Met here on a Thursday night for a drink or two. Â It was early, approximately 6:30p. Â Stayed until 8ish, and maybe 6 or so people popped in for a drink at that time. Â They have a great happy hour special of $3.50 well and $4 draft from 5-10p on weeknights. Â You can't beat that pricing! Â Our bartender Heidi was super friendly, and extremely competent. Â She made some excellent mixed drinks, and totally knew what she was doing. Â We did hear someone mention that by 10p all the 20-somethings will be in full force, so this 40-something wouldn't probably go then. Â I love karaoke, so may come back for that on a Tuesday night. Â We will definitely come back to the Nickel Rose for some more cocktails and happy hour drinks!!
Review Source:I first discovered Nickel Rose about 4 years ago while adventuring through the San Rafael farmers market. It soon became our (my coworkers and myself's) after work happy hour spot where we could relax and unwind. I have been going ever since and the service from Tina, Mike B and Hedi is unbeatable. I go there to have a few drinks but it is their company I really enjoy. Anytime I try to go elsewhere I just end up at the Rose. If you are looking for a great hang out spot to unwind this is the place but it the crowd changes at night. Although there is still great service from the employees you get a few douchbags here and there that don't tip or grab you while your dancing but those people are just visitors they are not a part of the bar. The Rose is my "Cheers" and I am proud to know such awesome people.
Review Source:!!! TIPPING IS MANDATORY HERE !!! Â Or you will get thrown OUT. Â
These broke bartenders are out of control. Ive heard of them getting bold when they don't get tipped but damn. If your service was on point then you get a tip. If not you don't! Simple as that.
So I have been going to this place for 8 yrs now and have never gone thru what I went thru last Friday night. I walked in and went straight to the bar for a drink. There was a good amount of people there so I waited patiently with my friend for the bartender to come over. She noticed the fact that we were there waiting and didn't come over for another 5 mins. She finally came, she being the short blonde one with piercings in her face that thinks she's cuter than she really is. Â Anyways she takes our order came back with one drink and then asks for the other again. Came back with that one and we give her exact change. she says "thanks ladies" then proceeds to the register to put the money in. She then comes back to us slaps the counter twice and says "thanks again ladies" aggressively this time. We didn't acknowledge her at all and kept drinking our watered down drinks. That must have bothered her because she came back AGAIN to say the tip was "greatly appreciated" with her hand up in a big zero. Which she did two more times after that. At this point she antagonizing me! Â I finally asked her what her problem was and she stated " the TIP was greatly appreciated". WOW!! Really. I asked her if she was really that salty over $2. That pissed her off, because it was true, and she said "you wanna talk well you can go" and called for the bouncers. Lol. Idk know who shitted In her Cheerios that morning but she picked to wrong one.
I waited to talk to the owner and she came out on the attack and condoning her employees behavior before i even opened my mouth, like I did something wrong. Which was so not the case! We broke it down for her and she flipped the script real quick apologized for he ignorant bar tender and told us to come back on Saturday night. I don't know if that's black night but I won't be going back there any time soon. Â
TIP: if you need to act like that over a $1 then maybe your broke ass should get a new job ;)
I recently moved back to Marin and was looking for a new karaoke bar hot spot. A bartender at The Broken Drum down the street suggested I come to the Nickel Rose on Tuesdays for karaoke. DUDE: ABSOLUTE WIN. I have become a regular and love the KJ (karaoke DJ). Karaoke starts at 9:30 I believe and goes until close. A definite Marin Must!
Review Source:In the last year or so I've become a regular at the Nickel. Â Here's why:
To the students of Dominican University in San Rafael, the Nickel is a regular watering hole. Â We all gather here at some point or other on a good night out. Â It just happens that way. Â
The atmosphere is fun and loud, which is perfect when everyone is drinking and yelling anyway. Â
I have never left the Nickel sober. Â Nor do I plan to, and that is the way it should be. Â Looking forward to swinging by next year as a Dominican alum to hang out with all the new seniors! Â If you are looking for a few good drinks and a social atmosphere, you can definitely get it here.
Two stars. Not because this is a bad place, or one I wouldn't recommend if you're looking for a chill bar in sleepy San Rafael, but because I am annoyed as F*** at the way this business is run.
Met up with my boyfriend and his coworkers on Friday night for a couple of drinks -- the place was dead, which I understand is surprising for 11 p.m. on a Friday, but it worked out well for us since we were enjoying our conversation. The music was alright, the other patrons were a little D-baggy, but not overly annoying.
Then, slightly intoxicated boyfriend forgets to close his tab and leaves his ID and credit card at the bar. We go back the next day to retrieve it. Now, we called first, of course -- the answering machine SAYS they open at 4 p.m. and to come by any time after that for lost and found. Warning, Yelpers: they lie. We showed up at 4 -- doors are locked, no one inside. We run an errand and come back at 4:30 -- doors are locked, no one inside. We hit up Safeway to pick up groceries for dinner, come back at 5:15 -- doors are locked, no one inside. We decided to go home at 6, and FINALLY got a hold of someone on the phone at 6:30. Drove BACK to San Rafael to pick up the damn credit card.
I totally get that a BAR has no reason or obligation to be open mid-afternoon. I have no idea if their hours have changed, or if the bartender just decided to check out the San Rafael car show for a couple of hours before opening the bar, but it was a HUGE inconvenience. Nickel Rose, PLEASE respect your patrons enough to give us accurate information. I don't want to look like the desperate alcoholic standing outside a bar waiting for it to open again.
Full of stanks and perverts. With that being said, the drinks are priced well and affordable.
Keep in mind that this is probably the only spot in Marin that plays top 40 and throwback dance songs.
If you want to keep it local go for it, but I wouldn't recommend this place. Pay the $6 toll and head to SF.
I've given this place two chances because it looks really cool but it's failed me each time. the first time the DJ was picking all the wrong music (slow, ymca-like stuff) and the floor was empty, juju was all wrong. the second time, the floor was packed but the music was still kinda off. when we ordered drinks, my friend threw down what she thought was a $20 (but it was a $10) and started to grab her drinks. rather than saying "you need to pay more", the bartender hurled himself childishly over the bar in order to WRESTLE the drinks out of her hands. We weren't running or moving fast in any sense, he could have easily demanded the rest of the difference (as we were standing face to face) without physically attacking my friend. He threw the $10 back at her and walked away. Drunk, stunned and confused, my friend decided it was time to leave the dump.
I'm not thoroughly educated in customer service, however something tells me that bartender should be fired. on another note, he left the bar several times through the evening to smoke, leaving only one employee to fend for herself, while people lined up for their drinks. Not impressed! If you want a good experience, go to San Francisco, not the nickel rose.
my final thoughts: FAIL.
If we "go out" in San Rafael we go to Nickel Rose, which never ceases to amaze me by having a different crowd and vibe each time. One of my favorite times was during a karaoke night. It's also fun if the music is good b/c of the big dance floor. Then again, if you want to go for a chill drink, earlier in the night, I love the row of seating that runs parallel to the bar. You can watch everyone as they walk in. But no, we're not creepy. I think.
The bouncers and staff are excessively rude when they are ready for you to leave (usually at a time when there's no reason for them to behave in such a manner - i've never been in there until 2 a.m. because i'm shoved out).
Cool Bar. We got slaughtered here. We met some ladies and we had a great time. Unfortunately, a little after midnight my buddy turned into a douche-bag-creep-i-zoid and started to hit on anything that moved.
But overall, this place was cool. love the chalk board to write shit on in the bathroom. lol
3 out 5 stars
This is what I like to call a "Cinderella Bar"... it's a great, laid-back, chill place to hang with friends... the drinks are pretty reasonable, and the DJ plays some pretty decent music...
... right up until midnight, when the Douchebag Brigade rolls in, and the music changes, it suddenly becomes difficult to get a drink, and the bar takes on the atmosphere of a Jersey Shore episode.
All-in-all, a cool place, so long as you get out before it turns into a pumpkin.
On a side note, I wouldn't recommend losing a shoe in here: the floors are sticky!
I'm getting over the hill--but a girl likes to have fun! So, since I hate driving to the city and doing the old "bridge and tunnel" action, getting some dance on at the Nickel Rose is better than nothing!
I do recall one Halloween night we ended up there and had a blast! (I think we got the party started when we walked in!)
All in all, I have made my way into this "night club" after work on a Friday or Saturday night and run into people from school, or other friends. It is true about the guys--some dancing can get a little hot and heavy. Just be sure to have your guard up.
The worst part of the night--the ugly lights at the end. Why is it after a long night of sweaty dancing (make up and mascara running) do they have to turn ALL the lights up?
This will probably be the most unhelpful review ever in the history of yelp! Â I came here on a monday evening after work. Â The place was absolutely dead. Â There were three old guys, probably doing the same thing as my friends and I. Â Enjoying a drink after a long day of work. Â However, I did really like the way they had the inside set up. Â I'm not sure how i'd feel if it was packed with people and to loud music. Â Also the bartender was really friendly and even suggested the restaurant across the street. Â Not sure if I'll go back, only because I don't really frequent bars.
Review Source:or as we like to call it, the Pickle Nose.
This place draws a wide crowd of folks, but not I anymore. Â My friends and I used to come for karaoke on tuesdays, back when the DJ was awesome(he plays in wonderbread 5, also awesome).
New DJ= Douche. Â He plays favorites and yells at the crowd condescendingly when it's busy. If u can't take the heat, get your hipster ass out the DJ booth. Â Some of the bartenders are cool, some are higher than GG Allin and sporting shades for that reason. It serves it's purpose as a single's bar, though, with some comfy lounging areas and lack of bright light. It gets way crowded though, so beware. I prefer a good dive with pool tables and cheap drinks, but if you're looking to meet someone this might be your best bet in san rafael.
Okay, so this place seems like a great improvement on the old B Street Tavern, but after about 11 PM it's all looks the same - same crowd, too crowded, too loud and dark. All those new tables, stools and curtains for nothing!
I think I am not the best reviewer because I am outside the age bracket for this establishment. It seems to be ideal for the 21-24 crowd AND (oddly enough) the 40+ crowd who want to recapture their lost "fun side"
Okay drinks, not enough bartenders (read: slooooow service), pushy people (could just be the night, but I think they seemed like regulars) and way, way, WAY too loud music.
My ears are still ringing.
Compared to the other options available in downtown San Rafael, the Nickel Rose certainly does stand out as a good place for somebody of my age group to be. Sadly, I don't really enjoy the vibe too much as the music is just a tad too loud and the service is just a bit poorer than I'd like to see.
Overall, certainly a place to go but not a dependably good establishment for extended stays.
I love that place. The music is nice.Most of the Tuesdays I go over there and take friends with me(when i use to live in San Francisco I still came here to join that place). I am not a good singer and with polish acent,but is always nice to listen other people singing.Its such a mix of people,mostly young dudes, but not only.
Alcohol prices are ok.
You can sing,dance, drink and have fun:)))
Well the bathroom is kind of dirty and always out of toilet paper:(((
Took us a while to go in there as it wasn't clear if it was a lounge (as in hang out, drink, debate), or a club (average age 22). Â Turns out it's mostly the former, with a bit of the latter thrown in for interest. Â The place is very comfortable, clean, and the drinks are good (okay, I admit I'm a beer drinker so not too difficult). Â Something about the place is really nice though- worth checking out to see if it's for you.
Review Source:Back when Nickel Rose was the The B Street Tavern, I had zero interest in ever spending time there. The drink selection/quality was meager, the clientele were generally trashy or creepy, and the overall decor/ambiance of the place was grungy and sleazy, even for a dive... and I prefer dives! When new ownership took over, a compete 180 degree shift occurred; the interior was completely overhauled to include many subtle, classy touches (tin ceiling, wooden bar), an updated and innovative drink menu, as well as friendly, attractive bartenders and staff. The ambiance of the new Nickel Rose is extremely comfortable and elegant, and the shift in clientele has followed suit.
Nickel Rose, as several have already said, was something that San Rafael desperately needed when considering the high, formerly unanswered demand for a nice, chic lounge. This demand has successfully been answered while maintaining an atmosphere generally free of the sort of arrogance or pretentiousness that befalls many similar establishments in San Francisco and other nearby cities. I would suggest any person interested in an alternative to the typical dives when having a night out in Marin (preferably a week night) try the Nickel Rose; regardless of its silly name, the place truly achieves what it has set out to accomplish, and does it well.
I have a very funny Nickel Rose story that has to do with a girlfriend of mine and some 21 year old...(I kept saying that I strip for a living to his friend (also 21) just to make him go away- he actually liked that even more than if I would have told him I have a third eyeball hidden in my hairline somewhere...now I know, never tell a guy you strip for a living to get him to leave you alone- that does not work very well)... anyway- cool place, had dancing that wasn't that great, but for a place to go in the middle of the week with friends-when you want to stay local...it is cool.
Review Source:First of all, for those of you who are new around here (like me), this bar used to be called 'B Street Tavern'. Â It caught me off guard when i couldnt find B Street Tavern which i found an address for in Google.
Anyways, Nickel Rose now is very much a lounge versus being a dive bar, which is good, because there are alot of the same-old dive bars in the area. Â So its nice to see a change.
I went there Friday and Saturday and this place was hopping both nights which is good. Â It peaks around 11pm, and there is definately a good mix of male/females.
The drinks are also good, they have a wide range of drinks available, from beer, to well drinks, all the way up to nice martini's and cocktails, so a little something for everybody. Â Also, the people that go there are friendly and just there to have a good time.
They do have a slight dress code, a friend of mine was not allowed to wear his hat, but thats about all I noticed in that regard.
I recommend that you check this place out, not to shabby OR expensive for the lounge environment that it provides.
*coughs nervously*
I'm old. I felt very out of place here. When me and my buddy walked in, I felt like the average age in there doubled.
Great beer selection. Humongously impressive liquor collection behind the bar. Prices were great. Music, not so much for me - it's all that thump-thump-squeak-squeak stuff that the kids listen to these days. Not like when I was a lad. Ahh, now that was music you could dance to. And we had to walk 10 miles to our lounges back then. Barefoot. In the snow.
Anyways.
Nickel Rose is a nice little spot that San Rafael sorely needs. Just be forewarned that the crowd is all in their early 20s (or in the case of the girl who started chatting to me, late teens. Instant Dirty Old Man feeling.) and they cater to that crowd. Oh, and there's lots of guys in there who'd hump anything that isn't nailed down, so ladies should bring mace.
Good times.
The bartenders rock here! They hook you up with the drinks, especially if you go in the afternoon :)
Great place to meet friends after work.
Reasonable prices and plenty of seating.
This place is always very clean!
A Dj is there some nights, but its never that good when they are.
Im telling you, this is the place for a late afternoon watering hole.
Took me forever to finally go here since it changed ownership. I was surprised how nice it was...it's like being in SF with a much more laid back group of people. Chairs were super comfortable and lots of seating (dont really have to fight for it). Hard to get drinks from the cocktail waitress at first but after a while we got more attention. nice lounge atmosphere. i will definitely go back!
Review Source:I visited Nickel & Rose this past weekend. Â I read a couple reviews in local papers talking about a new, swanky bar and thought, hmm, Marin doesn't really have anything in the way of DJ lounges, should be worth checking out.
There are some good, potentially great things about Nickel & Rose, and a couple of issues that overwhelm their good intentions. Â Overall I liked, but i wish they would not try and compete with SF - Â most of us here live in Marin for a reason or three , and we don't live in SF for a reason or three - keeping the "marin" quirkiness would serve them well.
The space is nice - I love the back area banquettes.  The bar is well laid out, except for the glasses right in front of the bar, so the bartenders constantly knocked them again and again when reaching over to hear the customer give their order.  When it gets busy, the walkway between the bar and the banquettes  is very crowded and the little seat-poofs provided don't help, but not sure how they could fix other than getting rid of the seat-poofs, and I love the seat-poofs. Â
The specialty cocktail menu is phenomenal; inventive and I want to try every cocktail on the menu. Â I first ordered a Negro Agave (?) with blueberries, and my friend ordered a Men's Leisure (?). Â Then for the second round we ordered each other drink's. The first round was delicious - maybe a little bit light in alcohol, but highly drinkable and very tasty. Â The second round of drinks was made by a different bartender and they were absolutely horrendous - way too strong; almost to the point of being undrinkable. Â If you're going to go out of your way and invest in a great list of cocktails, make sure your staff can make them fairly consistently, again and again. Â And you should advertise them on a chalkboard above the bar, not just a few small menus around the bar - you'd sell WAY more. Â And they deserve lots of attention - that pear liqueur is awesome.
The DJ booth is nice - massive kudos for having a separate entrance for the DJ to bring his equipment in. I know from personal experience how difficult it can be to navigate that issue and they did a great job here.  The DJ though - wow.  Just...wow.  I'm not sure who thought the DJ actually QUALIFIES as a DJ, but I can assure you that is not a DJ.  Doing a mash-up of En Vogue and Spandeau Ballet should qualify you for extermination.  The DJ totally killed the vibe.  Within 5 minutes you had people on the dance floor and then people off the dance floor.  Look at your crowd.  Mix of old-time regulars and new-comer hipsters.  And your DJ is a 22 year old with his baseball cap on sideways to indicate "urbaness" playing Barry White Slow Jams mixed in with 90's soft-rap and 80's new wave.  Total clusterf**.  And his idea of mixing is squelching the bass into mass effect, which, maybe, MAYBE works in a large box-club atmosphere where you have the right equipment, but in a lounge-bar - ouch.  Find a DJ who can play lounge music, classic music and some old school west coast rap and you'll be fine.  Don't go too trendy, don't go  too edgy and don't pick a 22 year old who can't keep his pants up. Â
Overall, i'll be back for sure - there's so much good stuff here it's worth seeing how they iron out the few kinks. Â And kudos for even trying something different!
The Nickel Rose ROCKS!!!
I have been in several times now and the atmosphere is great, the drinks are strong and I'm happy paying a little more for fresh organic ingredients and top shelf liquor.
The service has been good for me and my friends. It's a BIG welcome change from B Street and the crowd that used to go there.
As far as Becky d. and her posse, I guess some people are never happy with change.
I went out on a date and the guy took me here, well, actually, I told him to take me here. Â He's my husband and I'm always telling the poor guy what to do! Â Anyway, San Francisco citizens watch out! Â You'll be wanting to make the trek to San Rafael to enjoy this laid back but fully engaged locale. Â I had some delicious cocktail with blackberry juice in it & bourbon - yum. Â The interior of it reminded me of Edward Hopper's "Night Hawks" or rather the view outside from inside reminded me of that painting. Â They've retained all the old charm of older California architecture and infused it with a really good dj, friendly, efficient staff and GREAT drinks!
Review Source:We went to the Nickel Rose the other night to give it a try. Before the faux-hawked bartender took our drink order, we were asked for ID. I don't know if it was because we don't look "Marin" enough, but he was snotty and really only wanted to see my ID. Â Then he ignored us for at least 15 minutes while he decided to flirt with this fake-blonde haired girl who was closing out her tab. Â When we finally ordered our drinks, we ordered 2 vodka tonics with a top shelf vodka. Now, I expect to pay top dollar for top shelf vodka. But if I'm going to pay a tab of $17 for top shelf vodka, there better be A LOT of vodka in the drink. The drink reminded me of something you'd get at a fine dining restaurant...Maybe. It wasn't weak, but it certainly wasn't strong. The ambiance of this new bar reminded me of something you would find in Nob Hill in San Francisco. However, it felt out of place, being that the bar is about a block from the soup kitchen in San Rafael. Â And the patrons there looked like they were either on their way into SF, got lost going home to SF, or were on their way up North to Santa Rosa or Petaluma. And, they don't even have a jukebox!!
If you want a rude bartender, snotty service, and not very strong drinks, then take a gander at the Nickel Rose in San Rafael. But if you're looking for some fun, a jukebox, and some cool people, don't bother going down to that end of town. Instead, opt for a more interesting experience at say, The Fourth Street Tavern, where the bartenders will take care of you and there's always some interesting eye candy, to say the least.
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