Browsing this Thread:
5 Anonymous Users
Bottom 
Previous Topic 
Next Topic
Register To PostTopic is Locked
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Not too shy to talk
 
|
Used to go to the HPAH 2-3 times/week. Their burgers used to be the best. Only went once since the turnover. It was awful. Looking forward to it reopening.
Posted on: 2009/12/2 19:17
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
 
|
Quote:
Nah. I hear it's all hookers upstairs anyway :)
Posted on: 2009/12/1 20:44
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Newbie
 
|
don't love madison's crowd, but it seems like a nice place.
i would hope they have one or two tvs, like maggie had. one on each side, with no sports package. go find maggie's old menu!!!! best thing about HPAH was how she used to order these interesting beers (which seems to be a topic of discussion on these boards), and if people didn't drink them, they ended up on the chalk board, which ran down the pillar behind the bar. you could end up getting a tasty beer for like $3, which in turn got me to buy some other things as well. i look forward to a kitschy HPAH!!!
Posted on: 2009/12/1 20:08
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Like I already stated, the place will be re-opening very soon and should have a great menu. The TV's are gone but the basic layout is still the same. The new owners are affiliated with the Madison Grill in Hoboken which has a great menu. They mentioned something about opening a beer-garden in the back but that ain't happening since the residents of that building will definitely put the kabash on it. That's the last thing we need! I just want a mellow place to eat. Let the frat-boys go to that other place to "party".
Posted on: 2009/12/1 19:55
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Newbie
|
This was one of the few places that existed back in '99, when I moved to JC, that GOT me to me here. Many fond memories and Maggie ran a great joint. A shame to here of the demise...on 9/11 my wife had to ferry out of Manhattan to Hoboken and then walked to JC. We met here late in the afternoon after a day of me worrying my ass off, strange memory, sad and happy, I guess. That night we all ended up at Downtoen Eddies listening to Bush declare war...gees...starting to think i'm happy all this places are now closed.
Posted on: 2009/12/1 19:45
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Newbie
|
i think my favorite thing about this thread is that it came full circle.
it was apparently started by the owner of HPAH, or an employee, who then got flamed, and watched his/her own demise happen over time. now they're done. my hope is someone buys the place, talks to maggie about what made it great, and tries to bring back some semblance of what it was. you don't need more than 2 TVs, and you don't need it to be a sports bar. just serve good food, provide a warm atmosphere, and cater to your customers. maybe have a suggestion box until you get up and running. heck, i'd even consult for free! HP needs this place back close to what it was. i love skinner's, but it's a totally different place, in a different place.
Posted on: 2009/12/1 18:37
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Thanks for the link, dewelch. Yes, that's how it was. FWIW the very same brass band mentioned in that article will be playing at Skinner's Loft on December 15th, starting at 5pm.
Posted on: 2009/11/27 23:18
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Newbie
|
from scumbag to cool, cool to scumbag.
the HPAH finally closed because the owner is/was an idiot. i had a convo with him right when he took over, and he said, "i don't plan on changing anything..." that is until he decided to change EVERYTHING. it used to be THIS PLACE, which the NYTIMES wrote about glowingly, and then it became an ugly sports bar. The owner used to b.s. employees, change shifts, treat people like crap. If he wanted Hoboken he should have stayed there. Instead, he came in and ruined a great place. Granted, it was his own place, and maggie couldn't afford to keep it, but don't B.S. the locals and expect us to keep coming. I went there ONCE after it turned over, and stayed for 5 minutes. On the other hand, the former owner of White Star was a scumbag as well, his name was Paul. Used to abuse the staff, and i always felt drugs were running through the place. The new owner Matt(?) is a great guy, who runs a Wednesday night menu special, wherein everything on the special menu is $6. It gets packed with an eclectic bunch of people, and has a great vibe. It's a bit out of my way to walk there, but I do it anyway because it's a legitimately great place. I'll also say, if you want a good sports bar in this town, it's O'Hara's on Marin and 1st or 2nd. Has very good food, nice employees, and HD TVs. I hear they're not doing well, but people should populate that place. Great burgers, fries, and free popcorn. Plus they have drink specials on Sunday from Noon-Midnight during football. I think they'd be smart to get bands in there, since there are few venues, and they do have a stage, albeit a small one.
Posted on: 2009/11/27 19:08
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
After the original owner left (and opened Skinner's Loft), the new owner stripped the place of its charm, put up those awful flat screen tv's that were wallpapered across the place behind the bar. It deserved to fail for lack of creativity.
Posted on: 2009/11/25 19:17
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
Joined:
2008/1/3 19:12 Last Login : 2020/9/30 18:46 From Van Vorst Park
Group:
Registered Users
Posts:
2391
 |
Well, I guess it was specifically the turnpike overpass that turned me off. Since I had posted that, I have been in the White Star, and it was indeed neighborhoody on the inside...although tiny.
I like how they show the Rutgers games.
Posted on: 2009/11/25 4:20
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
HPAH is actually closer to that nasty 12th street 6 lanes of traffic than White Star is to the turnpike overpass 100 ft in the air.
Just look at the view from the front door, there's a park between the bar and the overpass, what's not neighborhoody?
View Larger Map
Posted on: 2009/11/25 3:21
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Newbie
|
Quote:
what would turn you off about the block? the fields under the turnpike. It's 2 blocks from Hamilton Park. Maybe you should venture out a little further.
Posted on: 2009/11/25 2:17
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
6?
Posted on: 2009/11/25 2:01
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
Joined:
2008/1/3 19:12 Last Login : 2020/9/30 18:46 From Van Vorst Park
Group:
Registered Users
Posts:
2391
|
Quote:
How many TVs did they have in there after the renovation a few years back? I never noticed THAT many ... maybe 4? Most "bars" (as opposed to lounges) have at least 2 TVs behind the bar.
Posted on: 2009/11/25 1:29
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Sounds great. I don't care what they do with the floors, but I'm really glad to hear that they ditched most of the tvs. It was like trying to have a quiet beer with a few friends in the middle of Times Square. Can't wait for it to open under the new owners.
Posted on: 2009/11/25 1:17
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
They've ditched almost all the TV's and looks like they sanded the floors but kept the bar/layout intact. All new kitchen from what I hear.
Posted on: 2009/11/25 0:29
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
Joined:
2008/1/3 19:12 Last Login : 2020/9/30 18:46 From Van Vorst Park
Group:
Registered Users
Posts:
2391
|
I just hope they keep the name, Ale House ... it's very nostalgic sounding! And I liked the classic pub look of the bar. We shall see...
Posted on: 2009/11/25 0:23
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
They are still renovating the place but word is they hope to open by Christmas. The new owners are affiliated with the Madison Grill in Hoboken. I have never eaten there but if the menu is anything like theirs then it could be great.
http://www.madisonbarandgrill.com/menus/dinner-menu/
Posted on: 2009/11/24 23:06
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
Joined:
2008/1/3 19:12 Last Login : 2020/9/30 18:46 From Van Vorst Park
Group:
Registered Users
Posts:
2391
|
Quote:
Eh, I guess because it's over near the Turnpike overpass, and it doesn't feel like it's in a very "neighborhoodly" area. Just my impression of course. To me, the HPAH seems nestled into a nice neighborhood. Disclaimer - White Star may totally kick ass ... like I said, I have never actually been inside. But the block that it's on kind of turns me off a bit I guess.
Posted on: 2009/10/15 20:31
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
Joined:
2007/3/19 18:28 Last Login : 2020/3/10 14:50 From hamilton park
Group:
Registered Users
Posts:
292
|
@tecjc my comment regarding the t.v.'s is due to the fact they don't have enough to show all the games that are on at the same time.
and tommyc_37, I don't know where you're coming from but the White Star is only a 3 minute walk from HPAH, not really in the boonies.
Posted on: 2009/10/15 20:21
|
|||
|
utterly deplorable
|
||||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
Joined:
2008/1/3 19:12 Last Login : 2020/9/30 18:46 From Van Vorst Park
Group:
Registered Users
Posts:
2391
|
I hope they don't renovate it. I enjoyed the classic pub-like atmosphere.
Posted on: 2009/10/15 18:27
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Quote:
I've noticed this too. They completely make up for it by being friendly, and since I know what to expect, I'm no bothered by it. For a neighborhood bar/restaurant, I'd rather they err more on the laid back side. I can get what I want at simple, I just may have to get up and go talk to my waitress. And if it's so casual that they don't even care to come back and check whether I need ketchup or something, I don't mind getting it myself or throwing packets of sugar in the general direction of the waitress until she turns around.
Posted on: 2009/10/15 15:51
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Quote:
It was wonderfully successful under Maggie and your advice is basically to return it to the way she ran it. It is significantly telling that she left an operating business that had no immediate sign that the ownership even changed. Jim left an abandoned space that will be closed for who knows how long. Overall Maggie helped the neighborhood and Jim harmed it. And it's not like Maggie is some amazingly astute businesswoman. She just gave people what they obviously wanted. (Except warm bread). She just avoided driving customers away with insanely stupid moves. She cared about the place. She was happy to make her customers happy. Even though she would be visibly stressed quite often, it's because she was working hard. I never saw Jim visibly stressed. I don't think he cared. He seems like a business major who always wanted to open up a bar, and wanted to duplicate a favorite bar from his college years. I still don't know what could be wrong with Jim. I guess it's similar to other failed business attempts in the neighborhood. People think they can get away with anything because they have a captive market. But the market isn't as captive as they think...
Posted on: 2009/10/15 15:41
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Just can't stay away
|
LORD JIM IS DEAD!
i really hope whoever buys this place does it right the next time around because it's a great spot and right across the street from my house. first and foremost they need to improve the food, then they need to get some decent beers on tap in addition to the usual swill, and finally they need to throw out about half of the big-screen tvs.
Posted on: 2009/10/14 12:05
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
Joined:
2007/11/28 3:26 Last Login : 2014/10/27 13:13 From The fog.
Group:
Registered Users
Posts:
1013
|
Dorrian's on Washington (Newport) has the games.
Posted on: 2009/10/13 18:34
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Just can't stay away
|
I've only been to White Star once, but it was great to watch the games. It's tiny, but I was surprised how good the food was. Standard bar fare but was really good from what I remember.
What other bars have NFL ticket?
Posted on: 2009/10/13 16:12
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
Joined:
2008/1/3 19:12 Last Login : 2020/9/30 18:46 From Van Vorst Park
Group:
Registered Users
Posts:
2391
|
Quote:
Well, I have never watched a game there, like I said ... but my brother in law did, and he enjoyed the experience. I HAVE eaten/drank in there, was not disappointed, and I really like the classic pub atmosphere in there, unlike Lucky 7's which is a kind of cool vibe but not to watch a game, Abbey's which is off the beaten path, and I have not been to White Star but it, too, is off the beaten path.
Posted on: 2009/10/13 16:03
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Quite a regular
|
not enough TV's? facepalm
Posted on: 2009/10/13 15:43
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
Joined:
2007/3/19 18:28 Last Login : 2020/3/10 14:50 From hamilton park
Group:
Registered Users
Posts:
292
|
tommyc_37 what made this place a good spot for the games? they didn't have enough t.v.s to cover all the games unlike White Star, Lucky 7's or Abbeys and the food was pretty shitty and over priced.
Posted on: 2009/10/13 15:19
|
|||
|
utterly deplorable
|
||||
|
||||
|
Re: Hamilton Park Ale House jersey Ave.
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
Joined:
2008/1/3 19:12 Last Login : 2020/9/30 18:46 From Van Vorst Park
Group:
Registered Users
Posts:
2391
|
I actually hope the new owner keeps the name Hamilton Park Ale House. I love bars that make note of their street name and/or neighborhood (Barrow Sreet Bar, York Street Tavern), and I love the term Ale House ... it has a classic sound to it.
My brother-in-law said the Hamilton Park Ale House was a great place to watch the game, and I had planned on catching the Giants there with him this season at some point. So, with that mindset, I kind of hope that the new owner is planning on keeping at least SOME of the TVs that were in there. Jersey City lacks a great place to watch a game.
Posted on: 2009/10/13 14:03
|
|||
|
||||
Register To PostTopic is Locked