New Jersey Irish Pub Named Among 2019 ‘Best Bars In America’

NEWARK, NJ — As winter takes hold, there’s nothing like the warm cordiality of a local watering hole, which The Daily Meal called “the great socioeconomic equalizer” in its roundup of “The 150 Bars in America for 2019.”

For this year’s ranking, The Daily Meal only chose one New Jersey bar: McGovern’s Tavern in Newark. Read more on The Daily Meal.

Here’s what the publication had to say about McGovern’s, which came in at #134 on the list:

“For nearly 80 years, McGovern’s Tavern, an Irish pub located six blocks from Newark’s Penn Station, has attracted a clientele of blue-collar types, office workers, college students, and police officers and firefighters (many of whose hats and helmets hang from the ceiling). Originally opened by Frank McGovern in 1936 as a meeting place for Irish immigrants, the New Jersey bar survived the Newark riots in 1967, which led to the closure of many businesses, and today, after a recent renovation, serves up pints of Guinness and other brews and bar fare like a 10-inch bar pie pizza and a sandwich called the Dublin Decker (corned beef, turkey, Swiss cheese, coleslaw, and Russian dressing served on rye bread).”

The Newark pub shut down for the first time in 82 years last summer for renovations.

On Jan. 9, the tavern’s staff posted the following renovation update on social media: “We are making progress and hope to open soon. We will keep you posted on when the opening date will be.”

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The #1 bar on The Daily Meal’s 2019 list was The Office in Chicago, Illinois. (See the full list here)

Members of The Daily Meal’s editorial staff have been compiling the list since 2011, explaining the process: “The Daily Meal walks into a bar and — we peruse the menu, the clientele, and the drinks list; we scrutinize the drink, the place, the vibe; we take mental notes. Then we decide to grab a wad of cocktail napkins and start scribbling notes for a list like this. …”

The list includes everything “from simple beach bars and swanky cocktail lounges to innovative houses of ‘molecular’ mixology to dusty dive bars and dens of iniquity,” The Daily Meal said.

Bars “are ubiquitous and unifying,” the site said, adding: “Nearly anyone of legal age can enter a bar, pull up a stool and buy him- or herself a refreshing glass of liquid luxury in its many forms: from a budget ice-cold brew to a fine wine to a potent shot to a classic cocktail to a spectacular modernist creation.”

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