Alice on the Avenue, a new neighborhood bar and gathering spot, is opening on August 8 at 1416 SE Morrison Street, owner Sheila Baraga confirmed to What Now Portland. The concept is built around an indoor garden aesthetic, think lush greenery, shared plates, a full bar, and the kind of all-ages atmosphere where you can stop in alone after work or bring the whole family without a second thought.
The menu will be intentional and light with soups, salads, charcuterie plates, bread plates, and a dessert program that includes both rich classic desserts and a dedicated gluten-free selection. The drink menu is where things get fun. Baraga is nodding subtly to Alice in Wonderland with a whimsical, classic cocktail list featuring Pimm’s cups, mint juleps, and frozen drinks like piña colada and daiquiri. Espresso martinis and Irish coffees round things out on the warm end, alongside sake, wine, and four beers on tap.
“I know what people like,” Baraga said. “I’ve tried to fine-tune to accommodate because I think, ‘oh okay, John likes that, I gotta have that.'”
That intuition comes from nearly three decades of building neighborhood spots in Portland. Alice on the Avenue is Baraga’s seventh business, following beloved concepts like The Green Room, The Empire Room, The Sapphire Hotel, and Maiden in the Mist, each one a reflection of her belief that a great bar is really a community living room.
For Baraga, the timing of this opening feels personal. Portland has been through a lot, she says, and she thinks the city is ready for places that bring people back together.
“I feel like now is the time that Portland needs casual, interactive, community-connected businesses more than ever — businesses that are positive and uplifting because we have gone through so much hardship and struggle”, Baraga told What Now Portland.
