Trolley Car

Great place. Yummy food. Love the live music. Great open mic on Wednesdays. Big Idea: The Trolley Car is the hub for many Jersey City artists and musicians. Check it out.

I’ve gone to this bar numerous times at all times a day. Every single time we’ve been served quickly and the drinks are always amazing. The staff is extremely friendly and accommodating! The wings are a must try and their steak and fish tacos are amazing! The mojitos and margaritas are made so well and you can taste fresh ingredients and not sugary mixes. Definitely try this place!

Wow they just introduced po’ boys. This is what prompted me to log in to Unilocal and leave 5 star review. I’ve been coming here for months but the po’ boy made me use my crappy phone keyboard to type out this review

Drinks at the Trolly Car was an unforgettable experience, not to be missed if you’re ever in Jersey City. Stephanie working behind the bar: you go, girl! She makes a hardcore cocktail. Order up some bar food while you’re at it.

Service not so accomodating… Food way overpriced. Still better than The Fox and Crow further up, tho.

Great little bar in The Heights. Friendly bartender and nice outdoor patio. Will definitely be coming back.

The highest quality musicianship of any open mic night I’ve seen. Don’t miss it on Wednesday nights!
Our excellent bartenders were Sonya and Stephanie, and their cocktail specials were creative and delicious. They noticed that my boyfriend was watching the game on TV and offered to put it on a closer TV screen
Our nachos were not as ordered, but Stephanie cheerfully took them right back and got the order fixed.
I’ve been recommending it to everyone I know in Jersey

When all the cards are down, all hope lost, all self-​dignity robbed, and you’re broker than broke, the Trolley Car, emerges atop the high hills of Jersey City to rescue those who cannot rescue themselves…& the bartenders are awesome! Especially the tall blond babe with pouty red lips.

I was here with a guy friend and the bartender seemed to forgot about me… she was concentrating and talking more to my friend who only wanted a beer and then when it came to my drink, she didn’t know how to make a Malibu bay breeze… she had to looked it up on her phone and then poured the wrong liquor… I was disappointed.

I have to say that I was impressed by this little bar in the Heights. My buddy and I were looking to get out of his apartment for a bit, have a drink and a bite to eat. When I mentioned Trolley Car, he had heard good things about it and had been there before, so we decided to check it out. We sat at the bar which was granite. All of the furnishings and equipment seemed shiny and new. The friendly female bartender took our drink orders and obliged our request for food menus. She also noted they had a Cuban Sandwich in addition to the other menu items. I opted for the Cuban and my buddy got sliders. We were able to watch football on the tv while we sipped our well-​made drinks and waited for our food. The food did not take long to come out. My Cuban sandwich seemed authentic with pressed Cuban bread, shredded pork, ham, cheese, turkey, and pickles. It also came with a side of crispy onion rings. My buddy’s sliders came with what looked like hand cut fries. The bartender was quick to refill our drinks. When she refilled one too many for my buddy and he didn’t want any more, she was happy to take the drink back and not charge us for it. There was Latin music in the background and later there was a singer. I asked the bartender if they have Latin dancing, as there was some empty floor space in the back and she said they are hoping people will dance. They also have a nice back patio which my buddy has enjoyed in the past.

I’ve heard some not great thing about this bar, so I was a little hestitant to try it. However, that was a huge mistake on my part! The bartender was friendly, the beer was cold and the place was clean.
Also, they have an awesome patio outside which was great on a not-​so-​hot summer night. I really enjoyed it and I would love to go back.

Super overpriced, so so service, and terrible sangria. Their specials are not exactly specials to say the least. In fact, I can do better in Hoboken!

Updating my review to say I hope this bar steps it up a bit. I still love the patio, but my last visit was at 10:30 on a Friday night and they where closed. That’s strange. Also their beer selection is usually not fully stocked. But it is good that they take credit cards.

Nothing says «welcome» like a GIANT PUNCHING BAG in a restaurant/​bar. If it weren’t for that minor point, the Trolley Car would be a halfway decent local.

Atmosphere, location, and outside space have significant potential.
Everything else is consistently disappointing.
The bar, including draft beer, is always poorly stocked and the kitchen is often out of many basic menu items. The food they do have, is hit or miss. Sometimes it’s ok, but sometimes its barely edible.
After several attempts over the last 6 months, I’ve given up. It wouldn’t take much to fix the place, but nobody seems to care to do so.

Nice place. Clean, well decorated, nice patio, and has local artists’ work on display and for sale. Ok selection of beer.
I wanna give it more stars but I can’t.
1– the place is always dead. Been there a couple of time and each time I have been 1 of 2 – 3 customers. No energy to the place.
2-​it doesn’t have consistent hours. The bar closes when it wants to. Usually because of reason number 1. So can’t really plan on going there if there is a good chance it will be closed.
3-​food is okay at best. Small portions for bar food. Most Bars want you to eat so you can buy more booze. Not here.
4-​the beer is way over priced for the area. This is not Midtown Manhattan nor is it Hoboken. This is Jersey City Heights. Yes it is «up and coming» but no where near the prices they charge.
I really hope this place makes it. It is a great addition to the hood and we need more nice places to drink.
Fingers-​crossed
Have Fun

Have been coming faithfully for two years. Now, they never have anything on the menu. Their taps are constantly finishing and unavailable. The «manager» Rosy is rude and could care less about her clientele. After all «it’s not her problem if the menu still has all the items that they no longer serve».
This poor place is only going downhill.
As other reviewers have posted, I wish this place could be put out of its misery. Seems not to be the case.
And if you think it’s the“best” in the Heights, you probably belong to the band’s or open mic friends. They seem the only ones to crowd the place.

I’ve been here 4 – 5 times and I always ask myself why I come back. Tuesday night was the last night I visited an I am sure it will be my last.
So i came in on a whim because me and my friend had to meet up and discuss boy drama without getting home first. Trolley bar is a local spot for us both so it was a great location.
We walked in together and it was empty at 530-​not unusual. But the stare of death and awkwardness from the bartender was. Maybe I had given a bad vibe off? Nooo. I was chatting up with my friend.
I asked if there were any happy hour specials (how dare i?!) and she was like, «no.» ok… thanks for being so friendly.
Needless to say we had 1 and done and ended up chatting by the park .
I thought the price were fair, but it was just so un-​inviting. :(

Love this place. They always have something going on. It’s great for when I feel like getting a drink or something to eat nearby. The food is great quality considering it’s a bar. On top of that, they have dogfish head, six point, and lagunitas on tap! The entire place, including the bathroom, is very clean. The bartenders are very nice and always willing to converse if you’re in the mood.
Just want to add a side note after reading some other reviews:
I come here about once a week and this place has some of the nicest, most engaging bartenders I’ve ever met. If you’re looking for conversation, they have no trouble talking to you. If you’re not, they won’t bother you. I’m not understanding all the hate toward the bartenders, but that’s literally one of the main reasons I keep coming back.

Quite literally the worst bar in Jersey City. Let me start with the positives. It is within walking distance for the group of twenty something’s that live in the area. Past that this place has nothing going for it. At all.
When I moved into the neighborhood I thought it would be nice to have a bar in the area and the first two times I went to Trolley Car I had nothing to complain about.
However, my first sign that this place was no good should have been the high turnover rate of the bartenders.
Any time I encountered a halfway decent bartender, I would never see them again. I think my first truly bad experience was when the bartender yelled at my fiancée for attempting to bring our small dog onto their patio out back. To simply say they were not dog friendly would have been fine, but to tell at someone for attempting to sit outside with a two month old puppy when the bar literally consisted of me, my friend, and two random patrons at 7:00 on a Sunday night I found unnecessary.
At that point I should have stopped going back. But sometimes convenience trumps anything and I found myself there again. And the next time I went was the first time I noticed how overpriced the drinks were. It cost me $ 14 for two beers. I believe it was two River Horse beers. Not exactly top shelf, but whatever I paid it and that was that.
Going in tonight was the final straw which prompted me to provide a review. First thing I noticed when going in on January 19 was that the tap for their Sam Adams said it was Oktoberfest. When I asked what their Sam seasonal was, the bartender confirmed it was in fact Oktoberfest. Anywhere else in Jersey City is currently selling the Cold Snap spring ale. You’d be lucky to find winter lager and this bar still has Oktoberfest. Since I’m not going to drink a five plus old month beer I ordered a lagunitas and was told their tap of lagunitas wasn’t working. 0 – 2 on beer ordering. While deciding what I wanted my friend ordered a Budweiser. Believe it or not they didn’t even have that. That did it for me folks.
If you live in the area, pay the $ 6 über ride and go out in Hamilton Park. I wish I could say this place would be gone soon, but somehow it seems it’s here to stay. I wish there was a zero star option, but there isn’t. Never go to Trolley Car!