With an unassuming storefront a block off Main Street, Under Bar captures a bit of the underdog spirit of Vancouver itself. Step down a short flight of stairs into an underground clubhouse that lands somewhere between a retro speakeasy, a VFW hall, and a friend’s basement living room. This queer-friendly oasis boasts Sunday drag brunches, karaoke nights, trivia nights, and open mic nights, as well as professional standup. The kitchen offers serviceable flatbread pizzas, and the specialty cocktails (and mocktails) are among the ’Couve’s most compelling.

Slink down the small alley off Northeast Alberta to discover a wine lover’s Shangri-La in Bar Nina (formerly Les Caves) — and its above-ground sister bar Big Salt Bar. The intimate underground space is an excellent date night venue: quiet, warmly lit, and impeccably furnished. A cozy raised alcove offers an even more private spot to the physically dexterous. The bartenders love to talk wine, and the wine list here is curated with care, with a particular passion for Southern and Eastern European wines. The small kitchen offers classic bar snacks and an unbeatable grilled cheeses.

While true underground, unlicensed speakeasies are unlikely to end up on a list like this — the smart ones, anyway — the Hoxton hotel’s 2NW5 basement bar plays it more discreetly than most. Hotel staff can offer guidance to the door in question: knock thrice and if there’s space patrons will be invited in to a dimly lit, handsomely furnished space full of leather, wood, and marble. Expect hotel bar prices for drinks and bites. 2NW5 is accessible via the Hoxton’s elevator.

East Burnside’s pragmatically named Eastburn is a quintessential something-for-everyone Portland bar. The kitchen offers elevated diner food alongside upscale pub staples like pan-roasted salmon, bougie mac and cheese, and shrimp pasta. Libations include a long and reasonably priced whiskey list, as well as nearly two dozen brews on tap. Eastburn also provides three distinct vibes: polished street-level indoors, complete with charming basket chairs; a relaxed, eclectic (heated) outdoor patio; and a rumpus room of a basement taproom, complete with Skee-Ball, old-school arcade games, frequent comedy shows, and plenty of excellent beers.

When in Shanghai, or the Tunnel at least, ask a fellow patron the origin of the name. Any longstanding Portlander will pull you aside and shout in your ear how early 20th century Oregonians were plied with cheap liquor and “Shanghai’d” through the tunnels to awaiting docked vessels, ready to ship out to foreign seaports with their newly captive crews. While the lurid stories are likely apocryphal, there are few experiences more authentically Portland than a night in the sepulchral, endearingly grimy Shanghai Tunnel basement bar. Drinks are strong and among the cheapest in town, and the frequent musical acts range from punk to jazz. Friday and Saturday nights are often packed with a raucous downtown crowd.

With all the justified adulation Kann receives, Gregory Gourdet’s adjoining subterranean bar Sousòl has managed to slip relatively under the radar, or at least below the ground. Rather than a stripped down work-around for diners unable to nab a table at the extraordinarily popular above-ground flagship, Sousòl is unmistakably kin to Kann but has an identity all its own. The Caribbean-inspired food menu is markedly slimmer and less strictly Haitian than Kann, but just as adventurous, including Trinidadian, Jamaican, and Cuban bar bites. The house cocktails favor rums, and liberally deploy tropical fruits and a bounty of herbs. The décor is somehow both minimal and decadent, as if stepping into a falernum-fueled dream of the late 1980s. As with Kann, it will be exciting to watch the young Sousòl evolve in the years ahead.

Inner southeast’s Loyal Legion is well known for its massive tap list and estimable sausages. Looking to skip the suds for a more exciting cocktail experience? Venture below ground, down a red-lit stairway and through a doorway topped by alluring neon symbols into Voysey. The snug space is lined with ruby red from top to bottom, creating the feeling of being inside a red velvet cake (or a vampire’s lush coffin). Bold cocktails rotate frequently, though bartenders here will also mix classic drinks with aplomb. Food is limited to drinking snacks, including tinned fish, cheese plates, and bread from Little T Bakery. Voysey is wheelchair accessible via elevator.

Many underground bars trade in nostalgic prohibition fantasy, a sanitized visit to the 1920s with art deco aesthetics and cocktail prices that would make Al Capone blush. Not so at Gil’s Speakeasy Tavern, which is unabashedly a Portland dive bar that merely happens to be below ground. No secret knocks or hidden doors here, Gil’s opens directly onto the sidewalk of southeast Taylor, inviting passersby (and inhabitants of the apartment building that sits above it) to drift in for cheap drinks, relaxed vibes, and talkative regulars. Well-worn living room furniture sits near a pool table, an original Pac Man machine, a CD jukebox, and plenty of video poker.