Michelle Kestenbaum

Congratulations to Michelle Kestenbaum for winning the title as the Fastest Bartender in Hoboken New Jersey!

Our quest to find the fastest bartender in Hoboken began in early October and after a series of contests with dozens of bartenders from the hottest bars in town. Four qualifying rounds were held at The Shannon, Willie McBrides, Texas Arizona, Odd Fellows, and the finals began where it all started… at The Shannon.

The official list of winners:

First Place: Michelle Alana (Samarel) Kestenbaum, representing the Madison.
Second Place: Julie “Jules” Grills, representing Willie McBrides.
Third Place: Ben Prior, representing the Iron Monkey.

The winner for the H. David Jay Award for the top fund raising bar goes to The Shannon: $1,111.26. The raised money went to the YMCA in Hoboken.

We loved meeting the great people in Hoboken and thank them for joining in on the fun! Great people, great bars, great bartenders, and the Hoboken YMCA doing great things!

And who thought bartenders were competitive? We’ve completed two qualifying rounds and the six bartenders listed below have qualified to move onto the finals at the end of October (Oct 27th Tue 8 pm The Shannon). Come out and watch these fantastic people push their skills to the limit for fun, a good cause, and for the right to bear the title of The Fastest Bartender in Hoboken.

The Shannon: Oct 6th
Cormac Gallagher:  Shannon
Heather Medina:  Black Bear
Ben Prior:  Iron Monkey

Video clips from The Shannon

Willie McBrides: Oct 13th
Julie (Jules) Grills:  Willie McBrides
Pete Dixon:  Willie McBrides
Bill Crecca:  Jenks

Photo album from McBrides

Texas Arizona: Oct 19th
Michelle Kesteabaum: The Madison
Jonathan Heller: Elysian Cafe
Kathy Nickolson: The Shannon

Odd Fellows: Oct 20th
Britney Gwinneck: Odd Fellows
Hillery Lenchus: Odd Fellows
Ryan Schmidt: Rogos

The finalists: The bartenders listed below represent the fastest (and finest) bartenders in Hoboken New Jersey.

1 Cormac Gallagher: The Shannon
2 Heather Medina: Black Bear
3 Ben Prior: Iron Monkey
4 Jule Grills: Willie McBrides
5 Pete Dixon: Willie McBrides
6 Bill Crecca: Jenks
7 Michelle Kesteabaum: The Madison
8 Jonathan Heller: Elisian Cafe
9 Kathy Nickolson: The Shannon
10 Britney Gwinneck: Odd Fellows
11 Hillery Lenchus: Odd Fellows
12 Ryan Schmidt: Rogos
13 Rafaela Moreno: 340 Grille
14 Jeremy Lindgren: Whiskey Bar
15 Chris Villavicencio: Mikie Squared
16 Mike Nuttle: Maxwells

We thank the restaurants below for participating to help us find the Fastest Bartender in Hoboken!

Contest Schedule:
Oct 6th Tuesday 8:00 pm The Shannon
Oct 13th Tuesday 8:00 pm Willie McBrides
Oct 19th Monday 8:00 pm Texas Arizona
Oct 20th Tuesday 8:00 pm Odd Fellows
October 27th Tuesday 8:00 pm The Shannon

Participating Restaurants:

The Shannon – www.theshannonhoboken.com
106 First Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030
201-656-9820

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Willie McBrides – www.williemcbrides.com
616 Grand St
Hoboken, NJ 07030-2807
(201) 610-1522

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Texas Arizona – www.texasarizona.com
76 River St
Hoboken, NJ 07030
201-420-0304

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Odd Fellows – www.oddfellowsrest.com
80 River St
Hoboken, NJ 07030
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We are thrilled to kickoff our Fastest Bartender Contest series in Hoboken New Jersey at The Shannon on First Street. Our Hoboken Fastest Bartender Contest series kicks off on October 6th at The Shannon and we’ll put all of the finalists to the test in the series grand finale at The Shannon on Oct 27th. (Be sure to visit our Events page for up-to-date schedules.)

About The Shannon
Located at 106 First St. in downtown Hoboken, The Shannon is Hoboken’s top sports bar with the best party in town on the weekends.

The Shannon offers something for everyone!

• Sports fans can watch their favorite team on one of 17 HD TVs or their 106″ HD projection screen. They carry most major sports packages including MLB, NCAA March Madness, NHL Center Ice, NBA League Pass, NFL Ticket, & ESPN Full Court.

• Competitors can compete in Pool, Darts, Foosball, Buck Hunter, Wii and for trivia buffs they offer NTN Buzztime.

• They have a popular Happy Hour M-F and offer incredible Daily Drink specials.

• They have the largest backroom in Hoboken where a DJ rocks the house every Thursday, Friday & Saturday night.

The Shannon
106 First St
Hoboken NJ
www.theshannonhoboken.com
201-656-9820

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Willie McBride’s Pub and Restaurant is owned and operated by Sean and Maura Hession and their daughter Chloe. Their motto is: “There are no strangers here only friends we have yet to meet.”

As soon as you enter onto their stone floor your senses will awaken. They have open fireplaces making their large front bar feel more like a family room,  Irish memorabilia they imported directly from Ireland covering the walls. The balcony overlooking the front bar adds a romantic feel and further removes you from the real world just outside.

Everyone is welcome and there’s is a family friendly atmosphere so bring the kids along and relax.

They can accomodate up to 350 people for any type of function in their function room complete with stage and in house sound system and private bar. The best bands in the Tri – State area can be enjoyed here on Friday and Saturday nights.

Hours of Operation*:

Mon – Fri 4:00 pm – 11:00 pm

Sat, Sun 11:00 am – 10:00 pm

*Bar is open Sun – Thu until 2:00 am and Fri – Sat until 3:00 am

They offer a full menu with reasonably prices Irish and American fare

You can enjoy major sporting events on their 18 HD Large Screens as well as numerous TV’s located throughout the bar. They also have a pool table and of course dart boards as well.

Willie McBrides – www.williemcbrides.com
616 Grand St
Hoboken, NJ 07030-2807
(201) 610-1522

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Texas Arizona Bar and Grill on River Street opened for business over 25 years ago and has been a young singles hot spot ever since. They offer a popular mixture of live entertainment, including cover bands and original artists, as well as the hottest DJs in the area.  They offer an extensive beer list including 15 brews on tap and another 40 in bottles, a mix of domestics, imports and microbrews.

They are open from 11:30 am to 2 am daily

Texas Arizona – www.texasarizona.com
76 River St
Hoboken, NJ 07030
201-420-0304

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Oddfellows Rest was named for one of New Orleans’ famous cemeteries and they have managed to bring the New Orleans “thing” to Hoboken New Jersey. They’ve been a favorite destination for fun-loving Hobokenites and food critics alike since opening over a dozen years ago. Fans can feast on their favorite Cajun food including; jambalayas, etouffees, po’ boys, gumbos, and blackened catfish.

The restaurant offers a different spin on New Orleans’ infamous flair. They have a separate, non-smoking restaurant, from which diners can make their way into our spacious bar. The bar features an 8 ft screen TV, 42” plasma TVs, a dartboard, and 2 pool tables. In spring, summer, and fall, our outdoor courtyard in back is open.

No New Orleans hot spot would be complete without an annual Mardi Gras celebration, and Oddfellows answers with a week-long rip-roarin’ party, featuring live funk & zydeco bands and a glittering float, from which beads, masks, and trinkets are thrown. The festivities kick-off a week early, and culminate with a crazy Fat Tuesday bash worthy of Bourbon Street.

During crawfish season in April, live crawfish are tossed into a Jacuzzi-sized pot of boiling Cajun spices, then served by the pound alongside corn on the cob and boiled red potatoes.

Odd Fellows – www.oddfellowsrest.com
80 River St
Hoboken, NJ 07030
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Starting with The Shannon on October 6th, followed by several qualifying rounds at Texas Arizona, Odd Fellows, etc…, and culminating with the finalists competing for the coveted title of “Fastest Bartender” to be held where it all started…, The Shannon.

For more information visit: Hoboken New Jersey Fastest Bartender Contests