In da club: Una

There are a lot of bars that claim or try to be classy. The difference between those clubs and Una? Una actually is.

Class can often mean pretentious and uptight to fellow bar crawlers. But it seems to have shed its negative image from the past.

“I don’t turn down anybody. Me, myself, I’m a slummer sometimes,” says Cameron Reed, who bought Una about a year and a half ago. “I like people to come here and feel good.”

That means everyone is welcome, but Una is still not for everyone. It’s not an all-purpose destination: I can’t imagine a boys' night out would end up here. You’ve got to be in the mood.

Plenty of downtown workers were in that mood during Thursday’s happy hour. I overheard a power mom seated next to us tell her co-worker over the celly, “Meet me at Una.” I imagine this is a common sentiment around Portland’s office buildings around quitting time, because for two hours people streamed into Una. And they didn’t start leaving until around seven.

Happy hour is the best time to get a feel for the place, mainly because you can pretend Una is affordable. A bunch of specialized drinks are $5 during happy hour and there are a couple of $2.50 beers. And though the late-night crowd at Una is wilder than the afternoon scene, your wallet will thank anyone who is balling on a budget. Then maybe you can work your way up to going to Una at the tail end of the night.

The drink menu is mind-boggling. If you are in the mood for a specific high-end liquor, then Una will have it. And if you want to pop some Dom P and you’ve got $200 in your petty cash stash, you can do that here too.

The drinks are all made with love. The margarita was strong but drinkable and the Cosmo tasted like Juicy Juice, possibly deadly if more than one is consumed, because there’s plenty of booze in Una’s drinks. I quickly ordered a beer after my mixed drink to reassert that, I too, am a slummer.

The look and design of Una is like no other. Reed’s relative, Kate Carew was the first women’s caricaturist. Her 1900s art is spread all over the walls at Una and is worth gawking at.

The bar is a custom job, solid in construction and decorated with blue bottles that reflect light. The furniture is space-age in design and moderately comfortable, but this is all form before function. There is a nice flat screen at the front of the bar, but it was tuned to golf rather than baseball spring training. That by itself speaks volumes for Una, which will not be the best March Madness destination.

Una is currently a small club, but that will soon change. Reed is knocking down a wall to make room for Una Nightclub, which will add a wide open dance floor where Portland Pie used to be. There will be another bar added as well and a space for live music.

With the closure of Liquid Blue, there’s no place for Portland’s grown and sexy crowd to go clubbin’ at night. The opening of Una Nightclub, which will be as unique and customized as the current Una, should fill this void.

“It will be nice to offer dancing in a much nicer environment,” Reed says. “Maybe even a little dress code.”

Now that would really be something in a city of weather-worn Sox hats and summertime tank tops. Una is a different look in a place where sometimes all the Irish pubs and sports bars blend together. And that in itself is worth looking into.