[1][2] Kenton Club's clientele has been described as "gray-haired", but has catered to late-night and younger audiences in recent years with the addition of live music and inexpensive beer options.

[2] In her 2013 walking guide of Portland, Becky Ohlsen described Kenton Club as "an excellent lowbrow hangout with a rocky facade, a wood-paneled interior, cheap drinks, live music, and a friendly, rowdy crowd".

[1] Smoky Mountain BBQ began serving Southern cuisine for lunch and dinner inside the Kenton Club in 2008; the menu features brisket, collard greens, dirty rice, fried fish, hushpuppy, meatloaf, pulled pork, and ribs.

[20] The Oregonian's Seth Lorinczi described Kenton Club as "lovably shabby" and said "its notoriety derives from weekend country and rockabilly acts".

[8] In his 2008 review of Smoky Mountain BBQ, Lorinczi quipped about the venue and its clientele, "Brave dim lighting and aged tipplers, or slink back to the cave with your kill.

[21] Barbara Mitchell of the Portland Tribune wrote in her 2007 review, "Drinks are stiff, cheap and simple for the most part – after all, this is a watering hole that pours its wine out of a box.

"[3] She said the bar has a "fantastic neighborhood feel" and "welcoming atmosphere", opining: The World Famous Kenton Club does a fantastic job of maintaining a no-fuss honky-tonk vibe, and it's easy to imagine Willie Nelson and a passel of pals meeting up here for an afternoon beer, a late night hootenanny or a morning constitutional... Leave any pretensions you've been carrying on the sidewalk before you step into the dark and laid-back environs.

[3]Chris Sutton of The Portland Mercury described the Kenton Club as a "special kind of time machine taking you back to much simpler days—when there were fewer beer choices and hairy-chested macho men like Burt Reynolds were considered gods".

[1] He said the venue "straddles the line between public house amenity and dimly lit seediness so well", and its video poker machines "only [add] to the charm of a classic watering hole dripping with historic sentimentality".