Gateway Bar and Liquors

good location, but nothing special in beer selection.

Had terrible experience at gateway. Bought «very» expired craft beer brought it back for exchange cash register guy had to check with owner «thought that was very strange «he came back and looked at me like I was an idiot– no sir — 7÷5÷14 is the born on date not the expiration date– so no refund — the beer in question, Firestone, explicitly says on label «enjoy within 120 days.»
Bottom line the owner had no clue that beer expires– all of his special beers in the front of store are expired by a lot — he was such a jerk he gave me the refund but i literally had to argue with the guy (prob spend $ 50 in there every week) never go there again

Great beer selection. I’ve found some unique stuff here. This place cracks me up. Walking inside is like stepping out of time machine into the early 80s. It also smells funny sometimes. These things don’t matter at all though since the selection is so good. There is a $ 10 minimum on credit/​debit cards.

Medium sized package goods store with a surprisingly large bar inside. As for the package goods, plenty of Coors Light and Bud Light in cans, but craft beer aficionados should be able to find something on the shelves here to keep them happy. The selection of craft beers isn’t huge, but I’ve seen much worse in similar places.
As for the bar, there are about 9 taps and not much going on there craft beer wise. They did have the Carton XX IPA which I ordered and was warned that it was «very bitter» and «expensive» That didn’t deter me so I ordered a pint. «Expensive» was $ 5 for the pint, not a bad price at all for a top notch craft beer on draught. I was expecting something like $ 8 or $ 9 when I was warned. Yeungling is the next closest thing to a decent beer among the draught selection and at $ 2 a pint a bargain. The rest of the taps are dedicated to the usual brews from the «big boys» and the Miller High Life is meager $ 1.50 a pint during happy hour. Not the greatest beer selection but a darn good value.
Then there are the people. This is strictly a local bar, but not the sort of local place where the conversation stops and everyone stares when a stranger sits down. Quite the opposite. This has the be one of the friendliest bars I’ve been to in my life and we’re talking 40 years of visiting bars.
I had come off the water from a day of fluke fishing to catch the World Cup finals.
I passed this place and figured since I’m near it I’d check it out because the game was seconds from starting. I peeked inside and saw the largest TV was devoted to the game so I entered.
The moment I sat down people to my left and right were introducing themselves to me and my name was being announced to everyone around the bar. As I lifted my first beer to my lips I noticed the distinct smell of fish on my arms and hands and excused myself to use the lavatory to wash off the odor. The guy next to me said «Don’t worry a bit about that, half the people in here smell like fish» which got a big chuckle from everyone in earshot. I washed anyway since I don’t particularly care for fish scented IPA.
Soon I was drawn into friendly conversations to the point where I felt somewhat guilty sneaking a peak at the game now and then. As people sitting near me left, others took their places and were every bit as friendly as the ones who left. As familiar faces entered either to buy package goods or have a seat at the bar they were greeted by much of the crowd by name in a «Cheers» sort of style.
I’d give this just 3 stars if it was only for the beer, spirits and wine selection in the package goods section. Maybe a 2 if I was just judging the beer selection in the bar, but the friendly and fun people in this little hole in a wall definitely earn it an extra star.

Coming down rt 36 this is your last stop (on this side of the highway) before hitting Sandy Hook. One reason why we love it, CANS! That’s right they have the largest selection of your favorite drink in cans. Why? Cause you can’t bring glass on the beach. They also have a bar in the store and an entertainment schedule. We keep saying we will check out the bar scene but never made it back.
enjoy