Bonfire

Bonfire is the country bar that Portland has needed! I could happily stay here for the entirety of a night in the Old Port.
The only bone I have to pick with Bonfire is the lack of seating. Seating is very hard to come by here and it gets to the point that you are borderline-​stalked or «watched intently» for your seat when you get up because people are on the PROWL for a seat due to the fact that it is almost always crowded if you come after 9:30 or so.
However, the atmosphere is great with country music videos playing on the walls, swings to sit in and a friendly photographer who is always walking around the bar to get your photo. Drinks are strong but that seems to be a hit! No complaints besides seating for Bonfire — definitely one of my staples for a night out in the Old Port!

I’m in love with The Bonfire Country Bar! I can’t imagine why so many people on here have so many negative things to say about them. The atmosphere is great, the staff have always been courteous to myself and my friends and you can’t beat the deals! Who could ask for more?
The Old Port area of Portland is such a refreshingly unique spot to visit, I just can’t get enough of the charm of this historic neighborhood. Personally, I think the Bonfire Country Bar fits here fairly well giving the areas rustic yet modern appeal. (Urban Cowboy, anyone?) The inside of the bar itself is warm, inviting and friendly. It’s the perfect place to stop and take a moment to relax a bit and have some fun. It’s creative seating and self-​pour beer tap wall are enough to call this place unmatched with its competition! (YES. I said self-​pour beer tap wall! With 10 different brews!) And for the country music fans and/​or sport fanatics, there’s PLENTY of TVs to watch. I think I counted 16 in total! So every seat has a good viewing area and let’s be honest, we all know how important that is. Another feature I also thought was great was the outlet and charging areas at EVERY table. So nice when you don’t have to hunt around the building just to charge your phone for a few minutes.
As for the food and drink, I love it. It’s the basics done right, which is so much more appealing to me than the ultra-​modern wicked complicated menus that some restaurants and bars keep spitting out these days. Free bacon every day from 4PM — 7PM? Yes, please! Who couldn’t love that? And that’s not even touching on the $ 1, $ 2, and 3 $ deals that they offer for items ranging from Bonfire Whiskey to Burgers…
All in all, I can’t recommend the Bonfire Country Bar enough. I always enjoy myself as does everyone I bring there! The staff have always made it a pleasurable and fun experience to spend time here; which translates into multiple visits and many good times. Check it out for yourself, you’ll understand what I’m talking about!

It’s alright, the fun factory wears off quickly if you have to stay in the chair swings. I had a Manhattan and it was tough to say the least. It’s ok.

Good location, ample draft beer selections and drink specials.
The «free bacon» is only during Happy Hour 4−7pm every day.
There are TVs to watch games and country music videos… since it’s a «country bar»… or country-​like bar… okay it’s bar with country-​rustic décor that plays country music.

Walked in on a Saturday night. Bartenders/​servers ignored my friend and I for 30 minutes. Plenty of them caught our glance, but not one came over to take our drink order or anything. Finally my friend flagged down one of the girls working there and asked for menus. We got one menu thrown onto our table and that was it. No one came back to us for over 10 minutes so we left. Not one server went to any of the other tables while we were there either, and barely paid attention to any patrons sitting at the full bar.
I had some hopes for this place based on some past reviews, but when no one helps you, how can you even give the drinks or a menu a chance?! Seriously disappointed.
Also — «country» bars need to stop popping up in New England. If you can’t do it right, and if you have zero hospitality (unlike the bars you are mimicking from the South), then don’t do it at all.

Country Bar smack in the middle of Wharf street.
Great place to pregame or maybe even get food? I’ve never eaten here, but I do love the way the tire swing looks when I go at night. I’d love to try a burger while drinking a beer and sitting in the swing hehe
Country music isn’t my thing, but if you love country music this bar may be for you!

It’s hard to rate a bar because one night could be different from the rest.
I feel like bartenders can make or break an experience, so I will start there…
The girls behind the bar are attractive, but unfortunately are as dumb as rocks. It kills me to see such pretty girls who can’t get it together. They fuel the notion that women cannot be smart AND pretty. Anyway, when I ordered a Maker’s on the rocks, the girl was dumbfounded. No offense, but that drink is self explanatory. I followed up with «Makers Mark whiskey with ice cubes.» She then had to ask another girl for help (insert dumb blonde jokes here).
A bit tough to get a drink because it’s so busy, but luckily my body is of sasquatch stature, so I could clear a path. The second girl knew what she was doing, very fast and efficient. However, she charged me more for the same drink than the last girl. The inconsistency was a turn off.
I like the music, and overall not bad. Didnt seem like there were many females. Seemed like a sausage fest of short men? Luckily I was not looking for anything or I’d have been extremely disappointed. I spent my night entertaining my friends with weird expressions and tickling strangers and seeing if they would notice. My stomach hurt from laughing so hard. Sometimes I surprise myself at the things i get away with. Alas, I am smooth like dolphin.

So you think this is country? Haha… the «hospitality» here is anything but Southern…
I wanted to save review #150 for something special, and I’m going to spend it on expressing my immense disdain for this place, which grows with each visit. I hate continuing to use «good for Maine» phrase, but it’s a vibe that echoes throughout this whole state. This bar is a disaster. Bonfire is always crowded and is full of shady people. That fact that people see this as even a decent country bar is a dark mark on this state. A country bar is supposed to be full of delightful characters, unique personalities, and service with a smile (the Southern way). This bar does not have this. This bar does not even come close to that.
The staff here is rude beyond belief. Like 51 Wharf and Old Port Tavern, if you’re a guy trying to order something, good luck. I regularly wait at the bar for 3 – 5 minutes for a drink, with my personal record being a 12 minute wait. I get no interaction from the staff, and neither do any of my friends, regardless of gender. And this place is always LOUD! I do not see any appeal for coming here. It is an impersonable experience where it is a daunting task to grab a drink or even have a decent conversation with friends.
My last straw with this place was just recently. The door guy and a manager took my ID, looked at each other, laughed, and sarcastically told me I could come in if I could stand on one foot for 5 seconds. Being sober, this was an easy task. They were stunned and reluctantly let me in (I didn’t stay long). Also being sober, I noticed they did this to all the guys that walked in, but the girls were fine to come in no matter how intoxicated they were. Also being sober, I easily realized that this isn’t a country bar; this is a nightclub that plays country music and goes to shady tactics to keep their Guy: Girl Ratio at a premium. Lastly, the legality of the self-​pour bar is laughable. They make a big deal about keeping intoxicated people outside, but allow the intoxicated people inside to pour themselves their own alcohol??? Notice too that a large majority of the positive reviews focus heavily on the free bacon. I’m sorry, but bacon won’t rectify this place for me.
I lived in Tennessee for 6 years. I’ve done internships in Oklahoma and Kentucky. I’m most recently from a rural town in Illinois with 7000 people and one stoplight. The South is full, kind, hospitable people. In contrast, this «country bar» is full of sleazy women and guys that drive big trucks because they’re compensating for a smaller body part. The fact that this place shares the same owner as 51 Wharf should be reason enough to never come here. I rarely give one-​star reviews, and I thought I’d never do it to a country-​themed place, but here it is.

Free bacon! Enough said.
Also, they have dollar shots, dollar tacos, outlets for chargers and usb on the wall, swings!
Did I mention free bacon?

Free bacon! ! Cheap dollar tacos! Swing and saddle chairs! USB cable chargers. Dollar shots. 3 dollar beers! Pretty waitress with good service and good smiles. :) = happy customers !!

Love this place! Awesome food and great happy hour prices. Very good price Thanks.

First time here today and truly enjoyed it. The food was served fast and very fresh. They high offered us great recommendations and they were spot on.
They would have breakfast as well so everyone in my family was happy.
The menu had a lot of great stuff on it, we will be going back again soon to try more.
Big country music and fun people. We always a have a good time here! :)

6* Food is wonderful.
6* Survive piano, man.
6* Syed is the best servant here.
6* Choose this position.
6* Very friendly customer co-​operation.

This place totally would’ve been a four star restaurant to me if it hadn’t of been for a couple of things.
FYI: 4 stars for me means, «totally hit this place up,» not everything deserves five stars. ;)
The food was actually descent and being from Tennessee I appreciate the country theme.
It’s a plastic cup establishment so drink your beer fast, cuz it’s not going to stay cold! I got the burger which was a little on the cold side, but still pretty good. Customer service wasn’t great,…but if you can get past that,…stop here for a cheap meal and beer.

I’ve never been here for dinner but I absolutely love this place as a bar. We had so much fun with the tire swings and they have a good variety of beers and shots.
Great country music and fun people. We always a have a good time here! :)

My favorite bar in Portland.
Loud country music, flat screens that play the country music videos, you can poor your own beer in a red solo cup, good environment, good bar setup — just a really good vibe.

What a cool twist for downtown Portland! I liked the concept; country night out. The bathrooms have epic sliding wooden barn doors with metal bucket sinks, there’s a swinging bench that hangs from the ceiling, and there’s literally 100 flat-​screens inside.
Everything comes in a red solo cup, even the shots come in itty bitty ones. The staff were in cute country outfits and very friendly. This place has a lot of potential, honestly my only gripe is that it’s sooo small. It got crowded and hot really quickly on a Saturday night. If something bigger opens up they should definitely take it, in the mean time though it’s still a fun spot to check out and is a cool addition to the regular nightclub scene on Wharf Street.

After a long week in the hospital with our 11 year old, my husband an I needed a break out alone.
I personally needed a glass of wine, and maybe a little music. So I typed in «Portland Maine Happy Hour places on a Saturday night» which brought up a great deal of wonderful options.
Bonfire caught my eye for a few reasons. FREE BACON #1, the menu was completely appealing, FREE BACON, and $ 3.00 glasses of wine, FREE BACON! I wasn’t picky with the wine, just wanted wine (it was a long week), FREE BACON!
Now, my hubby HATES to go into the Old Port because it is WRETCHED to park, but I LOVE the restaurants there so he grudgingly obliged.‘
Feeling like I had won, we walked in the door rather shocked at what we saw. A very small space with a huge bar in the middle, NO SMELL OF BACON, hanging swing tires, saddle chairs, rather loud and quite crowded, a complete bar scene.
I was ready to walk out until hubby high on his ‘I told you so’ horse reminded me this is where I wanted to go. I hate it when he is right!!! :/​
We sat down, and it took a bit for us to order because we were taking in the view. My $ 3.00 glass of red wine came, which I was able to choose from like 5 options, WHAT??? I sipped and looked at the like 2 million televisions in this place, and realized that they were playing country music, but that the tv’s were playing the music videos to each song that was playing! (no commercials) How cool is that? Oh and for you sports fans, yep, a few of the tv’s had those one as well!
Each table has a usb plug in for all of you cellphone junkies, so you can Unilocal there.
The waitstaff is rather ridiculously gorgeous, and the food… Yep the food is pretty great. FREE BACON… Ok yes, free bacon during happy hour 4 – 7 (an hour longer than most places) but my bacon grilled cheese rocked, and the burger my husband ordered was AMAZING. Maybe not as epic as Don’s Lunch in Westbrook, BUT these patties are hand made, and FRESH, taste from the grill.
So YES, it was a wicked shock walking in from what we expected from their website, NOT the best place for kids after 5:00, but a really fun place to bring them before then. NOT a romantic place, but hell, we had a great damn time, great food, great staff, and it took our mind off of the previous week. AND the price is right, my god, for the old port the most expensive thing on the menu is $ 10.00 bucks, and NOT small portions. GOOD STUFF! YeeeeHaw…
One small note I thought rocked: Roulette Wings, I thought Buffalo Wings, yes BUT the roulette part, 5 out of 6 wings are the way you asked spice wise, but 1 is dangerously hot, hence the Roulette part. FUN! Also, drinks are served in red solo cups… Red Solo Cup, I fill you up, let’s have a party… Oh god, so sorry!

I’m not the biggest fan of country music. When a gang of inebriated friends and I made our way to Bonfire, I was less than thrilled. My apprehension quickly dissolved and I actually found myself having a great time here.
The establishment has pretty smart touches like: swings and tire swings that hang from the ceiling, Wooden restroom doors that slide open and shut and a southern themed drink menu.
The special that night was $ 4 shots of the house whiskey, which is a blend that has a sweet and spiced finish. The shots were reasonably priced for OP.
The place got packed as the night went on, making it difficult to move, which is eventually why headed home. Regardless I very much liked this place and didn’t mind the country music as much as I though I would.
Also, why does every country themed bar turn in to a scene from Coyote Ugly? Not that I’m complaining…

Portland finally gets a country bar, and it’s actually really decent. Bonfire has been open a week and is already one of the most popular bars among the Fore/​Wharf Street crowd. It’s a fat middle finger to the trendy, expensive lounges that have invaded Portland in the past few years.
There’s lots of good here. I hate 51 Wharf, and it’s the same owner, but they did their homework for this. The décor/​vibe is straight country but strictly faux divey. It’s a nice looking bar. The 15 or so large screen tvs make this a great place to watch a game. Country music (along with some stadium rock anthems?) blare from the speakers. The playlist needs to expand a bit, but it’s all of the favorites. They did a tremendous job hiring attractive bartenders who are also friendly and personable. Just in case, Bonfire is one of the first Maine bars to have a «wall of beer» where you can pour your own beer using prepaid cards. Considering the full house on weekends, this could be useful.
Most drinks are served in solo cups and the beer list is expansive. Prices are great and the happy hour is one of the best around. From 4 – 7 every day whiskey and tacos are $ 1, certain beers are $ 2 and burgers and wine are $ 3. The burger won’t be putting Five Guys out of business, but was fine. The food menu is typical southern pub fare and is decent and cheap. Hilariously, all food comes out on trays covered with a lid, like it’s Jean Georges.
The thoughtful touches really stand out. The bar is lined with outlets and USB plugs to charge a phone. Some of the seating is literally saddles and hammocks, which is awesome. Bacon is free and delicious. I can’t emphasize enough… service is amazing.
There are some annoyances like having to leave a credit card or license to order food (or so I was told when ordering, but it sounds false) and the kitchen is at 51 Wharf. When it’s busy it would be really easy for food orders to be forgotten, mixed up or take a long wait. Also, $ 13 cocktails with a souvenir cup is perfect for Key West but just a poor idea here. Luckily you can always just order standard, cheaper mixed drinks in the solo cups.
From all appearances Bonfire is going to be a roaring success. It’s an attractive «dive» country bar with great service, music, and a ton of TVs. It’s a great addition to the downtown bar scene.