Beloved Southeast Division Street haunt Victory Bar, home of the Sneaky Tiki and a delectable venison burger, will be bidding farewell to the world after last call this evening.
The announcement came quietly yesterday via the bar’s Facebook page with a post that read, simply, “It’s the last nights of Victory my friends. Come say goodbye tonight or tomorrow.”
The decision by owner Yoni Laos—who opened Victory back in 2007 with then-partner Amalie Roberts—wasn’t an easy one. As he told this reporter via text message this evening, “I am sad right now. Like a dad at his daughter’s wedding. I cried three times today.” The rest of his messages about the closing, though, came with the winking good humor that we’ve come to love from a bar that was decorated with candy-striped rifles and, in keeping with the name of the space, 1984-style propaganda posters on the walls, as well as a constant stream of carefully-curated music videos flowing from TVs set throughout the space.
Asked why the bar was closing, Laos responded, “When I was about five years old, growing up in a small town in Arizona, an old Obi-Wan Kenobi-type sage stopped me on my tricycle and he told me this: ‘Son, if you want to make it big in this world… think about serving absinthe milkshakes to people while playing Dr. Hook music videos in the background.’
“I guess the moral of the story is this: Don’t listen to strange old men wandering the sidewalks in their bathrobes.”
When pressed a bit, he explained, bluntly, “Portland sucks and is awesome at the same time. Geeze… I spent 13 years in this building. Can’t a guy move on to new adventures?”
While Victory may be no more, Laos revealed that the space will be taken over by some new proprietors, who he promises are “talented people.” Who they are and what their plans are for the spot on Division will be, says Laos, “a surprise. Teaser… it’s not Guy Fieri.”
a nonsense answer should be either poignant or funny. His absinthe/dr hook line is neither.
I went to the place back in 2008 or so and got a pork sandwich that turned out to be just a bunch of fat on some buns.
The place opened in 2007 – it’s a bit older than some other places in the neighborhood. That said, it was still part of the first wave of “foodie” boutique food joints that came around back then that led to the over-hyping of the town that really changed things. The non fat sandwich food there was probably alright, but I really welcome the downfall of a cutesy niche market restaurant like Victory.
I’m really heartbroken about this—when I lived in the neighborhood I used to go there to work on a lot of my undergrad. My dad’s coming to visit in two weeks and I was super excited to bring to the Victory Bar—he would have similarly loved it.
Thanks for the great memories, dudes. Best wishes on your new ventures.
My partner and I met there on our first date over five years ago. Sad to see such a great place go.