the vibe is chill and the dogs are friendly. Â The bartender is wasted drunk and slow and frustrating. Â Then someone else came behind the bar and did a shot and i still hadn't been served. The drunk bartender knocked over some bottles, laughed about it for a while then started chatting with people and did a shot. Â Then i asked if she wouldnt mind if i got a drink. after that, it was an enjoyable night, good company does that.
Review Source:Keeping it straightforward, just like this bar:
Pros-
-Big space with lots of tables & outdoor patio decorated with Christmas lights
-Not one, but two jukeboxes! (the right one only plays live tracks)
-Affordable drinks, $15 round for 3 people
-Hoarders decor, a hodge podge of various themes (with a pool table!)
-Diverse, but all inclusive crowd with lots of "regulars"
*Note* A ca$h only establishment!
The best little dive bar in Providence there ever was.
I love and frequent this little bar in the Jewelry District. Its about as divey as it gets. No credit cards, jukebox with nothing earlier then the 90s, and glow of neon about every which way you turn despite its small size.
For those reasons and others, this is one of the relaxed bars in Providence to hang out. Its small enough to be considered intimate, something that works well with the many musical acts they have throughout the week. The drinks are super cheap, but hey, that's what a dive bar is for. Its got all the decor that some might find tacky, but I think brings the whole atmosphere together. They have a pool table and a small tabletop chess set if you get bored to boot.
Every time I walk in, I very much get a "Cheers" feeling. You never know who you might meet and often enough, its someone with interesting story. Its just a fun, relaxed place to unwind and meet a friend for a drink after work.
Plus:
Great Atmosphere
Cheap Drinks
You can bring you dogs
Nice open patio for you smokers out there
Cons:
No Credit Cards but hey...you only need a $10 to have a good time
They do have food but its nothing to write home about
Parking in the area can sometimes be a issue.
Despite those negatives, I just love this place and recommend it to everyone.
My favorite thing about Nick A Nees is that you can bring your dog. Now if you are feeling fancy-this is not the place for you. Its a neighborhood dive bar that is awesome. They have pool and shuffle board. The drinks are also pretty darn cheap. Just remember to bring cash because they don't take credit
Review Source:Okay, so maybe the floor crunches a bit under your feet. Â And maybe the mismatched chairs around the tables are a bit worn. Â and, for that matter around the bar, too.
You don't come to Nick-a-nees expecting the type of ambiance you get at an upscale hotel bar.
Instead, you get a welcome.
You actually get to know the bar tenders, they hug you (and, heck, my mom didn't even send them $50 this month) and remember your name. Â Better than that, if you go a few times, you meet some of the most laid back, easy-to-converse-with 'regulars' on the planet. Â And they do indeed make a great drink, with a strong selection, too. Â And, believe it or not, the limited food items that they list on the chalkboard are actually really good! Â And pet-friendly, to boot!
Worth the crunchy floor!
Love grabbing a beer here. It has been one our favorite spots for years. The house band is great and when they aren't playing they also have best juke box in town. They are also dog friendly which is awesome come summer time. Bring your pup down for a pint with you. Cool little outdoor seating area. They don't take cards though, just a warning.
Review Source:This spot has a special place in my heart because it was the first spot my now-boyfriend took me for a drink. He chose it for 2 well thought out reasons: it's laid back and has some GREAT live music!
Other plusses are their juke box and funky outdoor seating. A negative is that they don't accept credit cards, but that's not a huge deal.
Definitely a unique spot in the Providence bar scene.
I love this bar! my boyfriend and I can bring our best friend in the world.. our dog!
The bartenders make us feel so at home. I honestly can't even pick a favorite bartender there because they are all so awesome.
They have the best music out of any bar I've ever been to as well as awesome live acts.
Cheers all!
Funny little hole in the wall. We saw a Bob Dylan cover band; they were pretty good. The crowd was a little eh hem, well, older. There was a guy sitting next to me at the bar who was falling asleep he was so intoxicated. The bartender was friendly. This dive gets bonus points for allowing you to bring dogs to their patio. :)
Review Source:Best jukebox in Providence
Friendly people
A true barfly's bar
Nick-A-Nees has perhaps the most impressive collection of blues/country-rock north of the Mason-Dixon line and east of Nashville. The double jukebox is rife with treasures that look as if they took great care to assemble, and I don't mean to surf-search on a WiFi-enabled internet machine. Â The juke system is a crown jewel piece of hi-fi excellence, and if this Jewelry District spot needed more to tout, it's ten plays for one thin dollar: SIMPLY UNREAL. Â
Because it's such a treasure, let me call to your attention some jukebox stand-outs:
The Best of The Meters
Shane MacGowan & The Popes "The Snake" -- the disc that heavily features Johnny Depp on slide-guitar
Tom Waits "Closin' Time"
North Mississippi All-Stars featuring R.L. Burnside
Standards you'll find:
Leadbelly, Loretta Lynn, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Robert Johnson, Ralph Stanley, Otis Redding
Strangest birds in the bunch:
The collection itself is a stand-out from the normal sets you'll find, which means that the five-odd college rock discs that made the cut look out of place. Still, we're talking about Beck, not Chumbawumba. Also, Rod Stewart's "It Had To Be You" has been good for some laughs.
Nick-A-Nee's is a true gem that's worth the stop even for teetotalers...but even if you don't drink, their beer prices will tempt you to start.  A sizeable sailfish, a hockey stick coat hanger, and a velvet banquette probably assembled when Buddy Cianci was still in short-pants speak to the décor here.  You might not be bringing your mom here for lunch, but you're definitely bringing your uncle in to knock back a few and help you hustle some friends in pool.
What else: Â Cash only, Holmes. Â Dogs allowed. Â Tasty food selections. Â Awesome hand-slide shuffleboard. Â ATM. Â Billiards (with pool tournaments on select days). Â Typically one muted TV with the game on. Â
It they ain't got it, you don't need it. Â I love this bar.
Don't bring your "attitude" to this wonderful spot. Â It's a win-win if a local band is playing. Â My Scottish roots tell me it's the best deal...need a smoke? Â Step outside. Â Vintage 'Member's Only jacket, flannel shirt, best-worn jeans and old Frye boots...yup, this is where I don't sweat fashion or mood..a buck in the jukebox and a beer..some nights are made for this!
Review Source:You can bring your dog! Â Yes, inside! Â Good times.
However, the bar itself didn't seem anything special. Â So-so drinks, very loud mediocre live music, cliquey clientele. Â It IS a nice breath of air to feel stared at because of being new rather than too uncool and unhipster, like at many downtown bars.
I agree completely with the other reviewers. This place is the ultimate chill divebar. Even if you're not one of the regulars, they'll make you feel like you're right at home.
The atmosphere here is kind of dark, with lots of signs and artwork up on the walls, a jukebox, and a patio full of trinkets and mixed furniture.
Plus, they let you bring dogs, so you and your best friend can enjoy a drink together!
NOTE: Cash only!
I can't believe I parked  my car up against the Nick-A-Nees's lot for 3 years and had never been in.  After 8 years in Providence, three of them working across the street, finally got here, and I am so happy about it!
I love high end places, but my secret passion is... dive bars. Â
And this.
Is.
It.
Completely relaxed, (as a first timer, somewhat) friendly, great service, great beer, pool tables, and the best jukebox I've seen.
Cash only, limited but interesting menu of picky and could-be-dinner food, bring your dog (but don't pet that wandering shepherd - it'll be $1/pet), sit out or in, and just r-e-l-a-x.
This is what Friday night is about.
Oh - and I hear they have great live bands occasionally. Â WINNING!
I adore Nick-A-Nees. Â It has to be one of the best dive bars in Providence, hands down. Â Outdoor seating is available; don't forget to bring your pooch! Â Plenty of seating and tables inside. Â Two pool tables, if I recall? Â Cheap drinks. Â Good times. Â Oh and Nick-A-Nees has to have the best jukeboxes in the city.
Review Source:One of my favorite dive-bars in Providence. This tiny concrete bunker of a watering hole draws an eclectic crowd of loyal regulars. If you like country, blues, and soul than you will find Nick-a-Nee's ten-cent-a-song jukebox to be the best in the city. The pool table gets a good amount of use, and the Sox are always on TV. Best of all, the outdoor patio area by the fenced-in parking lot usually has at least one canine customer.
Review Source:You can just be yourself at Nick-A-Nees - laaaaaaid back you.
Don't matter what you wear, whether you're solo or with a crowd, young or old, cool or weird.
People bring board games, shoot pool/shuffleboard, hang on the porch, let their dogs roam and visit with the crowd.
Best jukebox experience in Providence.
Superchief Trio Wed nights.
Negra Modelo on tap!
Sometimes, I just wanna hang out at a bah. Somewhere super chill, with good music and cheap beer where I can wear a hoodie and a hat pulled low over my face. For me, that place is Nick-A-Nee's. And there is so much to do: sit at the bar, sit at a table, play table shuffleboard or pool, or browse through the two jukeboxes and play 10 songs for a dollah.
Nick-A-Nee's is a perfect contradiction in action: its dark and dingy decor says dive bar; but the collection of art on the walls, the live music, and the selection of in the juke box says culture lover. I really appreciate that I can listen to Joe Cocker and Nina Simone while quaffing an ice-cold bottle of crappy beer at this place.
Best part: if you've enjoyed too much of Nick-A-Nee's plethora of fun offerings, you can top it off with something cheap, homey, and perfectly suited for your buzz. Just check out the chalkboard menu. (Or run across the street for the best wings in PVD at South Street!)
The smoking area outside is also a perfect mismash of random furniture and decor fashioned from can tabs. Nothing fancy, for sure, but I like that a clear area exists for lounging and smoking so that I don't have to huddle around in a weird circle like at most bars.
One more perk: if I had a dog, it would totally love Nick-A-Nee's too.
What was one a true dive bar (as in a bar with cheap beer and regular, unpretentious drinkers) is now a hipster dump. Expect sneering looks from the regulars if they do not recognize you or if you do not have ironic sunglasses.
I went here a few years back with my old Barrington, RI drivers licence and got a really snide comment about how rich I must be from the bartender. I remember looking around at the crowd, which was made up of Brown/RISD hipsters wearing very expensive American Apparel outfits, and wanted to barf.
I stopped in not that long ago and the place has not really changed, except that it is even more hipstery, with the occasional Providence condo-living empty nester talking way too loudly.
They still have cheap beer and drinks, but they do not make up for the crowd and general attitude.
This bar is simply amazing. Â I only lived in Providence for a short while and don't live there any more - but I can guarantee you that every time I set foot in New England, I'm making a pilgrimage to Nick-A-Nee's.
You're either gonna love it or not understand it. Â If you're in the latter, then I'm sorry... Monday night music is amazing.
I have loads of fond memories of Nick-a-Nee's, but none will top a night in 2008 when Bill Kreutzmann showed up at about midnight on a Mon and started playing drums with the band - then enjoying a 'Gansett at the bar afterwards right next to me. Â Pretty surreal... Wish I wasn't so hammered for that one. Â Ah, no I don't.
Dog friendly as well, of course.
No cool people. Whew!
Now I can relax and have a good time at a bar without feeling like an alien from planet Ain't-cool. Â
Here's the list of good stuff.
Invisible TVs- another perk. If there was TV with a sporting event, it wasn't in my face.
Less jerks. Bars in RI usually contain up to 60% guys who want to fight. Here, a guy came over to our table and told us a funny joke. Awesome.
Good bar. They have more then 2 kinds of Irish Whiskey. How many bars can say that?
They have regulars. In fact there's almost a family like environment. Another good sign.
No cover charge.
Great band with an amazing guitarist.
Not a singles scene. If there's matchmaking going on here, it's friends-of-friends. Which is probably better for you in the long run.
The best bar in Providence? For me it sure the hell is.
Is this a great bar? Â Indeed it is. Â Sit inside, sit outside, old folks, young folks, no pretense, just a place to get a drink and relax. Â The food selection is about 4 - 5 items long but they're usually good. Â The prior review that reads a 'mess of mismatched people' is absolutely accurate in the best sense possible. Â We refer to it as the dog bar because your or someone else's dog can come in and walk around without a getting a second look -
probably the best bar in Providence.
so this is the bar I used to go to before the Decatur opened. Â Nick-A-Nees is definitely a great place to drink, people watch and hang out on the real patio, Â that was actually laid out nicely and the decor rocks. Â Its the patio you wish other places had. Â The bartenders rocks, the drinks are strong and the food by far, is quite delicious. Â I highly reccomend eating at this joint, one a few places that have, tastey food without the robbery and its all homemade by the family. Â Its probably one of the few places where you don't get hit with a pool stick or ball. Â Definitely slide back into Nick-A-Nees and lastly, two jukeboxes at 10 songs for a $1.!!
Review Source:Do you wanna get drunk? Well you bettah getcha your ass down to Nick-A-Nees an get yourself fucked up. You heard me, get goin' now. Its open and it is rawkin'. A freind of mine and I once sat at the "luxury" booth and watched seriously over 20 drunken people dressed as Santa come in. That's a good night out! That's a night at Nick-a-nees.
Review Source:Fun place for a few drinks. You can also bring your dog.
Lots of people from different parts of the city come here to play pool, watch sports at the bar or listen to the jukebox.
It would get five starts if only they'd get a bit more creative with the selections in their jukebox. Why so many greatest hits albums from the exact same artists?
If I owned a bar, it'd be a lot like Nick-A-Nee's. Â It's a bar -- it's fun, it's not any particular crowd, it's not any particular theme. Â And it's fun. Â Oh, wait, I said that already.
Ingredients:
* Pool table
* Pinball table
* Patio
* Gansett
* Mess of mismatched furniture
* Junk
* Mess of mismatched people
* Interesting candelabra
* Borrowed MassHighway property
* Christmas lights
* Not all that clean, not all that dirty
* Asymmetrical layout
* Megatouch XL
Drink up, stir well, enjoy. Â This weekend, make it Nick-A-Nee's.
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