St Nicholas Package Store

Because of new road construction I had difficulty finding this place but I got back home easier. There’s a poor selection of songs and only bottle beer at $ 2.75 If you like older music only I guess it’s ok.

OK, so here is the thing about St. Nick’s [as the locals call it]: it’s a bar. Not a club, or a pub or any of the variations on the word bar, i.e. sports bar, bar and grill, or wine bar. Just a straight up bar.
It can be pretty smoky, its not very clean and there is no plasma screen. The place is full of local regulars either riding a stool or working the video poker [with some serious intensity]. Karaōke is on Wednesday’s but other than that the entertainment is pool, darts, talking and drinking. There’s a full assortment of liquor but asking for something fancy or frilly will get you the side eye. If you want to hear Luda, Dave Matthews or MGMT it will have to be in your car on the way home.
That being said, if you like bars [a place you can have a quiet drink in the corner or get a little rowdy or both,] you’d be hard pressed to find a better example of one. When I’m in the right mood, this is one of my favorite places in Jacksonville. The drinks are cheap and stiff, the crowd [everyone knows everybody] is a bit older but always looking for fun, and something worth talking about is guaranteed to go down. Also, the bartenders are true professionals. Ever had a drink poured by someone who’s been bartending [at the same bar] for 26 years? Its good.
A word of warning though, if you act like the surroundings make you uncomfortable or turn your nose up at a stranger striking up a conversation, you will get treated like a jerk. Because, well, you’ll be acting like a jerk. Its a bar. Lighten up and have a good time.