Ringside Pub

i have countless upon countless fun memories of going to this prestigious caldwell landmark ever since i was 21 years old. i am now 31 with a decade of memories here. that being said though this place is a heavy locals scene everyone here is very welcoming whether it be staff or the clientele of regulars ive known over the years growing up in this area and their live bands every week are always a fun time! depending on what day it is they have nice drink specials on beer until last call and mixed drinks are reasonably priced and if you need a quick bite to eat they provide bar pies from nearby tony ds pizza! if you wanna check out their live bands belting out legendary rock tunes their schedule is right above the entrance and every sunday night is open mic night with entertainment and talent not found just anywhere! they have a pool table and free dart boards downstairs and whenever the second floor is open without private events theres a nice bar upstairs as well with 2 more pool tables and dart boards and even cornhole to play up there. tvs are both upstairs and downstairs for your sports viewing pleasure. however, its a $ 10 minimum to pay with a credit or debit card here but in conclusion this jersey landmark is one of the best bars anyone can ask for.

This place reminds me of an old creepers hangout. There’s never a big crowd when I go and I’ve yet to hear a good band. I’ve only been there a few times but just been turned off by the vibe. Seems kind of dirty too. Ehh

This place was a lot better than I thought. I went to see a band here and it was a good space for live music and cheap drinks. Lots of room to dance and tons of seats at the bar. The drinks were strong and even though there was a pretty big crowd on a Saturday night, I never felt I waited too long for my drink order. While this isn’t a place I’d want to meet my girlfriends to catch up or lounge at the bar with my man, nor order food (I think they have some pizza maybe?) it definitely serves its purpose: an inexpensive dive bar with a fun atmosphere that’s open late and you can catch some live music.

This is an awesome place to chill out after a long day; very relaxing. There’s always seats available, friendly bartenders, and good music. A pool table and darts are also available. The food is average, but does get the job done when you’re hungry. Ringside Pub is one of my favorite bars in the area.

Dive-​ish, inexpensive «shot and a beer» style bar with HUGE square wrap around bar. No windows. Dark/​dimly-​lit, a pool table, darts, etc. Friendly bartenders. Lots of characters. Has a nice blue collar vibe. Perfect for that kind of scene.
Pros: Great place for locals to get a cheap drink and chat with the friendly bartenders; and unlike the Cloverleaf, there is always room to sit at the bar (because again the bar is a huge square with the booze and bartenders in the middle).
Cons: A small group of us (guys and gals) went early-​ish on a Friday night looking forward to whiskey shots and beer to wash it down — but, no joke, there was a COVER CHARGE. We peeked inside and the bar was virtually empty and a country band was playing. We decided not to go in — as much as I love Caldwell, let’s face it — it’s Caldwell NJ and there is just no reason a local dive bar should have a cover charge, ever. Especially when there is virtually no one at the bar. I was really disappointed by that and cannot understand it.

I’ve passed this place a million times as I live right off of Bloomfield, but had no interest because I thought it was a country bar (country music, square dancing). I came into this place around midnight on a Thursday because the Cloverleaf was closed. As I walked closer I could hear the music styling of «Lil’ Jon» blasting, but because the other bar was closed I decided to go for it.
I’m going to try to sum this place up the best I can. A large crowd of frat kids and girls that looked wayyy underage, sipping on their bud lites and miller lites. I can’t tell you how many times someone dropped their drink or spilled it, literally the whole bar was soaked in everyone’s drink. I wouldn’t recommend putting anything down on a table. The people watching was pretty epic, but when going outside for a smoke expect to get immediately harassed (girls) by some drunken college kid living off his parents trust fund.
The beer selection was pretty bad, every kind of water down beer you could ever hope for. I was a little disappointed they didn’t carry my selection of beer in a bottle because I hate drinking out of tap at a bar. I’m pretty sure the tap was bad because after two beers I felt sick to my stomach (and not in the drunken kind of way).
I’m giving this 3 stars because the staff was awesome, the bartenders were friendly and you get prompt service when you need it.
This would have been a great bar if I was still 16.

This place is a dive bar but it’s great regardless. They have pool for a dollar and a quarter machine next to it so you don’t have to go to the bar. The bar is large with tvs set for every angle. The darts are free and there’s rarely a line to use them. The drinks are cheap and well made, always order a double. The food is decent, and gets delivered to wherever you stand. It’s a cool dive bar and the bartenders are nice. It’s mostly guys, but they are very cool people that frequent the bar. Totally worthy of a stop in.

They don’t give it much effort. Not much selection and they don’t care too much if you like that or not, which I kind of respect so they get a second star. But it’s a «nothing else is open» kind of place.

Doorman said he couldn’t let us in (on New Year’s) because there was a private party going on unless we paid him $ 40. No doubt it would have went right into his pocket. The whole thing was such a turn off and the epitome of what dive bars are NOT.
Had been once before, nothing to write home about. Average bands, Coors Light on tap, etc.
Go to Cloverleaf Tavern instead — way more welcoming, more attentive bartenders, fun events, excellent craft beers, and they won’t try to pocket your cash at the front door to let you in.

I’m a fan of dive bars, but this place just ruins the experience. One: there’s no menu, so I can’t even fill my stomach. Two: the draft beer is horrible; I order one Blue Moon and it’s more sour than a slice of lemon. Three: Bands need to play on a different day; A Friday or Saturday would be a better open-​mic night than Sunday. If they take care of these problems, then more people would probably come more often, because The Cloverleaf (another bar next door) is already getting crowded enough.

Caldwell’s resident dive-​bar, complete with cheap beer, pool table, dart boards and multiple TVs.
They have a small stage and feature live music on just about every Saturday night, and occasional other nights.
There are zero frills and seating is pretty light – which is only a problem should the joint get crowded which happens every now and again.
Parking can be a little tough. They have no designated lot, and there is no parking after 9 on the nearby side street – Hanford Place. You’ll have to find a spot on Bloomfield Ave, which isn’t usually too tough, but you’ll most likely need to park between Smull and Park and walk a block or so.
It’s a real locals place, where you’ll most likely find a clientele who graduated high school in town, be it a few years or a few decades ago.

Beer selection is average and the atmosphere is what you’d expect from a dive bar.
Nothing special except for the occassional live band. The clientel tends to remind me of people you would see on the TV series COPS.
All in all, it’s a bar and most of the people are there to forget anyways.

Oh man I remember this place. This place takes me waaayyyyy back. Thisspot always used to have those .50 cent beers on Tuesday night. Ahh good times.

The last time I was there the band came on close to midnight. That is too late to start a first set. The bartenders were discourteous and not very attentive. I had to make it rain just to get a beer. And the beer tasted skunked.

It needs a lot of updating. I’ve been there a couple times and you feel like your in some ‘murica bar in the south. But the real turn off are the dirty taps. The beer I had tasted AWFUL. People can get sick with dirty lines.

I’ve been here twice now, and have had very good experiences. Tony is a really cool bartender. I’m from out of town and he made me feel right at home like it was my local dive. He even picked up a few of my drinks… class act. If you like the dive scene, it’s a great place.
This is a cool place to play darts, they have a pool table too, and for a bar table the felt on it was either new or taken very good care of. They have a pretty solid group of regulars and the alcohol selection is pretty large. I drink Miller Lite on tap back home, and this is the first joint in NJ I’ve found that has a decent enough selection (more than 3 – 5 beers on tap) to carry it as a draft.

It’s a bar where you will find everyone you went to high school with if you are from that area. They have a pretty big bar actually. Some bartenders need a little work with their people skills, though. They have a pool table and a stage for bands to perform. It’s a convenient place to meet up for a drink or two on the avenue.

Im at ringside right now. Haven’t been here since college, but the beer is still cold the crowd is still cool. The chicks are still pretty. And we’re about to do a comedy show for five bucks on a saturday. Can’t beet that

Every night here is very entertaining… I love this place. The story is usually never quite clear as to what happened after you go to Ringside. Cheap drinks, unapologetic bartenders that feed you shots (as long as you drink Jameson or Henny or something ungodly like that)…you get better at darts with with drink and there are pool tables. The crowd is unforgettable and funny acting, looking and by the time we come here post-other-places…i’m funny too! Oh yea, there are bands too. Oh man, great dive place!

These guys are the best. Tony is the best singer, bartender, and hunter around. Plus he will have you laughing your ass off all night. I highly recommend this place especially on a Tuesday night if they still have .50 cent drafts.