great sound, people, and best for the outdoor fundraisers, events. Great vibe overall.

Great dive bar! It's pretty big with a nice large stage for bands. Plenty of tables for you to sit at for when you want to see a band. The bar has a good variety of alcohol & is a great place to stop in for a drink. No idea if they serve food or not but definitely a great place to stop in for drinks or to see a great band! read more

Bernie's - Wine time! - Music Venues Near Me - Chester, New Jersey

Was there March 8th. Band billed themselves as an Allman Bros cover band. Charged $20 door fee. Not impressed. Cool spot cool history etc but the band sucked. Drink prices were average. It was nuts to butts so good luck getting a drink. Let me know when you host up and coming bands not these retreads that cover shitty voices with over the top guitar plays. read more

Great no frills bar. Cheap booze, friendly bartenders and patrons make Bernies a must stop. They get in some great bands for enterntainment. Check out their website for a list of bands. They do not serve food. read more

This is a really wonderful place with great vibes. Steven and I had camping plans that were foiled, so we were looking for something casual and fun to do before heading back to the city. We searched for live music and I found Bernie's. The Katie Henry trio was fantastic and it was such a relaxing classic 'roadhouse' setting, outdoors and distanced with big tree trunk tables. It's BYOFood, so we brought some goodies from a local health market and others ordered pizza or brought a picnic from home. read more

Bernie's - Moon crescent! - Music Venues Near Me - Chester, New Jersey

See all

Everyone loves Bernie's. Great entertainment. I played they many years ago with a band I was in. Very cool place. read more

Bernie's - Captains of leisure - Music Venues Near Me - Chester, New Jersey

This is a great place takes you back to an old Gin Mill (bar & tavern) with good old music like the good old days in the 70's like at the Sone Pony in Asbury Park. We were here today, Sunday October 16, 2022 listeni to the band The Tones. They played some Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, The Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, Roy Orbison and some of their own songs. We sat outside with a country setting tree stumps as tables with umbrellas and chairs and also byob food, drinks are cheap, just great atmosphere and people are very friendly and great. The happiest dog, Mia So loving. read more

The best dive of dive bars. Good music, a dog, good people. It's slow and calm during off hours so know what to expect. I'm pleased with the beers on draft and atmosphere. So many old iconic Jazz musicians have been here and signed posters on the wall. Incredible place. Old and fun. Come drink. We'll be here til 9:30 read more

Bernie's - Beer - Music Venues Near Me - Chester, New Jersey

Iconic. Great music. Old school road house. Eat first. There's no food. They will, however, keep you well watered.

This place is a hidden gem!!!! The bartender Selena (maybe Tina) was amazing. She is sooooo fast and the drinks are good. The vibe is great. Good live bands, decent priced drinks and a dive bar! Perfect spot. read more

For what it is and what it intends to be, Bernie's is the perfect roadside bar. If you are looking for a faux-dive bar or a gastropub, skip Bernie's. There are other places for that. What is Bernie's? No frills, cheap beer, a mellow crowd, low-maintenance bartenders and music. Wednesday nights is open mic night, and the emcee Evan runs the show perfectly. Hope they keep at it. read more

I come here for the Open Mic Wednesdays. It's always a lot of fun! They have pool. The drinks are cheap and great. Open mic is really fun. I highly recommend this place! It's got great vibes and it's overall very enjoyable. I'll be back! read more

$3 bud light draughts and an attentive bartender are all I need after a long work day and Bernies foots the bill. read more

Bernie's - two cars parked on the porch - Music Venues Near Me - Chester, New Jersey

See all

Stinks like cigarettes. The bartender was not friendly, except to the regulars. The liquor we drank tasted like cheap well poured into a high end bottle. This place could be a quaint gem but instead We just wanted to leave and never come back read more

I had the pleasure of meeting the original Bernie! I was welcomed to the neighborhood warmly! Casual.. unpretentious vibes make you feel right at home. I never waited for a drink.. but you know it just depends on who's tending bar. The band's are perfect for this establishment! Soulful blues and a mix of classic rock! Plenty of seats and ample parking.. it all adds up to making Bernie's Hillside a frequent stop on your social agenda! Leo Scagliozzi. read more

Bernie's rules. Sure, there's no food. That's OK. It's a roadhouse bar, off the beaten track. This is a place for music and hanging out. Always has been, always will be. Neon signs. Wood floor, wood stage (a real stage...), wood chairs and table and low ceiling make for great sound. Pool table in the back, bar in between. Simple. Saw the great Pete Anderson (of Dwight Yoakum fame) here a couple years ago on a weeknight. A fill in gig on his way to somewhere else. He remarked from the stage: "I hope you all know what you've got here, 'cause there ain't too many places like this around anymore. So, take care of it..." We know Pete... read more

Good if you're looking for something to remind you of backwoods Montana, otherwise there are much better places in the area.

Awesome band last Saturday night. Totally rocked the house. Only problem was the bar staff- inexperienced and under staffed. Took 15 minutes waiting at the bar to get a drink read more

Genuine out of the way , old school roadhouse to go listen to some live music. Attentive bartenders, cheap pints although I think bourbons and vodkas were a bit pricey for the pour received. Civilized older crowd there to listen to awesome blues guitarist Billy Hector. Everyone seemed to be enjoying music,doing a bit of dancing and having a few beers. There is good size performance room and bar with plenty of seats/ tables and still some room to dance. Front porch where you can step outside with your drink- to get some air or a have a smoke is nice feature too. Let's hope it's around for another 100 + years. Nothing fancy but a great stop. read more

One of the last of the roadhouses. Don't expect a martini list. Do expect great bands and plenty of beer. This is what NJ used to be like pre-McMansions. read more

If I could give less than one star I would. I stopped in for a drink on a Saturday night and ended up getting ignored by the bartender and Barback for at least 20 min. On top of that we had to pay a $5 cover to get in. My friend and I patiently waited by the bar for the bartender but she kept ignoring us, it seems she was having a bad day. Maybe you should think about hiring a bartender who actually enjoys his or her job. Even though this place is close to my house, I will never return. Horrible service - bad vibes. Never again. read more

Neighborhood place - with cheap drinks and a lot of local regulars. Pool table and local entertainment - good place to hang out with your buddies without the fluff and pickup scene of MOTOWN read more

This place has everything you'd want in a dive bar. Chill atmosphere, the sweetest bartender, nice drafts, live music, and games like pool and darts. Very nice deck if you want to go outside for fresh air, plenty of parking too! read more