Chris was 5 stars and the roof top was perfect. A great find away from concert crowds. Enjoyed the music videos on the tvs and clientele

Mathew's is the peak dive bar experience. If you're visiting Portland like I was, you'll be greeted with kindness when you walk in. You'll notice the regulars who are probably a little drunk, but they're also very nice and not off putting at all. I ordered a Tito's and soda and the pour was great - stiff but not overpowering. Also not expensive! Give this place a shot if you're looking for the dive bar experience. You wont be disappointed! We had the patio to ourselves for a bit on a Friday afternoon. read more

Mathew's Pub - Tito's and soda with a lemon - Pubs Near Me - Portland, Maine

My husband and I love neighborhood pubs that are filled with locals and serve cheap drinks. We're so glad we found this spot during our vacation. Everyone treated us like regulars and was super friendly. Drinks are cheap and they have different food specials throughout the week. There's bar games as well if you need entertainment and a rooftop patio. Overall a 10/10. We stopped in multiple times! read more

Dive bar...I was hoping for a dive bar beer on tap, but they had sam Adams, Baxter, allagash white, Kona big wave, and space dust. Plenty of TVs, music in the background, a few games, and roof deck (no shade). read more

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great place, great vibes, good people. seven days a week. like clockwork. down to earth people

I get a kick out of all the negative reviews on Mathew's. Like, it's Mathew's. It's infamous for being sketchy and gross. That's why we go.... Mathew's will serve you a mixed drink at 9am and won't judge you for it. LOL. They'll sometimes even let you pick the music videos they put on. They did have free pool, not sure if they still have that, but that was fun. I do believe they are doing some renovations to make a new bar in the second room, with a small kitchen. That will be fun. Yea, it's grungy - that's the fun. You don't go here for a swanky experience. You go here to listen to live bands up on the deck and get cheap drinks. Cash only. Maybe it's because I'm a salt of the earth Mainer? Whatevs. I love it. read more

Aside from some of oldest bars in New York (The Ear bar) and a couple spots in Boston Waterfront (the Bar in the Chart House), Mathew's is as genuine a Beer and Burger joint as exists in Maine. A Couple rooms are updated to the 70s or 80s rock mode but everything else SEEMS like the OLDEST Bar in Portland. The feeling is Somewhat swarthy but super friendly service. We were there for a late lunch and had the cheese burger special with HAND CUT fries. The burger was a double handed,can't put down delight And the fries stack up with some of the best we have ever experienced . No puffy shoe-strings but hardy and crisp with just the right crunch and too many to finish while a Cold draft local ale topped it off. We would return again for a classic experience to break the lobster roll habit with Good old rustic, classic American Burgers. John&Sarah read more

Meh, Expected More A famous haunt in Portland just fell flat. Portland is so dying for some old fashion throw back atmosphere and this place just doesn't deliver. Such an old business should do this. The clientele was just dry and the place itself is nothing special. Mixed drinks aren't cheap either. They should take a page Ruski's book and develop the bar back to its history. No need to go back anytime soon. Thanks read more

This spot seems to be open around the clock. Bringing all new meaning to Dive bar, it's authenticity is part of its charm. Quite a set of regular "patrons" who mostly live in nearby apartments and who- with the exception of when they stumble home to nap- seem to open and close the bar daily. (This past Thursday apparently they opened late and MAN the whining I overheard while walking my dog). I live in a building with 3 to 4 of the regulars that they keep "sedated". I often see them floating by happily on their way to or from a nap before returning to their little slice of heaven. A cool set up for pool and games. Nice outdoor patio but since that would require climbing stairs the regulars prefer to stumble out the door into the street where daily when looking for parking I play leap frog with them. They also do other nice things for me if I park too close to the bar. like clean dust off my car with the back of their pants, improving the smell of my vehicle with beer and cheap liquor regurgitated as though my Nissan is a little bitty Baby boozer.. But the best parts about this place is it is totally dog friendly ( although like small children that poke dogs in the eye, sit on them, pull their tails, and pet them too hard too often, remember to keep an eye on small dogs near the regulars- my dog albeit brave only has so much tolerance for adults behaving like toddlers). They also have an ATM they allow you to use to get cash for Marcys Diner YIPPEE! And when the bartenders are more sober than the toddlers they are super cool read more

Mathew's Pub - Cool dive bar. Comfy and dog friendly. - Pubs Near Me - Portland, Maine

Everyone was super friendly and it was exactly what I expect in a dive bar. Bartender was amazing. Fun

Do you like hanging with 'Salt of the Earth'-type people? Are you unhappy with your current odds of getting into a smashed beer bottle/pool stick fight at other, more 'reputable' establishments around downtown Portland? Are you a bounty hunter looking for some parole jumpers? Are you trying to find a place to 'lay low' until the 'heat blows over'? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then this may be the place for you - if it is within the allowed radius of your court-mandated ankle bracelet. A friend of mine and I were walking by this place on a Friday/Saturday when the evening/day was quickly approaching last call, and our alcohol-impaired judgements convinced us that it would be a great idea to pop inside to grab one more drink and play a game of pool. And I wasn't half as scared as I thought I would be. Turns out, everyone we interacted with in the bar was quite friendly. The crowd was a good mix of young and old, and the bartender made a couple of mean gin and tonics (or at least gins) for $5.50 each. Both pool tables were occupied when we checked them out in the back room, but the 3-4 tattooed young ladies were happy to end their game and let us jump in. Maybe we came on a bad night, but there were absolutely no bar fights, shivvings, inappropriate drunken aggressive old man comments (my friend was female), or sketchy brown paper bags with unknown contents exchanged for money - just a few people drowning their sorrows in some cheap swill and a few folks playing pool. So, a little disappointing based on the hype. Will I come back? Maybe. My qualitative research isn't concluded on this place just yet. And I like cheap gins (with the occasional tonic). Pro Tip: This place is cash only. read more

Stopped in here because it was pissing rain on me, and I needed somewhere to dry off and wet my whistle at the same time. Their sign advertised the place as "Portland's Oldest Pub" and that seemed right up my alley. I love a good pub. Now here's what confuses me. Portland is in "New England" which I think would give the residents some authority when it comes to recognizing pubs. Matthew's is most certainly not a pub, I will tell you that. It's a great little dive-y old man bar, but not a pub in any traditional sense of the word. So there's that. Now, if you want a place where you can start attacking your liver at 11 AM, no questions asked then this is for you. It's not a pretentious place, and when I say that there's a lot of folks missing teeth in here I say it with affection. read more

Rude bar staff dont make this place worth the price of their cheap beer. If you are nose blind then you will only find the staff painful. read more

I have been coming in to the establishment for over 20 years. Down to earth. Locals. Fun laughs and hard workers. You could be sitting next to a life long fishermen or you could be sitting next to a town councilman. Everyone is equal here. Good comedians on Wednesday nights. Prices are great. Good happy hour. read more

Anthony Bourdain would love this place. It's a dive and full of characters. Friendly, old fashioned bar. If you like beer and drinks this is your place. If you want a mojito or Cosmo you've been warned. read more

sketchy and NO Fun. Meth sores and throat cancer. People refusing to make eye contact because you look a little like someone they owe money to. Yelp didn't think "Sketchy and NO Fun" was enough so.... read more

If you're high on bath salts then this is your spot. Plus my main man Julio drinks here so it's always the jam. On a random Wednesday some friends and I got wasted off of $1.50 Rolling Rocks, sang karaoke(poorly) and played darts on possibly the shittiest dartboard in all of Portland. The thing had door stops propping it up and was about as close to useless as you can get. Some dude outside was raving about his $1.99 a pack cigarillos that he recently purchased from Paul's Food Center. Conclusion: If you do your grocery shopping @ Whole Foods then you don't drink @ Mathew's. End of story read more

Today went in had a rude barmaid I had 2 mixed drinks and she shut me off...She was hanging out with other people that she knew. I am native American I believe there was a little racism going on there...She wouldnt look me in and the eye. I gave her a good tip also read more

The other two reviews written about this place sum it up perfectly...and hysterically I might add. Kudos to both of you for your witty writing style. Anywho...this place is a hole...a craphole to be exact. I am typically a fan of them, but not this place. The people were just odd, including the bartender who looked like she wasn't even old enough to be serving drinks. A simple question (''Do you have Miller Lite on tap?'') resulted in an ''I'm not sure. Let me check.'' At first I just thought she was an idiot, but I read between the lines and figured out that this meant that most people ordered bottled beer. Yes, there are some places where you never order a draft beer...this dirty hole would be one of them. read more

$7.50 for a short Bacardi and Diet? No. I could justify this at other establishments, but not this one. I know "it's Portland" and all, but still... N to the O. read more

It's hard to be a dive bar that is no fun. This place manages to do that.

This bar is part nightclub, part hole in the wall dive where old veterans get drunk all day and talk about the wars. It's yet another bar that serves you alcohol then get's pissed off at you when you are drunk. There are a few regular weirdos who sit at the bar and stare at you, then when you talk to them they act like you're the crazy one for talking to them. It's also one of those bars where the bartenders think they are morally superior than you are. They talk to their friends at the bar and you have to yell at them to get another drink. And god forbid don't say "shit" or "f---". They'll shut you off even after they and their friends have been swearing all night. No Joke. I was there once and I heard the bartender say "f---" and "f---ing" about six times, but they shut me off after I said "SHIT!! I forgot to call Bill"!! Other than that it is a good place to have a few drinks and it's only about 100 feet from my apartment so I don't have to drive or take a cab there. read more