The general trend in public houses seems to be either full restaurant style taverns or modern liquor store bars. The days of dedicated old man style, gin mills appears to be waning.
Liquor store bars have become the functional workhorse of the industry. Basic set ups offering limited frills and decent value. Some are prettier than others but all provide same standard service, alcohol and a place to drink it.
Under New Jersey law, liquor stores with bar space can serve package goods (2AM) later than those without (10PM). Perhaps this added benefit is one reason for their rising popularity.
Here are the best ones I've found in Central New Jersey.
See Old Man Bars of the Raritan Bayshore
Listed in descending order of value:
Brass Monkey (Sayreville)
Good food and bartender double times as the cook. I'm told the owner's wife (Sheri) will cook, tend bar and play pool at the same time. Bartenders seem to do all of this effortlessly. Barkeeper will ask your name if they don't recognize you and are quite attentive. Owner seems a bit grumpy but don't they all?
Great 9 oz burgers, turkey and beef on Kaiser rolls. They also have a 47 ounce ribeye on the bone for $47, do you need to know more? Rotating dinner specials are all quite good but have limited availability. Bar top is lacquered wood with a brass foot rail. Stools are cushioned plywood backed but a bit too flexible for comfort. Still, I found the wobbler even tho they all seemed to flex.
Two pool tables with an active league. Mp3 juke and Quick Draw kino. There is a Widdy board but it is located over the two booths so I imagine they frown on efforts to play. Outside area not for smokers, they go out back, where the dumpsters are. Stump tables for al fresco dining. All the cool kids use the back entrance.
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| Side Door |
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| A Brass Monkey |
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| Jackie |
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| Smoking Section Portside Bar & Liquors (Port Monmouth) I may have been thrown out of here once before. Located just off the Henry Hudson trail, you can ride your bike here. They bake their own roast beef fresh, every week. Half price burgers on Monday. The food is better than most of the restaurants in the area. Kitchen and bathroom are spotless. Six craft taps out of 12 but they mostly seem to be sours or fruit beers. Who picks these? $5.50 Guinness pints. The bar is filled with fisherman who hate fish. Bar rail made of carbon steel. Pocketbook hooks (boat cleats) for the ladies. Gets way too crowded on oblong ball sport days but the game specials are nice. MP3 jukebox and lottery, but no bar sports other than a dozen tv's. All the cool kids use the back entrance. There is a smoker's bench out back. The bench in front was removed "because of kids and weirdos." This is why we can't have nice things. Now, I lean against glass while I wait for my Uber.
   Olde Village Pub aka OVP (Middletown) I may have been thrown out of here once before. One of three liquor store bars in Middletown. The other two being Portside and Junction Liquors. Green formica bar top with oak molding and wooden foot rail. Stools are wood and backed. Open 11AM to 2AM. Happy Hour 4PM to 6PM. The prime rib special (Thursday) is a good deal but it sells out early. There must be some way to reserve a meal for regulars? I've noticed some have one waiting for them before they arrive. I once watched the owner repurpose a number ten nacho cheese can for culinary use. My chef friend was not amused. All the cool kids use the back entrance. A long dark hallway that makes me think I'm gonna get jumped at the other end. Smokers hang by the dumpsters with the trash. Sometimes they have bands on the weekends. Shuffleboard and Widdy darts but no more pool table. Cigarette machine with intricate directions for use.    Poole Avenue Liquors & Bar (Hazlet) I may have been thrown out of here once before. Small kitchen I'm told serves food? Empanadas made by a guy called Taco. They had a thriving tent city during Covid. There is a smoker's bench out back. All the cool kids use the back entrance. You can use MP3 jukebox app to start a riot here by playing rap music remotely. Bar and foot rail made of Terrazzo. Some call it the Applejack's of Hazlet but I thought that was Frank's?
 Resto Bar at Nappy's Liquors (Keansburg) New renovated bar restaurant aimed at an older crowd. They have bands three nights a week. Lots of natural light and bright despite blue walls. Bathrooms and shelves are spotless. High end tequila specials. They have an attentive staff but it is in a liquor store so we include it. Food is decent but not a bargain for price or quantity. Another horrible MP3 jukebox. Some evil bastard plays 70's disco whenever I'm there. You can use MP3 jukebox app to start a riot here by playing punk rock music remotely. Marble bar top with a copper bar face and no foot rail. Electric outlets but no pocketbook hooks. Bar stools are padded and backed.
 Garden State Bar aka Ryder's Lane Liquors (Milltown) Modern liquor store bar with QR code menu system, updated regularly. Originally located at other end of the same strip mall for more than 20 years. Silver flecked Terrazzo bar top with a veneer face and tile foot rail. Nice swivel cushioned seat stools with wood backs. This bar tries to draw an older crowd with a strict no profanity policy. They sell food but share a mall with several good restaurants. Menu was a mix of bar fare with a few Indian items. I visited on a slow afternoon. There was a fair amount of space between the bar and more than 10 high top tables. Advanced air filtration but bathroom floor trap had a slight odor. Informative staff explained their wares to me. 17 taps, mostly craft beers are displayed on screen with abv %. Website links beer selection to Untapped app. Bar utilizes a Wineemotion dispenser for touchless automation. You can conduct your own wine tastings or sample craft pints. Quick Draw Kino and Mp3 jukebox. Bottled coke and snacks available up front. $6 Guinness but sadly a fast pour and $3 Miller lites.
  Sammy D's Bar, Wine & Spirits aka Dime's (Old Bridge) One of the nicest liquor store bars I've encountered. Modern industrial styling with dark wood accents. Extremely clean, single seat bathrooms. Long dark Corian bar top with black carbon steel foot rail. Stools are metal backed with wood seats. Open area in back with tables and a dance area. Interior very similar to the Portside. No hooks or outlets. Eight micro craft taps. All macro beer is served in bottles or cans. Guinness bottle is $5.50. Quick Draw kino and Mp3 juke. Bands most weekends. There is no food but you are in a strip mall filled with other options. Open 8AM to 11PM. Catering available for events. Website features a party planner app. Owner tends bar on busy nights. I hope to go back soon. 
 Yorktown Bar and Liquors aka Molly's Public House (Englishtown) Well run liquor store bar with attentive staff and modern industrial styling (think Chipotle). They have a twin sister store in the Forked River Wine & Spirits with the Thirsty Piney. 24 craft taps with only five macros, if you count Goose Island. Owner actually takes the time to map out beer varieties. $10 beer samplers. Beer menu features description of each selection with ABV. $8 Guinness pints from a mixing box is not a bargain. Craft bar with craft bar prices and some pours are reduced to 10 or 12 oz. Package goods, growlers and crowlers. Extensive collection of craft cans sold in handy 2 packs. Food is provided by Big Bob's next door but delivered to your table. Food is on same check as liquor but with a 30% markup for delivery. If you're on a budget, take the walk two doors down and eat in your car. French dip was mediocre. Bar top made of butcher block wood with a corrugated steel face. Foot rail made of carbon steel. Mp3 jukebox, which played mostly 90's rock when we visited. Overflow section in the wine department features barber chair style stools. We get standard metal backed wood seat stools in the bar area. Those wine people know how to live. Men's room features a slop sink and mop. Foosball tournaments on Mondays. Game nights every other Thursday. Music most weekends. Merch available.  
 Gateway Bar & Liquors (Atlantic Highlands) The sunken bar makes you feel tall with lowboy table chairs. They used to keep snacks fresh in mason jars but that was before Covid, not sure now. Pickled eggs available. Karaoke on Saturdays with occasional bands. The one cashier should start a Ramones cover band and no I don't think that's an insult. Bathroom hidden among a maze of liquor crates. Another dreaded MP3 jukebox. Evidence of gambling. 
The 404 Bar (Sayreville) More of a bar than a liquor store in a new, purpose built building. Established in 2016, open 11 AM to 11 PM, seven days, sometimes later. Use the side entrance. No regular food but they often have a crock pot of something on offer for patrons. Friendly local crowd. Bar top made of Terazzo with a tile foot rail. Bar seats swivel. MP3 juke and lottery. Six beer taps that occasionally work. Evidence of billiards. Package goods available. Bench for smokers and ample parking. Domestic bottles $3.50
 Garden Bar Liquors aka Sprengels (Neptune) I'm not sure which one is the bar and which is the liquor store, maybe both? Bar is on the side behind the Gulf station. Odd they named a bar after a medical condition. I'll save ya the Google, it's an asymmetrical shoulder blade deformity. Mentioning it doesn't get you a free beer tho. No food except for the occasional chili contest. Bar and foot rail made of plywood veneer. Pocketbook hooks for the ladies. Three Widdy boards. I didn't see a juke box but there was some shitty country music playing while I was there. Finding the Mens was a bit of a challenge. $6 mixing box Guinness. A local correspondent took photo and reported a lively, friendly crowd.    Union Plaza Liquors aka Frank's Bar (Hazlet) Allegedly, part of the Ader's-Portside consortium. Oak flooring bar top and rubber dot foot rail. Wood backed stools and three high top tables. The only hooks are for coats by the door. Three macro domestic taps. Bud bottle is $3.75. Bathroom is gender neutral if that's a concern. Microwave for popcorn and salty snacks up front. No food but a friendly crowd. All the cool kids use the back entrance. Picnic table and two benches for smokers out back. Small canopy and sand filled planters. No bar sports other than Quick Draw kino. You can use MP3 jukebox app to start a riot here by playing rap music remotely. Thankfully, they use a radio bypass during daylight hours for classic rock cruise control. One guy kept buying rounds for the bar and apologizing to folks for playing "That's Amore". Seems like everytime I'm here someone buys a round, Welcome to the Yabba.
 
Buy Rite Liquors Lounge aka Bilow's (Neptune City)Liquor store bar, next door to Molinari's Restaurant. Semi circular bar is semi attached to restaurant next door. Large sunken bar with lowboy captain's chairs on rollers. Tile facia and no footriaiI but ya don't need it when the bar is this low. You'll have more trouble standing after a while tho. Looks like something you would see in an old casino. I sat there for about five minutes while local drunks debated what they wanted for lunch. I walked away thirsty, bartender was MIA. Still, seems like an interesting place, just up the street from Sprengel's. Happy hour 11AM to 6PM. Mp3 Juke. Several craft taps that don't look like they get much use. Local correspondent said it used to be very smoky before the ban.    Driftwood Liquors & Bar (Highlands) I may have been thrown out of here once before. Should be the called the Highlands town center, everyone goes here eventually. Luncheonette on the side that always seems to change hands.  Franklin Corner Tavern aka The Bottom Half (Lawrenceville) You feel a bit like you're drinking in someone's basement and that's because you are. There are fake windows to simulate light and ventilation. Jon Stewart used to frequent this bar a lot in the 90's. He grew up in Lawrenceville. Fairly disgusting bathroom. This place is a literal dive, meaning it's in a basement (hence the name).    Jumping Brook Spirits (Neptune)Liquor store bar with generic signage out front in a strip mall. Easy to drive past unless you know it's in there. Female owned and operated. Wood veneer bar top with a inlaid wooden facia & foot rail. Wood backed bar stools. Back half of bar tilts at 10 degrees toward the back door. Six taps but mostly macro domestic. Mp3 Juke on wall and Supertouch video game on counter. No other bar sports but several Tv's. All the cool kids use the back entrance and smoke by the dumpsters. No food except for special events. Several food options next door. Open 10AM to 12:30AM 
Junction Liquors & Bar (Middletown)I may have been thrown out of here once before. They have Summer BBQ deals out back. Limited food in Winter. Tented outside pen for smokers. 
 Zoom in to see the note. |     Covello's Liquor & Bar (South Amboy)Newly renovated with outdoor seating for the smokers. Careless driver recently plowed through wall from the hwy on NYE. Bartender doubles at the register on slow days. Cozy bar with dark cherry veneer and a brushed chrome foot rail. Couch and Ottoman stools for lounging. The place has a hotel lobby bar vibe. Not too much traffic but friendly staff. Dark lighting for evening hours.  Additional Information: |
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