The name 'dive bar' used to be something derogatory. Nowadays it's more of a badge of honor to say to own one, go to one, or work at one.

Dive bars have become chic in a way. If you ask just about anyone where to find a dive bar in their area, they won't miss a beat in rattling off at least one or two.

The website Mediafeed.com listed the best dive bars in each state.

That's actually impossible to do. What exactly constitutes the best dive bar?

Their conclusion for New Jersey is the Ivy Inn in Princeton. People rave about it and that's all well and good, but how does it compare to a dive bar in South Amboy or Riverside? So we came up with a list of the 'notable' dive bars in New Jersey.

We started in South Jersey, stopped A LOT in Central Jersey and ended in North Jersey. We left out the Jersey Shore bar because there are just too many to choose from. If your favorite isn't on the list, don't be offended, just tell us about it.

Here we go...

JAYS ELBOW ROOM — Route 73 Mt. Laurel 

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

THE HIGHLAND TAVERN — Gloucester City

TOM FISCHER'S TAVERN — Haddon Twp

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

LITTLE SPOT TAVERN — Somerdale

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

THE CORNER BAR — Pilesgrove

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

CRAWFORD'S CORNER BAR & KITCHEN — Riverside

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

HOB TAVERN — Bordentown

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

MCGUINN'S PLACE — Lawrence Twp. 

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

AL'S AIRPORT INN — Ewing

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

EXIT 8 — East Windsor 

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

TOMS TAVERN — Farmingdale 

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

DOCKS'S CORNER — Monroe Twp. 

Canva
Canva
loading...

IVY INN  Princeton

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

HILLBILLY HALL — Hopewell

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

33'S TAVERN — South River

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

LAST CALL — Sayreville

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

THE 244 SPOT — South Amboy

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

PATRICKS'S PUB — New Brunswick

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

RIVERSIDE INN BAR — Cranford

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

JOE'S PLACE — Union

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

PADDY'S PLACE — Union

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

DILLON'S TAVERN — West Orange

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

THE DEEP INN — Newark

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

DONEGAL SALOON — Kearny

Google Maps / Canva
Google Maps / Canva
loading...

OLD CANAL INN — Nutley

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

CLIF TAVERN — Clifton

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

HOOVER'S TAVERN — Morris Plains

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

GYP'S TAVERN — Branchville

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

Where everyone knows your name: Friendliest bars in NJ

Gallery Credit: Jordan Jansson

50 Most Popular Chain Restaurants in America

YouGov investigated the most popular dining brands in the country, and Stacker compiled the list to give readers context on the findings. Read on to look through America's vast and divergent variety of restaurants—maybe you'll even find a favorite or two.

Gallery Credit: Paul Feinstein

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.

You can now listen to Dennis & Judi — On Demand! Hear New Jersey’s favorite best friends anytime, anywhere and any day of the week. Download the Dennis & Judi show wherever you get podcasts, on our free app, or listen right now.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM