Nag’s Head: Where Everybody Might Actually Know Your Name

I had a busy week (those cat sweaters weren’t going to knit themselves), so I pleaded with a friend to grab one tiny drink with me for my review this week. I went through Patch’s bar listings and realized after a year of reviewing a bar every week I was coming up a little dry. There are only a handful that I’ve never been to (mark my words, you will have to drag me kicking and screaming into Bahama Mama’s).

“Alright, let’s go to ,” I said to my friend.

“What kind of name is that?” she asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Uhhh,” I replied, not really knowing at all.

Actually, according to my extensive Google searching, the term “nags head” describes lanterns tied around wandering horses necks that were meant to scare away 18th century pirates. Don't ever say that this bar column never taught you anything!

It turned out that , to cover a Jets game. I remember it being super loud and asking people silly stuff like, “Sooo uhhh, you think they’re gonna win maybe?”

On this occasion, the bar was still packed with football fans, but there was a bit more room to breathe. We took a seat and perused the beer offerings: Guinness, Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams, Magic Hat, Yuengling Lager, Coors, Blue Moon. While Magic Hat is always good, there wasn’t too much that stood out for me. Luckily, the bar had $3 pints of Yuengling (or the option of a $12 pitcher), so we just went with that. Hey, we went to college in South Jersey, so that stuff is kind of in our blood. They also offer $2.50 cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon, for the cheapskates, but really, for 50 cents more just go with the pint.

To be fair, when I came home and perused the bar’s Facebook page, I noticed that they did offer a lot of seasonal and local beers, in limited supply. Flying Dog, Full Sail and Jersey's own River Horse were all mentioned. Don’t know how I missed out on that (like I said, we only popped in for a drink), but it bears mentioning for the craft beer aficionados out there.

The bartender was quick and friendly, and the fellow patrons didn’t get under my skin at all. It was just a bunch of local, neighborhood people hanging out with a couple of beers, watching the game. Now, I’m not a fan of football at all. I am of the mind that these games could be played in about five minutes if they would just quit stopping and starting all of the time. Then we could turn out attention to drinking more beer, and eating Cheetos. America!

From the outside, Nag’s Head is a beautiful little bar on First Street. The exterior is all molded dark wood and stained glass, with decorative iron on the windows. Inside, there’s a mahogany (actually, I am no wood expert) bar with exposed brick walls and decorations like a mounted trout, an old-school dartboard and a Yankees street sign. It’s definitely not hip or modern, but sometimes you just want to settle into an unpretentious spot. If you want someplace trendy, there’s the Chandelier Room or . If your wallet’s a little slim and you don’t feel like dressing up, there’s Nag’s Head.

In all, Nag’s Head is a pretty solid neighborhood bar, the type that has endured throughout the years (they opened in 1998) without compromising or falling into the trap of gimmicks. I’ll give Nag’s Head eight out of ten frosty mugs. While there’s a lot of pubs and sports bars out there, a lot of them nowadays are chains, or soulless endeavors by owners who cater to the backwards hat bro crowd. Nag’s Head is a nice grown-up bar that’s not stiff at all. It’s got a friendly staff and a pack of loyal patrons. It’s cheap, but not some gross place with watered-down “dollar mugs.” I’ll stop back when football ends (and basketball begins, woohoo!).

Nag's Head Pub, 359 First Street; (201) 653-6400, nagsheadhoboken.​com