Spats, the new sports bar and restaurant at 184 Angell St., opened its doors officially April 5. Though Spats' owners originally intended to open the bar before Thanksgiving, the opening was delayed due to complications with the establishment's liquor license.
Some worried that the bar's location close to a residential neighborhood would cause a stir. But most of Spats' neighbors do not seem to mind the added volume of cars or noise from patrons.
"At first I kind of thought it was going to be terrible, but it hasn't actually been that bad," said Meryl Rothstein '06. "It isn't nearly as loud as I expected it to be."
"I can't really hear anything from my apartment," said another neighbor who didn't want to be named.
Though the increase in noise from Spats seems to be negligible, neighbors have noticed a greater presence of late-night crowds outside the bar.
"If you come home at 2 a.m. on weekends or 1 (a.m.) on weekdays when (Spats) is letting out, there are a lot of people outside ... but it's no different from walking by Paragon or Viva. I haven't observed anyone too belligerent yet," Rothstein said.
"I don't know if there's been complaints, but there's been drunk people outside our store some nights," said Caroline Hecht, who works across the street at TeaLuxe.
"As far as I'm aware, there haven't been any complaints," said Providence Police Department District 9 Patrolman Richard Mills, though he was not authorized to check the police log to verify this information.
Overall, Spats patrons seemed pleased with their experiences at the bar and unaware of the complications that caused the delay of the restaurant's opening.
"Spats is a great place," said a patron who identified himself as Larry Flynn. "(The employees are) great people. The young ladies at the door and behind the bar are very nice gals."
"I've been here twice," said patron Kim Schiano. "I like it - it has great music, food, service, atmosphere."
Spats co-owner Andy Mitrelis, who also owns Thayer Street restaurants Paragon and Andreas, declined to comment.
Mitrelis will go before the Providence Board of Licenses on Friday or Tuesday in a hearing to officially gain an operating license for Spats.
