Humble HOLIDAY Haunts:
Where the Wellspent Team Actually Goes This Time of Year
Sure, Portland has no shortage of twinkle-lit tasting menus and swanked out dining rooms, but when the holidays hit for real, most of us aren’t sipping champagne in velvet banquettes. We’re seeking something a little quieter, a little worn-in—the places with scuffed floors, solid pours, and maybe a little fake fireplace action. These are the spots we return to every Holiday season not for the spectacle, but for comfort, ritual, and really great bar snacks. Here’s where you’ll actually find the Wellspent crew when the nights get long and the lights get cozy.
Joe
Head Buyer
For Joe, the holidays start with Old Portland institutions that have never once tried to rebrand themselves. First stop: Goose Hollow Inn, Bud Clark’s eternal legacy of neon, Reubens, and beer signs that somehow feel festive just by being there. “Endless pints, perfect sandwiches, zero pretense.” From there it’s a short, chilly walk to The Driftwood Room—a midcentury lobby bar frozen in time (in a good way). “The Champagne Cocktail is still perfect, the absinthe fountains still bubble, and nothing feels forced—just quietly, timelessly celebratory.”
Diana
MAC Manager
Over in McMinnville, Diana’s holiday refuge is Cypress at the Atticus Hotel, a warm Mediterranean nook she loves partly because it’s actually open on Mondays and Tuesdays.“Their hot, pillowy pita is reason enough to leave the house.” For something slightly more polished but still grounded, she heads to Hayward in Carlton. “It’s upscale but somehow still neighborly—sliding into a bar seat and being greeted by name feels like its own kind of holiday magic.”
Mary
PDX Clerk
Mary’s antidote to turkey overload is Takahashi, an unassuming strip-mall izakaya that feels like stepping off a plane in Tokyo. “No Christmas music, no tinsel—just sushi, tempura, and immediate calm.” When everyone else is deep in eggnog territory, she’s deep into toro and tempura shrimp, happily off the seasonal grid.
Noah
Co-Owner
Noah has a type: dark wood, worn bar stools, and mustard that hurts a little. At Horse Brass, it’s pints, fish and chips, and “the kind of deli mustard you put on everything—seriously, everything.” Then there’s Tinker Tavern, where he orders a “frozen marg with a Campari float even though it freezes my tongue every time” and raves about the wings and the Beef on Weck (which he still isn’t sure he understands). And when he wants something a touch more polished: Bellwether. “The burger’s almost perfect, the cocktails actually are, and the vibe is just… right.”
Sean
Deli Clerk
Sean’s family tradition is unapologetically old-school: Gino’s, the kind of red-sauce Italian joint where murals get weird and courses never stop. “We demolish steamed clams, multiple bottles of wine, and Grandma Jean’s pasta with ribs and beef in red sauce.” They roll out stuffed with tiramisu, espresso, and deep holiday satisfaction.
Gabriella
PDX Clerk
Gabriella goes full cozy at Rimsky-Korsakoffee House—“hot cocoa, weird decor, and winter energy in the best way.” She’ll defend the Hawthorne food carts in the cold, too: “Bundle up by the fire pit, eat a sushi-rito, live your truth.” But her year-round standby is Low Tide Lounge, home of “the best nachos in Portland, a prickly pear marg, and a photo booth—plus great music, sometimes even old country.”