Three New Jersey bars were just named among the 38 best bars in America.
Cranford’s The Riverside Inn, AKA “The Dive,” Caldwell’s Cloverleaf Tavern, and Belmar’s D’Jais all earned recognition in USA Today’s ranking.
The New Jersey bars offer a varied mix—a grungy dive, serving up greasy burgers and cold PBR cans; an Irish pub with an encyclopedia of craft beer and elevated bar fare; and a Jersey Shore classic, featuring a sea of vodka sodas and plenty of fist pumping.
D’Jais – Belmar
D’Jais has been the pulse of Belmar since opening in 1959. The Shore bar is packed to the gills every single weekend in the summer, frequented by a multi-generational crowd of 20-somethings and longtime beachgoers alike.
Expect a line on the weekends, but once you’re inside, settle in with The Grail—D’Jais’ signature drink, featuring orange vodka, club soda, 7-Up, cranberry, and orange juice—and let the pulsating house music overtake you.
A forgotten night at D’Jais is a rite of passage for all New Jerseyans.
The Riverside Inn – Cranford
You know a good bar when its patrons don’t even call it by its real name. To most, The Riverside Inn is simply “The Dive.”
Originally a Prohibition-era speakeasy—with paintings on the walls of the basement to prove it— The Dive is easily one of Jersey’s best bar atmospheres. Everything from the sticker-covered walls, the crisp cans of PBR, the RC Cola on the gun, and the rotating cast of familiar bartenders makes it an easy pick for this list.
What’s more is some seriously good bar food. Fresh roast beef sandwiches—dipped in jus—buffalo wings, and even Prime Rib when they offer it, usually on Thursdays for special.
Cloverleaf Tavern – Caldwell
Though the Guinness certainly flows at Cloverleaf Tavern, this neighborhood pub is better known for its encyclopedic selection of craft beer—the total list featuring over 100 rotating domestic and imported options, with plenty of local brews to boot.
Beyond the frosty pints is one of the better pub menus you’ll find in Jersey. Crispy fried cheese curds, griddled Reubens, and the house-favorite bacon fusion burger—the patty made with a 50/50 mix of ground beef and bacon—are just some of the options regulars like to feast on.
Cloverleaf Tavern remains one of Bloomfield Ave’s busiest bars for good reason.
READ MORE: Inside New Jersey’s Most Legendary Dive Bar
Peter Candia is the Food + Drink Editor at New Jersey Digest. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Peter found a passion for writing midway through school and never looked back. He is a former line cook, server and bartender at top-rated restaurants in the tri-state area. In addition to food, Peter enjoys politics, music, sports and anything New Jersey.
