Concordia Ale House
A new pub has blessed my little neighborhood, and I strongly recommend that you get out and check it out. Located at NE 33rd and Killingsworth in Portland, it’s in the same spot as the old Et Cetera Tavern, a chronically underperforming watering hole…now gone. The new ownership has done a fantastic job of making the place more pleasant, having given it a major facelift, a new menu, and a renewed focus on beer. I have not tried the food yet, but it looks pretty darn good, a selection similar to that of many nicer pubs…steaks and sandwiches, hot wings, salads, and such. But where the Concordia Ale House shines (other than proximity to my house!) is in its beer selection. They have 10 or fifteen beers on tap, several of which I’ve never even heard of, from craft breweries around Oregon, the US, and the World. In addition, they have a beer cooler matched only by the likes of John’s Market and the Horse Brass (and neighboring Belmost Station). It’s not just quantity, which yupster-seeking Henry’s has plenty of, it’s quality, and even more, adventure. Owner, bartender, and beer-lover Matt has put a lot of effort into capturing interesting selections representing most major beer styles. I am extremely pleased that they have moved in nearby, and you should hurry in yourself. cheers!
Updated: The Concordia Ale House is non-smoking.
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18 Responses to “Concordia Ale House”
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What beers do they have on tap there? I love a good Amber, myself…
I’m always up for a good new pub and my sister lives nearby. The big question for me (which keeps me away from the likes of Horse Brass): is it non-smoking?
yep, no smoking there. I think that’s a good thing too!
I just saw the discussions of this place on the BrewCrew list serve and have been meaning to check it out. I hear they’ve got an excellent selection of Belgians on tap. I called last week and it sounds like they’re adding some outdoor (dog friendly) seating soon. Woohoo!
Also coming to the neighborhood is the Mash Tun on 22nd and Alberta. They’ve just completed the facade and looks like they’ve got an excellent menu and beer list as well.
The Mash Tun, eh? Is that going in where the Ole Ole Cafe was at? That’s such a great location, too bad the cafe didn’t meet standards…they had very poor planning on their beer and liquor permits, and I felt the menu didn’t offer much excitement.
not only does the concordia ale-house offer hundreds of beers to chose from they have exelent food via Chef Brian Wallace.
Clinton St. Brewing opens on Friday Night. They are attached to the Theater so you can take your Beers into the Movie now!
Word.
DT
Saw the new place while driving last night and had to stop in. The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. The beer selection was awesome (thanks for the samples guys!) I also had a hamburger, which was excellent, and they even made it to order (feeling particular- I wanted to tweak the menu offerings a little :)) I will definitely be back soon!
ohhh did I mention the fries- Amazing!!!
Hey rick…
>Is that going in where the Ole Ole Cafe was at?
Nope.. this is a completely renovated older building a couple of blocks east. However, things are looking up for that location. I dropped into one of my favorite restaurants on Wednesday, Lagniappe:
http://portland.citysearch.com/profile/41328505/portland_or/lagniappe.html
to find that they are readying the location for their move sometime in mid July. Would seem like a great spot for a good Creole/BBQ restaurant.
k2
Hmm… my wife and I tried out Concordia Ale House earlier this week and had a very disappointing experience. We’d heard they have some interesting beers on draught and were very excited to give it a try. We went in and had a seat and waited for at least ten minutes before a waitress dropped off menus and a beer list. After waiting at least another ten minutes for her to come back and take our order (and I should add that it was NOT busy), we got up and left, and I can’t imagine we’ll be going back any time soon — there are certainly plenty of pubs in Portland with great beer _and_ great service!
That’s too bad…I think they’re still ironing out a few wrinkles in their service, but it’s probably just a result of being super new. I happened upon them again this evening and was pleased to find Stone’s Ruination (double) IPA added to their tap list. Holy crap that’s a good beer. But anyway, I’d recommend hitting the bar to make your beer orders for the time being, they are very knowledgable about beers and more than happy to offer up samples. Also, I had a burger there last week, the firehouse or something, and it was f’ing fantastic. The service wasn’t bad either…like I said, a few wrinkles, but well intentioned.
Yeah, while the group I was with had a great time there, service was pretty slack- and again, it was totally *not* busy.
This was made up for by an absolutely stellar tap selection and excellent food. (The bottle menu is very good as well, but that’s not what I go to an ale house for.)
I enjoyed one of the first pitchers the Concordia Ale House served, and have come to love CAH as a local pub. It’s equal distance (from me) to it and the Kennedy School, and it has completely taken over as my friends’ and my bar of choice. The owner and bartenders are all extremely nice and will chat you up, offer you free samples and prompt service.
The food is extremely good and puts the Kennedy School to shame. Unfortunately the Willamette Weekly gave CAH a bad review for having food portions that were “too big.” Give their menu a try. They serve good food until they close, unlike Kennedy School and some others.
There is no smoking, as another individual pointed out above. You can step outside to smoke if you want, as many people do. But this results in fewer cigarettes and more socializing (not to mention a much cleaner atmosphere) so it’s not that big of a deal.
There are two pool tables in the section of the bar opposite the dining area. The pool tables are free to use, no coins required. They may add more entertainment options in the future, ask them about it.
Go in, say hi to Matt or Jim, get a couple samples, a pitcher, and enjoy!
If you have a problem or a negative experience at Concordia give them a chance to correct it or at least address it, in my mind they’ve really set up a great place to have a few drinks with friends.
Concordia has ~25 taps that rotate frequently and constantly. If you hear of a particular beer you’d like to try, your best bet is to go THAT day because tomorrow, it’ll likely be gone. Fri., Aug. 26, they had Hop Wallop from Victory, Rogue’s Shakespeare stout, Walking Man brown, Eugene Brewing’s Saison, Celebrator Dopplebock among others. They offer 12- 16- and 20-oz glasses (real British pints) plus pitchers. The 16-oz glasses range from $3.75 to (yesterday) $6 for some of the more exotic offerings. To quote a California tap house, “No crap on tap.”
They now have a couple of tables outside where one presumably could smoke.
Happy hour is 5-6pm daily: $1 off some micros (don’t remember if the menu said Oregon micros or NW micros) and $1 off appetizers.
If you’re planning to eat here, think again! Our meal this evening was absolutely bottom-of-the-barrel. Unless you like your burger cold and tough, topped with a translucent tomato slice and iceberg lettuce shavings, or your leg of lamb with more fat than meat, skip the food here and stick to the beer. The bar-tenders are friendly and the beer selection’s always solid and interesting.
I actually just ate there the other night. It was late, so we were limited to the bar menu, which is pretty good. Once again, I was pleased. N and I split a club sandwich with onion rings. The club was excellent, and the rings were crispy and tasty. But I was really hungry, so who really knows…all I can say is that I’ve always had good food experiences there, though I’ve heard some complaints.
[...] Root’s in SE was next, followed by the Horse Brass and Belmont Station, and finally the Concordia Ale House in [...]