A New Social Club Comes to Town

The downtown corner that once housed Buskers is now home to a new restaurant, bar and social club: Marty O'Brien's.

, owner Nick Giello and his business partners had taken over the location on First and Bloomfield Streets in February with the goal of putting their own stamp on the place.

The result is the Marty O'Brien's Social Club, subtitled "an Association of All Nations."

The restaurant and bar is undergoing a soft opening this week until its grand opening next Tuesday. In the meantime Giello and his partners are putting in finishing touches. The location has brand new dark wood furniture and a bar. They are also renovating the back room to cater to reserved parties.

Giello said he hopes the atmosphere will offer something unique for a downtown bar.

"It's a place where you can have a good meal, get a cocktail, have a good time," he said. Giello said he hopes customers will consider the bar a place to go during the weekend, but also a place to watch sports or take their families for dinner, lunch and brunch.

The name comes from the bar that Frank Sinatra's father operated in Hoboken. The elder Sinatra had been a boxer who fought under the name Marty O'Brien.

Giello said that the original Marty O'Brien's also had the motto “association of all nations,” significant at a time when Hoboken was fractured along ethnic lines.

“That place was saying, 'everybody's welcome',” Giello said. “We're saying the same thing.”

Coming soon: a bakery comes to First Street, a fashion lounge comes to Washington Street, and the Hoboken Cigar Shop relocates to the southwest corner.

The Business Beat covers businesses opening, closing and relocating in the Mile Square. Have a Hoboken related business tip? Send an email to alanskontra@hotmail.com.