The Old Canal Inn

I had a great time here. Gave the feel of a small, neighborhood bar with a homey touch. If that makes sense? Lol. We came here on a Friday night and the crowd was a bit older but we still had fun. The bartenders served with a smile and were really nice, friendly. In the back area, they have a pinball machine, beer pong simulated game and a shuffleboard. We played those! They also have a touch tunes jukebox which I love! Upstairs in the dining room, they had a local band playing and they were really good! Their menu could be bigger, but they have a decent selection of finger foods.

I’ve been here once and I wouldn’t mind returning. It’s got the feel of a dive bar but there’s a section for live music and restaurant seating. It was crowded on a Thursday night with what seemed like all regulars since they were chatting with the bartenders. I got to play some shuffleboard for a good while — just note that to get the equipment you ask one of the bartenders.

By far one of my favorite dive/​local bars. They have an awesome selection of craft beer and one of the few places I’ve been to that has coldcock available. Food is pretty good have never had a negative experience. Me and my friends are more or less regular due to the good prices and friendly staff. A must stop of you are in the area

Delicious burgers! I had the bacon cheddar burger. Normally I’m not a fan of steak fries but these were cooked perfectly!!! The only reason they didn’t get 5stars is because I wasn’t a fan of the chips on the nachos.

A small dive-​bar feel with amazing service and a great beer selection. A good draft beer selection with an even better bottle collection. Bartenders both stopped by to see if any help was needed making beer choices and described the kind of beer our choice was. Very attentive service with an empty beer only lasting about 30 seconds before another order was taken. No rush while you sit and a nice ambience where the music you pick on the juke box actually plays.

Good food and drink. Friendly staff. attractive staff — worth the stop

Great place to have a nice diner the back room was just renovated and is nice. Staff is friendly prices were good have to say I was very pleased

Excellent staff, great food, great times!!! It is easy to see the owners truly care about this establishment and run a great business! Highly suggested to check out the bar if you’re in the area.

LOVE THIS BAR. Come here to learn that bar food doesn’t have to be generic. Be sure to check out the death seat!!!

Been here a few times in the past year, and this place continues to impress me. It’s part local dive bar, part gastropub and part local music venue. I’m starting reconsider the last few years of my life when I insisted on heading 20 minutes away in order to enjoy some craft beer when I could have gone here instead.
My first recent trip to OCI was to see my friend’s band play. The entire upper section was dedicated to the show, and their friends were able to enjoy themselves without fear of bumping into people who just wanted to sit down and have a brew. This upper section had smaller, but still full, bar and a relatively decent beer selection.
In the lower area is the main area complete with games (one of the longest shuffleboard tables I’ve seen), more tables and the bigger bar. Here you’ll be able to pick from at least 20 different beers, including some relatively rare beers.
If you’re a beer aficionado, experimental or just want to have your name nailed to the taps, you can earn your way into the Old Canal Inn Craft Beer Social Club Membership. This requires you drink all 45 beers on their list. Be forewarned that 10 of the beers are seasonal, so you’ll have to come in at least once a season. In addition to letting everyone else know you’re an alcohol using craft beer as a justification, you get to take home a banner with your name and a member card.
And if shelling out $ 6×45 isn’t your style, you can enjoy their $ 2 PBRs.

Well the place was very noisy went with my family not a place for kids. Potato skins tasted like cardboard with cheese. Wings were ok, Mac and cheese bites I would not recommend. Main course was a burger on a stale roll I would not go back, waitress was good but atmosphere well unless you’re into tv blaring I you’re ear, and a bunch off football gas screaming.

Went to see a friend’s band play and came early for dinner. I was not expecting much and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food.
We ordered from the specials menu and started with the hickory wings and blackened steak bites appetizers. The steak was tender and tasty (though technically I wouldn’t call them blackened) and came with a herb-​mayo dip, fresh baby greens, and small garlic bread. For dinner, I had the prime rib sandwich with garlic mayo and provolone done cheesesteak style w/​fries.
Everything was done right with fresh ingredients. This coming from what people describe as a «dive bar». Not at all. And our servers we more than attentive! To boot the beer selection was great as well — both draft and bottles. I was just surprised we were the only table for dinner. Perhaps the word’s not out yet on the great food? It should be.

Went there on a Tuesday night and the place had a good crowd, really love the old bars and this one does not disappoint, one of the owners came over and talked to us and gave us some info on the place, showed us the phone booth with all the things he said they found when they were redoing the place and things customers brought in, the food was very good and the beer was nice and cold, will be going back very soon, and don’t forget to look at the old T bird outside, what is inside is creepy but funny.

I hadn’t been there in many years. So my family and I decided to try it out. First impressions dark and dirty. It’s a bar, with a almost empty dining room room in the back.
1^st item, french onion soup. Bottom of the pot salty. 2^nd item Nachos. Very little near meatless chili. no guacamole, and cheese sauce. My wife got the coconut shrimp, it was good. My daughter got 5 under cooked mozzarella sticks. My son had the Jersey burger. A $ 10.00 burger should have a generous beef patti. Where’s the beef! I had the chicken marsala. The chicken was tough and over cooked. The sauce was dark brown with no hint of marsala in it. More like salsbury steak gravy. The powdered mash potatoes just finished the dish. I also thought the prices were on the high side. we had 2 half priced beers and 1 soda. The bill was $ 77. All things considered, I wont be going back there anytime soon.

Old Canal Inn is just a great, cozy place to hang with friends and have a fun night or catch a quick meal and a drink or two after a movie or game. I’ve been going there for a while now and always have a good time there with friends. You can hang by the bar where the gorgeous OCI girls will make sure your glass stays full or head upstairs for dinner or live entertainment from bands, comedy acts or live-​band Karaōke. The food is varied and pretty decent, If you want gourmet fare then head to a fancy restaurant. If all you want is a good burger or wings or pasta, the food here is just fine and the menu is larger then one would expect normally in a pub. There are a varied selection of beers on tap and a large bottled craft beer menu too. The place has a great atmosphere and the owners and bartenders always make you feel welcome. If you are like me and prefer pubs over clubs or fancy over-​priced restaurants, this is a great little place to meet with friends and watch the latest ballgame or listen to some music while knocking back a few. A fun, cozy and friendly place to chill and have a few drinks with your crew.

Moved back to North Jersey after many years away. It’s been 24 years since my husband and I went here. Went back tonight — it’s exactly the same (except for the bartender who probably wasn’t born yet when we went!) Don’t know about the food, but we love the atmosphere, the beer and the tabletop shuffleboard! Who says you can’t go home again? (Would’ve tried the wings but saw they were breaded… those aren’t true buffalo wings.)

For the little hole in the wall feel this place has, it has an amazing beer selection. Great people very solid food live music. What is there not to love.

Another bar that I wish was much, much closer. We walked in to country music playing and what looked to be a few regulars at the bar. We checked out the game room then settled in at a high top table in the bar area. This is a place filled with cool history like «The Death Seat» and sitting along the old site of the Morris canal. Service was fast and friendly and we loved that happy hour was 12 – 7 Monday — Saturday. $ 2 PBR drafts were perfect as my husband beat me in 2 rounds of arcade beer pong. That’s right it’s an arcade version of beer pong, $ 1 per player per round and well worth it. There is also a shuffle board in the game room.
We ordered mac n cheese bites and chicken fingers and both were good bar food quality.
The dining room raises this out of complete dive bar distinction but we both commented on how we like the feel and history of the entire place. Looks like there is outdoor seating off the dining room for the warmer months. Very happy we made the trip.

I come here at least once a week. The food is great as well as the service. By the way if you like specialty beers, they have them all. The also have a beer social club where you earn gift cards. This is hands down my favorite bar.

For a dive bar, the food is not bad, but I think we went on a day when the manager or person in charge was on vacation.
I went there with a couple friends for lunch in the middle of the week to grab a burger. After my friends and I ordered our food, some guy comes out with, like, a three gallon jug of smelly pesticides (the kind that you can almost taste in your mouth at the slightest spray) and he just starts spraying all the corners of the room we are sitting in and all around us.
Several of us had to scream «Excuse me! Can you not spray pesticides all over like that while we are eating?» more than once before the guy realized we were talking to him!
Which means they aren’t following safety protocol for pesticide application. Every restaurant I’ve worked in, it had to be done after hours, overnight, after the staff had wrapped everything up (utensils, etc.) in plastic, so you weren’t eating off plates with a slight coating of poison on them the next day.
It’s too bad, because the food wasn’t all that bad, and the new paint job looked nice. They need to reprimand the guy with the pesticides. That’s not safe.
P. S. As for the «has TV» question below, the answer is yes, and all the channels are turned to sports… ANY sports, so if you don’t want to watch deer hunters killing Bambi while you eat your lunch, make sure you aren’t facing a TV set.