In the latest installment of our occasional series to visit and share some of the coziest experiences in the Portland area, we visited Senet Game Bar in downtown Tigard.
This unusual bar — named after the ancient Egyptian game that has survived to this day — has funky vibes that invoke memories of playing Sorry or Battleship in your grandmother’s basement. That’s by design.
There are more than 200 games to choose from, ranging from kid’s games like Candyland to complex, multi-player games like Catan.
The walls are decorated with local artists’ work, all of which is for sale.
At Senet, the extensive board game library is free to use provided you buy a little something to eat and drink while you play.
Owner Derrick Wright decided to open Senet in 2019 after years of playing games with his friends and their families.
“We would go out to the bars,” Wright said. “We would bring small games with us, but there really wasn’t a place for us around here to just go over and pick up some new games. And I’ve always wanted to do something myself. And I thought to myself, ‘Well, I want a bar, and I want a place that everyone could be comfortable playing a game or not playing a game. So why don’t I just go all in and try doing that?‘ ”
At Senet Game Bar in Tigard, visitors can play from a selection of about 200 board games and order food and drinks from the bar. Senet also hosts various themed game nights involving bingo and trivia.Teresa Mahoney | The Oregonian/OregonLive
At Senet Game Bar in Tigard, visitors can play from a selection of about 200 board games and order food and drinks from the bar. The lounge across the hall has additional seating and is decorated with vintage art and furniture.Teresa Mahoney | The Oregonian/OregonLive
The games are paired with an extensive cocktail and mocktail menu and food offerings focused on game-friendly bites like nachos and sandwiches.
Every nacho on the menu can be made into a sandwich, and every sandwich into a nacho.
“We also try to make it so that all of our cocktails can be easily made into mocktails so that everybody can enjoy it,” food and bar manager Katie Sabolek said.
Kids are welcome until 8 p.m.; after that the bar is 21 and over.
Senet has even hosted a number of children’s birthday parties.
The space includes party areas that can be rented. Visitors will find a lounge area, large tables that can be reserved for longer games like Dungeons & Dragons and the Flamingo Room, a tropical pink private room that includes a karaoke machine.
A nearby church rented the space for brunch, complete with a custom trivia event. The bar has even hosted a wedding. Wright, the owner, was the officiant.
Senet also puts on an array of public events, from weekly themed trivia nights to bingo to seasonal parties.
Their St. Patrick’s Day celebration this year will be a Follow the Rainbow Party, a fundraiser for The Westside Queer Resource Center.
If you go:
Senet Game Bar, 12553 SW Main St #201, Tigard, 6-9 p.m. Monday, 5-10 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
— Julie Evensen covers trending topics and popular culture. She can be reached at [email protected] or @juliecevensen.bsky.social on Bluesky and @julieevensen on Threads.
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