[3] Co-owners Martin Schwartz and Nate Tilden opened the bar in 2013,[4] in a space formerly occupied by Matchbox Lounge.

[8] In 2016, Tilden was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award as restaurateur of Clyde Common, Olympia Provisions, Spirit of 77, and The Richmond Bar.

Let the simple, illuminated 'bar' sign hanging on the building draw you into the surprisingly handsome and cozy spot with a British-meets-Pacific Northwest vibe decorated with tufted leather booths, imported wall paper and large wooden tables.

"[12][13] Matthew Korfhage said in Willamette Week's 2015 bar guide of the city: The cozily tasteful Richmond Bar is often an emptying station for the most cheerily clueless of Division tourists, wobbling in heels they don't quite understand, while happy hours are home to a mixed bag of neighborhood types (doctors and lawyers and such, like Willie Nelson recommends) and middle-aged couples either waiting for their walk-in meals or giving up and eating from a fine selection of upscale bar snacks.

And yet I will always be drawn inside, because the tiny cocktail menu contains three of my favorites in all of Portland: a gin-absinthe Le Reveiller that easily lives up to its name, and an herbal Sassafras named after the dominant note in the Root spirit mixed with tequila, mezcal and Cynar—like sarsaparilla with some heat in the nose—and a tequila-and-shrub Paloma that's sweetly herbal and lovely in its balance.