Get Your Picture in the “Riverdive” Photo Album Below
Every regular imbiber has his or her favorite dive bar to watch the game or get a quick bite, but we wanted to find the consensus best local hangouts around the state. Dutifully, our friends at Yelp back in 2018 created a list of THE best 31 dive bars in New Jersey. Well, not to be outdone, our Mr. Local History researchers have come up with over 100 – see the link at the end of this story. But one of our old stomping grounds got us thinking: no way, the Riverside Inn is way better than Yelp says.
Then It Happened
Then, in 2019, The Riverside Inn in Cranford became the readers’ choice winner in our N.J.’s best bar showdown. The bar outdistanced The Hudson House in North Beach Haven and Clydz in New Brunswick in the voting. I voted the Readers’ Choice winner in N.J.’s best bar showdown, published in the Star-Ledger. There is no denying that this bar has something special.
More Accolades
Fast forward to 2024, and it all changed when the Riverside Inn was crowned Champion Dive Bar. @tipsycritic recently held a vote to find the Best Dive Bar in NJ, and unsurprisingly,y @riversideinnbar was crowned the winner! To commemorate this honor, sharp-looking garments were presented to staff to celebrate the honor.
A new collectible – The Riverside Inn c. 1900 – “The Dive” on the Rahway River – Cranford, New Jersey is coming!
Riverside Inn History aka “The Dive”
The Riverside Inn along the Rahway River, affectionately known as “The Dive,” has been a cherished establishment in Cranford, New Jersey. Its origins date back to the early 20th century; the building was erected in 1900 along the Rahway River, coining the town’s cliché as the “Venice of New Jersey.”
Initially a flower shop, its unassuming facade was pivotal during the Prohibition era of the 1920s. In those years, the basement of the building operated as a speakeasy, as evidence remains on the basement walls, depicting bottles and barkeeps—a reminder of the resident’s defiance of Prohibition laws.
Significant floods have tried and failed to drown out the Riverside Inn. The Rahway River flooded over twelve times: July 1938, May 1968, August 1971 and 1973, July 1975, June 1992, October 1996, July 1997, September 1999, April 2007, Hurricane Irene in 2011, and Hurricane Ida in 2021. After each tragedy, people often stated, “There is more water inside the Dive than the River.” But after each devastating flood, the “River-Dive” underwent repairs to restore operations.
In 1995, lifelong Cranford resident Peter “Jake” Jacobs and his brother Jeff (Jocco) purchased the bar. Today, patrons appreciate its status as a community hub where generations gather to enjoy a uniquely local atmosphere that blends history, art, and local flavor, maintaining its reputation as the beloved “River-dive.”
Now, you can order all five (5) Cranford Collectibles at a discount. Details here
Have a great “Dive Pic” to Share?
In August 2011, Hurricane Irene flooded the town and the bar; the bar became known as the “River Inn Side.” But that wasn’t the first time the bar by the river flooded.
“The basement used to be a speakeasy below a flower shop, Jacobs said. There’s a chili cook-off the Sunday after every Super Bowl. In December, a man proposed to his girlfriend at The Riverside, where the couple had their first date. Jacobs, who has owned The Riverside since 1995, said its main ethos is that all are welcome. “There’s a lot of fancy, schmancy places,” he said. “But these people need this place.”
We Leave You With…..
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