• Cloverleaf Tavern, Caldwell, NJ
• Dublin Pub, Morristown, NJ
• Maloney's, Matawan, NJ
• Nugent's Tavern, Elizabeth, NJ
• St. James Gate Publick House, Maplewood, NJ
• Tierney's Tavern, Montclair, NJ

• Biddy O'Malley's, Northvale, NJ
• Blackthorn, Kenilworth, NJ
• Claddagh Irish Pub, HIghlands, NJ
• Connie Mac's, Pennsauken, NJ
• Darby Road Pub, Scotch Plains, NJ
• Doyle’s Pour House, Tuckerton, NJ
• Dubh Linn Square, Bordentown, NJ
• Hailey's Harp and Pub, Metuchen, NJ
• Irish Pub & Inn, Atlantic City, NJ
• Kelly's Tavern, Neptune City, NJ
• Kilkenny House, Cranford, NJ
• McDonagh's Pub, Keyport, NJ
• McGovern's Tavern, Newark, NJ
• Ri Ra, Atlantic City, NJ
• Scully's Publick House, Newark, NJ
• Thatcher McGhee's, Pompton Lakes, NJ
• The Auld Shebeen, Whippany, NJ
• The Celtic Knot Fish and Chips, Brick, NJ
• The Dublin House, Red Bank, NJ
• Tír na nÓg, Trenton, NJ

Irish

It’s true what they say about Guinness. The closer to the St. James Gate Brewery you drink it, the better it tastes. The best pint of stout I’ve ever had was in a Dublin pub with sawdust on the floor, an American Western on the television, and an elderly pub patron speaking to me unintelligibly in what he believed to be “English.”

If you can’t get to Dublin, Jersey has plenty of Irish pubs that will gladly draw you a pint. My local Irish pub, Maplewood’s St. James Gate Publick House, pours a decent Guinness, and you can understand what most of its patrons are saying, at least early in the evening.

The best Irish spots also serve good food – Irish fare like Shepherd’s Pie, a traditional lamb stew, fish and chips, and a full Irish Breakfast with bacon rashers. Hard core Irish menus might feature colcannon, coddle or boxty. As far as I can tell, the Irish restaurant serving only food – no beer – doesn’t exist in Jersey. (Nor in Ireland, perhaps?)

These are some of the Irish pubs that get the most love in the Garden State. Don’t see your favorite? Share yours. I’ll add the most popular to the list, and to the map.

Irish descendants are the second largest ethnic population in New Jersey.

Links

The Best Irish Pubs and Grub in New Jersey
Beyond St. Patrick’s Day, The ‘Irishness’ of New Jersey
Irish Pubs that also Serve Great Food
NJ’s Top 10 Irish Pubs
St. Patrick’s Day in New Jersey: Three pubs to keep those Irish eyes smiling

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