The [Unnecessary] Grudge

Ask any guy between the ages of 22 and 24 what his least-favorite bar in Hoboken is, and chances are he will say Madison’s. Ask him how many times he has been there, and the answer will most likely be “zero.” Why the hatred towards a bar he hasn’t even been to? Is he just being a hypocrite? Not quite.

Madison’s has employed a unique door policy that prohibits men under the age of 25 from entering (for the ladies, you must be 23). I used to hate for the same reason, and never set foot in the bar until I was 27, just out of spite. But, when I did, I was won over within the first half-hour.

Let’s get a couple of the minor details out of the way first, before arguing the merits of the bar and its age-restriction system. They have a brunch on Saturday and Sunday mornings that is decent in theory, but disappointing in execution. For $25 per person, you have an all-you-can eat buffet, which includes steak, some oysters and clams, and a bevy of other brunch staples. However, the kid at the carving station looks at you funny if you ask for more than three little slices of steak (which, to be honest, is pleasing to the palate), and $50 to take your hungover Saturday night hookup to a brunch is a little steep…especially considering you can walk two blocks to the Malibu Diner and get the same breakfast for half the price. As for non-brunch options, Madison’s offers a prix fixe option for $16.13 between 5p.m. and 7p.m. on Tuesday-Thursday, and all night Monday. The food is good… not earth-shattering, but also not neglected and rushed. Still, you don’t really go there for the food.

Madison’s is best known for it’s eye-rubbing line on Tuesday nights, when they offer half-price (pretty much $5) martinis all night long. There’s an even split between men and women, and the bartenders pour the martinis at a breakneck speed. The DJ has never once disappointed, and the crowd seems to grow and surge every fifteen minutes between 8p.m. and 10p.m.

On Thursdays, Madison’s offers half-price everything as an ‘endless happy hour.’ It’s probably their most underrated night, as the crowd never gets too big, and you can move around comfortably well into the earliest hours of the next morning. Regular happy hour goes from 4p.m.-8p.m. all week, but Thursdays really are the most entertaining, as the crowd seems to get a little larger every time a transit bus pulls up from the city.

But back to the age restriction. I don’t know if “25” was arbitrarily reached, or if the people at Madison’s had some kind of long-term scientific study, but they seem to have been almost unbelievably successful at weeding out the muscleheads, the annoyingly yuppie-ish yuppies, and the former sorority girls. Most of the women seem to have brains, and it would be rare to see a fight break out between a couple guys. I used to be a Madison’s hater, but that was before I turned 25 and was actually allowed access. Do yourself a favor if you feel the same way—walk in on a Thursday, sit at the bar for a good hour, and then decide if the grudge is worth holding on to.

The Madison Bar & Grill
1316 Washington St.
Hoboken
(201) 386-0300
www.madisonbarandgrill.com

— by John Busco
John Busco, originally from upstate NY, has been living in NJ for several years, and currently calls Hoboken home.

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