Paydirt to Open in the Zipper Project

The people behind The Old Gold are opening Paydirt, on the corner of NE 28th and Sandy.

While our technical location will be 2724 NE Pacific St., Paydirt is sharing the Zipper with Seven Virtues Coffee Roasters, Bang Nails, and four micro restaurants: Bywater Grocery, Slice Pizza Company, ChickPeaDX and Rua. Inside the Zipper building is a large shared dining space, and outdoors, there’s a very substantial patio equipped with a pair of fire pits. Sort of like a food court, without the Orange Julius. Since you’ll be steps from a variety of dining options at all times, the Paydirt bar will not serve food; instead, we’ll be strictly devoted to the fine art of the drink.

You could say that Paydirt is a dedicated drinking establishment.

To accomplish such a lofty claim, Paydirt will feature a sprawling 50-plus-foot bar that will rest in the shadow of a towering wall of liquor—specifically a collection of over a hundred different bourbons. Our cocktail list will be seriously crafted and playful, yet absent of all Portland pretense (unfortunately, none of our bartenders will wear suspenders or look like Macklemore). Fernet-Branca will flow majestically from a tap, alongside a dozen beer lines, 11 of which will be dedicated to microbrews while the 12th will dispense Rainier (for $2 a pint).

For those who want to skip the line, a pristine 1940s phone booth will allow customers to “call in” orders of champagne to be delivered to their table (whether they’re indoors or on the expansive patio). Think of it as a much-improved version of the Champagne Button we have in our sister bar, the Old Gold. Also, once LaMarcus Aldridge re-signs with the Trail Blazers (please credit us when this happens), we’ll be broadcasting Rip City games on a projection screen for thirsty fans.

And since it’s contractually required of all bars in Portland to do so, we’ll probably sponsor a kickball team. But we’ll do so with great reluctance.