Chin's Bar, From Chin's Kitchen, Has Opened in Portland

The entrance to Chin's Bar. There's a new sign, railings, and a patio. — Photo credit: Chin’s Bar.

Over the weekend, the folks at Chin’s Kitchen in the Hollywood District posted on social media, “Good news, everyone! We just opened a bar!” It’s called Chin’s Bar and operates around the corner from the restaurant.

The Location of Chin’s Bar

The entrance is on NE 42nd Avenue, next to Bluefin Sushi. This space has been home to a number of little shops over the years—I remember when Queerly opened in there. At one point, Yours Vintage Treasures and Bohemian Village also set up shop there.

Chin’s Kitchen, though, has been around since 1949, and got new owners in 2017. The restaurant will turn 80 in the not too distant future.

For a number of years, there was a door at the address 1633 NE 42nd Avenue with the Chin’s Kitchen sign above it, but sometime last year that was removed and the door was boarded up. That has been painted over now, leaving just the entrance at 1627 NE 42nd Avenue remaining.

What To Expect at Chin’s Bar

To Drink and Eat

The basic thing to know is “Chin’s bar is an extension of Chin’s Kitchen.” You can get drinks and they state, “We have a special cocktail menu inspired by Chinese ingredients.” Those are the Lychee Martini, Jasmine Pearl Tea Gimlet, Mandarin Orange Mule Sake Martini, and a Passion Fruit Mojito, each at $12. Other alcohol drinks include beer, wine, and sake.

For the NA side, they offer soda, teas, a Kang Shi Fu Lemon Iced Black Tea (bottled), and fruit lemonade (they featured a strawberry lemonade on their Instagram).

Chinese-American classics like orange chicken, as well as their northeastern-style dumplings are available at the bar. Their dumplings are very popular (I’m partial to the vegetarian Chinese leek and egg dumplings) and the restaurant often participates in the annual Dumpling Week.

The Space

They have a bit of a patio by the front entrance, so I could see them putting in some outdoor seating. Inside there are seats at the bar, seats at the window, and three video lottery machines in the room.