Santé Bar is an
LGBTQ
LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...
-friendly bar in
Portland, Oregon
Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
.
Description
Santé Bar is an
LGBTQ
LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...
-friendly bar along the
North Park Blocks
The North Park Blocks form a city park in the Pearl District, Portland, Oregon, in the United States. Most of the park is in northwest Portland (north of Burnside Street), but one block ( Ankeny Square) is in southwest Portland (south of Burnsi ...
in
northwest Portland
Northwest Portland is one of the sextants of Portland, Oregon, United States.
Northwest Portland includes the Pearl District, most of Old Town Chinatown, the Northwest District, and various residential and industrial neighborhoods. A range of ...
's
Pearl District
The Pearl District is an area of Portland, Oregon, formerly occupied by warehouses, light industry and railroad classification yards and now noted for its art galleries, upscale businesses and residences. The area has been undergoing significa ...
. The business is owned by Veronique Lafont, a
queer
''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...
Black woman. ''
Eater Portland''
Brooke Jackson-Glidden
Brooke Jackson-Glidden is a food writer and the editor of '' Eater Portland''. In 2023, she received the Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award from the James Beard Foundation in part for her essay about Either/Or.
Jackson-Glidden has been the editor o ...
said the bar is "known for its highballs and pretty cocktails served in coupes, ideal for a sunny day".
In a 2021 overview of the city's "wildest"
gay bar
A gay bar is a Bar (establishment), drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+) clientele; the term ''gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBTQ+ communi ...
s, she and Conner Reed described Santé as a "narrow, elegant space" with "solid" drinks, and the website's Alex Frane called the bar "cozy and low-key" in his list of "essential Portland cocktail bars where you can sip something exceptional". In 2020, he described Santé as an LGBTQ bar with "elegant" cocktails.
In his 2019 overview of the city's "best in LGBTQ+ nightlife, bars, parties, comedy, and more", the ''
Portland Mercury
''Portland Mercury'' is an alternative bi-weekly newspaper and media company founded in 2000 in Portland, Oregon. It has a sibling publication in Seattle, Washington, called '' The Stranger''.
History
A prior version of ''The Mercury'' was ...
'' Andrew Jankowski described Santé as a
piano bar
A piano bar (also known as a piano lounge) consists of a piano or electronic keyboard played by a professional musician as a central part of an establishment that also serves alcoholic drinks. Piano bars can be located in a cocktail lounge, bar ...
"serving cocktails, live jazz, TV musical viewing parties, and open mics with everything from storytelling and poetry to live, music".
History
The bar was burglarized in 2018. In 2021, Santé Bar hosted a
beer garden
A beer garden (German: ''Biergarten'') is an outdoor area in which beer and food are served, typically at shared tables shaded by trees.
Beer gardens originated in Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital city, in the 19th century, and remain co ...
during
My People's Market
My People's Market is a series of temporary marketplaces in Portland, Oregon, United States, focusing on businesses owned by people of color.
History
The first event was held in 2017. It was founded by Amanda Park, Tamara Kennedy-Hill, Michelle C ...
.
[
]
Reception
In 2019, ''Willamette Week
''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture.
History
Early history
'' ...
'' said, "This swanky cocktail bar might not look like much from the outside, but its vintage vibe, romantic lighting and fancy drinks are a welcome shift from the standard westside LGBTQ bar experience." Kara Stokes and Maya MacEvoy included Santé Bar in ''Eater Portland'' 2022 overview of "Where to Eat and Drink in Portland’s Pearl District".
See also
* LGBT-owned business
LGBTQ-, or queer-owned businesses are businesses owned and often operated by members of the LGBTQIA+ community. They may also be described as being owned by specific subgroups, such as gay-, lesbian-, or trans-owned businesses.
Many queer-owned ...
* List of Black-owned restaurants
Following is a list of notable current and defunct Black-owned restaurants, including bakeries as well as food carts and trucks, sorted by location (of headquarters in cases of chains):
Nigeria
* Veggie Victory – Lagos
South Africa
* Mzoli's ...
References
External links
*
Santé Bar
at Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
{{Restaurants in Portland, Oregon
Black-owned restaurants in Oregon
LGBTQ drinking establishments in Portland, Oregon
LGBTQ-owned businesses in Oregon
Restaurants in Pearl District, Portland, Oregon