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Reel M Inn

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Reel M Inn
BERJAYA
BERJAYA
The bar's front entrance in 2021
Map
Interactive map of Reel M Inn
Restaurant information
EstablishedJune 1994 (1994-06)
Owners
  • Paul Meno
  • Cathy Myers
Previous owners
Bill and Sherri Purdy
ManagerCarey Bolton
Location2430 SE Division Street, Portland, Oregon, 97202, United States
Coordinates45°30′17″N 122°38′26.3″W / 45.50472°N 122.640639°W / 45.50472; -122.640639
Websitereelminnpdx.com

Reel M Inn (stylized as 'reel M'INN), colloquially known as The Reel, is a dive bar and restaurant in Portland, Oregon's Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood, in the United States. Formerly known as the Lion's Den, Hogan's, and Spill M Inn, it was reopened under its current name in June 1994.

Description

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The dive bar Reel M Inn has a nautical theme with graffiti as decoration.[1][2] The interior has poker machines.[3] The bar has used a Flavor-Crisp pressure fryer.[4] Menu options include fried chicken and jojos, as well as jalapeño poppers and pickle chips.[5]

History

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After Bill and Sherri Purdy renovated Reel M Inn,[6] it was opened in June 1994,[7][8] in a space formerly hosting the Lion's Den, Hogan's, and Spill M Inn.[9] Ownership was passed to Paul Meno and Cathy Myers in the late 1990s due to Bill's health problems.[6] Although it was set to close at the end of 2018 due to an expiring lease, Alex Briggs and his wife Carey Bolton purchased Reel M Inn in April 2017.[9][10] Meno and Myers are the current owners.[11][9]

The bar closed temporarily in November 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.[10][12][13] Reel M Inn opened for the Super Bowl in 2021,[14] and reopened with limited hours on February 27, 2021.[15] The business also applied for funding from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund during the pandemic.[16]

Reel M Inn was featured on an episode of Hulu's Eater's Guide to the World.[17]

Reception

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Andy Kryza included Reel M Inn in Thrillist's 2013 overview of Portland's best chicken and jojos.[18] The website's Pete Cottell included the business in a 2019 overview of Portland's "most essential" dive bars.[19] Reel M Inn ranked second in The Daily Meal's 2015 list of the nation's 25 best dive bars.[20] The business was included in Bon Appétit's list of 22 "restaurants that turned us into dedicated regulars in 2018".[21] Alexander Frane included Reel M Inn in Condé Nast Traveler's 2018 list of Portland's 13 best bars.[22] Frane subsequently included the business in Portland Monthly's 2025 list of the city's "quintessential" dive bars.[23]

In 2020, Willamette Week said the bar had "perilous restrooms and the best damn fried chicken in the city".[24] In 2024, the newspaper's Andrew Jankowski opined, "One of a small handful of Portland’s crown jewels to come back from closing during the pandemic, Reel M Inn's chicken is still as juicy and mouthwatering as ever. The kitchen’s notoriously long wait time is unchanged, just like its flavor."[25] Reel M Inn won in the Best Dive Bar category of Willamette Week's annual 'Best of Portland' readers' poll in 2025 and 2026.[26][27] Brooke Jackson-Glidden included the chicken and jojos in Eater Portland's 2024 overview of "iconic Portland dishes".[28] Elettra Pauletto selected Reel M Inn to represent Oregon in Tasting Table's 2025 list of the best dive bars in each U.S. state.[29]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "The Top Five Places to Drink on Division This Week". Willamette Week. February 19, 2020. Archived from the original on May 28, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Deep Dive: Our Guide to Southeast Portland's Dive Bars". Willamette Week. September 20, 2023. Archived from the original on March 14, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  3. ↑ McCollom, Hollyanna (May 10, 2016). Moon Portland. Avalon Publishing. ISBN 978-1-63121-279-6.
  4. ↑ "The History of the American Jojo, Which is Definitely Not a Potato Wedge". Willamette Week. July 12, 2017. Archived from the original on March 9, 2026. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  5. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (November 10, 2020). "How to Have a Solo Picnic in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on July 15, 2026. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Bakall, Samantha (April 1, 2015). "20 years of history and Portland's best fried chicken at Reel M Inn". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 20, 2025. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Portland's Finest Fried Chicken Is Served in a Division Street Dive Bar". Willamette Week. May 22, 2017. Archived from the original on March 14, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Reel M Inn Has the Best Fried Chicken and Jojos in Town". Willamette Week. June 9, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 Korfhage, Matthew (September 13, 2017). "Portland Dive With Amazing Fried Chicken Won't Be Razed for Condos, After All". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on September 5, 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  10. 1 2 Bakall, Samantha (November 24, 2020). "A Love Letter to Reel M Inn, Portland's Most Iconic Dive Bar". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  11. ↑ Yaeger, Brian (March 9, 2016). "Reel M Inn: An Oasis in a Desert of Development". Portland Mercury. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  12. ↑ Gormley, Shannon (November 14, 2020). "Reel M Inn Will Close Indefinitely This Week". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on December 21, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  13. ↑ Acker, Lizzy (November 16, 2020). "Popular Portland dive Reel M Inn to close 'indefinitely'". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  14. ↑ Singer, Matthew (February 3, 2021). "Beloved Fried Chicken Spot Reel M Inn Is Returning for One Day Only". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  15. ↑ Frane, Alex (February 26, 2021). "One of Portland's Beloved Dive Bars Has Reopened". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Reel M Inn 'crushed' when pandemic relief didn't come". KOIN.com. July 20, 2021. Archived from the original on March 14, 2025. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Everywhere to Eat After Watching 'Eater's Guide to the World'". Eater. November 11, 2020. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  18. ↑ Kryza, Andy (August 8, 2013). "Portland's 5 best chicken & jojos fixes". Thrillist. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  19. ↑ Cottell, Pete (December 9, 2013). "The Most Essential Dive Bars in Portland". Thrillist. Archived from the original on December 31, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  20. ↑ Russell, Michael (November 5, 2015). "Portland dive bar named America's second best". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on August 20, 2025. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  21. ↑ "The 22 Restaurants That Turned Us Into Dedicated Regulars in 2018". Bon Appétit. December 14, 2018. Archived from the original on November 7, 2025. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  22. ↑ Frane, Alexander (December 20, 2018). "13 Best Bars in Portland, OR". Condé Nast Traveler. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  23. ↑ "The Best Dive Bars in Portland 2025". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on January 7, 2026. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  24. ↑ "The Landmarks We Lost". Willamette Week. December 23, 2020. Archived from the original on December 5, 2025. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Our Guide to Portland's Late Night Spots". Willamette Week. December 4, 2024. Archived from the original on February 13, 2026. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  26. ↑ "2025 Best of Portland Readers' Poll: Drink". Willamette Week. July 23, 2025. Archived from the original on July 24, 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  27. ↑ "2026 Best of Portland Readers' Poll: Drink". Willamette Week. July 22, 2026. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  28. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (January 29, 2015). "Iconic Portland Dishes That Are Actually Worth Eating". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  29. ↑ Pauletto, Elettra (October 13, 2025). "The Best Dive Bar In Every US State". Tasting Table. Archived from the original on March 2, 2026. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
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