McMahon’s Brownstone Alehouse: An Unpretentious Night

So, did everyone have a great Fourth of July? I mean, it is the best holiday in the world (burgers, beers and exploding gunpowder, hello!), so I hope you got to live it up as well as I did. Just so you know, my definition of “living it up” is “parked on a lawn chair with a can of beer in one hand and a hot dog in the other.”

In my excitement for the Fourth, I really wanted to hit up a bar this week that would exemplify all that was great about America. Unfortunately, I already did Liberty Bar and Grill (the obvious choice), so I just had to make due with wherever I could drag a friend. So, it was!

I know, I know, that doesn’t sound American at all. It’s an Irish pub. But bear with me.

So I met up with a friend of mine late in the evening on a weekend night. McMahon’s was pretty busy, but we managed to squeeze in a spot at the bar. We were expecting the usual tired bartender, just trying to slog through her shift until she could go home and change her shoes, but what we got was a warm greeting, and plenty of patience as we hemmed and hawed over which drafts to order.

Despite the Bud and Coors, the beer selection wasn’t half bad (at around five bucks), offering Blue Moon, Boddington’s, Hoegaarden, Sierra Nevada and Smithwicks on draft, with Amstel, Aspen, Becks, Kirin and Rolling Rock in bottles. This wasn’t striking me as a place to get fancy craft brews, or cocktails made with seasonal ingredients, garnished with a bouquet of crap. And that’s okay, because at a place like McMahon’s, you just want to roll up with your buddies, knock a few back and maybe watch a game or sing karaoke. I’d call it a “weeknight spot.” Nowhere that you’re going to need stilettos and a popped collar for, that’s for sure (wait, why would you ever need those things anyway, unless you were going to some MTV reality show reunion).

The décor was what you would expect from an Irish pub in North Jersey: brick walls, wood paneling, Irish flags outside. The patrons – a jeans and t-shirt crowd – seemed to be all locals. A bunch of them knew the bartender and the assumed owner of the bar. The presence of regulars is always the best sign when assessing whether or not a bar will be fun or will make you want to kill yourself. I’ll rate McMahon’s as a pretty friendly place on this factor alone.

“This place makes me want to smash a bottle of Guinness over my head and toss soccer balls in the air… but, like, in a good way,” said my friend, which was followed with “but don’t print that or anything.”

“I think that sounds culturally insensitive,” I replied, scratching my head.

“You know what I mean,” she replied as we downed our next pints.

We had a fun night at McMahon’s, but honestly, two giggly girls plus copious amounts of alcohol would make any situation fun. Still, it’s a good bar, especially since it’s a little off the beaten path, uptown off of Washington Street. It’s a locals scene with a decent beer selection and a friendly, welcoming vibe.

I’ll award McMahon’s seven out of ten frosty mugs, for a fun night without any pretentious attitudes. Even on a busy evening, we still got helpful bar service with a smile. And hey, I didn’t even feel the need to elbow any pushy frat guys in the face! (This happens more than you would think.) Basically if you want to avoid the striped button-down shirt crew, drowning in cologne, then McMahon’s would be a good spot to simply get your drink on. It’s friendly, it’s chill, and the prices are pretty decent. What else do you want?

Now, let’s start stockpiling fireworks for next year.

1034 Willow Avenue; 201- 798-5650. Check out mcmahonsbrownstonebar.​com for more.

The Bar Hopper is a sometimes tongue-in-cheek look at Hoboken's abundant bar scene. The views expressed in these reviews are half-sloshed, and do not reflect the overall views of Patch.