I must be the only crazy one. But this place is only good for music and really cold beer. The burgers are ...... Wayyyyyyy to thick , u can taste the embryonic fluid from the mother cow. It's gross. I went here to try the " best burger " in north jersey . Ok . Right . Save yourself the trip and go to dinosaur BBQ. 2 mins away . Or Wendy's in Harrison. Yes I'm serious.
Review Source:Fun place to go. Not a dive bar, in fact. Clean and nicely put-together.
Had the bacon cheeseburger and it was dynamite. One of the best I've ever had. They aren't lying when they say it's the best in North Jersey. Juicy, plump, perfectly cooked. Could use some lettuce and tomatoes, but that's OK. If this was just a burger joint, it'd be four stars. But it's not.
Domestic macro drafts with what appears a few craft options. Got a local IPA.
Fries were frozen steak cut fries with melted cheese on top aren't really cheese fries and they felt a bit uninspired.
The burger is what's best here, and why you would come, but it's definitely incomplete.
I finally made it to Krug's, but first some backstory. Being a burger lover, I couldn't help but notice fellow Yelpers constantly comparing other burgers to Krug's in their reviews. Â Outside of Yelp, for years I've heard whispers about a mythical "old school" burger in the heart of Newark's Ironbound sections that was considered one of the best in NJ. Â So when I walked into this place, I knew there was no way this burger could ever live up to the hype. Â I was wrong. Â There staff? One (wonder)woman in the entire place slingin drinks, taking orders, and cooking up some amazing burgers AT THE SAME DAMN TIME. Â That woman deserves a Nobel Peace Prize or whatever the next highest honor is. Â I worried that she would over cook my burger, but I was pleasantly surprised to bite into a beautiful medium rare chunk of beef. Â Did I mention this this thing is huge? Â At least a 1/2 lb, maybe a bit more. Â The meat was top notch and it was seasoned perfectly, but I'd say the star of the show was the grill. Â Older grills impart a unique flavor on meat from years of cooking up all sorts of greasy goodness. Â One bite brought me back to eating my favorite childhood burger at the greasy spoon joint Royal Crest in Bayonne (sadly closed). Â Go to here. Now.
Review Source:Went here without much prior knowledge of this place - despite the abundance of super-positive reviews on Yelp, well.....let's just say, I was already pretty lit-up.
Actually, the two other times I have been here (pre-Devils games), I was also lit-up before hand. Â Seems to be a reoccurring theme for your's truly, whilst gallivanting in the Ironbound.
...My brain - "Liz, this is Newark, do you really trust yourself sober in Brick City, wouldn't it be more fun to walk into potentially dangerous situations if you are, I don't know, hammered?"
...Me: "Yes, brain, you are correct, let's get a brown-bag and a 40 for the 13-minute train ride from Bay St to Broad St, and a flask for the 7-minute light rail to the Ironbound!")
OK - so I needed cheap, greasy, sobering-up bar food.....and it was Cinco de Mayo. Â Fish tacos and cockles at a Portuguese place was yummy, like, 6 hours ago. Â But not very filling. Â A burger was on the mind, and companions made the rash decision to break away from the Coronas and the Tequilas and the Mexican holiday in a Brazilian city.
NOT disappointed.
Adam was the bartender that day, I believe. Â He was fun AND funny. Â And he was enjoying himself with the sufficiently hammered bar-patrons - despite the fact it was Cinco de Mayo, and a Sunday, and the weather was absolutely *gorgeous* and, well, this is a dive-bar that will leave you completely blinded by the sun when you step outside for a smoke.........it was BUSY as HELL.
And he did a fantastic job.
And his recommendation for a cheese burger with TWO onion rings on the burger....well, I seem to have met my soul-mate. Â Because that is exactly what I order, without fail, at every greasy dive bar, with equally greasy staff and greasy day-drunkers. Â IT WAS PHE-NO-ME-NAL!!!!!!!
Nothing was a miss at Krug's. Â Nothing. Â Four back-to-back Pink Floyd songs echoed in the background, I shook hands with the owner as he bought me a shot, and I survived an epic day of tequila + beer..... a few pounds heavier, but shit, I don't get to the Ironbound NEARLY as often as I should. Â Krug's is one very, very good motivation to do so in the future.
Solid, A+ dive bar.
i found Krugs through someone on FB i think. I've passed the place numerous times without even batting an eye. Fortunately, now i had reason to. My friend and i went in on St. Patty's to try this burger everyone was raving about. We started off with a few beers and an order of wings. Service was very friendly. The wings were very good. But on to the star of the evening, the BURGER! oh yes, the BURGER. Bacon and cheese, of course (every burger's best friend). lol. The burger was cooked exactly as i asked for it (medium). I was actually impressed with the cook's time. The place was pretty busy and this poor guy was making food for everyone. Needless to say, my burger craving was beyond satisfied. I live close to tops diner, and they have good burgers, but from now on, i will drive the extra 5-10 mins to Krugs. Juicy, tasty beef flavor. Definitely one of the best burgers in the area. I will be back!! FA SHO!!!
Review Source:I really can't get over this place. Â Someone recommended Krug's, and the first time I came here will be forever burned into my memory since I'm not often shocked. Â There was a guy in a greasy t-shirt flipping greasy looking burgers on a greasier looking grill, bunch of working class 20-something girls creating drama in the corner, single guys drinking beer at the bar, and they actually had the gall to put calamari on the menu. Â I thought I was in food poisoning central and started backing towards the door.
I'm ecstatic I stayed because Krug's had the greatest burger I have ever eaten. Big, juicy, and literally slides down your throat. Â The onion rings and calamari are also incredible. Â Huge surprise compared to what I thought I would be getting and now I come back as often as I can justify it (thankfully it's a trek or a heart attack would have happened by now). Â Incredible food, really really nice service, friendly patrons who mostly keep to themselves, and it is super clean (after I got over my initial paranoia I realized you can see the entire grilling area and it's completely clean like the rest of the bar). Â Go here, it's really really awesome.
I'm writing this review based on what this place is, an amazing dive bar. Â Place is dimly lit, always filled with blue collar locals. Â Menu is cheap, and everything on it is amazing. Â $6 greasy burgers bigger than your head. Â Onion rings, fried calimari, fried shrimp (spicy marinara or buffalo) are some of my regular orders. Â
If youre looking for a dive bar with amazing cheap eats, this is your place. Â Also of note, they go through a few hundred pounds of corned beef on St. Patricks day, and if you're around, its worth a pop-in.
Best burgers in Newark. I also recommend the calamari and wings. Great place to watch a game while eating good food and drinking a cold beer. Â
They recently did some renovating and the place looks a little better inside. Â There are tables in the back that can accommodate larger groups.
Best burger ever. This is a gritty working class bar where the talk is mostly sports and who the cook will kill next. Unlike most Americans I am not a big fan of the hamburger, this dates back to my time as a McDonalds employee back in the summers when I was a freshman in High School.
However, this burger was off the chain delicious, super big, super greasy and huge, wash it down with a couple beers and now you are talking.
With all due respect to the corner bistro in NYC, there is a new king and it is Krugs in Newark.
Old man bar in a not so scary section of Newark. White people walking around with impunity. Very basic, no frills atmosphere. One guy working both the bar and the "kitchen" area on a not so busy Saturday night. He did everything right. Burger was fantastic; fresh definitely, not frozen. Onion rings were bangin'. Calamari was delicious. Marinara sauce was definitely just jar tomato sauce with a sprinkling of pepper flakes. However, whenever in the neighborhood will definitely visit again.
Review Source:One of the best burgers I have ever eaten and, without a doubt, the best bacon cheeseburger I have ever eaten. Â This place is a diamond in the rough. Â Get here before the masses find out about it.
I usually order my burger medium rare, but our super friendly (and incredibly hard working) server Joyce (I think that's her name) recommended that the burger be cooked "medium". Â I was not disappointed. Â My burger was tremendous, fresh, flavorful and cooked perfectly. Â Very juicy and, well, just awesome. Â You just have to try it for yourself. Â
Decor is classic dive-bar, which was a nice change of pace. Â The soundtrack playing in the background was amazing. Â Nothing like eating a tremendous burger to classic rock.
I cannot wait until my arteries recover so I can come back. Â
Ps. Â They have a private parking lot, so drive here (unless you want to roll the dice and walk through Newark)
The best dive bar in Newark!!! Walked in on a Monday night and Joyce was the absolute highlight of the entire experience. From the initial introduction to the fun conversation throughout the night which included great service, stiff cheap drinks and yes, a killer cheeseburger!
Was kind of quiet when we first arrived but quickly filled up as the evening progressed.
Parking lot was an added bonus.
Hoping they get T-shirts in stock again soon!
I have not had a cheesesteak sandwich that good in a long time! REAL cheese, super tasty peppers and onions and a good rib eye steak, all on an Italian roll. My boyfriend had a bacon cheese burger, he loved it, it was HUGE and he ate it all! He's not really into food like I am but he went crazy for the burger!
The fries were also good, and the pickle and hot peppers they give you at the beginning of the meal are so tasty and crunchy, yum!
Great food, great service, friendly vibe, fun jukebox and a parking lot, what more can you ask for!
I try to make it to Krug's at least every 2-3 months or so...any more than that and I would need a bi-pass! Â Went last week and as always it was a winner. Â
First off they updated the decor....don't worry it is still a dive bar just not as "rough around the edges". Â Still get the same welcoming feeling and secondly the service there is just out of this world! Â Adam was behind the bar, such a nice and attentive bar tender, and even though we are not regulars he always remembers us (probably b/c my boyfriend orders his burgers "gummy").
The food was out of this world as always, fried calamari with that beautiful sweet sauce (that I took home and snacked on for 2 days) and the burgers...cooked just how we like them....bloody!
Keep up the great work Krugs!
If you have not been there do not let some of these Yelp reviews fool you, take it from a dive bar lover and a true foodie....you will not be disappointed!
A solid burger that could do without the obnoxious hyperbole - what set Krug's apart for me was the attentiveness and attitude of the staff present. Stopped by recently for lunch as I was on a personal hunt to find the "best burger in Jersey" (thanks to a Yelp talk thread I had just read that day). I found my way over to Newark midafternoon on a weekday. The place was about half full and I was seated right away.
I wound up ordering a Bacon Cheeseburger and a side order of fries, and washed it all down with a few beers. The burger itself is pretty large and doesn't come with any side order. The order of fries are similarly large, if not huge, and could easily feed 2 or 3.
The burger: Â juicy, not a ton of flavor, but definitely pretty good. Â Wouldn't go back just for the burger though, which is a shame considering a) how hyped up Yelp made it seem, and b) how hyped up the locale's other patrons made it seem to be (I overheard a convo between a dude and a bartender where he said that Krug's had the best burgers in the universe. Or something).
The fries: huge plate of fries, but nothing memorable. I'd probably skip the fries altogether next time and get something else.
The service: Bartender and staff were nice and attentive in refilling drinks.
The price: Â Burger itself was around $8, fries about $3ish, and the beers about $5 a pop - a little high for a dive bar setting in the outskirts of Newark.
Pros:
above average burgers
nice staff
Cons:
Super hyped up
Overall: Solid 3 out of 5
People at work have raved about the burgers from Krug's tavern a while back so a bunch of my coworkers and i finally tried them and ordered take-out recently.
I ordered a medium cheeseburger. First of all, it wasn't even medium. It was well-done! It was dry and bland. Bland..fine i can deal with that cuz i can season it myself. The only thing that may be going for them is that their burgers are massive for only about $6.
I've had my share of burgers from many different types of places and I'm not referring to fast food places at all. I've been to many other dives that serve much much better burgers. I'm just not sure what the other reviewers are talking about here. Even one of my coworkers said "it was like cafeteria school food". The rest seemed to like their burgers. Maybe i just got a bad batch..who knows. But I won't be ordering from here again.
Feel kind of strange giving a dive bar five stars. Seems to be an oxymoron, a "five star" dive bar.
  Simple place simple review. Yes, dive bar, not a lot of beers and mostly those not from a "micro-brewery". The beers your dad drank, except for those lite crap beers, which you "men" shouldn't be drinking but that is a whole nother rant for the future.
  Food is cooked behind the bar, by the bartender, and no he doesn't wear gloves. The original open air kitchen, so to speak. Anyway, have eaten here a couple of times and the food is really fantastic. Calamari, excellent. The sauces really, really good, but be careful of the hot, it is hot. The burger is just out of this world. Huge, juicy, thick and tasty. One of the best I've ever had. And yes, my friends, greasy, but of course its greasy. Its supposed to be greasy. Thats why it tastes so damn good. I was sopping up the grease with my bun.
  A little walk down the road from all the other establishments but worth every step of extra walking. But remember, its a dive bar.
Came here due to the stellar Yelp reviews for the calamari and burgers.
The place is fairly small and in the eastern part of  the Ironbound. They do have a parking lot but it was full when I went and I found street parking. You can definitely smell the food from the outside.
As mentioned by everyone on here, this is definitely a dive bar. Don't let that stop you though. The place is fairly small, with a bar and 3-5 tables I think. I was able to get a table without any wait or anything.
I ordered the calamari and the bacon cheeseburger. I also went through a few whiskey sours during the course of my meal.
I personally was a bit disappointed by the calamari. It was not as crispy as I like (I prefer panko breading generally) and just was not what I was expecting. You do get quite a bit and it is clear that it  is made well though. Might just be a question of personal preference. I got the "sweet" marinara (they have sweet,  medium, and hot). Again, it was good but not as amazing as the other reviews say. Maybe the medium or hot sauce are better (I prefer my marinara on the sweeter side) but this was just standard marinara sauce for me. Nothing special.
I really  did like my burger though. The one thing that kind of turned me off was the amount of oil dripping (my plate was COVERED) but my bacon cheeseburger was delicious. Lots of bacon, excellent quality meat that tasted perfect, and good American cheese to tie it all together. I would certainly come back for the burger. I asked for barbecue sauce and they didn't have any but I  did dip my burger in the marinara a couple of times. Really good burger. The best burger I have had? Probably not, but certainly a good one.
The drinks were a GREAT deal too. Each of my whiskey sours was $5.50 but they were super super strong. A strong drink for that price? That itself is a good  reason to  come here.
Also, the service was very good. They were not bothersome or  annoying but were attentive and courteous. I was always asked if everything was okay, asked if I wanted another drink whenever mine was empty, and just treated well. Definitely better service than I would expect at a dive bar.
Overall,go  to Krug's.Like I said, the calamari wasn't to my taste but I definitely do recommend the burger and drinks.
Dive Bar!! Â
And a freaking AWESOME dive bar at that. Â It's dimly lit (to hide the extent of dirtiness, I assume), jam packed full of overweight and middle aged men (who are, objectively, the best judges of good hamburgers), and run by a grumpy old bastard who knows the place like the back of his hand and doesn't take no shit from nobody. Â It's the dirty Jerz at its best. Â
I ordered the Bacon Cheeseburger. Â I was so intrigued by the "Jumbo Cheeseburger" listed on the menu, that I leaned over to one of the aforementioned heavyweights and asked how much bigger the Jumbos are. Â "They're all jumbo," he said. Â "They're all jumbo," I reported back to my friend. Â That's no lie. Â My friend ordered the Jumbo Cheeseburger and it was the exact same size as mine: GIGANTIC. Â
I'm proud to say that I ate the whole thing. Â Yeah, I had a serious belly ache and was pretty fearful that I could drop dead of a heart attack (I do that pretty much every time I over eat with burgers), but I have no regrets. Â In fact, I would do it again. Â Next time I'm in Newark, I'm gonna go back to Krug's. Â It's a must.
Finding Krug's Tavern on Yelp was inevitable, but slightly frightening. For it to turn into a "cool" place would be tragic. It's the closet thing to a community switchboard I've ever known, where you can find out where people are, who got married, who moved away, and everything else. Besides that, I've been telling people for more than 20 years that they're the best burgers in the world, and no one in CA believes me. Now I begin to be vindicated. HAH!
As far as I know, they buy the meat fresh from a butcher and grind it themselves. The patties are definitely not made ahead of time, as you can see what looks like a pound of beef put on the grill for your burger as you order it.
I have never had a pickle elsewhere that is anywhere nearly as good as theirs. It's hard to get excited about a pickle, but what can I say? It bothers me that I can't find fresh, tasty pickles. Flying to NJ makes for one expensive pickle.
I've been to Krug's twice this trip, and feel like I need at least one more visit. I'm glad Krug's remains Krug's.
Dive bar with all the colorful characters that make it, well, a dive bar.
Service is sloooowww, but that's just to get you to drink more beer. And when you finally get the burger, you'll wonder why you never eat here all the time
.
Why?
Because you'd weigh 400 lbs  with a cholesterol count to match your weight.
And it would be so worth it!
Wow.. I have seen the light.. It might not be much to look at, this raggedy old bar from the 1930's, but woah, this place ranks with the best burger I have ever eaten...
Nothing fancy, fresh ground beef thrown on a 70 year old 24 inch flat top.. The patties, around .75 pounds, are not even seasoned.. It just taste like rich and juicy beef...
The patty hangs over the soft bun, the bun being cheesed on both top and bottom..
Staff is friendly... But, seriously, who cares, this burger is just beyond.. It's a 10 napkin burger...
Can't wait to go back.. Seriously, it's worth the trip from Manhattan. Â This is burger magic..
Let me say, right out front, that we had takeout so I can't comment on decor or service. Â
My sister has been bragging about Krug's burgers for months. Â We both grew up in the Ironbound and have passed Krug's millions of times and I've never been in there. Â She'd never been there until her late 20s. Â
I thought to myself, "How could the food in that dinky little place possibly be that good." Â
I was totally wrong. Â It was, by far, the best burger I've ever had.
I had the pork roll burger- an NJ classic- and the sandwich literally filled the plastic clamshell package that it came in. Â The burger patty itself was huge and cooked to the exact state of medium rare that I prefer in a burger. Â The meat wasn't formed into a dense, tight patty-- it was airy and lighter than I expected. Â It wasn't overtly seasoned with anything but salt and still had an intense beefiness. Â
I also had some onion rings. Â They were excellent although a little dark. Â Our burgers came with some incredibly, gigantic pickles that were partially sliced into hunks and some hot cherry peppers. Â Those pickles were heavenly. Â
I ate the burger on Friday and I'm still obsessing about it on Monday. Â That burger was the pinnacle of burger-y goodness.
The cheese steaks are made from slices of rib eye. The calamari is better than anywhere else. The shrimp with hot sauce is something I dream about. The burgers are extremely good.
It's a real deal in a state full of douche bag chain restaurants.
If you like food, you'll like this place.
Take some elusive giant squid, throw out those displeasing tentacle parts, then deep fry what's left, and serve it with a side of awe inspiring tomato sauce.....and you have some of the best calamari anywhere.*
I see that this place is categorized under "Dive Bar", and that's fair, beer is stale here (let's pretend it adds to the atmosphere) and it's mainly frequented by blue collar folk (truck drivers, longshoreman, firefighters, etc.). Â What makes this place stand out though is the fact that it has good bar food. Â Fried seafood, burgers, deli sandwiches, all good for a quick, filling, and cheap lunch to those who work in Newark, but I feel that to most NY Yelpers daytripping to Newark, this place will be sought after more the "experience" than the food.
*I would rate this place 5 stars if it wasn't for persistent smell of ammonia, but that tells me the place is clean though, no?
The calamari is off the hook!
----That was my check in. now for a few more words.
AHEM.
So I managed to crawl out of my World of Warcraft k-hole ( only half joking, sadly) to venture into the Ironbound section of Newark. Upon arrival, I found a dusty lil' scarab in the rough called Krug's.
I normally go to Hell's Kitchen for food and drinks, but it was a rainy Sunday night and a dive is exactly where I wanted to be.
It's typical. Brown wood floors, brown bar, cheap chairs and tables, plasticy-boozey bar smell, and a handful of loud regulars bullshitting. *swoon*
There were a few TV screens mounted with Jeopardy/ basketball games. Â There's a larger back area that doesn't look to awesome to be in with the exception of the pool table.
The liquor selection was indeed basic and what I could have purchased from the liquor store around the corner. Whatever. They had  Stella pitchers, and I like that so I got that.
The food is the true gem here though. I ordered the hot n spicy calamari, all pieces are HU-U-UGE, lightly battered and yummy, and the homemade marinara sauce was deliciously peppered up. I even requested more to use on other foods at home. ( I am the condiment queen)
My friend ordered a huge burger with cheese, mad onions, peppers and bacon, and he looked like was about to pleasantly regurgitate throughout his entire meal. Which was a good thing.
My Sunday experiment was a success, and I can't wait to get back down to Krug's to check out more of their surprisingly awesome food.
..if I could ever shut this game off...
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