The Wooden Nickel

The Wooden Nickel is a very cool, very cozy bar! It is located right on the main strip of «downtown» Hillsborough. The place is small and it can be crowded on weekend nights.
My husband is from the area around here so we will sometimes stop in for drinks or to grab a quick bite when we are back in Hillsborough to see friends or family. In my experiences here, the bartenders are very nice and friendly. They have a good selection of beers, including many different sour beers. Some of the beers are priced slightly higher than places in the Raleigh/​Durham area. However, I still wouldn’t consider their prices unreasonable.
On the food side of things, they have typical bar food that is a notch-​above taste-​wise. I have not tried the burgers myself, but I have heard they are very good. On my last visit here, my husband and I split an order of the poutine tots, it was a large portion and a perfect bar snack. I have also heard good things about the wings!
If you’re in Hillsborough, don’t hesitate to visit the Wooden Nickel. It is obvious that this place gets a lot of regulars as well!

Awesome food and a great small town atmosphere. I just wish it was bigger and that they had more staff for waitressing but other than that a great place!

Haven’t tried the food. Just came for beer after an amazing dinner at La Place. That’s not to say I wouldn’t love to come here and try the wings.
Cool, divey ambiance. I like the looks of this place. I described it as divey, yet it feels warm, inviting, and welcoming all at the same time.
Beer is cheap. Bar food looked pretty decent. Great spot along the «historic strip» of Hillsborough.

Like many reviews, I agree, yes it is a small bar. Don’t expect anything fancy. The food is great, but sides are small. They have a large variety of drinks and beers. The service was very good, the server/​bartender was alone, she did a great job of managing all the customers. My only complaint, I ordered a drink from their specialties blackboard. It was horrid. I informed the server that I did not not like the drink. She quickly informed me that I would still have to pay for it, bar policy. She asked if I wanted anything else. Why would I other anything else that would be just as bad and be forced to pay for it also? WTF!!! She was very accommodating and fixed up the same drink. I was forced to drink and pay $ 8.00 for something I did not like. So if you venture to this place, play it safe and pick something you like. Good luck!

We actually came to Hillsborough to check out the new sandwich shop called Bonafide and stopped in to the Wooden Nickel (WNP for short) for a beer. The Wooden Nickel, Bonafide and the Creole restaurant called LaPlace are all owned by the same people and their food and drink presence in downtown Hillsborough is very much alive. The Wooden Nickel is a small, dark and intimate pub with seats at the bar, a few little nooks by the windows and then a «rail» in the middle where you can stand and drink a beer. There are also a few benches outside and it fills up quickly. You have to come early or just wait for someone to leave and grab a table.
Wooden Nickel also has an interesting beer theme where they serve one brewery’s beer all month on their 12 taps. They will always have one sour on tap and then if a beer runs out, they switch it out with another local beer. March, for example, is all Lagunitas beer. The taps have sucks, hopstoopid, cappuccino stout, dogtown, etc. If one of the Lagunitas beers is out, I saw them change it out with something like and Evil Twin or D9. The bartender said to check out their instagram and facebook feed to learn about which brewery would be featured each month. It sounds like Stone and Wicked Weed will be coming up soon and I like the concept to feature a brewery each month. They also offer beer in bottles, mixed drinks and wine.
You can see the kitchen from the open bar window and it is amazing what comes out of that small kitchen. For a small establishment and bar, I was very impressed with the caliber and quality of the food. It rivals some of the best restaurants and their wings are some of the best around. We loved our first visit so much, we can back again for lunch to have a full meal and the wings and specials of the day were really hearty and flavorful. You can get wings in 6, 12 or more and then pick your sauces. We had mild buffalo and that had just the right amount of heat and the wings are really huge and piping hot. For my entrée, I had the daily special which was fried flounder (lightly breaded) over Jicama salad with smoked pepper crema. It was tropical in flavor and the combination with the jicama salad worked perfectly. Daniel had the chicken tacos and the meat was braised in beer and served on corn tortillas. All of the ingredients are fresh and from local farms and next time I want to try the hamburgers. They have two smaller tvs and it is a small yet lively place on Hillsborough’s main street and each time we went, it was bustling. I would highly recommend stopping in when in Hillsborough.

Best wings. Most creative craft draft and bottle beer selection. Knowledgable staff. Very homey spot. The type of bar you go for one and its 6 hours later. Bravo!

How I feel about the Wooden Nickel propels me to express my admiration for it; to give credit where it is due. However, I don’t want You to share in on the awesomeness. I’m selfish and I want it all for myself.
But, for the sake of providing useful knowledge so that you can make an educated decision about where you will soon decide to spend a part of your afternoon/​evening: the chicken wings are phenomenal. Being my first visit here, my opinion is limited solely to the the chicken wings as well as the fried zucchini (the vegetable of the day) both served with incredibly tasty made-​in-​house ranch (or bleu cheese if you desire). The craft beer selection is more than impressive even to my seasoned tastes and the staff here is inviting, well-​informed, and more than effective at their job to keep everyone happy and served even when the comfortably small pub is bustling with chatter and good vibes. They seem to genuinely be into what the Wooden Nickel represents which from what I’ve seen today, looks like quality everything.
There’s more to be said, but as I stated before, I’d rather not convince you to go, you’ll just have to find out for yourself.

Being your everyday Don Juan, I took my Saturday lunch date to this fine establishment. What caught my Spanish eyes was the amount of of people who could fit in such a small space. I thought to myself, I said «Fernandito, theres at least 50 people rubbing elbows in there in exchange for good food, good alcohol, and good company.» And as usual, I was right.

High quality food and good atmosphere. It’s a bar, so it can be crowded and loud sometimes. It’s worth it for the good. French fries are great. Pickle fil-​A sandwich is awesome.

This is a bar. It’s not a sports bar, it’s not a gastropub, it’s not a «bar and…» It’s a bar. It’s small, the décor is predictable (beer signs and televisions), and it can be loud. Accept that about it and expect no more or no less from it, and The Wooden Nickel can be pretty satisfying.
The menu here is limited (wings, apps, sandwiches, and burgers), but there is no shortage of appealing options. Appetizer aficionados can take in everything from homemade pork skins to fried banana peppers while burgers come in more than just beef. For our first visit, I went with a kobe burger (with horseradish cheddar, onions, and ale mustard) and fries while my fiancée opted for the burger-​of-​the-​week (blue cheese and onion relish). Both were tasty with creamy cheeses and sauces that were sharply flavored without being overwhelming. Moreover, the natural-​cut fries were crisp and so well-​seasoned that they didn’t even need ketchup.
At $ 12.50 and $ 12 respectively, pricing may seem high for «bar» food, but it’s on par for a good-​quality half-​pound burger. The fast and efficient service means you won’t wait long to enjoy it.
The lack of space may make coming here at a popular time a bit of a gamble, but if you’re able to find a table and don’t mind paying a bit more for better-​than-​usual pub grub, The Wooden Nickel is a good place to enjoy a drink or a casual meal.

My rating for TWN stays at four stars but, barely. The food was good as usual but, there was a mix up in our orders and service was slow until more staff arrived. This place does a killer business and on warm December day as evidenced by the throng of people dining there. We arrived a little after noon and grabbed one of the benches outside. Service was slow to acknowledge us yet, they were no more than five feet away.
The appetizer took forever to arrive and I actually had to go in and ask about it. A few minutes later out it came and then like three minutes later out came the entrees. One thing I don’t like is being rushed. We were on a seesaw of too slow/​too fast.
The fried banana peppers are the sh*t for sure!
They get high marks on the food but, the service was not up to par today. Still a regular destination for me when in the area.

The wooden nickel is my go to spot if I’m looking for some great wings. They definitely have the biggest and best wings in the triangle! Be careful ordering the hot flavors though, they have a nickel hot that will put some fire in your mouth for sure so be wary. I usually get hot and sweet chili, so good! It gets pretty packed at nights though as it is small and you will usually have to wait to find an open spot but the bartenders are always nice and serve some great and strong drinks! Its definitely the spot to check out if you’re in Hilsborough looking to go have some drinks, hang out and eat some great bar food! Another thing I alwayw get is the fried banan peppers, great appetizer to share as it comes with a lot!

Go for the beer stay for the food! They do tap takeovers which is awesome way to find new beers! The food is on point. I had the Reuben and it’s loaded with their home cooked corned beef and a home made Russian dressing. The garlic fries are phenomenal don’t leave without them!

Such a cute little bar. It is pretty packed in the evenings so meeting larger groups here isn’t really ideal. The tots are to die for.

Place is way to small to be having wing nights. I do not really like the menu and is pricey.

Great burger, great atmosphere, great staff.
What are you waiting for?
Wooden Nickel and Pancuito and LaPlace add some much needed class to Churton Street!

Been going to the nickel for many years and it is definitely my favorite bar and the food is better than all other restaurants in town (except Panciuto). Absolutely the best comfort food /​bar food in the area. Staff is very professional and service top notch. Definitely want to stop by or even make a special trip to Hillsborough to visit the Wooden Nickel. You won’t be disappointed.

I put my order in with blonde server, she said yeah yeah no worries your order is taken care of. 20 min in, still waiting for my meal, I run into her on my way to restroom, and she confirms that the order is still processing. I go back to my seat, after 30 seconds (no kidding not even after a minute) a guy shows up and tells me that 1) He has no order for me, there is no chorizo on the menu although it’s written with big fat letters on TODAY’s menu, and 2) That the blonde lady that served me had JUST left for the day. Completely oblivious to the awkwardness of the situation he goes «well it’s not my fault that Christina didn’t put order in for you — I can put one in four you right now!)
I won’t eat here again. I feel I just walked through twilight zone, and have a bad taste in my mouth although I haven’t eaten anything and I’m still super hungry.

The Wooden Nickel has the best wings in the triangle. I don’t consider this an opinion, I consider it a fact.
If you like buffalo wings please go try them (you can combine sauces, the nickel hot with the sweet thai chili is fantastic). In addition I highly recommend either the fried vegetable (it varies) as an appetizer or the fried green tomatoes which are fantastic.
My only issue is it is tiny. It makes it difficult to come here because you know you will have to fight to have a table and that isn’t always the most convenient thing when you want to have dinner and drinks out.
Because of that I give them four stars as an establishment, but I do love this place. Very good bartenders, a solid draft selection and an eclectic mix of people turn this place into great pub.
However, it is a pub that doesn’t have the room it needs to really operate comfortably.

This place is TINY, but their food is absolutely incredible. My friend ordered pork skins, which I’m not usually a fan of, but the ones here are really amazing. I ordered the bison burger and I would definitely get it again next time. The dijon makes it! Super juicy and full of flavor. Plus, you gotta love any place that offers tater tots as a side :)
My husband ordered garlic fries as his side, and we couldn’t believe how much crushed garlic was on those puppies. WOW. He’s the biggest garlic fan I’ve met and it was even too much for him. Definitely be ready for some hardcore mints if you want to order those…
They have about 10 local beers on tap that rotate. We just so happened to go on Sunday, which is when they have pitchers on special for $ 10 each. I’m thinking we’ll be coming more often on Sundays… :)