Portland, OR - Club Silverado

[+ pdxleo]

Club Silverado - 318 SW 3rd Avenue, Portland, OR 97204

http://www.silveradopdx.com 503-224-4493

Open 7 days, strippers nightly 10pm-2am, Sunday 6pm-2am (two shows)

One side bar and lounge, one side strip club

Small cover charge weekends and special days, no cover weeknights

 

I would be remiss if I did not report on my hometown meat show at Silverado. The club is at the south end of Portland's entertainment district, on a block which features two other strip clubs. There are three entrances to Silverado, the south door for the bar( open 11 am to 2am daily), the middle door for the strip club (open 9pm to 2am nightly, 5pm to 2am Sunday), the north door is the strip club exit. There is a bar in each side, drinks prices are about average for Portland.

 

The nightclub opens 9pm, with strippers starting at 10. Usually, there is a pair of guys on the main stage, one on the small stage in back, and one on the stage in the bar. Three song sets, starting fully clothed, end up mostly nude by the last song. Each dancer is different, some get full nude for the second half of their set, some just flash, a couple of the guys keep their drawers on. The typical mix you would expect in the Northwest- some twinks, some hipster types, a couple of older muscled guys, the rare occasional gentleman of color. Tips in the waistband when on stage, a little easier to tip and peek at the guys on the small stage. The bar is kinda rough around the edges, so the vibe is more of live-and-let-live, like a country and western disco from the past.

 

After the guys finish their set, they come out and work the room while waiting for their next "up". If you tip during their set, they will definitely come back and thank you, and most will ask if you are interested in a lap dance - $25 plus tip, up on the mezzanine above the strip club's bar. No VIP rooms here, no nude lap dances, but the guys are friendly and athletic in their moves. A little tamer than some places back East, but it's home to me, so I like it anyway.

 

One warning- during the summer months, the blocks around Silverado are filled with overnight campers, mostly young members of the West Coast Travelers, and they will try to hustle you if they sense they can get away with it. You're not going to be able to pickup any of these youngsters for any action, and caution is well advised- they can get quite aggressive!

[Frankly Rich]

Wha...wha...what???!!! There are THREE strip clubs is sleepy Portland? And "fully nude?" I am impressed!!

[+ pdxleo]

To be clear, there are three strip clubs in this block, but only one is for gay male patrons, the others are a male strip club for women patrons, and a female strip club. Portland must have over a hundred female strip clubs, but Silverado is the lone gay 7-day-per-week operation. Although, there is a Friday night "revue" at Darcelle's XV female impersonator nightclub, a few blocks up 3rd Avenue.

[captainbuddy]

Here's an update based on a visit in early 2017:

 

Location: Portland OR

Club's Name: Silverado

Address: 318 SW 3rd Ave, Portland, OR 97204

Phone #: 503-224-4493

Hours: 9AM-2:30AM, 7 days a week including holidays

Cover charge: small cover on weekends ($10 or less; no cover on weekdays)

Website: www.silveradopdx.com

Type of Club: gay bar with male dancers who are permitted to get naked

Type of dancers: there's some variety depending on the night, but usually a few twinks and a few hunkier guys, ages about 19-30

 

Description of Club: It's a cross between a neighborhood gay dive bar and a strip club. There are two separate rooms connected by an enclosed outdoor walkway. Both rooms have a small "cage" where the guys gogo dance, but only one side has the main stage where they can get naked. There is a mezzanine area with 3 semi-curtained chairs for lap dances; this area is less private on weekends when the mezzanine also serves as the VIP section and has a small bar.

 

I just love this bar. It doesn't feel like any other strip club; some patrons go there to see the dancers but some people go just to hang out because it's their favorite gay bar. The dancers here make a much larger percentage of their take-home pay from tips while they are onstage, and their stage sets are about 10 minutes, so I encourage you to give each guy a few bucks when you visit. It always feels like there are real guys here: just men and boys from the Pacific Northwest who decided it might be fun to try out being a male stripper, and here they are a few weeks/months/years later. Because it's Portland, you'll see a lot of tattoos, and the majority of the dancers are white, although I've seen some beautiful black and Asian men here as well. On weeknights, and even on some weekends, it's not difficult to spend quality time hanging out with your favorite dancer if you're a decent tipper--they are expected to walk the floor and chat with people when it's not their turn on stage, and if you can hold a conversation you'll have a pleasant evening.

 

One down side for fans of extra-naughty strip clubs is that the lap dance area is not very private, and on most nights, when you get a lap dance, a manager will be standing nearby to make sure the rules are followed. Lap dances were $20 per dance during my last visit, but the dances usually lasted more than one song, and I've never had a dancer try to trick me into getting more dances than I intended. The dancers don't get naked during lap dances, and (in general) sexual activity is not permitted. On the other hand, downtown Portland is very walkable, there are lots of late-night food places, and you can probably find a dancer who's willing to let you buy him a meal after he gets off work.

 

Finding parking is never difficult, but it's hard to leave your car overnight because it's downtown Portland. One nice thing about this club is that it's walking distance from several other gay bars, including the only other gay male strip club in town, Stag PDX. If it's raining, which is most of the time, the other downtown clubs are a very short Uber ride away.