Portland's is not the kind of place that is gonna 'wow' you with anything outrageous or unique, but as it stands, it's a cozy-feeling wine bar putting up the good fight as a downtown outpost of social activity past 5PM. The bar is the first of its kind in Phoenix -- at least in the last 40 years or so -- to be incorporated as a important portion of mixed use development, providing much needed libations and nourishment for tenants of downtown midrise condo living. For this, i truly salute Portland's.
This bar not only sees its share of regulars -- likely upstairs tenants -- but also mid-week imbibers of wine and beer, which keeps the crowd fresh, interesting, and rotating. They even have some decent set-ups for subtle cross-bar HD sports watching ... prevalent, but unimposing.
Their patio addresses the cleverest part of central Phoenix, essentially the gateway into downtown and the oddly designed city-roof that is the 7th to 7th pathway. The vibe is a good one because the neighborhood is charming and as close to urbanism as PHX will allow.