This bar on the west end of Portland has been a gay bar since the 1970s. But when Chris Cavanaugh and two partners took over in 1997, they turned the place around from what was once a seedy meat market into a classier piano bar-type joint. They painted the walls bright white and added a baby grand piano. The exposed brick, the gray carpeting littered with souvenir cigarette burn holes and the Christmas lights strung around the ceiling make you feel like you’re in someone’s festive basement. The only slightly risqué element of the décor are the homoerotic photographs by a local photographer.

There’s a piano player on most weekends, karaoke on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Saturdays, and a jukebox. Since most people come here to drink, there’s little offered in the way of dining. Instead you can get a reheated frozen sandwich and a bag of chips. If that doesn’t do it, there are vending machines that dispense smoked almonds, M&Ms and pistachios. --Lauren Kafka