Maloney's Pub & Grill

scrappacito

New Jersey

4.73/5  rDev +23.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.75 | $$

I've been to many of the top beer bars in NJ and quite a few in NYC. Based on my experiences there's a new sheriff in town and its name is Maloney's Pub in Matawan. Currently they have more than 100 beers on tap and have the capacity to soon move to 160 drafts. Most every style is well represented with an especially strong selection of Belgian ales, IPA's, Stouts, and many others. They also have a selection of NJ brewed beers, so you'll find offerings from Kane, Flying Fish, River Horse and others. Bartenders and staff are very knowledgeable and friendly, and the clientele are a wide range of folks who enjoy craft beer. They have also recently started to offer high end single malt scotches for those that enjoy that type of drink.

The food menu includes typical pub grub but also offers higher end entrees that are expertly prepared. They hold regular beer dinners at Maloney's with special beer pairings for each course. You can get to Maloneys by car off the Garden State Parkway (117/120) in Monmouth County and they are a short walk from the Matawan train station on NJ Transit. If you enjoy great craft beers this is the place to visit.

04-10-2013 18:25:37 | More by scrappacito

T-money

New Jersey

3.94/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Great selection of beer on tap, bottles, and good food. Its not the nicest bar in the world but the prices are fare and the beer is delicious. Try the Southern Tier Mokah or Staff favorite Raven Black IPA. There arn't many seats in the bar section so come early on the weekends. If your a beer lover and in the area, do yourself a favor, stop by and have a brew.

01-21-2013 02:42:35 | More by T-money

BierLover

4.13/5  rDev +7.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $$$

Good bar with large selection of beers. Bartenders know their beer and are friendly. Little pricey but I don't mind paying for quality beers that I can't find on draft in other bars. I had some food while they had Oktoberfest going on. It was okay. I do say ok because I cook the very same meal I ordered and cook it throughout the year. I do believe the bar is missing something as far as atmosphere goes. Not sure what but it needs something. I have been to this bar numerous times and it's never been busy which I like although I hope it survives being as slow as it is.

10-23-2012 23:23:02 | More by BierLover

IPAallday

2.31/5  rDev -39.7%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 1.5 | service: 2 | selection: 3.5 | $$$

Having just moved to the area, Maloney's Pub is the closest place to me that has something OTHER THAN Macro brew garbage. Being a fan of IPA's of all types i was excited by their list of beers on the website. When i actually got into the place and checked out the beer selection half of every style beer was "not available". I can live with a minimum selection until i actually ordered a beer...no Southern Tier 2XIPA no Weyerbacher..my first 3 orders were shut down! Got a Terrapin Hopsecutioner, the bartender advised me that its really "strong" beer. Considering the 2XIPA was my first choice it was obvious to me the bartender had no knowledge of beer. Then I looked around the bar..everyone was drinking Miller Lite. Its possible that I just picked a bad day to be there but you only get one chance at a first impression! I'm not usually picky but i do have a set of standards when it comes to my beer. Most IPA on tap has a nice head and typically you can see lacing down the whole glass until its finished. I got none of that. The beer wasn't really cold and the glasses were dirty. I'd classify this place as a dive bar at best with a VERY limited selection of craft beers. Overall I wish a place promoting a large selection of beers would actually have a large selection of beer. The staff needs to learn what they're selling or at least have a basic understanding of the styles of beer and the flavor profiles. For now I will be sticking to 6packs until I can find a new place regardless of the distance, I will not be returning to Maloney's.

09-10-2012 03:53:25 | More by IPAallday

guerrero1586

Quebec (Canada)

4.95/5  rDev +29.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

This is the best beer bar in NJ, hands down. 100+ rotating taps. Knowledgeable craft beer bartenders. Great food (try the Pomme Frite, Portabella Mushroom Sandwhich, any build-a-burger you can think of, or ANY of the entrees). The bartenders are beer-tenders, they know and love their beer, many of whom are home-brewers and aspiring professional brewers.

The only downside? Located in Matawan, NJ, a forgotten provincial backwater of NJ. If you're a beer-lover within 50 miles of Maloney's, you owe yourself a trip to sample the beer there.

05-01-2012 06:45:01 | More by guerrero1586

HopsYeast

New Jersey

4.65/5  rDev +21.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 3 | $$$

A great great great bar in nj. 65 taps, knowledgeable friendly staff, and decent food. the only thing that i feel needs an upgrade is the food. but i am a localvore and can be very picky.

my wife and i have been there numerous times for just a pint or one there amazing beer dinners they hold regularly. for the amount of taps they have it is impressive that the beer is always fresh. shows that the owners and staff are all very dedicated to the establishment.

but the beer selection is sick. possibly the best tap selection outside of NYC.

12-01-2011 01:24:13 | More by HopsYeast

Kgrubb1224

New Jersey

3.1/5  rDev -19.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 2.5 | $$

Atmosphere: Bar area has about 20 seats around the L shaped bar with 2 dining areas containing approx. 20 tables. The place is always dark and sometimes overly loud. The last time we were in there were only 3 other tables filled with one party finding it fun to entertain their toddler by banging silverware on a plate

Service: The bar and wait staff has been very hit or miss. I have been there at least 5 times with only 2 bartenders that seemed like they really knew beer. The other bartenders and waiters seemed as if they were guessing or really were not beer drinkers. The last time we went was Father's Day at 12:30pm and the only waiter working was the bartender, which was very strange.

Selection: I want to be impressed by their selection but I frequently run into problems. They claim to have over 250 beer to choose from but many are seasonal selections. They refitted the bar to have around 50 different tap selection but the last times I went they had over 15 empty taps. The selection on draft usually included a solid mix of Belgians, local favorites like Weyerbacher, Victory, Southern Tier, Troegs, and Ommegang, and other solid beers, like Unibroue and Rogue.

The big issue that I have is that their beer menu seems to be a work of fiction. The draft list the last 2 times has been wrong and the bottle list is not accurate regarding what is in stock. The issue is not that they do not have all the seasonals listed, that I understand. The issue is that they are missing beers that they should have. When I ordered the last time it took 3 tries on the draft and bottle list to find one I wanted that they actually had.

Another disappointing thing last time was that they had 5-6 Dogfish Head beers on tap that I could not have. They were not opening these beers until the Dogfish Head tasting night that coming Friday. Do not tease me like that!

The staff does make an effort to use proper glassware when serving the beer.

I am not trying to dissuade people from going because it still has the best selection in the area. These are just issues that could take a okay beer bar and make it great. It just seems like the management needs to make a commitment to becoming a great place for beer or just skate by.

07-06-2011 15:55:56 | More by Kgrubb1224

RugbyGreg

New Jersey

4.43/5  rDev +15.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I heard about this place from a friend and stopped by a few months ago. First impression was that it was a run down bar with a great beer selection. Since then, I have joined their beer club, attended the beer pairing dinners, and visited the bar several times. As an avid craft beer enthusist, I almost look forward to seeing the current menu. I wonder what could they possibly get that tops the previous menu, but often times it does. The beer dinners are amazing, for approximetly $50-$60 pp you get a great meal and several varieties of whatever brewery is featured.

06-15-2011 17:08:59 | More by RugbyGreg

hansblitz

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +30.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

I can't beleive I hadn't found this place sooner!

I stopped by on a recent weeknight with a couple of friends and was blown away by the selection of drafts. I think there were 70+ taps, the vast majority of which were serious craft beers.

I consider myself pretty knowledgable and there were a bunch of beers on tap I had never heard of. I had a flight (5 sample-sized glasses) of different and obscure Belgian beers and all were great. I also had a Bear Republic stout that was really tasaty.

I am surprised I heard about this place earlier, especially since I doubt there is anywhere around, including the great beer bars in nyc that can match their tap list.

I can't wait to go back.

05-17-2011 16:29:43 | More by hansblitz

beertard

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +11%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

This is the best kept secret in Monmouth county! My friends and I usually drink out craft beer at one of our homes, or make a trip to the city to some of the well known craft bars. I heard about this place from one of the liquor stores in the area. I can't belive it was just minutes from my home.

The place was very large compared to the other places we've been to before. The food was really good with large portions. The service was very attenative, and knew the product pretty well. Most of all, the important part...the selection was MASSIVE! They have 75 running taps (for now. The bartender said they're going larger), and over 300 different bottles. The bar crowd was moderate, which is fine by me because I like to enjoy my beer peacefully with my friends.

I can't belive this place has been here for two years without knowing about it, yet I can't belive they've only been het for two years considering how much they have going on.

I totally think it's worth a trip out. Try the Troegs Nugget Nectar (on tap!).

03-06-2011 16:34:53 | More by beertard