Food was ok, but 2.00 per ice-tea and the server didn't tell us. Wow is Shakeys that hard up for cash! read more

Shakey Jakes Cafe - Dive Bars Near Me - Stanhope, New Jersey

After a long day Kayaking on Cranberry lake my BF and I decided to stop here for an early lunch/ late dinner.All I can say is it was just a strange experience. As we walked in it felt like the sun disappeared. It was a sunny hot day, but weirdly dark and kinda dank inside. A man sat at the bar telling the bar tender about how his grandma really saw the Jersey devil. We waited awkwardly to be seated in a back corner, perhaps purposely away from the jersey devil guy. It was an odd choice for an empty restaurant. The service was slow too, I remember getting hangry by the time we got our food. The food was... bland? The bbq sauce on my bf's meal was overly sweet and somewhat off putting, the fries were soggy. I had ordered tacos, they maybe were as good as taco bell but with a much bigger price tag. I'm probably wouldn't order them again, which is sad because I love tacos. The food just had something a little off about each dish we had, I can't put my finger on it. Maybe I just didn't get the food, maybe it was just an off day, but I wasn't a fan. read more

Went for lunch with my son and dil. At first, I thought this is great. Server came over pretty quickly. Then it all went downhill from there. She didn't understand what my dil wanted to order at first. Came back to make sure. When dils food came out, she found it tough and inedible. Waitress only came back way after my son and I finished our food. When I told server food was not good, she came back and said the cook said sometimes that happens. Wtf!?!?! Then, she still charged me for a plate that was not edible! We will definitely never return to this place. read more

Shakey Jakes must put crack in their food because the first time I came here I almost ordered more food as soon as I was done eating. I ordered mozzarella sticks, those were the bomb. I ordered chicken wings, also the bomb. I ordered my son a cheeseburger, to which he devoured so it must have been the bomb as well. Recently moved into this area, only ate here once, but I will be back. Fantastically delicious food. Love you guys. Thanks for the great service & food! read more

Great food, stiff drinks, and staff that was happy to take excellent care of a large group of surly folk. Could not ask for more.

We liked it! Great service and good food, too. Had the burger and onion rings were great. Good draft beer selection. Friendly clientele.

May look intimidating from the outside but it's awesome food, literally anything you get is good here. Get the onion rings, they are the best I've ever had!!! read more

Horrible and unfriendly. I generally don't trash local businesses and always try to support them but in this case I'll make an exception. This place is nothing more than a glorified Gin Mill and local dive bar that caters to a local crowd. The food is pretentious, inedible and over priced, the beer selection is minimum and packaged goods are outrageously priced. Avoid at all cost, there are 4 local bar restaurants within walking distance, you'd be better off spending your time and hard earned cash at anyone of them. read more

By far the best dive bar in nj! Food is off the hook best tuna tacos in nj!!!!!!! Staff is so nice! Awesome fast service family atmosphere!!! read more

I asked for a dive bar. Shakey Jakes delivered. A few friends and I were looking for a place to get a few drinks on a Saturday night. We were staying near Hope, NJ. Fat chance finding anything there. So yet again, Yelp saved the day! When we pulled into the parking lot, I was a little intimidated. There's a sign on the door asking bikers to check colors at the door, and it felt a little rougher than I expected. So I took a deep breath and we strolled inside. Nancy, the bartender, greeted us with a warm smile and cold drinks. They didn't have any great specials, and strongbow was $5.50. But, this was our best chance at drinks, so we sucked it up, and my friends ordered a pitcher of one of the cheaper light beers. After talking to Nacy a few times she told us that she owns it with her husband and told us a little about the place. She was very very friendly! Now, let's talk about the bathroom. Dive/biker bars never have great bathrooms, and I plan on holding my breath or not going at all. But! Shakey Jakes has just raised the bar - they've got murals on their stalls! I was so tickled by this pretty little dive bar bathroom that I took pictures. Haha. I will definitely be back here next time I'm in town. If you are looking for the dive/biker bar feel, this is it. read more

Outdoor seating is a plus during covid. The excellent food and great service will bring us back. Our party of 6 had a variety of dishes, salmon, pizza, onion soup, wings, pork sandwich, onion rings, and pirogies, and all were superb!! read more

This place is surprisingly great! You walk in thinking it is a dive bar but it is so much more. The food is always great. Some of my favorites, tuna tacos, salt and vinegar wings and their salads are huge. The staff in friendly and accommodating and the service quick. My only wish would be some better wines available and bigger wine glasses. Definitely a great neighborhood establishments. read more

Ok here it is: Local dive bar with amazing food but limited beer/wine selection compared to chains. However , the food makes up for that. We had traditional pub fare: wings chips/guac. Tortilla chips and guac-fresh and awesome! Fish (cod thank you!) and chips and steak sandwich. Homemade chips homemade everything best we could tell. Service!? Smiling and wonderful and timely. Thank you! Oh price?! So reasonable, thanks again! Only reason I didn't give 5 stars was craft beer selection and wine selection. Other than that? We'll be back! read more

So far have been here 4 times and have not left disappointed. ..good beer selection and the food is great from the HUGE rack of ribs to the oh so succulent wings... read more

Shakey Jakes Cafe - Sitting in a Jersey Bar rooting for the Lions to beat the Giants.... - Dive Bars Near Me - Stanhope, New Jersey

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Food was delicious! Was pleasantly surprised by the options and how good it was. The sesame chicken was excellent as well as the chimichanga. Yum read more

For those who love dive bars, this is your place. I was here on business and the reaction from a couple of locals was the same: dive bar in every sense of the word. With that being said, I loved this place. We went on a wednesday night around 11 and it was pretty dead but we got drinks fast and they wee pretty good. They have one of those buck hunting arcade games and a touch screen juke box on the wall along with knick-knacks and silly stuff all over the place. The bartender was friendly and the people in the bar were pretty chill. read more

You gotta love that Shakey Jakes is listed under Dive Bars. I met my HTB here on Friday night after work, and it was EXACTLY what I needed. The food was great (ok, no top coice anything, but the jerk wings were fantastic), the price was right, the drinks were generous, and nothing was over the top expensive. I thought I'd try my luck with the carrot cake, and I was shocked it was so good. I couldn't finish it. The waitress Nancy was fantastic. Accomodating, friendly, and put up with us :) I agree the bathrooms are pretty terrible, and there are portions of the heating grates that are exposed. (Here comes the complement sandwich) I'd definitely go back. read more

Shakey Jake's: A real-world "Dalton's" [see Dalton's Columbia Inn review for joke] Preparing for the loss of being so close to such a wonderful establishment (Dalton's Columbia Inn), I felt it necessary to recapture the general feeling of Dalton's, in the town I'll be living in, with another Yelper, my WTB (wife-to-be for those who've not read any of my previous reviews- AND YOU SHOULD). While waiting for her to arrive from where she works, I made my way over to SJ's. I've read all the other reviews, hers included. But I was there a few hours prior to her, and took more time to take things in. What I really like about the place is that, though divey (and yes, the lavs are... well...) it's quiet, cleanish, and not too far removed from Dalton's. And yes, I'll make more comparisons, and will do so fairly. Their menu is simple and small. Their cajun clams are very tasty and the bread they supply is 100% necessary to suck up every last drop of the broth left behind in the bowl in which the clams are served. The pub menu looked tasty, and I may work my way through every item, one night at a time. Nancy could easily fit in with the staff in Columbia. Attentive, friendly, helpful in finding you a good beer and making food recs. Sadly, it would be quite confusing, as a Nancy already works at Dalton's. Tap choices were ordinary, and included Stella, which I appreciated seeing. I wager there are better things in bottles in the cooler, but I did not ask, as I wanted to test the draught lines first. She let me sample something, to see if I actually liked it. I did not (Mich Amber). However, I saw plaques touting Chimay and Sam Smith, so I figured it's under there somewhere. The buffalo burger (meat- not style) came out "medium" even though I asked for "still screaming from slaughterhouse" rare. I ate it nonetheless, I was hungry. I'll know not to order that again. fries were coated, hot, and tasty. As for music and sights- classic rock piped in (or should I say beamed in) through XM station. And yes, there is a dart board, and odd arcade machines boasting golf and big-game hunting. Odd combination if you ask me... though you didn't. Plenty of HD tv screens set to sports channels. I bet I can convince them to change one to Jeopardy on a slow night. I passed on dessert- nothing thrilled me. I almost tried their tiramisu, but thought for a minute. I asked Nancy, and she admitted it's frozen. Even though one of the regulars put hand to a stack of bibles about how good it is, I passed. I'm spoiled, know what good tiramisu should be like, or both. And yes, we'll be back. It's close to my future home, and I know I can rely on Nancy to get me a cold beer and a decent meal. The real fun will start when we're considered regulars... anyone know if there's an application process? read more

Just had the most delicious Shepards Pie Potatoe Skins. Love Shakey's always creative specials for lunch and dinner.

Dropped in here to celebrate a birthday. Drink prices are pretty good, service was also very good. Bartender remembers your drink even with a full house. Parking lot is small. One odd thing is the dart boards. It is bring your own darts. Made the mistake of picking up someone personal dart. My bad. Bathrooms are pretty terrible. Decent hole in the wall place for being all the way out in the sticks. read more

Our experience here at Shakey Jakes was excellent. We were a group of 8 and the waitress was so kind and accommodating. She made sure we were comfortable and ready to enjoy our meals in the cozy atmosphere. Our meals were big portions and all had a delicious taste. I highly recommend this restaurant. Extra point for the steak read more

Everything about this place is amazing. Our server was so nice and attentive ... we sat outside and it was beautiful!! Great beers on tap, and soooo many delicious food/appetizer options. Def try the fried pickles, nachos, jalapeño poppers ... and their wings are out of this world!!!! Our favorites are the hot, Thai chili & garlic parmesan. This place is a must try!! read more

This place is a surprise... who ever their chef is nails the common fair better than other restaurants of more elevated reputation. The Ahi tuna tacos are the best fish tacos I've ever had. Tonight the Cuban sandwich raised the bar on Jersey's riff on Cuban sandwiches. The locally sourced ice cream for desert is amazing. Do go here with a big appetite. read more

oh snapp gonna take a minute to review shakey jakes. as a previous yelper posted...they may put crack in their food. not legitimately speaking but their food is amazing and although i filled up on my meal i definitely wanted more. so you walk into shakey jakes and all types of cool stuff on the walls. a dive bar feel but a step above in cleanliness for sure. american flags every where so you could tell the designer loves america. absolutely the place i wanted to be. i ordered the half order of hot wings and BAM they were out fast as lightening. i love wings anywhere but these were the bomb. crispity flakity on the outside and tender and juiceful on the inside. ordered a burger for my meal. also BAM out in a snap. our bartender had the drinks flowing as soon as i finished a brew another cold one was in my glass faster than u can say splishy splashy fill up my glassy. so the burger was $8 i wasn't expecting anything too crazy because of the price. let me tell you right now, what i got wasn't your run of the mill crapper burger. a huge juicy beef patty with cheese and bacon (was extra but price was still reasonable). delicious fries too. like darts and bar video games? game on this place has them. amazing vibe and food and the bartender was cool. 5 stars and will be b-b-b-back. read more

We stopped by with our daughter yesterday, after reading the other reviews we thought we would give it a try. Glad we did. Food was great, generous portions, and reasonable prices. We left full and happy after having mozzarella sticks, soft pretzels (the dipping sauce was really good saved it for my fries) delmonico steak which was huge cooked perfect and seasoned really well. The po' boy shrimp sandwich was delicious. Onion rings were great too. Cant wait to go back and try the wings and cheese steak wrap. read more

Shakey Jake's is not exactly a dive, but its not too pretty, either. But who cares? Dollar drafts and 25 cent wings every monday? I'm there. The bartenders are super friendly, and always seem to give a free drink, once you've been there a while. The TV set up is sub-par, so its not the best place to watch The Big Game, if that's your thing. Jake's is not huge, but they crowd is rarely big enough to be a hassle, at least when I'm there. The beer selection is your standards (Yuengling, Bud, Miller, Guiness,) usually with a micro thrown in. Right now, it happens to be Troeg's HopBack. The only food I've had there are the wings, which are excellent. I don't actually know if they have anything else. They have an acceptable, but certainly not expansive, liquor selection. I've never seen or heard anyone even mention wine there, but they might have it. There is a dart board, with terrible house darts, but some of the regulars bring their own. Usually, they're friendly enough to share. And that goes for all of the regulars: they are friendly. Jake's also has one of those computer triva games, and a juke box. read more

Let me start by saying I HATE BUFFALO WINGS. I recently visited Jakes after a good number of years only because I do not live nearby. Well, I am so glad I finally went back!! My friend ordered the Buffalo wing appetizer and I think I ate half of them...so very good! For dinner, I had eggplant parm, probably the best I have had anywhere. I loved it!! The waitress was very friendly and the owner made us feel like we were regular customers. Definitely going back!! read more

Server was friendly! The food was not good. They advertise huge chicken fingers on the menu, they're smaller than the ones at McDonald's (I'm not kidding). Fries were soggy as if they were fried hours ago and microwaved after I ordered. I ordered chicken cutlet, it came out battered which is fine I guess. However, when I went to eat and cut the chicken cutlet the batter/breading came right off so I was basically eating grilled chicken. Very unpleasant experience. First time coming and my family and I won't come back. Mozzarella stick we're good though! read more

I have been going to Shakey Jake's since 2002. I returned the other night after a two year sabbatical and was pleasantly surprised because nothing had changed. It's been family owned and run for at least that long, and it's a great local spot and "All American" bar. The flag of honor hanging on the wall as you walk in will let you know that. I tried the Guinness. I was not too sure of it's quality at first and so I had another. I still could not tell, so I had yet one more. I would say, after sampling my fith pint, that it's the best pint in NJ (and I should know, having made more visits to St. James Gate before I was 30 than most Muslims make to Mecca in a life time). The Guinness was only $4.50 a pint - but if you want to pay $9 you can go to NYC. The restaurant is first class and has awesome daily specials at a great price. Almost every meal comes with some type of cheese, and "Cheese is good". I should also mention here that all the meals seem to go great with Guinness (for some reason). Advice: you will want to leave before closing time, when Chuck 'unleashes the hounds'. Seriously, a half-rabid dog named 'Jake' is set lose to eat the scraps off the floor. I don't think they feed him during the day. He sometimes gets so worked up he starts shaking in fits and starts. This is about the time you will want to leave....well before the scraps are gone. I only had a bad experience here once when some A#5hole tried to take my personal darts. If you happen to ride here on your ATV/quad.....don't get any bright ideas about going home on it after a drink or two! This is considered class two felony in Stanhope and increases to a class one felony should you cross into Netcong and the local police do not have a sense of humor about such things. read more

Best spot within a 50mile radius. It's a divey spot so people who are complaining about that don't understand the vibe they are trying to give. It's easily one of the best spots I've been to, never had a bad meal there and I've ordered almost everything off their menu, including the specials. Also hands down the best wings I've ever had, get the browned garlic and pepper sauce. Highly recommend this place and don't be off put by people who left reviews that were negative. It's a local dive bar, not a Hawaiian resort restaurant where your a sitting on a beach outside read more

Been to 3 dives around the Sussex/Morris area in the past year or so and this one is right smack in the middle. Not the best but not the worst. To address some of the things that have been brought up - It can be a little intimidating for first timers (especially the sign for bikers to check colors at the door) and it does cater to the local crowd. With that said the waitress couldn't have been nicer. Crowd is blue collar but not rude or unfriendly. - Food is nothing spectacular (hardly inedible though) but wings are above average which is huge for me. You get a good amount for $7.50 too. As for the person that said it was "over priced". Scanning the menu nothing seemed outrageously priced. It's priced appropriately for an upper middle class area and you'll end up paying less than the more high-brow establishments nearby. - It is as other have said- a dive bar in the truest sense.. And at least it's not a place that has an overinflated opinion of itself like Salt and the Stanhope House. I think it knows what it is and it isn't. If these types of places aren't your cup of tea nothing wrong with that. But don't go in expecting a type of experience not associated with dives. It's a place I hit now when I want someplace simple and close. Other pet peeves of mine- on a football Sunday only one person working the bar and running food. Poor guy was working his butt off but falling behind. Setup is a bit weird where it feels like a long-way from outside dining to inside. Could have some better drink specials. All in all though it's just what Yelps describes as 3 stars. "A-OK". And to quote Seinfeld..."not that there's anything wrong with that". read more

Always a quick great meal. Great bar food. Fast service. I usually order to go. Never had a bad meal here. Try the tuna tacos.

Stayed in a nearby hotel so figured I'd give it a shot. Defiantly glad I did. Great wings,cold beer and a super pleasant bartender (said Nancy on the receipt) I'll definitely be making this a regular stop when I'm in the area read more

Walked in with three other friends who are all over 21. My designated driver had a license that wasn't turned sideways so the woman denied us without even looking at the birth date with the nastiest attitude. Horrible experience, would not recommend to anyone. read more

Great bar food. Had the cuban sandwich that was large and filled with delicious ham and pork with a great sauce. My daughter had the burger wrap and really enjoyed it. Fries came with both dishes. They were a dissapointment. read more

The food is absolutely fantastic!! Small, hole in the wall, neighborhood bar with friendly staff and food to write home about

After years of going to this place I finally had the food. The wings and clams are awesome.

Very personable service (Nancy), enjoyed stuffed nachos, short rib empanadas, broccoli skins & veal & pepper entree. All tasty, and would warrant another visit to sample other available options. Was surprised to find a .03% credit card charge. read more

Our first time here even though I was born and raised in Jersey (sadly I live in Massachusetts now). We came to meet friends for dinner and were uncertain to what we would find upon arrival. Some of the reviews mentioned biker gang's and colors and we just were not in the mood for that nonsense. So we were pleasantly surprised that the atmosphere was chill and the bartender was quick and friendly. My husband and I ordered a round while we waited for our friends and when they arrived the bartender said he could easily switch our drink tab over to our table outside, which was appreciated. Interesting menu, much more eclectic than anticipated. Our friends raved about the Cajun clams and the wings so we naturally ordered both. In addition to that, we had the empanadas as well. I didn't try the wings but my husband really like them. I did try the Cajun clams and was absolutely blown away by the flavor profile achieved. Salty and spicy and absolutely delicious. I definitely will order those again in the future. The empanadas were good, the meat was a tad overdone but the hot sauce on the side was an added bonus. We were just doing drinks and apps and our waitress was very attentive the whole night. I definitely would recommend this place for any occasion ranging from date night to catching up with friends. read more

Close to home, down to earth and real, good, honest people. Relax, have a cold one, and enjoy the homestyle cookin'. Oh, and Chuck's playlilst is fantastic! Love this place. read more