Antone's Tap

Bar, Eatery

112 South Ave., East
Cranford, New Jersey, 07016
United States

// CLOSED //
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.88
Reviews:
12
Ratings:
12
pDev:
10.05%
View: Place Reviews
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Ratings by Hop2it:
Photo of Hop2it
Reviewed by Hop2it from New Jersey

4.14/5  rDev +6.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
This was my second experience at Antone's, and I must admit, I am guilty of negligence. This is a great bar that I guess doesn't get a lot of attention because there are a number of half-decent bars in the area with a more lively social scene.

The most notable feature is the wall of taps. You've got your regular bar taps (coors light, Yuengling, Guinness) and a GREAT variety of micros and imports, probably between 20-30 on tap + a collection of Sam Smiths and other imported bottles.

Tonight was a night to go local, and I went with the Hoffman's Helles Lager, Climax Cask-Conditioned IPA, and the Climax Belgian Dark. Antone's is the only place I know of that carries these beers, though Dave Hoffman (the brewer himself) tells me that there are a number of bars in the Jersey/NYC area that contract his brews.

I arrived too late to sample the food, but the selection appeared to be pretty standard for the bar/restaurants in the area. Bartender was somewhat knowledgable, but I have a feeling that with so many beers on tap that it's hard to keep track.

I'm going to start going to Antone's more often, I've done a lot of bars in Union County and this ranks highest for draught selection.
Jul 29, 2005
More User Ratings:
Photo of bonbini26
Reviewed by bonbini26 from New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -16.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 2
I used to love this place, dark, quiet little bar, not alot of people knew about it, alot of decent beers on tap....but then something happened...they started running out of beers and not replacing them. So the this week im in there and they run out 90min....so that was the last straw,,,,i ask the owner whats the problem. He tells me that they have sold the place, for some guy to make it into another irish pub, with shitty food and shitty beer, just what we need. And all along the owners knew nothing about beer. They would only give you arrogant bastard in a 12oz mug because of the "high alcohol", while dogfish 90min was served in a 16oz glass. Any beer geek will not have to do the math. I swear they closed their eyes and pointed at beers to establish what was on tap. Just when i thought this place was going to get better, with more beers on tap, this happens. i was in there last week and more than half the people in the bar were ordering craft beers. these guys dont know how to run a business its no wonder they are selling it. for shame...you could have had something great if you only listened to the customer
Mar 28, 2008
Photo of ATPete
Reviewed by ATPete from New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev +1.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
What a great place to have a good beer with your meal. Antone's has a knowledgeable staff, who are pretty quick with the brews, and the food. A decent draught and bottle list and a great reasonably priced menu. Its my pick over The Office (which is right down the street) any day. Im sad to see Antone's Tap Room closing down, or at least being bought by new owners. As long as they keep the Climax Porter flowing on tap i'll be a happy customer! Really now, if you're familiar or not with Antone's Tap Room you should head over there for one last brew while you still can.
Mar 28, 2008
Photo of jwc215
Reviewed by jwc215 from Arizona

4/5  rDev +3.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
I stopped in on a Sunday afternoon. It's fairly small, with a u-shaped bar and tables along the side. The bartender was friendly and seemed somewhat knowledgeable about beer. There were thirty-something beers on tap and a handful-or-so bottles. Being a Sunday, they were out of several. The beers were mostly American micros and some imports. The selection included a wide range of Climax brews - good place to go to try Climax beers on-tap. Also, beer from such breweries as Otter Creek and Smuttynose. Nothing rare from beers able to be found in area stores, but nice to have on-tap. I didn't eat there, so I cannot comment on the food, but I plan on going back at some point, so I'll revise when I do.
All-in-all, a nice, comfortable bar with a nice selecion of micro brews on tap.

Since my original review - I have returned and tried the food - The shellfish and pierogies were good. I was happy with the lamb chops. Other members of the group were satisfied. The menu is varied. I can report back that the food is not extraordinary - but quite good.
Mar 26, 2007
Photo of beerattorney
Reviewed by beerattorney from New Jersey

4.15/5  rDev +7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Antone's is a great combination of bar and restaurant. They have good food -- the owner is a commercial fisherman -- so the specials are always fresh. They also have myraid great taps (about 40 or so) that rotate between at least one Brooklyn beer (many times a Brewmaster's Reserve), multiple Climaxes, Dogfish, Anchor among others. They have a recently added back room with a nice fire place that is lovely for dinner, while the bar portion is the dimly light bar special that is common in Northern NJ. It is easily accessible and prices are decent so it definitely worth a trip. As of last week they had of note -- Anchor OSA, Dogfish 60 min, Brooklyn Weissebock...
Nov 18, 2005
Photo of chOAKbarrell
Reviewed by chOAKbarrell from Maryland

3.13/5  rDev -19.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3.5
Antone's Tap, and The Office, both beer bars located in Cranford, NJ, are a matter of blocks from each other. Initially, from reading reviews, I was expecting Antone's Tap to be highly superior, but I was wrong.

Antone's does have a numerous amount of taps - I counted 32 total. It's just that the majority of the taps are nothing special. Just common east-coast taps that can be found most anywhere: Guinness, Bass, Samuel Adams, and some other east coast mainstays like Flying Dog or Dogfish Head. I tried the only name that stood out to me as something out of the ordinary: the local Climax Brewery, with their IPA (which I was not fond of).

There are also 22 bottles available, but again, it is the most common, forgettable beers available: Heineiken, Bud, Miller, etc. The only standouts here are 4 varities of Samuel Smiths, and a Brooklyn brewery offering.

The service was sorely lacking, as I arrived at lunchtime, and there was one person working (!) - tending bar AND waitressing. Strange. It took a while to even get my pint.

The atmosphere is probably the strongest point of Antone's. If you like a dark bar, this is your place. It's so dark, it is almost cave-like.

If you find yourself in Cranford, NJ and bored, I suppose Antone's is probably your best option, but dont go out of your way to get there, like I did. You will be disappointed.
Sep 17, 2005
Photo of slander
Reviewed by slander from New York

3.9/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
Well, now I've been to Antones.
It's like an old neighborhood bar with a dining room addition to the rear. Night and day. Up front, a lowly lit room with a "U" shaped bar with seating for a dozen and a half, and a dozen plus booths and tables scattered about. Lots of old wood here, panelling and TV's.
To the rear, a small room with a dozen tables. A neat, clean dining room with a stone fireplace housing candles on it's mantle, sunken lighting and ceiling fans, and potted plants here and there. Alternating pastel colored walls decorated with lithographs of different fish.
27 taps and a cask offering. Climax is the favored brewery here, as they're pouring 3 of their beers (IPA, Red Ale and Nut Brown), the house beer is the Hoffman Octo, and the cask is the Climax Red Ale. They also carry a handful of Brooklyns and Flying Fish, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Harpoon IPA, Magic Hat 9, Blue Moon White and some standard imports (Franziskaner, Lindemans, Guinness, Harp, Bass). Corsendonk and a bunch of Sam Smith bottles but nothing to really talk about otherwise.
We did a meal in the back room. Service was pleasant, food was pub grub, nothing too crazy. It's a decent place to get a beer, but it ain't Andy's on a good day.
Oct 11, 2004
Photo of NJbeerman
Reviewed by NJbeerman from New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5
Andy's who - this is a real beer bar. They have 44 lines - not all are used all the time. They use only 1/6 barrels to make sure that the beer stays fresh even though that costs them a little more. You can get the basics - Bass, Guinness, etc - but as well you can get Climax, Flying fish, Magic Hat, Brooklyn, Heavyweight, etc.

Service is only low because the servers are not always up to date with the newest selections and they do not seem to know too much about beer in general. Also, I would like to see them start using some nice curved pints and proper glasses for the higher end items.

The atmosphere is one of a home town bar that has been there forever. They have some nice big screen tvs for sports and regularly a nice mix of music. They have recently added a back - non smoking - dinning room that is excellent. There is a fireplace which is a nice touch. This room works nicely because the food is so good here, it needs better then a bar setting to be served in.

They always have fresh fish, homemade pasta and nice tender steaks. I have never had anything here that was not more then expected. Even the chicken sandwich I had for lunch was more then normally good.

If you live in NJ or just passing through you need to swing by here - it is easy to reach off the Garden State Parkway. Ask for Danny or Tony who would be happy to talk beer with you.
Aug 31, 2004
Photo of vladtheimpaler
Reviewed by vladtheimpaler from New Jersey

3.45/5  rDev -11.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3
This is the place to go to get the latest from Climax on tap, for it is right around the corner from the brewery. Many taps adorn the wall, and there is a hand pump. Granted many of the brews are commonplace, Climax is hard to find, and usually there is at least another 2 or 3 rareties to tempt the palate. Food is average pub fare, and nothing really special, but adequate when looking for good beer. There are boob tubes around the whole place so you can have a brew and watch your favorite sporting event.
Apr 30, 2004
Photo of PudTinkler
Reviewed by PudTinkler from New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +11.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3
This is one of the best beer bars you will find in NJ. The selection is extremely diverse, generally leaning towards the hoppier beers. Ideally you would want to use NJ Transit to get to this place ,since it is a stone's throw from the Cranford train station. They have quite a few selections from "Climax" who contract brews for them.

They vary the taps quite a bit, and I would estimate that they have about 40 to choose from at any given time, not to mention the bottles. The prices are very, VERY good...and the staff seems to have a very good sense of humor about things. The menu is traditional pub fare...nothing great, but satisfying enough. A "must see" when in the area.
Apr 07, 2004
Photo of yen157
Reviewed by yen157 from New Jersey

4.35/5  rDev +12.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5
I have been traveling for beer for a few years now, how come I have never been here before?! This is very easily is included in the very small list very good NJ beer bars. Large number of taps, some macro crap, but mostly regional micros such as everything from Climax/Hoffman, some Brooklyn, Flying Fish, Victory, Smuttynose, etc. I saw one beer engine dispensing the yummy Climax IPA, but there may have been another. Mick is right about the board not being updated, and it's kinda tough to see that taps since most of them are not lined up but rather haphazardly sticking out of the back wall.

Service was great. They were professional and attentive but not overbearing. We were there for a beer dinner, so I’m not sure if the quality of the food then is representative of the everyday menu, but the food was fantastic. The scallops were amazing, as was a veal. The chef is very talented when it comes to sauces.

Parking is slightly less than optimal since both adjacent lots are for other business and threaten towing. Since it was the evening, I took my chances in the doctor’s office lot. If you don’t feel like driving there is a NJT station right across the street (Cranford Station, Raritan Valley Line).

Great place. We will be back, even though we live on the other side of the state.
Mar 10, 2004
Photo of Mick
Reviewed by Mick from New Jersey

3.7/5  rDev -4.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3
Antone's Tap has been a tap room since the roaring 20's. To explain Antone's in simple terms, it is a neighborhood bar with a very good beer list for a neighborhood bar.

They average about 30 to 33 or so taps at any given time. Unfortunately they tend to not update the tap offering board in real time. However, what saves if not makes a disappointing moment good when selecting something from the board that has run out is what it has been replaced with. 9 times out of 10 you will be happier with the beer that has not yet been added to the board than with the occasional missed selection. The taps are rotated regularly so the beers offered are constantly changing, always something new. NJ area beers are well represented, especially Climax who also contract brews Antone's Tap Amber, a house beer.

Food is fairly good with some seafood offerings including several clam plates. The service is really good. They are always professional and are very good at suggesting beers, a real benefit for your non-beer aficionado friends.

All in all, Antone’s is a good place. Great joint to meet-up with friends or to stop in to shoot the breeze.
Apr 07, 2003
Antone's Tap in Cranford, NJ
Place rating: 3.88 out of 5 with 12 ratings