Entry No. 12 — the Providence file — filed under: speakeasy
The Avery
The Avery opened behind a nearly blank Olneyville storefront and spent years as Providence's original no-signage bar; it has since conceded to hand-painted window lettering, which by its standards counts as a billboard. Inside is an ornate carved dark-wood bar under tin ceilings, and out back a patio strung with lights around a fountain. The list runs to serious cocktails and rare craft beers, and RI Monthly's November 2025 secret-bars roundup confirms it's still at it on Luongo Memorial Square.
→ Three at a time, never the same twice — explore weird Providence
The story
John “J.R.” Richard opened The Avery in April 2008 in a low building on Luongo Memorial Square, a cobblestone intersection with a fountain at the West Side's edge of Olneyville. The address had cycled through a run of bars before him, most recently the Decatur Lounge, and Richard — who came up through Providence nightlife at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel and Jerky's — wanted something unlike any of them. His plan, as he described it to Providence Business News that summer, was “a nice little place that would go under the radar”: no exterior sign, no advertising, no website. Word of mouth handled the rest, and the bar spent years as the city's original unmarked door.
The interior is by Providence designer Kyla Coburn, and it is why people describe the room before the drinks. Carved wall panels replicate historic theater ornament; the Art Deco and Art Nouveau motifs work in local landmarks, including the Bank of America building and the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier smokestacks, and lit carvings of nymphs front the whiskey cabinets. Tin ceilings, dark carved wood, and lighting dim enough that regulars warn newcomers about it. There are no televisions, no shot specials and — a rule from opening day — no pitchers of beer.
The list is craft cocktails and a long rotating shelf of rare bottled beer, with whiskey behind the carvings. In warm weather the bar puts benches and small tables out onto the cobblestones by the fountain. It has since conceded hand-painted “Avery” lettering on the window, which by the standards of a place that opened without a website counts as a billboard. Rhode Island Monthly's roundup of the city's secret bars still files it as the one that preceded all the others.
What it's like
From the square it reads as a house: residential scale, darkened windows, and hand-painted lettering you will only notice if you already know to look. Inside is genuinely dark — give your eyes a minute, then start reading the walls, because the carvings are the main event. Bartenders are more efficient than chatty; that is house style, not a slight. It is a bar rather than a restaurant, so eat before or after; Olneyville New York System is a short walk. Seating is first-come with no reservations, and it is small — two at the bar is the natural configuration and a large group will struggle. In warm months the benches out on the cobblestones are the better seat, and the square is quiet enough to talk.
The move: Take two stools at the carved bar and order bartender's-choice cocktails, then walk around the corner to Olneyville New York System for hot wieners all the way — the neighborhood's correct order of operations.
📍 Before you go The only signage is the hand-painted 'Avery' window lettering on Luongo Memorial Square, just off Olneyville Square. Hours aren't posted on its one-page website, so check the bar's Facebook page (linked from averyprovidence.com) or call 401-262-9009 before heading over. Street parking around the square.
- 📍 Providence
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 18 Luongo Memorial Sq, Providence, RI 02909
Hours: Added 2026-08-25 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Courtland Club — A third of a mile up the hill, the newer unmarked door — Courtland has a kitchen, candlelight and Sunday jazz, so it makes the natural second half of a West Side night.
- Dirt Palace Storefront Window Gallery — A short walk to Olneyville Square, where the Dirt Palace's lit storefront window is free, unstaffed and viewable at any hour — a bright, public thing to look at on either side of a very dark bar.
- Rocket to Mars — Under a third of a mile away on lower Broadway, weekends only and closed by 6 — a tiki-and-space-age vintage den for the daylight hours before the Avery opens at 4.
More weird in Providence
Good to know
How do I find it if there's no sign?
Aim for 18 Luongo Memorial Square, just off Olneyville Square on the West Side. The only marker is hand-painted “Avery” lettering on the window of a building that otherwise looks residential — dark windows, no awning, no menu box, no light spilling out.
What are the hours?
The bar publishes almost nothing itself: averyprovidence.com is a single image that links to its Facebook page. Third-party listings consistently show it opening at 4 p.m. and running to around midnight, but since the bar has never advertised, check the Facebook page before you cross town.
Do I need a reservation, and what will it run me?
No reservations — it's walk-in, and it's a small room. Cocktails sit in normal Providence craft territory; the rare-beer list and the whiskey shelf are where the higher numbers live. It has no TVs, no shot specials and, by the owner's original rule, no pitchers of beer.
Is there food?
It operates as a cocktail bar rather than a restaurant, so plan dinner around it. Olneyville New York System, a few minutes' walk toward the square, is the neighborhood's standing answer — hot wieners all the way.
Where do I park, and is there outdoor seating?
Street parking around Luongo Memorial Square, which is residential and generally easy in the evening. In warmer months the bar sets benches and small tables out on the cobblestones by the fountain; reviewers agree the benches are the ones to grab, since the spare little chairs and tables are less forgiving.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: rimonthly.com · Official site
last checked: 2026-08-25