The Wild Colonial Tavern

The Wild Colonial TavernThe Wild Colonial Tavern
The Wild Colonial TavernThe Wild Colonial Tavern
Bar, Eatery

250 S Water St
Providence, Rhode Island, 02903-2969
United States

(401) 621-5644 | map
wildcolonial.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.9
Reviews:
13
Ratings:
22
pDev:
14.62%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.97 by Rubezahl from Pennsylvania

Jul 29, 2018
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Reviewed by Celtics76 from Rhode Island

4.14/5  rDev +6.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4
I always enjoy myself when I come here. Beer selection is always solid (or better), and I'm a big fan of the atmosphere. I like dark, divey type bars and this fits the bill. Barkeeps are generally attentive, they have one TV (maybe two), but you come here for the beer/conversation.
Dec 09, 2016
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Reviewed by Urk1127 from New Jersey

3.79/5  rDev -2.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4
Visited while on vacation to my aunt and uncles who live in north kingston. Very old looking from the outside. Nice on the inside. It was a bit dark in there. Friendly staff. Didn't eat anything just stopped for some beers.
Apr 19, 2016
 
Rated: 4.36 by TheElectricOne from Rhode Island

Oct 12, 2015
 
Rated: 4.2 by davelarocque from Rhode Island

Oct 30, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by ChrisinRI from Rhode Island

May 08, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by pinhead from Washington

Mar 27, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by portisque from Rhode Island

Mar 17, 2014
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Reviewed by Bla from Rhode Island

3.68/5  rDev -5.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3
Worth a stop on a crawl through Providence. Unique interior with original stone and brick walls makes for an "Old World" type of experience--reflective of the pub's mascot. Good draft and bottle selection with a good space for darts/pool. Nice in the afternoons with the sun coming through the windows. Very friendly and helpful staff.
Dec 27, 2013
 
Rated: 5 by Beerman72 from Rhode Island

Dec 06, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by George1005 from Connecticut

Oct 25, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by Brendog9 from Massachusetts

Oct 10, 2013
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Reviewed by JuanMag

4.95/5  rDev +26.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
This place is the perfect answer to people looking to avoid chain bars and restaurants. It has a great atmosphere, definitely lots of character and a knowledgeable staff that will bring you in like your one of the family. Theres a full chalkboard of beers on draught from great craft brewers, as well as a vast bottled beer selection. I went through some of the other reviews that said their selection was limited and wondered if they went to the SAME BAR! Ive been going to this tavern a couple times a week for a while now and I have to cross two towns and numerous bars just to get to it! I know im just one voice on this but I HIGHLY suggest this tavern.
May 16, 2012
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Reviewed by Cmack15 from Massachusetts

3.83/5  rDev -1.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3
This is a fun spot to hang out and have a few pints. Old world cellar vibe, very rustic inside. They have an old beat up pool table and no tvs, so its all about a good chat. The beer selection is not much maybe 5 or 6 beers on tap and small bottle list. The food is simple too, but you don't come here for the food or beer its all about the vibe. This is what a classic pub is all about. They have a trivia night once a week and tend to get a young college crowd, but its artists and smart people from RISD and Brown. If you live near providence this is a fun bar to go to, check it out.
cheers
Jun 19, 2011
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Reviewed by rinypa from Rhode Island

3.55/5  rDev -9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
it LOOKS like a dive (I actually love the space) but the prices and beer selection are not divey. For Providence one of the best bottle selections and very respectable taps. Bartenders are efficient, can be chatty or businesslike as the mood/person dictates.

WC is literally next door to RISD. So during the school year it can get crowded, especially on Thurs/Fri, and they can be pricks about IDs (though I often see as many faculty as students there). On Saturdays older people drive in from the 'burbs (why they come here not sure, are they grabbing a drink before Baccaro?) so that throws things off a bit.

The lack of a college crowd, the cool basement interior and the chance to catch a nice sunset over the river (they put a few tables outside) are good reasons to come here in the summer. Oh, and although it doesn;t look like the kind of place that has food, they do, just basic sandwiches but for this place that's fine.
May 12, 2011
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Reviewed by CHILLINDYLAN from Washington

4.06/5  rDev +4.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Great local dive in providence. A cave-like chill dark atmosphere with pool and darts and a bunch of tables. Sometimes is packed, other times its empty. When it is packed, it's sometimes hard to get to the counter to get a drink. A great place to go chill with friends and drink good beer and hang out. Their selection is good but not awesome. They have 8-10 taps with a decent selection. My buddy would almost always order a Guinness/DFH60 black and tan, which was especially delicious in the winter. And they have a fridge with a good selection of bottled beers from the area and beyond (DFH, Harpoon, Brooklyn, Victory, Stone, and more). It was great living in walking distance to this place, aside from the huge walk up the hill after getting sloshed. Wild Colonial will always hold a special place in my liver.
Feb 28, 2010
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Reviewed by dirkchivers from California

3.28/5  rDev -15.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 4
Huge (for me) bottle selection. Decent tap selection. Its not Julian's, but it is cheaper, and a different crowd. A good hangout after work, but i prefer other places later on as it just gets too loud and i hate places that charge for billiards (i know its a standard practice, but come on). I go here regularly and will be back, but its not a go-out-of-your-way destination. In their defense, they definitely are a beer bar, which is good as many bars in Providence don't even have taps. Perhaps more two block walks would be in order if their tap selection changed more frequently.
Feb 04, 2010
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Reviewed by RomanW70 from Rhode Island

3.93/5  rDev +0.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
I've been coming to the Wild Colonial for a lot of years. It's my base bar in Providence. It has a good but not great beer selection, but they have Victory, Arrogant Bastard and Brooklyn in bottles, and often Allagash, Dogfish Head, and tasty locals on tap. Great English pub atmosphere with killer music. Not a beer destination place, but definitely a nice place to go where a beer geek can have some good beers. Sometimes the place is busy, and sometimes it's dead. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. Defintely worth a visit in any pub crawl of Providence.
Apr 19, 2008
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Reviewed by RunawayJim from Rhode Island

3.7/5  rDev -5.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
The bar is in an old building with lots of old stone inside. It has a real old pub/tavern feel to it. There are a few different rooms and the bar is actually across 2 of the rooms. They have a decent selection on tap. Last time I was there they had DFH 60 Min, Allagash White, and some others, as well as the usual suspects (some BMC, Guinness, Bass, etc). They have a better bottle selection - Stone IPA is all I remember off the top of my head (I drank a few of those) and I think I saw some bigger bottles as well. The waitress came around somewhat often, though I think it could have been more. There were only 1 or 2 bartenders and the place was packed on a Saturday night, so it took a while to get a beer. They don't give you a glass when you order a bottle. I had to specifically ask for one. None of their glassware is on display so I have no idea if they have proper glasses for each style, but I kind of doubt it. I've never eaten there so I have no idea what the food is like.

Overall, it's a decent bar with a decent beer selection, but not really meaning to be a real beer bar that concentrates on quality. I believe they also have a good selection of single malt scotches.
Feb 06, 2008
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Reviewed by ybnorml from Rhode Island

2.15/5  rDev -44.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 2 | service: 2 | selection: 2 | food: 2
Low dark ceilings. Dark exposed brickwork. A distinct Musty aroma in the air. The bar is spilt into two making it hard for the bartender to keep track of customers. There is a large seating area with lots of tables and dart boards. Only 13 draft lines with some decent choices. The only macro on tap was Molson. The bottle selection is amemic. I counted about thirty different beers including Bud, Bud Light, Coors Light and Hieneken. In my opinion this is more of a cocktail/martini bar in a pub like atmosphere. Also be warned if you're watching the ball game the bartender just might change the channel to watch the cooking channel.
Aug 25, 2004
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Reviewed by bewley from Oregon

4.06/5  rDev +4.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Great location along the river--bottom of a large brick building that is set in from the road (facing a parking lot). The atmosphere is rustic: timber beams, low ceilings and a lot of exposed brick.

Pretty decent selections of beer. I had a Dogfish Head Chicory Stout in the bottle last time I was there. Service was good. I never got carded, but I guess those days are now over for me, so it's not much of an issue.

I think the weekends can get busy during school months. On Sunday evenings they used to have a trivia night of sorts where they gave out prizes. I don't now if that's still going on. A dart-board and a couple of pool tables round out the experience. It's more of a RISD hang-out, so the smoke is probably an issue when it's crowded.

I've never eaten there, but it's a pretty good watering hole just the same. Not far from the Wickendon Pub, so an avid BA can hit both in the evening and make a night of it!
Jul 13, 2004
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Reviewed by etho1416 from New York

3.24/5  rDev -16.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 1 | selection: 4
The wild colonial has a nice mellow college bar atmosphere. Very dark and artsy in many ways. They have a good selection of bottled beers and around ten drafts, with at least one or two changing every few months. They almost always have one or two magic hat or digfish head brew on tap. They have nice dart boards and a descent pool table. My only complaint is with the service. This is the only place I have ever been asked for three ID's. ANd not only was I asked for an absurd amount of id's, but hey have consistently been very rude about it. They have the typical college bar attitude of "you have no where else to go so we can be jerks." I realize that providence has a big fake id problem, but they can at least be pleasant when asking for multiple ids.
Feb 22, 2004
The Wild Colonial Tavern in Providence, RI
Place rating: 3.9 out of 5 with 22 ratings