HOBOKEN — After 44 years, S. Sullivan’s Bar & Grill at Sixth and Washington streets — sometimes known as “Stinky Sullivan’s” — has closed for good.
A neighborhood staple passed down through two generations of the Palermo family, the bar is the latest casualty of changing demographics in the mile-square city. The bar’s well-regarded kitchen stopped serving a month ago, and though a handful of regulars remained on Monday afternoon, owner George Palermo said the building has already been sold.
“The town has changed, and I didn’t change with it,” said Palermo. Despite strong reviews for Sullivan’s diverse menu on Yelp, Palermo said his restaurant was unable to find traction among the younger crowd. Palermo thanked the thousands of customers that came through his doors since 1970.
Sullivan’s’ closing comes less than a week after Helmers’ Restaurant, another veteran Washington Street standby, shut down after 78 years. As with Helmers’ longstanding proprietors, the Lueders family, Palermo said he has found himself behind the times as Hoboken becomes family-oriented and affluent.
For more on the last days of S. Sullivan’s, read The Hoboken Reporter this coming Sunday.
Veteran Hoboken bar Sullivan’s closes after four decades
