Our History
The building at 379 Bloomfield Ave in Caldwell was built in roughly 1913. The building had many uses including as a five and dime store, a pharmacy, a grocery store, among other uses. In the early 1970’s the building was fitted with a kitchen and used as two restaurant bars, Le Garage and Gasoline Alley. Both were successful for a time but, like the other uses of the building, no single business lasted too long. That all changed in 1978 when Bob Harper purchased the building with a partner. They began construction and turned the burger joint with a large dining room into a bar and restaurant with a massive square bar that is there to this day. Bob quickly bought out his partner and decided to create a place where everyone would feel welcome and at home. Built like a boxing ring, Bob settled on the name Ringside Pub with the idea that Ringside would be a place where it would be easy to get a drink and hangout. No matter how large of a crowd there was, everyone would have a Ringside seat. Ringside Pub ran as a bar and restaurant for the first few years with booths on one side and a large kitchen in the back of the building. Finally, around 1985, faced with a booming bar business, Bob decided to remove the kitchen and booths and focus solely on selling alcohol.
A couple years later, Bob decided to expand. He turned the second floor storage area into a pool and dart mecca with its own kitchen. Ringside Pub ran pool and dart tournaments and leagues along with bands. You could always find sports on tv, cold beer, and great conversation. Ringside was designed to be a place where you could meet old friends and make new ones alike. Now, in the aftermath of Covid-19, Ringside Pub still stays in the Harper family and remains a friendly local bar and restaurant. Live entertainment remains available five days a week, sports are always on tv, and the beer is still cold. Great bar food is also available daily as well along with a large upstairs party room and catering available for your next event. You can still catch some of the same customers that were there when Ringside Pub opened along with a cast and crew of friendly faces with ties to the area. On live music nights, people often travel from as far as an hour away to catch great bands and enjoy food and drinks for a reasonable price. If you know and love Ringside Pub, we thank you. If you haven’t yet been, we would love to welcome you next.