12 Jersey Shore Dive Bars That Are Worth A Visit
Dive bars have a job to do. A purpose in society. In an age where community seems more splintered and fragile than ever, a dive bar should look and feel fun, homey, and pressure-free, wielding the power to bring us together, put aside our differences, and get us to eat something pickled (pause for tears or thunderous emotional applause). But finding a great dive isn't a science, math problem, or quantifiable metric. It's like falling in love or getting eczema –– you just know it when you feel it.
The New Jersey Shore may not be the first place you think of for top-notch dive bars. But don't let the surfing, beach bods, and Tommy Bahama outlets fool you. When you need an escape into a dingy oasis of draft beers, darts, and questionable decisions, there are a number of ideal institutions in the ocean-kissed areas of the Garden State. Hike up your shades, kick the sand off your loafers, put away the SPF 90 for a little while, and let's head inside to some of the best dive bars on the Jersey Shore.
Jay's Elbow Room
This Maple Shade stalwart, which has been around since the '40s, contains everything you want in a dive bar, not just a Jersey Shore one. It's a bit grimy (like a fun, pre-gentrified neighborhood), aged (like a fine cheese that comes with a well shot), and has the perfect menu for soaking up the courage that makes you challenge a Jersey Shore fist-pumper (just ignore them and they'll eventually go away). It's also in a convenient location, propped up near both the Turnpike and Philly.
But Jay's offers a bar-riffic assortment of sandwiches, burgers, wings, and specialty fries. Their rotating draft list has the length and variety of a Mariah Carey concert rider. Aside from musts like Guinness and Yuengling, there is a range of local and regional craft beers that really do taste better out of the tap. As far as the fries go, sure, you can get yours disco-style with gravy and cheese. But why stop there? There are cheesesteak fries (exactly what it sounds like), chili cheese waffle fries, and fries smothered in ghost pepper cheese. Just be sure to pack a little Tums for that last one. All told, it's no surprise that in 2024, Jay's was voted the best dive bar in South Jersey by a landslide.
(856) 235-3687
2806 N NJ-73, Maple Shade Township, NJ 08052
Tom's Tavern
Take a short drive west from either Belmar or Bradley Beach, into the aptly named Farmingdale, and you'll find a Jersey dive bar unlike any other. It's the kind of rural, country-fied public house you'd expect somewhere in the South or Midwest, not the densest state in the U.S. –– which makes it the perfect escape from the bustle of the Shore.
Surrounded by farmland and snugly situated in a small roadhouse, Tom's Tavern has its own unique flavor. Not flavor as in food, as it has no kitchen, but in the people (strange, by their own words) and the down-home atmosphere. As expected with many a dive, there's your pool table, your jukebox, your darts, and your proud lack of pretension. But there are also biker nights, movie nights, and bone-warming fire pits on the outside (for those off-season visits or chilly early summer eves). Any place that enshrines its late regulars with plaques like Tom's is a place that understands the value of what a truly communal dive bar should be –– hence its legendary status.
(732) 938-9060
85 Asbury Rd, Farmingdale, NJ 07727
Bond Street Bar
Considered a quintessential Asbury Park establishment, Bond Street Bar offers a Jersey Shore dive bar experience that feels much more urban, even though you have the Atlantic Ocean lapping against the nearby sands. It has a proud LGBTQ+ history and used to be a regular haunt for members of the local press. And, in a city immortalized by Bruce Springsteen, music is a huge part of the Bond Street vibe.
Upstairs, you can get your beer and pub grub, including a half-dozen kinds of grilled cheese sandwiches. In fact, there are a number of pub munchies on offer, like wings, corn nuggets, chopped cheese, rippers (the hot-dog pride of Jersey), and even fried Uncrustables (someone hold back the NFL players). If none of that works for you, at the time of this article's publication, Bond Street is directly connected to an Italian joint and a Mexican restaurant. Downstairs is where the tunes happen. In The Basement, on any given night, you can enjoy dad rock, DJ-driven dance beats, awesome cover bands, and local groups on the make. Cool mix of people, good grub, and groovy sounds. What else do you need?
(732) 774-1575
208 Bond St, Asbury Park, NJ 07712
Riggers Bar
Seaside Heights may be the epitome of what people perceive the Shore to be. It served as the original setting for The Situation, Snooki, Pauly D, and the rest of the "Jersey Shore" cast to do their G-T-L thing, entering their cabs and the American pop culture consciousness at the same time. However, if you want to get past your prejudices and perceptions, you can find a bar in Seaside that delivers on all your divey needs. And, no judgment, you can even stop in to pregame for your night out clubbing.
That bar is Riggers. It's one of those pubs that makes you want to head beachside in the winter (and one of the few open year-round on the shore). Half of it feels like the world's best living room –- with a huge, bloated, wraparound couch, a low wood-beamed ceiling, and a proper fireplace that'll warm both the cockles of your heart and your pool-shooting knuckles. And don't be surprised if you find a couple of (friendly) pit bulls or pooches greeting you at the entrance. Bonus points for the alarmingly beautiful, arched, stained-glass backdrop behind the bar. Is this the cathedral of dive bar-dom? Are dive bars a religion now? Dumb question: They've always been a religion.
(732) 830-9600
519 Boulevard, Seaside Heights, NJ 08751
Nip N Tuck Bar & Grill
Like many of the great dive bars on the Jersey Shore, Nip N Tuck has been around for over 50 years as a boozy pillar of Long Branch. Whether you're a Shore local or a New Yorker crowding in on the territory, this female-run joint welcomes you and satisfies your myriad cravings. You've got your pork roll and your avocado toast. You've got your no-nonsense brews and your craft selections. And you've got your bottomless bloody marys during weekend brunch, which anybody from anywhere can get on board with.
If you want to enjoy your pint or cocktail outside, they've got an al fresco beer garden. If you want live music, they've got that too. Run the last several decades by family, former employees, and county locals, Nip n Tuck has always made sure that every visitor feels at home. There are over a dozen TVs for sports and a Grilled Cheese of the Week, featuring a rotation of more than 50 grilled cheeses — so you don't need any tricks to make the perfect grilled cheese at home. Find yourself heading to Ocean Township in the near future and sticking to your bar stool a bit longer than intended.
(732) 222-0023
23 Norwood Ave, Long Branch, NJ 07740
The Miracle Pub
Toms River is known for producing great Little League baseball teams, including the beloved 1998 Little League World Series winners –- starring future MLB-er and New York Yankee Todd Frazier. But there's another noteworthy facet of this Ocean County town, only about 70 miles from Manhattan. Its looks are deceiving, its drink menu is multifarious, and its long ass bartop is imbued with warmth, friendliness, and a bit of amiable joshing. It's The Miracle Pub.
Fronted by a liquor store, The Miracle Pub might not look like much from the exterior. But never judge a dive bar by its cover. Walk inside, and you'll be met with a spacious, buzzing, charmingly decorated tavern. One of the real surprises in a place that itself is a surprise? The Junior's Cheesecake on the menu, bringing a bit of iconic Brooklyn down to the Shore. In fact, because of its location, you'll see a lot more Giants blue than Eagles green, which puts it in contrast to other, more southerly dives on this list.
(732) 244-4262
201 Rt 37 West, Toms River, NJ 08755
Hudson House Bar
If you're part of the Long Beach Island scene in any way –– and many folks from throughout Jersey, Philly, and NYC are –– then Hudson House is either at least part of your consciousness or straight up owns you. Located in Beach Haven, you can stroll or bicycle yourself parallel to the dunes over to 13th Street and find yourself in the frill-free icon that is this pub. There's a reason it is often touted as the best dive bar in New Jersey. Not the Shore, the entire state.
Although aesthetically a Philly sports bar, any dive denizen will feel perfectly comfortable belly up at The Hud. Pulling up to the front, you'd think it was little more than a beach house doing a half-baked impression of a drinking establishment. But upon entrance, shuffling in with flip flops and salted, reddened flesh, you feel the immediate vibes, sound effects, and smells of a proper local. With its horseshoe bar and perfectly curated gaming offerings, you can spend way too many hours here out of the summer sun, blissfully forgetting why you came to the Shore in the first place.
(609) 492-9616
19 E 13th St, Beach Haven, NJ 08008
D'Arcy's Tavern
You're a Shore-goer? Check. You like your dive bar to have filet mignon sliders and prime rib night? Check. You love the beautiful game? Check. Okay, going over your questionnaire and algorithm-ing the results, it looks like D'Arcy's Tavern is your boozy paradise. The Bradley Beach watering hole not only makes ordering a good steak easy, but it also claims to be the Jersey Shore's soccer mecca. Judging by the decor and its liberal broadcasting of matches from around the globe, who's to argue? And don't you have better things to argue about anyway?
Heading down Main Street in Bradley Beach, even at the end of the summer season, you're likely to find D'Arcy's sprawling front yard teeming with bargoers watching their club play, enjoying the live band, or both. The menu is a bit more refined than most dives that offer food –- especially in the salad and sandwich department. You've got to love a place that successfully breaks the standard dive bar rules when ordering food. But it's not without lowbrow staples such as wings, warm pretzels, bar pies, and quesadillas. So, pull up a stool under the ceiling of soccer scarves, order a pint, and luxuriate in a piece of fine beef and corner kicks.
(732) 774-9688
310 Main St, Bradley Beach, NJ 07720
EJ's Tap House
We're heading back to Seaside Heights for another winning dive. Again, don't worry about the dress code, the cologne bath, or Staten Island raiders. EJ's Tap House is here to deliver the true essence of Shore life: bands, brewskies, and cheap fun. You can also bring the pup along for their daily, ahem, walk.
Standing right off the beach, only feet from the amusement park, EJ's is a fierce temptation for a certain kind of boardwalker. The popular watering hole tries to drag you from the spinning teacups and make you get the older cousins to watch the kids while mommy and daddy get some alone time. The overhanging marquee displays the musical acts of the night — often vibe-perfect, guitar-y groups that deliver the homespun goods. What's more, you're allowed to bring outside food in from the many tasty options on the boardwalk, and you won't be spending an arm and a leg on having a good time. Inside, it's less about sophisticated or even kitschy decor than it is about a no-frills space to let your hair down, shoot the breeze, and rock out with your sand socks out.
(732) 250-2801
919 Boardwalk, Seaside Heights, NJ 08751
Billy Boy's Four Mile Tavern
A solid dive is often a diamond in the rough. Or rather, a rough in the rough, that you prefer over a diamond. High on the list of best dives on the Jersey Shore, at least according to many bargoers, is a hidden gem in Woodland Township known for its wings. Right off Route 72 in Vincentown is Billy Boy's Four Mile Tavern. You might have to take a 25-minute trip inland, but if you're hankering for a dive that's just regular folk having a good time then it's a trip well worth it. And if you're the type that likes a squirrel hunt (to each their own), then you have another reason to pay a visit.
One of the more country-music hangs on the list, Billy Boy's delivers the type of no-nonsense, down-home fulfillment you'd get from a Waylon Jennings song. Whether it's the apple pie pot stickers dessert special, the chummy, dive-bar staples, or wings with a rep, this is a joint for the hardcore divers with a little twang in their soul.
(609) 726-1355
12 Rt 72, Woodland Township, NJ 08088
Georgies Bar
When you have a still-functioning cigarette machine, no interest in making high-end cocktails or frozen drinks, and host let-it-all-out karaoke, you know you're in supreme and vivacious dive territory. Although the establishment in question, Georgies Bar in Asbury Park, has only existed since 1999 (making it relatively young compared to the many old soldiers pouring out pints around the Shore), it has reached icon status for many patrons. This is due in part to the progressive spirit and proud ethic of the Fifth Avenue establishment. But it's also just a fun place to get hammered.
A haven for the LGBTQ+ community and a big presence in local philanthropy, Georgies is a beer-and-shot counter with a conscience. Known for its drag shows set against an American flag backdrop, this libertine, liberating, life-affirming dive was named one of the best bars in the country, period, by USA Today in 2025. A safe and entertaining space, everyone needs more places like Georgies in their lives.
(732) 988-1220
812 5th Ave, Asbury Park, NJ 07712
The Ark Pub & Eatery
Sometimes a place just looks and feels like it has seen it all. Its foggy memories have bled into the wood. The ornate benches are scratched and creaky. The idea of opening a laptop under its roof feels inappropriate and anachronistic. It has something, a word that gets thrown around a lot but is rarely warranted: character.
Head to Point Pleasant, and you'll find a dive that –- even though it opened in the 1970s –- feels like its right out of old County Cork or North Yorkshire. Called The Ark Pub & Eatery, even the font of the bar's name looks reminiscent of "The Lord of the Rings." Yet, it's in one of the busiest towns on the Shore and has Singo (music bingo, for the uninitiated). We're talking a mythical energy amid sunny Jersey Americana. The Ark will cook up any fish you catch and satisfy you with delicious burgers, steamers, chowder, mac and cheese, and sammies. Plus, the long-time staff will pour you a pint of your favorite double with a down-to-earth charm you can only get in the best dive bars.
(732) 295-1122
401 Sea Ave, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 08742
Methodology
To compile this lineup of the best dive bars in New Jersey, we cross-referenced various top-dive-bar lists from local press and media (such as radio stations), along with some national press. We corroborated those with direct customer posts, reviews, and blogs. And this writer may have frequented one (or three) of these establishments before. Someone's got to do the dirty work.