Shanghai Tunnel Bar Explained

Shanghai Tunnel Bar
Logo Alt:Black, orange and red logo with the text "Shanghai Tunnel Underground Bar" and an arrow pointing downward
Image Alt:Street view of the red storefront bar, with picnic tables in front
Map Alt:Map of Portland showing the bar's location
Current-Owner:Phil Ragaway
Food-Type:Asian
Street-Address:211 Southwest Ankeny Street
City:Portland
County:Multnomah
State:Oregon
Zip:97204
Country:United States
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Zoom:13

Shanghai Tunnel Bar, or simply Shanghai Tunnel, is a dive bar and Asian restaurant in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Named after the city's Shanghai tunnels, the underground bar serves Asian-themed cocktails and foods such as BLTs, Chinese chicken salad, miso and noodle soup, quesadillas, and veggie burgers. Owned by Phil Ragaway, Shanghai Tunnel is known for its inexpensive drinks and pinball machines. The bar closed temporarily during the COVID-19 pandemic, and later offered street-level service.

Description

Named after Portland's Shanghai tunnels and located near Burnside Street in Old Town Chinatown,[1] [2] Shanghai Tunnel Bar has been described by Willamette Week Suzette Smith as a "gruff but lovable" and "dank, brick-lined basement" dive bar with pinball and "friendship" (side-by-side) toilets in the women's restroom.[3] [4] The Oregonian Grant Butler said the subterranean bar has an "almost dungeon-like feel, with glowing lanterns meant to evoke the early Portland era when underground tunnels were home to all sorts of criminal enterprise".[5]

The business serves Asian-themed cocktails such as the Crouching Tiger, named after the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000).[5] According to a Rough Guide published in 2004, the bar is popular with hipsters and serves Asian-style soul food.[2] Food options in 1998 included BLTs, Chinese chicken salad, miso and noodle soup, quesadillas, and veggie burgers; the drink menu included beer, wine, and bourbon and Scotch whisky.[6] In a 2015 overview of Portland's underground bars, Jon Shadel of the Portland Mercury described Shanghai Tunnel as a "bro-ish" dive and wrote:

For the newspaper's similar overview the following year, Thomas Ross wrote, "One full floor underground, the only hint of daylight is the blazing digital sun in HD on the Buck Hunter screen."[7] In 2021, a Willamette Week article said: "It's possible that Shanghai is the last chill bar in Old Town where you can hole up—waiting out the weekend warriors—to play a little pool, pinball or Big Buck Hunter Pro."[8]

History

Shanghai Tunnel is owned by Phil Ragaway.[9] [10] In 2004, the bar was hosting Rock Bingo on the last Sunday of each month.[11] Shanghai Tunnel was the starting point for villains participating in Power Struggle, a "heroes-vs.-villains" pub crawl hosted by the Alter Egos Society as part of Stumptown Comics Fest and Portland's Comics Month, in 2010.[12] In 2017, the bar had at least five pinball machines.[13]

It closed temporarily during the COVID-19 pandemic, reopening in May 2021.[3] According to Willamette Week, "As it reopened this summer, Shanghai's focus shifted from its basement to the small street-level bar and patio—located next to the breezeway of the front door."[8]

Reception

In her Portland Happy Hour Guidebook (2008), Cindy Anderson said that the bar had the "best pot stickers [Chinese dumplings] ever".[14] In Thrillist's 2014 guide to Old Town Chinatown, Katherine Vetrano recommended Shanghai Tunnel "for end of the week annihilation" and wrote: "You've had the week (or day) from hell, and your plan is to hole up in the dark and drink the memory of it away: Shanghai is your spot. Drinks are strong and cheap ($2 wells during happy hour), and you'll want to order their Zapata for eating — it's house-made chips with both chew and crunch, dipped in hot queso."[15] In 2015, the Portland Mercury Jon Shadel recommended visiting in mid-week (to avoid crowds) and wrote: "An Asian-themed food menu offers a nice respite from the typical burgers-and-truffle-fries fare found in other nearby establishments—the panko-crusted tofu with noodles in peanut sauce satisfies drunk hunger quite nicely." In her 2016 Moon guide book of Portland, Hollyanna McCollom wrote:

Thrillist's Pete Cottell wrote in his 2019 overview of "what to do after dark" that Shanghai Tunnel "has plenty of pinball machines and cheap tallboys to kill an hour or two".[16]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Dresbeck . Rachel . Insiders' Guide to Portland, Oregon . March 1, 2011 . . 105 . 978-0-7627-7477-7 . December 26, 2021 . 7 . December 27, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211227175313/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZfLNLhNfQioC&pg=PA105&lpg=PA105&dq= . live .
  2. Book: The Rough Guide to USA . December 26, 2021 . 127 . 2004 . . Samantha . Cook . Greg . Ward . Tim . Perry . 978-1-84353-262-0. December 27, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211227175325/https://books.google.com/books?id=jNQJ40rBL0wC&pg=PA1277&lpg=PA1277&dq= . live .
  3. News: Smith . Suzette . Desperate for a Cool, Dark Place to Ride Out This Weekend's Heat Wave? Here Are Six Currently Open Basement Bars to Hide Out In. . December 26, 2021 . . June 25, 2021 . July 17, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210717100829/https://www.wweek.com/bars/2021/06/25/desperate-for-a-place-to-go-hide-and-drink-away-this-weekends-heat-wave-here-are-six-basement-bars-that-are-open-now/ . live .
  4. News: The Top Five Places to Get Drinks in Portland This Week . December 26, 2021 . . July 11, 2021 . July 17, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210717082746/https://www.wweek.com/bars/2021/07/11/the-top-five-places-to-get-drinks-in-portland-this-week/ . live .
  5. News: Butler . Grant . Raise a glass to 30 great Portland bars that are still going strong . December 26, 2021 . . . 8750-1317 . June 29, 2018 . December 30, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201230182659/https://www.oregonlive.com/life_and_culture/erry-2018/06/201a1caf503784/raise_a_glass_to_great_portlan.html . live .
  6. News: Turnquist . Kristi . Cool scene, some cuisine . . April 10, 1998 . 20.
  7. News: Ross . Thomas . Subterranean Bars for the Sun-Phobic. . December 26, 2021 . . June 1, 2016 . October 25, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211025173605/https://www.portlandmercury.com/Summer-Issue-2016/2016/06/01/18156294/subterranean-bars-for-the-sun-phobic . live .
  8. News: Where to Drink This Week in Portland . December 26, 2021 . . September 22, 2021 . October 24, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211024071629/https://www.wweek.com/bars/2021/09/22/where-to-drink-this-week-in-portland/ . live .
  9. News: Korfhage . Matthew . Portland Is Getting a New, 4,000-Square-Foot Video Game Palace at the Former Alhambra Theatre . December 26, 2021 . . December 21, 2015 . December 5, 2018 . https://archive.today/20181205223445/https://www.wweek.com/bars/2015/12/21/portland-getting-a-new-4000-square-foot-video-game-palace-at-former-alhambra-theatre/ . live .
  10. News: Portland's New Rock Block. September 30, 2004. Portland Mercury. Marjorie. Skinner. December 26, 2021. December 27, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211227175329/https://www.portlandmercury.com/news/portlands-new-rock-block/Content?oid=32201. live.
  11. News: Williams . Lee . Plugged in Scene and Herd Barrett Bingo . . July 9, 2004 . 13.
  12. News: Turnquist . Kristi . Costumed tomfoolery – Heroes and villains . . April 9, 2010.
  13. News: Singer . Matthew . Yes, Portland Has More Pinball Machines Than New York and Los Angeles . December 26, 2021 . February 7, 2017 . . December 30, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201230182703/https://www.wweek.com/culture/2017/02/07/yes-portland-has-more-pinball-machines-than-new-york-and-los-angeles-2/ . live .
  14. News: Boyd . Thomas . Cindy Anderson . . July 25, 2008.
  15. Web site: Vetrano . Katherine . From Ground Kontrol to Remedy: it's our collars-down guide to Old Town/Chinatown . . . December 26, 2021 . May 20, 2014 . September 14, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210914032334/https://www.thrillist.com/eat/portland/best-bars-and-restaurants-in-old-town-chinatown-portland . live .
  16. Web site: Cottell . Pete . Portland Nightlife: What to Do After Dark . . December 26, 2021 . September 17, 2019 . January 22, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210122061914/https://www.thrillist.com/events/portland/portland-nightlife . live .