The Best NJ Bars and Pubs

Your Guide To The Best NJ Bars Features Sports Bars, Irish pubs, Country Bars, German Beer Gardens, and Singles Bars in New Jersey

Realizing of course that selecting "The Best" can be subjective, as patrons have they likes and dislikes about what they are attracted to. Having said that, we base our criteria on those establishments that attract patrons who come primarily for what the Bar offers.

While the large majority of the bars are part of a larger restaurant with food served, though the availability of good food is certainly a plus, it's not at the top of the list of the criteria. The selection for "The Best" is focused on the Bar's variety and quality of the alcoholic beverages, the bar related amenities such as ambiance, friendliness, service, music, being seated at or near the Bar, and in the case of sports bars, large screen TV's, and more.

These NJ Bars aren't necessarily the biggest, most fashionable,
or glitziest bars --- they are just the best!

Not your average Friday night as Topgolf Swing Suite and Game Time Bar and Grill go 21+. The only twenty one and over party every Friday night with music, drinks, fun, and no cover.

Best North Jersey Bars

Andy's Corner Bar
257 Queen Anne Road
Bogota, NJ
(201) 342-9887
Website
Beer entuisiasts love this place. Patrons make up a large variety of different age groups and life styles. The place is friendly and feels like an Irish Pub gone classy.

They continuely rotate kegs with more than 100 varieties of craft-brewed and imported beer. They pride themselves in having a large selection of craft-brewed beers on tap and the choices are always rotating. All styles of beer represented: including brown ales, pale ales, IPAs, weiss beers, stouts, and seasonal beers. In addition to their great beer selections, serve single-malt scotch and single-barrel bourbons, plus some fine Blue Agave tequila and smooth-as-silk Norwegian Christiania vodka for those with a sophisticated palate.
Note: No food is served.

Carpe Diem Restaurant & Bar
1405 Grand Street
Hoboken, NJ
Website
This was a neighborhood joint before there was a neighborhood. Today, while the character remains very much the same, the menu is very good and continues to evolve, the bar carries on with an excellent selection wine, beer and spirits selection. The ambiance is that of an friendly and cozy local bar,though it still has lots of photos of famous celebrities adorning the walls, This spot is one Hoboken's hidden gems, tucked away in Hoboken's northern edge, away from the raucous, guzzling, Washington Street bar scene.

Casa d'Paco
73 Warwick Street
Newark, NJ
Website
This highly rated Spanish restaurant also ranks high as a bar with a huge selection of imported red and white wines, sangria, cask-aged cocktails, domestic & imported bottled beers, and more. They are known for their Cask Aged Cocktails that are aged for over a month in oak barrels. They also serve their own home made Spanish wines.

Egan & Sons
118 Walnut St.
Montclair, NJ
Website
They serve a large seletion of domestic & imported craft and bottled beers, and on a rotating weekly & seasonal basis, their house-brewed ales, and up to thirty-four classic and craft brews on tap. Most of the woodwork came from Dublin, salvaged from a bar near Dublin Castle. In addition to their house brewed beers, hey have live bands, Irish dancers, good food.

Grasshopper Off The Green Irish Pub & Restaurant
41-43 Morris St.
Morristown, NJ
Website
They have three floors of dining and lounge seating with entertainment every night. Live Irish music, Irish dancers, bagpipers, Irish fare, and more. They serve 20 domestic & International beers on tap. They also feature a sports bar with giant HD screens.large TV 's that view Football, Baseball, Hockey, Basketball, Soccer, and more.

McGovern's Tavern
58-60 New Street
Newark, NJ
Website
A "Cheers style" neighborhood bar frequented by retired cops, college students and local Newark residents. This Newark landmark has recently been renovated with a fresh new look.
Originally opened by Frank McGovern in 1936 as a meeting place for Irish immigrants, and today serves up 12 taps and a carefully selected offering of bottled craft beer, They also offer seasonal drink and shot specials, a chilled Fireball Shot Dispenser.pints of Guinness and other brews and bar fare like a 10-inch bar pie pizza and a sandwich called the Dublin Decker (corned beef, turkey, Swiss cheese, coleslaw, and Russian dressing served on rye bread).

Mulligan's Pub
159 First Street (Between Bloomfield & Garden)
Hoboken, New Jersey
201.876.4101
Website
Mulligan's has an Irish pub ambiance, a smaller bar than most other's on this list but they have large screen televisions that line the walls on all sides of the pub. It's a good to place to watch an NFL game, especially if you are a Jets, Giants, or Philadelphia Eagles fan. They also show out of town games. If you are an EPL soccer fan, this is the go to place in NJ to watch soccer games. You'll find yourself amongst die hard EPL Red Bulls, and NYC FC soccer fans. For regular patrons they have a dart league.
They serve up a good selection of Irish & American beers on tap, especially Guinness, though a limited menu of Irish food.

The Ship Inn
61 Bridge st.
Milford, NJ 08848
Website
Situated in rural western New Jersey's scenic Delaware valley, The Ship Inn has the distinction of being the first brew pub in New Jersey to brew beer since prohibition. The reason to come to this brew pub is for a bit of history. Each week they brew fine ales based on the seven barrel craft beer brewing system of brewing beer in the English tradition using barley malt and Kent Golding's hops.
It's also a good place for a low-key casual place to meet with friends for some craft beers and casual food

Plank Road Inn
1538 Paterson Plank Road
Secaucus, NJ
201-865-9516
Website
Located right down the road from MetLife Stadium, if you aren't able to grab a ticket to the Jets or Giants on game day, the Plank Road Inn serves as a great alternative.
They have great sports coverage with both satellite and DirecTV on 40 TVs. Coverage includes every NFL game, over 750 NCAA Basketball games Including every March Madness game, 35 Major League Baseball games a week, and NCAA Football on ESPN. Domestic beers are half price during happy hour. Their beer selection is decent with 15 Draft Beers and 20+ Bottled Beers.

Stirling Hotel
227 Main Ave
Stirling, NJ
Website
The Stirling Hotel is very casual, rustic, fun, and energetic place for that out of ordinary bar/restaurant experience. They have both indoor and outdoor beer garden with heated tents for dining. There is an abundance of nooks and crannies with tables, fireplaces. and a moose head on the wall. The have Twelve beers on top, another 22 in bottles, with a well prepared menu. Suggest the Tavern burger and the homemade chips.

Willie McBrides
616 Grand Street
Hoboken
Website
They serve a huge selection of draft & bottled beers and a draft cider.
They feature live Irish music with the best bands from all over the Tri – State area perform each Friday and Saturday nights.
This is a great place to watch a sports game. They have all major sporting events covered with 28 HD Large Screens as well as numerous TV's scattered throughout the bar for your viewing pleasure. We also have a pool table and dart boards.
They also serve a decent food menu, and offer free limo service every Friday and Saturday night.

Zeppelin Hall Restaurant and Biergarten
88 Liberty View Drive
Jersey City, NJ
Website
Zeppelin Hall is as close to an authentic German style Biergarten as you will find in the U.S. This is a huge restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating and spaces where hundreds of people gather to drink beer, eat, and socialize in a festive atmosphere. The crowd is young and energetic, and is popular with college students and the 21 to 30+ crowd who come in groups to have a unique beer drinking experience. During Oktoberfest, there is a huge outdoor Biergarten almost the size of a football field with trees, beer-branded umbrellas, and long tables, that can accommodate over 800 people