++1, well summarized. Congrat to the hubbies, for once the place will be loud !!

I have been a frequent visitor to this bar for the past 6 years that I have lived in JC. I met my best friend here, and the current owners were long time patrons of the bar before they bought it. They truly love JC, and are very good to their patrons. It's the kind of place where they call you to make sure you got home ok, and put you in a cab or find someone sober to get you home if you had too much to drink. Instead of being passive aggressive and bitching anonymously on here, how about giving them a call 201.839.5604, or sending them a message on their FB page to voice your concerns about their food. I am sure they would be willing to listen and to correct any mistakes that have been made.

9C has a very well establish client base, and if you were unhappy with your food and didn't say anything, then that is on you. No one will miss you if you don't come back...trust me on this.

The music is not loud (you sure can't say that for any other bar in the neighborhood...WS, Lucky's) they have good drink specials and they are willing to put anything on the tv you might want to watch. Oh ya, and they shovel their sidewalk in a better than timely manner.

BTW, today is not only the owners 20th anniversary together, but also their wedding day. Congrats Tony and Greg.

only went here once, last week. a friend suggested it, so i thought i'd be safe ordering from the menu.

i was craving a fresh burger, so ordered one.

what i received was a 8 dollar heated up pre-made frozen patty. i was disappointed and won't be getting food here again.

the blue moon on tap was fine.

the staff was fine.

just not happy with the burger. should have been fresh beef for that price.

Hot 97 at Lamp Post? Every time I've been there, it's been a hipstery kind of crowd.

Very disheartening if they are playing Hot 97 now!!!

While I'm not as cynical as you, I do feel that there is a lack of true bars overall (most places are more restaurant than bar), and there is an astonishing lack of a "restaurant and bar district" or main strip, which a city of 250,000 should have.

The reasons why there are not more "true bars", in short, is because Jersey City doesn't want any more bars downtown. Or at least it seems that way. There are all kinds of ordinances that attempt to keep live music out, and bars from opening up within X number of feet from one another. Not to mention the difficulty in obtaining a liquor license, and the business-unfriendly atmosphere in JC. Plus the risk. If you had several million dollars and you dreamed of opening a great bar, why would one choose JC over say, Hoboken, where you are guaranteed to make money hand over fist?

I think these types of ordinances are designed to have Jersey City NOT become Hoboken-esque, but frankly I think it's a little ridiculous that a city of this size doesn't have at least a few more bars. The loosening of these regulations is crucial to the continued growth of JC, and I hope the politicians we elect are aware of that.

This all being said, I do enjoy a bunch of bars in JC. White Star is great, Iron Monkey is great, Lucky's is really solid, Bar Majestic is fun, the new PJ Ryan's is solid, and 9th and Coles has potential. Beer Garden and Barcade are great to have nearby too.

*PS - meant to quote Jimmoe on this.

gt2220 wrote:
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I had this thought too. How do we nominate them?

We really want to like this place: the staff is friendly, the pricing fair and the location convenient. But, the draft beers are often a bit flat and a touch sour (something is up with that tapping system), the music can be annoying and the food is borderline awful.

Having said that, it's not like there's a lot of great bar-type options in downtown JC. The White Star -- loud music, louder customers. Lamp Post -- great food, but dodgy atmosphere and Hot 97 (commercial radio in a bar?). Hamilton Inn -- premium prices, subpar food.

Isn't there any place to get a beer and burger that doesn't make you regret, just a little bit, living in Jersey City?

OMG So true
I think the only reason we have gone; maybe 8 times is because we really like the owners, wish them well and want them to succeed. However the Food is bad. Just not decent pub fare. Sorry, but we have stopped going for now.
If they are still around when Spring arrives we'll sit outside with our dogs again, as dogs are warmly welcome, outside :)



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Agreed about the boring menu, nothing ever looks intriguing/up-to-date/etc. Also agree about the food being frozen - the one and only burger I had over a year ago couldn't have been anything other than a frozen Sam's Club patty. I think they'd be more successful charging $3 more for a burger made fresh in-house.

It kind of feels like these guys wanted to open a college bar in the mid-90s and then when they had the chance opened just that, a run-of-the-mill college bar where no one is expected to give a crap about the food. That probably won't fly in this day and age.

That all being said, it's a quaint place and the owners do seem to be very nice and engaging with their clientele. You really want them to succeed as Jersey City needs as many good restaurants as possible, but it's almost like they need a Gordon Ramsey-type intervention to get them cooking better food. Not fancy food, just solid pub/comfort food fitting of the space and vibe.

I've stopped in maybe 3-4 times. I love the decor and how it's a small neighborhood pub. However, the bar area never seems to be very full. Are they just not promoting themselves, or do people around there just not like to go out to bars? (I Know Hamilton Park is pretty family oriented).

I personally don't like really crowded bars, but having some people to talk to is nice. It seems that they are going for the really quiet neighborhood bar vibe, which is fine, but can they be profitable?

I hope so - I definitely like the place for a beer and a quick bite.

I've been there a few times, and they are super nice. So nice that I hate to say anything negative about the place. The food however, leaves a lot to be desired.

The menu is so. boring. and the nature of the selection leads me to believe that much of it is frozen. (Breaded chicken tenders, etc). I hate to say it, but the menu reads like the one at my college cafeteria.

The great thing about the old Simple was that they had comfort food -- things like meatloaf and chicken pot pie. These are so easy to make, and helped Simple stand out from the crowd (not that they didn't have their own problems). I wish 9th and Coles would go in this direction. Find something cool to do -- a variety of delicious grilled cheese sandwiches, or homemade pickles. Something that makes the place unique.

Fresh, simple, hearty food is surprisingly hard to find, and I think if they offered it patrons would flock there. I know I would.

I frequent here because they have the friendliest staff and cheap beer and usually not very crowded. But their food is less than average.

I wish they do at least burgers well. They have all the fancy toppings but the burger is frozen pre-made (or at least it tastes like one). It's dry and too hard.

I really with best for them, but they HAVE to do better job to survive.

Eaten there 2x, and the first time it was great (chicken sandwich) second time I ordered the veggie burger and it was honestly the worst veggie burger I have ever eaten...Just don't offer one if it's going to be a veggie puck. It does more harm than good (by the way, I have a bad-ass homemade recipe for a veg burger if they want it...PM me). That being said, the place has the coolest feel of any bar in the JC.

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If you feel that way about them why wish them well. It seems that you did the opposite during your comparision to 9C. Is this that PC they're trying to shove down our society?

The people who own the place and the staff are nice, however, I think the food is very inconsistent (burned pancakes or burgers, undercooked fries and bacon). Overpriced for the quality/quantity. My friend got food poisoning here - I think from the undercooked bacon or spoiled cheese on the poppers.

I vastly prefer 9C to Hamilton Inn. In fact, I've given up on HI ? too expensive for what's offered, and the service is consistently lackluster. The food at 9C is tasty, and the portions are generous. The people who work there are friendly and unpretentious. I continue to wish HI well ? the renovation is lovely, and the location is great. But I go to 9C now.

Strange you mention hamilton inn - because I see a lot of less-than-stellar reviews about that on both here and yelp. I've seen mostly good reviews on 9&C and it makes me wonder if HI isn't in need of catching up to them instead of the other way around.

I think the food and service at 9C are distinctively better than that of Hamilton Inn. Hamilton Inn seems to me that it really just want's to be more of a lounge than a restaurant. Whenever I've gone in there the music tends to be really loud, the lights too dim to read a menu and the wait staff only sometimes attentive. I tried to support HI for awhile, but I just gave up on them early this summer after one early evening I sat at the bar to get dinner and the bar tender walked past me several times while I sat there for 20 minutes before taking my order and it certainly wasn't busy.

I love this place for brunch in the summer, but it really needs to distinguish itself over 2 other great local bars: the Hamilton Inn and the White Star Bar.

Honestly, it might be better off going Latino and competing with the New Music Box, than trying compete with 2 stellar bars like the HI and WSB.

Last evening was my second visit to this place since they have opened under the latest owner. Both of my meals were very good and delivered with equally good service. The music was not too loud and the bartender and waiter were both genuine and friendly. My only surprise is that it wasn't more crowded. Of course it was only 6:30 on a Tuesday evening.

I had the 9C burger here a few weeks ago. It was overwhelming and delicious. But with taylor ham and a fried egg, it's probably a once in a while (per bypass) kinda thing. Paula Dean would approve.

Nope. Been open for perhaps a few months shy of a year.

Hey, I just passed by this place, is it new?? http://www.9thandcoles.com/

We've been there a few times. We've enjoyed it, although they're still working out their kinks. All meals have been decent, at a good price. I was disappointed with their pizza, though... pretty bland, but it seems to be a hit with kids. Nice sized salads. Their desserts are a stand-out, though. Although not on the menu, they do offer a tasting sampler of the four desserts, which is a good way to try them all.

Anyone try 9 and Coles yet? It's open, has menu, people eating outside, no liquor license yet though.