On the day we visited this Bayonne institution, they were ripping up the street out front. It was dusty and noisy outside, but once inside, all was cool and right with the world. Ralph Pasqua has owned this ever-popular watering hole since 1981.
It’s noted for the three Bs: booze, burgers, and the Blues. Pasqua, who graduated from Bayonne High School and lives in town, encourages local bands to come for Friday-night gigs.
Though major athletic events can be seen on the televisions over the bar, Pasqua says, “We’re not trying to be a sports bar. I’d rather do music.” A huge guitar that takes up almost one wall says it all. When bands come to play, Pasqua makes sure that there is lots of music memorabilia on the walls.
“It’s a place to play and test to see who likes what,” he says. R&B’z draws customers from a 10-to-15-block radius, Pasqua says. The reason? No one’s tempted to drink and drive. “Bayonne is not a drive-through; it’s a destination,” he says.
And for an establishment with such a robust bar scene, the food is definitely something to write home about. The burgers (sometimes stuffed) are legendary, not to mention the mussels and thin-crust pizza.
Pasqua likes to emphasize that it is a “no-nonsense” bar, where everyone can feel comfortable. Since the bar is open from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. he has about 10 bartenders.
Open a door in the back, and you’ll find yourself in an entirely different milieu, with a decidedly un-bar-like ambience. This is R&B’z catering hall. It’s a spacious room with tables all set and ready to go, a long table of chafing dishes, and paintings on the wall.
Catering menus include American and Italian food, kielbasa and sauerkraut, roast beef, and baked ziti.
The hall hosts showers, anniversaries, christenings, birthdays, and small weddings. Don’t worry if you have a small group. “It’s not always about catering 50 people,” Pasqua says. “A small repast of 25 is fine. We do community and business meetings. We did a Chamber meeting.”
The paintings on the wall mostly depict Bayonne scenes, though there is one picture of the Duke because Pasqua’s father was a fan.
Pasqua embodies the character and tone of his establishment: laid back and welcoming. He sits at a table, wearing a T-shirt that reads “French Quarter Voodoo.”
He used to own Lucky’s Hardware before buying the bar. “It was a lot of nuts and bolts,” he jokes. Recently married, he plays the guitar to relax, and moonlights for Bayonne Community Bank.
“We’re a five-star corner bar,” Pasqua says. “People who come, come back.”—Kate Rounds
R&B’z
234 Broadway
(201) 858-9641
Photos by Victor M. Rodriguez