RAVEN’S MANOR: Eek! It’s Tiki-Adjacent Immersive Horror Done Right

I recently got to attend Tiki Kon in Portland, OR. As I was new to the Kon — and tiki events in general—I didn’t know quite what to expect. I also didn’t have the money for the fancier tickets or the extra-cost events. On the night of the private seatings at Hale Pale (which sold out so quickly), my friends and I hit the bar across the river in Vancouver, WA. I don’t recall what, if anything, was scheduled the next evening, but we again made our own alternative plans.
There is a place called Raven’s Manor I had stumbled upon online. It is a restaurant/bar. It’s not a tiki at all, but rather something that is being called “tiki adjacent”. It’s a full-on immersive experience, very much like visiting a tiki bar. However, in this case, instead of thatch and bamboo you get cobwebs and horror!

My friends Erich and Gillian were to be going with me. Gillian had taken it upon herself to look into visiting the place further. Instead of just eating and drinking at Raven’s Manor, for an extra fee, you could attend the Elixir Experience. This option was limited to a small number of people (10 or fewer) and promised a hands-on component and interactivity with the staff. It sounded fun, but it was kind of pricey. I was also not sure if Erich would like it. But it was Gillian’s thought that, since we were going to be there altogether, why not just do it? She went ahead and bought the tickets herself.
We Lyft-ed over from the Kon. The outside was all dark, with only a sign painted in the window letting you know what was there. A row of narrow window boxes –lined with barbed wire–contained a dead tree, bones, some fake dead plants, and—if you looked carefully enough—an Audrey II from LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. Ha!

The inside is so freaky-creepy fun. Although I had seen photos, I didn’t really know what to expect. The front half of the restaurant has these cool, private booths on one side, while the opposite side features more open, lounge-type seating.

The building is good sized. There is this morbidly awesome bar all along one wall. The other wall houses the kitchen with a level above that for more dining. The ceilings go on forever seemingly and there are wall-to-wall cobwebs mixed in with the chandeliers. Even the background music was suitably macabre, with recognizable tracks taken from THE SHINING and PSYCHO among other shockers quietly playing over the steady din of diners’ conversations.

Once we checked in at the hostess’s desk, we were told to go and wait near a green light at the far end of the restaurant. We were hungry and in need of a few cocktails—but we waited patiently. Eventually our Elixir Experience guide appeared, along with the rest of the Experience’s victims, er…guests. Once we all donned (bloody) lab coats, our experience began.
The first part was a sort of reverse escape room. We were trying to get into a room instead of out of one. Our ghoulish hostess, who said she had been employed by Dr. Raven (the mad scientist who is alleged to have used living human subjects to create grotesque monstrosities) since he first built the manor back in the 1800s, had us sign waivers (Eek!) and laid the ground rules. Although we were to find clues to get us into one room, two members of the group were locked in another room and two others were locked in yet another. Somehow, we had to work together from our various locations, free our captive members, and work our way into the mystery room.

It was sort of fun. I found the first clue. I also grabbed the key that unlocked the gate two of the group were trapped behind. However, my mobility issues really hindered my ability to participate. I don’t really know what Gillian thought of this portion of the experience, but Erich was flat-out annoyed.

Following our arrival into the mystery room (via a secret passageway), we were each rewarded with one of three cocktails of our own choosing. Erich and Gillian both had a mixed drink (which I tasted and found very yummy). I opted for the mead; a poor choice. C’est la vie.
We were then led through the restaurant and down a flight of stairs to the doctor’s secret underground lair—conveniently located near the bathrooms. (The hostess had earlier pulled me aside and quietly asked if I needed the elevator. I told her I’d be able to maneuver the stairway, but that was very nice of her to ask—and in such a private way.) I was the last one into this mysterious chamber. Our hostess asked me to close the door. Just as I was reaching out to do so, it was slammed shut. There had been someone waiting behind it; Dr. Raven’s great granddaughter.

She took over the tour from there on, laying the groundwork for what was to come. In a second chamber, we were broken up into our original groupings of two or three. We were warned repeatedly of how to handle the equipment we’d be using and of how serious the consequences would be if we didn’t follow instructions to the letter. (Hence the waiver!) We would be using beakers, Bunsen burners, test tubes, small cauldrons, etc.

We’d be adding potions and powders (with names like “spicy frog scabs” or “witches hearts”) that would cause things to bubble, fizz, smoke, or turn strange, iridescent colors.

Measurements had to be exact. It was all so deliriously, mad scientist-y fun. Even Erich (who spilled something—Naughty! Naughty!) had a good time. Photos had been forbidden during the escape room portion of the experience, but I was allowed to take a few pictures while we were concocting of bizarrely bubbling brews.

At one point, we were given the opportunity to order dinner. It was a fun menu. Gillian ordered the Tombstone Tacos. Erich had the vegan chicken sandwich with garlic fries. I went with something called the Chemical Plant, which were stuffed bell peppers loaded with Beyond Beef (vegan hamburger), rice, nondairy cheese, and a pepper sauce. I have never been a fan of stuffed bell peppers, but it was the most gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free thing I could find on the menu. Oh my stars! It was absolutely delicious; the best stuffed bell peppers I’d ever had. To go with our entrees we had orders of Endive Zygotes (endive stuffed with deviled egg, trout roe, apricot, and parsley), fried cauliflower, and Killer Shrimp (extra spicy crispy shrimp tossed in a house-made sweet and sour sauce). OMG! Everything was surprisingly so good, but the shrimp alone were just phenomenal. WOW!
It had been an amazing evening. The actors, er… Manor staff were so engaging and a huge part of the fun. As reluctant as I was to go back to the Tiki Kon hotel, that would prove not to be he end of our experience at Raven’s Manor…

The next evening was the Tiki Kon luau dinner. Those who bought upper and mid-range tickets for the Kon were able to attend. Gillian would be one of those going to it. But Erich and I only had the cheap-o tickets. We’d have to find an alternative for our supper. As the dinner hour approached, we tried several recommended eateries—but all were booked up. On a whim, I called Raven’s Manor. Did they have any available seating? While we had no reservations, the guy who answered said that he could get us a table if we got there “right now.” I asked Erich. He was game…and we placed a call for a Lyft.
We arrived just behind another reservation-less couple. Darn it all. But, after a brief wait, we were seated in the lounge area next to the bar. This was a treat, as during our earlier visit we were confined to the escape room area all of the way at the back or in the secret laboratory chambers below the dining room. Now we were seated at a table in the corner, so we had a great view of the bar and the restaurant.

What would a visit to Raven’s Manor be without cocktails? Erich selected something called Gravewater, a vodka-based libation with Elderflower, grapefruit, and cucumber. In keeping with the cocktails I’d been consuming at Tiki Kon, I chose a rum-based drink called Momento Mori. While Erich’s drink came out in a standard glass, mine came out with quite the surprising presentation. The waiter, Chris, was using some sort of gun thing to shoot smoke into my test-tubed tonic. Wow!

For dinner, I went with those fabulous bell peppers again. Erich, who had tried mine the night before, also ordered some. We also ordered our favorite appetizers from the night before; the cauliflower and those hauntingly, yummy shrimp. While the bell peppers weren’t as good as the ones the evening before (both Erich’s and my peppers themselves were undercooked), the inside was still delicious. And it was marvelous to dine in such spooky splendor.

As our meal was concluding, we ordered nightcaps. I had the Dr. Raven’s Reserve—a bubbling concoction served in a flask.

Erich’s final drink was the hands down winner for presentation, though. He picked The Mad Scientist which came in a contraption that allowed him to titrate the strength of his own cocktail. Awesome!

Raven’s Manor had been a wonderful adventure. It’s a place I’ll certainly haunt on my next visit to Portland.

Cheers!

Raven’s Manor
235 Southwest 1st Ave.
Portland, OR 97204
(971) 319-6182
ravensmanorexperience.com