[4][7] In 2015, Willamette Week described the establishment as a "patioed mountain chalet with homestyle food that seems as domestic as Grandpa's house, with busy Thursday karaoke, 'bottomless' mimosas at its essential Sunday brunch, and a charmingly dirty-avuncular bartender who seems to have an answer for everything".

[8] Following its closure, the newspaper's Matthew Korfage called Starky's a "little mountain chalet" and "friendly little neighborhood bar catering to longtime regulars in the gay community with raucous karaoke, home-style food and a Sunday brunch that offered up bottomless cheap-bubbly mimosas unless you misbehaved".

[9] Beginning in late 2014, Waldroff and Simshaw listed the building and business for sale intermittently,[9] and sold Starky's for $1.2 million in March 2015.

[16] The venue also hosted special events such as: a 2009 celebration and fundraiser to send eight musicians from the Rose City Gay Freedom Band to perform at Barack Obama's inauguration,[17] a 2013 PQ Monthly press party,[4] Oregon Bears' 2013 car wash fundraiser for Our House and other nonprofits,[18] the Red Dress Party,[7] and "Civic Pride", which was presented by City Club of Portland in June 2014 to commemorate gay pride and LGBT Pride Month.

This true original is more restaurant than bar but that doesn't stop people from coming here for some of the stiffest drinks in town.