Not the most exciting dive in town, nor does it have a particularly interesting or broad beer selection but when it comes to drink prices it can't be beat. Also, if you're a smoker the patio is probably awesome (or miserable if you're not a smoker like myself). This is a downtown NC establishment, so sometimes you get the vagrants in or around, and I've appreciated the no nonsense attitude that the Mine Shaft's management has taken towards general bum shenanigans.
All in all an okay bar. Not my favorite and nothing particularly special (other than the historic building, that's super cool) but easy to patronize fairly regularly if you have slightly grunge-y friends and are drinking on a budget.
Tony retires at the end of this week. He is the best thing since baked bread . Â Fran will be the death of this place unless she has enough girl friends to replace all the loyal customers they have DEVELOPED OVER THE YEARS. Fran will never see a dime of my money that's for sure--Dave reno
Review Source:The Mine Shaft is a truly great establishment that serves stiff drinks at a very affordable price. Regardless of the take-no-crap attitude of the bartenders, this place often abounds with an eclectic mix of hipsters, farmers and tourists deemed worthy of entry (i.e. not completely blacked out or rude). I assure you the staff is not addicted to meth, and they speak perfectly acceptable English. If, like Ashley G. you are accustomed to using your passport to get drunk instead of expanding your likely diminutive world view, I suggest you head to McGees, about a block up the hill.
Review Source:This has become our hangout when the kid is off to grandmas for the night. The jukebox selection is wonderful..until someone with less than awesome music tastes puts wayy too much money in it. Fran is great..kinda grouchy, but who she warms up nicely unless you are a lame-ass then she will promptly have you removed. If you get hungry then you can order up some food from Freds!
Review Source:I deem the Shaft to be the greatest dive bar in all the land. Drinks are super cheap and strong. (like you can buy a round for 5 people for under $20.) The naked lady posters, beer can windchime, mounted deer butt, and townies just add to the glory. The back patio is great.
P.S. Be very cautious of "the volcano." That @#$% is dangerous.
I've lived in Nevada City since I was 5, and now that I'm 21 I finally have the honor to enter The Mine Shaft. Definitely a locals bar, and when I walk in I know or have served sushi to 3/4 of the people. Nice cozy atmosphere and cheap drinks. I was shocked to see so many young people in the bar, because for the last 16 years I've only seen creepy old men hanging outside the saloon. My biggest regret is that I was never able to drink a real drink from one of the Tiki glasses. For those that were.. I salute you.
Review Source:I would love to give this bar a great review. Because except for one thing it's perfect. Cozy small time atmosphere. Great music. Friendly people at the bar. Unfortunately the one negative was the service or lack of service I should say. Got there on a Monday afternoon. Â A few others at the bar. There was a blond haired kind of heavy set bartender on duty. Made eye contact as I sat at the bar. And then proceeded to her register to do some sort of money counting. Just had that attitude that I hate in bartenders that she was more important than everyone else and that it was some sort of privilege to drink there. After 10 minutes I gave up. And went to Coopers around the corner. Got my beer there as soon as I sat down. And then the funny part of the story. A guy comes in and sits a couple of stools down and asks me if I was just at the Mine Shaft. He ran into the same problem there! Couldn't get anyone interested in serving him a drink and moved on as well. Â Imagine how many times this must happen?
Anyway, when prima donna bartender is gone someone let me know. I'd love to go back and actually have a beer at that otherwise cool little bar.
I don't hand out many 5 stars but the hospitality did it.  The wife and I were visiting friends in Grass Valley prior to my deployment last year and ended up getting caught in the snow on the way back from Reno..chains, rain, me sopping wet..stopped in the Mine Shaft for a drink, or two, or three..and they did not mind that I stripped down and let my shirts dry while we waited..granted it was in the middle of the day and there were only a couple other patrons, locals I imagine as no one seemed to care.  We always make it point to stop here  when out on the bike as well..
Review Source:Okay, The Mine Shaft IS the culture of Nevada County. Which is why it is so freaking awesome! After having lived here for 7 months I can honestly say that if you do not make an effort to adapt to the personality of the people around here, they will not like you. Same thing goes for the people who work and frequent The Mine Shaft. However, if you let go of the fast paced and generally uptight city attitude, you can discover how nice everyone is and how much fun you can have! Sure, Fran the bartender can be a little abrasive, but feed it right back to her and she will LOVE you, she is just part of the place's overall "charm". Don't order fancy drinks or cognac or she will throw you the heck out. Also, how on earth could anyone not like the door man!!! He plays Santa Claus at Victorian Christmas and is the nicest guy EVER! He does not ID regulars and if he gives someone crap I'm sure it's for a VERY GOOD REASON. People just need to realize that this is a small town with small dive bars and if tourists are going to act snobby then they are not welcome. In other news, you can order Chinese food to go at the bar, the drinks are cheap and strong, and the atmosphere is hilarious when you just chill out and enjoy yourself. Also, there is a taxidermy'd deer butt with a marble in the brown eye on the wall and gay porn on the ceiling (awesome).
Review Source:Great place, very fun, lots of cool and friendly locals, and good drinks. Eat at Fred's next door and have them get you drinks from the Shaft.
To the three SF whiners (Ashley, Jesse and Jeri), you obviously brought your yuppie, "hipster" wanna-be SF attitude to the Shaft and were treated accordingly. This AIN'T Union street, this is a REAL bar! Just as well you got 86'd because otherwise you'd be telling all your other yupppie hipster wanna-be friends who moved to SF from every Podunk town in America to try and be cool, that the Shaft was the place to go, thus ruining it for everyone else...kinda like you're doing to SF.
BEST BAR EVER! Love the Shaft!!! The a-holes that are giving the Shaft 1 star were probably drunken fools at the time of their visit and are just butt hurt cause they probably got kicked out for being obnoxious. If you look at their posts: Ashlei, Jerry and Jesse, all from SF.... it seems a bit obvious they're all in cahoots! Who uses a passport for an ID at a bar anyway?? Get a frickin CA identification card already!! But I'm glad they had a bad experience.... that means less stupid people hanging out at the Shaft!
Love you, Mine Shaft! I will ALWAYS be a loyal patron!!
People gave "The Shaft" 1 star? Â What's wrong with you people. Â I've been here a few times (while visiting family) and love this place. Â Cheap drinks, nice atmosphere and they sell awesome t-shirts! Â Plus, if you're hungry...there is a Chinese restaurant that is connected to the bar. Â You can enjoy a drink before stepping through the connected door to eat...or you can eat your meal right in the bar! Â Outside patio also for those looking to escape the bar area.
BAM!
P.S. I'm deducting one star because the bar smelled like puke last Friday. Â I can deal with it...cause I rule.
Where's the not-worth-any-stars button?
This infested rat hole is a joke. I went there with a friend, who walked right into the bar without being ID'd, and when I flashed my federally issued passport to the fool at the door he told me that it is not a valid proof of identification because it doesn't have my "WEIGHT, HEIGHT AND EYE CULLUR" (in his methed-out ignorant resemblance of a backwoods language). I use this passport everywhere I go and have never had an issue with it.
When it comes down to it, I couldn't care less to actually go into that slum. We were just going there to meet some friends who had wandered over there from the National. The fact that this guy was such a moron and treated me like a good-fer-nothin' woman from the citay that should never EVER tell him nothin' about the law (cause he knows it BY GOLLY) makes the whole experience more comical than anger-inducing.
Please. Nevada City is a great place to hang on a beautiful sunny day but I'm incredibly surprised the people who "run' this joint have the ability to wake up in the morning, roll over their crack pipe and walk into daylight to get to work in the evenin'.
Best part: We watched this alleged 'door man' let in a crowd of 20 peeps without any ID right after our enthusiastic experience. Classic.
The employees of this place are some of the dumbest, most ignorant meth-addled backwoods idiots I've ever encountered. [and I'm from Texas!]
If you enjoy cracked-out incompetence at it's best, stop on in.
Unable to recognize a U.S. passport as 'legitimate' documentation of age, we got into a major altercation with these fools that ended up with a call to the Sheriff to educate the brain-dead moron at the door what the 'Yoo-nighted Staytes' means when they issue a federal passport.
Sexist, anti-gubment, and high on bathtub meth-amphetamines, The Mine Shaft ranks as the most pathetic excuse for a bar in California.
Eff this place!!
I used to drink here 8 nights a week but my liver started hating me. Â Besides that, I love The Mine Shaft.(aka The Man Shaft, The Chazle, The Shaft - if you're into that whole brevity thing) Â The comments about Fran - they're all true. Â But I promise you, if you drink here for a solid 4 years, tip decently, and don't act like a total fuck-up, Fran will secretly deep down love you, and maybe even flash you her mams during Mardi Gras. Â When I come in and she hollers "What'd you want?" in her little Texas voice, I know it's all love. (And no I'm actually not being sarcastic) Â Cheapest drinks in town, usually pretty stiff, yes they do have Fernet - yum, the volcanoes, heaters and a car port cover in the back when it gets cold, Jager and Patron fridges, Photo Hunt, these are a few of my favorite things. Â Danielle is great too. Â Pretty much everyone that works there is great - even Fran. Â Just give her a chance, or 4 years. Â SInce they don't have a pool table or live music you're forced to talk with your fellow drunks which I think is a good thing most of the time. Â Watch out for Luke though, he'll always get you into a weird, intense conversation. Â Or find Alvis if you're in the mood for a serious debate. Â It's mostly us locals that make up the main clientele. Â Also, not really my fav but my boyfriends, yes you can order chinese from Fred's next door and eat it inside the shaft. Â Don't forget to look at the creepy white head in a box thingy by the reznor heater up front!
Review Source:I'm giving you four stars because Lisa the bartender (and the obvious regulars) makes you feel really special and welcome in this very small miner type town watering hole.
The drinks are better at the National Hotel across the street but the atmosphere here is what makes me want to go back.
I'm not a fan of communal bowls of snacks but I love that you get a HUGE bowl of peanuts to eat and my kids had fun throwing the shells on the ground. Â It's mandatory here that you do this!
This is the cheapest drink in Nevada City! Â The bartenders are great; WATCH OUT for Frannie. Â She is a grouch and a real kick in the pants. Â
The Shaft is as dive-bar as it gets in Nevada City. Â
It doesn't have a pool table or live music and it's never so loud that you can't hear your friends. Â On the weekends they have a cocktail waitress AND she will bring you drinks out on the patio, where you are welcome to smoke (something I don't partake in).
Sorry other reviewers, but our experience at this place was less the stellar and most of it thanks to that older gal behind the bar who seems to treat everyone with disdain. I've heard many others complain about her and quite frankly, I don't believe this gives a bar "character". She needs to go!!!
Review Source:my favorite dive bar in the world!!!!!!!!!!!!! Â they are heavy pourers and they have a patron fridge thingy!! Â i have met some of the coolest people in here, the coolest bartenders, and gotten hella shnockered!!!!!! Â i learned how to play that lotto ball game here, ate peanuts and tossed the shells on the ground!! Â which is awesome!!!! Â i cant wait to go back!! Â they make great bloody marys here, too!! Â i know its probably not dog friendly but when it was blisterring hot out they let me bring my dog in!!! Â soo nice!!!!
Review Source:This place was awesome. The outside looked like an old mine shaft with a dilapidated sign in front. If this place had been in SF it was actually be all nice in sided, but this place was a genuine dive. Friendly bartenders - really friendly bartenders, just like a dive bar should be.
Alright here's the kicker -
Our drinks were $7!! For both!! Wow. I was really amazed. The bartender knew we would find the novelty in that being from Oakland, it was hilarious. He had lived in Oakland for most of his life I think he said.
He gave us an ominous tip not to go swimming in the rivers. It was kinda graphic and gory actually, but he was genuinely trying to warn us about how dangerous the rivers up there can be.
It's funny yelping about this place because its not the wifi paradise of the bay area... well I don't know, about in the cities, but it is hella rural and at Malkoff Diggins State Park I heard the ranger DIALING UP! Wow. That really was a historical site.
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