Olive Branch Bar & Restaurant

Music is always bumping and always a great atmosphere. Mike «c-​way» and Al are amazing bartenders, both really funny guys. Lots of cute girls there, or if you’re not into the pick up scene, they always have good games on the tv. Always a bumping spot to hang out at.

Already wasted? This bar will serve you! The wasted bartender will also take shots with you!

Great food and beer. Bunch of tv’s around the place makes it great to watch games. Sunday Funday!

best bar at rutgers, the chocolate covered pretzel
shot is great and there is never a line to get in.

I love it here, some of my favorite nights out at the bars were here! Bartenders are super nice and funny, music is usually pretty good. It’s more of a «sit down and have a good time with your friends» kind of bar, so its never overly crowded (with the exception of RU syllabus week). Overall, great place to wind down for the weekend! Their flavored shots are definitely a must to try if you havent already, I personally love the chocolate covered pretzel. Oh and happy hour is clutch with $ 0.50 slice of pizza and $ 1.50 beer. Not to mention $ 3.00 LIT at 8 when happy hour is over, what’s not to love?

Cheapest place to get drinks at Rutgers — their flavored shots (captain crunch, girlscout shots, etc) are $ 4. They used to have $ 5 flavored LITs that were awesome but I think they took it off the menu. Also, 50 cent pizza slices, need I say more? They also have a skee-​ball machine and I think they have beer pong tournaments.
The place has a laid back atmosphere more like a dive bar than a party spot, so if you’re not into the party scene, this is a great bar for you. And since it is right behind the Rutgers Student Center, it is very easy to get to without a car. If you are driving and don’t have a parking pass for Rutgers, be careful. They do give out tickets very late at night in the lot directly across the street — my friend and I know from experience.

my go to spot in college and still my go to spot when I come back. The bartenders are awesome, fun and take care of you. Great bar food too; wings, fries, sandwiches, slices. I believe they have 50 cent slices on certain days which is awesome for a college student. Sad they got rid of the dart board but they have a skee ball machine which is kind of cool.

$ 10.70 for beer & 3 slices (each) for three people… need I say more?!
Very slow service, despite reduced foot traffic during spring break.

if you’re a student or just live around the area… come for the Happy Hour! Went here for the 50 cent slices of pizza and $ 2 beers as a student often. As mentioned in other reviews, In terms of value, Olive Branch can’t be beat!

As far as the Rutgers bars go OB is in my top 3. The variety of beers on tap is great and changes with the seasons and their shot menu is filled with drinks I had never heard of before but am very eager to try because the ingredients for almost every one looked incredible. Their pizza is a little mediocre but during their happy hour (which is daily and lasts from 4−8pm) it only costs $ 0.50 a slice, which is absolutely worth it. The atmosphere has somewhat of a dive bar feel but it’s nice because the college students who frequently come here view it it as their own place to come for a cheep beer and a slice. Overall I love here, ordering 2 beers and 2 slices for $ 4 and playing a few rounds of skeeball while watching football games.

Haiku:
Very attentive
Bartenders are serving drinks…
Shots are watered down.
The floor is so clean
Practically fit for a queen
Dirt is nowhere seen.
Bathrooms are okay
Would come back another day.
To get the food here.

My #1 favorite college bar. Best place to go on Rutgers game day. Also, how could you possibly go wrong with delicious 50-​cent pizza slices and $ 2 beers? Come on, now.

As far as happy hour deals go, the OB can’t be beat in New Brunswick. As far as bartenders go, OB’s staff SUCKS. Ugh, I know that’s mean and I shouldn’t say it but I’ve been going there for 2 years and the service remains the same. They take forever to serve you, even when there’s only 10 other people in the place after 8pm when happy hour ends… But on the upside it really is the best place in the area to watch Rutgers football games.
6 out of 10 times the staff will be more drunk than you.

I recently came here to get drinks and catch up with some of my friends who are Rutgers students. It’s pretty much the textbook definition of a college bar: $.50 (big) slices of pizza and $ 1 beers during happy hour? It’s not the world’s finest pizza or the greatest selection of beers, but what’s not to love there? It’s not a fancy place, by any standards, but it also doesn’t really try to be. Don’t get me wrong, though; for the rock-​bottom prices, this isn’t trashy or sketchy at all. It’s cheap, friendly, comfortable, and a great place to hang out after a busy day. If you’re a student or in your early/​mid-​twenties, I’d definitely recommend it.

This is a fun place to go for happy hour. They recently re did some of it (rearranged furniture) to put a ski-​ball machine in. The drinks are cheap and has a happy hour special every week day (happy hour from 3 to 8). The bar tenders are super nice (especially the ones actually behind the bar). Served drinks quickly. There are 50 cent slices when you buy a pitcher of beer.

So I always fondly remembered my times at the Branch, especially their killer happy hour! How could any college student not love dollar drafts and fifty cent slices in a fun, chill happy hour atmosphere?
I always wondered if I just enjoyed the pizza because I was had too much to drink and had pizza «beer goggles» on. Well yesterday, I was pleased to learn that I enjoyed the pizza because it was decent pizza! All the cards of the table, I’m a fan of thin crust pies. This isn’t the most gourmet pizza in the world, but the proportions were all correct– sauce, cheese, crust. I was pleasantly surprised how large the slices were too. At least last night, the slice was probably at least double from what I remembered. Coors was the beer on happy hour special and now $ 2, not $ 1. However I seem to recall in the past the beers were in mugs and yesterday it came in a pint glass. I’d say fair trade off.
The bar also hasn’t changed in years. I’m happy to say my fond memories can live on into the future.

This is the place to go people! If you’re wallet is empty, you could afford going here with spare change. Ofcourse the more change you have, the more beer you can afford, but if you’re sofa cushions weren’t on your side today– you can still have fun here! Coors are $ 2 and pizza is 50 cents. I am personally a huge fan of pizza, so if I can have that for pocket change with my happy hour drinks, I’m in. It’s super local, and you are always bound to run into a fun group of people, and often times your friends. It’s the most fun with a large group of people, but lack of willing participants shouldn’t stop you from going with one or two friends!
xoxo, happy HH

In short, an awesome place for happy hour. They have 50 cent pizza slices and $ 2 Coors. I wish they had more drinks for happy hour, but hey, for that price, I’m not complaining at all. The pizza slices are bigger than I expected. Some of my friends say it tastes like frozen pizza heated up, but I don’t think it’s bad at all. Of course, it’s not the most amazing pizza I’ve had; it’s pretty good considering what you’re paying. They do have other food specials for happy hour, but I only get the pizza, so I can’t really tell you much.
If you go with a lot of friends, get a beer bong. It’s pretty cool and it’s fairly cheap! Service is a bit slow though. I don’t know where these servers/​bartenders disappear off to, but it takes a while to flag someone down.

I used to bring dates here when I was a youngster at RU… it was meh back then…
411:
…there’s an area to have a calm date night… and there’s a giant oblong-​shaped bar… which is hella wide (I’ll get to that in a sec) for crazed college kids to get mangled and hit on anything that moves.
Let’s play ball:
…came here with my date after my formative college years and the bouncer says with a smile, «wow, you and I are both kinda old for a college bar» [STRIKE 1!]
…as soon as we sat at the bar, there were two shirtless pudgy young dudes dancing on the wide bar top… with NO chicks… NO CHICKS… man, fat boys need to check themselves, yo [STRIKE 2!]
…when I went to the restroom, some drunk punk started kickin it to my date… psssh, he was lucky I wasn’t splashed or it woulda been the end of him [STRIKE 3!]
[Yooooouuuuuuu’rrrrrreeeee OUT!!!]

I’ve have been here a few times as a youngster and I returned recently. Nothing has changed. It is super loud, super cheap and full off college kids. They have darts and the ladies room surprisingly was not all that bad. The staff does a nice job at giving out warnings or tossing someone out if need be.
My date went to the bathroom and I was quickly approached by a nice young man maybe 21 and a half named Kyle. He asked me in a slurred speech If I would like to dance. Its not really a dancing place I said to Kyle but thanks for asking… I don’t think Kyle had much of a game plan before he approached me. Thanks Olive Branch for making me feel young I needed it.