OT - Top Bars in NJ

[fg7321]

Been to a few of these.... lots missing and kind of weird that they stopped at 80 vs top 100.


http://patch.com/new-jersey/manalap...&utm_term=community corner&utm_campaign=alert

 

[RU4Real]

Bar A is #2. List invalid.

Also, whichever BENNY wrote the list shows Bar A's location as "Manasquan". It's in Lake Como.

 

[seels2662]

Very strange and subjective list. I bet I can come up with 87 bars off the top of my head that are better than 95% of the bars listed. I mean I'm not sure if I would put the Milton Inn in the top 5 in its own town. What makes the Charlie Brown's in Woodbury better than the dozen other Charlie Brown's in NJ?

 

[Upstream]

Been to a few of these.... lots missing and kind of weird that they stopped at 80 vs top 100.


http://patch.com/new-jersey/manalapan/s/fzeco/87-best-bars-in-new-jersey-2016-plus-so-called-best-stocked-bar-that-just-opened?utm_source=alert-breakingnews&utm_medium=email&utm_term=community corner&utm_campaign=alert

That's a waste of a list. I've been to a few of them, and I don't think any that I've been to qualify as a "top bar". For example,they include the Stage House in Somerset; a place that doesn't know how to make a martini, has a limited whiskey selection, and a piss-poor beer selection. (I won't comment on wine selection, because this is a ranking of best bars, not restaurants with the best wine cellars.) Other than a nice patio, I can't think of anything that qualifies the Stage House to be on a list of best bars. Yet the list doesn't include Catherine Lombardi, which is one of the best cocktail bars in the area.

 

[Finster Baby]

Haha, met my wife in Lucky 7, guess I was lucky that day.

 

[daneman100]

A list like this is always subjective. How do you define the charactistics of a good bar? An atmosphere that someone else loves would be horrible to others. It is bartender ability or selection(beer, whiskey, etc...)

 

[zappaa]

The Bluffs...Bayhead, The Pool Bar...Springlake
The greatest bars in history to pick up the preppy daughters of rich parents from Chatham, Summit and Montclair.

To bad they're both torn down

 

[RU_Planning]

Not 1 New Brunswick bar listed.

 

[jreinsdorf]

Im a HUGE fan of dive bars, neighborhood beer and shot joints and biker bars. Some of my favorites throughout NJ are : Toms Tavern - Farmingdale, Old Village Pub- Middletown, Town Tavern-Berlin, Jug Handle - Cinnaminson, Last Chance Saloon - Berlin, Pickalillys - Shamong, Great Notch inn - Little Falls, Boyles - Monmouth Beach, Billy and Madeleines Red Room - Whippany, Johnny Macs - Asbury, Ernies - Robbinsville, Deerfield Inn - Parlin, Docks Corner Tavern - Jamesgurg, Hillbilly Hall - Hopewell, Murphys Crocodile Inn - Hillsborough, Bond St Bar - Asbury, Paddy MacFaddens - Belmar, General Saloon - Old Bridge, Daily Planet - Roosevelt, Lower Green Bank inn - Batso, Golden Nugget - Berlin, Motts Creek Inn - Smithville, Mason St Pub - Lake Hopatcong, The Irish Pub - A.C.,Riggers - Seaside, Twisties - Strathmere. Coconut Grove Dockside - National Park. There are so many others but those are a few of mine.

 

[jreinsdorf]

You can tell the author at least tried to appeal to a wide audience because most people who love say a Toms Tavern would not set foot in some of the swankier bars on that list.

 

[Saint Puppy]

Was not a big bar person at all and I know Bar A is probably cheesy to the bar enthusiast, but I will say that was my favorite growing up (haven't been in 10 years or so).

 

[RU Golfer]

Im a HUGE fan of dive bars, neighborhood beer and shot joints and biker bars. Some of my favorites throughout NJ are : Toms Tavern - Farmingdale, Old Village Pub- Middletown, Town Tavern-Berlin, Jug Handle - Cinnaminson, Last Chance Saloon - Berlin, Pickalillys - Shamong, Great Notch inn - Little Falls, Boyles - Monmouth Beach, Billy and Madeleines Red Room - Whippany, Johnny Macs - Asbury, Ernies - Robbinsville, Deerfield Inn - Parlin, Docks Corner Tavern - Jamesgurg, Hillbilly Hall - Hopewell, Murphys Crocodile Inn - Hillsborough, Bond St Bar - Asbury, Paddy MacFaddens - Belmar, General Saloon - Old Bridge, Daily Planet - Roosevelt, Lower Green Bank inn - Batso, Golden Nugget - Berlin, Motts Creek Inn - Smithville, Mason St Pub - Lake Hopatcong, The Irish Pub - A.C.,Riggers - Seaside, Twisties - Strathmere. Coconut Grove Dockside - National Park. There are so many others but those are a few of mine.

Love the dive bars too +1 for Great Notch, Billy's Redroom, Hillbilly Hall, Crocodile Inn, Riggers!!! Need to add The Log Cabin - Columbia to your list

 

[seels2662]

You know what we should do, we should make the Scarlet Nation top bars in NJ. Everyone list the top 5 and we will see who gets the most votes. First we need to split the state up though. For example I feel I can give an expert opinion of the bars in Morris/Sussex but I never walked in a bar in Cumberland county in my life so they shouldn't be penalized. Maybe the categories should be Northwest (Morris/Sussex/Warren/Western Passaic), Around NYC (Eastern Passaic, Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Union), Around Rutgers (Middlesex/Somerset) West Jersey (Hunderton/Mercer), Around Philly (Western Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem), Northern Shore (Monmouth/Ocean), Southern Shore(Eastern Burlington, Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland). So I would do: Category:Northwest NJ, Top 5 1)Pub 199 (Mt Arlington), 2)The Famished Frog (Morristown) 3)Thatcher McGees (Denville) 4)Kroughs (Sparta), 5)Taphouse 15 (Jefferson)- On a side note I like Gatwins better in Jefferson but Taphouse 15 is so so much more popular, same thing with the Village Saloon and Kroughs in Sparta

 

[billhilf]

Very strange and subjective list. I bet I can come up with 87 bars off the top of my head that are better than 95% of the bars listed. I mean I'm not sure if I would put the Milton Inn in the top 5 in its own town. What makes the Charlie Brown's in Woodbury better than the dozen other Charlie Brown's in NJ?

I grew up in Woodbury. There is nothing special about their Charlie Browns. Also Southwood Bar in Deptford is maybe the trashiest bar I've ever seen. I did a double take when I read it was on here. Terrible list.

 

[Upstream]

A list like this is always subjective. How do you define the charactistics of a good bar? An atmosphere that someone else loves would be horrible to others. It is bartender ability or selection(beer, whiskey, etc...)

True ... unless you are going to subdivide the list into categories (best live music bar, best dance club, best bar to hang out with friends, best bar to meet new people, etc) you really need to leave type of atmosphere out of the rankings. You can't rank one bar ahead of another just because one is loud and vibrant and the other is cozy and intimate. You need to rate based on other characteristics of the bar.

And the characteristics of a bar have to be those things that potentially cut across any bar. I would think the most important are drink selection (including liquor and beer list) and drink quality (which often depends on bartender). You can also look at the bar food, but this should be limited to bar food, not a rating of the associated restaurant. And atmosphere is part of the rating, in as much as how well the bar pulls off the desired atmosphere. A bar that is trying to loud and vibrant but is actually dead would be downgraded. Likewise an intimate bar that is too noisy would also be downgraded.

 

[TM514]

Bar A is something for everyone. It's a decent restaurant and the front bar is a nice local atmosphere during the day/happy hour/ most weeknights.

 

[jmg75]

The Bluffs...Bayhead, The Pool Bar...Springlake
The greatest bars in history to pick up the preppy daughters of rich parents from Chatham, Summit and Montclair.

To bad they're both torn down

I'll second the Bluffs. It was one of my all time favorites.

 

[RU#1fan]

Im a HUGE fan of dive bars, neighborhood beer and shot joints and biker bars. Some of my favorites throughout NJ are : Toms Tavern - Farmingdale, Old Village Pub- Middletown, Town Tavern-Berlin, Jug Handle - Cinnaminson, Last Chance Saloon - Berlin, Pickalillys - Shamong, Great Notch inn - Little Falls, Boyles - Monmouth Beach, Billy and Madeleines Red Room - Whippany, Johnny Macs - Asbury, Ernies - Robbinsville, Deerfield Inn - Parlin, Docks Corner Tavern - Jamesgurg, Hillbilly Hall - Hopewell, Murphys Crocodile Inn - Hillsborough, Bond St Bar - Asbury, Paddy MacFaddens - Belmar, General Saloon - Old Bridge, Daily Planet - Roosevelt, Lower Green Bank inn - Batso, Golden Nugget - Berlin, Motts Creek Inn - Smithville, Mason St Pub - Lake Hopatcong, The Irish Pub - A.C.,Riggers - Seaside, Twisties - Strathmere. Coconut Grove Dockside - National Park. There are so many others but those are a few of mine.

That's our bar after hockey games at Floyd Hall. Great dive.

 

[Source]

Discovered Johnny Mac House of Spirits in Asbury Park across from the police station about two summers back. Very funky, fun layout with off-the-wall trivia questions written on the walls, railings, etc. Semi-levels above and below the main floor. Beer garden outside and around back. Fun for bands. When the weather isn't great on a Saturday in the summer, I stop in to watch the Yankee games.

The only way they could get a liquor license from the city was to be both a "restaurant" and bar. So with each drink you buy, you get a ticket to go over a pick up a personal pizza free. Sunday mornings to early afternoon complimentary omelettes. Hey, they said you had to be a restaurant. They didn't say how many varieties of food you have to serve or if you had to make a profit off the food!

 

[rurichdog]

They missed Killarney's Publick House

 

[beaced]

You had my interest until I realized that there was no '"LESS" after TOP.

 

[knightfan7]

Very strange and subjective list. I bet I can come up with 87 bars off the top of my head that are better than 95% of the bars listed. I mean I'm not sure if I would put the Milton Inn in the top 5 in its own town. What makes the Charlie Brown's in Woodbury better than the dozen other Charlie Brown's in NJ?

Maybe because it's still open unlike most Charlie Brown's in NJ?

 

[withoutregard]

since no decade was mentioned, I'll go with any Art Stock nightclub, the man knew that business well, the manor on route 1 was nuts, many themed clubs within a club

 

[ScarletGrapfan]

Im a HUGE fan of dive bars, neighborhood beer and shot joints and biker bars. Some of my favorites throughout NJ are : Toms Tavern - Farmingdale, Old Village Pub- Middletown, Town Tavern-Berlin, Jug Handle - Cinnaminson, Last Chance Saloon - Berlin, Pickalillys - Shamong, Great Notch inn - Little Falls, Boyles - Monmouth Beach, Billy and Madeleines Red Room - Whippany, Johnny Macs - Asbury, Ernies - Robbinsville, Deerfield Inn - Parlin, Docks Corner Tavern - Jamesgurg, Hillbilly Hall - Hopewell, Murphys Crocodile Inn - Hillsborough, Bond St Bar - Asbury, Paddy MacFaddens - Belmar, General Saloon - Old Bridge, Daily Planet - Roosevelt, Lower Green Bank inn - Batso, Golden Nugget - Berlin, Motts Creek Inn - Smithville, Mason St Pub - Lake Hopatcong, The Irish Pub - A.C.,Riggers - Seaside, Twisties - Strathmere. Coconut Grove Dockside - National Park. There are so many others but those are a few of mine.

Great list, I have been to the bolded bars, gotta check out the rest!!

 

[Abro1975]

Stanhope House , Good bar, great blues music.

 

[zappaa]

:D

Stanhope House , Good bar, great blues music.

The music is only as good as the chicks.
No such thing as good music on a Viking Ship:D

 

[NotInRHouse]

I have been to 21 of the places on the list.

The crowd at Lucky 7 and TX AZ has very little in common despite being what, a mile apart, despite a lot of RU alums at both lol.

On that list right now I like 10th and Willow and Turtle Club. But if I wanted a $4 drink Lucky 7 would be just fine and Bar A always a classic.

 

[NotInRHouse]

Not 1 New Brunswick bar listed.

And if we are talking cocktails, no listing of Clydz is a real shame.

It looks like they are going by Foursquare checkins. And you are going to see a dip in NB when school is out.

Also why not many shore bars- Bar A the exception because it just so huge.

 

[NotInRHouse]

The Bluffs...Bayhead, The Pool Bar...Springlake
The greatest bars in history to pick up the preppy daughters of rich parents from Chatham, Summit and Montclair.

To bad they're both torn down

Yeah but Parker House is very much alive :sunglasses:

 

[zappaa]

Yeah but Parker House is very much alive :sunglasses:

Ashley Dupre's hang out! :rolleyes:

 

[knightfan7]

How could the make a list of the best bars in NJ and not have even 1 that I've worked at? I call BS on that:smiley:

 

[Knightmoves]

For craft beer lovers in Monmouth County, check out Boyles Tavern in Monmouth Beach. Tell the bartender that Knightmoves sent you. Don't be surprised if your first beer is on the house.

 

[zappaa]

For craft beer lovers in Monmouth County, check out Boyles Tavern in Monmouth Beach. Tell the bartender that Knightmoves sent you. Don't be surprised if your first beer is on the house.

Should I bring a ladder?

 

[Knightmoves]

Should I bring a ladder?

Lol. John Farrell of the Red Sox grew up in Monmouth Beach and is best friends with the owner. He gets me comp seats at Fenway every season.

Let me know when you plan to go and I'll set you up at Boyles.

 

[RU_DIO]

since no decade was mentioned, I'll go with any Art Stock nightclub, the man knew that business well, the manor on route 1 was nuts, many themed clubs within a club

I worked at his Birch Hill club and loved The Pig Pen, I mean Play Pen.

 

[RU_DIO]

How could the make a list of the best bars in NJ and not have even 1 that I've worked at? I call BS on that:smiley:

Me too! And no D'Jais?

 

[knightfan7]

Me too! And no D'Jais?

Must be the NJ media bias against Rutgers grads and fans. No other explanation.

 

[ElmiraExpress]

Been to a few of these.... lots missing and kind of weird that they stopped at 80 vs top 100.


http://patch.com/new-jersey/manalapan/s/fzeco/87-best-bars-in-new-jersey-2016-plus-so-called-best-stocked-bar-that-just-opened?utm_source=alert-breakingnews&utm_medium=email&utm_term=community corner&utm_campaign=alert

I'll agree that the Alchemist and Barrister is the best bar in Princeton, although in their recent renovation, they removed the historic old bar in the main bar room, and I miss it. The Ivy Inn is an unusual but good choice for the second best bar in Princeton. It is the only bar in Princeton that even romotely could be called a dive bar.

For New Brunswick, Clydz should be on the list, but I can't think of another one. I'm hoping that Hub City Brewhouse starts to develop a better and more unique atmosphere now that it is no longer World of Beer. My favorite bar in NJ was South Side Grill in South Bound Brook, but sadly it burned down this year. Tapestre in Somerville is a very good one now.

 

[ElmiraExpress]

Been to a few of these.... lots missing and kind of weird that they stopped at 80 vs top 100.


http://patch.com/new-jersey/manalapan/s/fzeco/87-best-bars-in-new-jersey-2016-plus-so-called-best-stocked-bar-that-just-opened?utm_source=alert-breakingnews&utm_medium=email&utm_term=community corner&utm_campaign=alert

Unless I missed it, The Boathouse in Lambertsville is not on the list ??!!?? That should be in the top 5.

 

[hunterm93]

For craft beer lovers in Monmouth County, check out Boyles Tavern in Monmouth Beach. Tell the bartender that Knightmoves sent you. Don't be surprised if your first beer is on the house.

I've gotten lost walking home from boyles and I only live a few blocks away .