I've recently moved to Jersey City, and for a number of reasons, I was less than enthusiastic, until I found what might be one of my favorite bars... ever.

Great Notch Inn
US Highway 46
Little Falls, NJ 07424
(973) 256-7742

That's right, I said it, there's a bar worth visiting in New Jersey. Now, you may have seen the place as a backdrop for a Bon Jovi video and thought, wow, he's taking this country music thing just a little too far, and if you didn't see it there, you might have noticed it as a location in a dozen cop thrillers in the early 90s.  Missed it in both?  Doesn't matter. You'll still swear this place feels like home after walking through the doors at the Great Notch Inn. The place is a landmark- right there on Route 46.

The place has been open since 1939. Yeah, that's right. It's as old as your grandparents, and it's been run by the same family since they opened their doors. The current owner is Rich Hempel, the Great-Grandson, of the original owner, Greg DiLeo, and he's kept the place going despite the ever rising property value of his prime Jersey location (and for Jersey, this place is prime).

When he's not fighting to keep the doors open in the face of corporate takeover, he fills in on drums during the music nights, which seem to happen more frequently than not. To keep the place feeling modern, despite the charming and dated decor, he keeps a steady flow of local musicians coming through the doors.  Actually, the band that played the night before rocked so hard that he had to replace part of the floor while we drank our Great Notch Inn Barley Brew. Yep, they have their own signature beer, which is brewed by a family friend in  Fairfield.



So, if the owner and history of this place haven't sold you, let me present you Felicia, who was our bartender that night.  Now, we got lucky, she was filling in while her boyfriend, the owner of The Great Notch, ran home to clean up after fixing the floor, but let me tell you, she is one hell of a bartender.  She boasts almost thirty years of experience behind the stick at locations from The Great Notch to the Jersey Shore to Manhattan.  On top of that, she saw every band you love not just before they broke up, but when they were playing to a dozen people in a dive.  Yeah.  She's that cool.

Check out some video footage from her last birthday party. I guarantee you'll laugh.