Loyal Legion Open in Beaverton
Kurt Huffman always wanted to own a beer bar. After years spent playing rugby and living in Scotland, he’d socked away more than just a few hours in many of them.
As the owner of the ChefStable restaurant group, he’s overseen the opening of more than 40 restaurants, but it was inside a building in Old Town where he opened his first restaurant in Portland – a partnership with Andy Ricker, another local restaurateur – where he happened upon a sign belonging to an old logger’s union that read: Loyal Legion of Loggers and Lumbermen.
An old dream to open a beer bar and a fitting name finally came together in 2015 when Loyal Legion opened in downtown Portland. After some early licensing issues with the OLCC, Loyal Legion began to take off. Inside, a large central bar equipped with 99 taps serves almost exclusively Oregon beer. Huffman wanted his taproom to serve as a showcase for what he considered to be the best beer scene in the world. It kicks between 5,000 and 6,000 kegs a year, one pint at a time.
Loyal Legion’s success was reason enough for a second location. Huffman’s beer bar has spawned a duplicate at an historic white Spanish Colonial building in Beaverton’s Old Town district. The same blue booths sit along the walls, but this time there are a few differences in terms of seating. The former bank vault space will serve as an option for larger parties, or private events, while the upstairs will eventually serve as a cocktail bar complete with a separate menu.
Huffman says that he had expected to open much earlier, closer to the Independence Day, but has been plagued by delays of every type. Floor and wall tiles were held up in Spain for almost four months. Then, the tile crew was out due to COVID-19 for two weeks. The bartop delivery was initially delayed. All of this, combined with the sort of extensive permitting issues that go along with renovating an historic building, was a perfect storm that saw Loyal Legion’s Beaverton location finally open this past weekend.
Opening in such a prime location will add a large beverage menu to a tiny district that’s practically overrun with food choices. In two square blocks, customers can choose from top-notch restaurants serving everything from Detroit-style pizza to Burmese dishes served by robots. Truly, Old Town Beaverton has to be a key reason why Rev Nat’s Cider owner Nat West called this Portland suburb the best food city in Oregon. No joke.”
Loyal Legion’s new location will surely make a welcome addition, as it’s open later than all of its neighbors, making it the perfect venue for after-dinner drinks. With its large outdoor patio, it has a total capacity of 300 people.
