Roses, chocolate, and McSwiggan’s? This Hoboken pub, located at 110 1st Street, might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about romance — but locals know that it’s just one of those places that seems to spark feelings of love. We asked our Hoboken Girl Insiders Facebook Group to share their McSwiggan’s love stories and we got some great responses. One local, Jennifer Morgan, told us, “My husband and I met there 14 years ago and have been married 11.5 years now.” Jennifer is far from the only one to include McSwiggan’s as part of their love story. So for any singles out there on the hunt for a great local spot in Hudson County to meet a potential significant other, we’ve got you covered with some heartwarming success stories. Read on to hear from a few other Hobokenites who met their partners at this pub.
Dancing on a First Date
In October 2021, Veronica Domenchello went to a restaurant in Hoboken for an online first date with her now-partner, Anthony. Veronica and Anthony spent the date connecting over how much they both loved to go dancing with friends.
After dinner, Anthony decided to keep the night going and asked if Veronica wanted to go out dancing.
“We went to McSwiggan’s and we just had a blast. We just danced the night away together. It was just the two of us. It was one of the most fun first dates I’ve ever had,” Veronica shared.
Veronica said her first date with Anthony was by far the best memory she’s made at McSwiggan’s.
“I just felt like that was what kicked off our connection that we have together,” she explained.
The couple still loves going to McSwiggan’s together. The positive energy, friendly bartenders, and — of course — the dance floor keeps them coming back.
Read More: Readers Share Where They Met Their Partners in Hoboken
A Serendipitous Stella Led to Long-Term Love
Jacquelyn Aleece made McSwiggan’s her place when she moved to Hoboken in her 20s.
“It just has this very friendly, casual, fun, atmosphere,” Jacquelyn said.
Jacquelyn let us in on her secret strategy to flirt with cute guys.
“If we saw a really cute guy, we’d be like, ‘Oh, are you trying to order a drink? What do you want? I’ll get the bartender,’” she shared.
Jacquelyn and her friends would stand by the bar on crowded nights. Since she and her friends were McSwiggan’s regulars, they knew all the bartenders and could easily get their attention.
One spring Friday night in 2010, Jacquelyn was out with her girlfriends at McSwiggan’s. It was payday, the DJ was playing all of their favorite songs — everything just felt good.
Jacquelyn was standing near the bar when a cute guy named Robert walked up. Jacquelyn helped him order a Stella and the rest is history…
After a fun night of dancing and getting to know each other, Robert told Jacquelyn he wanted to connect with her on Facebook. Even though it was 2010, Jacquelyn still thought this was a bit odd. The next morning, Jacquelyn and her girlfriends went out to brunch where they laughed about him not just asking for her number.
“20 minutes later, after saying that, I had a Facebook message in my inbox and two weeks later we set up our first date. And we’ve been together ever since,” she reminisced. 
After they started dating, Jacquelyn and Robert kept going to McSwiggan’s together. They’ve even witnessed other friends meet their partners at the pub.
Although Jacquelyn no longer lives in Hoboken, every time she and Robert come back to town, they make sure to stop by McSwiggan’s. Jacquelyn runs The Wedding Plan & Company and knows a thing or two about creating unforgettable romantic events for her clients. She’s even started thinking about a McSwiggans anniversary party for her and Robert.
“We always talk about how for our 15th anniversary or 20th anniversary, we want to rent it out and throw our anniversary party there,” she said.
McSwiggan’s Meet Cute
Missy Ricci D’Alessandro noticed a tall, handsome man on the PATH train platform one morning back in 2011. Although he caught her eye, she didn’t get a chance to talk to him.
Later that weekend, she and her girlfriends were out at the Hoboken Arts Festival when they decided to head to McSwiggan’s for a bite to eat. A guy came over to their group and started chatting.
“I kind of looked over my shoulder and he pointed to the guy I saw on the platform, and I was like, ‘Oh, I know you, I’ve seen you before,’” Missy said.
Missy and Dan, the man she had seen on the platform and now fatefully reunited with at McSwiggan’s, spent the rest of the afternoon getting to know each other over some beers.
At the end of the night, Dan walked Missy home. He asked for her number — but then told her his phone died.
“This is typical guy 101, I’m never going to hear from this guy again. But then a couple of days later, he texted me and we’ve been together ever since,” Missy shared.
Missy and Dan are now married with a toddler and have twins on the way. They still live in Hoboken and have occasionally gone back to McSwiggan’s over the years.
Funnily enough, when Missy first met Dan, his friends introduced him as ‘Danny.’
“I put him in my phone as Danny McSwiggans. To this day, he’s still in my phone as Danny McSwiggan’s. I haven’t changed it,” she laughed.
Puppy Love
In 2016, Brienne Brown was working on her PhD in psychology. She was living in Manhattan but doing her residency in New Jersey. One beautiful June afternoon, Brienne and a few of her fellow residents decided to grab a drink at Pier 13 in Hoboken.
Before heading home, her friends suggested they all grab one more drink — this time at McSwiggan’s.
Brienne and her two friends found a spot at one end of the bar. At the other corner was a group of three guys.
“One of the guys came to hit on one of my friends and the other guy came to hit on my other friend,” Brienne said.
She decided to go up and chat with the third guy, Nick.
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“I thought he was really cute,” Brienne shared. “We hit it off.”
Brienne and Nick exchanged numbers, but Brienne didn’t think things would really go anywhere. But the two continued to text and eventually started dating.
“Throughout our courtship, we actually went back to McSwiggan’s quite frequently. We would do football Sundays there. It was easy for me because the PATH is so close. I was living in the city at the time and he was in Hoboken,” she said.
About a year into their relationship, the couple moved to Colorado together. And in June 2019 — three years to the day of meeting at McSwiggan’s — they got married.
“When we got married, the bartenders at McSwiggans, as a wedding gift, sent us a framed photo of the bar,” she shared.
And that’s not the only connection to McSwiggan’s they’ve brought to Colorado. When the couple adopted their dog, they decided to name him Swiggs in honor of their meeting spot.
“He’s the sweetest,” she said.
Congrats to all of the McSwiggan’s couples out there!
