"The vibe was a bit "off" for us, I can't quite put my finger on it.... I'll have to swing by for another go round before I pass judgement."
"I have just experienced the worst customer service at this bar last night that I'm not sure I could write this review without cussing. But I will try.
"
I was chilling on the patio with some friends having a good time, when towards the end of the night I decided to get some food from the bar.
I sat down at the bar, looked at the menu, then this blonde ***** of a bartender rudely asked what I want and if I don't say in the next two seconds she's going to the next person. So I order nachos and pay with cash. Mind you, the bar was not busy nor crowded one bit. About fifteen minutes had passed and I was just informed that my friends were leaving. Since Barbie decided to act completely rude and was giving me the side eye the whole time I was sitting there, I decided to ask the guy bartender if my food was coming soon. Legit question, asked it very politely despite what happened earlier. Little did I know was that the guy had little penis syndrome and decided to take his frustration out on me with his self-righteous attitude.
He told me "What do you expect? All you kids ordered food at the same time. And you didn't even tip."
1) not a kid.
2) How was I supposed to know they got a lot of food orders when I was the only one at the bar who ordered?
3) you're supposed to earn your tip, not expect one.
4) I paid in cash. My wallet was still on top of the bar right next to me. I was going to tip when I got my damn food. I ALWAYS tip despite shoddy service.
He continued to verbally attack me at the bar. I asked if he was really just allowed to talk to me in such a rude manner, and he continued to do so, saying that this was his house and that obviously I'm not from around here and he could do whatever the **** he wants. He asked if it was my first time at the bar, and basically said since it had been my first time/I wasn't a regular, and clearly I wasn't from around here, I didn't deserve to be treated like the paying customer that I was. He goes to the kitchen and says incredibly sarcastically when he comes out "your food is coming out soon, Princess."
At that point I can't even believe what was happening. I was ready to throw the nachos onto the floor once I got them, but was advised against it and just left the nachos at the bar, because who knows what vile things were done to it. Unfortunately it was a waste of time, energy and money. My friend that informed me the rest of them were ready to go was standing next to me the whole time that was happening and she did confirm that I wasn't going crazy and imagining how terrible I was being treated. And if anyone is wondering, no I wasn't incredibly wasted and acting out, and my friend was actually the DD, so she was sober.
I really hate to pull the race card, but me being the only nonwhite person inside a heavy metal bar, and evidently from the good reviews the only one who has been treated in such an awful manner, you have to wonder...
Portland, you had been so good to me up until that experience at this ****hole of a bar. I'll try not to let it ruin my trip, but it's really hard to say that I really want to be back in this city after that."
"I don't rate service, ambiance, cleanliness and wait times; they are too variable. I can put up with anything if the food is good. It is all about the food- that's it. All of my ratings are based on vegan options only.
Notes: Worst vegan nachos in Portland so far!"
"If you gotta pee, make sure to use the worlds narrowest bathroom. I didn't even notice it was there until the third trip!"
"Downsides: The pool table always has a wait, which blows. Also, worst bathrooms for miles!"
"I like the metal scene it's cool and that is all you'll get here again that's cool we all have our spots however the blonde bartender ignores you if you are not a regular and she's down right rude. drinks are not consistent. pricing seems a bit off as well: 3$ for a plain coke no alcohol however a whiskey coke was 3.50$..."
At this point I'm wondering how this place is still in business... and drawing some conclusions as to perhaps why that is.
Haha and this guy loves it because it is the "only place free of hipsters" and asks that the reader please stay away cause you would ruin his hipster free haven. Right... I think we all know who the hipster is here.
"Not a huge fan of this spot. Between the inconsiderate service and basic atmosphere, I can think of a dozen other places to spend my money and have a better experience. It's a shame too because their outdoor seating and location is killer. However, so are many of the bars in this neighborhood."
"I waited to write this review and give alleyway a chance but i'm annoyed now and wont be going back. I understand that you're busy but please do not take it out on my friends who also work in the food industry on Alberta. Calling us all faggots was really professional of you. I really appreciate the 4th grade insult especially after the tip I left you. the whole middle aged punk attitude is getting really old for me so good luck with all of that."
"Staff thinks they're too cool to smile or take your order. Foods alright. Heated patio is the best part."
"This is the first review I've written, but the experience was bad enough that I wanted to make note. With a disclaimer: I went to the alleyway once in 2010 and had a fine experience. This review is only for my experience in Fall 2012.
I went in with a group of 10 friends on a Wednesday night at about 9:30pm. We walked in and first wanted to see if there was a table that could sit all of us. The bartender immediately started yelling at us (really yelling) to get out our IDs. We were pretty taken aback by her manner but complied. She was seriously yelling at different members of our group, accusing them of not showing their IDs (they tried telling her they'd just showed the other bartender but she kept saying "I don't care--show me"). I'm totally on board with them needing to see IDs, I understand it's just part of their job, however the manner she went about was the opposite of even cordial customer service. It felt seriously hostile.
Some friends wanted to leave after that but a couple others had already ordered drinks so we decided to stay. Their outside area was full so we were left with a long bench along the wall. There is a table by the bench but no chairs on the other side, so our large group would have had to sit in a single file row. I asked her if it was OK for us to take some of the unused barstools over to this table and she very rudely told me that would not be OK. I went and got an unused chair from another table, but some of my group who hadn't heard our conversation pulled over the barstools. I can see how this would have been frustrating for her and she didn't ask for them back (note: the bar was not full inside at all and there was no one needing the barstools) but she did glare at us for the remainder of the evening and angrily drag a barstool back to the bar every time one person would leave."
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Element2301 ago
Just digging through some more reviews...
"The vibe was a bit "off" for us, I can't quite put my finger on it.... I'll have to swing by for another go round before I pass judgement."
"I have just experienced the worst customer service at this bar last night that I'm not sure I could write this review without cussing. But I will try.
" I was chilling on the patio with some friends having a good time, when towards the end of the night I decided to get some food from the bar.
I sat down at the bar, looked at the menu, then this blonde ***** of a bartender rudely asked what I want and if I don't say in the next two seconds she's going to the next person. So I order nachos and pay with cash. Mind you, the bar was not busy nor crowded one bit. About fifteen minutes had passed and I was just informed that my friends were leaving. Since Barbie decided to act completely rude and was giving me the side eye the whole time I was sitting there, I decided to ask the guy bartender if my food was coming soon. Legit question, asked it very politely despite what happened earlier. Little did I know was that the guy had little penis syndrome and decided to take his frustration out on me with his self-righteous attitude.
He told me "What do you expect? All you kids ordered food at the same time. And you didn't even tip." 1) not a kid. 2) How was I supposed to know they got a lot of food orders when I was the only one at the bar who ordered? 3) you're supposed to earn your tip, not expect one. 4) I paid in cash. My wallet was still on top of the bar right next to me. I was going to tip when I got my damn food. I ALWAYS tip despite shoddy service.
He continued to verbally attack me at the bar. I asked if he was really just allowed to talk to me in such a rude manner, and he continued to do so, saying that this was his house and that obviously I'm not from around here and he could do whatever the **** he wants. He asked if it was my first time at the bar, and basically said since it had been my first time/I wasn't a regular, and clearly I wasn't from around here, I didn't deserve to be treated like the paying customer that I was. He goes to the kitchen and says incredibly sarcastically when he comes out "your food is coming out soon, Princess."
At that point I can't even believe what was happening. I was ready to throw the nachos onto the floor once I got them, but was advised against it and just left the nachos at the bar, because who knows what vile things were done to it. Unfortunately it was a waste of time, energy and money. My friend that informed me the rest of them were ready to go was standing next to me the whole time that was happening and she did confirm that I wasn't going crazy and imagining how terrible I was being treated. And if anyone is wondering, no I wasn't incredibly wasted and acting out, and my friend was actually the DD, so she was sober.
I really hate to pull the race card, but me being the only nonwhite person inside a heavy metal bar, and evidently from the good reviews the only one who has been treated in such an awful manner, you have to wonder...
Portland, you had been so good to me up until that experience at this ****hole of a bar. I'll try not to let it ruin my trip, but it's really hard to say that I really want to be back in this city after that."
"I don't rate service, ambiance, cleanliness and wait times; they are too variable. I can put up with anything if the food is good. It is all about the food- that's it. All of my ratings are based on vegan options only.
Notes: Worst vegan nachos in Portland so far!"
"If you gotta pee, make sure to use the worlds narrowest bathroom. I didn't even notice it was there until the third trip!"
"Downsides: The pool table always has a wait, which blows. Also, worst bathrooms for miles!"
"I like the metal scene it's cool and that is all you'll get here again that's cool we all have our spots however the blonde bartender ignores you if you are not a regular and she's down right rude. drinks are not consistent. pricing seems a bit off as well: 3$ for a plain coke no alcohol however a whiskey coke was 3.50$..."
At this point I'm wondering how this place is still in business... and drawing some conclusions as to perhaps why that is.
Haha and this guy loves it because it is the "only place free of hipsters" and asks that the reader please stay away cause you would ruin his hipster free haven. Right... I think we all know who the hipster is here.
"Not a huge fan of this spot. Between the inconsiderate service and basic atmosphere, I can think of a dozen other places to spend my money and have a better experience. It's a shame too because their outdoor seating and location is killer. However, so are many of the bars in this neighborhood."
"I waited to write this review and give alleyway a chance but i'm annoyed now and wont be going back. I understand that you're busy but please do not take it out on my friends who also work in the food industry on Alberta. Calling us all faggots was really professional of you. I really appreciate the 4th grade insult especially after the tip I left you. the whole middle aged punk attitude is getting really old for me so good luck with all of that."
"Staff thinks they're too cool to smile or take your order. Foods alright. Heated patio is the best part."
"This is the first review I've written, but the experience was bad enough that I wanted to make note. With a disclaimer: I went to the alleyway once in 2010 and had a fine experience. This review is only for my experience in Fall 2012.
I went in with a group of 10 friends on a Wednesday night at about 9:30pm. We walked in and first wanted to see if there was a table that could sit all of us. The bartender immediately started yelling at us (really yelling) to get out our IDs. We were pretty taken aback by her manner but complied. She was seriously yelling at different members of our group, accusing them of not showing their IDs (they tried telling her they'd just showed the other bartender but she kept saying "I don't care--show me"). I'm totally on board with them needing to see IDs, I understand it's just part of their job, however the manner she went about was the opposite of even cordial customer service. It felt seriously hostile.
Some friends wanted to leave after that but a couple others had already ordered drinks so we decided to stay. Their outside area was full so we were left with a long bench along the wall. There is a table by the bench but no chairs on the other side, so our large group would have had to sit in a single file row. I asked her if it was OK for us to take some of the unused barstools over to this table and she very rudely told me that would not be OK. I went and got an unused chair from another table, but some of my group who hadn't heard our conversation pulled over the barstools. I can see how this would have been frustrating for her and she didn't ask for them back (note: the bar was not full inside at all and there was no one needing the barstools) but she did glare at us for the remainder of the evening and angrily drag a barstool back to the bar every time one person would leave."