18 Best Dive Bars near Newark

“Tonight was my first time at Krugs Tavern & my burger was simply fantastic. Great atmosphere & my waitress was to die for. She was terrific, even when I noticed I forgot my sunglasses & had to go back in & retrieve them, they were on the counter. Thank you so much. 5 stars here. Take care & good luck.“

“Kelly’s Tavern in Bay Ridge has been holding it down since 1932—so yes, Papa Kenny, you’re in one of the oldest and most classic bars in the neighborhood, and it doesn’t get much more Brooklyn than this. Old-school Irish vibes, cheap drinks, and regulars arguing at the bar—you might as well be sitting here with Sinatra, a Mets game, and a roll of singles for the jukebox. Kelly’s is real-deal Bay Ridge, not just any old watering hole: it survived Prohibition, hosted generations of locals, showed up in “Saturday Night Fever,” and still keeps the spirit of Brooklyn alive every single day.

While there are even older bars in Brooklyn (like Teddy’s in Williamsburg, 1887), for Bay Ridge you’re smack in one of the neighborhood legends—not the newest kid, but definitely in that OG company. Raise a glass and yell, “Cheers, Papa Kenny! This is what New York feels like!”“

“This is a great venue. Awesome sound and lights. Decent size bar area, bathroom was clean for a sold out show. Was super easy to find street parking. All around good experience and I've been going to shows at places like this since the early 90's so I have a pretty good idea about what venues like this can be like. Definitely go to a show here!“

“Could not believe there is a small town bar in the middle of Hoboken. Loved everything about it, from the bartender Daniel, who was not only professional, but friendly and fun to chat with, to the juke box you can play your music.

I loved that it was very quiet in the middle of the week, and you could interact comfortably with other peole“

“Incredible place, love to see it in good hands as my grandparents (the former owners) would be thrilled to see“

“Great times all the time.“

“What a Great Bar. Every time I go there I have an awesome time. The place is always clean, great music and the staff is friendly. The Best Irish Bar in N.J.🍀🍀🍀“

“great music,staff,atmosphere.Have seen some great shows there.“

“Frenchy's is such a fun, pleasant dive with bar food and drinks. Often they have music that is played so loud that you can't talk. Parking can be a problem. Small lot and street parking. Oh, and part of the movie The Wrestler with Micky Rourke was filmed there.“

“Tankys is the spot! These people in the comments below complaining about it being unsafe just have nothing better to do. Other bars right down the block plays music just as loud and stays open just as late. Besides the one incident last year, there aren’t any brawls or fights that happen there. Most ppl that go there are regulars and know each other. To the ppl complaint about it being loud in open late, you have the power to move to another place you knew where you were moving to when you moved there tankys has been there my whole lifeThe drinks are strong and cheap, the vibe is chill, older crowd, when they have a DJ the music is good, u can bring food in, and they have a lil pool table and a parking lot. I been going to tankys for year and never had a bad experience. Occasionally the bartenders be too busy to get to me and I’ll get tired of waiting and leave but that’s all rare.“

“Worst bar , bad service drunk bartender called Jerry is very disrespectful“

“Been a long time since I had a beer with the Dillon boys and my Valley friends!“

“Exactly what you would picture a great bar to be! The old classic rustic place with all the classic bottles and drinks as well as cute seasonal twist. Was there for the postseason baseball game and football games! Great choice of music today!“

“I was introduced to this place and I absolutely adore it here! The staff and service is 10/10. It’s a smaller business but they always give it their all. I will say the wings are amazing along with the sauce, thank you :)

**my favorite drink is the Malibu bay breeze**“

“Great music here! If you like the music I like!“

“The sexiest dove bar. Found this place thru the comedy circuit and have been coming for years now. Absolutely love love love the food. Them Carolina gold wings are wildly addictive. The staff is super dope (awesome). The banter is bar none. Great place Great atmosphere. Go enjoy yourself, Shae said so.“

“Best atmosphere Great people!!!“

“Always a good time, and the owner is one of kind, always smiling and a big big ❤️heart o match!!“