I was back in town, so came in for a martini with a friend. Had been in their restaurant, LOLA, for brunch and geeeezuz service was slowwww. BUT..THE BAR WAS EXCEPTIONAL! Our bartender, LINDSAY, was FABULOUSSSSS! Give her a raise. Best service Ive had in NC IN YEARSSSS read more

Though I was on a short vacation, I was scheduled to have a business conference call on Monday afternoon. I was with a family group celebrating a university graduation and we had checked out of our lodging spot, so I was on the hunt for a quiet place to have the call. After checking on a couple of other options, I walked into the National Bar. Success! Not only was it lightly populated at 1:00 on a Monday afternoon, but the atmosphere was oozing historic charm. It was just a pleasant place to be, let alone for what I was trying to accomplish. The bartender served me a tall glass of pineapple juice, which was delicious. I sat at a table in the larger part of the bar area and was getting connected to my call. At the last minute the client postponed so my careful planning to find the right spot was for naught. However, I enjoyed sipping my juice and soaking up the ambiance of the space. Dear Hubby ended up wandering in and finding me and we both sat for a spell I was able to check my email and catch up on anything immediate, which thankfully was minimal. It was a great place to take a break from wandering Broad Street, while still absorbing the charm of Nevada City. I'd certainly plan to stop in here again when visiting this special town. read more

National Bar - The main event - the bar. - Bars Near Me - Nevada City, California

See all

Very cool, very old bar from the 1800's with friendly service and a cool ambiance. We enjoyed delicious hand crafted cocktails in a cool setting. read more

I had such a fun girls night! The food and service was amazing and Spencer was top notch!

The bartender was super unfriendly. We didn't feel welcomed so we just ended up leaving after quick cocktail.

The food was surprisingly amazing! The service was really good and great atmosphere. We went on a Monday at about 1 o'clock. We got burgers and it was great. Good fries and good meat. Everyone should try it. read more

Great ambience, drinks, meal. Also very fun to have live music. Excited to come again! Service was great for us and we were not in a hurry. read more

See all

Just came here for the weekend with my hubby, Uncle & Aunt. We sat at the bar and Monte gave us some great pours, but the historical value and ambiance is built into the exorbitant price. Highly suggest you take a stroll upstairs to the patio :) read more

The charm and overal decor of this palce is special. The food was well prepared, as were the cocktails. The service was deplorable. it seemed as if the server had never worked in the service industry. She was rude, incompetent, and clueless. I don't ever come across as harsh in regrads to the service industry. However, in my decades of dinning all over this planet, as well as working both sides of the house- I have never been treated with such disregard. It felt like my wife and I were a laborous chore. i understand if one is green, however the level of rudeness was unmeasured in my experience. PLUS: The young woman that was the food runner was a bright ray of light. She was receptive, responsive, and kind. Being raised in the urban northeast of the US, I was taught the etiquettes of treating servers with respect and showing ones appreciation through their tip (I generally start off 25-30%). I tipped well below the norm. This place has such a shot at being outstanding. So close, but yet so far! read more

We stopped in just to look around and ultimately found ourselves as the only patrons in the bar. Soooo..... we decided to have a drink while we decided on where to eat lunch. Monte was our bartender and an old school professional he was. My wife normally drinks Bombay Sapphire but they didn't have it. Monty suggested she try Uncle Val's Botanical Gin. So delicious we bought a bottle when we got home. The bar is all dark wood and very reminiscent of a long ago era. Very nice. But the icing on the cake was Monty. Nice guy, very informative. Next time we're in the neighborhood, we'll stop by for sure. read more

We had a great experience here last weekend. Great cocktails, delicious food, and excellence service. They warned us they were short handed but we were still well taken care of. Love the ambiance, too. read more

National Bar - a bowl of french fries and a drink - Bars Near Me - Nevada City, California

We were greeted at the door and given the low down on seating and ordering --sit at the bar or at the tables, but order at the bar. The drink menu had a few pages of signature or seasonal or classic cocktails (along with wines and a note that draft beers our rotated), and the bartender was attentive, friendly and prompt (overheard her giving a rundown of the local microbrews offered). We asked about window seats, which were in the restaurant, and although there weren't any available when we were seated, the hostess came over to ask later once one opened up. How thoughtful! Our cocktails were fun and tasty-- one with rhubarb syrup and a strawberry, one with whiskey, a honey-ish liqueur (Benedictine ), and a dark chocolate wager perched on top of the ice cube. The ambience is classic--a speakeasy vibe in a Victorian era old gold rush era hotel. A classy way to start our evening. read more

We were in town with family and looking for a place in town to grab a drink on a Friday night... the National is such a beautiful hotel so we decided to check out the bar. It had such a lively atmosphere as soon as we entered; there was an incredible jazz band playing, and the tables were full of jovial folks who were all very kind as we asked to borrow a chair and stake out our own spot to sit. The bar tender was friendly and helped us pick out a few cocktails to try - they were all delicious! The inside of the bar is gorgeous too, and we loved all the neat old pictures on the wall. We had a blast and will definitely come back next time we're in town! read more

I absolutely love the ambiance here. It's so cool. I love how dark it is and truly reminds me of an old saloon. Also, the food is very tasty, albeit very overpriced and the menu is somewhat limited. I'm giving 3 stars for service. Every single solitary time I've come in here I've been treated like an idiot for asking very normal questions. For example "is this table reserved" or "did you get my drink order". One time I went in there and the bar tender was SHAMELESSLY flirting with my date. Super unprofessional. Sarah is amazing tho. She's top notch 100% of the time. read more

Monte makes great craft cocktails. Sit at the bar and have fun!, Ask for his special whiskey sour. read more

Stopped in here for a cocktail the photos on the wall and the setting on the inside remind you so much of the old west it was beautiful and amazing. Our bartender Monty had wonderful craft cocktail drinks and provided excellent service. read more

Just left the bar after having sat down at a table for 10+ minutes. Never even acknowledged by the bartenders, let alone served. There were only 3 other people in the bar read more

As a local I've been here several times. Service is terrible. Just to get a drink you have to stand there while bartenders do everything except look at you to take your order (and it's empty). Trying to be hipster and too cool to make eye contact. Annoying AF. Would recommend going to Three Forks or even their sister hotel the Holbrooke where normal bartenders treat you like a regular human. read more

Came in the door. Waited to be seated (per instructions). Never got seated. Went to the bar and sat down at some dirty plates (never got cleared) waited for service. Never got a drink from the bartenders even though some other folks came in behind us and got served right away. Waisted twenty minutes and left without even being acknowledged. read more

Went to Nevada City to check out some of the fall colors and got rained out. Luckily we stumbled upon this place. Good ambience and great cocktails, all the workers were super nice and helpful! read more

Ian makes the BEST dirty martini I've ever had. Smooth, didn't taste like rubbing alcohol, crisp, just the perfect amount of olive juice.

I don't suggest a handcrafted cocktail from this bar because they whip through it and don't care about quality. Extremely overpriced for crappy cocktails. Bartender was somewhat nice and willing to make a drink we like but all drinks failed.. I can make a better cocktail at home... waste of money. read more

Holy shnikeis! $15 a cocktail?? I enjoy a good mixed drink but when this is what it costs and is served in a thimble I'll pass! Food is served artfully but again is very high priced for the portions. When did getting ripped off become stylish?? ‍ read more

Visited the bar at 4:30 on Saturday 11/21/2021 to see the new decor which was gorgeous. Unfortunately service was a zero as no one even looked at us for 10 minutes so we left. There were only 4 other patrons there and two bartenders. Sad. read more