I’ve been a fan of the breakfast/lunch at Portland Penny Diner for a while – see my post here – but they were only open 7 – 3 PM on weekdays. Curses! But now recently the PPD has extended their hours now to be open 4 – 11 PM midnight on Fri Sat), including a happy hour from 4 – 6 PM every day (Mon – Sat – they are closed Sunday). Yay! So here’s a look at the Portland Penny Diner Happy Hour and their evening menu.

The photos are from several visits, varying from a complimentary Open House event I attended where I was able to sample bites from the food and drink, as well as follow-up visits on my own dime.

With eight cocktails on tap, as well as two wine and four beer taps, Portland Penny Diner can satiate your thirst quickly. Barman Tony Gurdian has crafted a great list of balanced cocktails that he makes in small batches so they are always fresh and balanced (and are only $5 at happy hour!).

There is also always a new daily punch just $5 all day every day until it’s out. One visit the punch was pisco, maraschino, darjeeling tea, lemon, oleo and prosecco.  The one I tried below was composed with Dickel White Whiskey, rum, Cointreau, lemon, oleo and Montucky lager.

Don’t worry – those plastic cups are just free sample tastes at an Open House. Here they are compared to the actual size of the drinks I paid for later!

I was most interested in a new section of the menu called Short Orders, which include are a shot with a paired item (another drink or food snack).

• Whiskey & Beer Back
• Tequila & Verdita. The idea of this was first created when Top Chef alums Chef Doug Adams and Chef Katsuji Tanabe collaborated at a dinner, and their bro love continues on with this Short Order menu item.
  
• Pisco & Grilled Pineapple with Espelette, Pisco is a bit like brancy and comes from South America, thus the pairing here. Espelette is the slightly spicy pepper you see on top of the grilled pineapple,
  
• Cachaca and Pickled Strawberry. Cachaca is akin to a Brazilian rum.
  

My food and drink adventure rule is always if I see something on the menu that I’ve never seen before or don’t usually see – that’s where the delicious adventure lies.

Portland Penny Diner Evening Food Menu is a collaboration between Vitaly Paley and Doug Adams includes a few soups and salads, including this tomato soup with crouton and basil (pictured is a sample that was passed at an Open House, not an actual full order).

Then there are Fry Bread Tacos, varying from filled with house smoked pastrami, or soy braised pork belly, or my personal favorite the Hangtown Fry Taco with fried oysters, eggs, bacon and spicy mayo.

Sample of the House Smoked Pastrami Taco with russian dressing, swiss cheese, and sauerkraut and the full order of Hangtown Fry Taco with fried oysters, eggs, bacon and spicy mayo

For something a bit more familiar, there are single or double burgers with secret sauce and for vegetarians, a super flavorful Falafel Burger. The double burger (called the Deluxe Burger) is only $8 at happy hour (the regular PPD burger is $7 and not a HH special) so splurge on a double patty between 4-6. If you’d like, the burgers come on their own so order waffle fries, sweet potato fries… or Disco Fries (with gravy, pastrami, swiss, cheddar).

Above you see sample of the and also the Falafel Burger with feta, red onion, tzatziki, cucumber, tomato, iceberg, harissa and the full Deluxe Burger with two patties, bacon, secret sauce, white onions, American cheese, iceberg lettuce, bread and butter pickles

More substantial PPD Plates include Buttermilk Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, Blackened Trout, or a Penny Pincher special that changes. I’ve seen the Penny Pincher vary from a Pork Taco Salad to Breakfast Chicken Hash, or check the chalkboard.

Who knows, you may run into either or both of these celebrity chefs (you see chef Douggie making his chicken back there? Another time chef Vitaly Paley was just sitting outside having a beer!). For photos of some of the chicken or trout plates, visit my blogger friend Marlynn at Urban Bliss Life and see her post on Portland Penny Diner!


Above Portland Penny Diner Fried Chicken, from Executive Chef Doug Adams (this is a sample, not the actual plate you get from ordering as that comes with mashed potatoes and gravy)

If you get a chance to try Portland Penny Diner, definitely get a fry taco, and maybe share the fried chicken, and try a draft cocktail or a short order!

 

Have you ever had fry bread, or a fry bread taco? What do you think of the offerings of Portland Penny Diner, have you checked out the evening hours yet?

Disclosure: Although many of the sample drinks and dishes you have seen were from an “open house” they had their first week or so of their evening hours that was open to media and the public, I returned other times and paid for full cocktails and these Short Orders as my own drink adventure.