McMenamins Crystal Hotel sits at 303 SW 12th Avenue in Portland's West End, a converted bathhouse that holds two bars: the basement music room Al's Den and the three-story Ringlers Annex on the corner of SW Stark.
The room
Al's Den runs as a low-ceilinged basement bar with a small stage, and the McMenamins site lists live music there nearly every night with no cover on most shows. Ringlers Annex climbs three narrow floors of a former apothecary building, each with its own bar, and Yelp reviewers single out the top-floor nook as the seat to ask for. The decor is the house McMenamins style, all painted murals and salvaged fixtures.
What to order
This is a McMenamins house, so the pour to order is one of the chain's own ales, Hammerhead or the Ruby fruit ale, both poured across the property. Al's Den keeps a full bar for the show crowd, and the kitchen sends pub food until late. Prices sit at neighbourhood-pub level rather than cocktail-bar level.
Who it is for
The Crystal Hotel bars fit anyone after a free weeknight live set, McMenamins ale regulars, and pre-show drinkers headed to the Crystal Ballroom up the block. Skip it if you want a quiet date room, since Al's Den is built around the stage and Ringlers fills on show nights.
Best time to go
Al's Den residencies run nightly, with a rotating artist holding a week at a time per the McMenamins listings, so a Monday or Tuesday is the calm way to catch a set. Ringlers Annex stays open late on weekends. Check the Al's Den calendar before going, since the lineup drives the room.
The neighbourhood
The Crystal Hotel anchors a West End corner near the Crystal Ballroom, Powell's Books, and the downtown core, so it sits inside Portland's most walkable nightlife stretch. The location makes it an easy first or last stop on a downtown crawl. Public transit and rideshare both reach it without trouble.
The bottom line
McMenamins Crystal Hotel packs a nightly music basement and a three-floor corner bar into one West End building, with house ales and mostly free Al's Den sets. PDX Pipeline and Portland Monthly both treat it as a dependable downtown live-music stop rather than a destination cocktail bar. Catch a weeknight residency in Al's Den, climb to the top of Ringlers Annex for a seat, and order a McMenamins ale rather than a cocktail.
What regulars say
Yelp reviewers consistently rate Ringlers Annex for its odd, climbing layout and rate Al's Den for the value of free nightly music. The common note is that the building rewards exploring, since each floor of the Annex has its own bar and feel. Regulars warn that the basement fills fast when a popular act takes the Al's Den residency, so an early arrival beats a late one.
The history
The McMenamins site explains that the Crystal Hotel was built inside a former bathhouse and club, and the brothers behind the chain restored it as a music-themed property tied to the Crystal Ballroom up the street. That history shapes the room, from the painted murals to the song-titled hotel suites upstairs. PDX Pipeline has covered the property's seasonal pop-up bars, which take over Ringlers Annex around the holidays and pull a wider crowd than a normal night.
Keep exploring with our Live Music in Portland guide, the full Portland bar guide, and our edit of live music bars worldwide. Pair McMenamins Crystal Hotel with Doug Fir Lounge in Portland, Mississippi Studios in Portland, and The Secret Society in Portland.
Sources: McMenamins official site (2026); Yelp reviews (n=283); PDX Pipeline; Portland Monthly; Google Maps reviews.
