Louise and Jerry's: A Hoboken Classic

It was an awful, rainy day and I needed a drink. The only problem was, it was barely Happy Hour, let alone barely opening time for most bars in Hoboken. So, armed with an umbrella and wearing flimsy canvas shoes that were soon soaked, I found myself traipsing around town, dragging a friend along (yeah, he loved that).

There was one lonely dude drinking at the bar at , and at , the bartender looked like she was just taking the stools off of the bar. But alas! Walking past , we noticed a couple of dudes sitting at the bar. I’ve never reviewed Louise and Jerry’s? I thought to myself. OK, it’s decided. Let’s go in.

Louise and Jerry’s is owned by , who inherited the 50-year-old bar from his family. A reviewer on Yelp remembers the place in the late 70s and 80s, when beers were apparently a nickel, and Louise herself would tend bar.

Stepping down into the bar, it was dark, but warm. A couple of guys who looked like they were in bands were sitting at the bar, drinking bottles of beer. The music was 60s and 70s folk-tinged rock, and on the television screen was not a sporting event – no, it was the 1962 classic “How The West Was Won.”

The large, bearded bartender asked us how we were doing and what he could get for us. We ordered Yuengling’s because they were $3, but they also had Happy Hour draft specials on Blue Moon, Stella, Newcastle and Guinness.

The décor at Louise and Jerry’s is reminiscent of a basement rec room from the 70s, with brick walls, dim lighting from stained glass lamps, a jukebox sans dance music and Justin Bieber, and a pool table that only costs a buck to play. Around the bar are old American flags, trophies and ancient beer advertisements (one, a light-up sign for Budweiser featuring a yacht on open waters had me signing to myself, “This is the life I should be living”).

My companion fell in love with Louise and Jerry’s when he overheard the other bar patrons talking about New Jersey’s punk-rock golden boy, Ted Leo, and when the jukebox began to play a Flying Burrito Brothers song.

I fell in love when I overheard someone exclaim, "He was cooking foie gras on the third rail!"

“I didn’t know there were places in Hoboken that weren’t full of frat boys or yuppies in suits,” my friend said. I wanted to laugh and immediately take him on a tour of the likes of , , and . But like I said, it was pouring and freezing, so we stayed put and ordered more beers.

But Louise and Jerry’s is a gem in it’s own right. I’ve been there loads of times over the years, to , to simply unwinding with my colleagues over a cold beer. It’s a great unpretentious spot full of old-timers and rock ‘n rollers. The bartender even offered us a buyback drink, something that I’ve probably only gotten very few times in Hoboken. Unfortunately, my friend was now running late to a show in the city. Still, some of the new bars could take tips from Louise and Jerry’s. In all, after a fun evening of drinking, I’ll award them a solid nine frosty mugs. 

Louise and Jerry’s, 329 Washington Street; (201) 656-9698.