Dots

Portland

American Restaurant

$$$$

Dots is a Portland mainstay, mostly because it fuses the concepts of diner, dive bar, and hangout so seamlessly. All the elements clash in the most beautiful ways: grizzly billiards boys (there's a pool table) mix with theatre geeks from the nearby Clinton Street Theater in a dark space with a faux-baroque charm that serves food fit for a highway diner crowd. The menu is an American eats encyclopedia, with burgers fries and grilled cheeses joined by a few Asian-inflected surprises like a pulled pork banh mi. The cocktails are good, but it's more about the atmosphere and the people... though we do love the daily slushy specials.