Shanghai Tunnel

The BAMF burger is the best burger in Portland hands down Great drinks. The bathroom is a little weird.

Even though they got our order wrong the first time, the cook and bartender went above and beyond to make it right. Great food, stiff drinks, and unique ambiance.

I had never been here until a few weeks ago when a friend and I went here to catch up. Upon ordering, the bartender kept calling me ‘baby’, but I shrugged it off. I paid for a few drinks and tipped fairly well. My friend got the rest of the drinks, which consisted of a few shots and beers. She had gone to close her tab and he stormed up to our table, taking our glasses and proceeded to kick us out of the bar for not tipping him well enough. We took our drinks and walked upstairs, and he YELLED at us saying, «neither one of you ever come back here, EVER. you hear me?» in front of a bar full of customers. We were so fucking embarrassed. She and I are both quiet and courteous, we weren’t being loud, drunk and obnoxious. The only reason he kicked us out is because he was displeased with his tip. Being in the food service industry for 12 years, I understand being irritated if someone doesn’t tip as you believe they should, but confronting people like that and kicking them out for it seems pretty ridiculous. My friend just didn’t have enough money to leave him a huge tip… that was the only reason she didn’t.
Upon reading other reviews, I’m seeing we aren’t the only ones to have this happen. I don’t know why the owners are hiring people like this but I highly recommend avoiding the imminent frustration and just choosing another bar in the area.

This place is mufuggin awesome! I’ve been her 3 times. I’m not a local, but every time I visit Portland I insist on coming here. The noodle bowls are amazing! So gooooooooood!!! They are the best that I’ve had in San Francisco or Portland. Plus they have pinball games and a nice feel. I highly recommend.

Trash Bar with shit bartenders and scum bouncers. Don’t spend your money here, avoid at all costs. I look forward to it’s closure.

Mediocre night out on the town… But the reason for the one star is because my friend wrote a review on FB and the person that reviews Shanghai Tunnel’s page sent her a private message calling her a c**t and cyber bullying her completely unprovoked. Do the world a solid and take your money elsewhere. Maybe it will humble some unprofessional workers.

I’ve given them a short review on Facebook, but I guess I’ll share my review with you guys too.
I wrote, «Bartender is rude and slow. He prefers sticking to drinks on the menu.
The food is okay.»
They responded, «Janet, we are sorry you feel our bartender is slow. Cocktails take time and precision to make well. If you want a quick experience maybe you should stick to mcdonalds or somewhere that doesn’t fresh squeeze juice for each drink. The bartender was probably rude bc you were being yourself. Thx for your review!»
Then, «Also, if you’re an adult and you don’t know what you want to drink, that is not the bartenders fault. He gave you a menu bc you were in his service well going „ummm“ while there were plenty of thirsty people behind you. Get a clue janet.»
I did not message them back or respond. Then one of their employees made a fake account on Facebook and called me a c***. Which was totally not appropriate. I have uploaded the image on Unilocal.
To really begin my review (which I haven’t done on Unilocal for a while now), I would like to say that I really did enjoy the drinks, but the bartender was slow. He was not very attentive. He did not smile and – well let’s just say, he did not know what customer service was. The food on the other hand, I do not mind having.
I hope they stop harassing me.

Disclaimer: I’m a born and raised Portlander so the whole rude service being a thing in Portland is not new to me.
However a friend (Janet) who is one of the friendliest people I’ve met was recently here and didn’t have the best experience. I thought I’d still give them another shot anyways until I saw the way the business was replying to her comments on Facebook.
Will never return again. Absolutely uncalled for, if you’re going to be an a** you can at least be funny about it! I’m baffled by how easily offended the person in charge of their fb was considering this is a bar! Yikes.

So I went to shanghai tunnel today and this hipster bartender poured out my beer when it was still almost full while I went to the restroom. It took about 60 sec until I was back, I looked confused and he told me I should’ve put a napkin on it? Wouldnt help me. I was the only person there. In good service he needed to get me another beer after pouring my entire glass as soon as I walked to the bathroom. He just looked at me like I was an idiot for going to the bathroom. Bad service on this day at least.

I was in from Michigan, visiting a friend, and he said that a noodle bowl from Shanghai Tunnel is a must. The atmosphere was nice – comfortable and not at all pretentious. The staff was friendly in our experience, despite what other reviewers have said. Our beers were good, and the noodle bowls were AMAZING. I had spicy udon noodles with peanut sauce. The portion is enormous (probably 3 – 4 cups) and the ingredients tasted fresh. I went back on my next visit from Michigan, because I couldn’t stop thinking about the noodle bowls!

A year ago, it would’ve been a 5 star review, but they seem to have changed their mac and cheese recipe, which is somewhat unforgivable. My friends and I have been compiling a list of the best mac and cheese in Portland. Shanghai was the first we tried and it stayed in the first spot for years while others moved around underneath it. I went back for the first time in about a year a few months ago and the mac and cheese was creamier than normal and not nearly as good. I hoped that it was just a fluke, maybe the cook was new and hadn’t quite mastered it yet, but I went back a few weeks later and it was the same. My boyfriend noticed the difference too. I’m planning on bringing the rest of my fellow mac and cheese connoisseurs that have been creating the list with me back for their verdicts, but I think it’s time we find a new #1. The lesson here is: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

Visiting from Reno, NV! This place has prime location and a great staff! Not to mention the drinks are delicious and prices well! Def check this place out!

I have been going to this place for years (almost 4 to be exact). The bartenders and doormen are always cool. The drinks are reasonably priced and it is a cool place.

Been here a few times now and I have enjoyed myself each time. It was the same bar tender every time. He was good, made the drinks incredibly fast and he was friendly. It is incredibly dark downstairs, but once your eyes adjust to it its fine. Not my favorite place downtown, but its not terrible either.

I don’t live downtown, and I rarely cross that river to have a cocktail, so I haven’t hung-​out at the Tunnel in a long, long time. But gosh-​darn, their noodle bowl is just the best. When there is a show downtown that I need to see, extra time is given to drop down into the Tunnel to enjoy that tasty-​tasty meal. Every other factor is bar like; Dive, hipsters, Portland service, etc. I have one word for you; udon noodle bowl.

Awful rude male bartenders. Tubby guy with glasses couldn’t wrap his mind around customer service, and stood there complaining all night about his job.

Great dive bar down in the basement. Tasty noodles and large portions. $ 1 rainiers on Fridays (if I remember correctly) and fresh squeezed OJ for their greyhounds.

Racist and rude bartender and staff. Ruined my, and my friends, night out that Friday. So weird and obnoxious. Me and two other friends were sitting and drinking at the bar and I briefly laid my head on the bar table to listen to what my friend on the far end was saying and this bartender just extremely rudely and loudly asks me to not sleep on the bar table or he can’t serve me. I know the laws and I appreciate you following it but that rudeness was unwarranted you shouldn’t be working in a bar if you feel bad serving your customers.

Good Food… Definitely has a Portland vibe to it… Divy for sure… Everyone says get the noodle bowls. its a lot of food… so spend some time with it or share… Its worth trying out… when you walk into the bar. its the stairs in the back. so dont worry when you look in and nobody is there. Its all in the basement… the empty bar upstairs, probably makes people just keep walking because nobody is there… They aren’t really friendly. (too bad) but they are okay. the food is pretty good. and its worth hanging out and having some good food…
One suggestion would be if the staff was a bit friendlier. This could be one of those places to just go to once every few weeks if the staff really loved their jobs…
Still. go and give it a try… The PDX divy feel and food is worth it…

Pool table, great bar tenders, great vibe. We went early so it wasn’t crawling with people. Sort of a grungy punk thing going on. I’ll be going back soon.

I really want to like this place. I love the noodles and pin ball machines. But sadly I can’t stand the staff and that’s enough to keep me away. Rude and just straight up obnoxious. Hopefully they can fix this.

Are rude staff part of the schtick in this place? At least do it right like the late great «worlds rudest waiter» Edsel Fong used to in San Francisco. Here it just comes off as lame. Better drinks across the alley at Dan & Louis with a quarter of the attitude.

Suuuuuuper rude staff.

Really good food. Like off the chain for a dive bar. Noodles are a sure thing and their Korean tacos can’t be missed too.
Urban lore says they used to Shanghai people here to live in the mission district and open high end coffee shops. Portland.

Worst door guy ever!!! My brother goes a lot and he’s 47 years old. Obviously he’s of age and the door guy very quietly asked for his ID. He let my brother pass him in the door but when he came back to show ID, the guy wouldn’t let him in because he «had too much to drink». No, you need to speak up so people can hear you. I barely heard him and I was standing in front of the guy. We complained to someone. But I wouldn’t come back.

Ordered a Old Town coffee from the bartender downstairs. Bartender said it was $ 9. I told him the menu said it was $ 8.50. He said he guarantees it’s $ 9. I said fine whatever. He then looked at the menu himself and conceded it was $ 8.50. When i tried the drink, I thought it tasted horrible. 7 other people tried the drink and agreed it was horrible. I then told a bartender the drink tasted off, and he told me no one ever complained about the drink and he couldn’t do anything about it and to bring it up with the bartender i ordered it from. I then brought it up with the bartender I ordered it from, and he said the drink has coffee, bitters and whisky and there is nothing he could do about it.
I later brought the issue up with the upstairs bartender and asked him if he has ever tried the Old Town Coffee and what he thought about it. He said it depends who makes it. I then told him i recently ordered it and I along with 7 other people agreed it tasted horrible. He said he was sorry and mentioned if he had made the drink himself and someone complained about it, he would have replaced it. I appreciated his multiple apologies he gave me but it doesn’t preclude me from giving Shanghai Tunnel a 1 star rating. I will likely never go there again, but on the off chance I do, I will order from the friendly bartender upstairs instead of the arrogant and unapologetic bartenders downstairs.

Upstairs looks much like many dive bars around this side of town, but downstairs is where the charm of this place comes into play. Billiards and a wall of pinball games, lanterns lining the bar, comfy booths, and some great beers. It’s the sort of place that feels very weird when you emerge back up and outside to find it’s still light out, and feels like the kind of place best suited to the end of a boozy night out rather this at the start. Make of that what you will!

I’ve always had a soft spot for this establishment, but this evening was the single worst customer experience I’ve ever had. The bartender turned off the basketball game (Pelicans vs. Warriors Game 3) right at overtime (was it because I wouldn’t move out of his area of the bar? How was I supposed to know? Gotta give a customer a break) and held personal stereotypes («I don’t like your ‘vibe’) against customers. Is this a clique? Am I supposed to acquiesce to the bartender POV if I want to patronage this place? IMO, Shanghai Tunnel was the best downtown bar, but if Brian is working, I’d *personally* avoid the place. Do with that what you will.

This was my second time coming to Shanghai Tunnels. Sunday night, the bartender was very rude to me and my friends who were visiting from out of town. After ordering food and drinks, the bartender walked by our table and with an attitude said, «I gave you 1’s so you could tip». I had the intention of leaving a tip once I left, but his continued attitude got him nothing. Besides, is it mandatory to tip in the state of Oregon? If your employer isn’t paying you enough in wages, then maybe you should take it up with them. I’ve worked in the food service industry for years, and never have I met such a rude staff. Take your money elsewhere.

Very fun, informative and interesting! Our 8 year old son was with us and did very well. I wouldn’t bring any kids younger than that, as it is hard to see at times and very dark. They are also doing work for the human trafficking problem we have here in Portland by raising awareness, funds and volunteers. That made the entire tour even more worth it.

This bar is a perfect place to hide away from the surrounding establishments/​population.
Simple but clean aesthetics, great beer selection, and an amazing noodle bowl among other delicious things on the menu. You will be treated to a decent drink, at a decent price. with level headed service here, straight and to the point.
If Brian is your bartender ask for a «Lady Boner,» an amazing drink no longer on the menu, but still available if you know of it’s existence.
Pro-​Tip :The stairs get harder to walk up, after a few drinks…

This place ruled!
I was a little unsure because it looked a little sketchy outside and I thought it might be closed because it was totally empty upstairs.
We ordered a few house cocktails — I can’t remember what they were with the website being down and the full menu not being listed — but they were great! The bartender (very long hair and beard, which I’m sure describes most of the bartenders there or men in Seattle) was very knowledgeable and had a lot of pizzazz!
I was starved so I ordered the Korean tacos with fried tofu and a noodle bowl with udon and also fried tofu. It was the best fried tofu I have ever had. The food was amazing!
My only complaint was that is was a little too dark, but I would definitely come back for drinks, foods and hangs.

Lets just say this place is not my cup of tea but it used to be. Good luck.