02/05/2023
Friday was my birthday, and despite temps plummeting into the single digits and an arctic wind piercing my southern bones, my boys insisted we go out to celebrate. Who is to argue with such stellar logic? I wasn’t in the mood for fancy. I wanted to pull on jeans and tuck into a great cheeseburger by a fire. Maybe knock back a cold Shandy. I got all this and more when I wandered into New Park Tavern in Jersey City.
Standing out front of 575 W Side Ave, you’re gonna need a bit of faith. There is no sign on the door, and New Park Tavern looks closed. This isn’t a cute, hipstery dive, but rather an authentic neighborhood Irish dive, replete with working jukebox, card games, a fire, a tiny kitchen, and a friendly vibe. Memorabilia lines the walls, and the history is palpable. It’s divey, but homey: the bar lined with regulars, and friends gathered at tables. My kids found a deck of cards, and a Guinness Book of World Records from 1991. In the corner, a woman was setting up for what looked like a 30-something birthday party with a cake.
Kevin greeted us, told us to grab the table by the fire (“it’s warmer”), poured our beers, cooked our burgers, and showed me the tiny kitchen space. He’s worked there for 32 years as his second job. There are no menus, or at least Kevin didn’t give us any, just offered the legendary burger or their take on a Reuben, piled high with paper-thin corned beef, melted Swiss and Russian. Both came with fries and were delicious - not the best burger I’ve ever had in NJ, but very, very good. 8 ounces, cooked slow and easy on a flat-top griddle that’s owned it’s spot for 45 years.
Washed down with a perfectly pulled ice cold Blue Moon Shandy, it really made for a perfect reprieve from the cold. This is the kind of spot that really encapsulates how mood affects food, and how space can warm the taste buds as tenderly as the heart.
Got a favorite Tavern burger where part of the love comes from the space itself? Let me know below.
‘Til next time…
