A Morning Spent at Mock Crest Tavern

Sometimes, when I find myself in a rut, the best thing to do is to get out of my normal life and find a place where I can relax. Fortunately, with the invention of free WiFi, I’ve found the perfect solution—breakfast at Mock Crest Tavern!

I had just such a morning today so I drove over to North Portland’s favorite neighborhood bar to check out their specials and relax with a Bloody Mary. It’s the very best work-life combination I can think of!

Manager Sarah Grace is working this morning, managing the job of cooking, bartending, checking in a supply delivery, and training a new employee all at the same time. She juggled this with the ease of a seasoned pro while filling all the customer’s requests and engaging them with the banter you’d expect from a friendly bartender.

Mock’s co-owner, Jon Batcheller, was working today, too, fixing a troublesome door and checking in on the general running of the bar. He spared a few minutes to sit down with me while he enjoyed a breakfast of eggs and pancakes before heading out to a repair shop to find a missing part for the door. Always something to do at a busy bar like Mock…

The patio outside was busy with a few guests who were enjoying the beautiful fall day. They were chowing down on eggs and toast, while I decided to go with their breakfast special of the day, a White Cheddar Mock Muffin. It’s an English muffin with sausage, egg, and white cheddar cheese and a side of country style potatoes. Yum, yum! I paired that with a spicy Bloody Mary and later a Madras. It was the perfect way to break out of my end-of-summer rut.

Mock Crest Tavern’s Cocktails Are No Joke

Cocktails, Mocktails—When you order a cocktail at some bars you’re guaranteed a concoction with specific ingredients but not always in the amounts that’s going to make a great tasting drink. At NoPo’s Mock Crest Tavern customer expectations are always part of the recipe.

View the beauty of a perfectly made Mai Tai. It’s graduating shades of red, orange and yellow reminds you of a tropical sunset and promises another night to remember. I ordered this drink on a summer evening when I went to Mock to hear The Adequates play and this drink represented the first moment of relaxation after a busy day at work.

My go-to drink at Mock is an Amaretto Sour. It’s an easy drink with amaretto liqueur, ice and a splash or two of sweet and sour mix. Sweet and smooth, I look forward to it before diving into Mock’s spicy Habanero Bacon Blue Burger.

When I stop in at Mock for breakfast I can’t resist waking up with a spiked coffee. I’ve tried all versions—Irish, Mexican, and Spanish—and all provided the right mix of coffee to get me started and a bit of alcohol to start off the day just right.

Next time you’re in the mood for a cocktail, and you want to be sure you’re getting what you’re paying for, head toward Mock Crest Tavern on Lombard Street in North Portland—you won’t leave disappointed after having one of these “Mocktails.”

Welcome Back, University of Portland Students

The 2016-2017 school year has arrived and Mock Crest Tavern wants to extend a warm welcome to the students of the University of Portland. Mock is many things to many people, so here’s a little background on North Portland’s favorite neighborhood bar.

We’re a Music Venue

Mock has deep roots in Portland’s music scene. Throughout the month we showcase local, national and international acts on our “Mock Crest Carpet Stage.” We feature several acts throughout the week and there’s never a cover charge. Check out our calendar to see who’s playing tonight.

We’ve Got Great Food

There’s nothing like a home cooked meal when you’re deep in the books. Don’t deprive yourself of that tasty treat; join us for one of our daily specials our cooks prepare in our cart-sized kitchen. Our regular menu features all the pub grub you love from soup to nuts, and don’t leave without trying one of our pudding shots for desert.

We’ve Got Great Beer, too!

Of course, we’ve got all the great beer that gives our city the moniker; Beervana! Foreign, domestic, and local craft beers stand side-by-side with the latest craze, hard cider, in our rotating taps selection. Check out our leaderboard to see what’s being poured in real time. And, we serve great wines and top-shelf spirits, too!

We’ve Got Game

Every Sunday Mock Crest Tavern welcomes Quizzy Trivia, a bar trivia game with off-the-wall host, Roy Smallwood. He comes armed with categories that we think we know well, and questions that will prove we don’t. But this team game is all for fun—and a few prizes.

If a game of cards is more your speed join us on Monday evenings for our weekly Texas Hold ‘em games. It’s the kind of game that’s been played in our bar ever since the doors opened, and the traditional continues with laid back games and plenty of beer.

We also have Keno and lotto games and four TVs to watch all your favorite sporting events.

We’ve Got Free WiFi

Just what every modern student needs to get through a semester of college; free WiFi! At Mock Crest Tavern you’ll be able to work on your paper while you listen to live music and enjoy a tasty beer. Our bar is open from 9am-2:30pm every day, with a breakfast menu and plenty of friendly staff to keep you moving through those books.

Look for the Portland Bluesman when you’re heading west on Lombard Street, then come inside one of North Portland’s best neighborhood bars; Mock Crest Tavern!

More to Love at Mock Crest Tavern

It’s a well-known fact that Mock Crest Tavern is a North Portland haven for music lovers, but did you know it’s a place for sports lovers, too?

We’ve got the best cable sports packages playing the best in games from the moment we open at 9am until closing at 2:30pm. And, with _____ televisions placed in strategic spots around our bar you can watch your favorite teams hour after hour.

The 2016 Olympics are about to begin in Rio and our TVs will be running all the best American competitors as they go after the gold. Follow your favorites all the way to the podiums while you sit comfortably at our long bar with a beer in hand.

On the heels of the Olympics we get to watch the highlight of summer sports; the World Series. It’s still to be decided who will be facing off on the diamond, but there’s no question that the best way to enjoy the games is with friends and an ice cold beer.

Our rotating taps feature great foreign, domestic, and local craft beers that are ready to be a part of your celebration at the end of the game.

And, our menu is filled with all the great food you’d want at a tailgate party.

When you’re in the mood for a game join us at Mock Crest Tavern to watch them on our six TVs, then stick around for the music that makes our bar the best place in North Portland to celebrate the gold!

Master Your Game at the Mock Crest Tavern Golf Tournament

Can you feel it? It’s your competitive spirit calling you back to one of the Mock Crest Tavern’s most popular events of the season. Our “End of Summer” golf tournament!

Our June golf tournament was such a success we decided to go another round before the summer was put to bed for good. Grab your clubs and your ugly golf knickers and meet us out on the links for another challenging tournament. Golf lovers from all three of our family of bars Greeley Avenue Bar and Grill and the Yukon Tavern, will be showing up to take the team title for Best Ball 2016.

In Best Ball play all golfers compete to get the lowest score, or “best ball” for their team, which is then used as the team’s final score for each hole, going up against the best score from the other teams. Best ball can be played with teams of two, three or four players, so grab your friends, family, or random people you met at the Mock Crest and head out to Wildwood Golf Course. Teams will be randomly selected and each player will do their best to carry the round in hopes of taking the whole tournament and claiming champion status of the course.

Register by August 13^th at the Mock Crest Tavern to reserve your spot in our “End of Summer” Golf Tournament happening on August 20^th. It will be a day of exciting play on one of Portland’s best courses, followed by dinner and an award ceremony where prizes will be handed out to the best players. Tee off time will be at 1pm and all skill levels are welcome. Sign up now because space is limited.

Join the Mock Crest Tavern “Club”

In a culinary culture that is always trying to outdo itself its nice to know you can return to the tried and true classic when you tire of the competitive spirit. That was my mood when I joined the crowd at Mock crest Tavern last Friday and dug into one of their Club Sandwiches.

Constructed as a triple-decker stack of meat, cheese, and veggies, this sandwich encapsulates all the great ingredients of traditional sandwiches. Savory ham, roast turkey and the crispy crunch of bacon, cheddar and lettuce and tomato on three slices of sourdough bread. With its fresh ingredients, Mock Crest Tavern has initiated me into the Club Sandwich fan club!

I ordered a side of beer-battered onion rings that were juicy and sweet and a glass of Rev. Nat’s Sour Cherry cider to wash it all down. I’ve become a big fan of ciders over the last year and find their mild, fruity taste a great compliment to the saltiness of the sandwich and sides served at Mock.

Mock Crest Tavern’s menu has many great cold sandwiches to choose from on these hot summer days and each is based on a classic, and their rotating drafts feature tasty selections of beer and cider. Check out their menu to see all the great combinations you can order next time you stop in at North Portland’s favorite “dive” bar.

Rock on, Mock Crest Tavern Music Lovers!

This summer Mock is featuring the bands you love to hear with the beers we love to serve. The joint will be jumpin’ and we’ll all be having a good time when our favorite musicians come out to play for us every Thursday, Friday and Saturday this month on the Mock Crest Tavern “Carpet Stage.”

Our venue may be small but that’s what makes it special, for both the crowd and the band. Again and again, the musicians tell me they love playing at Mock because of its intimate size that allows them to really get to know their fans. Many of whom they call friends.

But how does the music sound in such a small venue, you may ask. Well, we’re happy to tell you it sounds great! Being so close to the band takes the music to another level. A heart level. As the steady beat of the drum marches through the song your heart follows. As the rhythm rises to a crescendo, crests, falls, then rises again your thoughts travel with it. And as the melody plays out the emotion of the song you share the same highs and lows as everyone in the room.

A secret to that perfect sound is our decibel counter. You might have noticed the electric meter perched on the wall above the cash register, with its red numbers changing continually throughout the evening. When the bands play you’ll see those numbers tracking the sound of the song and they typically stay between 90-100. The perfect volume for this venue, according to oratory research.

We have twelve more nights of music left this month, so plan a few nights out at Mock Crest Tavern in North Portland to hear great live bands, meet music lovers like yourself, and watch our decibel meter race up and down in time to the music.