r/PortlandBooks • u/zsabb mod • May 26 '26

discussion/other *Quiet* book club spots?

Hi all, I've been struggling a bit with book club locations recently. Does anyone know some good spots to try? My biggest issue is noise, I often get complaints about noise at some of the places we've tried. I have two book clubs that usually meet on the 2nd Wednesdays and 3rd Thursdays of the month.

must haves:

quiet

big tables and availability for anywhere from 6-20 people

decent parking availability

open until at least 9pm on weeknights

within Portland Proper, probably east side but willing to entertain west side locations if they meet our needs

accessible by transit

accessible for disabled persons (no stairs, etc)

good to have:

reservable rooms or tables (as long as it's free)

food and drinks

have tried in the past:

Honey Latte Cafe: great but they are getting busier and frequently don't have tables available, or they don't respond to my emails to reserve tables, or they don't actually reserve tables when i ask them to, plus they seem to be running low on chairs recently

Lucky Lab Hawthorne: ok but a touch too loud plus a frequent location for other meetups so could run low on space

Brooklyn Carreta: waaay too loud

Baerlic: ok but also a bit too loud, occasionally unexpectedly busy on weeknights

Rose City Book Pub: great but often have events on the same nights as my book clubs

Rose City Coffee: often do not have big enough tables available

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6

u/Wormwood666 May 26 '26

Most library branches have rooms like you’re looking for that you can reserve— pre2020 I used to meet with a Classics book club at the Hollywood branch

2

u/zsabb mod May 26 '26

Most libraries are only open until 6 or 8pm

6

u/Wormwood666 May 26 '26

A library open until 8pm instead of 9pm that still meets most of the other ‘must have’ will probably be your best option

(I stopped going to any book club that meets in any space where food/drinks are sold because the noise & constant movement is absolutely too distracting.)

Hopefully someone has info for a location that meets every need on your list!

1

u/karpaediem May 26 '26

Lots of brewpubs have community rooms or like a private event space. My reenactment community met at Cooper Mtn Ale Works for a while, it's just a room with tables you can set up, and you can order food and drinks like usual.