Saed Hindash | For NJ.com

By Bobby Olivier | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

If you’re heading out for a night on the town in Asbury Park, prepare to argue with your friends, at least for a little while, about where the heck to go within the Jersey Shore’s hottest nightlife scene.

Downtown on Cookman Avenue and up on the bustling boardwalk, there are dozens of bars, big and small, crowded and empty, terrible and terrific. And nobody wants to endure an annoying, lackluster night out that ends with you blaming your friend for a bad choice when you could’ve gone somewhere awesome.

How about this: Take some advice from a local — me — and check out this updated Asbury Park bar ranking for 2018, with more than 40 watering holes judged on drink quality, service, ambiance, crowd and food availability. After a whole lot of visits, I'm happy to report there's not only a new worst bar in Asbury Park but a new No. 1! Forget about last year's list!

Take a look, see what I thought of your go-to A.P. bar (the list begins at 44 because three bars are two-for-one establishments) and let us know in the comments which is your favorite. And of course, please drink responsibly.

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44. Robinson Ale House

1200 Ocean Ave.

Who drinks here: People who don't know any better.

The bottom line: Someplace had to be last, and this year the dubious honor goes to Robinson Ale House on the north end of the boardwalk, which just can't seem to manage how uber-popular its surrounding area has become. The burgers are tasty and there's a decent beer list, but the service has been brutal on multiple occasions. Wrong drinks, wrong food, orders taking forever, a staff that seems endlessly overwhelmed. No bar in Asbury Park has frustrated me more this summer.

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43. Kim Marie's Eat N Drink Away

1411 Kingsley St.

Who drinks here: A small crew of regulars plus tourists who didn't make reservations elsewhere.

The bottom line: At long last, Kim Marie's is no longer the worst bar in Asbury Park. The place closed briefly this spring to bring in folks from the Point Pleasant Beach restaurant Prime 13 to revamp its menu and train the staff, and the extra hands seem to have paid off. The bartenders are more attentive, the always-robust beer list continues to satisfy, and the menu does better to match the sort of rustic Irish castle vibe going on inside. Dog-friendly outside, too. Just watch out for the fruit flies hanging around the limes.

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42. Cascada

1114 Main St.

Who drinks here: Hispanic party people.

The bottom line: If you wish to dance to Latin music, go to Cascada. If wish to visit a bar for pretty much any other reason, go somewhere else.

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41. Capitoline

639 Cookman Ave.

Who drinks here: Weekend partiers en route to another bar.

The bottom line: An OK bar plopped within an unimpressive industrial dining room, where the pizza and meatballs are good for soaking up booze and little else. Staff is friendly, beer is reasonably cheap. TVs to watch the game if you don't wish to deal with Ale House down the street.

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Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media

40. Bond Street's Basement Bar

639 Cookman Ave.

Who drinks here: All the cool kids from your high school, and dudes probably named Chad.

The bottom line: Who knew that if you put ping-pong and foosball tables in a basement that you'd attract all the bros within a 20-mile radius? Bond Street Bar opened its "Complex" of bars and restaurants (including Basement Bar) in 2016, and while there's certainly an exciting party atmosphere down underground on Friday and Saturday nights, it's crazy loud, and if you manage to escape the packed room without a drink spilled on you, you win a prize (not really).

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39. Moonstruck

517 Lake Ave.

Who drinks here: Baby boomers with money to blow.

The bottom line: A stuffy place with fine, expensive dishes and small bars upstairs and down. Mostly reserved for families and the occasional out-of-towner trying to impress his date.

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38. AP Chophouse

1401 Ocean Ave.

Who drinks here: Hotel guests and curious passersby.

The bottom line: The historic Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel's steakhouse and bar are the new kids in Asbury Park, just opened this summer, diagonal from Convention Hall. The bar itself is in a separate, adjacent room from the indoor-outdoor restaurant, though the full menu plus bar plates are available inside the spacious, modern lounge. The bar, which also serves hotel pool patrons, features a basic beer list and the usual cocktails, nothing too fancy. But the great thing about this bar is that from the exterior, there is no sign saying "bar" with the restaurant. With that, few folks have discovered the place. If you need to watch baseball playoffs in peace this fall with a bar pie or filet to eat, this isn't a bad choice.

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37. Asbury Ale House

531 Cookman Ave.

Who drinks here: Sports fans and all their bros.

The bottom line: The sprawling Asbury Ale House sports bar downtown, with its handful of bars and dozens of TVs, remains a superior place to watch every football game at once or hoot and holler during any sport's playoff mania. But if you're not going for sports, don't go. The food quality has fallen off considerably since it opened in 2015, and while the beer list is still immense, you can get most of the brews elsewhere in A.P. and not have to deal with the douchey dudes stomping around the place.

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31. Dark City Brewing Co.

801 Second Ave.

Who drinks here: Brewery worshippers.

The bottom line: A spacious tap room welcomes beer snobs from all over to come in, try some flights of beer and watch some baseball on the TV. No eats inside but a food truck is often parked outside. Not a bad place if heavy beers or yoga inside a bar are your thing.

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30. The Anchor's Bend

1300 Ocean Ave.

Who drinks here: All types, plus people who like to be on the beach while they booze.

The bottom line: In the cooler months, The Anchor's Bend is a fine nautically themed tavern adjacent to Convention Hall peddling a handful of beers and some decent bar fare. But now's the time to go, when the outdoor bar is open, which is a few steps down onto the actual sand. Lounge chairs and live music out there, too.

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David Gard | For NJ Advance Media

29. Asbury Lanes

209 Fourth Ave.

Who drinks here: People who aren't still complaining about "the old Asbury Lanes."

The bottom line: After two years of renovations, Asbury Lanes is open once more as a bar, bowling alley and music venue with a list of nationally touring acts coming through and a whole list of people lamenting how the glossy new place will never compare to the old punky dive it once was. Fact is, it's a good-looking new space with two bars and a fine local beer list to enjoy while you bowl — as long as no bands are on. And hey, you can drink inside the new adjoining diner, too.

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Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media

28. Watermark

800 Ocean Ave.

Who drinks here: Rich tourists and people who want to watch Stone Pony concerts for free.

The bottom line: Watermark, a somewhat sophisticated upstairs bar overlooking the south end of the boardwalk, has a huge cocktail, beer and wine list and draws mainly out-of-towners during the warmer months, especially on show nights at the Stone Pony Summer Stage, where from the Watermark balcony you can mostly see and hear the show without a ticket. Though the bar is known to charge a cover for such reasons.

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27. Reyla

Who drinks here: Local foodies who are down for dolmas.

The bottom line: Last year, the devilishly good Mediterranean restaurant Reyla replaced Cibo E Vino on Mattison Avenue, and all those Greek and Turkish flavors made their way to the spot's long bar, too. My go-to is the Tea Time cocktail, with Turkish tea-infused whiskey, Dubonnet and Dolin dry. It's a sort of impersonal locale — reminds me too much of an airport lounge — but the staff is always attentive and helpful for those less indoctrinated to the style of cuisine.

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26. Plaza Tapatia

707 Main St.

Who drinks here: Locals who know good Mexican food.

The bottom line: There's a small bar at the back of this authentic and addictive Mexican joint on Main Street slinging killer margaritas (half-off on Mondays) and sangria (half-off on Tuesdays) with a friendly staff and soccer playing on the TVs. Add some chorizo nachos or guacamole and you'll be asking, "What's Spanish for 'heaven'"?

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25. Cubacan + Rum, Tequila and Ceviche Bar

800 Ocean Ave.

Who drinks here: Tourists with good taste and a hankering for empanadas.

The bottom line: Killer margaritas and rum cocktails on the boardwalk, inside a well-decorated restaurant with a list of bulletproof items on the menu. Though be warned, on any warm day or night, the bar is swarmed with tourists buying the expensive drinks. If you want to drink at Cubacan, you may have to wait a while.

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Michael Persico

24. Modine

601 Mattison Ave.

Who drinks here: Whiskey seekers and chicken junkies.

The bottom line: We've adequately raved about the new Southern restaurant Modine and its addictive "smoked fried chicken" before, but if you're coming just for the bar, go midweek for Whiskey Wednesdays, where all whiskey-based cocktails — and the whiskeys themselves — are half-price after 7 p.m. That's a steal considering Modine's commitment to a robust selection of ryes and bourbons and some excellent cocktails: the Minor Threat (their take on an old fashioned) is almost too good.

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23. Brando's Citi Cucina

162 Main St.

Who drinks here: Well-off Italian families.

The bottom line: Brando's is the best restaurant in Asbury Park, and its classic Italian bar and patio are sophisticated spots for a negroni or boulevardier. But it ain't cheap. Come for the happy hour instead (4 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday to Friday), with far more reasonable drink prices and appetizer specials. Or come any time for the expansive wine list, available by the glass or bottle.

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Bobby Olivier | For NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

22. Porta

911 Kingsley St.

Who drinks here: Locals and well-dressed moms during the day, raging club kids at night.

The bottom line: Your experience at the industrial-chic pizza restaurant and bar Porta is entirely predicated on when you visit. If you go at dinnertime and can get a spot at the wrap-around bar or at a picnic table outside, the place makes some fine cocktails. But around 10 p.m., the place turns into the hottest dance club in the city, with lines sometimes down the block to get into the adjacent bass-pounding club room. If you'd like to see a couple of drunk 20-somethings in collared shirts fighting, hang outside around last call.

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Aristide Economopoulos | For NJ Advance Media

21. Paradise

101 Asbury Ave.

Who drinks here: The LGBT community, plus anyone who just needs to dance out their feelings.

The bottom line: The most popular gay club at the Jersey Shore, Paradise is a destination for partiers of all orientations, as the DJs spin, the bars serve beer, shots and basic cocktails, and patrons enjoy the electric atmosphere inside this large party-palooza. And there's a load of special events, from drag shows to weekly "Bitchy Bingo" (8:30 p.m. Tuesdays) and tea dances (5 p.m. Sundays).

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20. Georgies Bar

810 5th Ave

Who drinks here: The local LGBT community, or anyone who wants a cheap drink.

The bottom line: While Georgies, the enduring, wood-paneled and cash-only dive on Fifth Avenue, is known as the city's neighborhood gay bar — with "Tempted Tuesdays" and "go-go boys" peppering its monthly calendar — it really is a spot for all, with welcoming staff and patrons, TVs to watch the game and a pool table. More importantly, Georgies, open since 1999, is one of the last places in Asbury Park that still touts real dive bar prices. If you need a cheap, cold beer and maybe a laugh, go to Georgies.

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19. Asbury Park Brewery

810 Sewall Ave.

Who drinks here: Local beer-lovers and indie-rock diehards.

The bottom line: For my money, APB is the better of the two Asbury Park brewing giants, with a selection of locally concocted suds that spans the spectrum from blonde to stout. It's a tough place to find, located at the end of a dead-end road off Main Street near the railroad tracks, but once you're inside, it's a cool, low-lit drinking room with board games and an increasingly strong live music schedule. Nationally touring acts Microwave, Can't Swim and Snail Mail have all played the brewery recently.

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18. Jimmy's

1405 Asbury Ave.

Who drinks here: The folks who were coming to Asbury Park long before the big comeback.

The bottom line: Jimmy's on Asbury Avenue predates basically every other locale on this list, opening in 1982 (the revitalization downtown would begin a cool 25 years later), and as you enter the homey bar area now, it still feels like the old generation: dark woods, Sinatra on the radio and devout locals sitting at the rail, sipping wine, watching the Yankees and chowing down on Italian food and a complimentary charcuterie tray that gets passed around. Monday is a huge night here, with the bar reserved and families filing into the dining room.

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17. Asbury Oyster Bar

1300 Ocean Ave.

Who drinks here: People who can't get enough of their shucking seafood.

The bottom line: Don't let the name steer you away: There is more than shucking going on at Asbury Oyster Bar, located inside the Grand Arcade adjacent to Convention Hall. There are some provocative cocktails for sure — you down to try a squid ink martini? — with old standards, local Kane (Ocean Twp.) beer on draft and some tasty bites, from raw bar and calamari (try it with the thai chili sauce) to burgers, and surf and turf. The atmosphere is hipster-nautical, and if you do desire oysters, come for happy hour: 3 to 7 p.m. Monday to Thursday, with $2 oysters and $1 clams.

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Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media

16. Bond Street Bar

208 Bond St.

Who drinks here: The occasional angry punk, and people who heard the bar was super cool.

The bottom line: Find a local curmudgeon in a leather jacket and he'll tell you precisely how the tourists ruined Bond Street, the old-school and cash-only downtown punk bar that touts dirt-cheap specials (you'll take your beer and shot for $5 and like it!) and a "go f*** yourself" attitude — which they literally print on their T-shirts. Now it's sort of a caricature of itself: The ornery bartenders are still there to yell at you, though the out-of-town drunkards who stumble in and try to use their credit cards often deserve it. The baskets of fried corn nuggets are still awesome.

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Cathy Miller | For NJ Advance Media

15. Langosta Lounge

1000 Ocean Ave.

Who drinks here: Tourists and friends of the performing bands.

The bottom line: As a bar, Langosta on the boardwalk is pretty OK. The cocktails are OK, the beer and wine selection is OK, the sushi, apps and coastal-inspired entrees are OK, if not overpriced for the quality. You could do better, you could do worse. But there is often free live music with some of the best singer-songwriters from the Jersey Shore. If that's your scene, have at it.

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Russ Desantis | For NJ Advance Media

14. Talula's

550 Cookman Ave.

Who drinks here: Aspiring Instagram influencers.

The bottom line: Talula's, and its list of gourmet hipster pizzas, remains one of the most consistently popular restaurants in Asbury Park. Four years after opening, the place is still "top deck of the Titanic" packed on weekends with trendy, photo-snapping patrons. With that, good luck getting a seat at the small bar, but if you do hit the jackpot, the bartenders whip up a list of excellent cocktails and the craft beer list is always intriguing. Locals go wild for the Gin and Jam cocktail.

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13. Barrio Costero

610 Bangs Ave.

Who drinks here: Well-off taco fiends and their friends.

The bottom line: The bar inside Barrio Costero, a reasonably chic Coastal Mexican spot downtown, is bustling all week long with a very good "Daily Escape" happy hour — 4 to 7 p.m. all weekdays but Wednesday and noon to 5 p.m. on weekends — with $6 margaritas and $5 sangria glasses, plus $3 Pacifico and Negra Modelo beers. And the margaritas are taken up a notch with a variety of salts and sugars for the rim; a little chipotle seasoning goes a long way. Stop here on Tuesdays for the best deal of the week: $12 for two tacos (chef's choice) and a margarita. Stellar tequila-centric cocktail menu as well, with a good mix of folks streaming in.

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Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media

12. Johnny Mac's House of Spirits

208 Main St.

Who drinks here: Before 9 p.m., regular people. After 9 p.m., a drunken horde of shot-guzzling 21-year-olds.

The bottom line: There may be no more deeply entrenched Asbury Park boozing institution than good ol' Johnny Mac's on Main Street. It's a kitschy and vaguely Irish indoor-outdoor bar that's great for a cheap beer (plus a free bar pie with every drink) or some Skee-Ball early in the night, but by 11 p.m. or so the place is overrun by college-age large children drinking like it's the end of the world. Those poor, poor bartenders.

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Nikolas Koenig

11. Salvation at The Asbury Hotel

210 Fifth Ave.

Who drinks here: Hotel guests and the little black dress crowd.

The bottom line: You want a view? Salvation, The Asbury Hotel's swanky rooftop bar and lounge, will give you a view! It's a beautiful space with a nearly 360-degree look at the rest of the city and the Atlantic, with a basic beer list and a handful of thoughtful cocktails; DJs and live music are hosted up here, too. A worthy stop off the boardwalk for sure. But get there early; there's only one elevator up to the bar and the logistics of such limited transportation can form a line out the door rather quickly.

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10. Asbury Park Yacht Club + Pop's Garage

1000 Ocean Ave.

Who drinks here: Beach-goers during the day, punks and hipster show-goers at night.

The bottom line: By day, Pop's Garage on the boardwalk is the star, serving very good Mexican food and pouring margaritas, while adjacent Asbury Park Yacht Club ("APYC," say the locals) serves some beer. At night, APYC and its small stage takes over, as most of the best local bands in New Jersey come through to play at least once each summer. The place fills up with all the alternative kids looking to get their eardrums blown out as they sip PBR and Modelo. An electric spot most nights of the week.

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Cathy Miller | For NJ Advance Media

9. The Bonney Read

525 Cookman Ave.

Who drinks here: People who actually care where their seafood comes from.

The bottom line: From a well-stocked raw bar to the kitchen, The Bonney Read downtown knows its seafood and touts endless specials, the best of which are at the bar: on Wednesdays it's "Happy As A Clam" hour all day and night, with cheap bar eats — I can't get enough of the clam and chorizo fritters — and reduced prices on wine, cocktails and featured drafts. If I'm getting drinks on a weekday in A.P., you'll usually find me at Bonney Read.

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Andrew Mills | For NJ Advance Media

8. Pascal and Sabine

601 Bangs Ave.

Who drinks here: People who need a French martini and a cheese plate, stat.

The bottom line: Pascal and Sabine is Asbury Park's universally well-reviewed French restaurant, serving an affluent clientele delicious food with touches of elegance downtown. There are two bars here: a standard, straight one in the dining room and a circular bar in the lounge area — this is where you want to be, munching on some cheese or escargot and sipping a "French Blonde": Aloo gin, elderflower liqueur, Lillet Blanc and grapefruit juice. There are few better date-night spots in the city.

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7. The Bar at Hotel Tides

408 Seventh Ave.

Who drinks here: Hotel guests and local industry people who are really sick of the rest of Asbury Park.

The bottom line: Like I wrote in the Asbury Park restaurant ranking, the Tides is so well hidden on a residential street and such a great little place that I feel bad giving away the secret. Oh well. There's a small, L-shaped lobby bar with affable bartenders and old movies playing on the TV. Beer list is basic stuff, cocktail list is a bit more robust. It's a comfortable neighborhood spot where you're sure to make a new friend. Out back there's a pool with its own bar, where servers and bartenders from other city locales swarm on Mondays.

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6. Taka

660 Cookman Ave.

Who drinks here: Young professionals and sushi obsessors.

The bottom line: I'd challenge any regular bar-goer to find fault with the upscale Japanese restaurant Taka and its centerpiece wraparound bar, above which hangs an array of beautiful globular lamps. With that, the ambiance is certainly there for a memorable date night, but even if you're alone, the Asian-inspired cocktails are killer — their version of a whiskey sour is a personal favorite — and the food, from sushi to steak, is soup-to-nuts dynamite. It's a pricey place without question, but if you're gonna splurge, Taka is worth it.

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5. Asbury Park Distilling Co.

527 Lake Ave.

Who drinks here: Anyone who appreciates the painstaking art of craft cocktails.

The bottom line: You won't find a better cocktail in Asbury Park. Asbury Park Distilling sells its own vodka, gin (regular and barrel-finished) and bourbon — all made in-house — as the first and only distillery in A.P. since Prohibition. The small bar attached is a haven for craft drinks, with uber-precise bartenders meticulously slinging concoctions like the No. 68: gin, coconut, chai, tamarind and lemon. The drinks aren't cheap, but if you're going to break the bank on booze, this is the worthiest place. A nice mix of people here, too; everyone in there appreciates the work going into their drinks.

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Bobby Olivier | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

4. Wonder Bar

Corner of Ocean and Fifth avenues

Who drinks here: Barflies, show-goers and dog lovers.

The bottom line: There was a time when the enduring dive Wonder Bar touted the longest bar in America. Now it hosts a packed calendar of nationally touring bands while patrons drink the basic beer list and snack on burgers and chicken fingers. Though the real winner at Wonder Bar, of course, is its dog-friendly "Yappy Hour" outdoor bar next door, where pooch-lovers can let their pets run around as they drink. If you prefer furry friends, Yappy Hour is the happiest place in the city.

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3. Brickwall Tavern + The Annex

522 Cookman Ave.

Who drinks here: Beer snobs trying to avoid all the Asbury hype.

The bottom line: Brickwall and its adjoining Annex are perhaps the bar standard in Asbury Park; there's a neighborhood feel, a thoughtfully curated craft beer list, a menu with killer wings, burgers, soups and salads, a handful of TVs where a few locals will come to watch sports, and the staff is knowledgeable and mostly friendly. Also, the main bar area is blanketed with clever kitschy signs to stare at while you imbibe. You can't go wrong at Brickwall, though it does pack full on weekend nights.

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MaryAnn Spoto | For NJ Advance Media

2. Asbury Festhalle and Biergarten

527 Lake Ave.

Who drinks here: People who prefer to gulp their beer one hulking liter at a time.

The bottom line: The Jersey Shore's Austro-Hungarian juggernaut — as well as our reigning A.P. bars top dog — continues to pour its enormous one-liter beers and sling its also gigantic pretzels and bratwursts to locals and visitors alike, who overrun the rooftop deck whenever it isn't raining. What's left to say that we haven't gushed about already? The imported draft selection is unparalleled in the city, the food is consistently fantastic, there's plenty of live music on the schedule and the decor inside is transportive. The biergarten remains a stellar choice for most imbibing occasions, but one bar did it better this year …

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Nikolas Koenig

1. The Soundbooth at The Asbury Hotel

210 Fifth Ave.

Who drinks here: Locals, hotel guests, Gay Pride visitors and out-of-towners.

The bottom line: Strike up the band, we have a new best bar in Asbury Park! Normally, a hotel lobby bar is about as innocuous a watering hole as there is, but not at the Soundbooth, which opened along with The Asbury boutique hotel in 2016. The bar itself only has a handful of seats, but there are multiple lounge areas: along the walls of vinyls, farther back with the books and board games (all available for personal entertainment) and inside the live music area, where all walks shoot pool or listen to the eclectic list of bands and songwriters that are booked to play most nights of the week. It's a wonderful mix of people in here, from local artists and hotel guests to mostly respectful day-trippers and the LGBT community, which has rallied around the space (The Asbury plays host hotel for the annual New Jersey Gay Pride weekend). Also, there are sandwiches and snacks available at the hotel counter opposite the chic bar space. Check it out, and cheers to a fun night out in Asbury Park!

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Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier and Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.