Formerly: Chat-n-Nibble (late 1800s predecessor) · Max Alibi (pre-1947 predecessor)
Portland, Oregon · Founded 1947 · Building: late 1800s, exact construction year unverified
Roy Ell turned an older North Portland roadside tavern into The Alibi in 1947, creating a durable tiki-and-karaoke landmark.
Roy Ell leased an existing tavern on North Interstate Avenue in 1947, renamed it The Alibi, and began decorating it with Polynesian elements after traveling to Hawaii. The business had older predecessors at the site, including a late-19th-century horse-and-buggy stop called Chat-n-Nibble and a later tavern called Max Alibi. The Alibi's restaurant expansion, changing generations of décor, and later karaoke identity made it a distinctive Portland survivor rather than proof of a single unchanged business since the 1800s.
A predecessor known as Chat-n-Nibble operated at the North Interstate Avenue site as a late-19th-century horse-and-buggy stop. The exact construction date, original proprietor, and formal business chronology remain unverified.
Source: Portland Mercury, 'Club 21 Owners to Take Over Classic North Portland Tiki Bar, The Alibi,' December 30, 2016; The Alibi historical page.
Roy Ell leased the existing tavern, renamed it The Alibi, and began introducing Polynesian-inspired décor after traveling to Hawaii.
Source: Portland Mercury, 'Club 21 Owners to Take Over Classic North Portland Tiki Bar, The Alibi,' December 30, 2016; The Alibi historical page.
The Alibi expanded into a restaurant and lounge during the 1950s.
Source: Portland Mercury, 'Club 21 Owners to Take Over Classic North Portland Tiki Bar, The Alibi,' December 30, 2016; The Alibi historical page.
The Alibi added some of its recognizable later décor, including hand-carved rails and a three-dimensional hula-girl mural.
Source: Portland Mercury, 'Club 21 Owners to Take Over Classic North Portland Tiki Bar, The Alibi,' December 30, 2016; The Alibi historical page.
Larry and Carla White took over operation of The Alibi and continued the practice of preserving its distinctive décor.
Source: Portland Mercury, 'Club 21 Owners to Take Over Classic North Portland Tiki Bar, The Alibi,' December 30, 2016; Bucket List Bars, Alibi history.
Marcus Archambeault and Warren Boothby took over operation of The Alibi after reaching an agreement with the White family to continue the bar's legacy.
Source: Portland Mercury, 'Club 21 Owners to Take Over Classic North Portland Tiki Bar, The Alibi,' December 30, 2016; Tiki with Ray, 'The Alibi Revamped! Portland, OR,' June 30, 2017.
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
Local reporting and the bar's historical account agree that Roy Ell leased the site in 1947, renamed it The Alibi, and began adding Polynesian-inspired décor after traveling to Hawaii. The sources show a credible beginning of the tiki identity but do not supply original lease, licensing, or design records.
Tiki writers regularly call the Alibi one of the country's oldest tiki bars, and some call it second oldest. The claim is credible given its 1947 tiki-era origin, but the reviewed evidence does not provide an independent national comparison, settle varying definitions of a tiki bar, or establish an uninterrupted tiki identity at every point since 1947.
The Alibi's historical account and local reporting describe Chat-n-Nibble as a late-1800s horse-and-buggy stop on the site. The underlying property maps, directories, and newspaper advertisements were not reviewed, so the claim should not be converted into an exact building date or a proven continuous business lineage.
The venue has a well-attested tiki history beginning in 1947, but the reviewed sources do not provide a complete record of liquor licensing, closures, leases, ownership changes, or periods of altered identity across the entire period. The site should describe the tiki lineage without claiming uninterrupted operation.
The Portland Mercury reported the planned 2017 takeover by Archambeault and Boothby, and later tiki coverage described them as the new owners/operators. The available evidence does not establish that they purchased the real property or identify the present legal ownership entity.
The Alibi was founded in the 1880s as a tiki bar or was purpose-built as a tiki bar in 1947.
The site had older predecessors, including the late-19th-century Chat-n-Nibble horse-and-buggy stop and the later Max Alibi tavern. Roy Ell leased the existing tavern in 1947, renamed it The Alibi, and began the Polynesian transformation.
Source: Portland Mercury, 'Club 21 Owners to Take Over Classic North Portland Tiki Bar, The Alibi,' December 30, 2016; The Alibi historical page.
Roy and Tillie Art turned the Chatterbox into The Alibi in 1947.
The reviewed sources identify the predecessor as Chat-n-Nibble, not Chatterbox, and name Roy Ell as the person who leased, renamed, and began transforming the tavern into The Alibi in 1947.
Source: Portland Mercury, 'Club 21 Owners to Take Over Classic North Portland Tiki Bar, The Alibi,' December 30, 2016; The Alibi historical page.
The Alibi is at 4225 N Interstate Avenue.
The reviewed sources consistently place The Alibi at 4024 N Interstate Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97227.
Source: Portland Mercury, 'Club 21 Owners to Take Over Classic North Portland Tiki Bar, The Alibi,' December 30, 2016; The Alibi historical page; Yelp business listing.
The Alibi has operated continuously as a tiki bar since 1947.
The Alibi has a credible tiki lineage beginning in 1947, but the reviewed sources do not establish an uninterrupted tiki-bar operation through every lease, ownership change, and operating period.
Source: Portland Mercury, 'Club 21 Owners to Take Over Classic North Portland Tiki Bar, The Alibi,' December 30, 2016; Tiki with Ray, 'The Alibi Revamped! Portland, OR,' June 30, 2017.
The Alibi survived because operators kept the place recognizable while allowing its entertainment and menu to change with Portland. Roy Ell's Polynesian vision developed over decades rather than appearing all at once: the restaurant expanded in the 1950s, and important hand-carved and mural elements were added in the 1970s. The White family preserved the décor through their 1992–2017 era, and the 2017 operating transition to Marcus Archambeault and Warren Boothby was presented publicly as an effort to preserve the bar's legacy.
Roy Ell leased an existing North Interstate Avenue tavern in Portland in 1947, renamed it The Alibi, and began giving it a Polynesian-inspired look after traveling to Hawaii. The site had earlier predecessors, including the late-19th-century Chat-n-Nibble horse-and-buggy stop and a later tavern called Max Alibi. The restaurant expanded in the 1950s, major decorative elements were added in the 1970s, and Marcus Archambeault and Warren Boothby took over operation in 2017.
The Alibi is a prominent Oregon contender because its tiki identity traces to Roy Ell's 1947 transformation of an older tavern. However, this register has not completed an independent statewide comparison of every earlier Oregon Polynesian-themed venue, nor established uninterrupted tiki operation through every ownership and lease period. Its oldest-operating-tiki-bar claim remains unresolved rather than certified.
The Alibi's historical account and Portland reporting say the site first operated in the late 1800s as Chat-n-Nibble, a horse-and-buggy stop along the road that became North Interstate Avenue. A later tavern called Max Alibi occupied the site before Roy Ell leased it, renamed it The Alibi, and began its Polynesian transformation in 1947.
Portland reporting says Marcus Archambeault and Warren Boothby took over operation of The Alibi in 2017 after reaching an agreement with the White family, the venue's longtime owners. The reviewed sources do not independently establish the present legal owner of the business or the real property, so the record distinguishes the documented 2017 operating takeover from current ownership.
4024 N Interstate Ave, Portland, OR 97227
The Alibi is known for tiki décor and karaoke; confirm current food service, karaoke schedule, hours, and age policy directly before visiting.