I traveled the world with a bar band, and I have performed in venues, big and small. So when I say that this is one of my favorite venues of all time, I'm comparing it to a lot of places! The showdown is a beautiful piece of Portland history. What was obviously once a country western venue, has turned eclectic, and Portland quality weird. It's old, it's worn, it's beautiful. The sound is excellent, distinct sounds from each instrument even above 90 dB so super props to the sound guy! I thought the menu was great and an exceptional value for a music venue with salty nibbles, and locally made red hot sausages, Also really delicious. Everybody there was super nice, the bartender was quick, efficient and knowledgeable. The seating is not the most comfortable in the world, but I sat there for four hours and barely moved because it was just that much fun. Can't wait to go back and see the next band I can't stop listening to. read more

See all

It is important to understand what The Showdown is before you attend. While it is a live music venue, it is mostly open ballroom, with seating around the periphery. Dancing seems to be the priority here. Some would say that The Showdown is a proper honky tonk, but it seems to be a bit more upscale than that description would imply. On my visit, one of the televisions was showing "Star Trek: The Next Generation", which was a fun surprise. Food is available at very reasonable prices. The menu is very small, and the food is nothing spectacular, but it is better than expected. Despite what Google Maps says, parking around here is TERRIBLE. It is all street parking, and not much in close proximity. Staff is FANTASTIC!!! Very friendly, very helpful, very professional. Service is prompt, and there is a fair number of non-alcoholic options. Tuesday nights feature a drop-in two-step dance class if you're interested. The instructors were top-notch, friendly, and great at what they did. There were probably 20 people in the class when I went, and the periphery seating gave me a great vantage point of the instructors and students (I couldn't wrap my head around it, but all participants seemed to be having a great time). The PA system sounded great, and the volume levels were very appropriate for the size of the room (it is nice not to have been deafened by needlessly loud music). The band was the true highlight of the night. They were awesome. read more

Really cute and intimate place. Bartenders are attentive, friendly, and prices are great. I think most light snacks were under 10 and larger under 15-ish. Went for a show, wonderful live music. Didn't try any food, but will next time. read more

The Showdown - Music Venues Near Me - Portland, Oregon

See all

Food is delicious You can't go wrong with anything Plus .. popcorn!! Omg:-) Service is excellent and gracious Tip your service It's worthy Very lively ambiance, upbeat and fun read more

See all

Nice intimate space. Limited food selection tins and parking is bad, but I've enjoyed it every time I've been there

The Showdown Saloon is hands down the best place to see rootsy Americana music. Great staff, a dance floor with side seating, a beautiful stage, and the best live sound for the venue's size in Portland. As a performer who has played there, you really can't beat this place, if you can get booked. They gave us 5 monitor mixes, Green Room, which was HUGE downstairs, drink tickets, and a fair payout at the end of the night. People show up here to dance and have a great time. read more

Amazing atmosphere with fantastic bands every night. The sound is always well mixed. So glad to have this gem in Portland!

The Showdown is a new music venue with solid programming: country, Americana, singer songwriters, and more. I found them because some of my friends are country musicians. The venue was a run down bar between the tracks and busy highway 26 - Powell Boulevard. It is like a sad country song on the wrong side of the tracks. The previous dive bar went so low, it booked dance music parties, and everyone knows ravers are not big drinkers. Then it closed. It's been renamed, rehabbed, and reopened. It is a good size inside with a stage and a good sound system. The Showdown has a sense of design with black vintage-style wall paper, red velour theater curtains, gold trim, red lighting, and some vintage Edison bulbs for decoration. A requisite Ear Trumpet Labs steampunk-style microphone is there, though I'm not a fan of the sound of that microphone, is low noise and a Portland-made product that is popular. The Showdown has a new plywood floor which may see some dancing. There is a large outdoor patio in back with a future bar and barbecue. Clean restrooms. Plenty of exits and a sprinkler system. In other words reputable. It is part of a large club empire, so this horse knows how to be ridden. Above the bar is a fierce red steer skull that would be at home in Santanico's From Dusk till Dawn nightclub. The most exciting news is booking by Soul'd Out and Pickathon. Pickathon is Happy Valley's famous music festival with camping on a farm. The suburbs are growing closer to the farm, endangering the music. So it's great Pickathon gets an additional venue; Pickathon has a vast network of talent, and a vast social media reach to audience. We will see how it goes, but Pickathon will be hosting square dances on Mondays. The late Bill Martin brought square dancing back in Portland, and along the way, traditional old timey music worked its way into Portland music, for example, the Decemberists. https://squaredancehistory.org/items/show/343 There is a good size bar, half a dozen taps. They have a coat check welded from horse shoes, $2 to check when I visited. It did have a lonely Western brim hat checked. It is in the parking vortex of the Aladdin and trains blocking things. But it is very close to the MAX Clinton and 12th station on the Orange Line. The trains don't block walking from the MAX to the venue. Be careful crossing Powell and Milwaukie on foot, don't be a statistic. The Showdown is a new music bar, check their show schedule and band descriptions, then stop on in! read more

I moved here from the east coast about 35yrs ago. I have never, and I mean never, been serviced better by a bartender anywhere, than I was on this last Saturday night. Great music, great service....I'm going back!!!! And I would recommend this place to any and everyone!! read more

Pizza was underwhelming and the customer service was caca. Went in for an order to go. Only one word was spoken to me the whole interaction. "Hey" Gave my name, he found me in the system and swung the square tablet around, walked away, got my boxes, set them down and walked away again. Ew, David read more

Love this venue for live music. Only reason I didn't give a 5 star review is because the bar staff is typically pretty rude everytime I come into this place and they never have anything stocked. Last night one of the bartenders kept frantically running through the crowd to go downstairs and get ice or something and was running into people and shoving chairs out of the way to get through. It was quite frankly bizarre. I think the bar operation needs to be managed way better. read more

Great staff. Acoustics and sound that punch well above their weight. A blissfully un-claustrophobic layout with a spacious back patio. Friendly to all folks. Simple bar offerings. read more

There are plenty of other bars and band venues in Portland... won't be back to this one. Went to hear a favorite musician play... HE was great, thank God, because the venue and staff sucked. They sold more tickets than they had seats (and the chairs they had were terribly uncomfortable). After finding random chairs to sit in against a wall, we were told by staff that we had to move outside to the patio due to 'fire exit restrictions'... huh?? Outside to where we wouldn't be able to see the performer we paid to see? Staff was overwhelmed with how to manage too many people. Fortunately the owner finally stepped in at the last minute and personally rearranged some tables and chairs. In addition to the seating/no seating fiasco, my water (that came directly from the bar) came with lipstick on the rim of the cup... IN TWO SHADES! So this cup had been previously used TWO times without being thoroughly washed??? (Dear Health Inspector... ). As I said, thank God the musician was great. He had to step away from the mic a few times because of sound issues affecting his performance. He is a professional and handled it well, but was clearly disappointed with the sound system. I spoke with him after the show and asked that he never book a show there again. read more

The Showdown - Little plastic cup of water from the bar came with not only one shade of lipstick, but two! How often do cups get washed? - Music Venues Near Me - Portland, Oregon

See all

Why does this venue put all the tables in the back and the sides and then leave the middle.open for.people to.stand? People show up at doos to get a seat and then others wander in during the opening act and stare at the backs of the late comers, never to visualize the performers?? Reverse the arrangement but until.then I wont be back. read more

Friendly staff, great music, reasonable prices for drinks. Good venue for live shows, no pressure buy merchandise. All good!!

I did not eat there so I do not know about the food but the drinks were good, and the music was spectacular, The Oregon Trailers were playing that night. They have a great dance floor, the bartenders were friendly and accommodating. I highly recommend it for a place to go dancing to great live music! read more

Saw a great live show. Got there early and grabbed a seat at the bar which turned out perfect for watching the show since the floor was full of dancing couples which was great. Nice bar staff and a clean venue with nice decor. read more

I had the pleasure of seeing one of their first shows, a man whose voice made me stop in my tracks and cry. Thank you Showdown for giving us amazing artists and a new venue. read more

The best I can say is I love seeing Curtis and Alen here. You can not even make reservations any longer. The service is not great. My biggest frustration right now it not being able to make reservations for a table. When you get there, If you were able to make reservations, they have changed they way they seat you. There is a new girl on the door making her own rules. If you do not drink alcohol you choices are very limited. I am really getting tired of drinking Shirley Temple's. For Food they have nuts or soup, there is no way to call this a restaurant. In short I like the people they book but I really do not like The Showdown! read more

Very inconsistent sound - partly horrible. We went to see a double act: Jim Lauderdale and Sunny Sweeney. Even before the show began, we commented to each other on how good the sound was. A bit loud for a small space, but clear (they were playing classic country - mostly Waylon). For Lauderdale (solo with acoustic guitar), the sound was excellent. A bit loud, but very clear and enjoyable. For Sweeney (full amplified band), it seemed like the sound person had fallen asleep or gone home. The sound was _way_ too loud to be enjoyable; we started right near the stage, and wandered the whole (small) venue trying to find a place it wasn't painfully loud. Didn't find one. More important, though, it was so loud that everything was distorted and clipping. I could barely make out the words of the songs. It was so bad, that, though we'd driven 2 hours to be there, after 3-4 songs we just gave up and went home. Better to miss the show than suffer through it. I'm glad the Lauderdale show was good, since that was the main reason we went, but I'd think twice before going to see a full band there again. As a side note, the place looks like a strip club on the outside, but fairly nice on the inside, and they have two plant-based menu items. read more

One of the best places right now to see real country music in Portland. Great dance floor and multi generational crowd. A breath of fresh air in Portland. read more

Saw our first concert at Showdown this past Friday. It was a sold out show of Bones of JR Jones. What a great intimate venue. Joshua and staff acted as if you were at their home and they were entertaining friends listening to some music - really good vibe there. Great sound system - we'll be back! read more