I popped in here on Saturday night to have a cocktail. I had never been in before but I love a good dive bar and had driven by a few times so we decided to try it out. We walked in and it was gloriously divey with a hint of diner. Love it! The crowd was a bunch of construction dudes who must have just gotten off work and were all having a good time. Great conversation to hear if you happen to be sitting close or walking by. Our bartender/server was an adorable blonde lady, I wish I got her name because she was just fabulous. She was extremely attentive, super nice and very personable. And...get this! She got our orders right which quite frankly is a rarity these days. She had made a comment about an older more "uppity" type couple that had come in and were just appalled by the crowd/conversation so they left. I thought that was kind of funny because I felt like this was the exact type of crowd I WANTED to be around. We didn't eat there but we did look at the menu. Really great standard diner-type options. Greasy spoon deliciousness. We'll be going back for breakfast for sure. Loved the bartender. Loved the crowd. Loved the Dockside.
(5)Cornelious N.
I realize that this place is charming... but honestly... this is diner food... and not even good diner food... just diner food. Think about it... diner food. It's greasy, inadequately or overseasoned, salty as hell, and simply not unique. Yet again, this is not some gourment Portland take on diner food... this is simply good ol' mediocre food that mediocre people and old tourists eat.
(2)Curt B.
Solid white trash breakfast food at a cheap price. What's not to like? Mix in fast, friendly service and the fact that I've never had to wait for a spot to sit (although they are always busy on the weekends) and this becomes one of my favorite breakfast spots when I'm downtown. It will be a sad day when this place gets bulldozed to make way for the tsunami of condo's headed that way.
(4)Annie S.
A standard brunch spot for us. Super yummy hashbrowns and omelets. Great service. Great bloody Mary's
(5)Rebecca H.
Delicious! Down home food, big portions, well cooked, in a divey but not dirty old style bar. Great waitstaff, closed the curtains in the lotto so we could eat at a table, not a booth. Split my order so my daughter could share it with me, they filled her sippy cup and were very sweet to her. The blueberry pancakes with eggs, bacon and toast were great. Lots of blueberries! Everybody finished their plates and were happy! They are open during all the construction around them, stop by! On weekends you can use the parking lot across the street.
(5)Tamara C.
Yes. Just hell yes. When hungover, and I suspect even when feeling superb, this place puts out an awesome brunch. At the time, just the idea of having another drop of alcohol was nauseating so I was unable to order one of the amazing looking Bloody Mary's. My brunch buddies though, they ordered their fair share and mine too. Next time I go back, I really must have one of those Bloody Mary's. My Ginger Ale was pretty satisfying though and our server kept them coming. The menu and the specials menu is quite extensive and made it difficult for me to choose but I ended up ordering the chicken fried steak and a side of bacon. When it arrived I felt rather daunted as it was freaking huge and even the plate of bacon was huge. In my delicate state, I barely put a dent in it all and ended up with huge amounts of left overs. When I woke up from my food coma and hangover cure later in the evening, everything was just as awesome the second time around. Dockside RULES.
(4)Valerie W.
Dockside = my divey new breakfast love Lots of wood, old decor, TVs playing sports, great staff, good menu....perfect. HUGE plus is that they have their own parking lot. Score. Here's some of my reasons for loving this place: 1. The breakfast menu is excellent. Many of the meals named after local bridges. 2. Prices are fair and you get a lot for your $$ 3. Full bar. Good beers on tap. $5 mimosas 4. Staff will treat you like family. Super nice and accommodating. 5. Food overall is good....here's the run down of my 'Vista Bridge' meal: $9.95 for Chicken Fried Steak, 2 eggs, Hashbrowns, and toast (or my choice of homemade biscuits. Biscuits = pure love. Buttery, fluffy, and great with honey. Hashbrowns...tasty. Crispy outside and not overcooked. Just the way I like them. Eggs...I asked for over medium. Got over easy. No biggy. Chicken fried steak...not bad. Not great. I was having troubles cutting it with a knife. The outer 'fried' layer was tough. Meh. It tasted OK but was just really hard to eat and I could not finish. The gravy however made up for it. Overall I would say definitely give this place a try. I did notice that the ground was uneven in the place and if you aren't seated in a booth you are slanted. Odd. You likely won't leave here hungry though. Everything was overall tasty.
(4)E M.
From the random decor to the awesome story on the back of the menu, I love this place. No, it's not fine dining. It's a diner. It's an awesome diner. Pros: * Good service and friendly staff * Great price point (portions are generous) * Plenty of menu options * Laid back vibe Cons: * No milkshakes (apparently there's no ice cream machine)! * Beer selection is decent, but has some room to grow
(4)Zoe T.
Excellent breakfast spot in industrial NW -- plenty of parking and no wait when we went at 9am on a Saturday. This place has a cozy diner feel. Service was friendly and attentive. Food was simple and well-prepared. Very crunchy, toasty hashbrowns, yum!
(5)Cheryl D.
We rotate who picks family breakfast and my lovely Sister In Law picked this place. We pulled up and went OH MY GAWD what a dump, I was scared. We got inside and our worries were for nothing, it is a very sweet little place. . The Servers were happy and good at their jobs, they juggled things very effectively. They sure seem to have alot of regulars which is cool, many hugs were exchanged. The food, oh my god was it good. The Hash-browns are to DIE for, I don't know what they do to them but they are the best I have eaten, seriously. I had the Taco Omelet and it was seriously delicious, full of meat and onions, sour cream and a homemade salsa on top. The Biscuits are homemade and they split them for you and brown them on the flat top. YUM. Overall I think we were all pretty tickled about our breakfasts, by the time we left the place was hopping. How they put out such good food in such a small space is really quite amazing. I cant wait to go back and try something else!
(5)Denny S.
Love the "Vista bridge", chicken fried paradise. I can't bring myself to order anything else, why mess with perfection. The hash browns are crispy and fried with butter, toast is toast, but I hear the biscuits are pretty good. I passed on the eggs and it still ruined my lunch plans, wouldn't fit. No health food here, just really well done home style chow, in a cool place, with a fantastic wait staff to match.
(5)Bob M.
It was decided when I was 12 that I was too old to sit around the house during the summer and that I should go work with my Uncle, the plumber. A pivotal time in my growth. In one summer, I decided that there was no way in hell I was going to be a plumber when I grew up. Sewers stink. Sweating is over rated and I hated my Uncle with the fire of the twenty suns. He did, however, turn me on to workingman's diners. A few of our Yelpish friends decided that this morning's overcast was too bright. Before anything productive took over the day, we should meet at Dockside, drink and eat big piles of starchy fat ladened carbos until such thoughts passed. It did. I went home with a big goofy smile on my face and did not wake up for coming on six hours. Perhaps it was the couple lovely vegetable juice drinks that I had with it? I love a Bloody Mary with produce in it. Fully armed with a tasty pickled green bean, lime, a salted rim and a platoon of speared manzanillas, just getting into the cocktail took a little effort. Once past the infantry there is a lovely peppery cocktail well worth the effort. At $2.50 a throw, one can throw many back. The company was lovely, and I recommend bringing your own troops, but it looks like a place that you can just start conversations with what begin as strangers and have a good ol' time. To the food: I had the country fried steak, pan gravy and hash browns. Gravy was a little thick, but peppery, a breaded steak the size of a manhole and very, very good diner hash browns; those kinds with a uniform crunchy gold crust and soft potato-ey goodness inside. The whole shebang? A good solid workingman's joint. Wish it and all my pals were a little closer to the Land of the Bland.
(3)Jeannie J.
I just found out a week ago that they don't have a deep fryer. How? Why?!? Sometimes a girl needs some fries damn it!
(4)Peter T.
Tucked away in one of the industrial sections of Portland, directly underneath where the 405 crosses the river, the Dockside serves the working stiffs that ply their trade in the various businesses in the port. Open from 5AM - 8PM M-F, and with earlier closing times on the weekend, the Dockside features a lengthy breakfast and lunch menu daily food and soup specials. I was doing some work in the area, and my client suggested we pop in for a bite. I went with a bacon/cheeseburger, which is served with your choice of a wide variety of sides, and dressed with sauce, tomato and shredded lettuce. Ample thick-sliced bacon and gooey cheese topped the burger. While the food doesn't particularly make the Dockside a specific destination for diners, it is ample, fast, inexpensive, and served by a really friendly staff.
(3)Del O.
Fast, friendly service, great food at an exceptional price, and you can even enjoy a cigar outside. I often come here for lunch, and you can get most breakfast items all day long. If you're in the area - stop by and you won't be disappointed!
(5)Greg B.
Dockside Saloon is alluring. It sits on the base of Front Avenue as the street goes further into Industrial Land. There are no other eating establishments that lie before it. It exists on that corner. It should be noted for its existence. The waitresses are helpful. The dish of the day ("taco salad") is offered. The food is quick and prompt. It sits there on the table waiting to be eaten. Then there are the cookies, which I gathered, could be a daily treat. I had the coffee cookie and it was very well done. The taco salad was cheap. It's one of those places that doesn't disguise the fact that it's a dive bar mashed in with a diner with a constant flow of people coming in. There is parking on the street. There's wood everywhere and it's a great place.
(4)Matt L.
Now, I don't know how much I can actually comment on their food, because I ordered two eggs, fruit and a side of yogurt when I went, but from what I could tell my friends' food looked AMAZING. I literally wanted to bury my face in the biscuits that came along with the chicken fried steak that one of them was eating. They just looked so golden, crispy and delicious ... I better stop there before I make myself unnecessarily hungry. Ain't nobody got time for that. I was actually surprised to see that this restaurant actually existed. it's tucked away in an unsuspecting part of the NW Industrial District, and unless you really knew what you were looking for, you'd miss it. It has it's own parking lot, which is pretty much unheard of downtown, they have a wide variety of food (each of their signature plates are named after city bridges, which is pretty awesome), their servers are wickedly funny and really like to engage you in actual conversation beyond what your order is. It's almost like having a little slice of small-town America right in downtown. The prices are pretty reasonable, and the little quirks are lots of fun to discover. Like the WWE Wrestling action figure we found wedged behind one of the televisions. Next time I go, I'm going to have to maybe run a few miles beforehand so I don't feel guilty when I order the massive plate of food I actually want to.
(3)Jay C.
Classic greasy spoon breakfast. Great eggs Benedict and a bloody Mary that hits the spot. We never have to wait for a table, and I hope all these great yelp reviews don't ruin that. :)
(4)Sabrina H.
What a comfy little bar. There are tons of tables and booths with a friendly staff to make you feel very welcome. The happy hour also has some good prices. I enjoyed a vodka cranberry and a chicken quesadilla. Both of which are very tasty. However, I didn't realize that the quesadilla had jalepenos but I found out in my first bite. At least I was able to pick some of the bigger slices out. It comes with a side of salsa and sour cream too. The only thing I don't like about it is the fact that it is in the middle of nowhere. There isn't anything around it to make it worth the trip unless there is an event going on down there.
(4)Melissa P.
Yumm! Now that was a good breakfast. Now I know why the parking lot is always full when I drive by this place. I don't know anything about the quality of the dockside as a bar and evening destination. But four of us stopped in for a post paddle brunch, and every meal was great. The service was attentive and casual. And the bloody mary's were in pitchers ready to be poured. This might be a new weekend habit.
(4)MaryBeth D.
A definite dive bar but that's ok cause it is a really cool place to eat. All of the food is named after like all of Portland bridges or something else local. The wait staff does an awesome job of being very attentive to everyone. FYI.....they have the most buttery, crispy taters I have ever eaten.
(4)JW R.
OMG! They're going to film a scene from a movie here!!!!! Five years ago. Don't let the sign on the wall fool you, that movie sucked and the scene didn't even make it into the DVD extras. The Dockside, however, is full of win. From the outside it looks, uh, ramshackle I think is the nice word. But the inside gives no sense that collapse is impending. And as someone pointed out (in disgust, but I thought it was pretty awesome) there are 8 TVs in there. They seem to close at 8pm on weeknights normally. Be warned. I didn't eat, but the food I saw looked good. Jeff's burger looked awesome (in the greasy/crusty category), there were some tostadas a few of the WAG girls had that would have been good with some animal upon them. Same for the quesadillas. The drinks were tasty and the service, well, it was just us so it's hard to say what the service would be like on a normal night. I just hope those ritzy yuppie condos going up on the river don't wreck this place. But they probably will. Enjoy the Dockside while you can.
(4)Alex L.
I had a very delicious breakfast here at Dockside and good dranks. Sooooo delicious and greasy. Plus they gave me free toast! What's not to love. This place is the jam if you're in the neighborhood. The staff is super cool too. If you don't like it you're probably just too uptight.
(5)Scott P.
Love the dockside! Do not be put off in anyway by the location, or the exterior. Actually, go ahead, be put off. It will increase my chances of getting a table next Saturday morning. This place is great. They crank out some serious breakfasts. I liked the huveos racheros but i LOVED the breakfast burrito! Finally someone who cooks commercial hash browns up right! Crispy as all get out on the outside yet perfectly hot and moist on the inside. Oh btw, the best bloody mary ever in my book.
(4)Michael P.
wow. dockside, amazing. was visiting porltand for a few days with my friend and we needed a breakfast spot after a night of drinking. yelp did not dissapoint from the bloody marys, to the food , to the awesome waitstaff. everything was perfect had the chicken fried steak and my friend had corned beef hash. both were amazing both bartenders working there 25+ years were awesome and made the visit a pleasure. would definitely come back and recommend this to anyone else who was in portland
(5)Rebecca R.
I love Dockside. The place is a little divey, the servers are friendly and seem to know everybody, and it is crazy affordable. They also have one of the best patty melts that I have tasted in a long long time. I want to come for the spaghetti night but I have a feeling that it is packed. I love the back story of the place. It's a great place to take out of towners for a meal.
(5)Laura C.
Dockside is what it is; a dive bar. A very good one. Thus my rating is to say that's it's one of the better ones I've been to in town. I can't say I've been here for anything other than breakfast, but then, to me, breakfast is the best meal of the day. The joint is located just a bit north of downtown, towards all the new condo's on the waterfront. It's the perfect spot to go for a hang-over breakfast. However; it's across town from where I live, so unless I crash at a friends place nearby, I don't normally make the trek. Not that it isn't worth it, I'm just not the person to ask to cross town for food, when there is acceptable - albeit not as good - dive bar closer to home. I also spent 5 hours here on Superbowl Sunday. They closed the place down for a private party and I got an invite. Lucky me! The place is teaming (no pun intended) with plasma screen TV's - for the sports fanatic. I was there for the large portions of yummy food. This is a no-frills bar with lots of parking in their private lot.
(4)Andrew R.
This place is awesome. It looks like its about to just fall apart, or be blown away, and there's not really anything else around it, it's just sitting by itself on its own little block. The wait staff here is hilarious, and super friendly! They're very talkative and fun, and they alone are a reason to come back, but then you get the food, and you're hooked! Tuna melt, on an English muffin. Pretty marvelous. While you wait for the food you can read about their funny "claim to fame" on the back of their menu. The whole experience is just great. A fun little Portland landmark
(5)Kat ..
Great staff and ugly Burger but OMG surprising Yummy!!!!!
(4)Jordan D.
My Family lives across the way and I tend to come here with my parents and have bought some friends out as well on the weekends. Taco Tuesday are always a must! The STAFF is AMAZING, outgoing, friendly, talkative and makes us always feel like we're part of this family owned Dockside Saloon.
(4)Emily V.
This place is amazing. I used to live close to it so I found it out of convience but now that I have moved and live a good distance from it I still make the trip. It is a hang over cure on a plate if you make it for breakfast. My best friend and I love meeting up here. Its kind of like a Portland version of Cheers..... "where everybody knows your nammmeee." The staff are so nice and friendly, the owners are workin behind the bar or waiting tables and are super kind people. I really have fallen in love with this place over the years and encourage YOU to go fall in love with it. You won't be disappointed :-) I recently even had my graduate school graduation lunch at Dockside, my guests were all stoked to enjoy lunch with me at such a great spot! Keep up the good work Dockside.
(5)Brian H.
I love this place. It is unpretentious, friendly, comfortable, and Good! I've eaten breakfast here probably 30 times. The food is good, not fancy but good. I don't like bloody mary's but my friends swear that the Dockside has some of the best in town. The wait staff is top notch. They are efficient , friendly, and often hillarious. This is one of my mainstays in Portland.
(4)Todd G.
Sat at the bar literally a few feet from the wait staff. I had been sitting for easily five minutes but no greeting. Sadly, the server greeted a "regular" that came in 5 min. after I did...still no greeting for me. Terrible customer service. Can't give them anything more than a single star...didn't have a chance to try the food. I get it...good servers greet their regulars...they should also greet NEW customers. Shame...
(1)Amado L.
I sort of promised my buddy Dickey that I wasn't going to Yelp about this place because he feared that it will then no longer be his 'secret find' when hordes of Yeeps try it out for themselves. But it would be un-Yeeplike of me to review a new place-- and a breakfast place at that-- so...sorry, Dickey. This is one honest-to-goodness diner that would've been difficult to spot unless you knew what you were looking for or lived in the area (or checked Yelp beforehand). In fact, I kept taunting Dickey about whether or not he really knew where we were going as we seemed to be simply driving endlessly on North Front Avenue, to which he replied: "Would you shut the f*ck up? I've been going to this place for years; of course, I know where the f*ck it is!" (Clearly, he needed some breakfast. Pronto...) We finally get there, and find immediate parking in its nondescript lot. The restaurant's diminutive exterior belies the spacious yet cozy interior, replete with booths, tallboys and bistro style seating. The dark woods are reminiscent of a place that's been around forever and, indeed as stated on the back of their menu, the structure was built in the late 20's. The breakfast menu was extensive with nomenclatures tinged with Portland landmarks. I cannot remember now the name of what I'd ordered but it's their chicken fried steak breakfast, which came with hashbrowns, two eggs any style and toast. It was heavenly-- the breaded steak and the country gravy had just the right amount of saltiness to make it savory without being overpowering; the eggs over easy were nearly perfect, as if God had fried them; and the hashbrowns were crispy yet light. There wasn't a lot of grease coming out of this greasy spoon. And, at $7.25 USD, it was affordable. The coffee ($1.85 USD) was diner quality but with enough cream and sugar tasted alright. It was ten thirty in the morning and I was starving, so the grub hit the spot, but I wouldn't necessarily say I was blown away. But, I'll tell you what, I'll definitely be back if only to try their other creations, especially the ones served with bacon strips, which seemed to have been extracted from incredibly gargantuan swines-- them bacon strips were enormous, yo! The breakfast servers were of the mature lot and it was at once arousing and revolting to see them slither through the tables in their Daisy Dukes. At least they kept my cup of decaf flowing... I see a bevy of 'four star' reviews for this place but I'd have to think that something's gotta tip them over to make them earn that fifth star. I intend to find out what the something is when I come back again. And again. And again...
(4)April E.
Dockside is the 'ol standby for breakfast. The staff is wonderful, friendly and efficient. The food....well...it's pretty darn good! Nothing fancy, just simple items done right. I would definitely reccommend this place. It's great!
(5)John F.
Looks scary in the outside, nice surprise on the inside. Our breakfast was generous, well-prepared, and hearty without being greasy. The staff was friendly, fast, and knowledgeable. A good place to grab an old-school breakfast or burger.
(3)Bill T.
So I ended my wonderful weekend in the Pacific Northwest at the Dockside Saloon and Restaurant. I had the Dockside Omlette wich you should try, you can also get it with three different meats which is just silly, but a great idea. The ambiance is that of a blue collar's idea of a good time, which is what it is, and they are just what you would be looking for if you want to put aside all "chic" and "cool" things and just go to a place that will make feel like a normal human being again. Thank you guys for ending my trip on a great note! See you next time!
(4)Kimberly V.
For the rowdy gentlemen group at table #3-ish: I Spent My Last $10 On Birth Control and Beer by Two Nice Girls I did not drink, I did not smoke I did not say goddamn I was polite I was sensitive before I loved a [bar] My family, they were proud of me were proud of what I am But then along came [Dockside] and my tale of woe began I spent my last ten dollars on birth control and beer My life was so much simpler when I was sober and queer But the love of a strong hairy [bar] has turned my head I fear And made me spend my last ten bucks on birth control and beer I think the above song uses wry irony to point out the casual, desperate nature implicit in the hooking up at bars procedure, particularly of the breeder persuasion. So what happens when it's the bar itself that brings the drinkin', devil-may-care side out of me? I swear I wasn't like that at all (last night) until I descended upon Dockside. All would be fab if it weren't for the 8:30 closing time (1). Uh oh, you guys, I think I just had a breakthrough. I'm baryamorous. (1) I should point out that Dockside regularly closes its doors around 8:30 (on Wednesdays) but they made a three-hour exception for the thirsty Yelp and WAG folk. Isn't that reason enough to drop your drinking drawers?
(4)Michelle H.
Will someone please tell me where the secret room is? You know the kind that houses some sort of secret society, secret fight club, or secret gambling? That's the feel of the Dockside. Super super cool. A damn tasty happy hour quesadilla [for $2.55!] can be had, let me tell you. Just make sure you scope out the jalepenos if that's not your thing. If it weren't so randomly out of the way, I'd love to come back for breakfast or lunch. There is a lot of tasty looking stuff on that menu. Big TVs in a couple spots were touting sports games for the interested. I think I saw some video poker type stuff. Bathrooms were clean. Lots of tables and booths to seat you. Lots of cool stuff on the walls to look at. Really friendly service. It's an all around good deal. PS - Please keep your PPDs at home.
(4)Coral C.
I understand that it's out in the middle of nowhere, but why must a bar close so early? For shame. Edit: Andrew C. pointed out the fact that all the workers go home early. Okay, yeah, I guess that's a good enough reason. (dammit)
(4)Todd R.
I love the diners and this one is true to the genre with the added plus of a low grime factor, well lit and welcoming, if you consider that a plus in a diner. You gotta give any downscale joint in super-gentrifying NW kudos just for staying alive. The Dockside squats right on the line between the steel mills and shipyards of the NW industrial district and the million dollar condos rapidly surrounding this shack of a restaurant. As you walk up to the wooden planked boxy building, it looks like the entire structure is leaning forward. Dockside? Hell it looks like the dock itself, right before they tear it down to build some soul-less concrete monster. Once you're in the door, it's bright and warm. Blue collar types sit around tables sipping coffee and chowing down. More wide, old-growth planks, TVs blink at you from all directions, black and white photos invite you to come closer and inspect: enormous bundles in huge warehouses, the St. Johns bridge sans roadway. You'd swear it's a bar, not a restaurant, and they do serve beer, but not hard licks (I think). Sit down and soak up the atmosphere, try to ignore the hypnotic flicker of the tvs (I'm totally against tvs unless I'm specifically there to watch a game). The food? Just what you'd expect, cheap- eggs, sausage and a side of toast, weak coffee, friendly, efficient, older "I've seen it all, let's chat" waitress. Just the place on a rainy Oregon morning.
(4)Jim C.
Despite numerous claims of my co-workers about Taco Tuesdays and the like, I've never made it over to the Dockside for anything other than lunch. Having said that, the lunch is great. In addition to the standard menu, the specials are occasionally quite inspired... macaroni and cheese soup and a breaded pork cutlet sandwich were both excellent and quite a surprise from an unashamed saloon. The sandwiches are universally good, and the macaroni salad is a nice accompaniment to almost anything. The worst part about the Dockside is that sometimes you simply can't get to it. We waited on the wrong side of the tracks for 15 minutes as a train slowly wended its way through Portland before giving up and heading the other direction... literally as well as figuratively, we ended up at Wildwood for lunch.
(4)Ariel S.
Come here for the incredible breakfast (the hashbrowns are unbelievable!), the beer, and the douchebag neighbors who live in those new condos across the street !
(4)Mac M.
Favorite cheap breakfast in Portland. And, the waitresses are awesome. Huge menu full of great food. Have never had a bad time here ever!
(5)Rebecca R.
I love Dockside. The place is a little divey, the servers are friendly and seem to know everybody, and it is crazy affordable. They also have one of the best patty melts that I have tasted in a long long time. I want to come for the spaghetti night but I have a feeling that it is packed. I love the back story of the place. It's a great place to take out of towners for a meal.
(5)MaryBeth D.
A definite dive bar but that's ok cause it is a really cool place to eat. All of the food is named after like all of Portland bridges or something else local. The wait staff does an awesome job of being very attentive to everyone. FYI.....they have the most buttery, crispy taters I have ever eaten.
(4)Laura C.
Dockside is what it is; a dive bar. A very good one. Thus my rating is to say that's it's one of the better ones I've been to in town. I can't say I've been here for anything other than breakfast, but then, to me, breakfast is the best meal of the day. The joint is located just a bit north of downtown, towards all the new condo's on the waterfront. It's the perfect spot to go for a hang-over breakfast. However; it's across town from where I live, so unless I crash at a friends place nearby, I don't normally make the trek. Not that it isn't worth it, I'm just not the person to ask to cross town for food, when there is acceptable - albeit not as good - dive bar closer to home. I also spent 5 hours here on Superbowl Sunday. They closed the place down for a private party and I got an invite. Lucky me! The place is teaming (no pun intended) with plasma screen TV's - for the sports fanatic. I was there for the large portions of yummy food. This is a no-frills bar with lots of parking in their private lot.
(4)Kimberly V.
For the rowdy gentlemen group at table #3-ish: I Spent My Last $10 On Birth Control and Beer by Two Nice Girls I did not drink, I did not smoke I did not say goddamn I was polite I was sensitive before I loved a [bar] My family, they were proud of me were proud of what I am But then along came [Dockside] and my tale of woe began I spent my last ten dollars on birth control and beer My life was so much simpler when I was sober and queer But the love of a strong hairy [bar] has turned my head I fear And made me spend my last ten bucks on birth control and beer I think the above song uses wry irony to point out the casual, desperate nature implicit in the hooking up at bars procedure, particularly of the breeder persuasion. So what happens when it's the bar itself that brings the drinkin', devil-may-care side out of me? I swear I wasn't like that at all (last night) until I descended upon Dockside. All would be fab if it weren't for the 8:30 closing time (1). Uh oh, you guys, I think I just had a breakthrough. I'm baryamorous. (1) I should point out that Dockside regularly closes its doors around 8:30 (on Wednesdays) but they made a three-hour exception for the thirsty Yelp and WAG folk. Isn't that reason enough to drop your drinking drawers?
(4)Todd R.
I love the diners and this one is true to the genre with the added plus of a low grime factor, well lit and welcoming, if you consider that a plus in a diner. You gotta give any downscale joint in super-gentrifying NW kudos just for staying alive. The Dockside squats right on the line between the steel mills and shipyards of the NW industrial district and the million dollar condos rapidly surrounding this shack of a restaurant. As you walk up to the wooden planked boxy building, it looks like the entire structure is leaning forward. Dockside? Hell it looks like the dock itself, right before they tear it down to build some soul-less concrete monster. Once you're in the door, it's bright and warm. Blue collar types sit around tables sipping coffee and chowing down. More wide, old-growth planks, TVs blink at you from all directions, black and white photos invite you to come closer and inspect: enormous bundles in huge warehouses, the St. Johns bridge sans roadway. You'd swear it's a bar, not a restaurant, and they do serve beer, but not hard licks (I think). Sit down and soak up the atmosphere, try to ignore the hypnotic flicker of the tvs (I'm totally against tvs unless I'm specifically there to watch a game). The food? Just what you'd expect, cheap- eggs, sausage and a side of toast, weak coffee, friendly, efficient, older "I've seen it all, let's chat" waitress. Just the place on a rainy Oregon morning.
(4)Jay C.
Classic greasy spoon breakfast. Great eggs Benedict and a bloody Mary that hits the spot. We never have to wait for a table, and I hope all these great yelp reviews don't ruin that. :)
(4)Eric P.
I dropped a friend off at the airport and had some time to kill before work. Figured I'd check out the Dockside for breakfast. I'm glad I did, as it was just what I was looking for. I had The burnside: two eggs, hash browns, choice of toast or biscuit. Good stuff for cheap at 6:30am. Friendly waitress, and a bunch of cops eating there. Has to be a good place.
(4)Scott S.
Dockside is an institution. With all the fancy restaurants in the Portland area, this is ALWAYS the place I want to take newbies and visitors. The staff is incredible. The food is good (and plentiful). The Bloody Marys (in case your doctor told you to eat more vegetables like mine did) are sublime.
(5)Peter T.
Tucked away in one of the industrial sections of Portland, directly underneath where the 405 crosses the river, the Dockside serves the working stiffs that ply their trade in the various businesses in the port. Open from 5AM - 8PM M-F, and with earlier closing times on the weekend, the Dockside features a lengthy breakfast and lunch menu daily food and soup specials. I was doing some work in the area, and my client suggested we pop in for a bite. I went with a bacon/cheeseburger, which is served with your choice of a wide variety of sides, and dressed with sauce, tomato and shredded lettuce. Ample thick-sliced bacon and gooey cheese topped the burger. While the food doesn't particularly make the Dockside a specific destination for diners, it is ample, fast, inexpensive, and served by a really friendly staff.
(3)Del O.
Fast, friendly service, great food at an exceptional price, and you can even enjoy a cigar outside. I often come here for lunch, and you can get most breakfast items all day long. If you're in the area - stop by and you won't be disappointed!
(5)Greg B.
Dockside Saloon is alluring. It sits on the base of Front Avenue as the street goes further into Industrial Land. There are no other eating establishments that lie before it. It exists on that corner. It should be noted for its existence. The waitresses are helpful. The dish of the day ("taco salad") is offered. The food is quick and prompt. It sits there on the table waiting to be eaten. Then there are the cookies, which I gathered, could be a daily treat. I had the coffee cookie and it was very well done. The taco salad was cheap. It's one of those places that doesn't disguise the fact that it's a dive bar mashed in with a diner with a constant flow of people coming in. There is parking on the street. There's wood everywhere and it's a great place.
(4)Ben R.
Yes, this is a dive-y sports bar in a 90 year old saloon with pot holes in the parking lot. BUT, inside you will be pleasantly surprised inside by the service, food and homey all-wood interior. All of the food is scratch made home style; they are an American traditional breakfast/lunch diner. This is one of my favorite Sunday brunch spots because we always get there late afternoon after the rush and have great service. On the weekend they serve breakfast all day and also have brunch specials that are favorites such as blueberry pancakes, breakfast scramble, and perfect eggs benedict. Weekday favorites include chicken fried steak, omelet, and the kids love the strawberry waffles. They have good coffee (Bridgetown) but I haven't tried the espresso yet. The portions are slightly generous. The staff is fast and friendly, and tends to toe their own in the banter with the M-F lunch regulars. This is a family favorite for weekend brunch, but I was also on a streak for a few months going there for a quick lunch almost everyday. They have a rotating daily lunch special that was always excellent and a great way to try something new that isn't on the menu. This can be a good place for groups, but I would call ahead if you have more than 10. This is a small place. They have 10 booths, 10 tables, and about 6 people can sit at the bar. Walk in and grab a table, there is no hostess seating. The menus are on the table. You can pay your server or up at the bar if you're in a hurry. They can be very quick during lunch if you are in a rush. They are also open very early for breakfast (5am). While you are waiting for your order, read their story on the back of the menu.
(4)Andy K.
I go there once in a while for Breakfast.. They are very close to my place and are open at 5 am. The staff is nice and the place has a old time diner feel even though it looks like a dive bar...
(4)Olivia T.
They handled our reservation for 12 people very well. We got a long table towards the back of the restaurant. Our server was very nice. She's attentive, didn't mind the split checks, got our orders right, and she even took our family group pictures multiple times. Too bad I didn't get her name because she deserved the employee of the year award. They serve really great food here. I had the Spicy Pasta dish and it was delicious. It was very basic comfort food and it hits the right spots. Everybody else raved about their food; Reuben, Chicken Salad, Fish & Chips, and more. If you are in St Helens and looking for a nice restaurant without breaking the bank, this place will suit you. We left happy and with full bellies.
(5)Scott P.
Love the dockside! Do not be put off in anyway by the location, or the exterior. Actually, go ahead, be put off. It will increase my chances of getting a table next Saturday morning. This place is great. They crank out some serious breakfasts. I liked the huveos racheros but i LOVED the breakfast burrito! Finally someone who cooks commercial hash browns up right! Crispy as all get out on the outside yet perfectly hot and moist on the inside. Oh btw, the best bloody mary ever in my book.
(4)Matt L.
Now, I don't know how much I can actually comment on their food, because I ordered two eggs, fruit and a side of yogurt when I went, but from what I could tell my friends' food looked AMAZING. I literally wanted to bury my face in the biscuits that came along with the chicken fried steak that one of them was eating. They just looked so golden, crispy and delicious ... I better stop there before I make myself unnecessarily hungry. Ain't nobody got time for that. I was actually surprised to see that this restaurant actually existed. it's tucked away in an unsuspecting part of the NW Industrial District, and unless you really knew what you were looking for, you'd miss it. It has it's own parking lot, which is pretty much unheard of downtown, they have a wide variety of food (each of their signature plates are named after city bridges, which is pretty awesome), their servers are wickedly funny and really like to engage you in actual conversation beyond what your order is. It's almost like having a little slice of small-town America right in downtown. The prices are pretty reasonable, and the little quirks are lots of fun to discover. Like the WWE Wrestling action figure we found wedged behind one of the televisions. Next time I go, I'm going to have to maybe run a few miles beforehand so I don't feel guilty when I order the massive plate of food I actually want to.
(3)Jennifer W.
Very chill and old school! Breakfast is AMAZING and the bacon.... Oh the bacon! You'll love it, take my word on it;)
(5)Kevin M.
It's on the periphery, but Dockside is not the Pearl -- reminding that working docks remain nearby. It feels like a place you'd stop at in the mountains, where "locals" (in this case, dock workers) and visitors (Pearl people) find sustenance in an ancient-looking wood edifice. The food is straight up and indulgent; you can get a chili omelet. It's greasy, it's good, it's friendly and it's not expensive. And they were open during the snowstorm.
(4)Michael P.
wow. dockside, amazing. was visiting porltand for a few days with my friend and we needed a breakfast spot after a night of drinking. yelp did not dissapoint from the bloody marys, to the food , to the awesome waitstaff. everything was perfect had the chicken fried steak and my friend had corned beef hash. both were amazing both bartenders working there 25+ years were awesome and made the visit a pleasure. would definitely come back and recommend this to anyone else who was in portland
(5)Ashley B.
My husband and I popped in here on Saturday night to have a cocktail. I had never been in before but I love a good dive bar and had driven by a few times so we decided to try it out. We walked in and it was gloriously divey with a hint of diner. Love it! The crowd was a bunch of construction dudes who must have just gotten off work and were all having a good time. Great conversation to hear if you happen to be sitting close or walking by. Our bartender/server was an adorable blonde lady, I wish I got her name because she was just fabulous. She was extremely attentive, super nice and very personable. And...get this! She got our orders right which quite frankly is a rarity these days. She had made a comment about an older more "uppity" type couple that had come in and were just appalled by the crowd/conversation so they left. I thought that was kind of funny because I felt like this was the exact type of crowd I WANTED to be around. We didn't eat there but we did look at the menu. Really great standard diner-type options. Greasy spoon deliciousness. We'll be going back for breakfast for sure. Loved the bartender. Loved the crowd. Loved the Dockside.
(5)Stacy C.
You can come here with bedhead! (yeah, its a long book-like review but you have nothing better to do) The 'ambiance' This is the one place I'll throw on clothes and head out the door for without getting myself all proper and such. (well this place and work). You'll find folks in their Patagonia attire, hard core bike riders clunking through in their bike shoes, construction types in flannels and some like me- you'll spot the bedhead. I hate to call it a dive bar, but some do. (btw what makes a place 'a dive bar' for you? cause this ain't it for me) Dockside is a comfy, relaxed joint. No stiff service, la tee dah crap that so many think they are owed anytime they grace a doorway. When you come in the waitress with a coffee pot might wave it your way and call out to 'sit anywhere'. Don't get all jacked up and offended. Go to the Benson if you need fawned over. They don't need to have a matching beer selection to every other joint in town- it's the Dockside. Hit the easy button and order something. They don't strive to, or need to, meet or surpass other joints in town- it's the Dockside and it will be what its been since 1986. Get in, find a seat, read the history of the place, watch one of the many TVs, people watch, read a newspaper, talk to your friend, slow the F down and dont think you're all that- you'll have a dandy time. Parking For YEARSSS, perhaps since 1925, parking has been easy. Jam your ride into any spot you find. Now construction is taking place all around this little eatery, the fences have gone up and the new kid in town isn't playing nice. Parking is a going to be tricky but here comes the good neighbor part (so far I cant find them on YELP to give them a big atta). There is a flooring business just to the north across the street from Dockside and THEY are playing nice. They are allowing Dockside patrons to park in their lot and I say GOOD FOR YOU! I just might march in there someday and tell them that. If you park there be a good citizen, no trash or whizzing. In our world where everything is becoming MINE and YOURS here is a fine example of OURS. Food? OMG THE HASHBROWNNNNSSSSSSSSSS Specials are always a great selection and the regular menu you cant go wrong with. Many of their items are named after the bridges in Portland (this is a local joint folks- not a chain) and I dig it. I had blueberry pancakes just last Sunday and YUM. This is the first time I havent ordered the hashbrowns which was a real struggle but I reeled myself in from ordering both. Re having a wait for food? If they are behind they will tell you. Last Sunday the place was SLAMMING (remember this is a good sign) and their stoves and cooks can only cook so much at one time. It was worth the wait. Ive only been here for breakfast. Please go. Please chill out. Please take in some Portland history. This isn't a new joint that puts old pictures up and pretends to be historic...this is historic. You will be sitting in history and knowing how we mow our history down and pave over the spaces... it will be gone someday. I could go on- but I wont.
(5)Luanne S.
I would probably give this place 5 stars if we hadn't been there with a group of 13! The size of the group totally overwhelmed their kitchen and it took them an hour to get our food out. But when they did... OMG it was wonderful!! The hash browns are so so crispy, I don't think anyone in town can match it. The fried eggs were perfect, the pancakes.. yummy! My grandson usually eats two bites of a meal and declares he's 'all done'. He ate nearly his entire HUGE pancake (possibly because he was so hungry from the long wait!). It was truly a delicious meal. I'll be going back, but in a smaller group.
(4)Pedro L.
Super cute place with great service! The food is great and the location for me is perfect! It's right across from the apartment and right on the waterfront. It looks much nicer inside and the people are very friendly and attentive. There are TVs to watch sportsball and great breakfast food!
(5)Dr R.
Great place! It's a classic dive, clean, good food and great service. It doesn't have much curb appeal, but it's larger inside than it appears.
(4)D.J. L.
Best breakfast place for the money I have found in portland. Great food great service I will keep coming back... the best part is the hash brown's are always crispy and cooked on both sides!
(4)L S.
Some of us eat lunch here several times a week. It's like coming home to your own club. Friendly staff, solid diner food and some pretty outrageous breakfast specials on the weekend. Extremely consistent and you know exactly what you are getting. Many business people from the NW area have been eating there for years... quite a mix. highly recommended if you want a normal place with good food and not all foo-foo. Great place!!
(4)Eric M.
I've been here 4 times now over the last year. Service here is very good. The waitress does not come over and bother you every 5 minutes like other restaurants. Service is a 5 and food is about a 3...average of a 4 ranking for the price and value of meal/service. I come here because it's quiet and close to my hotel for work. I have yet to have anything that blows me away but all the food I have had is good enough to have me coming back
(4)Aimee F.
This establishment has good drinks, good food, and good service. There's not much more you need. I recommend anything on the menu, especially the breakfast burrito and the Bloody Mary! Enjoy.
(5)Kelly P.
Love eating breakfast at any hour here and of course this is the spot for a great Bloody Mary! The staff is super friendly and you will never have bad service.
(5)Halvdan M.
, they close at 10 p.m. what kind of bar in Portland in damn near what used to be the industrial district. Closes so early
(1)Educated Consumer M.
Hash browns lived up to the hype. I had the eggs florentine. Quite good. English muffins could have been toasted more. This place was hopping at 9am on a Friday morning, with a nice, local, casual vibe.
(4)Sarah W.
Food and drinks are good enough for a dive bar. Service is sooo slowwww it's actually mind-boggling. I've sat at the counter and can see the guys back there cooking away, but it still takes way longer than I think it should. On the plus, the Bloody Mary's are good.
(3)Denny S.
Love the "Vista bridge", chicken fried paradise. I can't bring myself to order anything else, why mess with perfection. The hash browns are crispy and fried with butter, toast is toast, but I hear the biscuits are pretty good. I passed on the eggs and it still ruined my lunch plans, wouldn't fit. No health food here, just really well done home style chow, in a cool place, with a fantastic wait staff to match.
(5)Janet M.
What do you do when you have two hours without your barnacle baby ( er, tween) on a Saturday? Grab a buddy. Go to Dockside and have some breakfast. Yummy blueberry pancakes with fluffy eggs, crispy bacon, sausage links and an orange slice for $8.95. Yay. Small oj for $2. Coffee ( it was ok) for $2. Service was friendly, casual. Good. Vibe is cool. Plenty to look at. Good people watching.The place has some charm. I watched in amusement as a pitcher of beer and glasses were set up on an empty table next to us. Three bicyclists ( slightly older gentlemen) arrived shortly after their brew was set up for them. I think they've been there before maybe ;) Sweet! I'll be back. Totally.
(4)Cornelious N.
I realize that this place is charming... but honestly... this is diner food... and not even good diner food... just diner food. Think about it... diner food. It's greasy, inadequately or overseasoned, salty as hell, and simply not unique. Yet again, this is not some gourment Portland take on diner food... this is simply good ol' mediocre food that mediocre people and old tourists eat.
(2)Curt B.
Solid white trash breakfast food at a cheap price. What's not to like? Mix in fast, friendly service and the fact that I've never had to wait for a spot to sit (although they are always busy on the weekends) and this becomes one of my favorite breakfast spots when I'm downtown. It will be a sad day when this place gets bulldozed to make way for the tsunami of condo's headed that way.
(4)Annie S.
A standard brunch spot for us. Super yummy hashbrowns and omelets. Great service. Great bloody Mary's
(5)Rebecca H.
Delicious! Down home food, big portions, well cooked, in a divey but not dirty old style bar. Great waitstaff, closed the curtains in the lotto so we could eat at a table, not a booth. Split my order so my daughter could share it with me, they filled her sippy cup and were very sweet to her. The blueberry pancakes with eggs, bacon and toast were great. Lots of blueberries! Everybody finished their plates and were happy! They are open during all the construction around them, stop by! On weekends you can use the parking lot across the street.
(5)Tamara C.
Yes. Just hell yes. When hungover, and I suspect even when feeling superb, this place puts out an awesome brunch. At the time, just the idea of having another drop of alcohol was nauseating so I was unable to order one of the amazing looking Bloody Mary's. My brunch buddies though, they ordered their fair share and mine too. Next time I go back, I really must have one of those Bloody Mary's. My Ginger Ale was pretty satisfying though and our server kept them coming. The menu and the specials menu is quite extensive and made it difficult for me to choose but I ended up ordering the chicken fried steak and a side of bacon. When it arrived I felt rather daunted as it was freaking huge and even the plate of bacon was huge. In my delicate state, I barely put a dent in it all and ended up with huge amounts of left overs. When I woke up from my food coma and hangover cure later in the evening, everything was just as awesome the second time around. Dockside RULES.
(4)Andrew R.
This place is awesome. It looks like its about to just fall apart, or be blown away, and there's not really anything else around it, it's just sitting by itself on its own little block. The wait staff here is hilarious, and super friendly! They're very talkative and fun, and they alone are a reason to come back, but then you get the food, and you're hooked! Tuna melt, on an English muffin. Pretty marvelous. While you wait for the food you can read about their funny "claim to fame" on the back of their menu. The whole experience is just great. A fun little Portland landmark
(5)Kat ..
Great staff and ugly Burger but OMG surprising Yummy!!!!!
(4)Jordan D.
My Family lives across the way and I tend to come here with my parents and have bought some friends out as well on the weekends. Taco Tuesday are always a must! The STAFF is AMAZING, outgoing, friendly, talkative and makes us always feel like we're part of this family owned Dockside Saloon.
(4)Emily V.
This place is amazing. I used to live close to it so I found it out of convience but now that I have moved and live a good distance from it I still make the trip. It is a hang over cure on a plate if you make it for breakfast. My best friend and I love meeting up here. Its kind of like a Portland version of Cheers..... "where everybody knows your nammmeee." The staff are so nice and friendly, the owners are workin behind the bar or waiting tables and are super kind people. I really have fallen in love with this place over the years and encourage YOU to go fall in love with it. You won't be disappointed :-) I recently even had my graduate school graduation lunch at Dockside, my guests were all stoked to enjoy lunch with me at such a great spot! Keep up the good work Dockside.
(5)Melissa P.
Yumm! Now that was a good breakfast. Now I know why the parking lot is always full when I drive by this place. I don't know anything about the quality of the dockside as a bar and evening destination. But four of us stopped in for a post paddle brunch, and every meal was great. The service was attentive and casual. And the bloody mary's were in pitchers ready to be poured. This might be a new weekend habit.
(4)Bob M.
It was decided when I was 12 that I was too old to sit around the house during the summer and that I should go work with my Uncle, the plumber. A pivotal time in my growth. In one summer, I decided that there was no way in hell I was going to be a plumber when I grew up. Sewers stink. Sweating is over rated and I hated my Uncle with the fire of the twenty suns. He did, however, turn me on to workingman's diners. A few of our Yelpish friends decided that this morning's overcast was too bright. Before anything productive took over the day, we should meet at Dockside, drink and eat big piles of starchy fat ladened carbos until such thoughts passed. It did. I went home with a big goofy smile on my face and did not wake up for coming on six hours. Perhaps it was the couple lovely vegetable juice drinks that I had with it? I love a Bloody Mary with produce in it. Fully armed with a tasty pickled green bean, lime, a salted rim and a platoon of speared manzanillas, just getting into the cocktail took a little effort. Once past the infantry there is a lovely peppery cocktail well worth the effort. At $2.50 a throw, one can throw many back. The company was lovely, and I recommend bringing your own troops, but it looks like a place that you can just start conversations with what begin as strangers and have a good ol' time. To the food: I had the country fried steak, pan gravy and hash browns. Gravy was a little thick, but peppery, a breaded steak the size of a manhole and very, very good diner hash browns; those kinds with a uniform crunchy gold crust and soft potato-ey goodness inside. The whole shebang? A good solid workingman's joint. Wish it and all my pals were a little closer to the Land of the Bland.
(3)Valerie W.
Dockside = my divey new breakfast love Lots of wood, old decor, TVs playing sports, great staff, good menu....perfect. HUGE plus is that they have their own parking lot. Score. Here's some of my reasons for loving this place: 1. The breakfast menu is excellent. Many of the meals named after local bridges. 2. Prices are fair and you get a lot for your $$ 3. Full bar. Good beers on tap. $5 mimosas 4. Staff will treat you like family. Super nice and accommodating. 5. Food overall is good....here's the run down of my 'Vista Bridge' meal: $9.95 for Chicken Fried Steak, 2 eggs, Hashbrowns, and toast (or my choice of homemade biscuits. Biscuits = pure love. Buttery, fluffy, and great with honey. Hashbrowns...tasty. Crispy outside and not overcooked. Just the way I like them. Eggs...I asked for over medium. Got over easy. No biggy. Chicken fried steak...not bad. Not great. I was having troubles cutting it with a knife. The outer 'fried' layer was tough. Meh. It tasted OK but was just really hard to eat and I could not finish. The gravy however made up for it. Overall I would say definitely give this place a try. I did notice that the ground was uneven in the place and if you aren't seated in a booth you are slanted. Odd. You likely won't leave here hungry though. Everything was overall tasty.
(4)E M.
From the random decor to the awesome story on the back of the menu, I love this place. No, it's not fine dining. It's a diner. It's an awesome diner. Pros: * Good service and friendly staff * Great price point (portions are generous) * Plenty of menu options * Laid back vibe Cons: * No milkshakes (apparently there's no ice cream machine)! * Beer selection is decent, but has some room to grow
(4)Zoe T.
Excellent breakfast spot in industrial NW -- plenty of parking and no wait when we went at 9am on a Saturday. This place has a cozy diner feel. Service was friendly and attentive. Food was simple and well-prepared. Very crunchy, toasty hashbrowns, yum!
(5)Cheryl D.
We rotate who picks family breakfast and my lovely Sister In Law picked this place. We pulled up and went OH MY GAWD what a dump, I was scared. We got inside and our worries were for nothing, it is a very sweet little place. . The Servers were happy and good at their jobs, they juggled things very effectively. They sure seem to have alot of regulars which is cool, many hugs were exchanged. The food, oh my god was it good. The Hash-browns are to DIE for, I don't know what they do to them but they are the best I have eaten, seriously. I had the Taco Omelet and it was seriously delicious, full of meat and onions, sour cream and a homemade salsa on top. The Biscuits are homemade and they split them for you and brown them on the flat top. YUM. Overall I think we were all pretty tickled about our breakfasts, by the time we left the place was hopping. How they put out such good food in such a small space is really quite amazing. I cant wait to go back and try something else!
(5)Jeannie J.
I just found out a week ago that they don't have a deep fryer. How? Why?!? Sometimes a girl needs some fries damn it!
(4)JW R.
OMG! They're going to film a scene from a movie here!!!!! Five years ago. Don't let the sign on the wall fool you, that movie sucked and the scene didn't even make it into the DVD extras. The Dockside, however, is full of win. From the outside it looks, uh, ramshackle I think is the nice word. But the inside gives no sense that collapse is impending. And as someone pointed out (in disgust, but I thought it was pretty awesome) there are 8 TVs in there. They seem to close at 8pm on weeknights normally. Be warned. I didn't eat, but the food I saw looked good. Jeff's burger looked awesome (in the greasy/crusty category), there were some tostadas a few of the WAG girls had that would have been good with some animal upon them. Same for the quesadillas. The drinks were tasty and the service, well, it was just us so it's hard to say what the service would be like on a normal night. I just hope those ritzy yuppie condos going up on the river don't wreck this place. But they probably will. Enjoy the Dockside while you can.
(4)Alex L.
I had a very delicious breakfast here at Dockside and good dranks. Sooooo delicious and greasy. Plus they gave me free toast! What's not to love. This place is the jam if you're in the neighborhood. The staff is super cool too. If you don't like it you're probably just too uptight.
(5)Brian H.
I love this place. It is unpretentious, friendly, comfortable, and Good! I've eaten breakfast here probably 30 times. The food is good, not fancy but good. I don't like bloody mary's but my friends swear that the Dockside has some of the best in town. The wait staff is top notch. They are efficient , friendly, and often hillarious. This is one of my mainstays in Portland.
(4)Samantha S.
I went to Dockside for Sunday brunch. It felt a bit like home. As others have mentioned, this is not a white table cloth, sparkling crystal kind of place. It's a shack on the side of the road with vinyl covered booths and long menu. It's the kind of neighborhood place that I would happily go to for a few beers and football. I has the Huevos Ranchos special and was happy with the salsa and overall taste. I did find the corn tortillas on the bottom to be a bit impossible to cut, but everything else was delicious. I was in an out for under $20, including a Bloody Mary and tip.
(3)Neil W.
There is a cancer in Portland. A disease eating our gastronomical sense of relativism from the inside out....specifically from the inside out of our bank accounts. Have we become so blinded by the almighty appeal of the hip and new that we can no longer value that which is inherently valuable? Have we lost all sense of pragmatism in entertainment? I sure hope not, and I charge you, fair reader, to join in effort to support a movement away from judging establishments on their proximity to the Pearl or Belmont Station. A renewed premium on the intrinsic value that a table is just sometimes just something my elbows and drinks sit on, and NOT a work of art. That on any given Tuesday I would rather hear from a bartender that she has "Miller, Coors Light, and some local shit that's hoppy on tap." That I don't need confit; that I may not want compound butter; and that sometimes I want to be curious as to why my jeans stuck to my bar stool for a second. I urge our community to stand up against a shifting paradigm that may create our own tower of babel here in Portland, leading us heathens to be the victors of our own spoils and lose such truly valuable establishments as the Dockside. But I digress. While I would hardly consider myself cheap or frugal, I am a SUCKER for a good deal. And here's a what I call a good deal. Hamburger w/ Cheese and Fixins Chips 3 Jack and Sodas = $15 That what I had at Dockside on a Wednesday night. Rave reviews also came in for their $3 chicken Quseodilla. Great, friendly service, good location, parking lot, TV's EVERYWHERE. Doesn't get any better in the world of dive bars than this. Amazing.
(5)Todd G.
Sat at the bar literally a few feet from the wait staff. I had been sitting for easily five minutes but no greeting. Sadly, the server greeted a "regular" that came in 5 min. after I did...still no greeting for me. Terrible customer service. Can't give them anything more than a single star...didn't have a chance to try the food. I get it...good servers greet their regulars...they should also greet NEW customers. Shame...
(1)Bill T.
So I ended my wonderful weekend in the Pacific Northwest at the Dockside Saloon and Restaurant. I had the Dockside Omlette wich you should try, you can also get it with three different meats which is just silly, but a great idea. The ambiance is that of a blue collar's idea of a good time, which is what it is, and they are just what you would be looking for if you want to put aside all "chic" and "cool" things and just go to a place that will make feel like a normal human being again. Thank you guys for ending my trip on a great note! See you next time!
(4)Sabrina H.
What a comfy little bar. There are tons of tables and booths with a friendly staff to make you feel very welcome. The happy hour also has some good prices. I enjoyed a vodka cranberry and a chicken quesadilla. Both of which are very tasty. However, I didn't realize that the quesadilla had jalepenos but I found out in my first bite. At least I was able to pick some of the bigger slices out. It comes with a side of salsa and sour cream too. The only thing I don't like about it is the fact that it is in the middle of nowhere. There isn't anything around it to make it worth the trip unless there is an event going on down there.
(4)Amado L.
I sort of promised my buddy Dickey that I wasn't going to Yelp about this place because he feared that it will then no longer be his 'secret find' when hordes of Yeeps try it out for themselves. But it would be un-Yeeplike of me to review a new place-- and a breakfast place at that-- so...sorry, Dickey. This is one honest-to-goodness diner that would've been difficult to spot unless you knew what you were looking for or lived in the area (or checked Yelp beforehand). In fact, I kept taunting Dickey about whether or not he really knew where we were going as we seemed to be simply driving endlessly on North Front Avenue, to which he replied: "Would you shut the f*ck up? I've been going to this place for years; of course, I know where the f*ck it is!" (Clearly, he needed some breakfast. Pronto...) We finally get there, and find immediate parking in its nondescript lot. The restaurant's diminutive exterior belies the spacious yet cozy interior, replete with booths, tallboys and bistro style seating. The dark woods are reminiscent of a place that's been around forever and, indeed as stated on the back of their menu, the structure was built in the late 20's. The breakfast menu was extensive with nomenclatures tinged with Portland landmarks. I cannot remember now the name of what I'd ordered but it's their chicken fried steak breakfast, which came with hashbrowns, two eggs any style and toast. It was heavenly-- the breaded steak and the country gravy had just the right amount of saltiness to make it savory without being overpowering; the eggs over easy were nearly perfect, as if God had fried them; and the hashbrowns were crispy yet light. There wasn't a lot of grease coming out of this greasy spoon. And, at $7.25 USD, it was affordable. The coffee ($1.85 USD) was diner quality but with enough cream and sugar tasted alright. It was ten thirty in the morning and I was starving, so the grub hit the spot, but I wouldn't necessarily say I was blown away. But, I'll tell you what, I'll definitely be back if only to try their other creations, especially the ones served with bacon strips, which seemed to have been extracted from incredibly gargantuan swines-- them bacon strips were enormous, yo! The breakfast servers were of the mature lot and it was at once arousing and revolting to see them slither through the tables in their Daisy Dukes. At least they kept my cup of decaf flowing... I see a bevy of 'four star' reviews for this place but I'd have to think that something's gotta tip them over to make them earn that fifth star. I intend to find out what the something is when I come back again. And again. And again...
(4)April E.
Dockside is the 'ol standby for breakfast. The staff is wonderful, friendly and efficient. The food....well...it's pretty darn good! Nothing fancy, just simple items done right. I would definitely reccommend this place. It's great!
(5)John F.
Looks scary in the outside, nice surprise on the inside. Our breakfast was generous, well-prepared, and hearty without being greasy. The staff was friendly, fast, and knowledgeable. A good place to grab an old-school breakfast or burger.
(3)Michelle H.
Will someone please tell me where the secret room is? You know the kind that houses some sort of secret society, secret fight club, or secret gambling? That's the feel of the Dockside. Super super cool. A damn tasty happy hour quesadilla [for $2.55!] can be had, let me tell you. Just make sure you scope out the jalepenos if that's not your thing. If it weren't so randomly out of the way, I'd love to come back for breakfast or lunch. There is a lot of tasty looking stuff on that menu. Big TVs in a couple spots were touting sports games for the interested. I think I saw some video poker type stuff. Bathrooms were clean. Lots of tables and booths to seat you. Lots of cool stuff on the walls to look at. Really friendly service. It's an all around good deal. PS - Please keep your PPDs at home.
(4)Coral C.
I understand that it's out in the middle of nowhere, but why must a bar close so early? For shame. Edit: Andrew C. pointed out the fact that all the workers go home early. Okay, yeah, I guess that's a good enough reason. (dammit)
(4)Jim C.
Despite numerous claims of my co-workers about Taco Tuesdays and the like, I've never made it over to the Dockside for anything other than lunch. Having said that, the lunch is great. In addition to the standard menu, the specials are occasionally quite inspired... macaroni and cheese soup and a breaded pork cutlet sandwich were both excellent and quite a surprise from an unashamed saloon. The sandwiches are universally good, and the macaroni salad is a nice accompaniment to almost anything. The worst part about the Dockside is that sometimes you simply can't get to it. We waited on the wrong side of the tracks for 15 minutes as a train slowly wended its way through Portland before giving up and heading the other direction... literally as well as figuratively, we ended up at Wildwood for lunch.
(4)Ariel S.
Come here for the incredible breakfast (the hashbrowns are unbelievable!), the beer, and the douchebag neighbors who live in those new condos across the street !
(4)Libby G.
After driving past the Dockside for years and hearing wonderful reviews from clients I finally decided to give it a try. I LOVED IT. I give them a 5 star for breakfast. Breakfast is fantastic. The ambiance takes me back to a forested Lake Mackenzie in Wisconsin. I did stop for lunch and the waitress recommended a steak sandwhich which had no flavor... and i sent it back and asked for chili instead. They did not charge me for the chili but left the steak sandwhich on my bill. I will stick with going there for breakfast.
(4)Patrick A.
I love heading over to Dockside whenever I'm in the mood for a salad. Their Chili Dog salad, in particular, is great. It's not so much a salad really. It's more of a large hot dog with chili on it (don't forget the cheese and onions). In fact, I don't think they call it a salad at all. Anywho, when I'm not in the mood for a salad, the Club, Italian Club, and Chili Burger always hit the spot too.
(4)Vanessa R.
Went to the Dockside today, and was totally stoked for some breakfast. Unfortunately, we didn't get there until about 1pm, and they stop serving breakfast at 11. I was pretty crushed, as I hadn't read that in any of the reviews (how did I miss this?) I ended up going with a bacon and egg burger and the potato salad. The salad was pretty meh, but the burger was pretty darned great! No french fries, maybe they're considered too fattening? .. We also had the cookies, fresh out the oven, and hit the spot after the yummy burger. I had a root beer, which had a twangy taste to it (can't find a good word to describe it...twangy is the only word that comes to mind...)..We were really wanting to try the lemonade, but it was sitting on the counter and was almost brown....so we took the safe route.. The waitress was fairly young, but was totally cool. My rowdy friends caused quite a ruckus with another patron, an older gentleman that didn't like our topic of conversation, but the waitress kept her cool and didn't kick us out. All in all a pretty decent place that had good food. Fast and friendly service, I'll definitely be going back, even if it's out of the way. I passed a few abandoned buildings that need to be explored... :)
(3)Allison D.
Cheap beer and daily specials, not a very big menu but a very lively place. More suited for the working man tho, not a typical trendy spot to meet people. Last I count they had 9 TVs, playing sports or news. Parking is ample but warned of the huge pot holes and rough surfacing. Note they do not have FRENCH FRIES!!! A side note about they're cleanliness, they do leave food out. But I haven't gotten sick so far.
(3)Kristin S.
The Dockside is completely free of pretenses which can be a real treat and surprise in a sea of fancy localvore, pinky-in-the-air brunch spots in Portland. They have typical diner fare but are still consious of people who might be eating a bit healthier or vegetarian. The staff are super-friendly. I wouldn't eat here all the time since I can't handle such hearty food.
(4)April B.
My husband was craving a good diner breakfast and we'd heard The Dockside was a local place of interest so we rode our bikes up there Saturday morning and barely squeaked in under the 11:00am breakfast cut off time. We sat at the counter and were informed it was the "construction area" as in the construction guys usually sit there. Saturday morning, though, it was free. The Dockside is not hard to find--on NW 17th and Front Street. If you're in NW PDX, just take 17th street all the way north? I had a veggie omelet and my husband had chicken fried steak. Both breakfasts were exactly what we were looking for. This is not high-end, but it is good! And the bill for the 2 of us came to less than $20. The waitresses were super nice, checked on several times, and you could tell that they definitely have a loyal regular crowd. They were making jokes and it was overall a really nice friendly atmosphere. The decor is super suitable for a movie set, if the movie takes place in a dive bar. It kinda reminded me of a set on Northern Exposure. Also, there's a lot of TVs, if that's your thing, also lotto. We're moving in 2 weeks and I'm kinda glad we didn't find this place sooner because I'd be tempted to fill my belly with Dockside breakfast too often for my own good. It was constantly busy while we were there, so I think they're probably one of those places that you keep coming back to.
(5)Sarah B.
This place has got spunk (um, no gross innuendo intended). Where else can you get 3 tacos (just like mom made 'em--ground beef seasoned from a packet, lettuce, salsa and a hard shell) for $1, beer for $2, and be able to claim you were hanging out at the place where the evidence that damned Tonya Harding was found? That's a special place in my book. Seriously, their happy hour is great--I think it runs from 4-7:30pm (I know it ends at 7:30, just not when it starts exactly). Taco Tuesday's are the best--that's when you can get the afore mentioned 3 for $1 deal. Any other night of the week you can choose from a number of delicious options (they are all good) like a burger, chicken quesadilla, flour tostada (yeah, had no idea what the hell this was so I had to try it--turns out, it's yummy and greasy) all for $2.55 each. They also have drink specials every night for happy hour. I've also gone for breakfast, which is equally great--huge portions for cheap! If you're not afraid of a gem of a dive, you should definitely give Dockside a try.
(4)Jesse G.
Please be sure to stop in here before it's demolished for condos.
(4)