Bello’s Pub & Grill

I was so excited to visit this place. I took the train up from DC this afternoon. I didn’t have a chance to eat breakfast and I didn’t want train station food, so I searched the restaurants that were walkable from Newark Penn Station. After looking at the Bello’s menu, I knew *exactly* what I wanted. Once I exited the train station, I couldn’t get my bearings — first time in NJ– so I called and someone answered and told me how to get there. Too bad that hospitality didn’t extend beyond the phone call to the point at which I became a real live customer. I walked in and looked around to be sure that there wasn’t an area separate from what looked like the bar. When I saw there was nowhere else to go, I pulled out a chair and was about to sit by the door. I noticed I had not been acknowledged by the two women standing behind the bar (at the end opposite the door) so I figured I would need to walk over to the bar and order before getting comfortable. I walked over to the bar and the two women continued to stand at the opposite end talking to eachother. One of them must’ve been a comedian because the other seemed pretty f*ing entertained, too entertained to bother acknowledging that a patron had entered the establishment. One of the guys sitting near the bar looked at me then looked back at the two women at the bar — surely attempting to see why I had not only not been serviced, but not even acknowledged. When he looked back at me, I shook my head and walked out the door. In a taxi at this moment. Maybe the driver can recommend a place with servers that know what their job is.

Great food. Recommend all burgers and wraps. They use actual cheese for the nachos instead of cheap cheese wiz. Big portions for a reasonable price too.

Best bar/​restaurant in Newark! Super friendly staff and atmosphere. I recommend the flank steak.

Bello’s is my home away from home. I have been working in the area (travel here weekly) since 2011 and eat out every night. Bello’s offers a great variety of choices (burgers, wraps, salads, pasta, daily specials, etc.) — and you can’t go wrong with any of them! They have a fabulous beer menu as well. The atmosphere is cozy and the service is welcoming.

I’ve started visiting Bello’s only five months ago and today I can say, it’s sort of a home away from home. The entire staff is super friendly. I enjoy that most of them know me by name now. Their beer selections are vast and they’re always equipped with a lone seasonal beers as well. If you want a perfect margarita, look no further than Tina and Veronica (but like I said, the rest of the staff is amazing)! The food here is so good, I can’t believe that it was made in a bar! Personal favorite plates: the penne a la vodka with garlic bread and the pesto grilled chicken sandwich.

Went there on a friday during happy hour and they were busy. It was my first time there and Im not sure if they were short staffed for day or always but wasnt easiest to order drink/​food. When you did get order in, it came out in good time.
GREAT selection of beers and food was good as well (margherita bar pie could use a little work)
Would go back…

Decent little after work pub located right next to Penn Station in the Ironbound. We regularly pop over there after work for a quick drink and sometimes dinner.
They have great burgers and wings. The drinks are nicely priced and lots to choose from. They have an «around the world» game where you can get you name on the board or on a chair.
There’s also an upstairs area for overflow and a pool table. I’ve only been upstairs once for a work after-​party. Groups definitely should go upstairs where there’s extra room. Downstairs is really tiny.

Great atmosphere. Mixed crowd depending on when you show up. Some of the best bar food I’ve ever had. The cuisine is straight forward and to the point with large portions in most cases. If you order the nachos bring the offensive line of your local football team. Great specials that you wouldn’t expect such as shark steak, and others that you would in a bar setting like the brisket sandwich.
Join the century club and taste beers from all over the world. Bartenders are knowledgable and the owner is one of a kind (great guy). I strongly recommend the hot wings, or one of the many wraps they offer. Great for lunch or dinner. Kitchen isn’t open too late so I’d advise no later than 930– 10 if you want to grub. But the drinks flow well into the night.
Many folks are apprehensive about its location. Grow a pair and enjoy yourselves. Routinely patrolled by newarks finest, and is filled with fans from the prudential and red bull arena on respective game days.

Great local spot steps from Newark Penn Station. Safe, clean area. Good mix of locals, commuters & local business people. 2^nd time here and both times great. Good bugers, wings, soups. Good selection of beers and drinks. Recommend checking this spot out any day of week.

Hi. Chick that was bartending today. FYi. You saved someone’s life with that orange juice. If you didn’t notice the ambulance lights. Didn’t get to tip you properly, but know you did something good…

FELT DISCRIMINATED… After a long night work I picked my fiancé up to have a bite and spend a little QT before I take it down. She suggested this place because we had a good experience there over the weekend before we went to the city. She called when we pulled up and the person who answered said they open at 10:30 which coincides with Unilocal and google maps. We wait 10 mins for 10:35, the outside lights turn on, we go in and werent really greeted with a friendly welcome. My fiancé asked for quarters for parking meter, meanwhile I go to restroom. On way to restroom me and the cook lock eyes in an awkward manner and as I go in I now hear the cook and staff chattering about times. I come out get quarters for meter go outside, pay meter, come back in only to hear them say kitchen doesnt open until 11:30 and they cant legally serve alcohol till 11:00. I know everywhere else is 9:30 but thats beside the point. I truley fell like they werent ready to start working yet and basically wanted to shoe us away as to say we weren’t worth them having to basically start working as soon as they arrived. Is it 10:30…11:00…11:30?

This place is clearly unorganized! I called at 10:20 to see if they are going to be open at 10:30 because on Unilocal that’s what time it says that they’re open and I was told by the bartender when I arrived that they can’t serve alcohol till 11 and the kitchen doesn’t open till 11:30! This is after I called to double check and got change for the meter outside. She even saw me hang up my coat. I think that by her demeanor she didn’t feel like serving us… It came off pretty racist. On the phone you’re open and in person you’re closed. The cook was even debating out loud that the kitchen opens at 11. Which one is it?! Never coming back here again.

I’ve been commuting through Penn Station for quite some time now and didn’t realize this place existed until about two months ago. Normally when I think of the area directly around the train station, all I can picture are all the homeless people that tend to congregate near the train station entrance.
However, Bello’s is just far enough away from the train station that you don’t need to deal with the bums and enjoy your beer out on their patio if you like.
The beer selection they have on hand here is downright massive. I’m told it’s nearly 200 beers they have to choose from, mostly in bottles. They do have a club that you can take part in where if you try a certain number of unique ones, you get your named up on the wall. I’m currently about a 3^rd of the way to the first milestone in that.
The food menu is a little heavy on the sandwiches, but they do have some great daily specials to keep things interesting, including a homemade linguini with pesto sauce dish that I normally order with chicken. And yes, the pasta is actually homemade which is the first time I’ve seen that level of effort in a restaurant like this.
While I’m told that the pub is no longer owned by the Bello family, I have seen the owner working in the kitchen and chatting with customers on more than one occasion, which I really like. Currently, this place is a once every other week restaurant for me. Hopefully I will be called a regular soon!

My must-​stop location, when travelling to or through Newark. Whether going to Red Bull Arena or the Prudential Center, I want to stop at Bello’s for a variety of beers and great food first. I’ve even gotten off the train en route to NYC, to eat at Bello’s, before continuing on to NY Penn!
I love the fried shrimp & the margherita pizza. I’ve sampled the fish tacos, wings & nachos that others have ordered. It’s all good!

I recently began working in the Ironbound neighborhood of Newark and Bello’s Public has definitely welcomed me with open arms. Excellent food, great selection of craft beers, and a very friendly staff all contribute to this very warm and cozy bar. Five stars, no doubt.

Food is bomb !! Drinks are great. Right across from pen station. Not a lot of parking but, there is pay per par lot directly across the street. There are two floors with pool tables upstairs. Cute little pub !

I heard great things about Bello’s but I wasn’t very impressed.
Came here for lunch with a friend. All in all the food was decent. The only thing I’d rave about was the potato soup which was pretty amazing. The beer was meh … kind of skunky taps for the two we had (noticeably soured).
The staff was a mixed bag. One of the waitresses /​bartenders was really pleasant and helpful. The other two were stand offish and not particularly welcoming.
The single use rest room didn’t have a lock on it … pretty sure that’s not legal (and very annoying when trying to do anything that requires taking down your pants).
Their wi-​fi is strange, allowing only four devices to connect to it at a time (which is pretty much soaked up by the staff). Kind of strange for a place that caters to the office crowd.
All in all I felt that Bello’s is a place that shoves TV’s, beer and munchies at their patrons and relies mostly on its location to serve the masses.
Finally the prices (even for downtown Newark) are exorbitant. Undeservedly so.

I am a huge fan of Bellos pub. The food is always fresh and good. It’s a great bar for food and drinks pre or post game, Redbulls, Devils or event in Newark.
We alway love the game day atmosphere for RedBulls games. It can be a little loud and lively but I think it is great before a game!
I highly recommend my 2 favorite menu items. The Chicken Nachos (you will need friends to help with the heaping plate of cheesy goodness) and the Bellos wrap.
The Century Club is a fun way to try lots of beers and then get your name on the wall!
Go you won’t be disappointed!

Decent beer selection. Wings were good but not great. Not crispy enough for me.
Came here on a Saturday night. The crowd was kind of weird, they seemed like regulars & sports fans. A few were yelling… The bartender was attentive and made sure to come out and check on us.
OK place to grab a beer or two.

Great place to come before a Red Bulls match, or in general to hang out.
Amazing selection of craft beers, and you should definitely start a list. Ask the bartender and you’ll see why!

Great bar far enough away from Prudential Center it is not packed and impossible to get into before a Devils game. The food is really good and they have a great beer selection for the craft snob inside all of us. I got a buffalo chicken wrap, the chicken was cooked perfectly and the fries are crispy, crunchy, and seasoned with the perfect amount of salt. The wings and nachos are also a great way to start off a meal.

Things I like about this place: it’s surprisingly clean for its proximity to Newark Penn Station. The bartenders are competent and the prices are fair. They have a plethora of TVs. They have a juke box. They have a variety of draft and bottle beers. Their food is pretty good
Things I don’t like about this places: it tends to get over crowded really fast. During football season giants fans will drink here, when the Giants lose (which is more often then not) they get unhappy. The men’s room has a toilet and a urinal and no lock. If you need to poop and have a penis you risk the chance of someone walking in on you while crowning.

For a certain type of experience it gets a 5. Only been late weekend after 12ish.
The atmosphere is very divey but brightly lit, with a jukebox in the corner playing very random music throughout the night. We definitely threw in a few dollars and picked some of our own. It’s a small space, but it wasn’t cramped.
What really sets them apart is the extremely kind bartender, who was all smiles and positivity. He even brought over complimentary shots at one point. As a man, I can’t remember the last time someone got me a complimentary shot.
Big time bonus points for the beer list, which is surprisingly extensive for a divey joint. Very unexpected but welcome.
If you’re looking for a chill time, I would highly recommend coming here.

Food is always good here. Great beer selections and great Sangria.
Bartenders are always friendly, very welcoming.
They have new a menu with a few new items on it. Some items have just been renamed but still good.
One of the new items is a Veggie Slider which I can’t wait to try. Will test it soon and get back to you. ;-)

Beer! Burgers! Potato soup!
This place is a really awesome place for lunch. Its fairly in expensive and its got an awesome beer list. The manager/​owner is a really cool guy to take shop to as well.
My self and 3 coworker swung by here for lunch and got burgers and one of us got a buffalo chicken sandwich. All the burgers were cooked to order (and cooked correctly. Sweet potato fries were awesome as well as the regular hand cut fries.
Also if your a fan of baked potato soup you’re in luck. The potato soup is awesome!
Good stop for lunch or even before an event or game at prudential.
Its a nice change of pace for the area as well.

Lengthy beer list located near Newark Penn and the Prudential Center.
Was in the area for work and our server at Dinosaur BBQ suggested this place when we asked for a bar recommendation close by, as they were closing and the group was up for «just one more». Absent that recommendation, I am not sure we would have ended up here.
It’s a casual spot inside, borderline dive bar. Service was fine, there was hardly anyone in the place and the bartender was friendly enough to us. While the beer list isn’t skewed towards craft brewers, which has definitely become the trend, there was plenty to choose from. I hardly turn down a chance to get a Schneider Aventinus, so my choice was pretty easy. If you like British and German beers you should be a relatively happy camper. Additionally, menu has a fair amount of IPAs.

I feel jipped that I didn’t get the 5 star experience so many other Unilocalers happened to have here. I came here last night and headed to the second floor bar/​dining area. Me and the girlfriend took a seat at the bar where there were only four other people seating (who were all together). The service we got our entire time here was one of the worst I’ve ever gotton. It was like our bartender was about as slow and inattentive as you could get. For a place that’s known for beer I was surpised that their tap selection was extremely limited and what they had was all big name beers and nothing craft brewery related. I did count 136 beers on their beer list which is pretty awesome but most of them were pretty common options. Prices weren’t mentioned anywhere for the beers (tap or bottle). Beers start at $ 4 for a Miller Light and a Sam Adams was $ 5.50. The food prices were also very average. She got their Cowboy Burger and I got a BBQ Steak wrap. Her fries weren’t very hot and were soggy, the burger overcooked. My wrap had little flavor, a lot of lettuce, and no BBQ flavor. I swapped my fries for sweet potato fries which were tasty and crispy but also extremely oily.
It was pretty annoying to be around a bunch of people yelling at the baseball game on the few TVs upstairs but that’s not the bar’s fault. One thing I did find somewhat offensive was the sign at the bar that said «Sexual Harrasment in this area won’t be reported but graded».
The plus side is that the place is spacious, very clean, and they do have a pool table on the second floor. They’re also right next to Newark Penn Station so it’s very easily to get to and a better spot to drink and eat before heading over the the Prudential Center.