The Apartment

Im all set. $ 5 beers? Pass. No seating because they reserve them, small yes. Shouldn’t even be a cover. Staff are all black. Racist much? Women are all old ass cougars looking for young men.

I’ve been here a couple of times with a friend. I like the idea of the place and the décor. The drinks are a little pricey and the wait is a little longer then I have patience for, but it’s a decent spot to check out.

Eh. This place tries too hard. The bartender was cheese-ola…the décor was sorta ok, liked the bathtub at the front door… not sure about the headboard hanging from one of the walls… Good beer selection, little too «Providence» for me…

Liked the beer selection. That said, one has to be knowledgeable… some beer are reasonable… others severely overpriced. Service was great all night long… great band thr night i went (Mark Cutler).;…overall…a good time bvut could be priced a little better.
9

I’ve been to The Apartment three times. Three times I went in really wanting to like it, and three times I left feeling mostly underwhelmed.
The beautiful bar with its ornate woodwork, granite top, and giant mirror are still there from the Jake’s days. The rest of the furniture is an odd mismatch of various highbacked chairs around tables. Yes, there’s a bathtub and a headboard here as well. I think I can see the effect that they are going for, but it’s lost on me. This place doesn’t feel cozy and homey to me — it feels kind of cold.
The food isn’t that great, and it’s way overpriced. The drinks aren’t cheap either. The service was okay, but not particularly friendly. The music selection wasn’t my thing and was super loud on at least one occasion. All in all nothing that would make me tell people to avoid the place, but after three tries there’s really no reason for me to go back.
I try to divorce my love of Jake’s Bar and Grille from my feelings about The Apartment. I don’t want to be one of those guys who doesn’t like the new place just because its different from the old place. After all, the two places have nothing to do with one another, aside from happening to be in the same location. But honestly, if it weren’t for the for the fact that The Apartment used to be Jake’s, I probably wouldn’t have set foot in there in the first place.

We stopped in for a beer, and were greeted with some live, easy going music and a ton of beer options. From other descriptions, I was expecting this place to be more divey, but I found the interior warm and welcoming. The bartender and other patrons were nice enough, and there were people starting to trickle in and out as the music started going. I’m surprised this place doesn’t have better reviews! Seemingly, an awesome spot to grab a drink, either outside or later in the night when the crowd gets there.

I’ll start with the good:
Beer selection is very good. Nice variety of brews from around the country (and world to a lesser degree) organized by state. As a craft beer fan I could certainly find plenty of things to drink.
The place is decorated very nicely. Granite bar and cool wall paint. Like the fireplace at the door. Outdoor patio (although I did not use it) seemed really chill and would be an excellent place to sit and have a late afternoon beer.
What needs work:
Prices. Some of the beers were priced very fairly. These are the ones I drank. Others were way too expensive. Like WAY too expensive. For example: $ 9 for an 8 oz pour of Delirium Tremens? I’ve had Tremens often enough at other bars to know that this is crazy. It costs the bar about $ 1.65 for 8 oz of Tremens. Drop this price to $ 6 and I’d have no complaints.
Music volume. Sound system is nice but not appropriate to pump it when there are only 5 people in the bar. I understand that there is a DJ hired for the evening and I’d have no problem with the loud music if the place was busier, but for a slow night when I’d rather just have a conversation than dance, turn the music down a touch.
I’ll go back again in a month to see if anything has improved, but for now there are plenty of other beer bars with much more reasonable prices.

When I come here, I can’t help but wonder about the person who once dreamed, «I have a vision… should I open a bar/​restaurant someday. I want it to be… to be… furnished like one’s apartment.»
But it’s actually not. OK, bathtub at the entry, bed-​headboard on a wall, standing lamps, big chairs. The theme isn’t pulled off because none of this is done artfully.
And I feel like Edith Ann in those big-​ass chairs, derrière perched on the edge, awkwardly leaning forward to reach my food or hear my friends.
I quite approve of their choice to remove the hedges and open the view to passersby when dining/​drinking alfresco.
As for the menu: b-​o-​r-​i-​n-​g. Execution: not terrible, but totally forgettable.
There are a handful of off-​the-​beaten-​track beers on tap. I like the Abita Turbo Dog. On my last visit I noticed every beer that made its way to the table was not to the top of the glass — not even close — ½” of emptiness, another ½” of foam.
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t return to a place so lackluster, but I work a block away. So I wouldn’t refuse another beer/​snack here if that’s where the current was flowing, but seriously folks, make some tweaks and get some fans on your side here!

I’ll rate this place as a bar/​lounge, not a restaurant. I haven’t eaten there yet. We went here for drinks the other night after having dinner in the area. There was a fairly large group of us. The place was about half full (not half empty… I’m a pretty positive person). There were many patrons bellying up to the bar, which was a pretty lively area, and a few tables full of people in comfy sitting areas.
The highlight: their beer menu is very expansive. If you’re a beer nut, you’ll like this place. One word of caution is that the large majority of their beers are bottled (or canned)…there are 16 on tap, and several of the taps are somewhat wasted on not so special options– Coors Light, Guinness, Smithwicks, Sam Adams Seasonal, and Wachusett Blueberry so take that into consideration. To me, the places loses a couple of points there.
The vibe was good. There was a cool jam session going on. The lighting was low and the décor was pretty cool. The name «The Apartment» is expressed with a bathtub in the corner and a headboard on the wall, etc. I’d go back because it was pretty chill in there, but if I want to spend my night exploring great beers, I’ll probably go to Doherty’s in Pawtucket.

This is not a place to live, even though some of the patrons look like they just woke up from a nap.
Service, well, wasn’t great — they got half our drink orders wrong, and half our food orders wrong. Food — mac and cheese sucked. Disappointing for me because you know I live for that crap. Sucked because it was dry, crispy (the pasta not the topping), and lacked that thing called cheese. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their food so I’m going from 2 to 3 on this.
Not hatin’, not lovin’ either.

I didn’t even notice that Jakes had closed until i drove by the other day. My friend said they have karaōke on tues so I went with her to check it out. I was surprised how laid back and relaxing it was. They have a huge beer selection but did seem to be out of a few of the beers I wanted to try. The waitress informed me they hadn’t had that beer since they opened:(
The menu is very limited but did have fried pickles, twinkies, and fried pb and banana’s. They also have fresh potatoe chips with rosemary which were very good but good use a little less salt.

Nice atmosphere/​lounge vibe goin’ on in this place. Definitely a cool place for a mellow evening with some friends.
There was a live blues band playing when I went, though it is my understanding they have some DJ nights too.
Food was mediocre at best. They had a garden burger for vegetarians. Fairly standard Providence pub-​fare.
Beer selection: Not bad, but not amazing. Interesting way of organizing their beer list (by location of origin). Not much I hadn’t seen or tried, but surely some things you don’t find in many bars. Dogfish Black & Blue was on draft. That impressed me.
If anything, the atmosphere is the key selling point here. I did cry a lone, single tear for my dearly missed Jakes, but was also happy that there is a bar at this location again.
Over all, I will go back, for the sole purpose of hanging in a nice, relaxing type lounge, and enjoying some decent craft beer with some friends.

I have yet to decide whether I really like this place or if it’s just okay. The décor inside is pretty cool. I like the area rugs and the randomly placed apartment furniture. I have only been there late night, though, and would really like to stop by during the day for food and to see what the place looks like without the tables pushed against a wall for a band.
I think it’s pretty cool that they have a stage where bands can play. I’ve yet to pay a cover to get in, so that’s always great too. Both times I’ve been here, though, the bar service was rather lacking. It seems like the bartenders are rather inexperienced and admittedly forgot our orders a couple times. Maybe I’m just overly picky, but when I ask for bourbon and get Jack Daniels, it makes me shake my head. I’m not a huge beer drinker, (don’t get me wrong, I like good beers), but there’s just something about the place that doesn’t really interest me in the beer menu.
I hope to stop in during the day sometime to get a feel for the place and see what they have for vegetarian options. Seeing a post about the veggie burger on here has made me even more interested. Hopefully then I can make a final decision about the place and maybe update my rating.

I’m not sure where all the hatin is coming from here. I work across the street, and will pop in for lunch from time to time. As a veggie, there is not much selection by way of meat-​free options, but the veggie burger is delectable — not at all chunky like some are — and the salads have been fresh and fantastic. And those homemade chips, YUM!
I didn’t notice any screws sticking out of the wall, but I also have mole-​vision … even with the contacts. I thought the mismatching squashy armchairs were just charming, very Alice in Wonderland-​esque.
I’ve always had nice servers who were happy to accomodate my short lunch break. They get pretty touchy if you leave your soaking wet umbrella in the bathtub by the door, though.

I’ve been to this bar a few times and each time it gets progressively worse. Decent selection of beer… at least when they have in stock what is shown on the menu. Recently had dinner with friends and one of the orders was incorrect. The sandwich had the wrong spread on it. There way of fixing it was to bring out a small bowl with the correct spread. Hello. what about the wrong spread that is in the bread? That was not only error. Good atmosphere and very comfortable chairs.

After seeing an ad for this place in a local paper that trumpeted their craft beer selection I made my way over for a visit. I was disappointed.
The draft selection was extensive but was not that interesting (bass, harp, blue moon, sam adams, etc…). They didn’t really have any interesting regional microbrews. The bottle list was extensive but was also pretty boring.
Plus any place that prints their beer list on laminated paper is rarely going to change their lineup of beers and is therefore not really worth frequenting to try new craft beers!
The crowd was also a bit too frat/​sorority.
Drive 10 minutes south and check out Track 84 in Warwick to see a true beer bar.

I miss Jakes. This place is a pretty close second, not sure why they had to rip out all the shrubbery, that seems wasteful to me. The inside décor is a little strange, oversized cushy wing chairs surrounding several of the tables in the center of the room. Although it was comfortable, I banged my knee a few times getting up, and I noticed a slight odor. They’re gonna have to Fabreeze them a little better. The décor looked a little «Friends» to me, ex. large bathtub near the bathrooms.
I liked the extensive drink menu, beers were ample and organized by state and country. The food menu was just the right size, not too extensive, and contained standard RI pub fare. I wasn’t into the entrees, so I got the turkey sangwich. I asked if the sandwich meats were thick and fatty, and I was told they were all handcarved. I’m a little dubious about this. The turkey meat was spongy, had little bubbles and a lot of water. Except for that, and the fact that the bread was too mushy (they need to toast or grill it), it was a good sandwich. The rosemary potato chips there are awesome. Those are definitly made in house. The prices were ok. I’ll probably go back.

The minute I saw the sign for this place I had a bad feeling. The name and font they use are better suited for the logo of a wacky sitcom, not a bar/​restaurant focusing on American craft beers. The menu is utterly forgettable and the visible screws holding the décor to the walls is embarrassing. I liked that they had a separate menu of all the seasonal fall beers (too bad they were out of the one I ordered), and the big cushy arm chairs were quite comfortable, but there is really nothing here that would make me want to go back.

Okay so they call this place «The Apartment». What would you expect when you walked into a place with such a specific name like that? Maybe a place that had different areas that looked like different rooms in an Apt. eg. a Bedroom, Living room, Kitchen, etc right???
Well their idea of and Apartment is one random placed claw foot tub at the front door and a Headboard screwed to the wall (with all the screws visible). There is nothing that makes you feel that you are in an Apt. or dwelling at all (other then a cheaply decorated restaurant) The chairs are all random (not in a good way) and look like they came from Building #19 along with the cheap rugs. We were so bothered by the interior that we went and sat outside. We would have left but we were so hungry and waiting for a friend. We should have gone to Stanley’s next door.
I don’t want to be mean but come on, what the hell were you trying to do? Why did you call this place The Apartment? This could have been really interesting place. Oh and the crooked silly font is a disaster.
Wait I have not even gotten to the food and beer yet. There is not much to say in regards to the food. The food was all bad other than the Calamari, that was actually pretty good. Yes they have like 150 beers but all but a handful are in bottles if that matters to you. It was a bit of a bummer to me. I did try a beer I have never had before that I liked very much.
The best thing from this whole disaster was the server (forgot her name). She made the night much more enjoyable, she was very personable and funny. She also suggested beers and food to myself and my friends. I really wish the places was better because I would like to be entertained by her again but I will never be back.
If you want great food and beer in Providence with out door seating go to Trinity, nothing comes close and they make their own beer too.
I wish them luck and don’t want them to go out of business. I only hope that they make the food better and maybe change the interior design.
PS: the food should be a lot cheaper then it is also. They have a $ 14 Kobe beef hot dog not that I tried that.

There is always a premium to be paid when you need something a little different. I like to enjoy a cigar when I drink and — oddly enough — so do most of my friends. I had never been to the former incarnation of this place (Jakes) because the hedges out front never seemed to be a place I wanted to find myself behind. I admit that seems a bit trite but I have my quirks.
So back to the premium. The space is set back from the side walk about 20 feet where they have 6 4 tops for al fresco drinking and dining. Not only are they al fesco but they are cigar friendly. We sat down and were presented with an ashtray by a very sassy waitress who made sure we felt like we were her only table. This was a Thursday during their first week open and the place was jumping.
Having the tables out front gave us a full view of the goings on in that section of Richmond Street just like hanging out on the top of a triple decker in Smith Hill. Rick’s Roadhouse is just across the way as well as the Hess Gas Station. The scene was just like a a house party with couples arguing, the cops buzzing around, and lots of small groups bouncing around the block from bar to bar.
Huge selection of bottle beers and 16 or so on draft. A bar menu of eclectic sandwiches and fried stuff. The homemade chips are perfect and we ordered up six sandwiches that went down the right way. Following in the trends in offering vast selections of small batch beers, they seem to have the right Guru picking the mix.
The inside of the bar is an open floor plan with a jumble of stuff chairs and small tables. You could easily have five different groups partying in this space with well defined space between them.
For the six people in the group we got away for just under $ 130 all in. Food plus two rounds of drinks. And did I say we could smoke on the patio? Who needs Valhalla when I’ve got this. As for the premium, looked but couldn’t find it.