Downtown Industry Bar Shift Drinks Is Serving Free Family Meals on Sundays

Shift Drinks’ Sunday visitors will be able to grab a plate of lasagna — meaty or vegetarian — without having to pay a cent, as the chic, industrial cocktail and wine bar launches its fourth season of Sunday Suppers. The free dinner series runs every other Sunday from October until June, and is helmed entirely by co-owner and chef Anne Garcia.

Shift Drinks began serving the free dinners in 2015: Garcia wanted the bar to be a place for industry workers to come and unwind, as well as the general public. “It was Anne’s idea,” says her husband and co-owner, Anthony Garcia. “It reminded her of when she was a kid, being with her dad who would cook Sunday dinner before she’d go back to her mom’s. She wanted to take that nostalgia and gear it towards our industry peers. She preps, cooks, and serves it entirely herself — it’s her menu and her labor of love.”

Garcia preps all day for the supper, which runs from 5 p.m. until the 40 to 60 portions run out, usually before 8. It’s always a communal dinner, but never locked into any specific thing — one week might be beef bourguignon, the next tortilla soup or meatloaf and mac and cheese. Often she’ll cook up some brownies for dessert or add a salad as a side. The only unifying thing is that it’s free, and the only catch is that diners need to be 21 or older.

While it’s not required, the industry workers and couples on dates who visit often opt for a glass of wine or a bottle to share — Anthony Garcia is an advanced sommelier, and the menu is full of fun wines from the affordable $7 glass pours on the happy hour menu to expensive bottles of Champagne and Bordeaux. “We’re excited to do it again,” he says. “The weather is sort of perfect for launching it. And it’s free! It’s crazy.”

• Shift Drinks [Official]
• All Previous Shift Drink Coverage [EPDX]
• Portland’s Unreal Wine Bars [EPDX]