http://www.jerseycitybarguide.com/ Newest bar reviews are fed fresh from our Jersey City HQ Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:58:38 -0600 en-us http://www.jerseycitybarguide.com/rss/rss.gif http://www.jerseycitybarguide.com/ 64 64 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=146 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=146#197 Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:48:43 EST I don't think this place has been open for years, my friends. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=158 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=158#197 Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:43:28 EST Some people say this is the best pizza in Jersey City. I may have to agree with them. This is a siamese-twin type of establishment. On one side you got your molded plastic booth typical pizzeria. On the other side a more fancy pants sit down Italian-American Restaurant. They serve wine....do they have a full bar? I don't know. It's been a while since I went to the fancy pants side. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=161 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=161#200 Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:24:36 EST locked the doors.. had to wait for someone to let you out during normal business hours.. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=27 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=27#197 Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:53:13 EST This is a great place with friendly staff and excellent food. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=114 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=114#197 Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:31:21 EST You come here for the view not the food, in my humble opinion. I've never done it, but it would be a good place just to come have a drink. They have a little bar where you can sit down and when the weather is nice they have outdoor seating. Can you chill out with just drinks in the outdoor seating? I don't know. Port Liberte is weird. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=155 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=155#197 Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:14:33 EST Al's can get dramatic late night when the after bar crowd shows up. Great place for breakfast though, it gets busy on Sunday when people come here after church in their Sunday best. Open 24 hours. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=134 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=134#197 Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:12:51 EST I spoke with a waitress and she said the Walgreens plan has been squashed. With that being said, when you order an omlette you can substitute toast for pancakes. Oh hells yes! http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=49 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=49#197 Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:24:10 EST They don't have Guinness on tap anymore! According to the (very pretty) bartender it wasn't that popular. I'm dubious. Internet juke box is nice. Sometimes they really turn it up if folks are looking to party making conversation difficult, at best. I've seen people smoke weed in the alley next door which I think is pretty dumb. I wish they let you bring Boulevard Drinks hot dogs in to eat at the bar but they have some half-assed restaurant in there that supposedly serves food, but I ain't going near that. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=66 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=66#197 Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:19:38 EST They used to have salsa here on Wednesday nights. It was a great scene. Some live drumming to accompany the DJ and the selections were good stuff. Good place to bring your girl to dance but you can still sit down and enjoy a reasonably priced drink as well. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=154 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=154#197 Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:15:26 EST The Bar is in the bowling alley. I love this bowling alley. The beer selection is limited at best I think they have some 2 or 3 domestics on tap. Maybe. But drinking is kind of a side activity at this place. You come here to bash pins, or don't come at all. Make sure you don't come hungry though, because the snack bar is not very good. The Broadway diner is a few doors down though so you'll be okay. I've seen this bar get pretty packed and rowdy as folks come here for birthday parties and what not. It's actually a great place for that as it's really really cheap so people can bowl and drink for not much dough. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=156 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=156#40 Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:51:17 EST @susansaint... of course... Brooklyn is a DUMP. Barcade is OK. They seem to have either FIXED or turned off the busted games. Good for them. No wasted quarters. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=157 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=157#193 Sat, 15 Oct 2011 19:15:13 EST Went after work on a Friday night. The guy at the door who looks like Jay Leno was very nice. Definitely overpriced. The service was not good. Took a friend out and the waitress was flirting with him! Then she messed up his order, forgot our food then gave me the wrong bill. Service brought this place down. Perhaps if she focused on the job and not the men, she would have received a tip. Needs more training. Food was ok. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=153 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=153#191 Sun, 11 Sep 2011 14:15:11 EST Eh. I've only had bad food here and passable beer. It's unfortunate becauase it's a great location and has a nice little outdoor space. They host tacky liquor sales events too that include "babes" with t-shirts. For such a nice area of Jersey City I would expect a little more. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=31 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=31#54 Sun, 14 Aug 2011 22:46:16 EST It's more of a restaurant/bar now. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=109 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=109#54 Sun, 14 Aug 2011 22:39:23 EST Big bar, you can actually play pool without poking anyone. It has juke box. The drinks are good and not expensive. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=38 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=38#54 Sun, 14 Aug 2011 22:35:31 EST I was doing a little bar hopping yesterday to check out some places. The waitress that was there yesterday was not friendly at all. My friend and I had 1 drink and left. She had shoulder lenght hair and did not even smile once. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=160 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=160#54 Sun, 14 Aug 2011 22:31:28 EST I was there last night, loved the wide round bar. You can drink and eat at the bar. It's great, relaxed, not stuffy, and everyone is friendly. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=156 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=156#54 Sun, 14 Aug 2011 22:29:10 EST I like the bar, arcade games, and beer selection. But the bathrooms are definitely a Brooklyn experience. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=160 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=160#190 Sun, 07 Aug 2011 08:27:19 EST Yes! Cutest bartenders I've ever seen, so cute that my husband left me for one for them. Great place! http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=4 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=4#75 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:15:11 EST What can you say to $2 red plastic pint cups of Yuengling on tap? Claro que si!! Plenty of peoples smoking out back on a late Saturday nite . . . http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=40 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=40#30 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:55:10 EST Great bar, around the corner from my place. LOW key, cheap drinks, interesting juke box and they have a package license so drinks to go. Crowd has also been changing as Guillo has hired a new bartender with younger customer base from downtown. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=160 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=160#30 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:01:05 EST I've been in quite a few times since they opened and here are my opinions thus far. They did a nice job with the renovation, completely gutted Shelia's and put in a nice horse shoe shaped bar. The outside is a work in progress and hopefully a bike rack will be installed. 4 beers currently on tap, Coors Lt, Yuengling, Guinness and Blue Moon and more in the bottle. (get there for happy hour, cheap beers & cute bartenders!) Menu is very basic but good, I've tried the wings, burger, cheese steak and hot dogs, they also have corned beef sandwiches and chicken fingers on the menu. The burger was good, fresh and not a frozen Sysco puck. The cheese steak was actually a cut of steak and not steakums which I expected for the price. The wings are ok (I'm a wing snob) and the hot dogs are delicious. I haven't had an opportunity to check out the corned beef though, it was sold out the last time I asked for it. Overall, the menu is decent and affordably priced. As for staff, Pat and Jerry are very affable behind the bar, I had never met them before they opened but they've quickly learned my name and drink. Summing it all up, it's a nice addition to the neighborhood and an upgrade over Shelia's. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=40 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=40#181 Mon, 23 May 2011 12:36:48 EST No tap. No food. Usually filled with middle aged guys hiding from their wives, but all too often a much tougher crowd. It's gotten somewhat better since the neighbors started to speed dial the cops when the fights broke out. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=156 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=156#163 Thu, 12 May 2011 11:07:13 EST Hipster plaid and stripes galore. Beer is shittily priced. Half of the games steal your quarters or are all screwed up on the calibration or have stuck buttons. They should have stayed in Brooklyn. Boooooo http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=153 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=153#180 Thu, 12 May 2011 11:13:11 EST Seriously, the 9th & C burger is incredible. That thing belongs on Man Vs. Food. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=156 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=156#48 Thu, 05 May 2011 15:35:50 EST Barcade is great. Beer delish. I am a little p'd about the stronger brews being served in a 10 ounce wine goblet. Gimme some glassware for a man, not pH balanced for a woman! http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=133 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=133#173 Sun, 27 Mar 2011 20:26:33 EST RAW CHICKEN - I have been ordering from here for several years and usually I don't have any issues. A few times, I've waited over an hour for delivery. Tonight was VERY different. I ordered Chicken Satay. When I cut into it, it was RAW inside. I called the restaurant to let them know. Surprisingly, they were very dismissive and told me they would credit my account. Honestly, a little disappointed in a restaurant that I've enjoyed over the years. I won't be going back anytime soon. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=120 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=120#60 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 10:49:20 EST This is my favorite bar in all of JC. I've been going to this spot since they opened and were only open on weekends. Now they are open Tues-Sun and have the kitchen open serving up great Portuguese food and Tapas. The owner is a great person and knows how to treat customers. The bar tenders are all awesome, the liquor selection is top notch and the drinks are very reasonably priced. It's very nicely decorated with a large back patio. On Friday and Saturday evenings they have a great DJ. Can't say enough about this place. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=157 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=157#60 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 09:17:10 EST This place is a disaster. It's pretty looking inside, but that's where the good ends. D-Bag bouncers, some retarded dress code, very odd selection of food on the menu, poor liquor selection, WAY OVER PRICED drinks, AWFUL AWFUL music...it's one of the 12 owner/mangers ipod playlists that has top 100 crap jumping from genre to genre with no concept of mixing. The owners and managers themselves are completely full of themselves and don't take feedback from the residents well. Look they opened a spot in the Powerhouse ARTS District. Yes it's being re-gentrified, BUT those who can afford to live in the area still love the arts and this place spits in the face of the local residents. They are trying (poorly) to make a Hoboken bar in downtown JC. Message to owners: if we wanted to live in Hoboken we would have bought/rented in Hoboken. JC residents don't much like Hoboken or the people it draws. Get the message and get your act together or get the hell out of my hood. I'll drop a couple hundred $ at a bar if I feel welcome. I will NEVER spend another $1 at this place and never step foot in again unless it's to punch one of the 12 managers in the face for being dumb. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=157 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=157#172 Tue, 22 Mar 2011 20:24:23 EST Sterile and very commercial feeling. Desolate on friday night around 12am. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=51 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=51#172 Tue, 22 Mar 2011 20:21:27 EST Interior is brand new, still smells freshly made. Bartender was busty and friendly, but the atmosphere was lame and music was terrible and poppy. Prices were average, $5 for a pint. With a good crowd and better music it would be a fun place. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=111 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=111#171 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 13:38:43 EST The drinks are mixed well and the food is wonderful. The prices are just right and fit any budget. The staff is very friendly and helpful. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=157 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=157#167 Sat, 19 Feb 2011 08:32:57 EST I'm a regular at the Powerhouse. I stop by on my way home after work a few days week and love this place! Charlie is usually at the door with a smile and keeps everything safe and issue free. The shuttle guy is the nicest dressed guy I have ever seen driving a van and is really great. He makes sure you are dropped in a safe spot, which for me is important when it's late. Love the drink specials, bartenders friendly, sofa service can be slow...but I'm here to relax so it is no real issue when your with friends. Pizza here is fabulous and so is the chicken. I guess the other reviewers haven't been back since it opened, because I totally disagree with what they had to say. Stop in and check it out. Great place, great group of people! http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=157 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=157#166 Sat, 19 Feb 2011 07:23:25 EST I have been to the Powerhouse Lounge a number of times. My friends and I love it. Great happy hour. For $20 all you can drink and eat - and it's good quality food. There is a dress code, which I like. Evidently, management at the Powerhouse are trying to give the place an upscale image. It's nice to go out for a fun evening and see people nicely dressed. The place has the feel of a trendy bar in the Matpacking Dstrict. I was there when it first opened in Deccember, and the service was disorganized. The service has gotten much better. I am meeting a group of friends there tonight celebrating my birthday. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=22 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=22#165 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 16:15:40 EST I used to work there too. And when I went back MONTHS later they still had very dollar they owed me in tip money in enveloped, dated, with my name on them. I wonder if the person who claims they were owed $50 ever went back to get it? http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=157 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=157#163 Sat, 12 Feb 2011 15:05:47 EST If they had a negative beer glass on this place I'd give Powerhouse 5 of them. Crowd is nonexistant. Drinks are overpriced. Bouncers are douche bags. COVER? In JC with a view of some shit road? PLEASE. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=19 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=19#163 Sat, 12 Feb 2011 15:03:41 EST Loaded with Dominicans, this place is great. I got bro on 7th, so before we head to the path train we hit this spot and get stupid before we hit the more expensive spots. Sports all over the tv so you know ur in good hands here. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=123 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=123#163 Sat, 12 Feb 2011 14:59:39 EST This place blows. Staff sucks. Sushi is fishy smelling and overpriced. Owner tries to come off as caring and nice but metamorphoses into a fayg hayg when her boiz come in and shoos you out in a heartbeat. I'd like to see this place shuttered next week. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=6 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=6#158 Wed, 29 Dec 2010 16:37:47 EST Great Lunch and a decent bottled beer selection. Staff makes everyone feel welcome! http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=153 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=153#75 Thu, 30 Dec 2010 06:18:10 EST Genial hosts Tony and Greg will make you feel like a returning relative. Great to have them back in the nabe (remember Fetchit on the Park?). "Try the veal turkey burger - it's the best in the city." http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=32 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=32#154 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 15:59:24 EST I've been here on a couple of occasions, and I have to say that I was never impressed. It's an extremely dirty establishment with pretty gross taps. I'm from the neighborhood, and most of the times I've been there the crowd had been trashy to say the least. You usually have a bunch of fallout from Ringside, and even worse, on Thursday nights many of the kids from St. Peter's College come down. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=82 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=82#154 Thu, 30 Dec 2010 06:23:02 EST I love Terry's. I mean it probably helps that I grew up around the corner and know many of the regulars & bartenders. It's a great place to start the night by playing some pool and having a few cheap beers. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=45 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=45#154 Thu, 30 Dec 2010 06:24:02 EST I used to live up the block from Lucky 7s, and I've been there on a number of occasions. It's a nice spot during the day/early evening to stop in and have a burger and beer with maybe a friend or 2, but the place is way too small for the crowd they get at nights, especially on Friday & Saturday nights or when bands are playing. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=157 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=157#153 Sun, 05 Dec 2010 22:52:08 EST Went here for a birthday party on a Saturday. Had to check in my coat, fine. But my friend had to check in his hat, lame. Saw some other guy throughout the night with a hat. There were a couple of girls with their wireless handheld ordering machine. Made a simple order with two friends of mine: beer, wine spritzer, and rum and coke. All of my friends had their drinks and were cheering, while us 3 didn't have our drinks for at least 45 minutes! We were told that the bar was backed up. Riiiight. There were probably 3 bartenders and it was not that packed, PLUS it's not like we ordered complicated drinks. I found out later that our waitress quit because the owner was giving her a hard time and it was the bar that forgot the drinks (or ignored the order). So maybe I felt bad, but come on, they have some high tech system for ordering and for an establishment like this, you would expect quality workers. Then, the my girl-friends were telling me that the toilets in their bathroom were not working and was backed up. EWW, damn how long this place been open and they're already having plumbing problems? They also have these half cuts of drain piping as props or decorations. Another party was hanging at the bar and was leaning on it and then it came off and fell on one of my friends. This place is already falling apart. Yeah, this place is pathetic. We don't need a place like this in JC. This place do belong in Hoboken. So disappointing. However, their pizza was good. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=157 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=157#152 Sun, 21 Nov 2010 15:50:16 EST Powerhouse lounge was pathetic. Service was mediocre, bordering on idiotic. Hostess said whatever when I left. Oy, LITM and Marco and Pepe will be my bars of choice. Even Oharas is better than this pretentious, pathetic jersey bar. It should be in Hoboken or further south perhaps. oy http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=31 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=31#149 Sun, 07 Nov 2010 08:36:30 EST I have been to Hamilton Inn a few times, more out convenience and I live in hope that I will have a great time. The first time I went was fine. Every other trip since then has been so disappointing. The menu is boring. Brunch came out cold. Service is terrible. The owners display arrogance. I have given them enough opportunities but have now decided to take my custom elsewhere. The Inn has been done out well and really had so much potential. Please, someone buy this palce and turn it into a local hang out. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=156 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=156#122 Thu, 04 Nov 2010 17:11:10 EST I am so excited for this place to open up. Just saw all the rubble on the floor and the CEASE WORK notices removed from the windows. Let's get some Frogger going! http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=31 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=31#147 Sat, 02 Oct 2010 21:18:32 EST I just returned from yet another disappointing trip to the Hamilton Inn. My wife and I have continued to hold out hope that this place will one day live up to the promise that its great location and décor would lead you to believe it has. But as we all know a great restaurant is all about the details and unfortunately the Hamilton Inn has focused on all the wrong details. They have created a great atmosphere, but a completely lack luster menu, which seems like a mix and match of somebody’s favorites foods (obviously somebody who has a thing for lobster because it is featured in at least three of the menu items). They do a decent job with some of the basics like cheese burgers and fries, but have managed to royally F’ up in most other areas by veering from incredibly pedestrian pasta choices (penne vodka) to seemingly random seafood inclusions like shrimp po-boys. Even though the menu appears to have been created by somebody with a serious case of ADHD and a complete inability to look beyond their own tastes the food is usually prepared well by what seems like an experienced kitchen staff. Where the Hamilton Inn goes incredibly awry is in their hiring of clueless front of the house staff. They have an excellent team of runners, bar tenders and bus boys, but for whatever reason seem to only hire waiters with no zero restaurant experience (and fair complexions). I hope that other people in the neighborhood will read this review and choose to patronize any of the other excellent dinning establishments in the area (Madame Claude’s, Skinner’s Loft, Soul Flavors, The Embankment or La Conguita) and that this place goes out of business so the location can be taken over by a professional operation. http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=18 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=18#117 Sun, 19 Sep 2010 19:43:39 EST They have NJ Beer on tap! All of them! http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=48 http://jerseycitybarguide.com/detail.php?id=48#106 Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:06:29 EST Glad the high-ups at JCBG finally review this place. When I first moved to town, the Merchant was my salvation in the midst of a bunch of bars that honestly scared the hell out of this guy from Darien, Connecticut! To this very day, I order a Manhattan in here and never have to tell any of the tenders how to make it and it always comes back with a perfect amount of vermouth and very strong. Long live the Merchant!