My Favorite dive bar in the whole world, with the best bar food I've ever had. Clif tots and wings are always a must get. perfect environment to hang with your friends and grab a late night bite. Saverio is fantastic can't recommend him enough, me and my friend topher always look for him when were there. read more

Came here for food and went with the Verde Crunch panini. My goodness this food was amazing. And they serve the good fries here too! They have other panini options if you don't want the one that I got. Jas and Lil' Jas are bartending tonight so you know the service is going to be on point. The vibe was chill in here tonight especially at the time that I came in here. read more

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Very small town field friendly staff food is simple but very good. The ambience is typical local dive bar.

Well yeah. It's a dive bar. We all know that going in, right? But I went to throw darts, and for that it's perfect. Who doesn't like a good night at a dive bar with friends, beer and darts? read more

Clif Tavern - Dive Bars Near Me - Clifton, New Jersey

Not gonna lie this place caught be off guard from the our side it looks crappy when u walk in it another world. The bartender was great super attentive, and the food was on point and the Music was pretty good to this place was def a hidden gem read more

The blonde bartender is rude and only serves locals place is terrible. Not coming back

The food is absolutely phenomenal. Unassuming, great bar with great upscale pub food, friendly service and a great vibe. Owner Alex was friendly and engaging read more

Clean, neat friendly place. Pool table, plenty of seating, great place to grab a drink and a bite at reasonable prices. Plenty of televisions always a game on. Had a few drinks with a bunch of people, friendly waitress, delivered the bill. No mention from the server, they included predetermined tip, Would have left a larger tip in cash for our efficient server . I thought it would be more appropriate. If the server said here's your bill thank you, gratuities is included. If you're going to add the tip then don't leave an open space for additional gratuity and total. read more

Not sure why I never made it to give this place a rating so this is a long overdue review. A girlfriend and I came in one Saturday night back in March when we left our kids home with our husbands for a girls' night and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this place. We walked 15 minutes over from Made in Miami for a quieter vibe and this spot didn't disappoint. Considering it was mid March in New Jersey, we froze our butts off on the walk over but let me tell you... it was definitely worth it. Upon entering, I noticed how clean the place was and everyone was really friendly. There was a good amount of people out but it wasn't overly crowded and it was a great change of atmosphere for us. We sat at a table and got a couple of girly cocktails right away. After paying for our tab, we smelled something amazing coming from the kitchen and the food munchies kicked in so we sat back down and ordered some Buffalo wings which hit the spot. They were fresh, crisp and cooked to perfection. Definitely a great way to end the night. Highly recommend. read more

We ended up here after having an awful experience at Tommy's Tavern and Tap on Route 3 and it was exactly what we were looking for. The place is your typical old school dive bar and it was spotless. The bartender was super nice, welcoming, and took our orders as soon as we sat down. The place had a decent crowd when we first walked in - many even greeted us when we walked in - and it appeared to pick up for the Knick v Nets game. Unfortunately we didn't get to try the food but from what we saw everything looked perfectly cooked. We will definitely be back in the weeks to come. And make sure to get the espresso martini. Dangerously delicious! Thanks for a great evening. read more

Clif Tavern - a man at the bar - Dive Bars Near Me - Clifton, New Jersey

Skip was the best! A nice little hole in the wall that was cozy. Rip skip! Always greeted everyone and kept the peace. He had a simple rule, no cursing. It was d8fferent and I admire him for that m read more

I decided to give this place a go on St. Patrick's and the level of rudeness from the bartenders it's unbelievable. They both acted as if we should be thankful they were getting us drinks. These two bartenders are in the wrong business, what a shame. We had a beer and left- Obviously not coming back. I'm sorry, but if I'm an owner, I'm not letting some chip-on-their-shoulder bartender set this ego & arrogance kind of vibe at my establishment. The 1 star is for the bouncers both of them were great ! Found us a table, brought us chairs. Sad that 2 arrogant employees would kill a business this way. read more

Wonderful bartenders, fun atmosphere, nice decor (a bit upscale for a dive, but still fits the category), fantastic prices, and fantastic music playing. If you're a dive bar connoisseur like I am, you will want to come here and you will want to come back again. Great spot, highly recommended! Go and enjoy! read more

Clif Tavern - Dive Bars Near Me - Clifton, New Jersey

So this was my first time coming here and let me just say that the waiters for the shift that ends at 9 on Fridays, are miserable with life and are extremely rude and can care less on customer service. However, when the three waiters who were coming to replace them came on, (Dillan, Chris and Jasmine - because I asked) were ABSOLUTELY SOOOOOOOO GREAT. They were super attentive, very polite and although it was really busy night, they were happy to serve. I understand waiting on people can be a lot but a tip for the waiters before that were before the 9pm staff, go home if you don't want to deal with people or maybe just pick a different career. read more

Good sports bar to watch the games and matches. I've been here a few times and always feel pleased with the experience. Food recommended: I've had a little bit of everything here so far. Burgers are very good and always cooked to your liking. Wings are very good also. Love their Buffalo sauce and their blue cheese, which I prefer over ranch, is nice and chunky. I've also tried their bar pies and other appetizers such as, jalapeño poppers and onion rings which were all on point in terms of good bar food while watching the games. Their mixed drinks are good but I don't really recommend their tap beers as there have been many times their beer is flat. No good. Go with bottled beer. They also have a pool table in the bar, spacious areas, and the atmosphere and ambience is pretty chill. Parking in the rear, but also street parking is available. read more

I was undecided where I wanted to go today so I chose the Clif. Burger was good last time I there. Got there a little after 6 on Saturday. 3 other people at the bar. Barmaid said I just missed the rush. I said "I'm not in a rush." My mistake. Ordered a beer and a menu. Decided on the "House Burger" looked pretty good. Put the menu down and waited to order. Barmaid walked past, no acknowledgement. Walked past again, still nothing. Walked past a third time, picked up a rag and cleaner and went to clean all the tables. After five minutes I lost my appetite and then she asked if I was ready to order. I told her I was but I changed my mind. Went to Sharkeys. I forgot to mention that I was ready to order before the barmaid walked past me 3 times and completely ignored me while I tried to get her attention and place my order. read more

PROS: Keeping in mind this is a dive bar this was a very nice bar. They have darts, a pool table, great priced drinks, and their kitchen is open till 2am. The customers there are very friendly and the staff was very helpful. CONS: The parking is very limited there and would recommend carpooling OVERALL: Nice bar and would come here more often if you are in the area read more

Clif Tavern - Dive Bars Near Me - Clifton, New Jersey

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Has a dive bar feel, but very community friendly. Best prices by far. Their prices came with taxes included which is amazing. The wings were very comparable to sharkys wings in Clifton which is one of the best I ever had. Dylans fries were amazing so good. Jalapeño poppers we're really hot burnt my mouth first bite but really good too. Yelp gives you your first tap beer free for checking in. Our server Alex was very helpful and always checking in with us. It was like two bartenders for the whole bar but they were very on top of it. I highly recommend this place and would definitely go again. Plenty of TVs for multiple games for sports. Has a dart board and pool table and juke box. Music was very loud but good music. read more

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Best patty melt in NJ. Classic friendly neighborhood dive with a rich pool culture, great tunes during happy hour and that one bartender with suchhhhh a cool truck. read more

The burgers are unbelievably good, the bartenders are top notch, the vibe is excellent, what more could you want?

Went here for drinks and some apps. Hadn't been here in many years. The place is similar but totally redone inside. The staff is great. The food was very very good for a "dive bar" would never know where I was based on that. Great spot! Alex was a great host read more

Overall **** 3.92 Weighted Stars. Don't judge a book by its cover might be the best way to describe The Clif. Based on the outside and the parking lot I would have turned right around but all the positive Yelp reviews made me go inside. You may never bring a first date or your in laws here but for a casual drink and meal with friends it definitely fits the bill with its casual, friendly service, good food and reasonable pricing. (5/6/21) Setting ** I'm going to split this in two sections. Outside = 1 Star. The building is run down, has graffiti on it and the parking lot is very, very small. Some of those things are out of the owners control but what isn't is how disgustingly filthy it is. There is all sorts of garbage in the parking lot and I counted five buckets by the entrance which were full of water and cigarette butts. It takes very little effort to clean the area up regularly. Inside = 3 Stars. It you can avoid the parking lot entrance there is another in the front which is more presentable. Inside it is very dark with a low ceiling and a true dive bar feel. There is a wall facing bar, about 6 high tops, 8-10 tables and a pool table. Wood paneling is on the walls, some stained some not and a number of tv's mounted around the bar. Inside is generally clean with the men's room particularly spotless and looks like it was recently remodeled. Both times I was there the crowd seemed mostly guys hanging out, quietly drinking beers. Service **** Friendly, casual and knowledgeable. Food **** The menu is mostly typical bar food but there does seem to be a level of pride in the product they are putting out. The Pizza is super crispy, the crust very flavorful and overall excellent. They are apparently known for their Pierogis and they certainly didn't disappoint. Creamy inside and crisped up in a pan on the outside. My son loved the Chicken Tenders but was not a fan of the Hot Dog. We are big Hot Dog people, particularly deep fried like they do here but the dog tasted of low quality and was barely fried instead of the "ripper" style expected. Value **** They do this odd thing where the listed menu prices includes sales tax but then on the bill there is sales tax added on. I didn't double check to see if on the bill they break the tax back out of the menu price and then add it back or I was just charged tax twice. I assume the prior but it seems like an unnecessary step. The other oddity is that when they bring you the bill they ask you to fill it in with the tip before they run your card. This one I like because when they return with the check it has been run with the tip included so you know what they actually charged the card. After all that let's get to what matters the most, Personal Pizza around $10, most appetizers are sub $10 but the real bonus is top shelf G&T $5.63! read more

Clif Tavern - Pretty much the whole place :-) - Dive Bars Near Me - Clifton, New Jersey

The place is decent, the wings are good, bouncer are professionals. But the bartenders truly ruined our experience. Arrogant and unfriendly staff behind the bar will make any customer not want to come back nor support a business where employees treat customers so poorly. As good as the wings were.... I passed read more

Love this spot. Shot o clock and the chill vibe there are what make this place. A small spot, variety of people, great drinks. Service is always great. Food could be a bit better but not usually there for the food anyway. read more

I read a story on Humans of New York months ago and that's when I first heard of this place. I recently moved to jersey and found out it was 15 minutes away from me. Due to covid, I wasn't really dining out and completely forgot about this place. Fast forward to 6 months later, I went to a place around the corner from Clif's but the wait was crazy long. My boyfriend found Clif's Tavern on Yelp and we decided to come right as they were opening. We chose a spot in the corner of the bar and was greeted by a pleasant hostess. As soon as we sat down my boyfriend looked at the wall of pictures behind us and said this place seems familiar. Instantly, it clicked. This was the bar that I read about 6 months prior. It was such a coincidence that we accidentally ended up here but I'm so glad it happened that way. The place feels so homey and welcoming and the food and drinks were great!! Although I didn't know the previous owner Skip, I definitely felt his presence in the bar. I'm happy to say I've found my new local bar and will recommend this place to everyone!! I can't wait to go back. Everyone was awesome and I hope the best for this business during these trying times. Peace and love #supportlocalbusinesses read more

Clif Tavern - Buffalo lemon pepper wings and Dylan's fries - Dive Bars Near Me - Clifton, New Jersey

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I must say when I walked towards the bar I was a bit skeptical of how this bar would be because the outside was not appealing at all. But you can't judge a book by its cover because the inside of the bar was actually very cute. The Christmas decor gave it a nice cozy feeling and the Christmas special drinks were very good. The bartender was friendly and the food was good. There are several TVs around the bar, would be better if the TVs were bigger, but overall I liked the bar and will definitely come back here. read more

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I love this place! Being from Tampa, I always come in here when I visit family and the vibe is always great. Good music, the staff is cool, and the wings are fire! read more

I received terrifying news 4 months ago and the only thing I've ever looked forward in life was the pizza pierogi here every week for last couple of weeks. I would die and be reborn everyday for the next decades, I love this place and all it offers. Thank you for everything Peace and love read more

*This* bar is everything that a dive bar should be. Yesterday I went to The Clif for the first time in probably 4 years and I have to say that the new owners have done such a great job making little improvements to the place while still keeping the same atmosphere/vibe that Skip created. My fiancé and I used to love going here for the pierogis and Skip was always so welcoming and would tell us stories about his life. It was great to go back for some drinks and bar food! We split the pierogis, Dylan fries and Buffalo chicken pizza. The pizza was awesome-- super crispy and good flavors. The portion of fries was huge and loaded with toppings. And the pierogis were great too. The beer selection was solid and they had plenty of drink specials. I can't wait for things to get better (in regards to covid) so that the pool table and dart board can be used again! read more

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Food is excellent The employees were polite and very competent. Looking forward to returning@ read more

The Clif is everything that a neighborhood bar should be, or should aspire to be if they're not already. There's history. There's local regulars. There's ties to the area. The food is sneaky good - don't sleep on the pretzels with pimento cheese, and the burger might be the best in Clifton. And of course an iconic neon sign beckoning from around the bend as you crest the top of the hill on Clifton Avenue. But most of all, there's the most challenging task: The Clif has restored everything that Skip loved about this place, elevated everything in a way that would have surely made him proud, and yet still has that perfect dive bar vibe that greets you with jukebox music and a vibrant crowd of guests all happy to be there. You will be too. Peace & Love! read more

Great atmosphere - wide range of customers, all different kinds of music playing . Honestly feels like a Cheers type of place when it's slow or busy. The food is basic bar food but it's all really tasty. You can tell that the cook takes pride in the presentation and the quality. They do this thing where the sales tax is included in the total price, which honestly makes things easier. The prices are decent. Comparable to other bars in Clifton, The Clif is probably the cheapest overall. Most of the bartenders are really good with buying back drinks. Just a super cute local neighborhood tavern. I'm becoming a regular because it's hard to stay away from this place! read more

Clif Tavern - Caramel apple martini - Dive Bars Near Me - Clifton, New Jersey

It's a nice clean place but the help is very unfriendly if not rude. They seem to think they're above the place. Last month I was here twice. Both times the bartenders caused issues. The first time the bartender got nasty to my friend. The second time it was me. Just weird. If I was only a jerk on a message board you could ignore me but this doesn't happen at other places. We're friendly respectful people who tip well. It's odd. In a positive note the disco fries were excellent. read more

Clif Tavern - Dive Bars Near Me - Clifton, New Jersey

Super friendly! Staff are amazing and always making great margaritas hehe always have one every flavor. Spoke to the manager and he is extremely nice and chill just like anyone who works there. Great great place just to hangout. Just turned 21 and I'm so glad I decided to walk in because I always feel so welcomed! Already know some of the staff's names! Can't wait to see them again! read more

My brother and I went bar hopping to see which business could happily take our money. Let me tell you; we ended up at The Cliff by accident, however, the staff took great care of us the minute we settled in. We had a quick drink while waiting on a reservation somewhere else. Before we knew it, The cliff became our new bar home. Drinks were just right, food was great. ----------------- Thank you, Jaquis read more

I'm giving it 5 stars because the owner Skips is the best he always greets and makes the bar light up with his stories and is always there for anyone even tho he hates cooking the food lol but who'd want to be in the back cooking In the heat I love you skips I hope you're greeting and lighting up the bar in heaven now...I really hope nothing bad happens to your bar it's the only one I look forward to $8 dollar pitchers and $4 dollar shots it's the best and cheapest bar around. R.i.p skips ): read more

Love this place, great vibes and great drinks. I love Dylan, she's the best!!!!!!!!!!

Chris is was best server/ bartender Super attentive! Great service great crowd great music!

The best wings and disco fries New Jersey has to offer. Want good vibes this is the place to go and enjoy!!! Drinks are really good and the prices are amazing. Want to play pool or darts then this is your spot. The staff is amazing and always friendly I love them all!!!! It's all about peace and love when you walk into The Clif. Enjoy you won't be disappointed read more

One of the best "local" bars in New Jersey. The food is great with a friendly staff. Tony and Alex are amazing people who truly provide a perfect experience. I highly recommend this place regardless of what day of the week it is. The legacy of this place is in good hands! read more