Maxwell’s: A Hoboken Rock 'n Roll Tradition

I was meeting up with an old friend from college this week, and required a bar that wouldn’t be too loud, so we could carry on a conversation, so naturally, I chose a rock club. But I’m not talking about a skeezy basement cramped full of heavy metal dudes sloshing beer everywhere (although, actually, that would be cool?), I’m talking about my favorite venue in all of Hoboken: .

Now, everyone knows that it’s a cool place to catch a local show, or see a big band in an intimate space. They’ve hosted Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, Husker Du, The Strokes, The Red Hot Chili Peppers – okay, the list would go on forever, but you get the idea. I’ve seen some great shows there, from to . One time, I hustled my way into one of those super sold out Yo La Tengo Hannukah shows, got really drunk and hit on the comedian John Hodgman. So you know, there’s that.

But in the front, Maxwell’s is a pretty established bar and restaurant in its own right. So we sat down at the bar (okay, I sat and waited like 20 minutes for my friend to find parking and come in). The tables were mostly empty, but just about every bar stool was taken, so we had to squeeze in. The décor is mostly local artwork, adorned with Christmas lights and garlands. With exposed brick walls and a tin ceiling, the space has a classic, homey feeling. 

“I thought this place would be bigger,” said my friend. “They have shows here?”

I pointed towards the back, “There’s a whole venue space back there!”

“Oh.”

So I had a Sixpoint Sweet Action, and my friend ordered a Yuengling. I think mine cost $6. What, no Happy Hour prices, Maxwell’s? I guess that’s all for the best. I was coming here for good beer and conversation, not slugging back cheap shots and getting drunk enough to text old boyfriends.

If I may wax about the beer for a minute, Maxwell’s does have a great selection for someone who likes a pour of local beer (Sixpoint, Bluepoint, Brooklyn Brewery, Magic Hat), but it’s also a place where there is no shame in ordering a Pabst, or a tallboy of Bud.

Other things that are great about Maxwell’s: no TVs! Man, I never thought I would enjoy not having a television in my face so much. There is one tiny TV in the front room, but they were showing soccer, so it wasn’t so bad. Instead, the bar just played some awesome music, like Ryan Adams, The Shins, Passion Pit. I think I even heard that one really old Franz Ferdinand song. Throwback!

In all, Maxwell’s is a really great place to hang back with your friends and grab a decent beer. The crowd skews a little older, maybe late 20s-30s, and you will definitely run into some old punk, or member of a local band. The food and the live music at Maxwell’s are just really the icing on the awesome beer cake. Wait, what?

Anyway, I’ll give it a perfect score: ten frosty mugs, guys. I may be biased, because I have always loved Maxwell’s, and have always had a great time there. Head out there this weekend; grab some dinner, a few drinks and maybe see a show! I don’t care what you do!