5 Jersey Shore bars we wish made USA TODAY's Bars of the Year list

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4 days ago

No one knows bars and restaurants like food and entertainment writers, and the USA TODAY Network has more than 100 across the country.
For the 2025 USA TODAY Bars of the Year list, we collaborated to nominate honorees nationwide. The bars did not have to be the fanciest, the most well-known, or be led by award-winning mixologists. They needed to be the type of place we recommend to friends or bring out-of-town guests to visit.
How many have you been to? The 29 best bars in America in 2025: See USA TODAY's top picks
The final list includes more than two dozen bars across the country, but many more deserve to be recognized. If we had a chance to nominate more, here are five Shore bars we would have chosen.
The Ark Pub & Eatery, Point Pleasant Beach
Swing open the wooden door of The Ark and step inside, and you know right away you are in a place with some miles on it.
The proof is written — literally — on the walls. And the tables, and the booths. Names, dates and symbols have been scratched into the wood, evidence of guests who have come before.
In addition to being a comfortable place to sit and have a drink — they boast a selection of more than 100 beers — The Ark also serves great food. They use local produce and fish when possible, and will grill, broil or fry a customer's freshly caught fish if the kitchen's not too busy.
Another thing we love about this place? They don't give out their WiFi password.
"So many times, we all get caught up in (using phones instead of talking)," co-owner Tony Bartone once told The Asbury Park Press. "Talk to each other."
Go: 401 Route 35 North, Point Pleasant Beach; 732-295-1122, thearkpubandeatery.com
See last year's list: The best bars in America in 2024: See USA TODAY's 27 favorite spots
Asbury Park Brewery
This is where the smart — and friendly — set of the Asbury Park arts scene meets.
Look to your right at the bar and it's Cookman Avenue in all its glory. Behind you, it's a mural by city art artist Porkchop of the greats who have played city the decades.
That's everyone from Ella Fitzgerald to the Clash.
The Asbury Park Brewery shares one thing with the noted Georgies of Asbury Park: Comedian Jon Stewart has played drums in both spots.
Go: 614 Cookman Ave., Suite 1, Asbury Park; 732-361-0481, www.asburyparkbrewery.com.
EJ's Tap House, Seaside Heights
What's not to love about this Jersey Shore institution?
There's no dress code, lots of pool tables and it's dog friendly, plus you have a great view of the Seaside Heights boardwalk and the Atlantic Ocean.
There have been no bougie makeovers for EJ's. Instead, the dive bar carries forth, decade after decade, with the classic Jersey Shore concept that there's magic when cold beers, hot lights and loud music meet on a warm summer night.
Go: 919 Boardwalk, Seaside Heights; 732-250-2801.
Nip N Tuck Bar & Grill, Long Branch
This female-owned dive bar has been a favorite in Long Branch for more than half a century, its name dedicated to a Prohibition practice of sneaking sips of liquor from hidden flasks.
Customers flock to Nip-n-Tuck for craft beer, burgers grilled behind the bar, live music and boozy bingo brunches. When the the weather is nice, visitors can take a seat in an outdoor beer garden.
Also, the bar gives a discount to veterans and active duty members of the armed forces every day.
Go: 23 Norwood Ave., Long Branch; 732-222-0023, nipntuck.bar
Parker House, Sea Girt
Restaurant by day, bar by night, the seasonal Parker House has been a Shore mainstay since the late 1800s,
Its summers are filled with lobster dinners, live music and DJs, a raw bar serving steamed clams and peel-and-eat shrimp, and the chance to dine and drink on a wrap-around porch a block from the beach.
Want to skip the inevitable line? Try to nab a coveted Parker House VIP card, which lets you bypass lines and cover charges.
Go: 290 1st Av.e, Sea Girt; 732 449 0442, parkerhousenj.com.
Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to [e-mail], follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to her weekly newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore bars we wish made USA TODAY's Bars of the Year list
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