Novel Book Bar

K Kyle Bussard 11 reviews · Local Guide 11 July 2026

Fantastic spot I took me and my gf here for the first time this Friday and the atmosphere and chairs were so cool definitely a good date spot. Great service and drinks!

H hanini panini 49 reviews · Local Guide 28 June 2026

Cocktails are $17 each and nothing special. For that price point I’d expect something more memorable. The drinks were also surprisingly small and a bit stingy. The biggest letdown was the service. One bartender (shorter with dark hair) turned her back on me and walked away while I was still ordering. Rude much? My $17 whiskey sour also arrived without the traditional cherry garnish (I LOVE those cherries). When I asked for cherries she said “Oops, forgot.” And handed me one tiny cherry. It felt like I was inconveniencing the bartender and she wanted to make it known. On the positive side, the security staff were welcoming and made the place feel safe despite the sketchy area. The ambiance is a cozy mix of people reading and having conversations. Our book club met here, and while it’s a great concept, there wasn’t enough conversation-style seating for groups so we had to squeeze into one long booth. Overall, it’s a cute spot with a great atmosphere, especially for one or two people. But the drinks are overpriced for what you get, and some staff could use better customer service training.

N Nicole 67 reviews · Local Guide 27 June 2026

Nice spot but lack of vegan options (oh, wait there’s fries🙄) is disappointing enough to pick one of the many other spots to hang out.

J Jeff Payton 45 reviews · Local Guide 24 June 2026

I did not know there was a book themed bar in Portland, but when my girlfriend found it she wanted us to try it and we did. The atmosphere was fantastic, the food was good, and the only complaint I could possibly have is that our drinks sat empty a few times for a bit. It didn't look like they were super busy based upon how many people were there, but we don't really know the place well enough to know. We will definitely be going back again and hopefully the service will be a little bit better this time, but we really enjoyed the place. Enough that we recommended it to a few people and we will be back.

C Celeste Stephens 8 reviews 13 June 2026

Okay, honest review because I was really excited about this bar. Atmosphere: 10/10, beautiful lighting, very booktok, comfortable seating. Bathrooms: 1/10, rings around the toilet, trash on the floor, dirty mirror, we got there right at opening… how is it that bad? Service: 3/10, the server was LOVELY and had a beautiful smile, she was very kind and communicative. However, it took over 30 minutes to receive our drink order, and about another 35 minutes for three burgers, two fry orders, and a salad. Drinks: 9/10, the drinks we ordered were absolutely delightful, however when the ice melted in my ice water I found floating bits of… well who knows what? Also, despite advertising Nonalcoholic beverages on the menu, when my friends ordered these options, they were out of the ingredients and did not serve n/a beers. Food: 4/10, I ordered the Wuthering Bites, no onion. The burger itself was fine, you could tell the patty was hand made, but it was also almost entirely unseasoned… the only flavor aside from grilled beef was an overpowering ground black pepper note that only really popped around the edges of the meat. The Game of Cheese Fries were also bland, they did have salt, but the cheese was not hot, and those in my group agreed that it probably came out of a can. My friend ordered the only salad on the menu, it was ten dollars, and pitiful. The serving size was roughly one cup of salad, and her thoughts were that it was earthy, wet, and off putting. A few other ladies we’d seen across the lounge were also shocked by the bowls of salad they were presented… it seemed our sentiment was shared. Mind you, the salad was the last order to come out of the kitchen, and we waited around half an hour for our burgers and fries. All in all, this bar has an amazing concept, but they need to work on their menu and hopefully they will put more effort into their bathroom situation. I hope when I come back, the experience will be a bit better.