Reel M Inn is basically a late-night dive bar that has awesome fried chicken. That’s all they do. They have corn dogs and things like that, too, but the fried chicken is what you go for. It’s one of the few places that are open super late in Portland and don’t offer the usual burgers and fries and stuff. For the longest time, they’ve been cranking out great food at an affordable price for us late-night cooks who have no place to go after work.
It’s dark, and there’s a lot of handwritten notes all over the entire place, from head to toe, basically. There’s only one bartender that works at a time, and that bartender also fries the food, buses tables, serves drinks—does everything. They’re pretty amazing. Honestly, they just know how to do it. The chicken is super simple. They don’t share their secrets, but it is one of the best. It’s just super juicy inside and crispy on the outside.
Best Drinks
In a city saturated with cool bars, you’ll almost have a hard time finding a bad drink. But these four spots offer something extra special.