man has this place changed the dynamic of the neighborhood, both in good ways and bad. in a sense it is nice to see more people wandering around (seemed desolate at times in the past), but not when they are stumbling around screaming and yelling like a-holes in the middle of the night.

this place is def half full of quality people and half full of complete ameteurs. ex: came across 2 different people urinating out in the open, on the street over the weekend. both seemed genuinely surprised I had issue when I commented, "Are you f$%*ing kidding me?"

So, I went to the beer garden on Thursday, I too enjoy an ethnically diverse crowd and I have to say it was very diverse Thursday.... I was amazed at how big the place was, I dont drink beer so I had a long island ice tea and the bartenders at both bars I went to happily obliged... altho the second one tasted like I had charcoal in my mouth, I found a beer I actually enjoyed (Blue Moon) It started to get rowdy as the night wore on, the food line was long as hell so we didnt try any food, but all in all I had a good time, I will def go back to have another Blue Moon and I never waited more then 3 minutes to order a drink. Love the huge screen TV too... they need more bathrooms tho... the girls line was too long!

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sorry hank, i've been there 3 times too. there are absolutely no locals there.

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and sorry this is not the hood.

i'm afraid to say but, ZH is not JC.

it's a nice place, yeah. can be a bit boring and draining at times. yeah i said it.

it is nice and big. but the vibe is kinda lame. i hope the selection people tends to lean more towards the real jersey city; and i mean have a little more diversity than just caucasian people and tattoed hipsters.

where are my guyanese, egyptian, pakistani, puerto ricans, filipinos, chinese, vietnamese, brazilian, portuguese and black people at?

as far as i'm concerned this is just another "white boy" bar opening up in downtown.

ZH is not JC

(insert: thumbs down/fart sound)

Simply put, this is a good place to go if you like to do things that are fun.

As someone who visited Jersey City for several years prior to living here, and has lived here for about 3 years now, I am very happy to have this in my neighborhood. In fact, I feel lucky that I do.

Owners, if you're reading this - thanks for bringing this to the hood and keep up the great work!

Alright well to get back on topic. I've been there 3 times and the Zeppelin Hall crowd feels like home for me. It's a great non-threatening crowd, no overly obnoxious or loud individuals...just happy people enjoying their beer and sausage buzz.

While I want the business to do well so it can stay open, I also like it just the way it is right now: mostly locals and busy, but not too busy. I even wouldn't mind if they stayed in the 'soft opening' mode for a year or two. THat's probably why seeing it slightly understaffed makes me happy.

For anyone confused as to where the beer hall is or who wants an easy set of directions for friends unfamiliar with the area, I made up a Google Map with what I think is the best route to get from the PATH to Beer Garden.

Google Maps

Went last night around 11pm and it was still a great deal of people outside, the crowd was thinner inside but what do you expect for a Wed night at 11pm.

I was blown away with the sheer size of the place. They did an amazing job putting it together and it's definitely a plus for the neighborhood.

I don't understand how anyone can have anything bad to say about this place. It's still in its soft opening and they are getting the kinks out of it.

The TV screen is the size of a small house and the picture was pretty damn good. GO YANKS!!!!

I feel bad for the rest of the area's bar owners as this place will be taking away a lot of its customers.

The prices were great too.

Went last night - two thumbs up! For all the complainers out there, can't we just be happy to have a place like this in JC?

I was so impressed to see such a large crowd there...and a very nice, fun and un-guido-ish crowd at that (my concern from living near Sandbar). All the outdoor tables were full and the indoor tables were starting to fill up as we were leaving.

The beer selection is awesome. No complaints there! I think it would help to have a menu so people can decide what to order before they get up to the bar, which may help the waiting-in-line-for-beer issue. It's a little hard to see the names of all the beers just by looking at the taps.

Had a bratwurst too. Food is solid, nothing special, but all you need when you're sitting outside drinking german beer.

All in all, I loved the atmosphere. It was a nice mix of the after-work crowd, friends meeting up for drinks, and families with young kids. It's like having a new community backyard for JC, which makes me very happy. I'll definitely be luring some manhattan friends over here.

Maybe they underestimated the crowds, but they could definitely use more staff to keep the lines moving at a reasonable pace. Hopefully they're still just sorting things out.

Some press coverage.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wires/2 ... ppelin-hal_ws_222293.html

yeah, Sunday afternoon the huge screen was there playing the USA soccer match. it was cool, but please dear god, don't turn into sports bar!

if i wants sports and beer, i'll go to Black Bear. if i want beer, i'll go to Zeppelin!!

(editor's note - i do not want sports and beer!)

Sunday night there was a HUGE drop-down screen with projector above the inside the bar, playing the Yankees game. It looked really good, but, yeah...

some additional thoughts:

no music - love this. LOVE IT. and love no TVs. so refreshing. will weed out a certain element in the long run, enjoy it.

smoking - smokers def need to keep their buts in the trash not the ground... and move away from crowded tables so as not to bother your neighbors.

i am considering going over for a beer RIGHT NOW, but i will say that just because you're out doors does not mean smoking is not annoying. in fact, sometimes smoking is WORSE outside because of the air currents. nothing worse than when smoke is wafting into your face when you're on a patio, with the design of AVOIDING smoke.


as a SMOKER, when i light up outside i ask people first if they mind. has nothing to do with the claim "maybe we should ban people from smoking in their own homes!" not, jackass, it ain't about that at all. it's about being annoyed by smokers outside. and again, I SMOKE.


give this place some time to play catchup. i heard the cheese fries were french fries with a piece of american cheese laying across the top. not exactly interesting. i'm sure they'll get it right. and since the first thing i think of when i hear beer garden is BEER, the food is secondary right now.


just make sure the pretzels are good.

It's been my experience that even when ashtrays and ashcans are plentiful and nearby, people throw their butts on the ground. It's part of their smoking habit - they must like to do it - the whole flicking of the butt to the ground. I'm not speaking particularly against the folks at ZH who didn't have ashtrays ... but where I work, we have an area right outside the building that the smokers use. And it's a nice area - manicured garden in spots, benches and lots and lots and lots of ashcans. Walk by there anytime of the day - the ground is covered in cigarette butts and the smokers will even toss butts into the garden, which is really sad. Every time I walk by there, I think ... "Why do they feel it's okay that someone has to clean up all these butts after them?? Pick butts out of the flower bed? When they are provided with numerous ash cans?" That's the way it is. Or if they're not finishing the whole cigarette, they put it 'out' that way, i guess.

oh, i also wanted to say that i really enjoy the beer garden, littering aside. Friday night was indeed hectic, service-wise, but i just don't think ZH was prepared for/expecting the turnout they got (which is a good thing!). On Sunday night, many of the taps were already gone, as were many of the food menu items (another good sign). Hopefully they restock accordingly during the week, because I'll definitely be back again this weekend! And yes, please keep it music-free!

Totally agree with the points about the ancillary benefits of no music. I have never understood how music, particularly when played at increasing decibels to compete with crowd noise, enhances conversation, and I totally avoid places where you can only talk by speaking directly into someone's ear. I know that's an extreme, but I still like the idea of no or very low generic-type music.

Can't wait to try this place out.

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3) delay the green on Grand so it does not fire simultanious with the Grove light going red.

someone is going to get hit crossing late on that light.

regarding Zep... happy to let this place ease in. would rather see it open with some issue then not. clearly the best place around to grab a beer and relax in comfortable environment.

funniest thing that happened Sat: "Cheese Fries" = basket of fries served with two slices of cheese laye over the top... unmelted!

killer...

Now all the city needs to do is....

1) Get the damn traffic light at Liberty View Drive in operation and...

2) Restore Grand Street as a 2 lane street, rather than a dangerous 4 lane semi-highway.

Then it will be a lot less dangerous to cross Grand St in the first place.

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The beer garden has also probably brought many new people through LHN for the first time ever. Most of the people I have been there with had not crossed Grand Street before.

Have gone twice so far. On Friday (opening night) the place was packed and the staff were overwhelmed. Saturday was less crowded. Basically everyone sat outside and inside was almost empty. No wait for beer or food. In both cases the beer and food were very good. Prices are reasonable.

I assume they will be rolling out further menu items, and will have to figure how to handle those periods where the crowds are particularly large. But it is a great atmosphere with good food and beer.

To those who have been complaining about the shortcomings. I wont disagree that there were some problems. But just remember, even if you politely ask the bartenders about the long lines, lack of food, or something else they probably have fielded that complaint several times that evening. So forgive them if they are a bit snappy.

I love being able to walk two blocks to the place. This is the kind of atmosphere we were hoping for when we decided to move to the Liberty Harbor neighborhood.

As I have said about three times already, the light rail is blowing its horn because it is approaching a grade crossing. As per federal law, trains approaching a grade must blow their horn for "a minimum of 15 seconds, and maximum of 20 seconds in advance of all public grade crossings."

Train Horn Rule Fact Sheet

Went last night with my boy. Couldn\'t have been happier unwinding with some great beer and soaking in the setting sun, while he piled rocks at my feet (thanks to the douche bag smokers who already have ditched their butts on the ground for him to play with -- classy) . The staff was super friendly. One of them said he was \"bored\" and brought my son a complimentary cranberry juice.

Folks may want to know that there is ample bike (as in bicycle) parking on the racks on the west side of the establishment (decent sight-lines to the racks from the garden and inside are a bonus, too). Thanks for thinking of the cyclists!

If the owners are reading this...I totally agree with the many comments above that keeping this place chill will assure that a wide swath of folks keep coming out. By foregoing music, the owners don\'t risk alienating any of potential customers. Any music you pick to play will likely be enjoyed by some but probably not by the majority of your potential customers. With the ample space and lack of piped in music, the garden is a blank canvas -- it\'s a welcoming atmosphere and your customers can make what they want out of it, whether a post-work chill sesh; busina ss meeting; a first date; or a dinner with the family. You guys seem to be nailing it, so don\'t screw this up. Keep it simple, and focus on quality beer, food, and service and you\'ll make a mint.

Oh yeah, almost forgot. The beer was terrific.

(Regarding the comments about the light rail blowing its horn, I wasn\'t there Saturday to hear the dynamic between the crowd and horn but on Monday night the LR drivers consistently blew it...I think it has nothing to do with \"saying hi\" to the crowd, it\'s a safety warning (I think) because there\'s a blind corner at the west side of the building.)

Cheers!

Went again today for more Staropramen. This place will be better to lose the service of anyone complaining and nitpicking over little issues. It's so awesome. Seriously, the first place in downtown JC I'm happy to return to over and over.

Yeah, I do hope & think they will work the kinks out. The food service was in need of big help.

I am very glad they got good turnout, and I really liked the place. I hope it thrives and I will be back! I was just really disappointed with the kitchen aspect of it. My review called it as I experienced it and I did praise what was good. So those of you not happy with what I wrote, oh well.

Loved it. Looking forward to a variety of mustards to match their variety of sausages. I am sure there will be more consistency with the food but I bet they underestimated the turn out. One friends burger was completely different than someone else's, no fries, different bun, smaller burger - but I am guessing they'll totally work out the kinks! I am sure they were short staffed Sunday as we had to wait for a while to close our tab but perhaps they opened early and I bet they will bring on more staff.

It's so exciting to have something that can bring the community together over beer! Great outdoor space. Great set up.

I was there on Friday night and I didn't see a passport program or anything like that. In all honesty, it doesn't seem to be completely finished: There was no music, the decorations weren't up, there were very few waitresses/servers, the food menu was incomplete, etc. I would say that improvements will be made over the next few weeks.

And to all you complainers out there, this is the best beer bar in the area. The one in Queens has a very limited indoor seating and the menu is horrible. The one in Brooklyn is only indoor and very little seating. If you're going to complain about being outside and listening to the lightrail go by, I'd say you should probably move to Hoboken.

They do serve liquor, though don't expect an extensive selection of brands.

This may sound like a dumb question .... but im going to ask and will probablly be belittled... do they serve any liquor? I hate beer but friends love it....

I was not able to make it over there this weekend, does anyone know if they will have a "passport" or something to record what you have tasted and what you still have to try?

I went on Saturday night and loved it. Wait for food was not that bad at all. We tried the burgers, chicken sandwich and sausage sampler. Sausages were great! ... kitchen staff was very nice - they were definitely working hard. I did have to ask for mustard, but I think they will fix that and put mustard out for self-service the same way they have ketchup available. I understand the comment about the trays, but I don\'t think trays are necessary.

We did have to search for a seating a little bit, we were a group of 4. We sat at a bench that only had 2 other people at it. I think people need to open up a little bit to \'family-style\' seating ... definitely got the impression from some people that they thought they had their bench to themselves.

We got there around 9:00pm and there were a couple tables where parents had spread their kids toys all over the table. I don\'t mean a coloring book and crayons, I mean complicated 3-level, huge stuff. It\'s great that it\'s family-friendly, but don\'t bring your living rooms out with your kids.

Seems like the \'default\' beer size is their liter size. I don\'t think many will complain, and the big mugs add to the atmosphere, but I had to really drive the point home with the bartender that I wanted the smaller size.

I agree that they need a cider on draft - would be so welcoming in the hot summer for those of us who are not big beer drinkers.

Overall, it\'s a great place and a welcome addition to downtown JC. I love a casual place where you can sit and relax with a beer and have good conversation with your friends outdoors on a summer night - and actually hear them. I\'ll definitely be back soon.