Nick's Beer Garden

Amazing live music on Wednesdays from an amazing performer. Cheap and tasty drinks and popcorn for days. I spent most of my night here after bar hopping and I had an amazing time. I recommend this bar to anybody. The Wednesday night live music is second to none. Absolutely beautiful Tiffany was our bartender and it was such an amazing time. Best bartender in all my travels across the world. Super nice and sweet and id go back here again any day!

Nicks was the first bar in the city I went to when I turned 21, and I’ve been going ever since. I’ve recently started coming in frequently now, Tiffany and Tami are excellent bartenders. They also make a strong drink and know how to have a captivating conversation. The crowds of ppl are always cool, never too rowdy. The bands that play always have the place poppin. Love Nicks and can’t wait for the summertime. Also it’s a late night bar, best spot after 12am.

I suffer from cerebral tremors and the bouncer wouldn't let me in because my hand was shaking a little when I handed him my ID. His exact words were "I don't like your vibe." I had not said anything to him at all. No words, just handed him my ID. The amount of disrespect is insufferable. Never coming back again

Great atmosphere. Very chill. Bartenders were very friendly. Love the beer garden in the back. Deals on drinks are pretty good too. Would definitely recommend.

I was sexually assaulted by one of the door men. When I finally found my friend who came with me, the said that we needed to leave because other customers complained about us. We asked for references, but they claimed the other customer left. Then they threatened to call the cops on us. I waited, but the staff all left before the police came, so I had to come back on TUESDAY to get my card.

A bad ass bar and watering hole!!! Very classic and classy tavern look and feel!! Elegant without being overpowering. Don't know about the food but the drinks were strong and awesome. The staff was outstanding and the band playing the day we were here was awesome. Everyone seemed to be having a great time! 12 out of 10!!

Great vibes and fun staff, good music and they let us bring in FOOD 🙏👍🏻 highly recommend!

You'll find a wide beer selection, plenty of space to hang out with friends, and friendly bartenders. It's the perfect spot to unwind with friends or on your own.

When it is 70s in Spring, you head to the nearest patio. On this occasion, we were back-and-forth if we were gonna go out on a Friday night for happy hour, but eventually decided to just go to one of the patio bars near us. We were lucky because we got a parking spot right off of Milwaukee so it must've been destiny for us to be going to this location on a Friday evening. We got to this location. We arrived right when happy hour was over so unable to take advantage of the specials, but the patio was pretty live in the bar area. There was two separate bar areas. The patio area was open and packed but not at capacity. We had a few drafts and eventually there was live music up at the front of the bar. The band was very good and had the crowd going. Will be back to grab more drinks chill on the patio. Tip: late night parking on Milwaukee is prohibited after 12am on Friday. They tow not ticket so be careful.

We stopped in here for a couple of hours our first night in town and had a great time. Both bartenders were very accommodating and friendly. The bathrooms were clean, and the outdoor area was very nice even if it was a little noisy from the L. We would definitely visit again.

Had a great time here! Service was so friendly and super friendly atmosphere! Good beer selection that is fairly priced. Totally chill place worth check out!

Service can be slow but they have a great selection of draft beers and the back patio is such a gift to have in the neighborhood! I would come here with a group of friends on a nice day to take advantage of the outdoor space!

Beer and nothing but beer, and liquor, but mostly beer. It's the bar open the latest in Wicker Park, so the late night yuppies have somewhere to go. If you like harder to find beers, or just beer in general, this is worth a visit. Also, if you like loudly cackling wannabe professional working women, that helps. There's also a cool garden in the back that's even better if not too many people are back there. After coming here a few times, I feel the best thing about it is that it's open later than everything around it. It makes a good nightcap. That's not to say it's not good for an afternoon visit. It has a lot of the big company beers. Then there's the many crafts, including many that are local. A few formerly common beers from the past are here. It's about $4 a pint. They have Schlitz. For real. It's the good version. Also they have lots of specials not only on beer but for cocktails. They have these on shots including Jameson. Better eat before going. It doesn't have any food, but maybe you can bring some in. They also have events including some live music.

DJ on Fridays sucks. Music sucks and he won't play requests keep sucking homeboy your out is lame af too btw capt.plays trash music

My friend invited me out to Nick's Beer Garden to listen to Gerald McClendon rock the room. I haven't been to a corner bar type place in ages so I wasn't expecting much. I was so impressed when I arrived. This small pub had obviously been recently updated and it looks fantastic. With a pineapple theme, the whimsy is real. It sets the stage for a fun relaxed evening. Dark and vintage, but super clean and fresh, I found Nick's to be very stylish and comfortable. The small stage is set up at the front. It offers great sight lines and welcomes everyone that enters. I literally saw people out on the sidewalk dancing to the incredible show that Gerald McClendon offered. We loved the show which makes me think Nick's hires some great bands. I will definitely be back if this same band plays again. My friend and I enjoyed a couple of beers that were served ice cold. The bartenders were efficient but not overly friendly. That's ok, we still had a great time. Bus and train stops are nearby which is great since parking is very limited.

Over-the-top loud music, overpriced drinks and poor service. I suppose this review could also be given to some of the other bars in the neighborhood. What has become of the Wicker Park bar scene in general?

Super fun bar with a great selection of beers and live music! The crowd is pretty chill which is nice so it's not always too loud or hectic. Overall a really cool place to check out!

The Bar Staff and Security Team is awesome!!! Tasty drinks and Friendly people. A great place for people of all ages, even Old Gen Xers like me.

The bouncers said I looked like a bad person and would not let me join my friends. I was wearing a polo amd jeans but suffer from cerebral terrors. Last time I ever go here or tell my friends this is a good spot.​

Went during a Saturday around 1:45pm during 75 degree weather. So it was nice out. Crowd street area but this place was a nice day drinking vibe area. They do not have food (or at least not that I know of) they however have a snack drawer probably for emergencies! GREAT bartender. She made one mistake but recovered very well. Friendly and outgoing. We got lucky, there weren't idiots or obnoxious people in the environment. The security guard kind of approaches you aggressively before you can enter about seeing ID but he was just doing his job! I don't do the club scenery so I would do this again! Bought 2 IPAs, a Hard cider & Strawberry Guava for $26 total to give you a price range.

They clearly do not look after their female customers. "Regular" male customer was trying to take upskirt and unwelcomed pictures of females during the Halloween bar crawl and was asked to stop and then continued. The owner/manager said he was a regular so did NOTHING. Will not ever visit again. PLENTY of cuter options in the area so please do not support if you think that someone taking inappropriate photos of female customers is not right...

Paid for a 100$ tab last week. Got charged twice. A total of 200$. No one answers the phone or emails. Great way to do to business. Seriously what the hell. How does one even charge someone twice using toast

Fucking bullshit bar. I'm sitting @ the bar for more then 30 min and NO ONE CAME TO TAKE MY ODER. Most ridiculous bar in chicago.

From the outside, doesn't look much but when we walked it it was surprising to see how big this place was. Drinks are super cheap here and they have drink deals everyday. This place was very lively as well. Staff was super busy getting drinks for everyone and very accomudating. Im taking out 1 star is because walking into the restroom is kind of wierd and they have only 2 stalls so, can expect to wait in long lines.

Great place with rotating beer selection - attentive staff and great bartenders, you won't be left without a drink in your hand. Or two. Bonus - get the 312 Shandy while it lasts

Both waitresses in back of the bar were completely rude. I was trying to order a beer but the bar is loud and the bartender was incredibly rude when repeating herself. There was another bartender at the same bar who was also rude to a friend of mine. I proudly left a zero dollar tip. Great atmosphere, terrible service.

It's a decent place to hang out but the drinks are way overpriced and I hate that they serve every single thing in plastic. Imagine how much they go through in just a night. It's lazy and the city should really be stepping up and penalizing businesses for this sort of wastefulness.

It is one of the many bars In wicker park but what sets it apart is the liveusic on Saturdays at 10 PM. The band was cool, but hard to understand. Overall a nice bar to get some drinks and get ready for a next spot int he city. Love the paintings in the bar. Also had a pool area where you can play pool and enjoy music and a loud atmosphere

Solid college town type bar. Reminds me of one I used to go to all the time. Not necessarily a place I will go all the time, but it was definitely a fun time. Fairly priced drinks, and great atmosphere. Always has good music going, and doors open during the summer. Now a rare find that I did enjoy - they had Zombie dust, Apex Predator and Oberon all on tap!!! Definitely good beer choices!

Great bar with the coolest back beer garden area. A friend and I planned a birthday bar crawl and Nick's was one of the stops--they were super kind and consummate professionals through the whole process! Got us in and out quickly and had a great time will absolutely be back and highly recommend!

We had great time last Saturday with my deaf friends there. Because of our flying hands when talking in sign languages it can be dangerous and accidents do happen when in crowded bar. The bar patrons thought one of us threw up ( none of us didn't do that at all) one of our friends lipreading caught on what the patroon said about clean up and more the floor. They put chemical and powder and mopped the floor. None of us, we did NOT threw up none at all. One of our flying hands in sign language accidentally knocked over the filled plastic cup. I thought it would clarify for you.

Went looking for a fun bar to go to with a friend and as we walked up to give our IDs to the bouncer he was extremely rude to us out of nowhere. He made a few extremely rude comments about our appearances and then we instantly left the bar and didn't spend a dime in there. We will not be returning and none of our friends will be either. If I could give this bar less than 1 star, I would.

I've lived by this place for a while and always skipped it because I thought it was a dive bar. It WAS but now they've completely remodeled and it's actually quite nice! Drinks are pretty reasonably priced and they're working on getting food

It's always nice to randomly try a place and discover it's cool. We wandered in and there was a great live bluesy rock band and no cover (Fridays) Though very busy we got the only open table next to the band! They were really good. The crowd was big and quite diverse (I liked seeing various ages and backgrounds) and people were dancing. Everyone seemed to be in a great mood. Apparently there's a beer garden in back and a room with pool tables. There's a pinball machine in the front by the door. It gets busier later since it's a bar open later than most. When we drove past leaving there was a line and crowd and it already packed on our last round.

Been a minute but.....and not opposed to a cleaner version of a Wicker Park staple but, reminded me of an airport bar trying hard to be an edgy bar. No character. No draughts. Out of a bunch of staples. Plenty of quintessential tattooed employees talking amongst themselves but......

Was here the other night. I've been here and had great times, and boring times. It's a slightly run down bar in the middle of painfully hip Wicker Park. You can still see the ghosts of Dreamerz in this place if you look - the back bar, for one. It is useful if you just want a relaxing, non-pretentious Wicker Park evening with friends, and there is definitely room in my world for that. On that - Nick's wins.

Last night was my birthday outing, and because of some inclement weather, we popped into Nick's to stay dry. It was still before 2am, so we easily found a table in the back near the cheesy palm trees. After a few beers, I started noticing how loud and packed it was getting. Aw Damn... I had lost track of time and now it was "after-hours." What a shame that the only thing that makes Nick's worth it- the after hours- is the same reason not to ever go. All the chads, todds, chotches, whichever term you prefer, migrate here after 2am. It became a pool of button-down shirts and cargo shorts hovering over us to grab our table like vultures if one of us got up to use the restroom. Speaking of which, the already cramped toilets were no longer worth the wait, so we left right away. I added another star because I ran into a belligerent yelper on my way out who made me laugh, and then I got to ride home in the candy-cab.

For years I have walked by and never had a chance to go in. Rodan closed and we were looking for another spot to hit up before we called it a night. Pretty cool spot! They had pool tables and televisions which was nice and the music was cool as well. Not sure about cost of drinks because someone paid for my drinks. The crowd was pretty chill. I got into a crazy discussion with a Cardinals fan, that loves going to Wrigley to watch the Cubs. The bathroom line was mad crazy, but luckily I was able to get in there before the line got out of control. We didn't stay long, but no reflection of the place, my entourage was just tired. Wouldn't mind showing up again

Props to this place for offering good specials. Great big dive with nice cold drinks. Saturday specials include select $5 drinks and shots alone with $5 per and we'll shot. Thursday is $5 per and a shot of jamo, well worth it. Inside is super big!!

We went to Nick's two nights in a row, and should have heeded the lingering reservations we had after the first night. I was excited to find a bar with a divey, low-key character, good activities (pool and shuttle board, plus weekly events), and well-priced drinks. However, both nights we encountered outright rudeness from several staff members, as well as poor service. The bouncer is on a bit of a power trip, and was a bit condescending the first night. The second night a totally separate bouncer was downright rude, scoffing at my out of state ID. Both nights we had difficulty getting service at the bar and were repeatedly ignored by bartenders. One of them hassled my boyfriend for a larger tip when he was paying for two drinks. On the second night we were continuously herded around by staff as we were told at least three times that we were not allowed to sit in particular seats or to stand on an area on the floor. These were not kind reminders (reminders is the wrong word anyways, as there was absolutely no way to tell that we were sitting somewhere "off limits")- they were passive aggressive, affronted, and snotty. Ultimately, I'm disappointed. We won't be returning or recommending.

All I have to say is that they ruined the soul of this place over the pandemic. No live music on Friday night. Looks like any other basic bar on Division now. What a disappointment as this was one of my favorite consistent staples in the city before pandemic. Truly a shame.

Total.Dive.Bar. First of all - I will say - the service at Nick's is FANTASTIC. I say this because, as they were closing (yes, at 4am) one cold winter evening, one of the bartender/bouncers let me hide out in the bar to wait and watch a terrific scene unfold with some friends...Ok - I didn't get to watch the whole thing as I was sort of hiding out in back, but when I explained my situation to the bartender/bouncer (that I had to wait while they 'worked this out'...), he laughed and insisted I wait until things were 'cool'. So, if nothing else, the service is great and I will forever laugh about this evening. So, other than that, this bar is a total dive...I'm pretty sure they have the worst bathroom ever. However, this doesn't stop patrons from visiting...and lots of them. So, I'm sure I'll be back as this is one of the few spots where you might find a table late on a weekend, but I have to say that the bar is sort of gross. Making up for this (aside from my compliment above) are the cheap beers and lots of places to sit. I've never been here in the summer, so I'm not sure how the actual beer garden is. Perhaps I'll be back to check it out (but really Nick's - you might want to think about updating the ladies bathroom...seriously.)

Love this spot! Great garden area, friendly staff, very reasonable prices. Definitely add this spot as part of your weekend bar crawl!

Never been around for the Live music, but let me tell you what I LOVE about this place: -$3 draught pours on Sundays - killer deal -Sunroom in the back of the bar, open air smoking patio -You can bring your own food; lit The patio has the added benefit of shutting down conversations every 5-7 minutes as the Blue Line passes overhead and drowns out everyone with its deafening commotion, which I love and hate. Plus, there's pool, a photo booth, and ample seating. Into it!

What can I say? A good old fashioned dive bar in Wicker Park with some great music, fun table games and exciting beers on tap is never a bad time. Nick's Beer Garden has it all. Daily specials will keep you coming back. Cash only so bring some green.

This bar sucks. The bouncer judges people upon looks and doesn't allow people in because they are better looking than him. I hope that makes him feel better about himself. He appeared to be on drugs. I didn't want to associate myself with him. This bar made me and all of my friends feel UNSAFE.

This is a really cool bar with a casual relaxed atmosphere. The drinks are inexpensive and there is even a live band. The vibe is kind of hipster and everyone is having a great time!!

Nicks is a staple in the area and a go to whenever I want to treat myself to live music. They don't have a stage for the acts and are set up at the entrance. When it's busy people will stand and I've even made some space for dancing in the front. They have limited seating so sometimes it may be hard to see the acts of you're seated. All around it's a great spot for fun and they also have a photobooth! They have a decent selection of beer on tap and a full bar. They also have a spacious backroom and a back patio/garden where the music can be heard but not as loud.

Reasonable price drinks, good music, pool and a few common bar activities. Great A/C even with the windows open wide. Visited 7/9 and received great service.

Sometimes I don't know if I should give Nick's a one or a five. Seriously, it's so bad it's good. This place is ridiculous on steroids. I'll set the scene for you: Saturday night. 2:15 a.m. Inside Nick's with a few friends. Enter: creepy, male 30something douchebags. Some of them are balding, some of them are wearing blue button up shirts with blue jeans and dress shoes and all of them smell like a high school gym locker room full of Axe body spray. Their hair will stun you (what's left of it anyway) - it looks like they've just come from some kind of rave - you know, the kind of hair stand stands up straight because there's 65lbs of DEP styling gel in it. They never leave you alone. They'll buy you shots, they'll ask you all sorts of inane questions and they will propose an "evening at my place" several dozen times even though you've repeatedly laughed in their faces and said no. This is how 4 a.m. bars work, people. The creepy predatory douches come in to prey on all of the really drunk ladies from the bars in the area. The worst part: sometimes they actually get someone to go home with them. I shudder at the thought. I have never, ever had an experience different than the one I previously described at Nick's. Seriously - ask all of the people who have gone out with me to Nick's. We were surrounded by weird, fat, old douches who just wanted to relentlessly and shamelessly hit on some "pretty ladies." This place is so awesome.

A great bar in the heart of Wicker Park, it's very spacious place so even on a busy Saturday night you feel like you got some breathing room. Make sure to stop by on Wednesday's because pool is free with the purchase of alcohol, so grab yourself a nice revolution beer poured by any of the capable and wonderful bartenders, but some money in the jukebox and shoot some pool. You'll thank me later.

Was out in Wicker Park with a couple friends on a Friday night and we were looking for a place that didn't have a cover charge, we couldn't help but check out Nick's, which had a big sign that said live music and no cover. The inside of the place is small. It's got kind of a dark, dive type theme going to it. Not too many people inside which was good, I feel like it could get really crowded. We snagged a high-table and got a few beers. I had the Dragon's Milk bourbon barrel stout, which was very unusual. You could definitely taste the bourbon flavor and it was very sweet. I prefer dark beers and unfortunately there wasn't much else to choose from other than Guinness. Probably would've gotten another drink if there were more dark beer options; not everyone likes the IPA stuff. The band that was playing that night was pretty good. Kind of a rock-jam band with some blues-y, twangy sounds, they were good and had a nice vibe. My beer was $8 after tip, and there was no cover, so overall a pretty low-cost place amongst the often more expensive Wicker Park area. Will be back!

I've been here more times than I can drunkenly remember, but I've never had an amazing time (until we leave). The bartenders aren't very knowledgeable of cocktails. I believe anyone who tends bar should have knowledge on a wide array of cocktails, even if they do not particularly fancy the drink themselves. If you love getting macked on by old skeazy men, this is your joint. Get some!

There's a difference between being alone and lonely, you know. But the male patrons of Nick's seem unable to make that distinction. I recently dropped in on a snowy night, waiting for a gal pal to make her way through the slushy mess. During that 10 minute interim, guy #1, #2 and #3 all 'checked' on me. Seems that being 'alone' at 1:30am (and female) is an invitation of sorts for strange men to try out their bestest and brightest lines on you. Very comical, indeed! Once my friend arrived, we grabbed a couple of beers (don't be fooled, just because 'beer' is in the name doesn't make Nick's a craft beer haven) and made our way around. A frat guy over here. A frat guy over there. Basically, 'dudes' everywhere, asking where we planned to watch the Bears game the next day. But I digress. Nick's has live music on the weekends (no cover!) and otherwise has a stellar jukebox. There's a beer garden in the back (less garden, more of a patio) and they rock it 'til 4am every night and 5am on Saturdays. Need one last drink before calling it a night? Well, you've got another option besides resorting to Estelle's, Flat Iron or the Tavern. And I for one, am happy for that, frat boys or no frat boys.

This breaks my heart because the bands that play here tend to be pretty good. The clientele aren't here for the music, and wouldn't know blues unless it came with a Levis tag. My handsome companion and I guessed they would likely be marinating in cheap tequila somewhere in Lincoln Park and reliving their college days, except that Wicker Park is... like that now. We don't live so close by and so it's been easy to keep forgetting. I'm so sorry. Then there's the blue line drowning out the band and screwing up my hearing permanently. Now I'm sad, and I still can't hear the freakin' band.

Prepare yourself for the shortest Yelp review I've ever penned: The bartender at Nick's did not know how to make a vodka gimlet. The End.

We've all been there. It's 2:30 a.m on a Saturday. You recently got out of a bad relationship. The other bar is closing. Common sense tells you to go home. The 4 Jager Bombs you did in the last hour tell you to not be such a pussy. Last thing you remember is getting in a cab. Next thing you know, you wake up next to a girl named Cindy or Kathy; semantics. You have no idea where you or your pants are. She has a large tattoo on her back and you can finally tell the guys at the water cooler that 'you tagged a goth chick.' After quietly sneaking out you get a call from your buddy. This is what you missed: While waiting in line to get into Nick's you peed in the hallway of the apartment next door. (Hey. They should have locked the door behind them.) As you entered the bar stumbling and avoided being kicked out because your buddy convinced the bouncer that you were dancing to Journey. (Your buddy is pretty convincing.) You may or may not have hit on a hooker. (At 3:30 am it's all relative.) But this is where it gets interesting. You are at Wicker Park's Tower of Babel. This is where cultures merge and bond through short quips of witty sarcasm. She told you that she liked your polo shirt. You said you were pretty sure you heard an Arcade Fire song before but have definitely been listening to a lot of old OK Computer lately. Thanks to Nick's you both ended up with some good stories: She learned that the Cubs have a pretty good shot at the pennant this year. You learned that they still make Vinyl even if it's only put out by some high pitched woman named "Power Cat".