Nick's Beer Garden is usually one of my last stops of the night. They're open pretty late and have a $5 beer and whiskey special which can get dangerous at 3am. Some nights they have a live band playing which is great but usually attracts a very large crowd - so good luck getting to the bar. I've never had a problem with the bartenders here. As long as you know what you want when they get to you, you shouldn't have a problem. The crowd here can be a little more "obnoxious" that I can take, but I'm never here longer than an hour or two. read more

Late night bar! So going at 10pm is kinda meh. If you're already three sheets to the wind and it's 2am, why not. If It's earlier and you're sober. Meh. There are drinks and it has a shuffle board table, but other than that it's just an average bar. Weird tropically decor, and there's a "garden," but that ultimately consists of 6 tables under the Blue line where conversation is inaudible every 5-10 minute due to the roaring train above. There are other options in the hood, probably better than here, but I'm sure there are worse as well. read more

This place is an OK spot to come to after Kickball on Thursdays. The floor is always sticky, and smells like spilled Miller Lite but I've had some really fun times here. read more

This place is horrible. The bartender was so rude. I have never experienced anything like it. He had shitty tattoos and was throwing beer caps around and at the floor, almost like he was trying to aim them at me and at the person I was with. We had just walked in and went to the bar to get a drink. The bartender refused to acknowledge us and after 5 min I politely said "excuse me" and he just rolled his eyes, gave a smirk, and walked away. We immediately left and went to another bar down the street. Don't even bother giving this place your service. Shut them down now. read more

Been here before and it's a normal bar. I like that it has live music. Location is great. Took a date here that went well. Unprofessional experience recently. I hope to settle this during normal hours but it makes no sense how they handled this situation. Very awkward situation and I did not even make any hint to argue or be rude. read more

I don't know what some of these other people are talking about, I like this bar. I have been a couple of times on Saturday nights, and the live music playing has been really good and fun. Maybe it does get a little sketchier the closer you get to 4, but I am always way too tired to stay out that late, so I wouldn't know. read more

Personally, I'm more of a low-key bar type of person when it comes to new cities. It makes the experience a little more intimate rather than rushing to catch a breath of air every 5 minutes. This place had a pool bar, a dark-ish ambience, and people who were friendly and open. The bartender was also extremely helpful! read more

Awesome Sunday night deal - $3 for any draft beer and $2 for bottles. Definitely not the classiest spot but it was good for grabbing a couple drinks with friends. Pool table, shuffleboard, and a few other games in the back but I'm pretty sure you have to pay for them. read more

I go for the shuffleboard table, without that I would never go here again.. The service really sucks most of the time.. A LOT of douches tend to come here.. and I do mean A LOT. read more

Great spot if you want to make it a late evening. Very low key, but definitely a place to go with a group, sit in the back, and converse. Good beer selection, never had the food, but if you are looking for a place that is open late in Wicker Park, and will have a good, calm crowd, this spot is the spot for you. read more

This is a good place to get intoxicated and not have to worry about finding a cab--right off Milwaukee avenue. Beer selection is humongous, liquor specials are plentiful, bartender is knowledgeable, girls inside are usually cute and the atmosphere isn't too pretentious. Tip accordingly. read more

YOU WOULD THINK that a place that self-describes as a "beer garden" would have more than one urinal and one toilet for all the guys. But NOOOOO. What are they thinking? Lines at the men's room door are typical on a busy night. Fortunately, we males are efficient, except for the poor soul who has to sit down where all the other guys have demonstrated they still have not learned proper aiming technique. Other than that, Nick's is a really cool place. Mostly 20-somethings out for a drunken good time, but nothing out of hand and many are actually reasonably friendly. Not snooty and uptight like some other such places. Occasional strays will wander in - like an over 30. Or 40. Or 50. Or me. It's an old timey basic bar, medium-size establishment, apparently pre-dating the new Wicker Park crazy-ass wild nightlife. Good atmosphere and 20-something crowd having a good time but not obnoxiously drunks like some other places. Staff is ok, not especially friendly, but no issues. Friday & Saturday feature live music performed by real, legitimate, talented local bands with emphasis on the blues. And NO COVER! Unfortunately, most of the crowd doesn't pay much attention so the bands are more background effect and not so much for "serious" blues listening like other clubs. Note that what passes for "blues" in Chicago can be traditional blues or some mix with soul, R&B and funk. My biggest gripe is they don't keep their event calendar current, to see who's playing on the weekends. All in all, Nick's is always a good time when in the area and worth the trip to hear a band you're interested in. read more

Pretty much your standard dive - ish bar. They do have live bands, a pool table and table shuffle board so those are bonuses.

Headed here for a friend's 21st birthday. The prices are reasonable and I had one of the better long island ice-ts i have had in a long time. Overall the place has a great vibe. read more

Pros- elbow room. Good beer deals. Pool. Cons- a little short shit bartender that gives a bad name for people who actually know how to bartend & have constumer service skills. Loose the midget & the place would be decent. read more

I like this place but have had way too many back experiences with one of the bartenders. I dont know his name but he is a guy with dark hair that acts as if he is way too cool to be bartending or to take his sweet time to actually be nice or try to serve customers. Ive been there before where on girl is bartending and lots of people are waiting and I see him just standing there and when people try to order from him he says he is the manager and she will get to you shortly. Would be a 4 star bar but because of this terrible employee its 2 stars for now read more

No cover, Great Music - Soul Message played Saturday night and we enjoyed some good ol fashioned Chicago Jazz and Blues. The reviews said it was for a "younger crowd" but I didn't find that to be true, guess it just depends on who is playing that night. I also appreciate their website and info on Yelp that told me what was happening and who was playing which seemed to be a huge issue on my quest for this weekend in Chicago. Great Live Music in Wicker Park, go if you are in the area. read more

I used to love, love, love Nick's. Good crowd, good music, big place, the beer garden was nice. But... Nick's has taken a turn for the worse. After spilling into Nick's not too long ago to find it almost totally empty pretty late on a Saturday night, I wandered to the beer garden bar to grab a cocktail. We noticed there was incense burning. Odd for a bar, right? So we asked the bartender what was up with the incense. She said, and I quote, "We started burning it after the smoking ban to cover up the pit and foot stench." In the immortal words of Nsync: "Bye, bye, bye." read more

I like this place, it is what it is. You wanna get trashed on the cheap till 4am no cover just come on in. Bathroom has a line sometimes but it moves quick. Has some games, a place to smoke in back. Rarely a line to get in and the bartenders do their job and get you drunk. You might make some bad decisions here but it's your own fault. In the area this is definitely the bang for your buck good time that's open all night. read more

Over staffed bouncers under staffed bar .... they r rude which is annoying won't be going here anymore I suggest u save ur money or go elsewhere rather than come to this dump read more

I've lived in Chicago 6 years and Nicks has become my favorite bar in the entire city. It's HUGE with an outdoor patio in the rear. Live music every weekend. Sunday Funday is the best: $2 or $3 beers all day/night. They're also open until 4am. read more

No one greeted us when we walked in, despite there being fewer than 10 other people in the bar. It took several minutes (5+) for someone to check out IDs, and he walked away before we could order or ask about tap options. We waited another 5+ minutes for the guy to come back; when he didn't, we went up to the bar to order. Got our drinks, came back to our table, and it wasn't long before some drunk guy, who was previously talking with the bartender, came over and awkwardly began to chat us up. The bartender must have given him our ages, because he guessed it (without being prompted) exactly, then went on to drunkenly insult my friend and I. Pros: -$3 pints are a good deal Cons: -poor service -bartender gives out your personal information read more

When your at that point when blackout is eminent, that's when you'll have the bestest time. Sober, hell no, it's weird. Frat boys in the rear and everyone else that's cool in the front. This is that after hour spot, where you continue to get wasted. You'll have the most fun when it's the last destination on your "bars to hit" list. You may bump into the guys you got into a fight with (earlier that night) but hey, we're all wasted, so it's ok! You may notice that the floor is dirty and that some people (we shall not name names) are passing terrible gas, since your drunk you'll laugh it off and it won't be remembered. Well not always. It's that late night spot you'll bump into someone you know, most always. I like that when someone has clearly had too much drink, they are cut off. And none in my circle of friends has ever dealt with drunken pricing. You know, when the server / waitress takes advantage of your drunkenness and gives themselves a better tip or charges a higher rate. Since Nick's is at that end of the street where its less busy, you can find parking during the wee hours of your night. read more

"Here's the thing about Nick's; the cute guys never hit on you and the guys that hit on you are never cute." This is how I drunkenly explained to a man who had his heart set on buying me a drink why I wasn't interested. That being said, Nick's is one of my favorite sleazy bars ever. Way better than alternatives you find in Lincoln Park and the Gold Coast, at least at Nick's I don't worry about having my drink spiked. During the week the pool table is easily accessible, the people mostly leave you alone and you can play music on the jukebox and actually hear it play. (They have Bell Biv Devoe's Poison by the way). Erroring on the polite side I would say Nick's has character and as long as you can stomach free drinks from guys you're not going home with, it's a pretty decent choice when most of the bars are closed. read more

I went here with some girlfriends on Saturday night. We were there pretty early, so there was literally no crowd to speak of, but we dind't mind. There was a great blues band working and a super nice bartender. Loved the tiki atmosphere and the movie-quality of the el rushing by. would definitely come here again. read more

I'm giving this place two stars because the bartenders and door staff are cool. The jukebox, totally unpredictable in the bad way where it's like going through the record collection of your 15 year old brother. The clientele is atrocious. The atmosphere is alright, but the bands are always a snore and the servers are pretty unreliable. I understand that a place can get busy, but holy shit where is my beer? It is possible to execute a 4am bar without it becoming total trash within a couple years and the way i see it, it starts with booking better acts and hiring better servers. I imagine the only reason this place is still open is because people aren't getting drunk enough by 2. read more

This is a pretty decent sized place. Outdoor patio seating which is nice. My girlfriend and I have been here a few times and each time there was rude service. We were here about a month ago, when she went to the bar to get us a few drinks she asked if they had Coors Light for me and the bartender pointed up on top of the bar and said those are the beers that we have! That was extremely rude. Today we went in to get a break from walking around in the Wicker Park Fest. When we came in we went to the back bar near the patio. We were the only ones at the bar and we had to wait 5minutes to get service because it looked like we interrupted the very large Mexican bartenders drinking party. The drinks were cheap and plenty of seating options. Idk if we'd go back. read more

Nothing ever good comes out of going to Nick's. Chances are you should go home. You are drunk enough. That said, it is an afterhours bar, and if you are compelled to stay out... You could end up in a lot worse places. But seriously. Go home. Go to bed. read more

I actually love Nick's. The crowd is diverse and is great for people watching, there is never a cover, the beer selection is good, and there is always live music! I don't think I'd recommend anyone start their night out here, as others have said it gets crowded, and its really not the cleanest place I've ever stepped foot in but something just draws me in. That is, after I've had about 5 beers. I will continue to come back here in my tipsy state as long as I live in the area. read more

its open till 4 am. my friend use to be a door guy so it compelled us to check it out. they have live music but its never my style. i think its blue grass not sure, but i always see 40 year olds dancing to it. they have a weird back room that looks like a tiki outdoor patio but its inside so it comes off as cheesy. drinks are reasonably priced. nothing special. read more

You could go here. Or, you could go to the Lincoln Park Zoo (which happens to be free) and check out the chimpanzees interacting with one another. When all is said and done you'll basically be getting the same experience minus the empty wallet, headache, and STDs. read more

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. read more

I am a fan of the beer garden set up. It lets you step away from the bar in case you are overwhelmed by hipsters.

I give credit to Nick's WP/BT location (which is it, really?): just a few min. off the JFK Expy and easy parking off Milwaukee (diagonal parking on Evergreen, in my case). I went for my friends' Chanukah party in Nick's private back room. We had our own friendly bartender. We couldn't go outside since this was December. I liked the atmosphere. Can't comment on the regular crowd because we were all visitors--a friend assured me there were no Bucktown hipsters present in our party. I would go again. read more

It's okay to play pool here, but not a huge fan of going there. On the weekends its really over crowded. Enter at your own risk.

Nick's is your place for finishing out the night, they never have a cover charge and usually some great cover bands for dancing the night away to familiar tunes. Whether you are wearing a sweat shirt or the latest designer knock offs you will feel comfortable in the laid back atmosphere of Nick's. They also have a pool table! read more

Pretty decent go-to bar for big groups and playing shuffleboard / pool.

Typical "I'm here to pick up some ass" 4 o'clock bar, with overpriced drinks. The place is usually dead before almost everywhere else around it closes; that should tell you something. I'd like to suggest renaming Nick's Beer Garden "Nick's Last Minute Ditch Attempt", and I suggest this only because apparently "[D]ick's Last Resort" has already been taken. The only redeeming quality is that it is pretty easy to get a pool table, but it's not like you'd be able to shoot straight at that point anyway. read more

On a 70-degree night in April in Wicker Park, Nick's was the best decision I could have made! Every place was packed, but Nick's was a chill oasis for my group. The place is surprisingly big for the area! We got in before the music started so we could even hear each other well enough to have a decent conversation. Well priced drinks, too, which is super hard to find in the area. I'm a fan. read more

I always have a good time at Nick's. Even lately, now that Wicker Park is dominated by cheesy yippees (a younger, more annoying version of the yuppie). The drinks are always strong and there's plenty of room, especially on the back patio. It's late night so you can hang out or drop by after partying it up somewhere else. I don't recommend going when they have a band, because the music isn't usually that great and it gets really loud and crowded. read more