This always-evolving entertainment hub is the last remaining gay bar on SW Harvey Milk Street, in what used to be the epicenter of Portland’s gay-friendly nightlife scene. Scandals features art shows, DJs, jazz nights, karaoke, RuPaul’s Drag Race watch parties, really cheap drinks, and an outdoor patio.

This narrow, elegant space on the North Park Blocks has been around for years, but the bar has recently acquired a new slew of regulars who pop in for drag shows and live music. The craft drinks are the draw here — house-made bitters and infusions support a robust cocktail list — and the service is warm, with lounge vibes and guaranteed familiarity.

This nightclub and legendary strip club is divided into two decidedly different spaces. The downstairs room is Portland’s most underground setting... literally. The basement is where the bar gets its reputation: Hunky male dancers entertain visitors in private booths nightly. The upstairs room is a much more casual hang, featuring karaoke, a video bar, pool tables, and a kitchen serving up carne asada fries and fish and chips.

This popular club appeals to a slightly younger crowd of queers and allies, who come to dance along to weekly DJ sets, take Jell-O shots, eat jalapeño poppers, and watch lively drag shows like Bolivia Carmichaels’ It’s Bolivia!, TransUhhLicious — a showcase of local trans and nonbinary performers, and the Queens Keys, featuring live drag music.

What is there to say that hasn’t been said? The late Darcelle, the world’s oldest living drag queen, died this March. Her showplace, now in the National Register of Historic Places, hosts the longest-running drag show on the West Coast, and in her memory, the show is as energetic and vital as ever. The food is greasily delightful, the drinks are a thousand variations of sweet, and the brassy stable of queens effortlessly modulate their old-school pageantry for late-night crowds, bawdy brunches, and family matinees. A queer Stumptown staple since Stonewall (really! 1969!), this place is the best kind of time machine, and it’s a can’t-beat spot for out-of-towners. Celebrate Darcelle’s legacy with shows every Friday and Saturday night, brunches every Sunday, and Catch a Rising Star showcases, which lift up new local drag talent, on Tuesdays.

“A lesbian bar for everyone,” Doc Marie’s inhabits an enormous multi-level space on SE Grand, with nightly themed events like Sapphic Salsa Night, Queeraoke, Queer Prom, 80s and 90s dance parties, and service industry nights every Sunday. To keep the energy up, guests can enjoy cocktails and snacks such as pulled pork tacos, salt and pepper fries, and melty capers sandwiches.

Pre-pandemic, this inner Southeast boîte spot drew in a huge, diverse crowd during Crush’s outrageously cheap happy hours ($5 martinis!) or to raise money for socially relevant causes, such as Basic Rights Oregon. These days, Crush has a more relaxed neighborhood hangout vibe, but the bar still offers indoor and outdoor seating, with dishes like curry-and-paneer-topped sweet potato fries and the house Orange Crush, an orange-infused vodka with blood orange syrup and soda.

This newly-opened, brightly-lit video bar neighbors Crush, helping to create SE Portland’s only queer block. Music blasts, drag queens dance, and photos of pop icons like Dolly Parton and Madonna look down on queer clientele as they enjoy cocktails like the She’s All That — with tequila, elderflower, and berry syrup — alongside a menu of Colombian cuisine including flaky filled empanadas and griddled arepas.

No, downtown’s defunct all-ages queer dance club does not live on in this Northeast Sandy strip mall. Rather, Escape Bar and Grill caters to the open-minded adult crowd with an almost-small-town charm that separates it from rowdier Portland LGBTQ bars. Weekly events like karaoke and music bingo keep the space lively and fun, but it’s also important that it’s a queer space where friends can play chess while eating a baked potato.